The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-455

Chapter 455: Infiltration of the Water Supply Area (2)

“It’s the Reviadon Clan!”

“The Poison Humans are coming in!”

“There are so many of them!”

The cries of the guards on the fortress walls were all similar.

The horizon was stained dark red.

The army of Poison Humans covered the ground like a descending curtain from above.

Amidst the Red Death aura looking like evil spirits, the annihilation battle for the Tochka Fortress began in earnest.

“Kyaaaaah!”

Poison Humans surged madly toward the first wall.

They displayed a savagery and recklessness that was inhuman, clinging to the walls with their bare hands.

…Thud!

Just like a bird crashing into a wall, the first Poison Human smashed its head against the solid walls of Tochka Fortress and died.

Another Poison Human trampled over the corpse and bashed its head into the wall.

…Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud! …Thud!

The piling bodies of the Poison Humans gradually formed the shape of a battering ram.

And there was one entity leading these countless Poison Humans.

A dark hood and cloak covered its entire body, and the scythe in its hand was grotesquely bent, both the blade and the shaft.

“…What is that thing?”

“Did it come to reap a harvest?”

The guards voiced their confusion.

…Flash!

The creature swung its scythe.

With the slash, a terrifying miasma flew and struck the wall.

Boom!

It was a heavy blow that shook the entire wall.

The Reaper swung the scythe, as if he were there to harvest lives.

Each time it rampaged, powerful miasma emanated, revitalizing the surrounding Poison Humans.

Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, and Bianca stood together.

“Is that dark figure the leader of the vanguard?”

“He seems highly skilled. The way he swings that scythe is unusual.”

“He does look like a commander…”

“The soldiers seem to call him the ‘Reaper.’ Looks like he really came to reap our lives.”

Bianca stepped forward first.

“Shall we see his skills?”

Bianca, who had killed Andrealphus, aimed her arrow at the Reaper.

Bang!

The arrow flew with a piercing sound.

“….!”

The Reaper seemed to instinctively sense the threat.

But he didn’t particularly raise his scythe.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Countless Poison Humans clustered like human shields, blocking Bianca’s arrow.

Bianca fired a few more shots, but all her arrows were blocked by the Poison Human shields before reaching the Reaper.

“Tch. He’s heavily guarded. Is he some sort of noble?”

Bianca clicked her tongue, watching the Reaper retreating behind the shields.

But even at this moment, the Poison Humans kept surging forward.

A wave of red death.

The Poison Humans’ miasma and the blood fountains that erupted as they died could infect even the healthiest people, turning them into Poison Humans.

If it weren’t for the purifying power of Dolores, who maintained the wide-area holy barrier at the heart of Tochka Fortress, this ironclad fortress would have fallen.

Swish—

As the Reaper extended his hand to the side, the path of the Poison Humans shifted.

The Reaper continued to lead the Poison Humans, attacking the weak points in the walls.

He was not only powerful in individual combat but also seemed well-versed in military strategy.

“Ugh, what kind of monsters are these…”

“A strategist commander with soldiers who blindly follow orders. No wonder they’ve swept through the civil war zones.”

“And with poison to boot, they’re practically invincible.”

“Damn it! The soldiers are getting scared!”

Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, and Bianca gritted their teeth and encouraged the soldiers, but the tide was turning in favor of the Reviadon Clan.

At that moment.

“Don’t retreat, you idiots!”

A thunderous roar came from the upper wall.

Everyone, friend and foe alike, momentarily turned their eyes to the central wall.

There stood an elderly man with a massive build, holding a club.

‘Orca Javert’. The warden of Nouvellebag.

Known as the master of defense and fortification, he surveyed the battlefield from the lower wall.

“If you retreat, everyone behind you dies! If you fight here, the only thing you lose is your life! What’s more worthwhile, dying alone or ensuring your family dies too?”

Orca’s bellow brought focus back to the soldiers’ eyes.

For a fleeting moment, the shifting tide of battle paused.

The veteran warrior didn’t miss the timing.

“Pikemen and log-bearers, come forward.”

At Orca’s command, the soldiers who had been on standby moved forward.

They extended long pikes and logs to push back the Poison Humans climbing the walls, keeping them at a distance where the miasma couldn’t reach.

Additionally, rugs and bamboo screens, made by the refugees overnight, were dropped down to block the bloody spew from the Poison Humans.

