"Second, Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth units, attack!"
Catching the enemy unprepared, the grey-haired orc had rushed forward without losing time to lead the units specialized in close combat and possessing power animals in this direction.
Although the arrow rain instantly killed the Hell Realm warriors located in the front lines, there were still those among them who escaped with light wounds.
The Druid Liberation Army, determining the one-hundred-meter area forward from their position as hunting ground, was now coming for these people; they were advancing like lightning behind their leader Alyon.
Unlike orcs using axes, they had swords in their hands whose tips curved slightly inward, reaching a length of an arm; weapons were specifically chosen to emphasize this aspect of druids, who were prone to speed due to their light bodies.
Four hundred druids and one orc were advancing incessantly among people scattered everywhere; their movements resembling machines with top-level coordination had caused astonishment inside the Main Druid Settlement that lost its shield.
"Look at that, isn't this your childhood friend Aebh?"
"Yes, I can't believe such a naive girl could be this violent even though I see it with my own eyes!"
Besides druids who went to the Orc Steppes and received combat training, there were many people remaining in the Main Druid Settlement without changing their lifestyles.
The final state of their friends, children, and even spouses, with whom they once spent time together, aroused deep amazement in them, and no one could be blamed for this reason; anyone seeing druids scattering death like lightning by making every blow to the enemy's lethal points would be horrified.
"Retreat!"
Alyon gave his order the moment he saw they entered the shooting range of the enemy's main unit; the grey-haired orc didn't want to become a target in the open field while trying to reduce the number of scattered enemies.
"Fire!"
Dragan would take action to gain some advantage after this unconscious attack where they lost almost fifty thousand warriors.
Although Alyon withdrew his units in time, they were still open targets; it wasn't possible for him to guarantee they wouldn't be harmed at all from attacks raining on them.
"Third, Fourth, Sixth, and Eighth units, form a defense wall!"
The one shouting was Nafız; while her friend was the sword resting against the enemy's throat, she intended to be an insurmountable shield in this war.
Units receiving the order rushed forward rapidly; as soon as they passed in front of their retreating friends, they would raise the interesting shields appearing in their hands into the air.
They had really built a wall; they started lining up by climbing on the backs of others crouching on the ground. Thanks to the five rows they formed upward in this way, not even a single attack could pass them.
"What kind of nonsense is this!"
There was no possibility that the high architect had seen the shields in the hands of druids before; it was normal for him not to understand pieces fitting on top of each other forming a giant turtle shell.
"You will need to visit Dilber when we return, Alyon; look, she extended her helping hand to us again without hesitation!"
The giant land turtle living in the remote corner of the hidden paradise defined as Sacred Lands by orcs had come to the rescue at the most needed moment; shells shed by her children while growing up had become the most important defense weapon of the Druid Liberation Army.
Arrows, spells, and all kinds of attacks of mechanical devices wouldn't be able to go beyond opening scratches on the surfaces of shells; while even the heat of a place created by two freaks like the Cursed Lake couldn't melt them, what could weapons created by humans do?
"No one will approach the Druid Settlement more than a hundred meters!"
Dragan roared violently contrary to the low-profile attitude he adopted since the beginning of the war; after proving the accuracy of his thesis to himself, things had changed completely.
"Mercenary...!"
Knowing he was the target of the fury in the commander's voice, Severo seemed about to speak, but a moment later, the looks of representatives of three civilizations would ensure he stepped back.
"You see a thousand druids opposite you, don't you? Did you attribute the reason for their standing so bravely against us despite our three-million force only to their confidence in themselves, you stupid man?"
Fifty thousand people might seem very small within the total figure, but Dragan was aware that not everything could be expressed with numbers on the battlefield.
The only reason he called the number two name of the Black Lily Clan stupid was the desire to restore the morale of other warriors seeing the fate of people dying within seconds.
"You!"
The insult would increase the weight of his words by reinforcing his authority; although Severo's deadly looks burned his skin, he was obliged to do this.
Unlike the commander present on the battlefield on behalf of the Hell Realm, the other two representatives also seemed to figure out what was going on; especially the shining beauty of the Lands of Light was almost completely sure.
"The freak preventing us from entering the Orc Steppes seems to have already made half of the continent his own land too!"
Maria de León Bello y Delgado, or Maria de León as everyone addressed her, would make a spot-on determination. The one responsible for warriors torn to pieces the moment they crossed the one-hundred-meter border was none other than the Khan ruling everywhere from his tent he set up right in the middle of the Orc Steppes.
"You are right, the shield protecting the Druid Settlement might be destroyed, but right now they are protected by a much more formidable power than that!"
Since Dragan had to prepare for the attack very quickly, he didn't have the chance to do detailed research; he would never have thought the fire of joy appearing inside him when he saw the shield wasn't in place upon arriving here would be extinguished like this.
"Let's not fall into despair immediately; as far as I can see, enemy forces don't have a precaution for non-living beings, otherwise they wouldn't need to use those weird shields to prevent long-range attacks!"
The High Architect would show off his observation skill amidst all the chaos; although the army lost fifty thousand people, he had caught the opportunity to obtain very important information.
"What do you suggest, Your Highness Architect!"
Dragan, hardening against the number two of the Black Lily Clan, was taking care to behave extremely respectfully while communicating with the other two commanders in exactly the opposite way.
His style of action, aiming both to gain their support and to humiliate Severo indirectly in front of the community, was like proof of why four civilizations put him at the head of the three-million army.
"The time has come to use the mechanical devices I brought with me; I suggest destroying the enemy quickly and cleanly!"
The scientist, receiving various data about the problem, would throw out the simplest solution possible; moreover, Dragan had no reason to reject it due to its effectiveness and rationality.
"Let's send all mechanical devices designed for close combat purposes onto the enemy!"
When the High Architect said the last word, two hundred and fifty thousand mechanical devices would go on the offensive; these weapons, being a few times faster than human warriors attacking previously, wouldn't stop even when they crossed the one-hundred-meter border.
"Commander Alyon!"
Druids forming the shield wall hadn't broken their stance, but everyone knew the shock wave that would form when the collision occurred would throw them back even if they weren't harmed.
"Shield Wall disperse and retreat; the time has come to leave the job to the expert!"
Druids, fleeing back before the giant mechanical device army came upon them, were out of breath; unlike them, units remaining behind and those inside the settlement were wondering what would happen.
"You were always this cool-headed Hank; maybe this was the only reason for you being the youngest high architect in history instead of me!"
While the battlefield was drowned with the noise created by the relentless influx of mechanical devices, a voice would tear apart all chaos; its timbre wasn't very mighty or didn't smell of savagery, but everyone without exception was feeling the self-confidence it harbored in their hearts.
Before long, a second or two later, a giant mole bursting out from the crack formed on the ground would appear in front of the Druid Liberation Army; it was clear as day that this creature carrying two people on it came to help.