The Extra Wants To Live

The rain of arrows continued for a long time, thanks to the excellent supply network that Hardion had built through the Laurel Union, which provided an ample supply of arrows.

Eventually, the infantry of the Siana Army, unable to stand watching any longer, began to advance with their shields raised.

As the Hardion archers ran out of arrows and their shooting paused for a moment, the archers of the Siana Army turned around frantically and began to run away. Everything was a mess—so many people simply threw away their paris and crossbows.

In this situation, the Hardion archers were able to fire freely without any resistance from their opponents. After replenishing their supply of arrows, they fired them plentifully, ensuring that the approaching enemy infantry received more than enough.

Even if one holds a shield, there is bound to be a gap.

The infantry of the Siana Army fell one after another from the one-sided fire due to the small proportion of heavy infantry.

"Get out! Get out!"

As the distance between them and the enemy infantry closed, the Hardion archers fell back. They had already done enough.

They had annihilated the enemy archers and turned the infantry in the line into hedgehogs, piling up their corpses.

"You fucking retards."

"I'm talking about using something like a crossbow."

The Hardion archers turned around and raised their index and middle fingers at the enemy—the calloused fingers of a proud longbowman, something that those who wield crossbows lacked.

The infantry and archers of the Siana Army could not even be angry at that provocation. Before the melee had even begun, their morale was already at rock bottom, and fear was rising instead of anger.

Phew! Phew!

"Charge! Charge!"

"Ugh, euaaaah!"

As the order to charge was given, the infantry of the Siana Army began to run. Their shouts were more like screams than battle cries.

However, Baduan, who commanded the Hardion infantry, did not let his guard down. The only ones who had actually suffered casualties and lost morale were the conscripts who had been deployed as meat shields.

Doo-wook…! Doo-wook…!

"Stop! Brace yourself for impact!"

Chuck! Chuck!

As Baduan's order was delivered, the Hardion infantry, who had been preparing to charge at the enemy, stopped and formed a line.

Although infantry clashes can have a great impact, they are not as dramatic as cavalry clashes.

Hardion's infantry had to utilize the structural strength that came from a delicate formation, so it was better to stand still and hold formation rather than take the shock of a charge.

The commander of the Siana Army also knew this, but it was impossible to deploy complex tactics with a force comprised mainly of poorly trained conscripts.

Eventually, the infantry of the Siana Army charged and clashed with the lined-up Hardion infantry.

Thud! Thud!

Boom!

"Eww!"

"Kkaaa!"

No matter how well one maintained formation, the sheer force of a mass breakthrough from overwhelming numbers could not be ignored.

The companies that had formed a single-row phalanx staggered and were pushed backward.

"Die! Die!"

"Please die!"

The infantry of the Siana Army had no choice but to fight desperately, driven by survival instincts rather than fighting spirit.

Because of the friendly forces pushing in from behind, they had to kill the enemy in front of them and move forward.

Hardion's line infantry were pushed back by the overwhelming mass and were unable to fight properly.

However, the soldiers who first clashed with the enemy in the front line were heavily armored heavy infantry. So, even though their ranks collapsed, the damage was not great.

Yet, it was not possible to deploy all line infantry as heavy infantry.

It was not a problem of numbers or troop quality, but rather the limited number of water magicians available to cool their bodies.

This was where Baduan's tactical plan shined.

It would have been logical to strengthen the right wing, which was the main attacker, and abandon the soldiers on the left wing—who were used to buy time—as meat shields.

That is, the ratio of right-wing heavy infantry should have been increased, and the ratio of left-wing heavy infantry should have been decreased.

However, Baduan chose to deploy the heavy infantry, which should have been on the right wing, to the left wing instead.

This was because the tactical goal of the 'infantry column' was to induce the enemy's offensive terminal point by fixing the front line.

If strength was given to the right wing and the enemy infantry was broken through, it would ultimately disrupt the delicate arrangement of Hardion's infantry.

It might be worth attempting if they could completely crush the enemy's left wing and secure victory. But taking such an uncertain gamble, when vastly outnumbered, would have been a mistake.

The center maintained a state of mutual resistance, as both sides concentrated great power there.

The difference appeared on the left side of the Hardion infantry.

The Siana Army naturally concentrated its forces on the right wing, intending to deploy a large number of Tumaria's warrior classes, crush Hardion's left wing in one fell swoop, and break through.

However, due to Baduan's tactics, Hardion's left wing was tightly blocked by heavy infantry consisting of knights and elite soldiers.

As a result, the infantry right wing of the Siana Army was unable to destroy Hardion's infantry as planned and was stopped.

Water wizards, surrounded by shield-wielding knights, worked hard behind the first line of infantry, creating mist and spraying water onto their armor.

Likewise, the right wing of Hardion's infantry also entered a stalemate.

Because both sides had deployed light infantry with poor training, neither could gain the upper hand.

Pok! Pok!

Boom!

"Ahhhh!"

"Die! Die!"

"Eww!"

At the same time, the most intense fighting was taking place on the right wing of the Hardion infantry.

Since they were light infantry with little armor, they were being cut down one by one as they attacked.

However, the casualties were slightly higher for the Siana Army.

Hardion's infantry ranks were arranged in a staggered manner, creating gaps that worked to their advantage.

Boom! Boom!

"Hey, don't push!"

The soldiers of the Siana Army were sucked into the gaps between the infantry companies forming the phalanx.

Since they were being pushed from behind, they had no choice but to move forward. But as they tried to avoid the first line of Hardion infantry fighting fiercely, they naturally ended up in the gaps between companies.

And once inside, two rows of Hardion spearmen thrust their spears and slaughtered them in one breath.

Even heavy infantry would struggle to break through a dense wall of spears, so it was impossible for poorly equipped light infantry.

The gaps in the first row soon became a funnel of death, and enemy corpses began to pile up.

This greatly lowered enemy morale and reduced the burden on the first-line formation.

The corpses acted as obstacles, preventing further attacks from the flanks.

"Change! Change!"

"Eww!"

"No! Stop!"

While this deadlock persisted, the company commander, who had been listening intently for instructions from central command, gave an order.

As soon as the order was given, the soldiers fighting in the first row fell back.

The soldiers of the Siana Army pursued with great momentum. Although their commanders tried to stop them, the situation was too chaotic, and the training level of their soldiers was too low for them to respond immediately to orders.

"Stop it!"

"Eww!"

As Hardion's first line retreated and the Siana Army rushed into the revealed gap, the soldiers waiting behind launched their attack.

Baduan had staggered his forces to facilitate this fluid movement, leaving the infantry of the Siana Army exhausted and forcing them to fight fresh, energetic enemies.

The psychological burden was immense, preventing bold attacks and forcing them into a defensive stance.

In the end, the infantry battle reached a stalemate, just as Carl and Baduan had intended.

However, the Siana infantry was slowly sneaking through the narrow gap between the lines.

A three-column, disorganized infantry formation was highly vulnerable to flank attacks.

If left unchecked, it would collapse.