Pale bit her lips as she watched the scene before her unfold. They were being pushed on every front. The center that Gi Gu Verbena commanded, the right flank that Gi Gi Orudo commanded, the left flank that the allied forces and Rashka and Gi Go Amatsuki’s special forces commanded.
Every front was either in a deadlock or on the verge of collapse. The magic of the goblin druids and the bows of the elves concentrated their attacks to try and stitch the tears, but they could only do so much.
They couldn’t divert all of their attention to the ground because of the reenactment of the Age of the Gods that was occurring right above them. Pale knew that the result of the battle between the ryuu and the flying warship would tip the scales and quickly lead to the extermination of the forces on the ground.
The scale of power was just too different.
If even a single one of those spells being exchanged above them were to land at the center of their army, the only fate awaiting them would be annihilation. Above all, there was the matter with the Goblin King as well. The strongest warrior of the humans, that which they referred to as a ‘hero’, was just too strong, and they did not have the means to contend with him.
She had not even been given the time to look for a method.
“…Send a messenger to Gi Gu-dono. Pull back the lines.”
“But…”
The elven messenger hesitated, but Pale was decisive.
“The king has entrusted me with all authority over the army. We don’t have the time to argue. Hurry!”
“As you command.”
She had to make this decision. If the Goblin King were with them, then perhaps they might not have chosen to retreat, but there was no king beside her and she had to make the decision. Commanders did not merely watch the battle, they had to make hard choices too when necessary.
If the Goblin King were beside her and decisively asked her not to retreat, then she would have to come up with a plan that met his expectations, but that wasn’t the case right now. She was both the tactician and the prime minister, so she had to consider the consequences of this battle. Moreover, every commander desired to minimize the casualties; hence, as disgraceful and painful a decision it was, she had to make it.
Indeed, it was hard to accept defeat, and getting out of here wouldn’t be easy. After all, retreating was much more difficult than advancing. Especially, when the enemy was at an advantage since they will be sure to give chase. But it had to be done even at the cost of some losses.
Because the only fate awaiting them here was a complete wipe. The moment that flying warship’s cannon turns to them, there will be no more resisting, only death.
She had to make sure that that worst case doesn’t happen.
Above all, she had to save the king.
That’s why she made the decision.
There was nothing more important than the king’s well-being. At the very least, there was no such thing in the Kingdom of the Black Sun(Alrodena Kingdom).
“Tell Axe and Sword Army(Felduk) to reform their lines as we retreat! We will attack the enemy when their forces stick out. Send orders of retreat to the Thousand-Demon Army(Sazanorga) and the army(Regiol) as well. Contact the allied forces.”
Upon receiving Pale’s orders, Gi Gu Verbena glared at the various fronts being attacked and cursed.
“Damn it! There’s no helping it, but we’re not retreating until the king has been rescued! That woman does have a plan, right!?”
Gi Gu immediately dispatched his rare-class goblin messengers, then gradually pulled back. The long spearmen at the front were being ripped into shreds by the rampaging human forces, so a lot of high ranking goblins had to be mobilized in order to keep those at bay, and because of that, the command system was struggling.
Gi Gu had to rely on his messengers to directly take command of his entire army.
With his axe and his sword, Gi Gu himself headed for the front lines. He commanded the 5,000 soldiers directly under him to wield their shields and line up without any gap, then he gave the order to retreat to the high-ranking goblins.
“Gu Tough, Gu Long, Gu Big! Command your troops to retreat, I will personally assume the position of the rearguard!”
As he gave that message to his messengers with a yell, he skillfully led thousands of goblins as though they were his limbs and temporarily stopped the attack of the enemy.
But then one of the stronger fighters of the humans appeared.
“Let the lakes flow(Cascade)!”
Water flowed out of the left sword and soaked the land.
“Let the icicles pierce(Frozen)!”
Then the water transformed into pillars of ice as big as a human body and struck out of the ground, The icicles that pierced the body of the goblins along with their large shields could be seen by Gi Gu even from a distance.
��Did you have to come now!?”
In order to allow the armies of the three sibling goblins at the front-most lines to retreat, Gi Gu had to thin the middle part of his front line.
Gi Gu had expanded his flanks to receive the soldiers that have been fighting at the front, but Judith the Zealot just had to come like a gust of wind cutting through the surface of the lake.
“…”
Without so much as a word uttered, she swung her swords to call forth spears of ice and skewer several goblins. Gi Gu grit his molars, but he could do nothing more than watch.
They were pulling back to force the enemy to create an opening that would allow them to recover the king… TO that end, the lives of his men weren’t much.
In the first place, putting the life of the king and his men on the same scale was a mistake.
And yet──
“What sort of general would I be if I allowed my men to die in vain!!”
He stepped firmly into the ground and bellowed out in anger, then with just a few soldiers in tow, he moved against the crowd and made his way for Judith the Zealot. With his canine teeth bared, Gi Gu ran to challenge the expert that wreaked havoc with her spears of ice.
“GURUuoOOO!”
Gi Gu howled as he ran. Judith turned to him with just her eyes and smiled faintly, but she did not return the yell and instead let out a chilling voice.
“Let the lakes flow(Cascade)!”
A series of movements that led to the land being dyed by a stream once more.
“Let the icicles pierce(Frozen)!”
Four ice spears stuck out from the ground. They appeared almost simultaneously, but Gi Gu got through and smashed some with his axe. Goblins cried out from behind as ice spears penetrated them, but he could only ignore them now.
“Ice Bullets, Pierce Through(Frozel)!”
With Gi Gu now just 10 steps away, Judith shot the water from her sword into the air, then immediately swung her icy sword to create bullets of ice.
Those bullets attacked Gi Gu like a pack of hunting dogs, but Gi Gu did not stop his advance and instead deflected them with his axe and long sword. The speed of those ice bullets were almost to that of throwing spears, yet Gi Gu managed to deflect them while advancing at the same time.
What frightening reflexes indeed, and yet, only a faint smile surfaced of Judith as she held her swords of ice and water.
“…Come.”
Gi Gu said with quiet anger, and in response, Judith raised her voice.
“Ice Blade(Ro Zen)!”
With the temperature suddenly dropping, the water flowing through the air turned into a slash of ice that attacked Gi Gu. Gi Gu could block even ice bullets, but he was just too close to dodge this blade of ice; hence, he could only raise his axe like a shield and charge straight through.