Cleaning Up the Battlefield

The first battle had come to a temporary end. Ang saw many soldiers from the Infantry Regiments busy collecting Spoils of War. They chopped off the Demons' heads, split open their skulls, and dug out the Black Magic Crystals inside. The Black Magic Crystals were not only the soldiers' Spoils of War, but also symbols of their merit. The soldiers' performance and Battle Records were mainly tallied and rewarded through these Black Magic Crystals.

Meanwhile, the Logistics Regiment members began clearing the battlefield. Ang and his companions busied themselves gathering and disposing of the corpses scattered across the field. They piled the Demons' bodies together, preparing to burn them. The corpses gave off a foul stench, but they knew they had to destroy them completely to prevent any possible plague or other danger.

In addition to the Demons' corpses, the fallen members of the Cavalry Regiment and Infantry Regiments received the same treatment. The Logistics Regiment gathered the soldiers' bodies and carefully cremated them. The ashes of every soldier were collected, placed in ceramic urns, and labeled by dedicated personnel before being stored together. These ashes would be transported back to the Duchy so their families could receive their remains.

Ang made a rough count. Including the Demons burned to death by the flames, nearly a thousand Demons had been lost in this battle, while the Cavalry Regiment and Infantry Regiments had suffered around 280 casualties.

The scene was especially somber as they collected the soldiers' ashes. The Logistics Regiment members handled every body with great care, and from time to time, the fallen soldiers' comrades came to mourn them. Looking at the companions they had once fought beside, their faces were filled with grief.

The mourners stood silently before the pyres, heads lowered in prayer. Some even shed tears. Though their hearts were full of sorrow, they knew there was no retreat in the war against the Demons. It was kill or be killed. Everyone had already prepared themselves to make sacrifices at any moment.

Ang stood to one side, silently watching it all. He felt the cruelty of war more vividly than ever before. Back on Blue Star, he had only seen war reports online—numbers and pictures—but experiencing it firsthand had made him deeply understand how real and brutal war was. Every life on the battlefield seemed so fragile. Every soldier was using flesh and blood to resist the threat from another race.

Watching his comrades mourn their fallen friends, Ang became even more determined to improve his strength. He did not want to be the one lying on a pyre. He had yet to witness the wonders of this world. This only strengthened his resolve to work harder and become stronger. He decided to seize every opportunity during this time to raise his Combat Power and learn more tactics and skills. War was like a meat grinder. It showed no mercy. Only by becoming strong enough could one avoid being ground to death.

Before long, the work of collecting the bodies was finished, and the soldiers who had come to mourn returned to their respective units. However, the Logistics Regiment members could not relax yet. They still had a great deal of battlefield cleanup to complete. The Demons' corpses were piled like mountains and reeked terribly. They had to be dealt with as quickly as possible, lest they cause a plague or attract more enemies.

The Logistics Regiment members split into several groups, carrying tools as they patiently but swiftly cleared the battlefield. One group gathered the Demons' corpses, while another was responsible for burning them. Ang and his teammates worked together seamlessly, trying to finish the task in the shortest possible time. Though everyone was filled with disgust and exhaustion, they all knew this task was vital.

The flames consuming the Demons' corpses blazed across the battlefield. Thick smoke rose into the air, and a pungent smell permeated everything. The Logistics Regiment members occasionally looked toward the distant camp, silently praying that peace would soon return to this battlefield and that the Duchy's army would achieve victory soon.

As time passed, the corpses on the battlefield gradually dwindled, and the flames slowly died down. Though the Logistics Regiment members were utterly exhausted, seeing the cleared battlefield gave them a small measure of comfort.

After the task was complete, the members of the Logistics Regiment encouraged one another. Cleaning the battlefield was an extremely grueling job as well.

When they returned to camp, the entire camp was quiet, with everyone busy attending to their own work.

After eating at the Logistics Regiment's designated mess hall, Ang returned to his tent. He had worked all afternoon and was exhausted in both body and mind. Lying down on his bed, he quickly fell asleep.

Inside the commanders' barracks, the atmosphere was tense and intense. Meredith swept her gaze over those present and said in a deep voice, "The first battle was a success. The enemy lost nearly one-tenth of their forces. But the Demons' reinforcements will arrive soon. We must launch another attack before their reinforcements reach them."

Count Hugh Pierre nodded and added, "Our situation is now more complicated than before. The Demons have adjusted their positions, and the advantage we gained through fire attacks is gone. This attack will be a direct clash of hard strength between both sides."

