Chapter 191: Are These the Lord

That morning, outside the castle, the barbarians who had been resting for several days were brought to the training ground.

It had been agreed they would rest two days before the match began.

But because Gervas spent an entire day at Austin Castle, the match was delayed by one more day.

Of course, this actually favored the barbarians more.

After all, with limited food provided, an extra day of rest meant extra recovery of strength.

Today's battlefield had been arranged by Gervas.

What did the spear formation fear most? Undoubtedly, flanking attacks from both wings.

Thus, Gervas used wooden fences to carve out a narrow battlefield, exactly matching the width of the spear formation.

This meant the barbarians had no choice but to attack head-on.

A true test of brute force.

"You're Iron Bear, right? Do you have any objections to this battlefield setup?"

"Lord Gervas, I have no objections. Compared to you pitting fifty ordinary humans against our fifty Black Bear warriors, we're already the ones gaining the advantage!"

In response to Gervas's question, Iron Bear showed clear self-awareness.

For Gervas to give them this opportunity was already extraordinary mercy.

If Gervas had wanted to mock them, even sending five hundred soldiers would have left them no choice!

"Hmph, good for you," Migen sneered.

He still felt this fight was disadvantageous for their side.

Iron Bear dared not stir up trouble and ignored Migen's cold remarks.

"Lord Gervas, may we begin the contest now?"

Gervas glanced toward the town—Thomas was racing toward them with several carts.

He immediately smiled. "We can start right away! Go prepare!"

After the barbarians departed, Thomas arrived nearby.

"My lord, the weapons you requested are fully assembled!"

"Weapons? Aren't the soldiers already armed with wooden spears?" Migen frowned, stepping quickly toward the carts.

With a rustle, the tarp was pulled back—revealing two or three dozen bamboo poles.

But Migen soon noticed what made these poles unusual: densely packed sharp blades were attached to their branches.

Yet, what use could such tiny blades possibly have?

Of course, any transmigrator would immediately recognize them.

Because these were precisely the anti-pirate weapon from his past life—the Langxian.

Though the flanking threats had been eliminated, the barbarians' massive frames and thick hides meant

breaking through the spear formation wasn't difficult—only casualties would be incurred.

And if the front line was breached, the formation would collapse in an instant.

So the secret to preventing the formation from breaking lay right here.

He swiftly ordered his men to distribute the Langxian.

Gervas's spear formation consisted of ten men per row, five rows deep.

Thus, the first two rows held lighter, faster spears, while the back three rows were armed with Langxian.

Notably, this was not a fight to the death.

So the soldiers used wooden spears without metal tips, each tipped with a bag of lime cloth.

If struck, it meant injury.

Once weapons were distributed, the battle began.

"Captain! Look at those guys—they're using bamboo poles, and they haven't even removed the paper strips! Don't they find them cumbersome?" Some barbarians laughed mockingly.

Iron Bear frowned slightly; though he felt today's fight shouldn't pose much trouble,

a faint unease lingered in his chest.

"Don't underestimate them. Fight with everything you've got—don't lose this chance to return to our tribe!!"

"Understood, Captain Iron Bear!"

Iron Bear focused fully, drew a deep breath, and roared: "Brave warriors of the Black Bear Tribe—charge!"

"Charge!"

The barbarians surged forward immediately.

Their massive frames and fifty-strong numbers made their charge as formidable as fifty iron cavalry.

The spear guards, one by one, took a step back, knuckles whitening with tension.

"Hold firm! All of you, hold your ground!" Lawrence bellowed to calm them.

They were raw recruits, low in psychological resilience—even if this wasn't real combat, the barbarians' ferocious aura had shaken them.

Migen and the others glanced anxiously at their lord.

The guards were ordinary, and all new recruits…

Yet soon, they saw their lord's expression remained calm, still leisurely watching the "battlefield" ahead.

The barbarians closed in—distance under five meters—Lawrence finally shouted his command.

"Spear formation—raise spears!"

"Charge!"

"Spear formation—thrust!"

"Charge!"

Thud-thud-thud!

A series of piercing sounds rang out—the front-row barbarians were unmistakably struck.

The barbarians followed the rules: once they felt injured, they stopped advancing.

"Spear formation—withdraw!"

"Charge!"

"Spear formation—thrust!"

"Charge!"

Another swift, practiced cycle of withdrawal and thrust.

After half a month of grueling training, these two simple motions had become muscle memory.

Still, even with speed, as the barbarians closed in, the second thrust was less smooth.

Though several more barbarians were "pierced," others seized the chance, smashing open the spears with their fists and surging into the formation.

First one or two broke through, then five or six.

In this narrow corridor, five or six barbarians breaking through meant the spear formation was utterly shattered.

"Ha! We've won! Black Bear warriors—charge forward! We'll be home soon!"

The barbarians erupted in laughter.

Migen and the others turned ashen.

The defeat came too fast, too complete.

Their lord's hundred gold coins might as well have been tossed into a pond.

Was this their lord's first taste of defeat?

Hope it doesn't crush him!

After all, many nobles, once struck by defeat, never recover.

Migen didn't want Lord Gervas to fall into despair.

Only a stronger Lord Gervas could ensure them a better life.

Migen stole another glance at his lord.

Yet Migen, lost in thought, never imagined

what he would see next.

He froze.

He smiled.

His lord was smiling!

And he smiled with unmistakable delight.

What was going on?

Was he happy because they were about to lose?

Were those barbarians his lord's relatives?

But his lord was a pure-blooded human!

"Aaaah!"

But soon, Migen understood why his lord smiled.

Because the spear formation, which had seemed on the verge of collapse, held firm!

The barbarians, who had just surged forward a meter or so, their triumphant cheers still echoing, suddenly turned into screams of agony.

Those who had entered the bamboo thicket were halted by the dense branches.

Countless sharp blades cut mercilessly into their bodies from all directions.

Whether limbs or torso, even the neck, eyes, nose, ears, and lips.

In short, the bloody sight made one's scalp crawl.

Of course, a few savages, fearless of death, gritted their teeth and shielded their eyes, trying to push forward.

But he soon realized that the deeper they went, the more blade-like vines there were, until finally they were trapped in a sea of thorns and blades, unable to advance or retreat.

"H-how could this happen!"

Hearing the screams and cries of his comrades inside, Tie Xiong's face turned pale.

Watching his subordinates within the "blade thicket" drenched in blood, writhing and moaning, Tie Xiong was frantic with anxiety.

Yet at this moment, Gervas felt no pity whatsoever, merely watching it all with calm detachment.

And when the guards saw how effective their Wolf Constitution was, they frantically stabbed their own Wolf Constitution into the savages, relentless in driving the sharp blades through their bodies.