Chapter 346: A Lifesaving Straw
At this moment, the musketeers on the city wall also began their hunt. Compared to the imposing bombardment, the sound of muskets was not loud, but their accuracy was higher.
However, the barbarians’ preparations were not in vain. When facing thick fur, the power of the scorching projectiles did decrease significantly, only able to lodge themselves in the barbarians’ strong muscles.
It wasn’t that the muskets lacked power, but three to five layers of fur stacked together were simply too thick. Coupled with the barbarians’ tenacious vitality and solid muscles, as long as the internal organs weren’t injured, their fighting ability wouldn’t be affected in the short term. Braving the artillery fire, they forcefully charged to within a hundred meters.
The barbarian warriors’ spirits were instantly lifted. They gripped their spears tightly, skillfully taking a running start and throwing them. They managed to hurl the two-meter-long, egg-thick spears onto the city wall dozens of meters away, with a decent accuracy rate.
This was all honed from years of hunting. Every miss meant a potential empty stomach, so accuracy was paramount.
Although they were wooden spears sharpened and hardened by fire, under the barbarian warriors’ incredible strength, they still possessed the power to pierce steel breastplates. Even if they didn’t penetrate, the strong impact would break one or two ribs of the musketeer, instantly taking them out of the fight. After all, enduring the recoil of a musket with broken ribs could lead to fatal internal bleeding.
Now Owen somewhat regretted equipping the musketeers with such thin, paper-like breastplates. Although lightweight and offering good defense against arrows, they were too thin. When facing powerful and heavy attacks, their defense was quite limited.
“Musketeers, continue firing! Longswordsmen and spearmen, step forward and prepare for battle!” Seeing this, Howard knew the chances of stopping the barbarian warriors from scaling the wall were slim, so he immediately adjusted their strategy.
Hogg took a deep breath and nodded at his father, then led his soldiers to the front.
Facing Hogg stepping onto the battlefield, it was impossible for Howard to say he wasn’t worried. But this was war. Not only did he have to send his child to battle, but even if Hogg died before his eyes, he wouldn’t have time to grieve until the war was over. Moreover, as long as he commanded properly, the number of barbarian warriors who broke through the artillery barrage wouldn’t be too many.
Unfortunately, Howard still underestimated these barbarian warriors. They were rapidly adapting to the battlefield, no longer blindly pursuing speed. They learned to raise their shields, to disperse, to dodge, and to counterattack. So even though the musketeers’ accuracy was higher within a hundred meters, even though the three-pound cannons began firing volleys of grapeshot, the barbarian warriors, relying on their robust physique and unwavering will, forcefully charged to the foot of the city wall and climbed up using crude grappling hooks and ladders.
It wasn’t that the defenders weren’t putting in the effort, but after the distance closed to twenty or thirty meters, the barbarians’ axe throws were terrifyingly lethal and accurate.
The five or six-kilogram stone axes were too fast to see when thrown, and their power was enough to crush the heads of musketeers wearing helmets, sending sparks and brain matter flying.
If it hit the chest, it would cave in both the breastplate and the ribs, causing a bulge on the back. The impact alone could throw a person off the city wall. Their killing power was terrifying. A few rounds of axe throws cleared out the musketeers on a section of the city wall. However, they also met their match.
Longswordsmen were a balanced unit in terms of offense and defense, with high adaptability. Even with the increasing proportion of firearm troops, their numbers hadn’t decreased, but rather increased to five hundred. Cooperating with five hundred spearmen supporting them from behind, they engaged in a fierce fight with the barbarian warriors who had climbed the wall.
Almost the moment the barbarian warriors scaled the wall, dozens of Ancestor Warriors also finished their prayers, picked up the weapons left by their ancestors, and charged towards North City at an incredible speed. They would serve as the fatal blow, opening the door to victory for the tribe.
Every Ancestor Warrior was superhuman. Their courage and character were recognized by their ancestors, allowing them to wield ancestral power and unleash unimaginable combat strength. Even a newly initiated Ancestor Warrior possessed the strength of an Intermediate Knight. The exceptional ones among them even had the strength of an Advanced or even Master Knight. If their inheritance wasn’t incomplete, it wouldn’t be impossible for Legendary Ancestor Warriors to emerge.
Owen had actually noticed these Ancestor Warriors long ago, but he didn’t expect their strength to be so formidable. Though it wasn’t sustainable, their burst strength was still enough to tear through the city wall’s defenses, allowing a large number of barbarian warriors to rush into the city.
Although North City wouldn’t necessarily fall then, heavy casualties would be unavoidable.
Fortunately, he had plenty of trump cards. Besides recalling his subordinates who had been honed in the illusionary realm, he had also placed Charle, the Teutonic Knights, and the Templar Knights under Howard’s command.
“Lady Charle, these special barbarian warriors are entrusted to you.” Although he was the highest military commander in the territory, Howard never underestimated his opponent, even though Charle always presented herself as a maid. Therefore, although it was an order, he spoke very politely.
Charle, clad in armor and holding her halberds, nodded. Leaving the Templar Knights behind, she took the Teutonic Knights and ascended the city wall.
At this point, the battle on the city wall had reached a fever pitch. Musketeers and artillerymen fired calmly, while longswordsmen and spearmen used their flesh and blood as a wall to block the barbarian warriors. Both sides were fighting a bloodbath, suffering heavy casualties, yet neither retreated a single step.
Charle swung her halberds, fighting from the east side of the city to the west. The Teutonic Knights behind her were no less impressive, cooperating seamlessly, wielding their skills expertly, and with their excellent equipment, they actually managed to suppress the barbarian warriors trying to scale the wall, preventing them from even poking their heads out. Until the arrival of the Ancestor Warriors.
The barbarians’ physical advantage was simply too significant. After receiving the blessings of their ancestors, their attributes alone could surpass Knights below Advanced level. The problem was, they had encountered the overpowered Charle and the Teutonic Knights this time.
Charle needs no further introduction. Exceptionally talented to begin with, she had been enhanced by Owen multiple times. Combining Eastern martial arts with Western battle qi, one could say that anyone below demigod level was no match for her.
The Teutonic Knights were also not the original version. Each one had been enhanced by the T-Virus, making them a preliminary model of Limit Warriors. Equipped with excellent gear, cutting down those bare-chested Ancestor Warriors was a piece of cake.
It’s over. These were the only two words in the Grand Shaman’s mind as he witnessed this scene.
Compared to the other Shamans who were still cheering for their tribal warriors, the old and cunning Grand Shaman had already foreseen the ending, an ending that wasn’t pleasant.
“No, absolutely not. The tribe cannot be destroyed in my hands, decades of tribal inheritance!” The Grand Shaman muttered to himself.
The Grand Shaman’s first thought was to fight to the death. He didn’t care about his own life. If he burned his soul and remaining lifespan, it would be enough to allow one or two Ancestor Warriors to truly inherit their ancestors’ power and become Legends.
But looking up at Charle, who was cutting down the Ancestor Warriors like vegetables, the Grand Shaman immediately rejected this idea.
That woman, possessing the physique of a Legendary barbarian, was definitely not an ordinary Legend. One or two temporarily empowered Legendary Ancestor Warriors might not be able to defeat her, let alone those steel monster-like warriors, each possessing strength surpassing the Ancestor Warriors.
Unless all the Shamans sacrificed themselves, there would be no chance of victory. However, without any Shamans, the tribe wouldn’t be able to exist either.
At this moment, the Grand Shaman looked towards the Wild Bull Tribe, lost in thought. Perhaps the idea he had unintentionally conceived before had become the tribe’s last lifesaving straw.
