Summoning America

Chapter 77: Diversion (2)

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Plaze District

Screams and wails of agony emanated from a section of destroyed wall as blades clashed with each other. The clanging of metal was accompanied by occasional thunderous blasts from a gaulus — a type of wolf-like canid that emitted explosive magic from its horns. Mounted on the gaulus was General Bahara himself, directing an elite squad of 50 obsidian knights and 100 orc kings.

To no avail, the outmatched defenders did their best to slow the relentless tide of invincible armor. With their ballistae and cannons eliminated by Bahara's opening salvo, the defenders had no weapon that could pierce the Oni armor. Swords and spears barely scratched the glistening dark metal while arrows simply bounced off.

On the other hand, the obsidian knights experienced no difficulty cutting down the helpless garrison of Plaze. With every swing, they cleaved multiple men in half. With every punch, they pulverized a man's skull. With every step forward they took, the terrified mass of humans took multiple steps backward.

Only against the orc kings did the Plaze defenders find any semblance of success, albeit in the form of minor injuries they were able to inflict upon the bare skin of the monsters. Some arrows pierced the orc kings, only serving as an annoyance rather than debilitating strikes. Carefully exploiting their numerical superiority, the defenders attempted to isolate and surround the more vulnerable orc kings. However, Bahara quickly caught on and in an unexpected display of intelligence, obsidian knights methodically filled the gaps. They stepped in to assist their orc comrades, preventing the humans from taking advantage of their numbers.

Finding their losses unbearable and their ability to fight diminished, the defenders retreated to regroup with the thousand-strong legion of reinforcements stationed in Hurst, the closest city to Plaze. A few remained, using whatever tools they had to stem the demonic tide. They used oil and flaming arrows to ambush the enemy's predictable advance, forcing them to reposition and travel a different path to their destination.

Unfortunately for the defenders, there was only so much oil to be used. Their numbers and supplies dwindled, forcing them to retreat. With little resistance, Bahara's army carved a path through Plaze carelessly, emboldened by the gaulus behind them. They moved with purpose, spending as little time as possible on combat and instead focusing on distance. They ignored civilians and the rest of the town, seemingly dead-focused on reaching the Central District, which was over half a day's march away.

As Bahara's army approached the outer limits of the district, they were faced with another massive gate. At the base, the reinforcements from Hurst had gathered with the battered Plaze garrison for their last stand. Sparing no time for a dramatic confrontation, Bahara immediately loosed a volley of explosions from his gaulus, decimating as much heavy weaponry as he could.

In retaliation, the surviving cannons and ballistae targeted the gaulus. Devastating attacks that could've easily eliminated obsidian knights and orc kings were instead wasted on nothing. The gaulus evaded the projectiles nimbly, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. As it did so, it fired back with uncanny accuracy, destroying the remaining artillery pieces.