Chapter 66
Teigun Defense Battle ③
(Day 3 of War)
Corridor of
Terror
Translator : PolterGlast
"The enemy is
entering the narrow pass from the Demon Realm side. Their numbers are
approximately 3,000!
Roughly half cavalry
and half infantry, they are advancing in a column towards the corridor that
follows."
A little earlier than
expected, before the sun reached its zenith, a report came from the lookout
announcing the arrival of the invading army.
"Then, shall we
seize the initiative? Claire, Krolla, can you handle this with Elan?"
"Understood!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Yes!"
Christoph calmly fired
the first arrow at the enemy army.
※
"Even so, this
place is narrow. It's getting blocked up ahead, so we won't be able to deploy
our troops properly."
Marquis Bradley, who
had finally passed through the border with the Demon Realm and entered Teigun's
narrow pass, just wanted to take a breather.
The path here was
narrow, only wide enough for a few cavalrymen to pass side by side.
One side of the
winding corridor was a steep, rocky slope difficult to climb, and the other
side was a sheer, deep valley. If one fell into the valley, they would almost
certainly not survive.
Therefore, the front
was congested, and the march proceeded slowly. Impatient, the Marquis joined
the rear of the vanguard.
A march of 3,000 men
was enough to attract monsters.
They had just been
freed from the fear and tension of marching through the edge of the Demon Realm
(bamboo forest), where a monster attack could happen at any moment.
A small group was
fine, but if a large group roasted meat, it could also attract monsters.
They had been warned
about this and had eaten only simple food since entering the Demon Realm.
"Tonight, I want
to sleep soundly in a canopied bed in the town of Teigun."
The lord was absent,
and most of the soldiers were off fighting on a distant battlefield. The
reserve forces were negligible.
Victory was as good as
guaranteed.
He would conscript the
beauties of the town and relieve his frustrations from the battlefield.
The Marquis was
immersed in such sweet dreams on horseback.
"Report! Beyond
this narrow pass, on the bridge, there is a lone individual challenging us and
blocking our path!"
When he went to the
front, he saw a young man, seemingly still in his teens, sitting calmly on
horseback in the middle of the bridge.
"This is the
territory of Baron Solis, Lord of Estol.
I am a subordinate of
Lord Takuhir, who governs this land. By my duty, I ask of you, sirs.
For what reason have
you trespassed upon my lord's territory?"
"We are the army
under Marquis Bradley of the Gryphonia Empire. If you value your lives,
surrender quickly, open the gate, and beg for mercy.
We might even let you
live as slaves.
If you resist, we will
burn the town and annihilate all its inhabitants. Decide quickly what your fate
will be."
The soldier who spoke
on behalf of the Marquis replied to him with a laugh.
"Then there is no
choice.
If you advance beyond
this bridge, you will be judged as invaders, and our entire army will attack.
Proceed with caution."
Saying this, Christoph
turned his horse around.
The envoy from Teigun,
who should have been in an absolutely vulnerable position, had spoken with such
composure and confidence that the imperial soldiers were instead dumbfounded
and forgot to pursue him.
And after a moment, a
wave of ridicule swept through the Marquis's army.
"What? He
probably just tried to put on a show even when surrendering."
"Are there only
such children left? It means Teigun has no capable people."
"At this point,
we can only pity them."
Amidst the soldiers'
jeers, Marquis Bradley shouted.
"Everyone,
listen!
We will now crush
Teigun. The town is yours for the taking! Now is the time to show your loyalty
to the Empire!"
"Oh!"
Marquis Bradley's
words roused the soldiers.
"Now, we will
advance with the archer unit at the front, followed by the infantry and cavalry
units. All forces, advance!"
As a reaction to the
arduous march so far, with their destination in sight, the group, now
bloodthirsty beasts, began to run.
※
Beyond the winding
path, obscured by cliffs, nothing was visible. But from the front, the screams
of soldiers echoed with a roar.
"What is it?!
What happened?!"
Because the vanguard
had suddenly stopped, the following units, unable to grasp the situation,
pushed forward one after another, and the formation was compressed towards the
rear, becoming a packed mass.
And then, from far
behind, a roar and screams echoed through the valley.
"What is
happening?! Someone! Confirm and report!
With the road so
narrow and winding, we can't see anything!"
Marquis Bradley, in
stark contrast to his earlier magnanimity, had a contorted face.
※
"We've dropped
the bridges at the front and rear. Next, as planned, let's burn the central
army all at once."
Claire and Krolla nodded
at Elan's words.