Everyone present nodded in agreement. They all knew the Demons' Combat Power could not be underestimated. Malkos, the cavalry commander, suggested, "Perhaps we can use the cover of night to launch a surprise attack. The Demons may be powerful, but if we catch them Caught Off Guard, we can gain a tactical advantage."

Another infantry commander, Carrol, voiced a different opinion. "A night attack may be effective, but it is extremely risky. If the enemy discovers our movements, we will instead fall into a passive position. I think we should strengthen our defenses, wait for them to attack, and use the terrain and our equipment advantage to counterattack."

The discussion gradually grew heated, with various plans continuously proposed and rejected. In the end, Meredith made the decision. "We will combine Malkos and Carrol's suggestions. First, we will launch a catapult attack on their camp to disrupt the enemy's deployment. Then we will conduct Small Scale harassment operations."

Count Hugh Pierre added, "At the same time, we need to strengthen our intelligence work. Send out more scouting parties to learn the Demons' movements. Only by grasping the enemy's plans can we formulate a better strategy."

After the meeting ended, the commanders swiftly got to work, assigning tasks and relaying orders. The entire camp became busy once again. The soldiers all realized that the coming battle would be even more difficult, but none of them showed the slightest hint of retreat.

Upon receiving their orders, the Second, Third, and Fourth Logistics Regiments moved swiftly and finished assembling the catapults. Under cover of night, the Logistics Regiment members quietly pushed the catapults to the front of the defensive line and rapidly loaded them with ammunition. When the catapults stood along the defensive line, Ang stared in amazement. These towering War Machines had clearly been designed as deadly weapons for Large Scale battles.

The ammunition consisted of wooden barrels filled with liquid. Ang initially thought the liquid was flammable oil and expected to see flames soaring into the sky. However, to his surprise, after the projectiles were launched into the enemy camp, there was no sign of fire at all. Remembering what the veterans had said about the Demons' keen sense of smell, Ang suddenly realized that the liquid might have been specially designed to suppress their sense of smell.

Sure enough, after the projectiles hit the ground, the liquid quickly splashed outward and spread throughout the Demon camp. At first, the Demons thought it was fire oil and hurriedly moved away. But when they saw no flames ignite, they lowered their guard. Soon, however, some Demons discovered that the smells around them had become faint or vanished entirely. Only then did they realize that the liquid had been designed specifically to target their sense of smell.

These liquids really are remarkable weapons! Ang marveled inwardly. Not only did they deprive the Demons of their keen sense of smell, but they also further disrupted their perception, making it even harder for them to deal with the Human Army's attacks in the darkness.

Chaos gradually spread through the Demon camp. The Demons looked around in every direction, yet they could no longer rely on their sense of smell to locate enemy movements. All of this created favorable conditions for the Human Army's next action. Taking advantage of the Demons' confusion, Meredith quickly issued new orders, telling the Infantry Regiments and Cavalry Regiment to prepare themselves.

However, Meredith once again ordered the Logistics Regiment to change ammunition. This time, the projectiles were massive boulders. Their diameter was as long as Ang's outstretched arms, and loading them onto the catapult trays kept the Logistics Regiment members busy for quite some time. Each boulder weighed nearly two tons. The Third and Fourth Logistics Regiments had quarried these boulders from the mountains several days earlier.

Ang had thought that boulders with a diameter equal to his arm span could not be too heavy, perhaps five or six hundred kilograms at most. However, when he tried to lift one, he found that he could not budge it at all. Only then did Ang understand that the material density in this world was incredibly high. These stones were far heavier than he had imagined.

The Logistics Regiment members had to use all their strength to load the boulders onto the catapults. Everyone was drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. Still, the boulders were finally in place, and everyone was ready for the coming attack.

Meredith ordered the catapults to begin firing. The boulders were launched into the Demon camp with the sound of tearing air, smashing fiercely into their targets. Every impact came with a deafening boom and violent tremors in the ground. Under the boulders' assault, the Demon camp instantly descended into even greater chaos.

The dark night obscured the Demons' vision, as well as the Human Army's. But boulders could be gathered locally in unlimited supply, so Meredith ordered the Logistics Regiment to keep launching them without pause. Even if they were firing blind, plenty of Demons would likely be crushed or injured by the boulders.

Meredith had been right. The liquid launched earlier had affected the Demons' perception, and many Demons failed to sense the falling stones. They suffered injuries of varying severity. The unlucky ones were crushed to death outright, while the luckier ones still ended up with broken bones and torn tendons.