The soldiers tilted their heads in confusion at his words. They felt as though they had already fought with high efficiency. However, once Caesar started directed them, their heads began to hurt from the influx of information.
"This is a Phalanx formation!" Caesar roared sternly and directed the heavy infantry until they formed a close-rank, dense grouping of warriors armed with long spears and interlocking shields. It was a standard formation used by the Greeks in Caesar's past life.
Under his command, the fox-kin moved into a crude phalanx formation, to which Caesar, using his eye prowess, rectified until it was perfect. He then directed the other soldiers on formations similar to the arrowhead, and even how to deal with cavalry.
He then informed the archers that they would fire on command, instead of at will. He wanted to make sure no mishaps occurred, and as for the soldiers at point B, he had different plans for them.
This training progressed for a total of four hours until the soldiers vaguely knew of an assortment of formations, and how to move orderly. This would increase their defense and offensive power during the war. He then ordered the troops to rest and prepare to march.
He hoped Soka would soon inform him of an attack, which would signal the start of the war. Therefore, the soldiers rested with their armor equipped, and their blades tightly grasped within their hands.
They waited like this until dawn approached, the sun, located high in the sky started ever so slowly to fall. And as Caesar was beginning to worry that his plans may have failed, the brushes in front of him moved, and the ground quaked.
The sound continued every few seconds, like clockwork. This continued for about three minutes until a few cloaked figured appeared in front of Caesar. They were breathing heavily and were soaked with blood.
Soka's expression was anxious as he quickly pulled off his mask and opened his lips, "Lord, their army has started to move towards our stronghold… their numbers were uncountable, and we were only able to destroy a few carriages of stored food. That human killed two of the members from my team…" he babbled, not taking any breathers in between his words.
Hearing his anxious reveal, Caesar stroked his chin, and his expression turned deathly cold, "MEN, TIDY UP, ITS TIME WE START MOVING" he roared at the top of his lungs, and the many fox-kin picked up their weapons and stood up.
Caesar then glanced at Soka again, "good work," he paused for a moment after scrutinizing the slight burns on Soka's face… "did that human employ any forms of unique magic?" he asked, inquiringly.
"He used some form of light… it was even hotter than my flames and was capable of healing wounds," Soka replied hesitantly, even he wasn't sure of what kind of powers that the human used. But it was strong enough to fend him, and a few elites off at the same time.
His words caused Caesar to crease his brows deeply, he was quite familiar with light magic, as it was what the hero who attacked his kingdom used against him, alas, it was futile in front of his authority.
'the faction that sent the assassin girl doesn't seem to be the church… as there was no form of 'light' magic attached to the marbles, nor to the assassin. Perhaps there are two factions at hand here?' Caesar thought inwardly and used hand gestures to command the troops.
After contemplating for a few moments, Caesar theorized that on top of the church, there might be another faction moving things from the shadows. A faction that excelled in training assassins; however, as it was only a theory, it was not fact. As such, whatever the case was, it didn't affect his plans very much.
"How many trolls were left to guards their stronghold?" Caesar asked Soka.
"They only left a small portion, but enough to defend for a few hours, at the very least," Soka replied honestly, a hint of unwillingness in his tone. From the sheer amount of numbers, he bared witness to, there was simply no way they could win.
"Akari, stealthily bring your troops to point B, in exactly one hour from now, I want you to take command of them and lay siege to the troll-stronghold. Be sure to burn their leftover supplies, and kill EVERYONE!" Caesar ordered ruthlessly without even turning his head around.
"B-but, I want to fight with the rest of yo-" before she could finish her words, Caesar's icy glare landed on her, and she couldn't help but close her mouth and nod her head in acceptance. She then ordered her troops towards point B, and the other soldiers breathed a sigh of relief.
None of them wanted to see such a young girl die, not to mention the huge number of women warriors in her ranks. The warriors accepted their strength, however, as men, they naturally felt compelled to protect them.
After they left, Caesar could feel his blood boil, and his nerves tingle in excitement. A strange smile formed on his lips as he ordered the men, who had long prepared themselves for death, to march forward.
"This battle will be the start, or perhaps, the end, of my legend," Caesar whispered with a stone-cold face as the soldiers marched behind him in perfect sync. Their expression was indifferent, and they appeared to be highly trained killing machines, which was essentially true.
As the saying went, there is nothing scarier than an army with nothing to lose, and only anger and vengeance to fuel them.
CHAPTER FOURTY-SEVEN
Caesar and his split army marched through the forest relatively slow. Their main goal was to pincer the trolls; as such, they needed to wait until the trolls launched their siege on the fox-kin stronghold. This way, they could reap the highest amount of benefits from attacking with their small number of troops.
Caesar was not so foolish as to think he was capable of winning a head-on collision with enemy troll forces. His main goal was to essentially steal their higher position. He would do this by taking over their superior stronghold and stealing their food supply.
