Chapter 45 17. Living Fortress
The beast tamer who stayed behind to scout came back on a dark Pegasus and reported that two oar boats had just come up the river, but for some reason they stopped for a while and then retreated back to Clarkalond.
It is just the beginning of winter, and it is not the coldest yet, so the Red Poison River has not frozen yet.
Dacus stopped on the road and looked at the densely packed haystacks and wood piles in the fields before him. He felt that his intelligence was greatly insulted. Digging a soldier hiding cave and a whole roadside bomb were a hundred times better than this.
Alyssa said that there were a large number of Duruchi lying in ambush behind the haystacks and wood piles. After seeing her dark Pegasus, they all retreated back to the manor. There were about two hundred Duruchi.
Dacus shook his head in disdain and said, "That's all you can do. I gave you a chance, but you didn't use it. Lure you into a trap? Well, I'm going to try!" Then he shouted, "Edmund! Leave a few teams and a team of crossbowmen behind the haystacks to watch over the Red Poison River. Everything else is covered! It's the same old rules!"
The veterans who had followed Dacus on the Hakseiye voyage cheered. This was a big deal. They raised their serrated swords and spears and praised loudly.
Darkus rode his giant trotter to the two dinosaurs, pointed at the manor in the distance, and said, "See that? Go smash it!"
The Triceratops and Ankylosaurus were armed with a layer of black steel armor with copper edges and wore eye shields. Under the stimulation of magic, the interlayer became warm, and the two dinosaurs became a little more energetic.
Nicknamed "living fortresses," ankylosaurs are hulking, powerful reptiles clad in thick armor. Their armor may even be the strongest on Lustria. Truly walking fortresses, their bony hides, like a city wall, are covered in natural scales. These steel-like scales can sometimes withstand the bites of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Even if the outermost plates are penetrated, it's difficult to inflict substantial damage to an ankylosaur, as they possess more than one layer of protection: several layers of hardened skin within, and layers of scales beyond.
Triceratops are ancient beasts that dwell in the forests of Lustria, predating even the coming of the Old Ones. These behemoths boast a massive crest from which protrudes massive horns. Armored with bony scales and spikes, Triceratops are a formidable force in the jungle.
It's a moving lump of iron that needs to be hit where it's needed, like with a spear or harpoon into the eyes or mouth, or with magic or war machines to be destroyed.
A Reaper Ballista squad consisted of four units, totaling thirty-three Duruchi. Eight Duruchi manned each Reaper Ballista, with one each carrying the barrel, base, and bow. Four Duruchi carried the crossbow bolts, and one commanded the unit.
The two dinosaurs nodded, then turned and began to jog.
The eight teams of Edmund's Centurions and the Reaper Crossbow Team were lined up. The other two teams were going to drive the slaves and carts to the fields. The four Scourgewalker chariots, under the command of Calion, split up and went around to the left and right.
Edmund drew his serrated sword, pointed at the manor, and shouted, "Charge! For Lord Darkius!"
The soldiers began to line up, holding up their shields and charging behind the dinosaurs.
The Reaper Crossbow Squadron was even more interesting. Looking at this group of Duruchi carrying crossbow parts and running hard behind, Daxus thought of the mortar team that attacked in his previous life. They looked the same.
The dinosaur began to run faster and faster, and the soldiers following behind could only bite the bullet and raise their shields to speed up, running faster and faster.
This is why wild beasts are the core of the Duruchi war, but Duruchi soldiers do not like to deal with them. The beasts are too violent and unpredictable, so the soldiers can only cooperate with the beasts in turn. The attacks are disjointed, and it is common for them to attack and trample on the Duruchi soldiers next to them.
Alyssa took the risk and manipulated the wind of Gur in mid-air, releasing Paine's hard fur, covering the dinosaurs and soldiers with a layer of hard skin, giving them greater protection from weapons and other forms of damage.
The earth was shaking, the dinosaurs and the soldiers ran faster and more disconnected, the soldiers' formation was broken, and the soldiers didn't even have time to use their usual spears and shields or shout Duruchi's slogans.
The manor was not far away and they rushed over quickly. There were two dinosaurs, one ankylosaurus leading the way and the other ankylosaurus directly knocking open the gate. Behind the gate were rows of Druchi mercenary spearmen. The ankylosaurus was not stupid either, it turned sideways and swung its tail hammer, a death pendulum.
The Triceratops that rushed in from behind didn't stop. It lowered its head, flattened its horns and pushed into the crowd, directly breaking through the formation.
Mercenaries are mercenaries. Those in the front row retreated immediately when they saw the dinosaurs charging in. Order was immediately disrupted, and then screams were heard. The spears were broken before they even penetrated the black steel and copper-edged armor. The tail hammer of the ankylosaur directly knocked down a group of Druchi mercenaries.
The wailing Duruchi mercenaries fell to the ground and were crushed by the ankylosaur. The earth that nourished them was no longer alive. The ankylosaur struck another death pendulum, and the formation and order of the Duruchi mercenaries were completely disrupted.
The Triceratops was quite straightforward. Darkus told it to smash the building, and it did just that. It charged into the manor without stopping. A swarm of Duruchi mercenaries and Thorn Family guards rushed out of the building, and the Triceratops charged right in. Several of the three horns on its head were pierced, and the surviving Duruchi were still struggling and wailing on the horns, pushing against them to push themselves off. The Duruchi next to it were either knocked away or trampled.
Then, the Triceratops hit the outer wall of the building directly. The marble wall shipped from Hag Graves was intact. The Triceratops' eyes were full of suspicion and confusion. Then it hit it again, but the wall still did not move at all.
It felt a little pain in its head, and suddenly, something touched it from behind. A family guard held a spear in both hands and stabbed it into the gap of the black steel and copper armor. The spear head stabbed a quarter of the way in and could not go any deeper. The Triceratops roared and began to go crazy, swinging its tail directly. The family guard did not fly away with a scream, but was hung on the tail spike and died. The Triceratops turned around and attacked the group of Duruchi.
The Druchi soldiers following behind rushed into the gate, bypassed the beasts, and began to form a formation to attack the group of Druchi mercenaries.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, with this level of skill, you're not even up to par. You still want to set up an ambush?"
Darkus shook his head as he listened to the shouts and screams coming from the manor. The large man beneath him raised his head, his nostrils flaring, sniffing the bloody air, feeling restless. He pulled the Endless Pale Pearl from his belt pouch and tossed it to Walter.
"Sir, what is this?"
"This pearl can absorb the wearer's fear and inferiority, making them stronger. Walter! We are warriors! A warrior must first be strong within himself! Not some god! I think you need it now, so return it to me when you no longer need it. You are the protagonist today! Don't let everyone down."
Ryan's eyes were full of curiosity, and he couldn't help but exclaim: "This black pearl is really black!"
Franais gave Ryan a look of disdain.
From the beginning, Bainie had been looking at Dacus, and his eyes became a little abnormal. Maybe someone was connecting with him remotely. Dacus just waved and greeted him in a friendly manner and ignored him.
While the slaves pulled the cart onto the field and the Reaper Ballista was set up, Daquus guided the big man to the cart and picked up the Drum of Echo. He then said to the captain of the Reaper Ballista, "Open fire on the upstream paddle boats!"
Daxus led four dignitaries to charge. The dignitaries did not need to control the cold lizards at all, as they were directly controlled remotely by the big guy.
The big guy is hungry.
