*
Riverlands, High Heart
On the not-so-wide road from Harrenhal to High Heart, the troops led by Jon were advancing toward Robb and the others' position.
The sky was gradually clearing, and the mist formed by water vapor made the road appear somewhat hazy.
The army Jon brought consisted of cavalry, light infantry, and logistics personnel; they maintained a consistent speed and rested periodically to ensure they could engage in battle immediately upon arrival at their destination.
At the very front of the column was Jon, clad in black armor and a red cloak. This time, he had directly summoned the Drakon squad; as these massive creatures marched at the front, they kicked up clouds of dust.
Behind the Drakon squad was a well-equipped cavalry unit. They wore iron armor and held spears, with the dragonwolf sigil banners fluttering and snapping in the wind. The soldiers were on high alert, ready to face any potential enemies.
In addition to the light infantry legion Jon had previously formed, there was a powerful archer unit at the rear, consisting of longbowmen and crossbowmen. Once the light infantry phalanx was deployed, they would deal massive damage to the enemy.
At the very back of the army was a newly established logistics unit, with bulls and tall Northern horses pulling massive wagons.
These were loaded with provisions, weapons, and medical supplies to ensure the living and combat needs of the frontline warriors were met.
Though they did not charge on the front lines, their hard work was the key to the army's sustained combat capability. On several wagons, the priests of the medical team watched the front with some nervousness.
Under Jon's leadership, the army marched in an orderly fashion, with dust flying and banners fluttering along the way.
They were about an hour's journey from the high hill of High Heart. Jon had dispatched animals early on to prevent the enemy from surrounding a point to strike at reinforcements.
Jon did this before every battle, and it was precisely because of this long-standing habit that enemies were unable to succeed in ambushing him.
"Eh…"
Just then, Jon, who had been riding a Drakon, was suddenly attracted by something. Under his control, a large group of animals quickly appeared in the area where a problem had arisen.
It was a forest on the outskirts of High Heart. The reason Jon noticed it was entirely because there were no animals in this forest.
Under Jon's command, the Golden Eagle soared in the sky, gradually approaching that mysterious place.
As the distance closed, Jon clearly saw those cloaked humanoid creatures through the Golden Eagle's keen vision.
These beings, similar to humans, wore heavy cloaks. From their silhouettes, one could barely judge that they seemed to be human. Their purpose for doing this might be to hide their true faces or perhaps to better blend into this mysterious forest.
They held items similar to magic staves in their hands. Although the Golden Eagle's vision lacked color, its long association with Jon allowed it to keenly perceive the powerful energy contained within the staves.
With the appearance of other animals, Jon gradually uncovered what was happening inside the forest.
Deep in the forest, these humanoids were busily manipulating their magic staves. Under their control, zombies slowly emerged from a special halo of light.
These halos seemed to be portals connecting to another world, and the zombies were being summoned from that world.
Since he wasn't on the scene, Jon couldn't determine exactly which dimension the world behind those halos belonged to.
Besides zombies, Jon saw many monsters he was very familiar with—so familiar that he had even summoned similar monsters some time ago.
After being summoned, the Giant Poison Spiders excitedly wiggled their antennae. Their bodies were massive, with eight long legs stabbing into the ground like spears, and poisonous slime occasionally dripped from their claws.
The Centaurs stood in the clearing like knights. Their upper bodies were muscular, hairy human forms, while their lower bodies were those of steeds. Holding spears, they looked majestic.
The Mo Sha Hounds were snarling at each other. Their eyes were fierce and their fangs bared, as if ready to pounce on prey at any moment.
Under the manipulation of these humanoid monsters, the Skeleton Soldiers were like rows of soldiers being inspected. Their bones gleamed eerily in the sunlight as they held rusty weapons.
What surprised Jon the most was that he actually saw several tall Cyclops. These terrifying monsters, about four meters tall, were favorites of Jon's due to their immense strength. In several past battles, Jon had specifically summoned them.
