Annie's heart pounded in her chest. Aside from that group of fools who blindly worshiped the Lord, she was probably the only person who knew the exact plan.
Rationally, she couldn't find any flaws in Richard's plan, but her instincts weren't so willing to accept it. She couldn't shake the feeling that it wouldn't go smoothly.
"Their formation clearly shows that they're guarding something in the center." The Lord had made another discovery.
Although they couldn't directly see the area shielded by the Minotaurs' bodies, anyone could figure out that it had to be the shaman.
"They're using their bodies to stop the ballistae from picking off the shaman. We tried it last time and nearly succeeded." Sendak turned toward the arrow towers behind him. "Fire before they enter their berserk state."
The dwarf sentries atop the arrow towers began chanting as they winched back the strings. Moments later, a thunderous "twang" rang out, and a black shadow suddenly flashed overhead.
Richard was surprised to find that the ballistae were remarkably accurate. The two arrow towers fired six bolts in succession, and five struck the Minotaurs hundreds of yards away. After all, they weren't stationary targets.
Heavy military weapons were far more complicated than they appeared. Perhaps it wasn't difficult to make a giant bow with suitable materials and enormous draw strength, but keeping that bow's accuracy above a certain standard required considerable technical knowledge.
If the Pompeii military saw this scene, they would probably break out in a cold sweat. Could natives who wielded heavy military weapons still be treated as simple natives?
Unfortunately, the Minotaurs had been prepared, carrying extremely thick shields. Only three of them were knocked down.
"Keep firing! You arms dealers can't be out of just a few bolts, can you?" Richard was greatly surprised to see that the sentries had already climbed down from the arrow towers and joined the warriors in the front.
"We really are out." Robbie wore a bitter, crestfallen expression.
The casualties among their comrades caused by the ballista fire completely enraged the Minotaurs. Their hearts began pumping at a higher frequency. Their eyes quickly reddened with blood, the veins across their bodies swelled further, and the rapid breaths they exhaled made the iron rings in their noses clink.
They brandished their wooden clubs and restlessly stomped their hooves into the mud, their faces utterly ferocious. Their remaining rationality might still suppress their urge to kill for the moment, but it certainly wouldn't last long.
"So this is the Semi-Berserk State." Richard watched through his telescope with great interest.
The Minotaurs in his field of vision suddenly began gasping heavily and pressing tightly toward the center. The Lord initially found it baffling, but soon realized that they were trying to fit as many people as possible within the area affected by the spell.
It was exactly the same method High Mountain Keep had used with Obscuring Mist earlier—a typical poor man's solution. They were pretty clever, too.
A red band of spell light drifted into the air, then descended onto the Minotaurs already in the Semi-Berserk State.
It was as if a ladle of hot oil had been poured onto a blazing bonfire. The muscles and veins of these incredibly powerful Minotaurs began twisting and bulging even further, while their scorching breaths condensed into white steam that rose through the air.
Whether it was berserk enhancement, the Semi-Berserk State, or even Nehru's half-baked Bloodlust Art, stimulating the body's potential placed a burden on the torso. This could hardly be called a side effect; it was simply two sides of the same thing.
For example, increasing strength made muscle strains more likely. Stirring up battle lust inevitably raised blood pressure. Faster blood flow could provide greater stamina, but it also increased the heart's workload, and so on.
"Roar!" The combined burden of the two enhancements was naturally even harder to bear. Even the powerful Minotaurs couldn't help roaring in pain as old wounds across their bodies burst open and began bleeding again under their violent transformation.
Some couldn't withstand it and dropped to their knees, but soon shook their heads and struggled back to their feet.
The heavy, unbearable price they paid also reflected how astonishing the enhancement they gained truly was. Even a cowardly Kobold would become a qualified warrior under such an enhancement, let alone the naturally powerful and battle-hardened Minotaurs!
They could no longer restrain the impulse surging wildly through their hearts. Roaring, they charged forward together, their hooves pounding the ground.
Their pace was slow at first, but soon grew faster and denser. Their heavy bodies slammed into the earth with every hoofbeat, mud mixed with rain splashing in all directions. Their footsteps merged into a rapid, thunderous barrage, like a dark cloud bearing down on the city before a torrential storm.
The tiny grains of sand on the wall trembled faintly. Ripples spread across the rainwater gathered in the hollows, like the moment before a massive boulder fell from the mountainside.
There were only a few dozen of them, but in terms of momentum, they were more than ten times stronger than the several hundred Goatfolk auxiliaries accompanying them.
The dwarf warriors guarded the wall. At a glance, they seemed fairly calm, but the occasional exhalations after holding their breath for too long betrayed the tension in their hearts.
"Ah!" At last, one dwarf could no longer suppress his fear. He shouted, dropped his weapon, and turned to run without a thought for anything else.
Sendak immediately drew a throwing axe from his belt and hurled it. After spinning through the air several times, it sank deep into the deserter's neck. The first casualty of the battle had come from the purge.
His voice was as steady as steel, revealing little emotion, yet carrying unquestionable resolve. "Those who flee will be executed."
Compared with the solemn, almost suffocating atmosphere at the front, the High Mountain Keep guards staying in the rear had it much easier.
"Goodness, both the Ox-Head and Horse-Face are here today. I suppose it's only fitting that I, Yama, take the stage and put on a show." The Lord grinned at Hert, who stood there with a completely bewildered look, like a monk trying to measure two zhang.
"Dual Frenzy! It can strengthen the Minotaur's body to its absolute limit. Can we win?" Robbie clung to Richard's knee, his pupils trembling violently with fear.
"When they seem strongest, they might actually be at their weakest." Richard gently patted Robbie on the head, his eyes fixed on the distant scene with an inscrutable look. "The so-called absolute limit often means that the decline is about to begin."
Gunther turned his face away and secretly curled his lip. He felt that his leader's words were no different from saying nothing. After hearing them, he still had no idea what they meant.
"Do Minotaurs have weaknesses, too?"
"Even dragons have them."
"Richard, stop wasting time! They're really coming!" Annie kept imagining one hypothetical scenario after another in her mind—what would happen if the plan failed?
"Where's High Mountain Keep's spellcasting team? Hurry up and get over here!" The Lord shouted at the top of his lungs.
The Hum-Ha Duo came running over with Nehru, whose face was covered in snot and tears. The Kobold, dragged along between them with both feet off the ground, looked just like someone hanging from a horizontal bar. The moment he saw the Minotaurs, he had tried to slip away, but the two Ogre squad leaders had caught him red-handed.
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