Chapter 435: Cannons Fire!

Two thousand orcs moved out swiftly.

Even so, to allow the orc warriors to reach the gate quickly, all other servant troops on the gentle slope were ordered to withdraw.

Make way for the orc warriors.

At this moment, the orc warriors resembled the elite army of a human noble.

At this critical juncture of battle, the orc warriors are the key to victory!

Arriving at the gate, the orcs surged forward in unison.

Instantly, the massive gate, already half-closed, was shoved open.

"Roar! Charge inside!"

After the gate opened, the orcs did not hesitate—they swung their weapons and rushed into the passage.

"Ballistae, fire!"

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Plop! Plop! Plop!

The five ballistae behind the gate would not let the orcs charge unimpeded—five thick arrows shot out, striking the front-line orcs directly.

And because the passage was narrow, each arrow this time claimed at least four orc warriors.

In one volley, twenty orcs fell.

Yet even seeing this, Moral did not so much as frown.

For once they breached the gate, victory belonged to them—the sacrifice of twenty orc warriors was worth it.

Under this relentless, death-defying charge, the castle gate was inevitably shattered.

"Roar! Kill!"

Amid the battle cries, the orcs jammed at the gate finally found their outlet and surged rapidly into the castle.

"They've broken in! Ha! Great Leader Moral, our orc warriors have broken in!"

"Ha! These damned two-legged sheep are finally done for—I'll tear them apart limb by limb!"

The orc leaders and captains began cheering.

A smile curled at Moral's lips.

"A few hundred humans dare oppose our three thousand orc warriors? Even if they can match us one-on-one, what does it matter? They'll still die at our warriors' hands!"

It was no wonder Moral and the others were so triumphant.

Victory now belonged to them.

As the victors, they could savor the fruits of their triumph.

Of course, Moral did not know that Gervas's lips were curled in a smile just as wide.

For the retreat of the spearmen was his greatest bait.

The bait has been cast—the prey is hooked. It is time to haul in the net!

"Lei Meng, begin!!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Lei Meng immediately raised his horn.

As knight captain, he not only understood military horns—he could play them flawlessly.

Ooooh!

The sound of the horn echoed from within the castle.

"What's this?"

Moral and the others froze, puzzled, listening to the horn's cry from inside the castle.

What use was blowing a horn now?

And they knew well—having heard human horns before—that this was the human attack signal.

So what was there left to attack?

But Moral and the others' confusion did not last long, for the long-range squad inside the castle, having received the signal, finally moved.

More precisely, the artillery squad within the long-range unit finally activated.

Two windows above the back garden gate burst open, aimed squarely at the battling orcs.

"Cannons! Ignite!"

Hssss!

The fuses ignited, slowly sinking into the dark cannon barrels.

Yet the orcs remained oblivious; several captains even grinned, delighted by the roars coming from the front courtyard.

For those roars told them the castle gate had been breached.

Thus, victory belonged to their orc clan!

"Orc warriors, the castle gate is breached! Victory is ours! Fight hard, slaughter all these two-legged…"

Boom! Boom!

Mid-sentence, two brilliant bursts of flame erupted from the windows dozens of meters ahead.

The flames were dazzling, like divine miracles.

Accompanying the fire were two thunderous roars.

The roars drowned out his words—and suddenly, he felt a chill in his chest.

"Ugh… what's this?"

The orc captain looked down in confusion—and his eyes widened in shock.

For a bloodied hole had appeared in his chest, inexplicably.

Crimson blood gushed forth in thick streams, and with it, his strength drained rapidly.

"What… is this…?"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The orc captain collapsed, his eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.

Of course, he was not alone—many of his comrades fell with him.

Looking around, at least fifty or sixty orcs lay dead on the lawn in an instant.

"W-what is this?"

"I don't know! No arrows, no spears—the wounds just appeared!"

"C-could it be… divine punishment?"

Orc combat willpower was indeed stronger than that of humans.

Their living environment was harsher, and as tribes, they were more willing to sacrifice for their clan.

But such tribe-based societies also had a clear weakness—they were far more prone to worship and belief.

In short, they were more superstitious.

Just like the western tribes before.

They, too, interpreted this inexplicable scene as divine punishment.

Hearing the orcs' trembling voices, Laurens's eyes darted.

He recognized this scene!

He had encountered it before, during the western campaign.

He shouted at once, "Ha! The God of Glory has sent divine punishment! The God of Glory aids us! Storm Warriors, strike now—slaughter these orcs!"

"Kill!"

At Laurens's cry, the swordsmen surged forward.

The orcs, shaken and uncertain, saw their resistance crumble by degrees—they were pushed back, pinned against the rear garden's wall.

Their fate, of course, was obvious.

Two cannons were now being reloaded with tense speed.

…

Besides the back garden, the last of Gervas's three cannons was positioned in the front courtyard.

At this moment, it was aimed directly at the castle gate.

As more and more orcs poured in, nearly filling half the courtyard, Gervas knew the moment had come.

"Cannons! Fire!"

Boom! Boom!

The same scene unfolded in the front courtyard.

Amid bursts of flame, the orc ranks erupted into chaos.

Plop! Plop! Plop!

Flowers of blood bloomed—nearly thirty orcs collapsed into pools of blood.

"W-what is this?"

"I saw the flash and the roar—and then… they just fell!"

"Flash? Roar? Could it be divine punishment?"

"Good heavens, it must be divine punishment—in the blink of an eye, dozens of warriors are dead! What else could it be?"

"Run! This human can summon divine punishment!"

The scene in the front courtyard mirrored that of the back garden.

Of course, since they have an escape route, the situation they will face will be even more brutal than the back garden.

These are all moving merits; since they have walked into their own trap, they cannot be allowed to escape.

Therefore, Gervas prepared to unleash his greatest arrangement of the night.

However, what sets them apart from the back garden is that they have an escape route.

"Migen!"

"Yes, my lord!"