Fierce Battle (2)

Chapter 24: Fierce Battle (2)

A towering wave dozens of feet high crashed toward the human defenses, while the Murloc warriors who had rushed in with the earlier waves were already locked in battle with the Guard.

No one had expected such powerful Murloc warriors to be hidden behind the wave. As the human defenses teetered under the impact, the formidable Murloc warrior suddenly leaped from the crest into the rear of the formation. Several other Murloc warriors came with it. Caught off guard, the human soldiers were knocked to the ground one after another, and that section of the line collapsed instantly.

Chris, captain of the second squad, hurried over to block it, only for the tall Murloc warrior to send the shield from his hand flying with a single slash. The human knight's arm was broken. Before help could arrive, he watched in terror as the enemy's weapon descended toward his neck, powerless to evade.

After killing the obstructive human knight, it turned its attention to another human who looked like a commander. Just as Alwyn was about to be killed on the spot, Antoine appeared in time to save his life. His dagger thrust toward the Murloc's eyes forced it to withdraw its blade, but the Murloc's hide was thick and tough. As long as it protected its vital spots, it had nothing to fear from Antoine's attacks. Within three moves, Antoine was kicked away by the Murloc. Though blood spilled from his mouth, he could still force himself back to his feet.

Albert cast Malicious Polymorph, attempting to turn it into a harmless little animal, but the Murloc warrior's will was exceptionally firm. It merely froze for a moment and was unaffected by the spell.

With the commander of the second squad down, their formation was on the verge of collapse. Albert cast an ultra-long-range Frost Nova at the cluster of Murloc warriors, freezing them in place. The Fireball that followed engulfed several Murloc warriors without harming the nearby human soldiers. A mage from Dalaran naturally possessed extraordinary skill.

In the brief moment he had bought, Thalmar commanded the Dwarf warriors under him to hurl their throwing axes in unison. Ordinary Murloc warriors could not withstand those heavy axes. Frozen in place, they were nothing but living targets, dying one after another beneath the blades.

After the tall Murloc warrior knocked away all the axes, the second squad's soldiers pulled back their line and retreated to the rear. Alwyn, grievously wounded and unconscious, was dragged back as well. A human knight wielding a warhammer now stood before it.

It sounded complicated, but only seconds had passed from the moment Roderick saw that enormous black shadow and charged forward to the time the Murloc warrior cut down several men and smashed through the defenses. Thankfully, Antoine had appeared in time, and Albert and Thalmar had reacted swiftly. Otherwise, Alwyn would not have escaped death either. The other Murlocs seemed inspired by their leader's heroic display. The previously suppressed Murloc warriors began fiercely assaulting the human defenses once more.

This Murloc warrior was dark green all over, with thick limbs. Standing upright, it was even taller than Roderick. The great blade in its hand was strangely free of rust. Looking closely, beneath the tangled seaweed on its body was actually a breastplate, though no one knew where it had obtained it. Murlocs clearly lacked the intelligence to distinguish between different humans, but knowing that all humans were enemies was enough. With crimson eyes, the Murloc raised its blade and slashed at Roderick.

Roderick did not evade at all. He raised his warhammer and swung it at the opponent from another angle. The two weapons collided violently under their owners' control. The weapon the Murloc had picked up from a wrecked ship was still inferior to Roderick's finely crafted one, not to mention that a hammer had struck the blade's edge. There was no suspense. With a crisp crack, the Murloc's weapon snapped in two, and the enormous impact nearly made it lose its grip on the remaining hilt.

Seeing that he had gained the upper hand, Roderick used Hammer of Justice to stun the Murloc as it tried to pounce and bite him. He swung the warhammer in a half circle and smashed it viciously into the Murloc's chest. A shriek comparable to a sonic weapon rang across the battlefield. The hammer's devastating armor-piercing force instantly shattered the Murloc warrior's chest bones and pulverized the organs inside.

The warhammer finally burst through the Murloc's back. The breastplate it wore was no more useful than a sheet of paper. Even so, the Murloc, pierced clean through by the warhammer, still gaped ferociously, trying to bite the human knight within reach. Roderick raised the shield at his waist and struck it brutally across the head. Hit hard in the skull, the Murloc warrior became like a robot whose power had suddenly been cut, frozen motionless with its mouth hanging open.

Before long, white pulp mixed with red blood flowed from the Murloc's eyes, nostrils, and mouth. Its entire brain had probably been shattered. Roderick had completely lost himself in the frenzy of battle. Mixed with his guilt toward the fallen soldiers, his warhammer tore through everything in its path. Leaving an intact corpse behind was already the best possible outcome.

After this powerful Murloc warrior was killed, the other Murlocs also seemed to lose the courage to attack. Faced with this humanoid storm of destruction, many more Murlocs turned and fled. The human line, which had held out for so long, could finally begin its counterattack.

Just as Roderick was considering wiping out the Shatterfin Murloc Tribe, an unfamiliar voice rang in his mind. "Powerful human knight, do you intend to destroy the entire Shatterfin Clan? Please spare our small tribe."

When he turned around, everyone else wore equally bewildered expressions. It seemed this Murloc tribe still had another card to play. Roderick spoke, but the warhammer in his hand did not stop. "Who are you? Today will be the end of the Shatterfin Murlocs!"

"I will make all Murloc warriors give up resistance. Can you spare those warriors who are still alive?"

"Then you'd better be quick. If you're any later, there may not be any living Murlocs left here."

Before his words had even faded, the Murlocs who had been fleeing a moment earlier turned around and knelt on the ground, completely abandoning resistance. The Murlocs still fighting also seemed to have been struck by magic. Their weapons stopped in midair, and they stood there stupidly without moving, allowing the human soldiers to slaughter them.

"Unknown knight, I have made the Murloc warriors surrender. Please restrain your subordinates."

Roderick lifted his foot and crushed the head of a kneeling Murloc warrior on the beach. Then he said slowly, "Everyone, stop attacking." Only then did the slaughter of the Shatterfin Murlocs finally cease.

"Thank you for your mercy. This is a treasure our Shatterfin Kin have accumulated over many years. We hope it can compensate you for your losses."

At some point, the storm had already passed, and the sea had returned to calm, as though the violent wind and rain had never existed. A jellyfish carrying a coral box gradually rose from the deep sea. The waves slowly pushed the box onto the beach, while the jellyfish vanished into the depths of the ocean in the blink of an eye.

"The Shatterfin Clan will stay far from human towns from now on. We will withdraw to the farthest reaches of the coast. Powerful humans, the Shatterfin Murlocs will leave this land of sorrow forever."

"Who exactly are you?" Roderick was extremely wary of this unexpected presence.

"Who I am is not important. I cannot set foot on land, just as humans cannot venture deep into the sea. These Murlocs are all my children."

"Children, go."

The Murloc warriors, crazed and savage during battle, now behaved like obedient children. They leaped into the sea and swam farther west, leaving only a mess across the beach.

The mysterious voice did not speak again. It seemed the Shatterfin Murloc Clan had indeed withdrawn from this place. Roderick picked up the box of treasures they had offered, then turned to look at the group, nearly all of whom were wounded. The smile on his face was somewhat bleak as he said, "We won!"