Chapter 373: Siege Battle Under the Moonlight
"Release the arrows! Kill them all!"
As soon as the Ratmen army surged out of the forest, they entered the ballista's range.
In the darkness, the sharp whistling of arrows rang out from the watchtowers along the western wall.
A dense swarm of arrows rained down on the Ratmen army.
The piercing shrieks of arrows slicing through the air reached the Ratmen in an instant.
Sparks erupted from the armored bodies of the charging Ratmen soldiers.
"Squeak!"
Many Ratmen soldiers collapsed, lifeless.
Yet the thunderous footsteps of their comrades drowned out their dying screams.
Although the ballista arrows inflicted significant casualties, the sheer number of Ratmen was overwhelming.
A dense mass of them continued pressing toward the northern wall, unfazed by their fallen kin.
They trampled over the corpses of their own and charged toward the settlement.
Just then, a sea of green light flickered within the tide-like Ratmen army.
Fireballs of green flame rose into the air, hurtling toward the settlement.
The fireballs arced perfectly through the sky before slamming into the wooden walls.
"Boom!"
Thunderous explosions echoed in the night.
Mushroom clouds of green flame billowed from the northern wall.
The blast waves tore through everything in their path, engulfing the surroundings in fire.
Although the wooden walls withstood the explosions, the impact zones ignited in green flames.
"Magic?"
The sudden green fireball assault startled Gobu Tiger.
The eerie green flames triggered a memory.
Goblins who had fled from the smaller tribes had spoken of their homes being burned down by the same green fire.
"Is it those bastards?"
Gobu Tiger spotted gray-robed figures wielding staffs among the Ratmen army.
They stood atop stretchers carried by Ratmen soldiers, flailing their arms as if performing a ritual dance.
"Target the Ratmen mages! Kill them!"
From the top of the walls, Gobu Tiger roared the command.
The Ratmen mages stood out among the horde, towering above the ordinary soldiers due to their elevated platforms.
The ballistae on the watchtowers quickly adjusted their aim.
The swarm arrows were too scattered for precise strikes, so the ballista operators switched to siege bolts.
"Whoosh!"
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
The siege bolts streaked toward their targets.
Amidst the darkness, chaos erupted within the Ratmen ranks.
The powerful bolts pierced through lines of soldiers, sending bodies flying.
One of the bolts struck its mark.
A Ratman mage, mid-ritual, was violently flung backward.
It soared over ten meters before being pinned to the ground by the massive bolt.
"Fire at will! Unleash all the crossbows!"
The tide-like Ratmen army had closed to within a hundred meters of the wooden walls.
The Goblin crossbowmen atop the walls opened fire.
A torrential downpour of arrows rained upon the Ratmen.
The battlefield outside the western wall was soon filled with the terrifying sound of arrows cutting through the air.
"Clang!"
Sparks flew as the arrows struck the iron armor of the leading Ratmen soldiers.
Rows of them fell where they stood, piling up on the ground.
The sheer number of Ratmen made precision unnecessary.
The Goblins simply needed to shoot into the darkness beyond the walls.
Even a stray shot was likely to hit something.
In an instant, the battlefield outside the western wall turned into a slaughterhouse.
The relentless barrage inflicted massive casualties.
For every step the Ratmen advanced, more bodies littered the ground.
Yet the Ratmen showed no fear.
They screeched and roared, stepping over the corpses of their fallen brethren.
Despite the relentless arrow fire, the Ratmen continued closing in on the wall.
As they neared, the Goblins atop the walls noticed something alarming.
The Ratmen had come prepared.
Among them were soldiers carrying siege ladders.
Upon reaching the wall, they raised and secured the ladders in place.
"They're climbing! Shoot them down!"
The Goblins atop the wall initially tried to push the ladders away.
However, they found them firmly secured and immovable.
With no other choice, the crossbowmen focused their fire on the climbing Ratmen.
Thus began a brutal battle for control of the walls.
Although the ballistae had taken out many Ratmen mages, they had also drawn enemy fire.
Many of the watchtowers were now ablaze.
"Boss! Large numbers of Ratmen are attacking the southern and northern walls!"
A Goblin messenger hurried to Gobu Tiger's side.
Hearing this, Gobu Tiger furrowed his brows.
It seemed the Ratmen intended to attack from three sides.
This confirmed their numerical advantage.
Not long after the battle at the western wall began, the northern and southern walls also erupted in combat.
A massive tide of Ratmen surged from the forest, charging toward the settlement.
From a bird's-eye view, the Goblin settlement was now surrounded on three sides under the moonlit sky.
Fireballs of green flame continued raining down, illuminating the battlefield with eerie explosions.
"Boss, should we send in the Goblin Boar Riders?"
A force of ten thousand Goblin Boar Riders lay hidden in the nearby forest.
Most of Gobu Tiger's subordinates knew of this.
Standing atop the wooden walls, Gobu Tiger coldly eyed the dark mass of Ratmen beyond.
"No. Now is not the time."
The Ratmen's attack was at its peak.
If the Goblin Boar Riders charged in now, they might inflict heavy losses on the enemy.
However, they would also risk getting entangled in prolonged combat.
If they were unable to withdraw, they would be doomed.
Gobu Tiger hefted his massive spiked club onto his shoulder.
"Alright, boys! Let's tear them apart! Hahaha!"
With his giant spiked club resting on his shoulder, Gobu Tiger descended from the wall.
His warriors followed closely behind.
Behind the western gate, nearly a thousand elite Goblins had assembled.
These were the Goblin warriors and veterans.
Clad in black heavy armor, wielding spiked clubs.
Before them loomed the tightly shut gate.
Gobu Tiger grinned viciously.
He donned his massive, helmet-like headgear.
"Open the gate!"
With a loud command, the Goblins guarding the gate rushed to comply.
With a deep creaking sound, the heavy western gate slowly swung open.
The sudden opening of the gate left the Ratmen soldiers outside momentarily stunned.
They had been in the middle of an assault—why had the gates opened by themselves?
"Hahaha! You filthy rats! Time to die!"
Gobu Tiger was the first to charge out of the western gate.