Chapter 49

The battle between the 7th Legion and the Coalition of Kings' Army took place precisely at noon.

The enemy numbered 10,000.

If we fought them head-on, we would have little chance of winning.

The old general Kushana of the Manticore advised me.

"Shouldn't we launch a night raid here?"

I shook my head.

"Humans are well-versed in battles against the Demon King's Army. They must be well-prepared for night battles. They likely have magicians specialized in 'Illumination' and 'Detection' spells."

"Indeed," Kushana agreed.

"Moreover, we have a large number of troops. The enemy must have already fully grasped our movements. They are probably waiting for us with bated breath."

I muttered my prediction, and it turned out to be accurate.

A report came from Lilith, whom I had sent as a scout.

"Lord Ike, the enemy has indeed fully grasped our movements."

"They are forming an array to intercept us."

Lilith's description of the enemy formation was in the shape of a 'U'.

"Ah, the Crane Wing formation, I see."

"The Crane Wing formation?"

"The Crane Wing formation is designed to encircle the enemy."

"Is it a strong formation?"

"Indeed, it's one of the basics of warfare."

"…That's troublesome."

Lilith's voice was low, perhaps due to the sight of the vast army. She seemed a bit discouraged.

To reassure her, I explained the weakness of the formation.

"The Crane Wing formation is powerful. Adopting it means the enemy commander is not incompetent. However, this formation has its weaknesses."

"Weaknesses?"

"Yes, the Crane Wing formation inevitably forms a 'U' shape. Its strength lies in easily surrounding and annihilating a smaller enemy force."

"…Smaller, you mean our 7th Legion? Our legion has only 2,000 soldiers. This is exactly what the enemy wants, isn't it?"

"That's why I said it has weaknesses. This formation, designed to encircle the enemy, inevitably makes the bottom part of the 'U' thin."

"I see, if the soldiers are evenly distributed, that would happen. But how does that relate to the weakness?"

"Here's the thing. If we break through the bottom of the 'U', the enemy will be split in two."

Lilith still frowned at my words. She seemed more suited to physical combat than strategic planning.

"Ah, I see," the old general Kushana added.

"Lord Ike means to break through the bottom of the 'U', split the enemy into two, cause chaos, and then defeat them one by one."

Lilith finally clapped her hands and said, "I see."

"That's the role of our brigade, the Undead Brigade," she added.

Kushana frowned and turned to me, asking seriously.

"But, Lord Ike, can your brigade alone handle breaking through the enemy's bottom? Your brigade has only 500 soldiers, and they will be temporarily surrounded by 10,000 enemies."

I had to say, "It will be fine."

Repeatedly, a commander's hesitation can spread to the troops.

I couldn't show any hesitation here.

Moreover, saying it would boost my own morale.

Honestly, trying to temporarily stop 10,000 soldiers with just 500 was foolish.

Throughout history, in any world, no one had ever heard of 500 soldiers challenging 10,000.

What I was about to do would be ridiculed as folly by all the great commanders of any world.

—But,

I murmured to myself and made my decision.

Even with just 500 soldiers, it was not impossible.

After all, I had the strongest weapons: the staff of the Ouroboros, inherited from my grandfather, and the matchlock gun.

With this conviction, I led the Undead Brigade into the enemy formation.

What would the enemy think when they saw a brigade of just 500 soldiers charging in?

They might mistake it for another reckless charge by the Demon King's Army's boar warriors.

The Demon King's Army often acted recklessly, with few commanders possessing rational thinking.

However, if they thought that, it would be to our advantage.

"The more they underestimate us, the better."

I said this as I mounted my horse and led the charge.

Lilith said, seeing me off,

"Undead Brigade members, follow Lord Ike!"

With those words, the Undead Brigade followed me.

I confirmed this and cast a massive 'Barrier' spell in front of us.

I was familiar with human tactics.

Their first move would be long-range attacks with bows.

Last time, I used the 'Gale' spell to defend, but this time it was a regular army.

They might have more powerful 'fixed artillery' prepared, so I chose the 'Barrier' spell.

However, casting a barrier spell is quite challenging.

Creating a barrier to protect an individual is easy, but deploying one to protect an entire army requires immense magical power, a long incantation time, and skill.

I stopped my horse and began the incantation.

I needed time to focus.

During this time, arrows from the enemy flew towards us.

"…Will it be in time?"

I wondered, but it just managed to work.

