114: First Battle of the Fortress

Two days passed amidst intense construction and vigilant guarding. The crude fortress, named "Thorn Barricade," had begun to take shape. Relying on the steep mountains on both sides as natural barriers, a wooden wall nearly four meters high, made of tightly arranged thick logs with sharpened tops, stood tall at the entrance of the canyon, becoming the first and most critical line of defense against invading enemies.

Behind the wooden wall, simple barracks, warehouses, and command posts were being built. Streams were diverted into excavated reservoirs, and a temporary camp was rapidly forming.

During these two days, a few Pig-Headed People who were lucky enough to escape the first wave of clearing by the Divine Arrow Army, or who were hunting on the outskirts at the time, scrambled back in terror to the Wild Boar King Tribe located deeper inland.

"King! It's bad, King!" The returning Pig-Headed People almost collapsed in front of the crude hall built of animal bones and logs in the center of the tribe, crying out to the massive figure perched high on a stone throne, "The seaside... a human army has come to the seaside! The Black Fang Tribe has been slaughtered by them!"

The figure on the stone throne... Boar King Kustu, was a giant Boar-headed Person far exceeding his kin in size. His skin was dark brown and as rough as old tree bark, and his two curved tusks were like giant scimitars, inlaid with metal rings to showcase his power and status. Hearing this, a terrifying rage burst from his blood-red eyes, and his voice, dull as thunder, echoed through the hall: "Human army? How could they appear here? Speak clearly! How many are there?!"

"I... I don't know the exact number... but, but it looked like, maybe... maybe around two thousand?" The deserter tried to recall the terrifying rain of arrows and the figures swift as ghosts, giving a vague estimate based on fear.

"Two thousand?!" Kustu stood up abruptly, his heavy body making the stone throne seem to vibrate. He felt greatly insulted. A mere two thousand humans dared to slaughter a subordinate tribe on his territory and build a city so brazenly? "Despicable two-legged sheep! How dare they provoke the Great Kustu! I will twist all their heads off and stick them on spear tips!"

In his fury, he had almost no strategic considerations and immediately roared to appoint a commander: "Gemm! My Tusk General!"

An exceptionally burly Gold-rank Boar-headed warrior, clad in crude leather armor inlaid with iron plates and holding a terrifying double-edged battle-axe, strode forward and knelt on one knee, his axe thudding against the ground: "King! Gemm awaits your command!"

"Take five thousand warriors! Set out immediately for the seaside! Find those human insects and crush them all! Leave none alive! Bring their leader before me; I want to personally crush his bones!" Kustu's roar was filled with unquestionable ferocity.

"As you command! Great King! Gemm will wash away their sins with human blood!" Bloodlust and excitement flickered in Gemm's eyes. In his view, five thousand against two thousand, in their familiar jungle environment, was simply a one-sided slaughter and a feast for gaining merit.

Soon, five thousand Boar-headed warriors, howling with Battle Intent and the desire for plunder, rushed out of the tribal camp under Gemm's leadership. They swarmed toward the coast along forest beast paths in a chaotic yet aggressive manner. Among them, except for a few elites wearing some armor, most only held crude weapons, relying on brute force and numbers.

Meanwhile, on the wooden wall's watchtower of the "Thorn Barricade," Angus and Karl stood side by side, inspecting the defensive works. Several Griffon Knights circled continuously high in the sky, their surveillance range extending dozens of miles away.

"Report!" A Griffon Knight landed rapidly, bringing a crucial warning, "Lord Angus, Lord Karl! A large-scale Boar-headed force has been discovered about thirty miles to the southwest, numbering around five thousand, and is rapidly approaching us! Estimated arrival within two hours!"

Karl immediately rubbed his hands together: "They're here! These fools really couldn't sit still!"

There was no hint of surprise on Angus's face, only a cold composure. He had long expected that with the generally reckless and vengeful nature of the Pig-Headed People, retaliation would surely come, and it would likely be very direct and swift.

"Pass the orders!" Angus's voice was clear and steady. "The first and second battalions of the Divine Arrow Army are to immediately and secretly head to the preset ambush positions on both sides of the mountains. Stay hidden and await my signal arrow. The third battalion, all onto the wooden wall, prepare for long-range strikes. The heavy infantry of the Star Shattering Legion, form ranks behind the wooden wall, ready to strike at any time."

Orders were issued methodically, and the entire fortress instantly switched from construction mode to combat mode. The soldiers moved silently and swiftly, a murderous Aura permeating the air. The elites of the Divine Arrow Army disappeared noiselessly into the mountain forests on both sides, like drops of water merging into the sea.