This was why he split his forces accordingly. However, the main issue with this plan was that it required a large number of necessary sacrifices. There needed to be soldiers that defended the fox-kin stronghold and evacuated the citizens for victory to be possible.
These people were, of course, Musashi and his fellow combatants that were generally of the same age. When Caesar had first suggested this plan to Musashi, he gladly volunteered himself, and his friends, without question.
Thinking to here, Caesar was reminded of the older man that abruptly surrendered to him at the tournament. He remembered that the man was asking to meet him after the battle. Alas, after he proposed to Renee, he completely forgot.
Slightly regretful, Caesar shook his head and discarded his unnecessary thoughts. He then turned around and organized the army following behind him. He put those equipped with a shield and spear in front, while those with ranged weapons in the back. He placed the swordsmen on the sides of the formation and directly behind the shield bearers.
This way, the force with the highest striking power, the swordsmen, were capable of entering and leaving the frontlines at a moment's notice. He wanted to make sure they lived for as long as possible, while also fully utilizing their strengths.
After this was complete, Caesar and his army continued their quiet and slow march. None of them possessed any armor such as chainmail, plate, or anything of the sort. Instead, they adorned leather, which made walking quietly and sneaking much easier for fox-kin men.
As such, they continued marching similarly for about another hour or so. The tall, wooden walls of the fox-kin stronghold were barely discernible from the thick brush, and Caesar used a hand-signal to halt the troops.
He then slowly crept towards the ends of the forest and peered out of a bush, to which be bared witness to a huge mass of troops circling the entire fox-kin stronghold. Many of the more massive Ceros creatures, huge wooden ladders, and battering rams were present.
The bluish, muscular trolls were standing shoulder to shoulder, and even if you looked down upon them, you wouldn't even be capable of seeing the ground. Their numbers quickly doubled the entire fox-kin army, not to mention their split forces.
Around eight o
r so wooden carts were stationed behind the army with about ten trolls guarding each respective one. Caesar presumed these carts to be their food supply in preparation for their long siege.
These wooden carts were also Caesar's main priority. Thankfully, they were in the back of the army, and not the middle. He then raised his eyes to the large chair that was currently being carried by a dozen heavily armored trolls.
It was a burgundy throne with golden rims. Strange engravings of human-like figures fighting, building, and farming were etched on to it. It was a throne worthy of a king and looked quite extravagant.
Suddenly, the giant and robust troll atop the throne waved his hand to the right, and in response, a greyish horn was brought to him. It was about one and a half meters long and 25 centimeters wide.
It required two trolls to carry it, and the horn soon arrived in front of the troll king, to which he wrapped his mouth around one end of it and blew as loudly as he could. A loud echo rang throughout the nearby forest and caused Caesar to use his fingers and plug his ears. It sounded similar to a mating whale.
After the troll king made everyone, and everything, in a one hundred-mile radii, know that he was present, he stood up from his throne with a large halberd in hand. His usually greenish skin was a dark red, and he slammed the halberd on the ground in a fit of rage.
As the throne shook, Caesar suddenly caught sight of a chained woman that was sitting at the troll king's side. She was extremely familiar to Caesar, and he was in her debt. It was Andrea. Confused, Caesar creased his brows and massaged his forehead.
Unfortunately, he wasn't given much time to contemplate, as Zul'thar opened his lips and roared at the top of his lungs, "MUSASHI, GET YOUR OLD ASS OUT HERE, I KNOW THAT IT WAS YOU WHO KILLED MY SON!" he shouted angrily.
The ground and walls seemed to shake from his roar, and in response, a small figure appeared at the top of the fox-kin walls. He adorned a black kimono designed with a realistic, red dragon twisted around it. He had two silver chains that were coiled around his fists and arms. This was naturally Musashi.
His beard fluttered in the wind, and his muscles seemingly expanded to pop out of the loose kimono. His eyes were sharp, and he stared down at Zul'thar as if he were an ant. As someone who was briefed of Caesar's plan, he was long aware that the troll prince was murdered.
"Admittedly, I did kill that horny little rat. He couldn't seem to keep his thing in his pants, even when he was at the end of his life. Presumably, something that he inherited from you," Musashi replied calmly, and eighty or so other cloaked figures appeared at his side, shoulder to shoulder, each one possessing a considerable amount of mana within their body.
Musashi's words clearly angered the troll king as he pulled up Andrea from her collar and raised her high in the air, "haha, I have your little helper right here, don't tell me you are willing to sacrifice her?" he laughed loudly, the anger in his voice evident.
Musashi stared directly at Andrea's face and simply closed his eyes as if it was a matter not at all associated with him. However, his fists that were hidden by the chains were tightly clasped, evidently enraged.
His nails were deeply embedded in his skin. However, he didn't show any signs of his rage on his outward expression. Instead, he appeared extraordinarily calm while looking down at Zul'thar. The amount of restraint he possessed was superb.
