vstars Chapter 677: Offensive Battle
Chapter 677: Offensive Battle
The footsteps of the Midland soldiers shook the inner fortress floor slightly as they charged through the inner fortress gates, weapons in hand, roaring.
Just then, the Yoda artillerymen who had been lying in ambush at the door rushed toward the black watchtower beside them and quickly adjusted the muzzle to aim at the charging Midland soldiers.
As the cannon rope was yanked violently, the cannon roared to life, and the scorching shell, accompanied by a piercing whistle, crashed into the ranks of Midland soldiers.
The moment the shell hit the crowd, several Midland soldiers were pierced through by the shell, while the soldiers next to them were directly blown away by the blast wave, their bodies twisting into bizarre arcs in the air before landing and remaining motionless.
The surrounding soldiers were not spared either; flying shrapnel, like sharp knives, tore through their flesh, and blood gushed out instantly, staining the ground beneath their feet red.
After the first round of shelling, a number of Midland soldiers at the gate fell, and the remaining men stood frozen in place, their faces filled with fear. The momentum of the attack was instantly halted.
But the Yoda soldiers' attack did not stop. The crossbowmen hidden behind the cannons quickly stood up, their crossbows already nocked, and a dense barrage of arrows shot towards the Midland soldiers with a whooshing sound.
Arrows rained down, and the number of dead and wounded Midland soldiers increased. Their advance became incredibly slow, each step requiring them to step over the corpses of their comrades, and the fear on their faces deepened.
The number of Comitland soldiers was simply too great, and their momentum could not be completely stopped.
The space at the city gate was particularly narrow, and even if the soldiers in the front row fell in droves, a large number of soldiers behind them still surged in like a tide.
They trampled over the corpses of their comrades, roaring and brandishing their weapons, and finally stormed into the inner fortress, where they clashed with Yoda's soldiers who were already waiting there.
Instantly, chaos erupted inside the fortress.
The Midland soldiers and Yoda soldiers mingled together, no longer caring about formation, just waving their weapons instinctively.
Everywhere there were the clanging sounds of weapons clashing, the screams of soldiers, and the roars of anger. Scenes of people hacking and slashing were commonplace, and the air was thick with the nauseating stench of blood.
The members of the Band of the Hawk followed behind the Midland soldiers, slowly making their way into the inner fortress.
At this time, the battle in the inner fortress was nearing its end. The corpses of soldiers from both sides lay scattered on the ground, and the remaining few surrendered Yoda soldiers were surrounded by Midland soldiers.
But the fortress deep within the inner fortress remained stubbornly entrenched, with arrows constantly being fired from the crenellations, accurately hitting the Midland soldiers who tried to approach, deterring them from advancing easily.
A Midland officer stood at the edge of the open field, his face ashen as he looked at the soldiers who hesitated to charge forward.
He clenched his fists and roared at the soldiers:
"What are you standing there for? Charge in and kill all those Yoda soldiers!"
A soldier stopped, trembling, his voice clearly shaking:
"Sir, we are afraid there may be an ambush inside, so we dare not go in easily."
The other soldiers echoed this sentiment, their faces full of hesitation, and no one dared to be the first to step forward.
Just then, Griffith stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the officer, his tone calm yet brimming with confidence:
"Sir, let our Hawk Brigade go in. We'll take care of the enemies inside."
The Midland officer was worried about not having anyone willing to step forward, and when Griffith volunteered, he immediately nodded in agreement:
"Alright, then I'll leave it to you. Make sure you wipe out any remaining enemies inside."
Griffith nodded slightly, then turned and gave an order to the Band of the Hawk members behind him:
"Bring a gunpowder barrel over and place it at the gate of the fortress."
Several members immediately responded, quickly ran to the place where supplies were stored, carried a heavy gunpowder barrel, and placed it in front of the fortress gate under the cover of shields.
Griffith then signaled everyone to step back to a safe distance, and a member of the group took out a tinderbox and carefully lit the fuse.
The fuse hissed and sparks danced, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the powder keg.
A few seconds later, with a loud bang, the shockwave from the exploding gunpowder barrel swept out instantly, blasting open the fortress gate. Wood chips and rubble flew everywhere, and smoke filled the entrance, obscuring the view.
Griffith seized the opportunity and shouted:
"Come at me!"
He charged into the smoke and dust first, followed closely by the members of the Band of the Hawk.
Passing through the billowing smoke and dust, the group quickly rushed into the council chamber inside the fortress.
Upon seeing this, several Yoda soldiers inside the hall immediately rushed over with their weapons.
Griffiths was prepared; his crossbow was already cocked. He quickly aimed, pulled the trigger, and an arrow accurately struck a Yoda soldier in the throat.
The soldier clutched his throat, his face contorted in pain, unable to utter a word. He collapsed to the ground, convulsed a few times, and then fell still.
The other mercenaries followed suit, pulling the triggers and firing bolt after bolt, each hitting its target.
