Chapter 365: First Clash with the Northern Barbarians!

"Everyone! We cannot flee—have you forgotten that Wilard is still watching us from behind?"

"If he gets hold of any leverage, he won't let us go easily!"

"Besides, haven't you forgotten that I already had everyone build a sturdy wall during the day? Staying inside this hollow is actually safer than rushing out!"

"Gervas, if it were just a hundred or so barbarians, we wouldn't be so afraid!"

"But can you be sure the main camp can hold against the barbarian assault? If they break and flee, we'll be trapped here!" Mil and the others still hesitated.

"Gentlemen, they spotted the barbarians early and prevented a surprise attack—they won't collapse!"

"So this is actually a good opportunity—if we can kill a few more barbarians now, the glory will be ours!" Gervas continued to encourage them.

After hearing Gervas's words, the men indeed abandoned their idea of fleeing.

"If that's the case, Gervas, we'll follow your lead!" Mil and the others spoke solemnly to Gervas.

At that very moment, Laurens's voice rang out from the wooden wall: "My lord, the barbarians are here! Less than one hundred and fifty meters away!"

"Everyone, prepare for battle! But before that, put on your leather armor!"

Gervas scanned the men up and down.

Mil and the others immediately flushed with shame and quickly donned their armor with their subordinates' help.

Then they climbed onto the wooden wall.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

"Two-legged sheep, tremble! The barbarian warriors have come! We shall bathe our bodies in your blood and grow stronger!"

Far off, Barto let out a ferocious roar.

Although their leader's order was merely to hold back the humans in this hollow, meaning they didn't need to approach the wall,

Barto, who held no regard for two-legged sheep, intended to launch a direct assault and slaughter them thoroughly.

Seeing such fierce, fearless barbarians, Mil and the others—who had just been calmed by Gervas—paled again.

Their serf soldiers trembled as well, each body shaking.

Only Gervas looked at the barbarians outside as if they were fools.

"These fools think a hundred men can take down our force of over three thousand? Are their brains broken?"

Then Gervas didn't hold back: "Bow-and-crossbow team, show them what for!"

"By my lord's order, bow-and-crossbow team—aim… fire!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Amid shrill whistles, fifty archers launched their first volley of mounted shots.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Roar! Roar! Roar!

At least eighty percent of the arrows struck the charging barbarians.

Yet what surprised Gervas was—

Even after being hit by arrows, these barbarians didn't cry out; instead, they grew angrier, roaring like wild beasts.

The total casualties from this first volley were only two unlucky barbarians.

"Damn it, this feels just like those Japanese soldiers from my past life's WWII!"

Gervas thought these barbarians were as insane as the Japanese on Iwo Jima—utterly unhinged.

"These barbarians are madmen. No wonder even the Northern Legion couldn't defeat them!"

"Yes! Damn it, don't they feel pain?!" Mil and the others were terrified.

They weren't cowards, but they'd never seen barbarians this brutal before.

Though there were barbarians in the Chaos Wastelands, they screamed in agony when hurt.

But these green-skinned beastmen merely grunted, then turned pain into roars.

It was chilling to watch.

"Madmen? Let's see just how mad they are."

Gervas remained calm, sneered, and gave another order: "Ballistae crew! Show them a real lesson!"

"By my lord's order, ballistae—aim… fire!"

Whirr! Whirr! Whirr!

In the next instant, five thunderous whirs echoed from beneath the wooden wall.

To Mil and the others' stunned eyes, five thick, monstrous arrows shot out from five pre-cut holes toward the barbarians.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Blood sprayed, beasts toppled—yes, barbarians fell over.

The barbarians who had previously roared through two or three arrows unharmed now lost that ability.

The moment the massive bolts struck, they collapsed like deflated skins, instantly losing strength and being dragged backward.

The thick arrows, after piercing the first barbarian, didn't stop—they pierced at least two or three more behind.

Thus, these five massive bolts claimed at least seventeen barbarians.

"This… this power is too much!" Mil and the others stared wide-eyed, nearly popping their eyeballs out.

They'd seen the servants assemble these things after dinner.

But since no bowstrings or bolts had been fitted then, no one paid much attention.

Only now, witnessing its power firsthand, did they realize it was divine.

"This is called a ballista—I found the blueprint accidentally overseas and replicated it!"

"Actually, it's just a giant crossbow!"

Gervas was surprisingly humble, dismissing it casually.

Yet the envy in Mil and the others' eyes revealed how much weight this ballista carried in their minds.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

"Damned two-legged sheep, I'll tear you apart!"

At that moment, Barto outside the wall was furious, eyes bulging.

More than a dozen barbarian warriors had been wiped out in an instant by these damned two-legged sheep.

How could he face his leader after this?

He must crush these two-legged sheep, wash away this shame with their blood and flesh.

The barbarians had now reached thirty meters from the wall; ballistae needed time to reload—they couldn't stop the barbarians from closing in.

"Everyone, order the soldiers to prepare for combat!" Gervas warned Mil and the others.

"Understood, Gervas."

Mil and the others wasted no time, shouting orders to their subordinates.

Though the serf soldiers trembled, with their lord watching personally, they gritted their teeth and gripped their weapons, ready to fight!

"Roar! Charge! Tear them apart!"

"Roar! Roar! Kill!"

Soon, the barbarians reached the base of the wall—the makeshift wooden ladders were raised against it!

Undeniably, the barbarians' courage was immense; despite their small numbers, their spirit surpassed that of the noble soldiers atop the wall.

Of course, Gervas loved nothing more than fools who charged blindly, relying only on brute force.

So he shouted again: "Spear troops!"

"By my lord's order, spear troops—raise your spears!"

As the spear troops raised their spears in unison and gently thrust them forward against the wall, a row of small holes appeared on the wall.

These holes, fist-sized, were perfect for spears to thrust through.

"Spear troops—thrust!"

"Kill!"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Spears pierced through the wall, blood blossomed—barbarians crowded at the base, unprepared, were instantly impaled through the body, at least twenty-plus killed in an instant.

"Roar, bastards!"

Barto's roar came again—these humans were treacherous! They'd pre-drilled holes in the wall and even blocked them with wood to hide them, leaving the barbarians unaware.

But now he was in a frenzy, no longer caring.

His mind held only one thought: kill every last two-legged sheep.

He would douse his rage in their blood.

"Charge! Charge forward! Kill every two-legged sheep!" Barto screamed hoarsely!

At that very moment, something he never expected happened—the humans on the wall shouted: "Open the gate! Let's fight these barbarians head-on!"