Shadow Slave

Chapter 1922 Not a Last Stand Now that the dreadful march was over, the battered expedition force found itself in a somewhat better position.

The flooded clearing was effectively defending them from one side, which meant that they would not be surrounded, at least. With that, the army could assemble into a stable battle formation.

It was truly a miracle of perseverance and discipline that they had managed to maintain a semblance of order and keep themselves from being decimated by the enemy while fighting their way through the nightmarish jungle — but armies were not meant to fight battles while moving.

Finally reaching their destination, the Song Army came to a halt and spread along the edges of the flooded plain, building a proper battle line. It had two layers, so that forward units could rotate back and give way to fresh troops — then switch again after a period of rest. A field hospital was being hastily arranged behind the two layers, as well.

By then, the stalwart Saints already cut down the terrifying predators who had lunged at the expedition force from the flanks during the march. Those were the true rulers of the Hollows, old abominations of the Great Rank — luckily, there were far fewer of them than the Saints, so the champions of the human army were able to team up and bring each of the monsters down in groups of three or four.

Many were wounded, but none had perished yet... the situation might have been different if not for Lady Seishan and Princess Hel, though, who had culled the rulers of the scarlet jungle on their way to the Citadel. Now, the Saints were free to assume positions in front of the battle line, serving as its pillars and anchors. In any case, the situation of the Song Army, while still resembling a hellish nightmare, was much better than before.

However, it was also much more perilous than before, because their fates now depended on the success of Lady Seishan and her party. If the Great Demon guarding the Citadel triumphed, then every advantage gained by the expedition force would turn to ash. The Demon would attack the battle formation from the rear, and they would be devoured from two sides.

Of course...

First, the army had to survive long enough to learn who prevailed in the battle for the Citadel.

'It's going to be fine. Yeah... definitely...‘

with apprehension, trying to convince herself that the current preparations of the Song Army

back pressed against the territory of a Great Demon, and facing an endless flood of Nightmare Creatures — that definitely sounded like prime material for an inspiring and tear-inducing ballad that would

very admirable, but they were also very dead. She had

'Damn it.‘

"Archers! "

nightmare horde. The Blood Sisters — there were around a dozen of them — were very noticeable among the centurions with their red garments and striking beauty. Seeing

the voice that called upon the ranged specialists to unleash their fury on the approaching horde

drew her bow, took aim, and let an arrow loose. With how numerous the Nightmare Creatures were, one would think that she did not have to aim too well in order to hit something... but sadly, that was not the case. Because her arrows were not powerful enough to pierce the hides of the abominations, she had to

barrage of arrows, various projectiles, and Aspect Abilities unleashed by the human army. It was like mundane archers showering heavily armored cavalry with arrows — a few abominations stumbled and fell, but most remained unscathed. Worst still, the Nightmare Creatures were not at all

crashed into the

by the Awakened warriors of their centuria — which was in a worse situation than most because it lacked an Ascended, but luckily positioned well. Some distance from them, the Saint who Transcendent form was that of a giant reptile towered above the flood of Nightmare Creatures. It lowered its neck and snapped

beast jumped on its back, but the tyrannical reptile simply snapped its jaws once more, grabbing

out a chilling roar and plunged further into

'...The bow is useless.‘

different if they

snake tattoo turn into a black tachi once again. Gritting her teeth, she left Fleur and advanced forward.