Seeing this, Caesar's eyes squinted, and he took a few steps back. He signaled for the troops behind him to walk a bit forward, and they patiently waited at the edge of the forest. Caesar raised his hand high in the air, and in response, the fox-kin men nocked their arrows.
Caesar then made a fist, and the many archers pulled their bowstrings until they creaked. Once the entire army was prepared to fire, Caesar, smiled and whispered, "on my command, you fire… I will not allow any failures!" to which the army nodded their heads, and they directed their attention to Musashi's and Zul'thar's conversation.
This was around the same time that Akari and the troops at point B engaged in battle at the troll-stronghold.
CHAPTER FOURTY-EIGHT
Sweat trickled down the faces of the fox-kin warriors as they maintained their fully drawn bows. Their muscles became taut, and they aimed directly at the huge troll forces; even the swordsman used their extra ranged weapons, whether they were rocks or throwing daggers.
Caesar squinted his eyes as he peered down at the troll armies; they were still standing stationary while listening to the conversation of Musashi and Zul'thar. However, if one looked closely, the trolls were slowly preparing themselves to charge.
"Since you don't seem to care about this lass, I shall let her ride with me, and let her watch as her children die inside of the fox-kin stronghold" Zul'thar roared with a loud snort and heavily threw Andrea back to the side of his throne.
He then raised his robust arm in the air and pointed it forward, to which the army of trolls roared back and charged forward. They wafted up a large amount of dust as they kicked off the ground with their weapons in hand.
The battering rams were placed in the front, while the many Ceros creatures were guarding them on the sides. Musashi and the eighty cloaked figures atop the gates immediately started pooling their mana together and channeled the forbidden sun technique. The same one that was used on Caesar in the skirmish; however, with 80 people, it was surely going to be more devastating.
In response to the enormous amount of dust lifted into the air, Caesar thrust his hand forward, and the warriors shot their arrows. They coursed through the air and looked like they blotted out the sun. The unsuspecting trolls weren't even aware of the dense amount of steel heading straight for their back.
Puch! The arrows and throwing daggers pierced the many trolls from behind and temporarily halted their charge. They didn't understand where it was coming from through the thick dust and could only continue moving forward.
A few of the strong trolls sensed Caesar and his small army. However, it was far too late. The next volley was soon launched and, once again, reaped many trolls. Their earlier pride and unconditional confidence slowly cracked with the threat from behind.
No man, nor the army, were psychologically powerful enough to fight in top condition while the threat of being shot from behind persisted. As such, Caesar knew that shooting arrows safely from afar would soon be impossible.
"Ebisu, take your soldiers and burn those carriages…" Caesar ordered and pointed his index finger at each individual cart resting behind the troll army, "if possible, procure one and bring it back to this location."
"Yes, Sir!" Ebisu replied solemnly and rushed out of the thick brush to attack the carts with his forces. Seeing this, Caesar once again raised his hand, "FIRE AT ALL AND COVER THEIR BACKS!" he shouted.
As his words entered into the ears of the fox-kin, as if they were waiting for this command, they started pumping out arrows as fast as they could possibly manage. Although their numbers were small, their threat soon became apparent to the troll king and the troll commanders. As such, a decently large force was pulled from the frontlines and directed toward Caesar.
Caesar quickly scanned the warzone with his eyes and made a swift decision, he took a step forward and took his scythe out of his storage ring, "HEAVY INFANTRY, FORM A PHALANX FORMATION" he roared.
Instantaneously, a few hundred troops that were much more armored then the others took a step forward. They were equipped with a heavy-duty shield and spear. Following Caesar's earlier directions, they speedily got into formation and followed after Caesar.
They put their shields in front and spear through the cracks. The second row was responsible for moving up if someone on the front lines fell, while also defending against any arrows. They marched in this formation straight towards the upcoming 1500 or so troll army running at them like wild animals.
Caesar needed to buy time for Ebisu to take out all of the carts, while also defend the archers stationed at the back. He and his armored troops steadily approached the enemy trolls, and
they looked like a small moving fortress.
Caesar, at the forefront, waved his scythe around and broke into a sprint, he wanted to disrupt the enemy formation before they collided with his army. His feet kicked off the ground, and he coursed through the air, arriving a mere meter away from the trolls.
He weaved his large scythe horizontally and decapitated a few nearby trolls with ease. Their blood spouted out like a fountain and dyed his clothes red, while the other trolls finally reacted at the sight of blood.
A few dozen or so instantly waved their weapons in Caesar's direction, their speed was not to be underestimated, and Caesar was required to raise his right hand and form a wall made out of ice to shield himself.
He then raised his right knee and kicked at the ice wall, shattering it into thousands of small pieces. The shrapnel cut and injured the trolls that attacked him, and he once again cut down with his scythe, decapitating another dozen. His antics, however, were cut short as the trolls started to circle him.
CEO in a Fantasy World 4 Page 22