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Chapter 282:

“I expected it, but the scale is overwhelming.”

Isaac released animals infected with the Parasite from Beyond throughout the mountains surrounding the Issacrea estate to monitor the movement of the troops.

Once a group reaches a certain size and begins to move, it no longer resembles the movement of people but instead resembles the movement of a wave. Especially the Olkan army, which plundered everything in their path, appeared like a tidal wave approaching.

Indeed, nothing but wasteland was left behind where they had passed, so it wasn’t much different.

The approaching army was estimated to number in the hundreds of thousands, and the line of troops seemed endless to the horizon.

This force was not only coming toward the Issacrea estate but was also splitting into two additional routes toward the south, making it seem less like an invasion and more like a migration of an entire people.

“They probably think that dying isn’t a big deal because they’ll just reincarnate.”

Reincarnation not only eradicates the fear of death but also prevents the disruption of knowledge. For the Olkan Code, who value knowledge greatly despite their appearances, this is of utmost importance.

As long as they preserve their knowledge, it doesn’t matter how many talents they lose; they can quickly return to their original level of civilization.

At that moment, Isaac spotted Atlan.

Atlan paused briefly and made eye contact with Isaac. He drew his bow and swiftly shot down a squirrel infected with a parasite.

As his vision was cut off, Isaac clicked his tongue in frustration.

In fact, similar incidents had already happened several times. Parasite-infected creatures had been detected and eliminated throughout the mountains by shamans and Keshiks.

“Now it truly feels like I’m fighting against a faith.”

Until now, Isaac had made efforts to gain the favor of other faiths or engaged in localized guerrilla warfare. The angels had shown little interest in him or deemed him useful, refraining from unleashing their followers against him.

But now it was different. A full-scale war was unavoidable. The various tricks and tactics Isaac had been using would be easily countered by a far greater number of priests and holy knights.

The eastern sky was darkened by countless flocks of birds. As the enormous number of troops entered, all kinds of wildlife were fleeing westward. It was as if a disaster was approaching. The impending events wouldn’t be much different from that.

The anxious atmosphere was palpable among the residents of the estate.

Some were burning with determination to fight, relying on the fame of the Holy Grail Knight, while others were contemplating whether to flee.

Isaac crossed the middle of the square, appearing unaffected by the anxious gazes of the estate’s residents. At that moment, Gebel quickly caught up to him. Gebel was still the swordsmanship instructor, but after seeing him split an orc cavalryman in half with one strike, everyone treated him like a deputy commander.

“Isaac, shouldn’t we at least send the children away to safety?”

“No. Given the scale of the army, the west won’t be safe either. It’s better to send the children to the abandoned mines.”

Isaac had worked hard to protect the Issacrea estate, but the Gelipold Mountains surrounding the estate were vast, making it challenging to monitor everything. However, there were settlements of slash-and-burn farmers and sometimes even barbarian villages hidden there.

This meant that while it would be difficult for the Olkan Code’s main force to cross the mountains, small raiding parties could bypass them.

“With this kind of army, it wouldn’t be surprising if Khan himself were here to oversee the battlefield. They probably have forces preparing to break through the mountains and either surround or attack us.”

But he couldn’t afford to send troops into the mountains to defend against them. Troops were already in short supply.

As Isaac walked, more and more people gathered behind him. The commander of the Brient Holy Knights, Rottenhammer, and the Issacrea estate’s guard captain, Jacquette, approached him.

Isaac first addressed Jacquette.

“Jacquette, let’s go over the number of troops we have available again.”

“Yes. We have 560 soldiers who have been regularly trained by Instructor Gebel, and 7,815 militia members who were hastily conscripted. Among the militia, about 400 are proficient with bows. Many of them are from slash-and-burn farming backgrounds, so they’re quite capable.”

Rottenhammer followed with his report.

