Chapter 22

......

The dark night enveloped the dense forests and mountains, and countless pairs of blood-red eyes opened in the darkness.

At the forefront, the hyenas were pierced all over with fine steel arrows. The arrows shot by the longbowmen were powerful, their tips easily piercing through the hyenas' hard skulls. The hyenas, with arrows stuck in their heads, fell to the ground, scattering countless dry leaves.

The heavily armored infantry, who had fallen behind, quickly formed a shield wall under the command of the squad leader. The hyenas, like calves, charged through the rain of arrows. They tried to trample over the shield wall, their massive claws leaving deep marks on the iron shields.

The hyenas' hind legs were extremely strong, and they strained to break through the shield wall. However, they were pierced by the Pegasus spears wielded by the spearman who arrived in time. The heavy bodies of the hyenas crashed into the shield wall, making a dull sound.

Each impact from the hyenas was a great test for the shield bearers. Their shield wall was like a small boat in a storm, always in danger of being capsized. At such times, the soldiers behind had to push their shoulders against the backs of their comrades in front to keep the shield wall from collapsing.

The spearman in the rear row used all their strength to stab the charging hyenas with their long spears.

Another wave of arrows fell, and the powerful fine steel arrows caused massive casualties among the hyenas.

He Boqiang pushed his shoulder against Suldak's back. Seeing a huge claw reaching for Suldak's face, He Boqiang instinctively thrust his Roman sword, piercing the hyena's claw.

The hyena let out a sharp howl, its mouth dripping with venom, and it lunged at Suldak's throat. Suldak tried to raise his shield to block the hyena's bite, but the hyena's front paw pressed against the top edge of the shield, making it impossible for Suldak to lift it.

Just as the stench from the hyena's mouth reached Suldak's face, a small round shield wrapped in iron hit the hyena's mouth. The surface of the small round shield, made of hard wood and iron, was deeply dented, almost shattered by He Boqiang's powerful shield strike. The hyena's nose was grotesquely twisted, and two sharp fangs were left on the small round shield. The hyena's body was thrown backward, unable to even howl.

Red Socks, standing shoulder to shoulder with He Boqiang, stared at him with a look of shock, unable to speak.

A hyena tried to jump over Red Socks' head, and He Boqiang took the opportunity to raise his Roman sword and cut a two-foot-long gash in the hyena's belly, causing its entrails to spill out, covering Red Socks' head.

He Boqiang punched Red Socks on the shoulder, signaling him to focus and protect the comrades holding the shields in front.

When more hyenas charged from behind, they were stabbed by the spears thrust through the gaps before they could get close to Suldak.

For a moment, the bodies of the hyenas piled up in front of the shield wall.

These fierce round-eared hyenas did not belong to the category of magical beasts. However, their large numbers and preference for group hunting meant they had few natural enemies in the mountains and forests, except for powerful magical beasts.

Hyena attacks on humans were not uncommon, but hyenas of this size, with bloodshot eyes and extreme ferocity, were rare in the Handanar County.

Seeing the hyenas still charging forward in the darkness, the sixth squad leader ordered the shield bearers to retreat.

At this moment, the fourth battalion had fully reacted. Battalion Commander Baron Sidney led a group of elite warriors to quickly arrive, leading the heavily armored infantry to counterattack the hyenas.

The heavily armored soldiers were not afraid of the hyenas' bites. Baron Sidney, leading his guards, charged forward. A white aura enveloped him, and the hyenas were split in half by his double-edged greatsword before they could reach him.

Baron Sidney's timely arrival greatly relieved the pressure on the rear defense.

The surrounding soldiers, seeing Baron Sidney's heroic figure wielding his greatsword like a god, were reinvigorated and joined him in fighting the hyenas.

Baron Sidney, like a banner, charged at the forefront, drawing the attention of many hyenas.

The pressure on the defense was significantly reduced. Taking advantage of the hyenas' weakened attack, Suldak wiped his face and said to He Boqiang, who was standing behind him:

"See that? Baron Sidney is one of the seven Construct Knights of the 57th Regiment."

Jeronnan, the black boy, said enviously:

"I hope one day I can become a Construct Knight too."

As Jeronnan spoke, a hyena took the opportunity to charge. Captain Sam, holding a square shield in one hand and a war hammer in the other, smashed the hyena's head, causing blood to splatter everywhere. He kicked the hyena's body away and turned to Jeronnan, shouting:

"What are you thinking! Do you think you can break through the first-level bottleneck? Even if you become a first-level warrior, can you afford the magical construct?"

Jeronnan, scolded by Captain Sam, dared not retort and could only give him a sheepish smile.

Captain Sam patted Jeronnan's face and said:

"Just be a good infantryman. When your service is over, go back home, get married, and live a stable life. Don't think about these unrealistic things."

Jeronnan protested softly:

"Uncle Sam, this is my dream."

Thinking that the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment came from the Tarapa region of Osorno County in Benar Province, it was not surprising that Jeronnan called Captain Sam "Uncle."

Captain Sam did not give Jeronnan any good face, shouting:

"Put away your dreams. When your service is over, go home and be a good citizen."

The hyenas' attack had eased, and the soldiers could exchange a few words during the lull. Veteran Ian, trembling, lit a pipe, took a few deep puffs, and passed it to Captain Sam. The pipe made its way around the second squad.

Finally, it reached Jeronnan, who took the last half-puff of the nearly burnt-out pipe.

Jeronnan, with a look of resentment, took the last puff, and the last bit of tobacco burned out.

He Boqiang thought the hyenas would retreat after realizing they couldn't gain any advantage.

However, in a short time, blood-red eyes appeared in the forests on both sides of the formation. The hyenas did not retreat but gathered in even greater numbers.

Suldak, noticing the unusual situation, said to his comrades:

"What's wrong with these hyenas? They keep coming even after so many have died. A bunch of mad dogs!"

He Boqiang handed Suldak a water flask, which had been filled at the river earlier and was now almost empty.

Suldak drank the last mouthful of water and hung the flask back on his waist.

Captain Sam shouted to the second squad:

"Keep going, focus!"

The hyenas in the forest surged forward like a tide again.