"Boom~ Boom Boom~" More than a dozen undead warships fired directly at the Ash Legion hiding in the jungle. The whistling cannonballs fell into the tropical rainforest, catching the Ash Legion off guard. Dozens of soldiers were killed instantly, and a section of the forest was felled.
"Damn it, we've been discovered!" Fernando-Pirazzo angrily said, pushing aside the branches above his head.
Luther Harkon raised his head in a daze, pointing toward the jungle. "Wipe out these humans!"
All the warships opened their hatches and decks, and thousands of undead pirates, grotesque bloated zombies, massive reanimated corpses formed from drowned ogres, giant corrupted scorpions, and corrupted leviathans quickly landed. Vicious bats carrying undead pirates swooped down from the sky.
"Our remains are bound, our souls are doomed to eternal torment!"
"We await only to follow our master on the march."
In the distance, several gigantic walking skeletons were slowly making their way ashore. Composed of shipwrecks, wood, iron, and human flesh, they were driven by deadly undead energy vortices. Each stood over twenty meters tall, their arms fitted with rotary cannons that began firing at the human army.
The human soldiers were horrified at the sight of their enemies. Many of the new recruits felt their scalps tingle with fear. The undead pirates, the resurrected corpses, the legendary ancient beasts, the corrupted leviathans brought back to life—all these struck terror in their hearts. The newly surrendered Imperial soldiers were especially frightened; they were mostly militiamen and provincial troops, used to fighting only greenskins and beastmen. They had never seen such terrifying foes! The recently surrendered Imperial soldiers were so scared that they almost dropped their weapons and fled.
Under different circumstances, the soldiers of the Ash Legion might have been pushed to a breaking point.
However, the Ash Legion was a strong force personally raised by Fugen. Many of the veterans had fought against barbarian tribes, lizardmen, chaos armies, and even Skaven ratmen. Those who had survived the Battle of Kroq-Gar at Itza found this "small scene" almost too familiar. The veterans steadied themselves and prepared to fight. Under their leadership and shouts, the wavering battle lines gradually stabilized.
By now, the undead pirates had reached the shore.
"Fortune favors the wicked!" Luther Harkon drew his cutlass and raised his musket, charging into the jungle. Behind him surged an endless tide of undead pirates. "We have new companions!"
Fugen was not to be outdone. He casually slung his golden power sword, "Glory," over his shoulder, striding out of the forest like a vacationing pirate tourist. The Primarch of the Emperor's Children unsheathed his sword and raised its tip slightly toward Luther Harkon. "Forward, soldiers!"
"For Fugen, for the Ash Legion!"
"Fire!!" The artillery regiment immediately opened fire. Dozens of Imperial heavy cannons, mortars, and dwarf cannons fired in unison. Shells crossed paths in the sky, landing among the enemy ranks, causing the beach to tremble with each explosion, scattering sand and rocks everywhere.
"Heh heh heh heh~ Hoo~ Hahaha~" Luther Harkon, still clueless about how the Lizardmen treasure and ancient stone tablet resonated, burst into laughter and stowed the items away. "Servants, let steel and gunpowder help us feel alive again! Forward!"
"Forward!" Thousands of undead pirates charged directly into the Ash Legion's ranks.
Leading the charge were the monstrous reanimated corpses, grotesque creations formed by combining the rotting bodies of ogres, sea monsters, and shipwreck debris. Luther Harkon had fused them together with magic, turning them into twisted abominations!
Dozens of these monstrous reanimated corpses charged at the Ash Legion. Fugen immediately ordered, "Musketeers, crossbowmen, archers, fire at those monsters!"
"Yes, sir!" The musketeers formed ranks, the crossbowmen adjusted their stances, and the archers aimed their bows skyward, unleashing a dense barrage of bullets and arrows at the monstrous corpses. Though their unarmored bodies were riddled with wounds, these creatures felt no pain and continued their charge toward the Ash Legion's front line.
"Pike formation!" Fugen commanded calmly, his voice cutting through the battlefield. The musketeers, like precision machines, retreated into the formation after their final volley. In the next moment, pikemen and spearmen advanced, forming a tight phalanx. Dozens of giant beasts were impaled by the pikes and spears, their movements hindered.
"Aim for the head!" came the next command. The musketeers and crossbowmen aimed at the heads of the monstrous corpses at close range, taking down several of them with well-placed shots.
"Greatswordsmen, flank them! Archers, cover them! Mortars, focus on the undead sailors! Heavy cannons, target the enemy's giant beasts!" Fugen issued orders with cold precision. "The undead pirates' muskets have short range and are slow to reload. Keep your distance!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers of the Ash Legion followed their commander's orders with seamless coordination. The battlefield moved like flowing water as the human army repelled the undead pirates' fierce assaults. The monstrous reanimated corpses, trapped within the phalanx of pikes and spears, struggled. Though they lashed out, sending pikemen flying or crushing them, more soldiers quickly filled the gaps. These creatures, in which Luther Harkon had placed high hopes, failed to break the Ash Legion's lines and instead found themselves in a dire situation.
Archers and crossbowmen rained arrows upon the advancing undead pirate gunners. The pirates, with their short-ranged muskets, tried to close the distance, but many were shot down before they could get close. After suffering hundreds of casualties, they still could not breach the enemy lines, leaving a pile of corpses behind.