Two hours later, the ground faintly transmitted chaotic vibrations and clamorous roars. A dark mass of the Boar-headed army appeared in the open space outside the canyon entrance. Gemm, riding a giant war boar, looked at the wooden wall ahead that seemed "vulnerable" to him, and the sparse figures on the wall. His tusks bared in a cruel smile.

"Just as I thought, only these few people! Warriors! Smash this broken wooden wall! Kill every two-legged thing inside! The wealth and flesh are all ours!" Gemm raised his battle-axe and gave a frantic charge order.

Five thousand Pig-Headed People let out deafening battle cries, like a muddy flood bursting a dam. Waving their weapons, they launched a disorganized mass charge toward the wooden wall. The earth trembled under their trampling.

Angus calmly watched the enemies enter the optimal firing range. When the leading Pig-Headed People stepped within a hundred and fifty paces, he abruptly lowered his arm: "Fire!"

In an instant, a storm of death erupted from atop the wooden wall and the previously silent mountain forests on both sides! Dense arrows poured down like a gale-force rain, precisely covering the Boar-headed charge formation. The arrows of the Divine Arrow Army were tricky and ruthless, specifically targeting vitals like throats and eye sockets; the crossbow bolts from the wall were powerful enough to pierce crude leather armor or even embed deep into flesh and bone.

Puchi! Ah!

Screams of agony instantly drowned out the shouts of the charge. The charging Pig-Headed People were cut down in swathes like they were hit by an invisible scythe, blood splattering everywhere, and the momentum of the charge faltered. They tried to use crude wooden shields for cover, but the arrows came from above and both sides, making them impossible to defend against.

"Fire! Keep firing!" Angus's voice was as cold as iron. The rain of arrows did not stop for a moment; instead, it became even denser.

Gemm was both shocked and enraged. He hadn't expected the humans' long-range firepower to be so fierce and precise, let alone that there were ambushes hidden in the forests on both sides! In the blink of an eye, nearly a third of his five-thousand-strong army had fallen, and casualties were still rapidly increasing. The charging ranks had fallen into chaos and panic.

"Steady! Charge! Once we get past them, they'll be helpless!" Gemm waved his battle-axe, hacking down two subordinates who tried to retreat, attempting to reorganize the offensive. But the Pig-Headed People were already undisciplined, and under such terrifying strikes, their morale was on the verge of collapse.

Just as the Pig-Headed People were at a loss and in total disarray, Angus nodded to Karl.

Karl, who had been unable to restrain himself, saw this and abruptly drew his longsword, pointing it toward the wooden wall's gate: "Star Shattering Legion! For Star Sea Territory! Follow me in the charge! Crush them!"

"Rumble!" The heavy wooden gates were quickly pulled open. Clad in full heavy armor and carrying swords and shields, the heavy infantry of the Star Shattering Legion surged out like a steel torrent. Led by Karl, they launched a counter-charge against the chaotic Pig-Headed People! Their formation was tight, their steps clanging, like a moving wall of steel, crushing forward with matchless Aura.

The Pig-Headed People, already scattered by the rain of arrows and low in morale, how could they withstand this well-rested and well-equipped heavy infantry charge? At the moment of contact, the front-row Pig-Headed People were knocked flying and hacked down like straw. The soldiers of the Star Shattering Legion coordinated perfectly, using shield bashes and sword thrusts to efficiently harvest lives.

"No! Impossible! How do they still have so many elite infantry?!" Gemm finally realized how ridiculously wrong the intelligence was. Where were the two thousand humans? Just these heavy infantry advancing like a wall, combined with that terrifying rain of arrows, meant their total strength definitely exceeded five thousand! Moreover, their training, equipment, and discipline were far beyond his ragtag bunch.

Fear instantly gripped the Tusk General. Seeing that defeat was certain and his subordinates were being slaughtered at will, his last bit of courage vanished.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Gemm turned his war boar around, no longer caring for his subordinates, and led the way in a desperate flight toward the jungle. Once the commander fled, the remaining Pig-Headed People collapsed like a mountain, throwing away their weapons and wailing as they followed in the rout.

"Angus, should we pursue?" Karl asked loudly, having killed to his heart's content, wiping the blood that had splattered onto his face.

Angus stood on the wooden wall, watching the routed Boar-headed army disappear into the edge of the jungle, and shook his head: "No need. The Lord's primary task for us is to establish a solid fortress; a defensive counter-attack is sufficient. Do not pursue a cornered foe, and beware of other ambushes or reinforcements in the jungle. Clear the battlefield and reinforce the defenses. Having suffered such a great loss, the next time they come, it probably won't be this simple."

Although Karl felt somewhat unsatisfied, he also understood that Angus's words made sense. He immediately ordered the troops to gather and began cleaning the battlefield. On the open ground before the canyon, over a thousand corpses of Pig-Headed People and a mess of weapons were left behind, the air thick with the heavy scent of blood.