'That's two steps out of the way,' I thought when I finally ran out to what had to be some sort of a rallying spot and now has turned into the no man's land to the side of everyone's forces.
Just a little bit further away, the main body of my unit was clashing with the rear guards of the human concentration point, while further up ahead the humans continued to furiously repel the desperate charge of Loraz's forces.
'As long as they keep up split, they have a chance!'
This reasoning was obvious.
Further ahead, the humans used all the advantages of the reinforced positions that they could. From the height advantage of the nearby towards to shower the attacking protectors of the forest with projectiles and spells, through the embankments that put the defenders above the charging hordes, all the way to the stocked-up supplies of burnable oil, arrows, and spare weapons.
At this point, humans still kept a semblance of organization. Even when pressed from two sides, their troops stood organized, dutifully filling the tasks assigned to them by their headquarters.
Judging from the movements of troops within the protective ring of the guards, the human leaders weren't slacking.
'I guess the raid at the center of the camp wasn't all that successful,' I thought, taking a quick glance over my shoulder.
The massive tents we spotted all the way from the hill were currently standing in flames, burning away for posterity's sake.
And yet, the humans were clearly commanded. And quite well, given the situation and circumstances, this mass of mercenaries found themselves in.
'They are weakened but not defeated,' I concluded my quick observation while giving my troops a bit more time to assemble now that there was more room for us to gather.
Before long, the pattern of movement within the human-held chunk of the camp changed, indicating someone not only noticed me and my troops but hurried to make the report and then arrived back with fresh orders.
Still, it would take time to move the masses of men necessary to properly defend against the threat I presented.
And I had no plans of giving the humans all that time just for funsies sake.
"SWARM THE FUCKERS!"
Instantly stuck in the triangle of three, huge shields, he didn't appear to be bothered. With three short swords, a spear, and yet another axe falling down on a counter, he simply fell down on one knee before gently placing his hands on the ground.
The iron swung down and forth, aiming at the defenseless and exposed neck of the divine...
Only for the entire group of five to suddenly rise in the air before tumbling to the back with enough force to knock off a further ten soldiers off their legs.
A group of three celestials instantly made use of the opportunity, jumping in the gap in the constantly assembling line of the enemy and preventing the humans from bridging it.
"There! Cut deeper!" I screamed out, sending off half of my guards to do the job.
And they were elites, alright? And watching them drop their limits and go all in in the midst of flesh and blood... Was truly a sigh to behold.
Two of them partially transformed, assuming some traits of their bestial forms before they dropped down on the humans and showered them with a flurry of blows and strikes.
With the gap stabilizing, the remaining four celestials rushed in, blades in their hands, quickly cutting the gap wider before finally penetrating the line and emerging on the back of the human formation.
"FILL IT!" I screamed from the bottom of my lungs, desperate not to let this small opportunity go away.
BOOM!
Fay's shot shook the earth, exploding into a cone of flames and red-hot fragments of metal that scattered a small unit of humans rushing to reinforce the line.
'Two shots, good so far,' I thought, taking a deep breath before distancing myself from the area where we penetrated human formation and taking a quick stock of the situation.
To my left, the other unit opened two more gaps and already started to pour behind the enemy line. Up ahead, the humans struggled to ward off the furious assault of Loraz's troops.
Everything was going relatively well, as much as I could tell through the darkness of the night.
And then, the third shoot came.