Chapter 57: Hunting the Ratmen Part 2 (1/2)

The ratmen’s plan was to overwhelm the guardsmen on the flanks. It was a sound plan that made full use of their numerical advantage.

The ratmen had over 600 rodents in total versus the 60 guardsmen split between the flanks. Just based on this disparity alone, they had enough members to instantly swarm the defensive line in one charge, throwing the guardsmen into disarray.

While the flanks were aided slightly by the Mo sabres and shieldbearers, they didn’t have their fixed, orderly formations backing them up. And so, their sabres didn’t create a significant impact.

If it had been my army facing them alone, we would’ve been in huge trouble by now but thankfully, we had the hellhounds backing us up. As the ratmen swarmed in, they pounced forward to block their charge.

For every ratmen that tried to charge forward, they would be met with the deadly fangs of the hellhounds. With our canine allies holding the line temporarily, the guardsmen were able to reform their ranks.

By now, the reserves had also reinforced their numbers. While they didn’t have the deadly bone swords aiding them, their bone clubs were still able to stun the ratmen with a bash to their heads. These defenseless rats were swiftly stabbed to death by the guardsmen.

Now that the guardsmen had stabilized themselves, the battle became much simpler with the hellhounds tying down the ratmen with their relentless bites and the guardsmen swiftly following this up with a slash of their swords.

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This quick recovery was in large part due to the hellhounds’ timely help. Having had his plans foiled once more by his old rival, the ratman boss was livid.

With the wings now under control, One-eye withdrew the order to have the sabre wielders and shieldbearers participate in the battle at the flanks. He instead ordered them to reform the shield wall and hold positions.

“Chit chit chit~~~~~”

As time passed, more and more ratmen joined in the fight. With this new batch added in, their numbers crossed the 700 mark.

While their ferocity was just as fearless and frenzied as before, they didn’t have the brains to back up their brawns. All we had to do was hold positions at our defensive lines and wait for them to attack us.

“Rawr !!!”

With the arrival of the reinforcements, the ratman boss bellowed into the air and began to march forward. From the looks of it, he was finally going to join in the battle.

Based on his body, he should be between the level of two-star and three star.

As his gargantuan body marched forward, he shoved the other lesser rats to the side. With another thunderous roar, he rushed at us like the imposing truck which sent me to this world. As he madly careened through the mass of rodents, he knocked his own subordinates to the side without giving them a second look.

With their boss now in the fray, those two-star ratman bodyguards joined in as well.

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This was a disastrous turn of events for the shieldbearers. After all, the charge of over 10 two-star Abaddon Rodents was nothing to scoff at. Especially, since the shieldbearers were only one-star.

While they were the strongest among my large imps and had the stalwart heavy bone shields to back them up. A pure clash of strength like this could be said to be their weak point.

Their strength was the backbone for their formidable defensive power. But on the flip side, if someone came at them with strength greater than their own, this defense would crumble in an instant.

While the rodents weren’t known for their brute strength, the disparity in level ensured that even the weakest among the two-star rodents could at least match the shieldbearers. Furthermore, they still had the monstrous ratman boss backing them up, a formidable foe who might even have the strength of a three- star.

The first to reach the shield wall was naturally the ratman boss. His first charge went basically unopposed as his immense strength sent even the two large imps bracing the shield, flying several meters back.

With this breach created by their boss, the two-star rodents directly penetrated our defensive line. The sabre wielders were now like insects who had lost their carapace, without the shieldbearers, they were easy prey for the ratmen. The best they could do now was buy time with their lives.

The shieldbearers were still able to hold off the attacks of the two-star rodents on their own but the sabre wielders didn’t have the luxury of a sturdy shield. They were after all, a purely offensive troop designed to rely on the defensive shieldbearers.. As such, all they could do now was attack.

Several Mo sabres stabbed ruthlessly at a single ratman bodyguard but the two-star ratman simply leaped into the air, dodging the spears. Compared to the unwieldy Mo sabres, these weaponless rats had a much easier time maneuvering around even in the thick of this battle.

In fact, this disadvantageous situation was the biggest boon for the ratmen, bringing their innate agility to the forefront of this battle.

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*swoosh*

Another Mo sabre slashed at a ratman bodyguard. Without any armor protecting him, this sabre definitely had enough penetrating power to kill him. Whether it was the one-star rodents or the two-star rodents, they were all vulnerable to the Mo sabre. This bodyguard was no exception either.

Sensing the impending danger, he nimbly dodged to the right, his body on a collision course with a nearby shieldbearer. Under normal circumstances, the shieldbearer would simply push the rodent back into the sabre. But this expected collision never happened. Instead, at the very last second, that rodent leaped into the air in a death-defying feat of acrobatics.

As the rodent landed gracefully behind the shieldbearer, he immediately kicked the large imp away, snatched the heavy bone shield and braced it against the incoming Mo sabre.

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*Bang*