On the hillside in the Hills stood the South Seas Coalition led by Katel.
More precisely, it was only the Musket Corps, a little over a hundred men strong.
Katel was lying in a hastily dug trench on the hillside, poking his head out to look.
Then he ducked back down and shouted to his men, "Don't fire yet! They're still too far away. Let them get closer before you shoot. Hold steady!"
Not far away, they could already hear the enemies' pounding footsteps and the Crypt Fiends' shrieks.
Though the musketeers were all battle-hardened veterans, the sight of the Crypt Fiends and Scourge soldiers charging closer, their faces hideous and terrifying, still made the soldiers tense up with unbearable anxiety.
"Don't forget, we're not fighting alone!" Katel swallowed the tough piece of jerky he had been chewing. "But even if we're luring them in, we still need to put on a good show!"
Katel's air of confidence helped the soldiers relax.
Then Katel raised his right hand.
"Wait..."
"Wait..."
"A little longer..."
"First rank, ready!..."
At Katel's command, the soldiers in front chambered their rounds and took aim at their targets.
The Crypt Fiends charged swiftly and soon crossed the warning line-of course, this wasn't an actual line drawn on the ground, just a few stones Katel had placed beforehand to mark the muskets' effective range.
"Fire!" Katel roared at the top of his lungs, gently squeezing his own musket's trigger.
The soldiers had long since reached the limits of their patience.
If they waited any longer, the Crypt Fiends would be crawling onto their faces!
More gunshots rang out in response.
The relentless gunfire echoed across the wilderness, drowning out even the Crypt Fiends' shrieks.
Below the hillside, muzzle flashes erupted in a continuous line, and billowing clouds