Chapter 39 - 38

EX Story: The Ape King’s Origin Part IV

Thunderous explosions echoed on the battlefield, amidst all of that, the mixture of crazed and anguished screams could also be heard all around. It was truly a tragic scene, and that was probably why even though those soldiers were undoubtedly their enemies, the mages who were responsible for their suffering still couldn’t help but feel some ounce of pity towards them. In fact, even the young Ape King and his master felt the same. Unfortunately, they simply couldn’t stop. After all, if they let those soldiers be, they were the ones who would be slaughtered. Such was the essence of war, because in truth, once all the justifications and propaganda were removed, war was just a simple act of killing and violence.

Despite their misgivings, the mage continued to bombard the enemy soldiers with their spells. Of course, this scene shocked the commanders of the enemy army. After all, enlisting that many mages in a private army weren’t normal by any means. And given the fact the army was made up only of the land lord’s subordinates and residents, it would inevitably raise a question regarding the dangers of having a single lord possessing that much military might. Though of course, it wasn’t as if the commanders were only sending their troops mindlessly. Because even though it was true that the mages were a threat, it wasn’t as if those mages had an infinite supply of magic power. In short, the enemy commander’s plan was clearly to deplete the magic power reserves of those mages before swooping in for the kill.

Probably to reduce the damage to their army, the commanders were only sending small squads of cannon fodders to be bombarded with magic. And in truth, the equipment of some cannon fodders wouldn’t even pass as a soldier. For one thing, most of them were only wearing rags and were equipped with rusty swords. In fact, even the equipment of the handful who were left was only at an acceptable condition at best. So clearly, it was safe to say that the true identity of those cannon fodders was a mixture of commoners and slaves.

Noticing that, the young Ape King’s master grimaced from disgust. And even though he personally had no idea about the plight of their enemy, even the young Ape King felt some pity towards those cannon fodders. Maybe it was the effect of serving a benevolent master, or it might just be that the very nature of the young Ape King itself was changed after forming a pact. Honestly, even the young Ape King himself had no idea. But regardless of the reason, it was clear that something had changed inside the young Ape King after living in a human’s society for years. Truth to be told, even the young Ape King’s master had noticed this change. That was why despite the warning and apprehension of some of his subordinates, the young Ape King’s master allowed his partner to freely roam inside the vicinity of the mansion.

While the young Ape King’s master and his subordinates were having some internal conflict, the magic bombardment continued. And probably because of the relentless wave of cannon fodders, the three units of mages were now showing some slight hint of fatigue. Normally, the mages should already be completely depleted after casting consecutive spells like that. But despite being on the verge of reaching their limit, the mages continued weaving and releasing some spells using their very own lifeforce in exchange. Though of course, the young Ape King’s master instantly noticed what the mages were doing, and upon seeing that, he immediately commanded the mages to stop.

At first, the mages didn’t stop probably because they were all on the same mind that it was a necessary sacrifice. But after the young Ape King’s master talked to them, the mages did eventually stop.

Witnessing that the mages were finally depleted, the commanders of the enemy army began their preparation for an all-out attack. And this time, now that they didn’t have to worry about being bombarded with spells, the commanders could now freely deploy their troops without holding back.

Seeing the movements of their enemy, the young Ape King’s master commanded his soldiers to raise their shields and spears. And after making sure that the vanguards were ready, the young Ape King’s master hastily rode his horse and commanded his archers to line up. Then, just right when the archers had finally lined up, the sound of the enemy’s war horn resounded on the battlefield.

Following that sound, swarms of enemy soldiers charged towards their position. And with just a single glance, even the young Ape King could tell that the number of soldiers this time far surpassed the first wave of attack. But even though he was looking at the tide of soldiers threatening to swallow them whole, the young Ape King’s master calmly commanded his archers to draw their arrows and fire.

Waves upon waves of arrows rained down on the charging soldiers. Naturally, the soldiers who were hit were either killed or injured effectively causing some casualties on the enemy’s side. And ironic as it was, the sheer number of the soldiers actually made them an ideal target. After all, enlisting that many mages in a private army weren’t normal by any means.

It happened right after the rain of arrows stopped. With movements that were unbelievably swift and well-coordinated, the soldiers of the young Ape King’s master suddenly opened up a path. Then with a speed of raging gale, three units of cavalries emerged and trampled down the nearest infantry unit that they found. Following that, the cavalry unit which was headed by the young Ape King’s master rampaged on that battlefield by killing enemies left and right.

Just like a raging tornado, the cavalry units pinballed on the battlefield effectively wreaking havoc on any infantry units that were unfortunate enough to be their target. Then probably to avoid being pincered by the enemy, the cavalry units didn’t even try to annihilate their targets. Instead, the cavalry units always made sure to change their target after a single charge. And by repeating this process, the cavalry units managed to maintain their speed and momentum while also inflicting an acceptable amount of damage to every infantry unit they encountered. Furthermore, this tactic also lessened the burden of the spear infantry units who were protecting the exhausted mages in their backs.

In truth, such a feat was only possible because the entire three units of cavalries were moving like a single organism. And clearly, this was the biggest proof of how talented the young Ape King’s master was when it came to coordinating his subordinates in battle. Additionally, this also showed the absolute trust and respect that the subordinates have towards their master. Though to be fair, even that was amazing in its own right.

Seeing the chaos that the cavalry units were causing, the enemy commanders decided to deploy their own cavalry unit to deal with the situation. And probably to increase their chance of success, the enemy commanders deployed five units of cavalries.

Based on their movements alone, it was clear to see that the coordination of the enemy’s cavalries was way inferior when compared to the one being led by the young Ape King’s master. In fact, one could even say that the difference was like heaven and earth. But despite that, the enemy cavalries were still a threat because of their numbers alone. As a result, after a long game of tag, the cavalry units which were led by the young Ape King’s master were finally on the verge of being backed into a corner. Unfortunately, before the enemy’s cavalries managed to catch up, a single cavalry unit swooped into their side.

Bizarre as it was, the cavalry unit in question was actually being led by the young Ape King. And in truth, this was actually their plan from the very beginning. After all, before they even head out to rampage on the battlefield, the young Ape King’s master had already anticipated that the enemy commanders would deploy a larger cavalry unit to deal with them. With that in mind, the young Ape King’s master left the cavalry unit being led by his partner hidden on the back of their spear infantry units. Then when the enemy’s cavalry units were deployed, the cavalry unit headed by the young Ape King sneakily went around the chaotic battlefield while waiting for the right time to strike.

Naturally, the enemy commanders actually noticed the presence of that lone and aberrant cavalry unit. But given that they had already deployed their own, the enemy commanders had no means of warning their cavalry from the incoming danger in the midst of that chaotic battlefield. On top of that, the enemy’s cavalry units were too focused on chasing after the slippery target, so they didn’t even notice the approaching danger. As a result, the enemy’s cavalry was successfully hit by a surprise attack on their right flank.

The cavalry headed by the young Ape King swooped in and completely pierced the whole formation of the enemy’s cavalry. Because of that, the formation of the enemy’s cavalry became chaotic and all five units became momentarily stunned. Taking advantage of that, the cavalry units led by the young Ape King’s master rushed in and took out about seventy percent of the enemy’s cavalry. Then to deal the finishing blow, the cavalry unit headed by the young Ape King turned around and once again charged in. And with just that brief exchange, the enemy cavalry was annihilated without even having a chance to fight back.