Translator: Cinder Translations
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When the vanguard troops, composed of the Horns Bay army, hastily retreated, Andrew was quite surprised.
In recent times, the advance of the New Faith army could be described as unstoppable. Without the protection of the Church's forces, the towns along the way had no choice but to yield to the New Faith army's might.
Inside the camp, the commander of the vanguard troops, still shaken, described his experience.
"They were a terrifying army. Their formation was so orderly that from a distance, it looked like rows of trees planted neatly in the earth."
"Their soldiers seemed to be immune to fear. Once the commander gave the order, they rushed forward like a pack of mad dogs, without the slightest hesitation in the face of our arrows and spears."
"They were incredibly powerful, like an unwearied machine from a fantasy novel. Despite our soldiers' bravery, we ultimately couldn't hold and were defeated."
Andrew poured a glass of wine and handed it to the ashamed officer. "You and your troops did your best. Go and rest for now."
The officer saluted him and stepped out of the tent.
"Everyone, it seems we have encountered a formidable opponent," Andrew said, looking around at the others.
"It's Giles's army—the Undying Army!" Marianna said in a low voice.
"Giles?"
Andrew became alert. He knew that he was sent to Horns Bay to neutralize the threat posed by the Church's army to Lion's Port. The initial reason for this was the attack on Lion's Port by people sent by Giles, who had allied with the Horns Bay Church.
He asked, "It seems you know something about this army."
"Yes, General," Marianna began explaining the origins of the army. "Giles acquired a magical drug from spellcasters that can turn his soldiers into something as strong as steel, greatly enhancing their power."
As the person responsible for military operations in Horns Bay, Andrew had been briefed on the types of people he would be fighting alongside at the Northwest Bay.
They were people who had no respect for the Church, people who sheltered magic, especially those from Eaton, the first country on the continent to openly recognize wizards as a legitimate class. Under Eaton's leadership, other nations in the New Faith Alliance gradually followed suit, declaring that wizards and ordinary people had equal rights and status.
The war in Horns Bay had a profound impact on the world. Just before the war broke out, wizards had only existed in urban legends and rural tales. But with the onset of the war, they had begun to invade the real world, becoming a semi-public presence in many places.
When Paul Grayman tested the personnel appointments in Horns Bay, Andrew and Quik had made a strong impression on him—they prioritized the interests of Alden and the Northwest Bay over their personal faith. Of course, not everyone became a coward when faced with opposition to the Church, but the enthusiasm of these two was especially strong, which was why they were sent to Horns Bay: one to command the army and the other the navy.
Therefore, when Andrew heard words like "spellcasters" and "magic" from Marianna, he didn't react with surprise or anger. Instead, he assessed their potential danger on the battlefield from the perspective of a military commander.
After some detailed questioning, Andrew confirmed that Giles's Undying Army was still fundamentally made up of human soldiers, which eased his concerns.
Under Andrew's command, the main force of the New Faith army continued its march toward Collins, the capital of the Horns Bay Church.
Finally, they encountered the so-called Undying Army.
Giles's army, combined with Webster's forces, numbered about thirty thousand and was stationed in a formation on the New Faith army's path.
Andrew used his usual tactics—cannon fire followed by an infantry charge. After the artillery bombardment, he ordered his troops to advance toward the enemy formation.
As expected, the Undying Army was extraordinary. When Webster's troops began to falter from the cannon fire, the Undying Army's formation immediately broke apart to minimize casualties. However, once the artillery ceased and the New Faith forces began to advance, they quickly reformed their ranks with an efficiency nearly matching the well-trained Alden army.
Seeing the Alden army's column approach, the commander of the Undying Army, Fernando Payton, gave the order to attack.
Suddenly, the previously unshakable soldiers of the Undying Army charged forward like a pack of hungry mad dogs released from their cages, just as the vanguard troops had described.
At Andrew's command, the Alden soldiers in a column performed a quick volley before retreating to the rear.
Amidst the gunfire and smoke, the first wave of the Undying Army's soldiers fell, but the remaining soldiers showed no fear and continued charging toward the Alden army.
After a chase through the forest, the two armies gradually entered a dense woodland.
"Bang!" With a loud explosion, one of the Undying Army's officers fell off his horse.
"Bang!" "Bang!"
As the sounds of gunshots increased, more officers were killed, and with each officer's death, the surrounding Undying soldiers reacted strangely. Some stood motionless, while others turned into wild animals, attacking even their own comrades.
This was the weakness of the Undying Army, which Andrew had learned from Marianna: although their combat ability was strong, they relied on "nodes" to command them. If an officer was killed, the soldiers lost control.
Andrew ordered snipers armed with rifled guns to set an ambush in the forest. Once they had drawn the Undying Army into the woods, the snipers took aim at the commanding officers, shooting to incapacitate or kill them.
The dense jungle environment in Horns Bay provided perfect cover, and Andrew's strategy was executed flawlessly. As the snipers achieved more kills, the Undying Army became increasingly chaotic.
The previously feigned retreat of the Alden army surged out of the forest, methodically hunting down the crazed soldiers. Despite the individual strength of Giles's soldiers, they were ultimately overwhelmed by the coordinated attack and lethal bullets.
As for their commander, General Payton, he met his end from a single bullet. While loudly ordering a retreat to an open area, his skull was shattered, and his brain splattered across the ground.
Webster's army, powerless to assist, was forced to retreat into the city of Collins, where they took shelter from the overwhelming New Faith forces.
(End of the Chapter)
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