The Beastman Camp stretched for dozens of miles, from Sunset Fortress all the way to the banks of the Lai River.
According to estimates, this army consisted of three Beastman Corps and nine corps from the High-level Vassal Army. As for low-level vassal troops like the goblins, their numbers weren't even counted. Based on the sheer size of the camp, however, their numbers were estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands.
It was no wonder the Beastman commanders sent the goblins to their deaths by the thousands without a shred of remorse.
Sunset Fortress was built against Mola Mountain. Its northern front directly faced the Beastman Corps led by the Beastmen's Fourth Prince.
The western and eastern fronts were left to the Beastmen's high-level vassal races.
The Gray Dwarf, Dor, was responsible for attacking the West City with two Dwarf Corps.
As the chosen successor to lead the Gray Dwarves Race, Dor had little respect for the Fourth Prince.
In fact, with the recent decline of the Beastmen, many of the high-level vassal races had already begun to challenge their dominance.
It was an unavoidable situation. While the Beastman Grassland looked vast, its resources were scarce.
These high-level races had to compete for the scarce Magic Resources, most of which were monopolized by the Beastmen. Naturally, this placed them in opposition.
This was one of the reasons the Beast Emperor had launched the war. The pie at home was too small; either you make the pie bigger, or you get rid of some of the people wanting a slice...
Otherwise, the Beastman Royal Family, who held the largest slice, would be overthrown by a united opposition.
To maintain their rule, the Beastman Royal Family had to expand outwards—either by making the pie bigger or by reducing the number of people who got a slice.
Everyone had a tacit understanding of these matters. Even the goblins knew that the Beastman Empire's military campaigns always came with a death quota.
Thus, the various factions were constantly engaged in infighting, both overt and covert, each hoping the others would be the ones to suffer heavy casualties. And when they couldn't force another's hand, they simply sent the weakest to the front lines.
This was also why Dor chose to have the goblins charge first. It was partly because they were numerous, weak, and had voracious appetites...
In fact, it wasn't just Dor. Fourth Prince Kase and the other tribes did the exact same thing.
Goblins always suffered the most casualties in every major war. At the same time, they also recovered the fastest, birthing litters of a dozen or more...
A Dwarf riding a Thunderhawk descended from the sky and landed before Dor.
"General, the Fourth Prince summons you to a war council."
Dor nodded. Even though he couldn't stand Fourth Prince Kase, Kase was still the nominal commander of the army. He couldn't openly defy him, so he had to attend the council.
The Beastman Camp was so vast that Dor had to ride his Thunderhawk to reach the meeting hall in time.
Seated at the head of the hall was a powerful, purple-skinned Beastman wearing an Ancestral Witch Mask. This was none other than Kase, the Fourth Prince of the Beast Race.
"Dor, you're late," Kase said.
Dor ignored him and found a seat for himself. A small number of chieftains and generals in the hall followed his lead and sat near him.
This faction consisted of races within the Beastman Empire that were allied with the Gray Dwarves.
Kase was long accustomed to such displays; the Empire's current state of affairs hadn't developed overnight.
"Our priests have detected intense magical fluctuations from within the fortress. I suspect Leo is behind it. Stop holding back. We launch an all-out assault tomorrow," Kase declared.
Before he had even finished speaking, the hall erupted in a clamor of discussion.
'Leo? The man was a veritable sword hanging over the Beastman Empire. Born into an Earl Clan, he studied in his youth at the Southern Magic Capital of Elanweite and was hailed by the Human Race as a once-in-a-century magical genius.'
'But that wasn't the main thing. More importantly, the moment he returned to his homeland, he came straight to the Beastman Grassland. Relying on his mastery of Space Magic and Flame Magic, he wreaked havoc, wiping out entire tribes of several hundred people...'
'It was safe to say that Leo Doran was the most hated man among the smaller Beast Race clans.'
The moment he heard that this "master" might be about to make a move, even Dor grew restless.
Although the Gray Dwarves' political base wasn't built on the smaller clans, that didn't mean Dor felt no fear toward Leo. He still bore the scar from a Blazing Flame Storm Phoenix rune on his back.
'That's how he got into the top ten on the bounty list.'
"Fine. What do you need me to do?" Dor was a straightforward Dwarf; when he heard an enemy was involved, he was ready to fight.
Kase was naturally pleased with Dor's reaction. 'Throughout this campaign, I've been giving him orders he can't refuse, and he has always obeyed.'
'Over time, this has cultivated my image as an absolute authority in the army, making it seem as if Dor has already submitted to me.'
'Dor probably hasn't even noticed that he's lost a few of his supporters along the way.'
"My Father, the Emperor, sent an urgent dispatch overnight. The Human Race will convene a conference in the Pope Country next year."
"But our main force is currently held up at Barol, and this has emboldened those elves in the east to stir."
"Therefore, within two days, we must break through Sunset Fortress, swiftly capture Siriel, and threaten Barol from the rear. We must break this stalemate for the Empire," Kase said.
"The West City Gate is their weakest point. I will support you with a batch of our domestically-produced Magic Crystal Cannons. I want you to take that gate quickly."
'Domestically-produced Magic Crystal Cannons?' Dor shuddered. It was common knowledge that Beastmen artisans had a time-honored tradition of shoddy craftsmanship.
'Short range was a given, but the real issue was that they had a tendency to explode!'
'Oh well,' he thought. 'It's better than nothing...'
....
「Inside Sunset Fortress.」
*"Ding! You have successfully used a Magic Crystal Cannon to kill a Gray Dwarf Warrior, goblin slaves... +300 experience."*
Robson never would have known if he hadn't used it, but this Magic Crystal Cannon was a wonderful thing!
One shot decimated a huge area! His experience points were shooting up, even faster than his archery skill!
Thanks to his "Point Shot" skill, his archery had finally reached the Proficient level, while his skill with the Magic Crystal Cannon was already nearing Perfect.
Robson was determined. He had to find a way to get a Magic Crystal Cannon for himself in the future.
Just the thought of using it for a sniper duel at the main gate made his adrenaline surge.
*"Ding! A member of the Frankish Militia has successfully killed a goblin slave. +50 experience."*
*"Ding! A Frank Knight has successfully killed a Goblin Chief. +100 experience."*
After promoting all the Peasants provided by the nobles into Tier Two Soldiers, Robson decided to keep his Tier Four Soldiers out of the battle so they wouldn't hog all the experience. The progress bar for advancing from Tier Four was just too long.
Right now, Robson's main goal was to increase his power as quickly as possible.
"Sir, you've worked hard. Let us relieve you."
'Has it been a whole day already?'
Robson hadn't realized how quickly the time had passed. He glanced at his soldiers; every one of them was still full of energy.
Robson knew this was an effect of his system panel. For instance, his Tier Four Soldiers could remain energetic even without sleep. But since their shift was over, Robson had no intention of continuing to push his men's limits.
Even if his soldiers had superior constitutions, he couldn't just wear them down recklessly. He didn't want to break them.
"Alright. I'm counting on you," Robson said with a nod.
"It's nothing compared to what you've accomplished, sir."
A group of nobles stared in astonishment at Robson's troops. They had a vague feeling that the soldiers were different from before, but they couldn't quite put their finger on how.