Berserk, Total War: Second Son of Nobles

Chapter 725 One-Sided Massacre

Codd's hand was already on the trigger guard, the cold metal beneath his fingertips seeping through the fabric.

Just as he was about to raise his head and order the soldiers behind him to pull the trigger, the gaudily dressed goblin opposite him spoke first.

"You foolish dwarves, don't think you can escape just because you've found a few reinforcements."

The sound was sharp and piercing, like rusty iron sheets rubbing against each other.

“We have thousands of cubs and many big ones in the whole cave. I advise you to lay down your weapons and surrender immediately, otherwise no one will survive the next hour.”

Kod raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing through his mind. The fact that the goblin could speak such fluent human language was beyond his expectations.

He did not let his guard down. Instead, he lowered his voice and gestured to the soldiers around him, signaling everyone to remain alert and be ready to fire at any time.

After doing all this, he raised his voice and shouted towards the other side:

"Tell me who you are and where you're from!"

The goblin shook its head, its colorful feathers trembling, its tone full of arrogance:

"I am the king of this forest, the goblin king, Dururu!"

It puffed out its chest, patted its chest with its hand, and showed a smug expression on its face.

"Show me your submission, and I may spare your lives and make you my slaves instead of you dying immediately."

"It's actually Dululu."

An older dwarf approached Kod, his voice carrying a hint of solemnity.

"It recently unified all the goblin tribes in the area, but it's so audacious that it dared to raid our mine."

He paused, then added:

"It now commands tens of thousands of goblins, several times more than before."

Upon hearing this, Codd smirked. So what if there were tens of thousands of goblins? In the face of firearms, they were just a larger number of targets.

He looked at Dululu across from him again, his voice loud and clear:

"Oh, sorry then, we won't surrender. Come on then if you dare!"

The smugness on Dululu's face vanished instantly, replaced by rage.

It suddenly opened its mouth and let out a sharp roar, the sound causing the surrounding air to tremble slightly:

"Then you can just wait to die!"

As soon as it finished speaking, it waved its hand sharply.

From the shadows in the distance came heavy footsteps, the thumping sound like drumming, and the ground trembled slightly.

A group of monsters, each over two meters tall, emerged from the darkness. They were burly and powerfully built, wielding crudely made, enormous wooden clubs stained with dried blood and bits of flesh. They charged straight toward Cod and his companions.

"Oh no, it's a troll!"

Hafdan's voice carried a hint of tension as he gripped his weapon tightly.

“These creatures are too big and have very thick skin. If ordinary arrows don’t hit their eyes or throats, they won’t hurt them at all. At most, they’ll just make them pause for a moment.”

Kord's eyes were firm, showing no sign of panic.

He glanced at the breech-loading rifles and machine guns set up beside him, his tone calm yet full of confidence:

"If an arrow can't hurt you, a bullet might."

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately raised his hand and gave the order:

"Fire! Open fire at will!"

The soldiers were already poised and ready, and the moment they heard the order, they immediately pulled the trigger.

The breech-loading gun fired crisp, rapid shots, while the machine gun emitted a continuous hissing sound, spitting out orange-red flames from its muzzle.

Bullets flew towards the charging troll with sharp whistling sounds, their trajectories too fast to be seen.

The troll at the front had only taken two steps when it was hit by several bullets.

The bullet pierced its thick skin, penetrated its muscles and bones, and drew out plumes of black blood.

It let out a muffled roar, staggered, but did not fall immediately. Instead, it swung its wooden club even more frantically, trying to continue charging forward.

But more bullets followed, some hitting its chest, some piercing its knees, and a few striking its eyes precisely.

The troll's roar abruptly ceased, murky liquid welled in its eyes, and it lost its balance, crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

It struggled to get up, but its limbs wouldn't obey its commands. It could only twitch on the ground, making hoarse sounds in its throat. Before long, it became completely still.

The trolls behind did not retreat because of their fallen comrades; they continued to roar and charge forward, but the outcome remained unchanged.

Bullets rained down on them, each one carrying enough killing power.