"Prepare for battle!"
With Jon's command, the soldiers, who had been advancing steadily, all came to a halt.
Then, under the control of Jon's System-class soldiers, they quickly adjusted their formation. Cavalry dispersed to the flanks, while the center was led by a light infantry phalanx, with long-range units and logistics troops primarily in the middle.
Although there were only about ten thousand troops here, they were all elite soldiers strictly selected and trained by Jon, each possessing excellent combat abilities and rich battlefield experience.
The most important point was that the officers among these soldiers were Jon's elite System-class soldiers. They were under Jon's unified leadership, and many commands could be sent directly into their minds.
After more than ten minutes of formation changes, a massive phalanx appeared directly on the road. Under Jon's command, the troops began to move slowly.
Jon was currently riding a Drakon at the rear of the army. As he gave the order, the troops began to advance toward the forest ahead.
The soldiers stood closely together, forming an indestructible line of defense. Their eyes revealed an unyielding will, as if telling the enemy that no matter what difficulties or challenges they faced, they would hold their ground and never retreat.
"Hiss…"
"Roar…"
…As the troops drew closer, those fellows in the forest seemed to have discovered Jon's situation. Then, upon receiving orders, the monsters charged straight out of the forest.
As the enemy approached, the soldiers under Jon's command subconsciously tightened their grip on their weapons, waiting for his order.
"Ready!"
"Fire!"
Under Jon's command, the heralds directly passed down the order to fire. Then, arrows like a torrential rain shot out from the center of the phalanx.
"Hiss…"
"Roar…"
The first wave of charging monsters, upon suffering this terrifying attack, was instantly hit as if by a heavy punch.
Those fastest-charging Mo Sha Hounds were directly shot through, and the Centaurs following closely behind were also mowed down in large numbers.
"Prepare for contact!"
"Spear formation, ready!"
"Fire at will!"
Following these three orders, the shield-bearing soldiers in front raised their shields like interlocking tiles.
The pikemen behind them extended sharp spears from behind the shields.
The archers and crossbowmen at the back began continuous firing. Their range calculations were very precise, forming an attack net exactly twenty meters in front of the shield-bearers.
"Wuwu…"
"Bang bang…"
With the appearance of strange roars, the soldiers' breathing became rapid.
As continuous impacts occurred, the soldiers finally realized the enemy was close; many shield-bearers could even smell the disgusting stench emanating from those terrifying creatures.
"Prepare to charge!"
Jon, who had been observing the battlefield situation through animals, decisively ordered a charge after seeing the enemy's final zombies and Skeleton Soldiers.
These fellows had no idea what they were about to face, and today Jon would teach them what real combat was.
"Roar roar…"
At Jon's signal, the terrifying Drakon beneath him let out an excited roar, and following Jon's movements, the other Drakons in the squad also roared.
"Roar roar…"
Under Jon's lead, the Drakons began their move. With all four claws moving, dust flew up on the road, as if an earthquake were occurring.
The humanoids manipulating the zombies and Skeleton Soldiers were startled upon seeing this.
However, they quickly reacted; they still had monsters in their hands, and these monsters were their greatest reliance.
At this moment, they still hadn't realized how they had been exposed. Hiding in the forest and protected by a large group of monsters, they thought they hadn't been discovered and that the enemy was just marching normally.
Under their operation, the zombies let out terrifying howls, attempting to scare off the Drakons' charge, but unfortunately, their thinking was too simple.
These were mutants created by Naegor, made by simulating System-class powers. Because they consumed a lot of energy, their intelligence was not as high as Sonia and the others.
The orders they had received were to summon monsters to destroy the enemy, so during this time, they would only continuously summon and fight, rather than using tactics or thinking about the course of the battle.
This gave Jon many opportunities. The reason he had used the infantry phalanx to withstand the first wave of attacks was to test whether the enemy would use these monsters.
Now, with the appearance of the Drakons and the enemy's reaction, Jon finally understood the enemy's measure.
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