“The Brient Holy Knights, including squires, number 24. Seventy knights from the Imperial Army have agreed to join us. They aren’t Holy Knights, but they can ride horses and are proficient in swordsmanship, so they should be able to coordinate with us.”

Isaac nodded and summarized.

“We have fewer than ten thousand soldiers and fewer than a hundred knights to stop at least a hundred thousand orcs. These are orcs who use cannons, ride horses, and don’t fear death.”

It wasn’t just a simple 10:1 ratio. Each orc was a veteran, accumulating experience through countless reincarnations, and their racial trait of superior stamina couldn’t be ignored. Honestly, Isaac estimated that it would take at least three militia members to match up against one orc.

Moreover, the orcs would be reinforced nearly endlessly, with Khan commanding and angels providing blessings to boost their morale.

On the other hand, what did they have? Refugees fleeing religious fanaticism and knights who fell into ruin after the emperor’s excommunication.

“Even for me, this level of difficulty is tough.”

Honestly, Isaac believed that the outcome of a war was often decided before the fighting even began. Objectively, he assessed how this battle would end.

It wasn’t a difficult question.

Isaac smiled as he looked around at the others.

“It’s a battle we can’t afford to lose. Let’s do this.”

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

The footsteps of the advancing orcs echoed across the mountains like a heartbeat. Crakshal, the banner captain leading the vanguard, did not bother sending out scouts. It wasn’t because he was careless or underestimated the enemy.

Crakshal was actually one of the more cautious orcs.

He knew well that sheer numbers could be a form of violence. The reason Banner Captain Koral failed to capture Seor was simple.

They didn’t have enough numbers.

“Left flank, you’re pushing out too far. Tell the 3rd Thousand-man unit to stop rushing just because they’re bored and to match their pace with the rest of the formation. They need to align with the other banner units.”

Crakshal’s orders were promptly carried out, relayed through the horn signals by his lieutenant. Satisfied with the restoration of a proper formation, Crakshal resumed the advance.

The Olkan Code was not simply following mountain paths; instead, they were “carving” three routes through the mountains as they advanced. Crakshal’s banner unit was responsible for controlling the pace of the advance. Naturally, this made their progress painfully slow, but the sheer number of orcs passing through was slowly turning the mountains into a packed mass of dirt.

Watching the army move with the force of bulldozers, his lieutenant, Commander, spoke with concern.

“Aren’t we being overly cautious? While minimizing damage is good, I worry the Khan will be displeased with our pace.”

However, Crakshal merely scoffed.

“Cautious? You can say that after witnessing the humiliation we faced at Seor?”

“But I heard the enemies were nothing more than a handful of militia and a few holy knights. That alone should be easily crushed by our advancing army.”

“That’s exactly how the thousand-men commanders under Banner Captain Koral were destroyed.”

Crakshal found Commander’s words ridiculous but began to explain to boast about his experience and insight.

“As you said, the enemy is nothing more than a small group. Indeed, a fundamental principle of warfare is that the side with more numbers defeats the side with fewer numbers. While individual skill differences can create some variables, it is meaningless at the army level. But there are cases where the side with fewer numbers wins. When do you think that is?”

“…I’m not sure.”

**“It’s not different here. The side with fewer numbers merely creates a situation where they temporarily gain a numerical advantage. This rugged terrain makes it easy to create such variables.”**

Crakshal spoke as he surveyed the view of the Geliperth Mountains surrounding the Issacrea estate.

It was a mountainous terrain that was sufficient to serve as a natural fortress.

Although there were traces of the road being expanded due to frequent passage of wagons recently, it was still difficult for a large army to penetrate. To maintain supply and support without being cut off at the waist, thorough clearing was necessary.

“Despite facing this massive army, the enemy shows no signs of losing morale and instead continues to build up their defenses. I’ve also heard that some of the enemies are highly skilled. In this case, there’s only one strategy the enemy can employ.”

“Guerilla warfare.”