A massive barrier unfolded in front of me.

A pale, web-like barrier appeared.

The arrows from the humans were deflected by this barrier.

"What, what is that massive barrier? It even repels ballistae?"

I could almost hear the humans' voices.

If I could explain to them, I would say,

"It's just a barrier, it can't repel ballistae."

But—

I had applied a little trick to the barrier I cast.

Instead of a flat barrier, I made it curved.

This way, the force of the arrows would be reduced and redirected.

A flat barrier could concentrate the force and be broken, but a spherical barrier would be more efficient for deflection.

This knowledge came from my past life, from the field of physics.

Some of the other demons had more powerful magic than me, but in terms of applying magic, I might be the best in the Demon King's Army.

—Or maybe I was just being conceited.

There are always those who are better, and if I didn't keep that in mind, I might one day become a loser.

As I was reflecting on this, Lilith, my deputy, poured cold water on me.

"Truly, Lord Ike. I didn't expect you to use such a magnificent spell. —No, I did expect it, but it exceeded my imagination."

"Flattery won't get you anything."

She stuck out her tongue in response.

Next, the orc advisor Jiron spoke up.

"Sir, the musketeers are ready. Is it alright to fire now?"

I had completely forgotten I had brought him to the battlefield.

Surprised by his rare tactical suggestion, I extended my hand and said,

"Not yet, it's too early."

"But the enemy is so close. The matchlock guns can reach about 400 meters, right?"

"They can reach, but it's meaningless if they don't hit."

Matchlock guns have similar power to modern guns but a much shorter effective range.

To use them effectively, the range is limited to about 50 meters.

The enemy needed to get closer for it to be meaningful.

However, I wasn't worried about that.

I could predict the enemy's reaction when they realized their arrows were ineffective.

The enemy was already in sight.

Realizing that bow attacks were futile, they quickly switched tactics.

They launched a cavalry charge, the best attack method for a knight squadron.

The knights approached, raising dust, all clad in heavy armor, each holding a long spear for the charge.

"Amazing," Jiron said, holding his breath.

Indeed, I was also impressed.

Such a large-scale charge is not often seen.

If this were a movie, it would be thrilling, but being on the receiving end is not pleasant.

In fact, many demons had lost their lives to such charges.

However, this time it would be different.

I had no intention of letting them get that close.

That's why I had the matchlock guns.

I ordered my subordinates to "lure the enemy as close as possible" and waited for the knights to approach.

Ideally, we would wait until we could hear the knights' breathing, but this was our first practical use.

I decided to fire with some leeway.

When the enemy was within 30 meters, I lowered my raised right hand and ordered,

"Fire!"

The thunderous sound echoed around.

Instantly, the knights began to fall.

Those hit by bullets collapsed on the spot, and those hit by the horses were thrown off.

Seeing this, I was confident we would win the battle.

The musketeers who had fired were replaced by the next group.

This was the three-volley system.

The second and third volleys were fired at the knights who had narrowly avoided the first shots or only fallen off their horses.

Each time, more knights fell.

The riderless horses neighed on the spot.

The surviving knights seemed to have lost their will to fight.

The brave knights who had fought in many battles began to flee in panic.

In other words, the bottom part of the 'U' formation had collapsed.

My objective was achieved.

The remaining brigade leaders would now encircle and attack the divided enemy.

Of course, I didn't intend to sit idle during this time.

I planned to provide support to my allies, but it was also a moment to catch my breath.

Looking at the enemy formation from a distance, I saw intense fire columns and lightning strikes.

"…Come to think of it, the right wing was commanded by the brigade leader."

No wonder the battle was so intense.

They were probably using forbidden-level spells without restraint.

The enemy, already split in two and facing one of the Demon King's Army's top mages, must be in a state of panic.

"Then," I said, deciding to head to the left wing.

This side was supposed to be commanded by Kushana of the Manticore and Beow of the Werewolf.

Even in a state of panic, the enemy's numbers might be too much for them.

I ordered my advisor Jiron and deputy Lilith,

"Let's head to the left wing for support!"

They both nodded in unison, "Yes!"

The Undead Brigade followed me in perfect formation.

A few moments later, the divided knight squadrons began to retreat simultaneously.

Thus, the battle, later known as the "Miracle of Arsenam" by the Demon King's Army and the "Humiliation of Arsenam" by the humans, came to an end.

In essence, it was our overwhelming victory.