Chapter 238: Call of the horn (1/2)

A lot of things happened at once.

From the depths of Layn's formation, someone blew a horn. Given how small their numbers were, using this kind of loud instrument didn't make any real sense...

Or so could a random officer from either of their opposing armies think.

Because the moment the sound of the horn struck everyone on the battlefield... Slavians' right wing started to give ground.

They didn't run away just like that, but all the fighting between them at the flank commanded by Al... Suddenly died off. Which was peculiar, given how just a few meters further, where Layn's forces ended and the cultivators army began, the fight went on just like before.

In this moment of respite, Al moved with his men sweeping at the center of the Slavian's formation. With the help of the strongest troops, the balance of the fight broke apart, forcing the center of the Slavians into an unorganized retreat.

'Just like planned,' Layn thought, observing how the events unfolded.

This was his gamble, the one thing that he deeply cared for, the one thing that was crucial to the outcome of this battle.

And it was whether the faction friendly towards them within the Slavian ranks would actually go through with the plan that one of Layn's men smuggled to them.

But it was only the first step in the tactic that Layn developed just for this moment.

”Push the center!” he shouted, setting apart the few men that he taught during their journey towards the ridge, leaving them to support the front against Celestial of the left-wing.

With all of Layn's commanders stepping back and reinforcing the push against Slavian center, what was a local retreat quickly turned into a complete rout.

'It's almost baffling,' Layn thought, kicking away at his nearest opponents only to crush a firelance he conjured at the face of another of Slavian soldiers.

By rushing to attack him, they proved that they had nothing to do with the other faction but followed general Kazan's orders instead. Even though they were still Slavians, there was no room for quarter and mercy on the battlefield.

Yet, as soon as the center of the Slavian ranks broke apart and the men started to escape...

The horn sounded once again.

Slavian left-wing that continued to give ground for a while already suddenly stopped in place. Then, as if suddenly regaining their morale, they pushed ahead.

Al took most of the men from the Slavian front of his formation and formed a breakthrough unit. He then turned them all around and rushed at an angle at the formation of Celestials, opening the path for the allies to push into.

In a second, the three-way battle turned into two on one gank.

But that was the end of the fancy maneuvers. Ignoring the rout of both their other wing and their center, the Slavians on the left-wing only reinforced their attack, actually pushing the celestials on their side down the ridge. At the same time, their attacks on Layn's position intensified, quickly ramping up the casualty rate.