Ouroboros Record ~Circus of Oubeniel~

Chapter 71: Battle of Clavicule 2 (2)

Of course, Arquell's side was not the only side taking casualties.

"Uooooooooooooh!!!"

An explosive sound.

Several St. Gallen soldiers were obliterated all together at the same time the roar, loud enough to be heard across the entire battlefield, was made.

There was a cloud of dust in the frontlines. A grotesque rain of torn up human remains and blood splatter mixed with it sprinkled the ground.

"Who the hell are you?"

Alongside numerous frightened soldiers, a man slowly rose out of the smoke. Out of nowhere, a tall, lanky, black swordsman appeared. In his hands was an oversized two-handed sword that was as big as his entire body.

The man raised his voice.

"......Due Schwarzer, head military officer of House Oubeniel! Come and get me you bastards!"

He then slashed down the nearest enemy soldier with a single slice. Of course, the soldier died instantly. There was not even a moment for the soldier to scream.

What was surprising was that even after killing enemies so brutally, there was not even a speck of blood on the blade of his weapon. In addition to the unexpected speed and pressure of the sword, Dues technique with his sword did not stress his weapon despite the crazy amount of force he put behind it. He was definitely top tier in his abilities.

"Wait, wait! Your name, your appearance, you must be from St. Gallen too! Why have you joined Arquell?"

The question raised by one of the officers was answered by the flash of his sword. The upper and lower jaws were separated with a single blow, and the halved head flew into the air.

Due yelled back, his face contorted in annoyance.

"Like I give a damn......!"

And then he started his indiscriminate massacre again. Blood and flesh rained down all over the battlefield.

The sudden appearance of a fighter capable of such brutality quickly threw the surrounding area into chaos.

And to make things worse.

Neighhhhhhh!

With a high pitched neigh, a new monster on unicorn-back descended on the battlefield.

"I am Elisha Rosmond Balbastre, Commander of the Second Order of the Imperial Guards! Add some flowers to my war achievements, St. Gallerians!"

"Follow our commander! Charge where the enemy has overextended themselves and crush them!"

"Ohhhhh!""

A hundred of the best soldiers led by a unicorn-straddling 'princess knight'. The knights of the Imperial Guards were in high spirits. They knocked over the soldiers of the St. Gallen with their horses, cut them down with their swords from horseback, and began to rampage as if reenacting that day they humiliated another group of St. Gallen soldiers.

An ordinary general would have lost their cool from their entry and would have ordered a retreat.

"Send a message to the front lines. Don't take on those monsters forcibly. Our priority is to control the earthen walls or to capture the head of the enemy general."

Bauer gave instructions calmly, even in the midst of sudden events.

"The enemy is losing their patience and has sent their precious reserve troops to the front. If we push them around now, we can capture the troublesome earthen walls. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

No matter how powerful their forces were, the enemy's elite troops were only a hundred strong, and the lone swordsman, Due, was a single person. On the other hand, even though the St. Gallen army has been reduced in number due to casualties, their current strength was no less than 37,000. They would slow the enemy elite forces while using the rest of their soldiers to capture their base.

"Have the mage squad go after the swordsman instead. I've heard reports that it's hard for magic to penetrate unicorn riders."

"Yes, sir, I will inform them immediately!"

"And that. Are we able to bring that out now?"

"The mage in charge reports that it will take some time before we can use them due to the adjustments that were made during the move..."

"So we cant use it....... Alright, lets mobilise our reserves. We should not delay this battle any longer."

Bauer said, staring at the setting sun above him.

This unexpected battle would probably delay their advance for two days. For the St. Gallen army, who were worried about their food situation, the more time they wasted, the more starvation amongst their troops. Their battle with the enemy here was like a slow-acting poison.

That's why they need to make a quick breakthrough with a swift blow. If possible, this needs to be settled within the day.

Bauer secretly and quietly devised a plan to achieve this.

Some soldiers secretly slipped away from the battlefield and began their mission.

They avoided the basin so they could stay hidden within shrubs and the cover of trees. Slowly but surely, they managed to avoid gun fire, the elite knights and the two-handed sword wielding swordsman.

General Bauer's intentions were simple and clear. He selected light troops from the reserve forces, had them move around the basin, and attack the enemy's main camp from the rear to finish them in one fell swoop. The current Arquell army had sent their reserve troops, including the Imperial Guards, to the front lines, so the main camp was lightly defended. This attack was all but guaranteed to be successful.

If this plan was a success, with a single stroke, they would be able to defeat the commander of the enemy, Count Oubeniel and also end the battle. This might be overly optimistic, but a sudden assault to their main base should at least lead to confusion in the chain of command on the Arquellian side. Their army was a house of cards due to the soldiers lack of experience and a little bit of chaos would send their entire system collapsing. No earth wall can stop such a collapse.

Then, this battle for Volden would see an end. After all, the lord, the brain and the leader of the province had personally gone into battle with his ragtag group of soldiers. The other cities in the province would likely fall without much resistance with the lord out of the picture. The amount of troops they managed to gather to defend this chokepoint was only this much after all.

After capturing the city, they can spend time resting and replenishing food. They would be prepared for the enemy reinforcements that were likely about 2 weeks away. The reinforcements would be in large numbers, but their St. Gallen army should be more than strong enough to survive until winter despite having just fought this field battle. Then, when the snow melts, they could join the rest of St. Gallen in a pincer attack on Allemande, forcing the Kingdom of Arquell to accept their demands for peace.

Perhaps they would play a critical role in the war. The detachment soldiers were excited at such a thought. Their mission was risky and they might face fierce opposition but their morales were high at being entrusted with such an important task and this gave enough motivation to overcome their fears. If nothing else, being given a chance to strike back at the enemies that have been giving them a hard time with the scorched earth strategy and other petty tricks gave them an inexplicable high.

They moved very quickly. They took less than two hours despite detouring around a large basin and travelling on a trackless path. It demonstrated the skills of the St. Gallen army.

"............"

It was dusk when the detachment reached the main camp of the Arquell army. Those who had been fighting all day would be exhausted, and the setting sun and darkness would distract them from their arrival. It was the perfect time for a surprise attack.

Far ahead, the disturbances of the battlefield could be heard. The fierce battle was still going on. It drowned out the footsteps of the detachment, making this assault a surprise.

Luck seemed to be on the side of the St. Gallen forces.

"......Good. Ready?"

The captain, who had led the troops, said as he removed the piece of wood he had been chewing on to keep his voice down. The men followed suit and affirmed without raising their voices.

With a gesture, the captain pointed to the flag that was raised outside the camp.

One of his subordinates an expert in the coat of arms of enemy nobles nodded his head silently.

The flag of the Count Oubeniel was definitely there. In other words, the camp that was a stones throw away was undoubtedly the enemys headquarters.

Bloodthirsty smiles spread across the faces of the entire detachment. The captain drew his sword, which had been stuffed with cloth in the gap between the scabbard so that no sound would leak out. The remaining members of the group also drew their swords in the same silent manner.

All that was left to do was to break in and slay the commander of Arquell that they hated, and that would be the end of it. The surrounding area was quiet, not a sentry on alert.