Thorin, seeing Radahn issue the command so decisively, and Ogha and Freya just as decisively heading directly to the Red Lion Knight's encampment, asked in surprise, "Are we departing so soon?"
Radahn looked at the dwarf and retorted, not understanding, "I have arrived, and the enemy is occupying a key position there. If we don't depart now, should we wait for their general named 'Azog' to reinforce his defenses?"
Thorin quickly shook his head: "That's not what I meant. It's just that my father Thráin and the army he leads haven't arrived yet. We originally planned to wait until both of your armies had fully assembled before launching an attack on Azog."
Radahn calmly stated, "That should be the case, but the original plan shouldn't have included the Goblin factor. Plans can never keep up with changes. Moreover, if Ravenhill is truly as you say, able to overlook the entire battlefield, then it's even more crucial not to let it be occupied by the enemy. Imagine, if Thráin's army passes through the Misty Mountains and is then directly exposed to the enemy at Ravenhill, what would the enemy named 'Azog' do?"
Thorin fell silent. Dain let out a laugh to lighten the mood, patting Thorin's back: "He's right, Thorin. And speed is of the essence. Before those Goblins completely crawl into every sewer in Dale, we need to seize that place."
Thorin nodded: "Alright, you've convinced me, then..."
Just then, another commotion came from outside Lake-town. Then Gloin ran breathlessly to Arthur and his companions, looking up first in amazement at how Thorin and the others had flown into the air, then shouting loudly: "Thorin! Another group of War Ram Knightss has arrived outside Lake-town! We know the dwarf leading them; he's one of the dwarf lords who previously refused you. He says he's here to support Dain on your father's orders."
Thorin and Dain exchanged glances, then Thorin shouted to Gloin: "He's just in time. Give him an hour to rest, then he'll join us in attacking Dale."
...
Radahn rode his beloved horse across the cold ground of the wilderness, each hoofprint spreading dark purple gravitational ripples.
A hundred-man detachment of the Red Lion Legion lined up behind him, the soldiers' armor making a uniform, low sound as they moved.
When Radahn arrived at Ravenhill with Ogha, Freya, and the hundred-man detachment, Ravenhill's cliffs were faintly visible in the mist.
As they gradually approached Ravenhill, the mountain path became steeper, and the surrounding landscape grew desolate.
Goblins were occupying the abandoned fortress on Ravenhill, turning it into a filthy Goblin lair.
The watchtowers carved into the cliffs were hung with unknown animal hides and bones, and everywhere was filled with a pungent smell of urine. The narrow mountain path was barricaded with roadblocks made of beast skulls, and the gaps were stuffed with rotting fish entrails, the buzzing of flies comparable to war drums.
In these past few days, the Goblins, with their eating, drinking, and defecating, had utterly destroyed the ecological environment near Ravenhill.
The Goblins moved through the walkways of the Ravenhill fortress, and they also discovered the army led by Radahn.
Ravenhill Mountain was now full of Goblin-dug holes and tunnels, and a green-skinned wave of Goblins was wriggling up the mountain path. If they were given a few more days, the internal terrain of Ravenhill would likely become even more complex.
Of course, the Goblins needed to consider how they would find food once they had consumed all the living creatures nearby.
Clearly, Azog had no intention of helping the Goblins with their food and drink problems, as he intended them to be cannon fodder.
Radahn stopped, suspended in the air, looking down at the land.
His voice was short and powerful as he said, "Ogha, Freya, prepare for battle."
The two individuals named by Radahn responded simultaneously. Then Freya looked at Ogha and said in a relaxed tone, "The first arrow is yours to fire."
Ogha nodded silently, the heavy boots of the Red Lion Knight crushing the snow on the ground.
As Ogha unslung the great bow from his back, which was taller than a dwarf, three Goblins poked their heads out from a crevice in the rock.
Then Ogha drew his great bow to its full extent and let out a roar.
The tremor of the bowstring was like a lion's roar, and the gravitational vortex wrapped around the arrowheads twisted the air into a spiral channel. A rain of gravity arrows spread like a waterfall towards the mountain path of Ravenhill.
The first arrow collapsed into a black hole the instant it touched the rock wall. The Goblins near the arrow were ripped from the ground, their green-skinned bodies exploding into a fireworks of flesh and blood in the air.
The second arrow pierced through several layers of crudely made wooden fences before embedding itself in a cave. Gravitational ripples spread along the arrow shaft, and the surrounding cliff face peeled away like brittle biscuits. The cave collapsed, burying the Goblins hidden inside alive.