Orca’s gaze shifted.

In the distance, he saw dust and miasma rising together.

“Dig holes in the ground and place jars in them. Select those with keen hearing and touch to stay inside. We need to know if the enemy is tunneling.”

Orca began to meticulously command the defense.

“Place five men at each fortress tower, appoint one leader per five towers, and a castle commander for every twenty-five towers. The overseers of fifty towers should manage the castle commanders and ensure each sector is defended.”

The pre-positioned troops moved according to Orca’s orders.

Orca continuously observed the shifting Poison Human formations and issued directives.

“Keep the charcoal burning in the cannons and beat the drums every ten minutes. This will make the soldiers naturally aim to hold out until the next drum sound. Also, ensure that the militia prevents troublemakers from disrupting supplies, especially maintaining the supply of oil and gunpowder.”

As Orca, who had been observing the situation, gradually took a more active role, the battle’s tide began to turn again.

The soldiers, gaining confidence from the appearance of Orca, the war hero of old times.

With the Tochka defensive troops’ system in place, the Poison Humans’ offensive inevitably faltered.

“As expected, he’s doing well.”

On the opposite wall, Vikir, who had been commanding the soldiers, nodded as he watched Orca’s leadership from afar.

Even before his regression, Orca had been a master of defense and siege warfare.

It was no exaggeration to say that humanity’s survival in the latter part of the war was largely thanks to Orca’s involvement.

However, unfortunately, he had been protecting Nouvellebag in the depths of the sea for much of the war, and only joined the fight near the end, unable to prevent the massive casualties in the early and middle stages of the conflict.

…But now, things were different.

Brought to the surface by Vikir, Orca had been working for humanity even before the war had fully begun.

And he was doing so with full force!

“We have a problem! The Reviadon Clan is bringing in shielded wagons and covered vehicles! The axemen unit is also approaching!”

The Poison Human units were carrying shields to block arrows and stones, as well as long ladders to scale the fortress walls.

Huge Poison Humans wielding giant axes were attempting to break the stones and fortifications at the base of the walls in hand-to-hand combat.

But without a change in his expression, Orca gave his next order.

“Pour the oil supplied by the militia onto the slopes of the wall, and have the fire squads throw charcoal on top of it. Remove the pikes and logs, and instead, roll bags filled with gunpowder and metal scraps down the walls.”

Soon, oil flowed down the slightly sloped walls of Tochka Fortress.

The Poison Humans climbing the walls, like rock climbers, became drenched in oil, slipping and falling back down.

The slippery walls were too treacherous even for the powerful Poison Humans to ascend.

And then, gunpowder, metal scraps, and charcoal were dropped onto them.

Boom!

The combination of oil, fire, and gunpowder caused a series of explosions.

The scattered metal scraps shredded the Poison Humans with terrifying force.

Among the bodies hurled skyward, there wasn’t a single intact one.

Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, and Bianca watched with their mouths agape in admiration.

“It’s not like he’s using any special strategy, but it’s still amazing.”

“It’s straight out of the textbook. A perfectly orthodox and exemplary defensive battle.”

“In reality, the straightforward methods are the hardest. You have to have a precise grasp of your troops’ situation to avoid any issues with supply and manpower.”

“Sticking to the basics is the hardest thing. Incredible… this must be what experience and authority look like.”

As time passed, the Poison Humans’ all-out offensive was noticeably weakening.

The red death’s aura beyond the horizon was beginning to show signs of breaking.

Encouraged, the soldiers on the walls shouted.

“Wow! The Poison Humans are faltering! As expected from the war hero who saved the nation!”

“We’ve almost repelled them! Long live Warden Orca! Long live!”

“Major Orca! What should we do next?!”

“Hurry, give us the next order!”

The crowd sent fervent cheers towards Orca.

However, Orca only puffed out cigarette smoke, his expression annoyed.

“What do I care what happens next?”

…?

The war hero’s words left everyone questioning their hearing.

Orca, watching the gradually receding enemy offensive, spat out his words in frustration.

“I only handle defense. Attacking is someone else’s job.”

With that, he gestured irritably with his chin towards the adjacent wall.

Everyone’s gaze shifted to the wall Orca had indicated.

And there, they saw an old man with a chilling smile spread across his face.

“Heh heh heh…”

Marquis Sade.

With a look of utter amusement, he gazed down at the Poison Human forces ahead.