Some trolls had their arms broken, their clubs clattering to the ground; some had their abdomens pierced, their internal organs mixed with blood flowing out; and others were hit in the head by a series of bullets, their skulls instantly becoming a bloody mess.

The once-fierce troll horde became utterly vulnerable under the attack of firearms.

Their mournful howls, roars, and the heavy thuds of their bodies falling to the ground mingled together, echoing through the cave.

In just a few minutes, all the charging trolls fell to the ground. Not a single one could get close to Kod and his men's position. The ground was covered with the massive corpses of the trolls, and black blood pooled in the ground, emitting a pungent, fishy stench.

Dululu across from them stared wide-eyed, her mouth agape, her face filled with disbelief.

It stared blankly at the troll corpse on the ground, then at the smoking weapons in Kod and the others' hands, its shrill voice trembling slightly:

"This...this is impossible! What are those things you have? How can they be so powerful?"

It couldn't understand how those seemingly insignificant iron pipes could so easily kill the thick-skinned trolls.

But anger quickly overwhelmed the shock, and Dulu stomped his foot and roared at the goblins behind him:

"Charge! Tear them to shreds! We outnumber them, we can wear them down!"

At its command, a large number of goblins in the front row charged forward, brandishing spears and howling.

They ran incredibly fast, their short legs kicking wildly on the ground, emitting incomprehensible roars, their faces filled with a frenzied expression.

Behind them, a large group of goblins followed closely, carrying crudely made bows and arrows. They ran while drawing their bows and nocking arrows, with the arrowheads pointing in the direction of Kod and his companions.

"Prepare for defense!"

Kod shouted.

Several soldiers in steam-powered armor immediately stepped forward, their steps steady, the armor making a slight mechanical whirring sound as it moved.

They held huge shields firmly in front of them; the shields were thick and sturdy, with smooth surfaces, and could effectively withstand impacts and arrows.

The moment the shield is erected, it forms a solid defensive line.

Immediately afterwards, the soldiers mounted the machine guns on their arms in the grooves provided on their shields, aimed the muzzles at the charging goblins, and continued firing.

The goblins at the forefront had already approached the defensive line, brandishing their spears, trying to pierce the shields and strike the soldiers behind them.

But these shields were exceptionally sturdy. When a spear pierced them, it only produced a crisp "clang" and left a shallow mark, unable to penetrate at all.

Some goblins, unwilling to give up, desperately rammed their bodies against the shield, only to be forced back by the shield's recoil, some even falling to the ground.

Upon seeing this, the goblins behind immediately released their bows and arrows.

One after another, crudely made arrows whistled through the air. The shafts of these arrows were rough tree branches, and the arrowheads were polished stones or metal fragments, making them appear harmless.

They landed on the shields, making a clanging sound like gongs and drums, but aside from leaving some scratches, they posed no threat to the soldiers behind the shields.

While the goblins were launching their frenzied attack, the machine guns in the shield recesses and the breech-loading guns in the soldiers' hands did not stop firing.

Bullets continued to fire, accurately hitting the goblins charging ahead. Each bullet easily pierced the goblin's body.

Despite their large numbers, the goblins were unable to mount an effective attack under such dense and deadly fire.

Their charge turned into futile sacrifices, and the corpses piled up in front of the defensive line, growing higher and higher, gradually forming a low wall of bodies.

More and more goblins began to feel fear. They watched their companions fall one by one, saw the impenetrable shield line, and saw the tongues of fire constantly spitting from the gun barrels. The madness in their hearts was replaced by fear.

Finally, one of the goblins dropped its spear and turned to run away.

This seemed to trigger a chain reaction, causing more goblins to break down. They stopped roaring and attacking, and instead scattered and fled in all directions, wanting nothing more than to get as far away from those terrifying iron pipes as possible.

Seeing his men scatter and flee, Dulu was furious.

"Don't run! All of you, come back here!"

It stood still, shrieking and ordering the goblins to come back and continue the attack, but the goblins were already terrified and ignored its orders, running further and further away until they disappeared into the dark depths of the cave.