When the survivors scurried out from a side rat-path, Ogha's last arrow arrived as promised. Gravity magic bound these survivors tightly to the filthy ground, then imprinted them into a bloody bas-relief amidst their screams.
The mountain path leading up Ravenhill was cleared by Ogha. Freya held a greatsword in her hand that was a size smaller than Radahn's but of similar design, its blade adorned with lion's mane to mimic her master, General Radahn.
She raised her right hand, pointed towards Ravenhill, and shouted to the Lataan Soldiers behind her: "Scions of the Redmane! Crush their spines with your war boots! Cleanse their putridity with fire! Let these maggots from the earth know who the true master of Ravenhill is!"
A hundred pairs of war boots stomped the ground simultaneously, responding to Freya's cry.
The Lataan Soldiers, holding their longswords, raised their brass shields and charged forward, following behind Freya.
Freya stepped on the corpses of the Goblins killed by Ogha, practically using herself as a weapon to smash her way into Ravenhill.
The surrounding Goblins emitted piercing chirps, pouring out from several tunnels in front, from protruding rocks above, either brandishing rusty short blades or drawing short bows to aim poisoned arrows at the joint connections of Freya's armor.
"For the General's glory!"
Freya, with her female body, unleashed a roar no weaker than Ogha's earlier. The Lion Greatsword in her hand suddenly slammed onto the mountain path, creating a gash in it. Then, using her greatsword as a pivot, Freya swung her body and the greatsword in a circle, cleaving several Goblins charging at her in front into two, the greatsword again striking the mountain path to create new cuts.
The Goblins behind continued to surge towards Freya. They wanted to take advantage of the moment when the female warrior was in mid-air, her old strength spent and new strength not yet born, to overwhelm her beneath their own bodies and those of their comrades, and to stab their short knives into the places on her not protected by armor.
But what the Goblins didn't expect was the unknown strength in Freya's greatsword. This time, she even spun and slashed twice consecutively in the air, cutting down all the Goblins charging at her from the front.
Battle Skill: Valiant Lion Slash
This is a Battle Skill used by particularly valiant warriors among the Redmane, allowing them to perform two consecutive Lion Slashes forward.
Freya being able to become Radahn's Royal Knight meant such Battle Skills were naturally not an issue for her.
"Whoosh—!"
Ogha's arrow once again came with a whistling sound; although he didn't use the gravity arrow rain from earlier, the arrow was still imbued with purple gravity magic, causing the Goblins who tried to shoot poison arrows at Freya to stumble.
Eventually, the arrow, its gravity magic dissipated, pierced through a Goblin's head, pinning it to the rock wall.
The narrow mountain path was single-handedly breached by Freya, who formed an army of one, breaking through the Goblins' defenses and reaching the wider fortress platform.
The number of Goblins here was even greater than on the mountain path, and a pungent, foul odor emanated from their bodies, which were covered in measles and pox, a smell so thick it was almost suffocating.
Freya raised her hand and, with a single strike, cut down all five Goblins charging to block the mountain path entrance, and Lataan Soldiers, seizing the opportunity, filed out from behind Freya.
The Lataan Soldiers in the front row held King's Army Straight Swords, while their other hands raised brass shields to form a shield wall in front of them, occasionally moving to block Goblin arrows flying from the front or sides.
Then, in groups of three, they charged into the Goblins' flank on the platform in a triangular formation, making space for the Lataan Soldiers with spears behind them.
Ogha, meanwhile, led the few Lataan Soldiers still on the mountain path behind, using bows and crossbows to continuously fire with precise archery, supporting their comrades at the front.
On this fortress platform, the grayish-green Goblins were gradually being forced back by the fiery-red Lataan Soldiers, their numbers continuously decreasing.
When all the sword and shield bearers and spearmen had ascended the fortress platform and converged, the front-row soldiers were replaced by the shield soldiers wielding tower shields as tall as a man, and then they began to push forward, the spiked side facing the Goblins, forcing them back.
At the same time, the spearmen in the second row thrust through the gaps in the shields, their cold, sharp spearheads tearing the Goblins into pieces.
"—!"
The Goblins began to grow agitated and angry, letting out sharp cries to summon more of their kin from above to help, attempting to overwhelm Freya and Ogha's formation with sheer numbers.