The Ash Legion successfully lured the corrupted leviathans into a reckless charge. They soon found themselves isolated from the main undead forces. As the undead slowly advanced, the corrupted leviathans were subjected to a barrage of heavy cannon and dwarf cannon fire. Their thick hides were torn open, oozing green blood.
Despite this, some leviathans managed to reach the Ash Legion's lines. One giant claw swept several pikemen into the air, sending them flying. Amidst screams, the beast grabbed a soldier and swallowed him whole. With a powerful smash of its claw, it shattered an entire line of pikemen, leaving them in disarray.
The first defensive line had collapsed.
Meanwhile, the undead pirates, seemingly endless in number, gradually closed in on the formation.
"Deploy the winged cavalry." Fugen issued another command. Felix led the winged cavalry in a charge, striking the zombie pirate swordsmen from the flank. The wings on their backs fluttered beautifully in the wind as they leveled their lances. "For Sucabil! Winged cavalry, advance!"
The winged cavalry's charge swept through the zombie pirate swordsmen, buying time for the army to regroup.
The battle escalated rapidly. The Ash Legion's 30,000 troops stretched their line from the eastern to the western coast. The Gold Wizard, leading the Araby army, joined the fray, chanting a spell so powerful it tore the sky apart. The High Water Elemental Lord, summoned by his call, rose from the sea. The towering giant raised its massive fist, smashing two of the undead's carronades with a single blow.
"Behold the power of pure water!"
"Surging flood!" With a wave of the High Water Elemental Lord's hand, dozens of sea elementals were summoned. "The undead shall not be allowed to pollute the ocean!"
The terrifying battlefield was filled with the sight of human and undead armies locked in fierce combat.
"This is truly... art," said Julius, wielding a massive two-handed broadsword, as he fought on foot amidst the army. He slew any undead pirate that dared challenge him, but his efforts could only slow the enemy's advance temporarily. The undead pirates seemed to be endless in number.
"Damn it! Damn it! Only I, only I, can be the one and only Pirate King on the seas!" Luther Harkon, unfazed, gave the order. "Advance, full assault! That... thing... release it~ Haha~"
As more undead warships approached the shore, a new enemy appeared before the Ash Legion. These undead pirates wielded small cannons in both hands. Each of them had another pirate behind them carrying an ammo box. They formed a line and fired in unison. Waves of cannonballs rained down from the sky, blasting groups of Ash Legion soldiers into the air. Blood splattered everywhere, and limbs were scattered all over the battlefield.
Next came hundreds more pirate carronades. They were slowly set up along the shoreline, firing at the enemy in unison. The winged cavalry, engaged in skirmishes, became their targets. In a matter of seconds, more than fifty winged cavalrymen and hundreds of Ash Legion soldiers were blown to pieces under the crossfire.
Meanwhile, the slow-moving necromantic colossi had entered the battlefield. These towering monstrosities raised their weapons against the human soldiers. Some of the colossi's arms spewed torrents of flame, incinerating soldiers into struggling fireballs. Others wielded rotary cannons, firing shells that blasted any soldier who dared approach into the air.
Faced with such overwhelming firepower, the Ash Legion found themselves in a bitter struggle The artillery regiment struggled fiercely in a brutal exchange of cannon fire with the undead pirates, but the disparity in firepower was clear. The continuous barrage from the undead forces kept the human soldiers pinned down, unable to lift their heads.
"Heh heh~ Everyone who gets in my way must die!" Luther Harkon cackled maniacally. "Today is another great day for recruiting new members! Heh heh, I am destined to be, and will be, the only Pirate King!"
"Commander! Our firepower is vastly inferior to the enemy's. We've already lost two out of five artillery positions!" Fernando-Pirazzo shouted anxiously. "At this rate, we won't be able to hold out!"
"Hold the line!" Fugen focused intently on the battlefield. The first defensive line had already collapsed, and the second line was barely holding under the relentless undead bombardment. Fugen considered deploying his personal guard but quickly dismissed the idea—Luther Harkon had also kept his elite forces in reserve, surrounded by a fully armed guard wielding pikes and double-handed axes. If either side played all their cards too early, they would lose the ability to adapt later in the battle.
"Tell the soldiers to hold their ground," Fugen commanded, constantly adjusting his tactics. "Abandon the artillery duel with the vampires. Have the remaining cannons prioritize dense enemy formations and the giant beasts. Pull Felix and his winged cavalry back. Send two regiments of swordsmen to reinforce the front line. Have the musketeers, crossbowmen, and archers fall back—avoid close combat with those monstrous creatures!"
"Understood!" Pirazzo responded, relaying the orders.
The fierce battle on the beach continued.
"Fire the signal flare!" Fugen gave a second order. A bright signal flare shot into the sky.
"What is that?" Luther Harkon noticed the flare rising into the air.
The Vampire Pirate King's chaotic mind prevented him from thinking clearly. He muttered to himself, "Oh, Luther, you can handle this. You can solve it. You are the chosen one. You are the best. You are the master of the seas."
Before he could finish, Luther Harkon sensed something amiss. The tropical rainforest was suddenly filled with startled birds. Deep within the jungle, in the sky above, something—many things—were flapping their wings, rapidly approaching!
Hundreds of shadows appeared on the horizon above the tropical forest, so numerous that they blocked out the sun.
"What is that?"
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