“Yes. When the enemy is small and elite, especially in such mountainous terrain, guerrilla warfare can be tremendously powerful. If we send out scouts, they will inevitably be destroyed. I’ve seen Atlan Kesik fight similarly in a past life.”

Crakshal shuddered slightly, shaking his shoulders as he murmured.

“With the archery skills of someone like Atlan Kesik, combined with their strong physical abilities and the blessings of their ancestral spirits, they’re nearly impossible to catch in this mountainous terrain. If we approach normally, our numbers become meaningless here.”

However, by advancing in formation, Isaac’s side would be unable to engage in guerrilla warfare. Guerrilla warfare relies on exploiting weak points, but a formation presents a uniformly defended and equally powerful front wherever it is attacked.

***

In truth, Isaac couldn’t find a way to penetrate this thick, brute-force advance method. Descending on Nel without drawing attention would be nothing short of a flashy s*****e.

But the advance of the Olkan Code wasn’t something that could be sustained indefinitely. The Geliperth Mountains, which had deterred the expansion of the Gerthonia Empire, weren’t to be underestimated.

And Isaac added a little twist to it.

No matter how brazen Crakshal was, he couldn’t possibly command his troops to climb steep cliffs and advance.

Eventually, orders were given to bypass certain treacherous terrains.

“Enemy ahead!”

In the only viable route through such treacherous terrain stood a series of fortifications Isaac had constructed. Archers positioned there were taking half-hearted shots to harass the advancing troops.

“Crush them.”

Upon Crakshal’s command, four orcs quickly lifted cannons onto their shoulders and prepared the explosives. Seeing this, the archers quickly fled. Soon, with a loud explosion, the fortifications were obliterated. Watching the shattered fortifications, Crakshal wore an incredulous expression.

“Again? Do they really think they can stop our advance with such trivial obstacles?”

The cannon-destroyed fortress had become a steep slope, difficult to climb. It seemed the enemy had focused on creating terrain that could trigger landslides when the structures were destroyed, rather than building solid fortifications.

Given that this area was already steep, the falling rocks could smash the heads of unfortunate orcs at the bottom of the hill. With no other choice, Crakshal had to order a cautious clearing operation.

Watching the orcs clearing the path, he fell into thought.

“Do they really think they can stand against Khan’s army with just this level of resistance?”

They had already encountered such fortifications three times on their way here. Each time, Crakshal had prepared cannons to blast through them, fearing potential traps. But nothing happened, and they continued to encounter mere delay tactics.

Crakshal wondered if he had been overly cautious in his strategy, but he also considered that this might be Isaac’s way of making him complacent.

“Increase the density of our forces and clear the path. Once we’re through, immediately set up defensive positions for the following units.”

“Banner Captain Crakshal.”

At that moment, someone approached him. It was Kima, the shaman general assisting Crakshal’s unit.

With a grave expression, Kima offered his advice.

“I think we should hasten our advance.”

“…Hasten our advance?”

To Crakshal’s question, Shaman General Kima nodded heavily.

Crakshal’s strategy was devised after consulting with Kima. Changing his stance now would undoubtedly put Kima in a difficult position.

However, no banner captain would ignore the counsel of a shaman general. The ancestors connected to Urvanus assisted them with perspectives and abilities entirely different from their own.

“I’ve felt strange energies several times since entering the mountains. Too weak to harm our soldiers, yet too irregular to be mere scouting. But take a look at this.”

Kima presented a leather pouch to Crakshal. Crakshal opened it and was immediately met with a foul stench and a writhing mass of insects, causing him to frown.

“It seems you didn’t preserve it well.”

“No, this is military provisions I gathered just a few days ago. Supplies everywhere are infested with insects and rats. Not those infected rats we’ve encountered before, but real rats and real insects. The decay is accelerating.”

At that moment, Crakshal recalled the blind spot of numbers.

An overwhelming number of soldiers also meant overwhelming consumption.

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