Ogha, at the rear of the squad, coldly watched the Goblins crawling from the fortress walls above or the rock walls below, and emotionlessly issued an order to the Lataan Soldiers he led: "Prepare the fire pots."
"Redmane Fire Pots ready!"
A Lataan Soldier behind Ogha let out a loud shout, alerting Freya and her soldiers in front.
"Stop!"
Freya immediately issued an order to the shield soldiers and spearmen in the front row, and the soldiers immediately halted.
The Goblins thought the Lataan Soldiers were scared by their overwhelming numbers, and they let out those sharp, piercing cries again, jeering as they charged towards the Lataan Soldiers.
Then they saw one burning red-flamed porcelain pot after another being thrown from behind the shields, arcing through the air with sulfurous trails, falling precisely onto their positions.
The fire pots hurled by the Lataan Soldiers in the rear burst upon impact, their fiery-red casings shattering, and crimson pillars of fire exploded like an angry spiderweb.
Sticky fiery paste splattered onto the Goblins, instantly corroding through their cloth and sizzling bloody holes into their grayish-green skin.
One Goblin frantically slapped at the flames on its shoulder, only to get its palm covered in fire, and its entire arm carbonized into a charred, withered branch within three heartbeats.
A small mushroom-shaped smoke cloud rose from the center of the Redmane Fire Pot's fire wave, the shockwave knocking over all Goblins within five paces, while the prepared Lataan Soldiers easily withstood the impact.
The Goblins not directly hit by the Redmane Fire Pots fared even worse; the splashing flames adhered to the rock wall like gel, burning continuously and turning this fortress platform into a molten corridor.
Fleeing Goblins stepped on these flowing flames, and smoke instantly rose from their ankles, their flesh peeling off in strips as they ran, exposing bones oozing with grease.
When the last scream was swallowed by the flames, the Goblins' charred corpses were almost indistinguishable from the mountain rock.
Their bodies curled up in the flames, the high temperature of the fire pots even directly carbonizing some of the Goblins' limbs, and a pungent, burnt smell permeated the air, also making the surrounding temperature scorching.
The Goblins killed by the Redmane Fire Pots were not too many for the entire Ravenhill, but the tragic state of their comrades began to instill fear in these Goblins who had been misled by Azog.
"Continue advancing!"
As the flames only slightly dwindled, Freya's commanding voice rang in the Goblins' ears like the executioner's sharp blade hanging over their heads.
The shield soldiers in the front row, holding their tower shields, pushed the charred corpses aside, clearing a path for the soldiers behind to continue advancing towards the highest point of Ravenhill.
The Goblins screamed and scrambled up to the higher fortress platform, where there were interconnected passages, and they had laid many traps there in recent days.
They instinctively wanted to use these passages to ambush Freya and Ogha, because in the passages, these humans should not easily use the flame-emitting projectiles they had just used.
When Freya and Ogha led the Lataan Soldiers up to the higher platform, two diverging paths appeared before them.
"I choose this one." Freya pointed to the right fork, then led the soldiers directly into the interior of the fortress at the end of the fork.
Ogha said nothing more, silently leading the remaining soldiers down the left fork, which ended at a partially collapsed brick and tile arrow tower.
In the face of an absolute disparity in strength, the Goblins' ambush had no effect at all, even turning into a slaughter competition on the mountainside as Ogha and Freya led their respective soldiers.
When the last three hundred Goblins retreated into the ruins of the fortress at the top of Ravenhill, Radahn, who had been observing the battle, finally drew his Starscourge Greatsword.
The tip of the Starscourge Greatsword lightly touched the void, and the direction of gravity across the entire Ravenhill suddenly flipped one hundred eighty degrees.
Freya and Ogha were protected by the General's exquisite gravity magic and remained unaffected, but the Goblins screamed as they fell from the vertical rock wall, only to be crushed into blood splatters by the restored gravitational field the moment they hit the ground.
And General Radahn's metallic sound of sheathing his sword at this moment perfectly marked the end of this massacre.
At noon, Ogha planted the Erdtree banner into the dilapidated watchtower of the Ravenhill fortress, while Freya planted General Radahn's Redmane battle flag next to the Erdtree banner.
Ogha looked at Freya and said curtly, "Tell those Dwarves that every stone of Ravenhill is steeped in the fire of the Redmane."
Freya looked at Radahn, who was using gravity magic to reshape the terrain of Ravenhill altered by the battle, and said, "Not only that, the whole world should remember today, General Radahn's and the Red Lions' first battle."