Chapter 319: The Battle of Okagraal (Part One)
Chapter 319: The Battle of Okagraal (Part One)
However, the Kingdom’s army was not to be outdone.
The wyverns screeched noisily in the air, and the hobgoblins and ogres let out frenzied battle cries. The thunderous sound seemed to shake the entire snowy plain.
“For the Kingdom of Ember!”
“For the Ember King!”
“I will tear you all to pieces!”
“Conquer the North! For the great red dragon’s vision!”
Such war cries echoed ceaselessly across the desolate plain.
The Alliance had gathered its full strength—a total of 90,000 elite human soldiers from various Northern nations, over 5,000 Starchasers, and more than 1,000 extraordinary beings from all over Erezaghe converged here.
The Alliance publicly claimed to have assembled an army of 500,000, vowing to crush the evil power of the Ember Kingdom.
They occupied the southern bank of the great rivers, fortified with trenches and various defensive structures, forming a defensive line stretching over ten miles.
On the other side, the Kingdom gave them full recognition, mobilizing its primary military forces. Nearly 60,000 dragonblood soldiers, extraordinary beings, and elite Starchasers assembled on the northern bank, resembling a mottled torrent.
Although slightly outnumbered, the Kingdom’s forces exuded a far greater presence. After all, their steel cannons and rifles were not just for show.
The two armies faced each other across the river, with over 100,000 troops spread across the snowy plain, like two massive torrents poised to collide and unleash unimaginable chaos.
Even the wide Orul and Inaki Rivers, known as the “Rivers of Genesis” and the “Rivers of Giants,” appeared narrow amidst the vastness of this impending war.
In the thousand-year history of the North, such a massive conflict was unprecedented.
Scholars estimated that the entire Northern United Kingdom, including the fallen Lackman Duchy, had a population of only 4-6 million, even when counting the “gray livestock” of serfs.
Without the Lackman Duchy and factoring in the recent population outflow to Northwind Fortress, this number would be even smaller.
For these feudal states of the North, unlike the Ember Kingdom, mobilizing 90,000 troops represented the utmost exertion of their war potential.
To maintain their rule, the Northern nobles had staked everything on the war table. Mobilizing armies and requisitioning food had resulted in tens of thousands of deaths by starvation or violence.
Social tensions across the North had reached an unprecedented peak, with nobles exploiting serfs to the utmost limit, fueling the rapid spread of the “Sparks” movement.
In contrast, the Ember Kingdom’s basic production was largely unaffected. Across the nation, order prevailed, and people only felt the war’s impact through increased work and more orders, bringing greater earnings.
Even the legendary “Battle of the Seven Kingdoms,” which nominally united the North, had claimed to involve a million troops but actually engaged no more than 100,000. Most families sent contingents of fewer than 10,000.
This was a war unlike any the plains of Anzeta had seen before, a battle to determine the region’s ultimate fate.
On the northern bank, the majestic music continued as satyrs fervently played instruments imbued with magical energy, further rousing the monsters’ fervor.
Over the southern bank, celestials from Mount Celestia sang sacred hymns, soothing the nerves of the Allied troops with their holy melodies.
As the horns blared, the Alliance’s archers drew their bows and released a barrage of arrows across the river.
However, ogre shield-bearers and armored draconic land beasts stood at the forefront, blocking most of the projectiles, leaving their shields and armor covered with countless arrows.
“Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”
Braving the unrelenting rain of arrows, ogres carried massive wooden bridges from the backs of land beasts and painstakingly set them upright.
They pushed the logs forward, creating bridges spanning the river and connecting the two banks.
“Boom!”
A tremendous sound echoed as the ground seemed to tremble.
Bear druid commanders raised their staves, and green magical light enveloped the giant logs. Roots sprouted from the ends, anchoring firmly into the ground on both riverbanks.
The trunks widened and flattened, transforming into solid bridges.
During this process, the Allied forces continued firing arrows but refrained from advancing to disrupt the construction.
Unaware of the Kingdom’s strategy, they believed the best opportunity to attack would come when the enemy crossed the bridges.
Duke Leo watched the enemy forces across the river with a grave expression. He issued calm commands:
“Send the undead forward first. Test their strength.”
Following the mass defection of serfs, the Bosk Duchy had absorbed the players as new cannon fodder. Duke Leo was “enlightened” enough to employ these enigmatic beings.
“Their army grows stronger.”
“One cannot evaluate the Ember Kingdom by conventional standards.”
Next to him, Count Trelishka expressed concern. “Indeed, my lord, this adaptability is their most terrifying quality.”
“For centuries, the North has remained unchanged, maintaining a stable order. But the Kingdom is different. This monstrosity continuously absorbs surrounding vitality, growing into an enormous entity within a few short years. As southern scholars describe it—they are constantly evolving.”
Duke Leo spoke resolutely: “They will have no more chances to continue. We will win this war.”
“Relay the order: send the undead to the front to draw their fire.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The herald mounted his steed, raising the battle flag to convey the command.
Even Duke Leo, a veteran of many battles, had never directed a war on such a massive scale.
.........
“This is the sword-and-sorcery warfare I’ve always dreamed of!”
“This is the romance of the battlefield.”
Staring at the monstrous army in the distance, the player known as [Teutonic Knight] polished his silver sword with an eager expression.
Facing the terrifying Kingdom army, he showed no fear, only excitement.
Teutonic Knight was an immersion-seeking player. He entered 《Erezaghe》 to experience a fantastical medieval war, choosing Stratford instead of the widely recommended Northwind Fortress as his starting point.
Now, he was the leader of the Alliance players, knighted personally by Duke Leo as an honorary knight.
“Perfect. The Duke is sending us to the frontlines.”
“Let’s give it our all against the Kingdom scum!”
“Chop off that red dragon’s head. Charge with me!”
Teutonic Knight mounted his steed, raising his silver sword high and pointing it toward the enemy.
This is what I came for—the exhilarating clash with opposing players, the essence of war! Glorious!
Led by Teutonic Knight, 5,000 Alliance players charged forward, becoming pawns in the larger chessboard of war, probing the strengths and weaknesses of both armies.
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