As the human soldiers slowly advanced towards him, and as he listened to the approaching footsteps and the sound of weapons being cocked, Dulu's eyes were filled with despair and madness.

It knew it had no way out; it had to either surrender or die in battle. As the king of the goblins, it could not accept the humiliation of surrender.

Dululu let out a defiant roar and gripped the huge cleaver in his hand tightly.

The machete was made of an unknown metal, its edges slightly chipped and stained with dried blood. It suddenly lowered its head, took long strides, and charged straight at the nearest steam-armored soldier with a speed far exceeding its previous clumsy movements.

Without hesitation, the soldier in the steam-powered armor raised his arm, and the mechanical structure on it activated, causing a massive alloy blade to spring out from within the armor, gleaming with a cold, icy light.

He stood still, steadily facing the direction from which Dululu charged, his eyes calm and undisturbed.

Dulu rushed forward, gripping the machete tightly with both hands, and with all his might, swung it down towards the head of the steam-armored soldier. The machete whistled through the air, looking incredibly powerful.

But just as the cleaver was about to strike the armor, the steam-armored soldier moved.

He raised his arm, and the huge alloy blade, carrying a sharp aura, swung towards Dululu's head.

Both were moving at their maximum speed, and a muffled "plop" was heard.

The massive alloy blade was incredibly sharp, easily slicing through Dululu's skull, from the top of its head all the way down to its chin.

Blood and brain matter gushed out instantly, splattering onto the ground.

Dulu's body suddenly stiffened, and the cleaver he had swung out fell limply to the ground with a clang.

Its eyes were wide open, still holding traces of madness and resentment, but the breath of life was already rapidly fading away.

A few seconds later, Dulu's body fell straight to the ground, twitched twice, and then became completely still.

The massive alloy blade slowly retracted into the steam armor, leaving only the unseeing corpse of a goblin on the ground.

Codd slowly lowered the gun in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the corpses scattered all over the cave floor.

Goblin corpses and troll corpses lay piled on the ground, their black and green blood mingling and emitting a strong, pungent stench.

The air was still thick with the smell of gunpowder; the two smells mingled together, making people feel somewhat uncomfortable.

He paused for a moment, and then blurted out a sentence without thinking:

"That's it?"

The entire battle lasted only a little over half an hour.

They had expected a fierce battle, given that the enemy had thousands of goblins and a considerable number of trolls, but to their surprise, these monsters were no match for firearms and steam armor.

The dwarves nearby could no longer contain their excitement and erupted in thunderous cheers.

They hugged each other and patted each other on the shoulder, their faces filled with the joy and excitement of surviving a disaster.

The fear and despair I felt earlier had vanished, replaced by boundless gratitude and reverence.

"Heroes! You are our heroes!"

A dwarf elder stepped forward, knelt on one knee before Kod and his soldiers, and spoke with utmost sincerity.

“If it weren’t for you, we would all be dead here today, and our mine would have been taken over by these monsters. You saved us, you saved our home.”

The other dwarves followed suit, kneeling on one knee and chanting in unison for the hero, their voices filled with reverence.

Kod quickly stepped forward, helped the dwarf elder to his feet, and said:

"No need for that, we just did what we were supposed to do."

The dwarf elder stood up, his face still showing excitement:

"No matter what, you are all our dwarves' benefactors. Please come with us to the capital. We will treat you well and let everyone know about your achievements."

Kod nodded without refusing. He had his soldiers pack up their weapons, clean up the battlefield, and collect the dozen or so dwarf corpses. Then, guided by the dwarves, he led his team out of the cave.

Stepping out of the mine, the light outside was a bit dazzling, and everyone subconsciously squinted.

The dwarves led the way, their steps light and their faces full of pride.

As they walked, they chatted with the soldiers around them, asking about the firearms and steam-powered armor, their eyes filled with curiosity. Codd and the soldiers patiently answered their questions, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

After walking for about an hour, a huge city gradually came into view ahead.

It was a royal capital built against a mountain. The city walls were tall and sturdy, made of huge rocks, and covered with defensive fortifications. It looked heavily guarded, yet it was still magnificent and spectacular.