Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

Chapter 980- Battle of Mount Gorgor (6)

"Tear this fortress to the ground… Hehehe" Assured of his victory, Melkan's grin widened.

.

"Damn it! Siege engines! They're bringing in golems!"

On top of the walls, one of the soldiers noticed the incoming golems and shouted in terror. His words caused the morale of he human forces to hit a rock.

Their eyes swept over the horde of monsters and towards the gigantic constructs who were marching their way over here.

"It's all over, we are dead. There is no way the fortress wall will be able to take an impact from those golems"

It was unknown who but after that soldier shouted, all the others also started to back down in fear. The spears in their hands trembling and their shields becoming loose. Just when it seemed like they would drop their weapons and run away, Rothgard shouted.

"Keep your wits together. We knew this wasn't going to be easy, do not lose your sight".

Dravik also chipped in "Don't falter, just do as practice. We already knew this was going to come".

Thanks to the efforts of the two leaders, the soldiers and mercenaries finally calmed down. The battle on Mount Gorgor continued and the trembling of the ground intensified with every passing second.

The golems continued their march and soon their towering figure could be soon looming over the walls of the fortress.

"Hehehe, it's all over for you humans. You might have bested me; however, you are no match for those golems. You are finished" Nusgard laughed. However, the response he got was not what he imagined.

Instead of fear or despair, the human in front of him simply smiled and flashed a mocking glance.

"I guess we will find out who is finished".

As the golems neared the fortress walls, their massive feet thundered onto the battlefield with deafening crashes. Then, without warning, the earth beneath them gave way.

The first golem stumbled as its foot plunged into a massive trench, its towering body lurching forward before grinding to a halt. Another followed suit, its leg sinking deep into another ditch hidden beneath the thin layer of debris on the battlefield.

Within moments, all the Ruinbound Golems were immobilized, their immense frames trapped in a network of cleverly hidden ditches.

"What?!" Melkan's jaw dropped, his eyes wide with disbelief as he watched the scene unfold. The Siege engines he had placed so much faith in, the instruments of assured destruction, were now helplessly stuck in the earth.

Their massive forms groaned and shuddered as they struggled to free themselves, but the more they moved, the deeper they sank.

"This... this can't be!" Melkan stammered, his voice tinged with both shock and rage. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"How did this happen? Where did those trenches come from?!" He clutched his head as if the pressure building in his mind was unbearable.

The golems—the ace of his force, gifts from Vordanaz himself—were being rendered useless. But no amount of confusion or disbelief could prepare him for what was about to happen next.

 High atop the fortress wall, Rothgard exchanged a glance with Dravik, who gave a single nod and took out something from his pocket.

A piercing whistle rang out and right afterwards from behind the cliffs and boulders surrounding Mount Gorgor, sprang up from the shadows. Soldiers and mercenaries who had stayed concealed in the shadows now revealed themselves.

"Fight!!"

With a resounding roar, the hidden decoy force, led by Simon, surged forward. They had waited patiently for this moment, watching as the demon forces committed themselves to the assault on the fortress. Now it was their time to retaliate.

The decoy force on Simon's command shoved massive boulders down the steep slopes. Each rock was naturally formed, colossal in size, and given lethal momentum by the sheer height from which it fell.

The boulders tumbled with devastating force, crashing down into the demon lines and targeting the Ruinbound Golems trapped in the trenches. Any monsters unfortunate to be around the area, were all squashed into bloody pulp.

BOOM... BOOM... The sound of destruction echoed across the battlefield as the boulders smashed into the immobilized constructs. The first golem collapsed under the relentless assault, the second and third followed in quick succession, their stone bodies crumbling as the boulders battered their reinforced shells.

The Demon Viscounts controlling the golems chanted frantically, their voices hoarse as they poured every ounce of their mana into salvaging the situation.

"Move, damn it! MOVE!" with wild eyes they directed his construct to lift itself from the trench. But the golem's leg buckled under the weight of the boulders even further.

"…." Melkan's entire body shook as he witnessed the scene unfolding before him. His jaw hung open in pure disbelief.

"This... This can't be happening. The Ruinbound Golems… destroyed? Just like that?"

 The golems, the ace of his force, the tools he had been so confident would secure his victory, were nothing more than shattered rubble now. His eyes darted to the hidden human force, to the massive boulders rolling down the cliffs, to the chaos spreading through his army.

"It's impossible, How did they know about the ruinbound golem's weakness? No, in the first place, how did they even prepare for it? It's almost as if... They knew what we were going to do. They knew my every move!"

"Now! Attack the enemy"

While the demon force was confused and disoriented, Simon who was leading the decoy force gave his command.

Without hesitation, he charged down the slope. Behind him, the mercenaries and soldiers followed, the resolve unflinching. After that fight against the demon duke, Simon had become more than a leader to them. he was a hero, a symbol of defiance against impossible odds.

"Damn it! Don't get ahead of yourselves, humans!" one of the Demon Viscounts roared. Enraged and unable to salvage the Ruinbound Golems, the Viscounts tried to unman the constructs, abandoning their control spells in an effort to retreat and regroup. But the chaos of the battlefield left them vulnerable.