Impact and Defense

The Sky-Scorching Sparrow is a strategic weapon of the Orc Empire. Its outstanding carrying capacity and spacious back allow this flying beast to transport over five orc heavy cavalrymen at once. This flying beast has always been the Orc Empire's most precious transport.

If it weren't for the Sky-Scorching Sparrow's timid nature, its tendency to be easily startled, and its habit of flying erratically when frightened, this flying beast would have long ago become heavy flying cavalry.

Even so, with its unparalleled carrying capacity and extremely long flight range, the Sky-Scorching Sparrow plays an irreplaceable role in the Orc Empire's army.

Flying cavalry is mentioned here. Like the warhorses of the human world or the direwolves of the Wolf Riders, flying cavalry is completely different from ordinary mountable flying beasts because they can directly participate in combat. In the human world, apart from the Griffon Flying Cavalry Squadron in the Kingdom of Saint Ellis, no other flying cavalry unit has ever appeared.

Breeding Sky-Scorching Sparrows is extremely difficult. The loss of even one Sky-Scorching Sparrow is a significant loss for the empire, which is why humans rarely see traces of these enormous flying beasts.

At this moment, at the mouth of the valley, above the ten-meter-wide opening, large stones began to roll down. The squadron at the valley entrance began their valley-sealing operation.

The tremendous noise startled the orcs in the valley. Their recent joy at discovering the Sky-Scorching Sparrows was interrupted, and some orcs began to gather and charge towards the valley entrance.

Following the giant stones, large quantities of wood soaked in lamp oil were thrown down. Just as the orcs were about to reach the valley entrance, an incendiary arrow ignited the wood, and the towering flames completely sealed off the valley.

The Sky-Scorching Sparrows in the sky, seeing the situation on the ground, stopped their descent. Fortunately, they were farther from the valley entrance. If they had been any closer and been startled, who knows what might have happened. The handlers seated behind the heads of the Sky-Scorching Sparrows were doing their best to calm the giant beasts.

Amidst the somewhat chaotic orcs, a squad of ten Wolf Riders stood out. The Wolf Rider in the center wore a black one-piece armor, while the other nine Wolf Riders were clad in leather armor.

"Young master, something is wrong. We've been ambushed by humans," a Wolf Rider said with a ferocious expression.

"Take my token and have everyone listen to my command!" the young master said calmly. The predicament before him seemed to have little effect on him.

"The Woolf Family token is here! All orcs, listen to my orders, assemble by squad!" the Wolf Rider shouted loudly, raising the token high.

All the orcs stopped their commotion. Regardless of their race, they quickly found their respective squads.

"I am Fowler, the sixth son of the Woolf Family. All orcs, listen to my command and be quiet!" Fowler said, looking with satisfaction as all the orcs obeyed his orders. He continued, "We are the strongest orcs. The despicable humans have surrounded us with treachery. Now, we have only one path forward, and that is to fight."

Fowler looked up at the Sky-Scorching Sparrows circling overhead and shouted, "The flying beasts that will take us home are above us. Only by defeating the enemy can the flying beasts land. Do you want to return alive? Then fight! The Beast God is with us, and the orcs will win!"

"Orcs will win!" The orcs' emotions were ignited. Although there were only 160 orcs, their voices were incredibly loud. For a time, the valley echoed with shouts of "Orcs will win!"

Knight Saloyan watched the scene in the valley and said to the two senior knights beside him, "I originally intended to let them be chaotic for a while so our attack would be smoother. Who knew they would calm down so quickly? They are indeed battle-hardened orcs!"

Knight Bernal, stroking the hilt of his sword, said with eager eyes, "Sir, can we attack now?"

Knight Saloyan nodded to his deputy. The deputy stepped forward and loudly commanded, "Shieldbearers forward, Spearmen follow, Archers prepare."

Following the command, the 800 soldiers here quickly formed a battle formation. 150 Shieldbearers, holding large shields, pressed their shields into the ground and braced them with their arms. They formed the first line of defense.

Behind the Shieldbearers were 200 Spearmen. Their five-meter-long spears had sharp, slender tips made of refined iron, capable of easily piercing light armor. The Spearmen held their spears with the tips pointing outward, their butts braced on the ground with their feet.

Viewed from the front of the formation, it resembled a porcupine. The main offensive force in the formation was the 450 Archers, who used a type of longbow – simple and practical.

By this time, the orcs had organized themselves. A charging formation of 160 orcs, all level 6 or higher, was formed. At the forefront were the thick-skinned, tough Bearmen riding giant bears, followed by Minotaurs riding Blazing Bulls, and finally the Wolf Riders, who surrounded Fowler in the center to protect him.

As the orc charging formation approached within 150 meters of the human defensive formation, the deputy raised his left hand. The Archers automatically divided into three ranks. The first rank of 150 Archers each crouched to nock arrows onto their longbows.

"First rank, fire!" Following the deputy's command, the first rank of 150 Archers stood up and shot their arrows into the sky.

"Second rank, fire!" As the first rank of Archers finished shooting, they crouched down to retrieve arrows from their quivers, while the second rank of Archers stood up and shot their arrows into the sky, then crouched down.

"Third rank, fire!" The third rank of Archers stood up, shot their arrows, and then crouched down.

In this manner, the three ranks of Archers continuously rotated, shooting arrows, and the arrows in the sky flew in wave after wave, with almost no interval.

A rain of arrows descended, beginning to inflict losses on the orcs in the charging formation. Orcs continuously fell from their mounts, only to be trampled into meat paste by the following mounts. At this point, the orcs could only increase their speed to close the distance to have a chance of victory.

In the short distance from 150 meters to 50 meters, the orcs lost over 40 orcs, whose fates were unknown. The Spearmen at the front could already see the orcs' sharp teeth. The collision between the two forces was imminent.

"Battle Qi!" With Fowler's roar, a white glow emanated from all the orcs.

Finally, the two forces collided. Human spears pierced the bodies of the orcs. Some spears broke inside the orcs due to excessive force during the impact. The Shieldbearers on the front line suffered heavy losses. The charging power of orc cavalry was inherently immense, and with the addition of Battle Qi, Shieldbearers were continuously thrown back by the impact.

At this moment, the front of the battle line was a scene of bloodshed, with orc blood and human blood intermingling. The roars of orcs, the shouts of humans, interspersed with various screams and groans, made it seem like a hell.

The orcs who broke into the human defensive circle, after losing another 30-plus orcs, began to gain the advantage. In this close-quarters combat, orcs had an immense advantage. The vast difference in strength and speed, coupled with the disparity in levels, made the subsequent battle almost a one-sided slaughter. Eager to break through the encirclement, the orcs, under Fowler's command, did not linger but advanced rapidly.

The adjutant stood to the left of the three ranks of Archers, watching the battle expressionlessly. He waved his hand and shouted, "Switch to swords!"

The Archers silently dropped their now useless bows and drew their military knives from their waists, their eyes filled with the conviction of certain death. Their mission was to deplete the orcs' combat power with every life they had.

The aide also drew his military knife. The orcs had already broken through the humans' first line of defense and were charging towards the Archers' formation.

Stimulated by the blood, the orcs' innate combat instincts were fully ignited. Their eyes showed a strong craving for blood. The Archers before them were like lambs to the slaughter.

Before the orcs could charge forward, the front-rank Archers charged first. They used their bodies to grab the legs of the orc mounts, slowing their charge speed to allow other Archers to attack the orcs.

The副手 also charged forward, followed by the last two ranks of Archers. The Archers' frenzy did not significantly impede the orcs' progress, and finally, the human defense line was completely breached by the orcs.