Chapter 56: The Cost of Attrition and a Hunter’s Strike

The vanguard still held a trump card!

Amidst the continuous neighing of warhorses, a cavalry unit thundered forward, kicking up clouds of dust. They charged with an imposing momentum, as if intending to flatten their target into a bloody pulp with the might of their steeds.

Just as Wang landed, she lifted one leg high and delivered a fierce kick.

With an ear-splitting shriek, a warhorse’s head was struck by her sole, its charge abruptly halted. It could not advance another inch.

Such was often the nature of cavalry legions; one obstructed rider could impede the entire force.

Moreover, the dense concentration of soldiers on the battlefield prevented the cavalry from maneuvering freely.

Under the influence of these two factors, the cavalry troop, which had been so formidable moments before, now resembled floundering loaches, their struggles becoming increasingly desperate.

Wang swung her right hand, sending her longsword spinning into the air. The revolving blade twirled into an elegant flourish, followed by a flash of sword light!

Wang lowered her leg, her hands seamlessly swapping roles as the longsword transferred to her left grip.

At that very instant, the ground was carved into countless tiny, detached fragments of stone. A vast cloud of dust rose, accompanied by a rain of blood that softly descended.

Looking back at the area where the cavalry legion had just charged, not a single living soul remained standing.

Her hands alternately gripped the sword, the hilt constantly shifting between her wrists as she swiftly exchanged and unleashed strikes.

No complex battle tactics were needed. The vanguard of the nearly 500,000-strong Allied Army was completely annihilated.

The armies on both flanks, their formations shattered, plunged into disarray as soldiers broke ranks.

Before long, they were systematically eliminated on the battlefield by the thousands of demons who surged forward.

Only half an hour into the war, the Allied Army had already suffered 200,000 casualties, a number roughly equivalent to the combined forces of two major nations.

****

Watching the battle from the rear, the four Legion Commanders each felt a pang of distress.

Though they hailed from different countries and usually wished for rival armies to suffer as many casualties as possible, today was different.

When facing a powerful enemy, the fewer their own losses, the greater their chances of victory.

If their own forces and allies continued to perish at this rate, a devastating defeat might await them and their homelands.

“When do we go up against that monster?”

“If we don’t tie that person down soon, the army’s losses will only escalate further!”

The four Legion Commanders reacted in unison, their gazes all fixed upon You.

In contrast, You remained unperturbed, calmly exhaling a breath as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

“You don’t want to follow in the footsteps of those two previous idiots and die a miserable death like them, do you? If not, listen to me and wait patiently for the right moment.”

“How long are we supposed to wait for this moment?”

“You’re not going to tell us the time is right only after most of our soldiers have been killed or wounded, are you?”

“Of course not. I’ve already discovered two weaknesses of the demon leader. Do the four of you wish to hear them?”

Such a statement could not be ignored.

The Legion Commanders’ interest was visibly piqued, and they all gathered around You, eager to hear his analysis.

For the first weakness, the four men heard You’s cryptic reply.

“First: That demon leader… is human.”

To have waited half a minute only for such an answer infuriated the four Legion Commanders. For the first time, they roared in unison.

“Nonsense! If not human, then a ghost?”

“No, you don’t understand! Look closely at the battlefield. Compared to the very beginning, how do you think the demon leader is performing now?”

The Legion Commanders stared intently, observing for a long time before offering a somewhat uncertain reply.

“It seems… their advance has slowed.”

“Exactly! That is the demon leader’s monumental weakness!”

You understood this more clearly than anyone.

As long as one is human, their state can never be maintained at peak performance indefinitely.

With the continuous expenditure of power and the significant prolongation of combat time, one’s initially ample stamina will gradually diminish.

Once the body can no longer keep up with the demands of the will, a person’s strength, speed, and reaction time will slowly decline in the later stages of a war of attrition.

This was a tactic to weaken a formidable enemy by simply exhausting them.

Thanks to the valiant sacrifices of those cannon fodder soldiers, Wang, a terrifying enemy capable of single-handedly killing seven Legion Commanders at her peak, finally seemed less daunting to You!

Naturally, now was not the time to engage her in combat.

Even if the five surviving Legion Commanders were to gang up on her later, they still had no assurance of victory against Wang — not even the slightest shred of certainty.

Therefore, You needed to make more soldiers into sacrifices, to continue draining Wang’s stamina!

After all, two Legion Commanders were already dead.

The soldiers left behind by those two might as well not return home alive; they could all become valiant martyrs here.

The sacrifice of soldiers from both nations would be valuable; the entire continent would remember their dedication…

The dead, and those soon to be dead, would certainly not think so!

****

After a relentless slaughter, Little Eagle’s feathers were already stained crimson, though none of it was her own blood.

However, the longer the killing continued, the more solemn her expression became.

‘[So many dead, yet the army before me still stretches endlessly…]’

While she had expended some power, Little Eagle herself could still cope with this war of attrition.

Her true concern was that her companions likely wouldn’t be able to hold out for much longer.

To prevent her comrades from dying, she had to change her current approach.

Killing more soldiers, no matter how many, would not significantly impact the overall situation in a short time.

Since that was the case, she would kill the commander of this great army!

Whether the commander was one person or several, they all had to die!

Achieving this would fundamentally alter the entire battlefield situation.

Her resolve firm, Little Eagle immediately spread her wings and soared towards the sky.

‘[There!]’

From the heavens, she pinpointed the enemy commander’s location, and then Little Eagle commenced her decapitation strike.

You and the other Legion Commanders could not fail to notice a threat descending from the sky.

‘[Good timing…]’

You did not attack Little Eagle while she was airborne. Instead, he watched her breach the volley of arrows aimed at him, and soon after, she landed on the ground.

“Hehehehehe.”

The threat was imminent, yet You still managed to smile.

The Grim Reaper appearing before him, ignoring whatever was wrong with the man, silently brought down the sword in her hand!

Yet, just a moment before, You, a smile gracing his face, softly clapped his hands.

—*Clap*—

The earth cracked with the sound, and something drilled its way out from within.

Little Eagle’s swinging blade struck the twisted entity.

The head that dropped before her belonged to a target she had once killed.

“Roar!”

A cacophony of roars mingled together, then pierced Little Eagle’s ears.

The ‘thing’ whose head had fallen made no sound, yet still raised its weapon and struck with force.

An aura of death enveloped the area. Little Eagle’s opponents now were precisely those soldiers from the great nations who had died on the battlefield!

Hearts pierced, throats slit, half-heads remaining…

Through You’s necromancy, these individuals rose once more, their numbers certainly far exceeding mere tens of thousands.

By the second, more and more undead emerged from beneath the ground, encircling Little Eagle from every direction.

“Now begins the second round of slaughter. This time, let’s see if quantity can overwhelm quality!”

You’s upturned mouth twisted into a sneer, and his voice made his mockery even more apparent.

The multitude of undead served as the perfect shield, so You had no need to worry about his safety.

He could easily play the role of a spectator from close range. What performance would unfold next was uncertain, but he personally hoped for this:

“The disgusting dead defeat the Harpy, tearing apart her beautiful feathers and skin; then I’ll turn that miserable corpse into a new undead!”

You anticipated his collection having a chance to grow. Of course, failure wasn’t a big deal either.

After all, transforming a beautiful form into something monstrous…

Even a man like him would feel a slight pang of reluctance when committing such an excessive act (he chuckled).