In the blink of an eye, all of Yoda's soldiers in the council chamber were eliminated.
Griffiths lowered his crossbow and said to Golcas and Bibin beside him:
"You two go and search the other rooms, don't let any enemy escape."
"clear."
Gorkas and Bibin responded in unison, then led their teams out of the council chamber and headed towards other rooms.
Griffith then turned to Guts and Jedot and said:
"We led our troops upstairs and cleared out Yoda's soldiers."
Gus and Jedo nodded, gripped their weapons, and followed Griffith toward the stairs.
Yoda's soldiers rushed down the stairwell from time to time, and the two sides immediately engaged in fierce fighting.
The members of the Band of the Hawk worked in perfect harmony, and as their swords flashed, Yoda's soldiers fell one after another.
Just as they were clearing out the enemies in the stairwell, Guts's gaze suddenly fell on the corner of the stairs, where a crossbow bolt was quietly protruding and aimed at Griffith ahead.
Gus's heart tightened, and without the slightest hesitation, he immediately shouted:
"Griffith!"
Upon hearing Gus's shout, Griffith instinctively turned to the side.
Almost simultaneously, the crossbow bolt whistled through the air, grazed his shoulder, and embedded itself in the wall beside him.
Griffith felt a chill run down his spine and turned to look at the corner of the stairs, where he saw a Yoda soldier preparing to mount the bowstring again.
Gus had already rushed forward, and with a swing of his two-handed sword, he cleaved the soldier to the ground.
Griffiths took a deep breath, looked at Gus with a hint of gratitude in his eyes, and then said:
"There should still be enemy leaders upstairs. Let's go up and take care of them."
Gus nodded and, together with Griffith, hurried up the stairs.
Upon reaching the top of the fortress, the two immediately spotted General Yoda standing there.
He was tall and imposing, wielding a massive battle axe and clad in heavy armor. His eyes were fierce as he stared at Griffith and Guts as they charged forward.
"You two are quite capable, managing to fight your way here."
General Yoda stared at the two men, his tone icy.
Griffiths, however, spoke calmly:
"Your men have all been dealt with. Surrender now, and you might still be spared."
"surrender?"
General Yoda gave a cold laugh.
"Do you think we Yoda nobles are like those fools from Midland? We've never surrendered. Now that you're here, you'll be my scapegoats!"
Gus, not wanting to waste words, gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, leaned forward slightly, and prepared for battle.
He knew very well that General Yoda was no ordinary person, and this battle would not be easy.
Griffiths adjusted his posture, his gaze fixed on General Yoda, his entire body tense.
He could sense the powerful aura emanating from his opponent and knew that this was going to be a fierce battle.
General Yoda roared, gripped his battle axe tightly, and charged towards the two men.
The battle axe whistled as it cleaved down toward Griffith's head with tremendous force.
Griffiths dared not be careless and quickly raised his longsword to parry.
With a loud clang, the longsword and the battle axe collided, sparks flying everywhere.
Griffiths felt a tingling sensation in his arm; General Yoda's strength far exceeded his expectations.
He gritted his teeth and persevered, managing to block the attack.
Seeing this, Guts immediately launched an attack from the side, slashing his broadsword toward General Yoda's waist.
General Yoda reacted quickly, dodging to the side and simultaneously swinging his axe horizontally at Guts.
Guts quickly retreated, dodging the attack, his battle axe striking the ground and leaving a deep crack.
General Yoda's battle axe was incredibly powerful, each attack carrying immense force. Griffith and Guts could only dodge and parry, searching for an opportunity to counterattack.
Griffith knew that this couldn't go on; he had to find a weakness in General Yoda.
While parrying, he closely observed General Yoda's movements and noticed that he would pause briefly after each swing of his axe.
Griffith seized the opportunity and shouted at Gus:
"He'll be vulnerable after he swings his axe, let's attack together!"
Gus immediately understood, and the two exchanged a glance before launching their attack simultaneously.
General Yoda swung his axe at Griffith again, and Griffith quickly parried. Just as the battle axe collided with the longsword, Guts circled behind General Yoda and swung his broadsword at his back with all his might.
General Yoda sensed the attack from behind and tried to turn around to block it, but it was too late.
The broadsword slashed hard across his back, tearing a large gash in his armor, from which blood gushed out.
General Yoda screamed and staggered forward a few steps.
Griffiths seized the opportunity and thrust his longsword forward, piercing General Yoda's chest with deadly precision.
General Yoda looked down at the longsword in front of his chest, then at Griffith and Guts in front of him. The ferocity in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by endless resentment.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but only spat out a mouthful of blood before his body slowly collapsed, completely lifeless.
Griffiths drew his longsword, and blood dripped down the blade.
He looked at General Yoda's corpse, feeling no emotion whatsoever, only the calm that comes after completing a mission.
Gus sheathed his Dragon Slayer Sword, and the two stood side by side atop the fortress, watching the soldiers below raise the Midland flag, thinking to themselves that the siege was finally over.