Actually, these three
had been moving directly beneath the narrow pass where the enormous enemy army
was advancing.
More precisely, they
were running through a secret hidden passage that Elan and the other earth
mages had painstakingly created beneath the narrow pass.
The hidden passage, a
defensive trump card known only to a few, snaked directly beneath the Teigun
corridor.
They were using a
hidden narrow passage, just wide enough for one person, carved into the slope
of the cliff leading to the steep valley.
This passage was
invisible from the corridor above unless one was suspended and looked down the
cliff.
Furthermore, Elan and
his group had excavated the narrow pass of the corridor, deliberately creating
trenches in several places.
Normally, bridges
spanned these trenches, allowing for unobstructed passage, but weaknesses were
intentionally incorporated into the bridge supports.
If an earth mage
manipulated these weaknesses, the foundation would easily collapse under the
weight of people and horses crossing the bridge.
With Earth Mage Elan's
manipulation, the foundation was destroyed, and the bridge collapsed, sending
about 20 men at the front plunging into the trench along with the bridge.
Furthermore,
misfortune continued.
The endlessly
advancing army could not stop suddenly.
Those who had managed
to stop just before seeing the collapse in front of them were pushed from
behind by unaware units pressing forward, falling into the trench one after
another.
To make matters even
worse, the bottom of the trench sloped towards the valley of the cliff, and its
surface was firmly compacted.
The screams of the
soldiers who had fallen into the trench and were sliding down the "slide
of death" towards the bottom of the valley, whose depth was invisible,
chilled the hearts of the Marquis's army.
After containing the
vanguard, Elan activated similar mechanisms at the rear, near the very end of
the line.
Soldiers on horseback
disappeared into the valley floor with their beloved horses.
With the trenches at
the front and rear, Marquis Bradley's army was largely trapped in the narrow
pass, unable to advance or retreat.
Moreover, since the
front was already jammed, the formation was dense.
※
Elan, Claire, and
Krolla, after destroying the bridge at the rear, moved swiftly through the
hidden passage and were now directly beneath the central part of the trapped
enemy army.
"Then... shall we
begin?"
The two of them nodded
resolutely at Elan's words.
Here, Elan activated
earth magic again.
Large clay jars,
disguised as rocks on the cliff side of the corridor, shattered, and oil
overflowed onto the narrow corridor.
"What is
this!"
"It's oil! Watch
out for fire arrows!"
"Cover it with
dirt!"
"Move away from
the spreading oil!"
The Marquis's soldiers
shouted, but the area was filled with men and horses, making it impossible to
move as they wished.
"It may seem
cruel, but to protect everyone, we need to reduce their numbers here, even if
only a little. Krolla, are you alright?"
Krolla, tensed, nodded
to Claire with eyes of clear resolve.
"Flame
Barrier!" x2
The two mages conjured
two walls of flames on the narrow corridor. The rising walls of fire ignited
the oil spreading on the ground, turning the area into a hell engulfed in
flames.
The corridor became a
sea of fire, and as soon as the trap was activated, they simultaneously moved
to the next location.
The fact that they
couldn't see what was happening in the corridor above was at least a blessing
for their mental health.
On the corridor, a
scene that could only be described as horrific unfolded.
Those burning in the
flames, unable to move.
Those trying to escape
the flames, running around, and falling down the cliff.
Those pushing
surrounding soldiers to escape the flames.
Those kicked down or
trampled by wildly raging horses.
Those caught by
runaway horses and falling down the cliff with their horses.
The area echoed with
the screams and shouts of the invading army, and a chaotic, gruesome scene that
made one want to avert their eyes unfolded.
However, this was not
all.
This vicious trap,
activated in the central army, was then deployed sequentially even further
forward.
The corridor was
narrow and winding, and the situation of the trailing units could not be seen
from the front. Only screams could be heard.
And those screams
gradually grew closer.
The soldiers of the
Marquis's army were enveloped in an indescribable terror.
Marquis Bradley, who
was waiting at the very front, and his subordinate soldiers were in a daze from
the screams of their allies and the death throes of their warhorses echoing
from various parts of the poorly visible corridor.
After the meeting
where Takuhir told the mages they would remain behind, seeing the battle plan
they submitted...
"Whoa! That's
brutal!"
That's precisely what
he blurted out when he saw this trap.
And it was actually
used and proved to be extremely effective.
And Marquis Bradley,
and indeed all of the invading army, were made to realize that they had been
harboring a sweet illusion of victory.
However, their
misfortune had only just begun...
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