Half an hour later, near the Zerg Hive.
“After thirty minutes of combat, losses were nearly 200, with over 400 injured, while nearly 700 magic beasts were killed.”
Both the zerglings and the relatively fewer hydralisks had performed exceptionally well.
The hydralisks, in particular, dealt massive damage to the primarily melee oriented leopards and grey wolves with their long range attacks from the rear.
As for the fire magic wielded by the grey wolves, it was indeed powerful and caused significant casualties among the zerglings, but the creatures soon exhausted their elemental energy and were left depleted.
“Among the enemies, Tier 2 magic beasts account for one third, Tier 3 for one half, and the remainder are essentially Tier 4. In terms of strength, the leopards have the highest proportion of Tier 4 beasts, while the grey wolves possess the advantage in numbers.”
The efficiency of the brain bug in statistical reporting was instantaneous. The entire Zerg swarm functioned like a massive computer, with all units capable of real time communication.
The retreat had been ordered because Xia Jin realized that the number of reinforcements sent to the front was still slightly insufficient. This had left the zerglings’ flanks vulnerable to being bypassed by the wolf pack, which would have threatened the safety of the hydralisks.
Despite being Tier 4, hydralisks were not particularly strong in melee combat; their true value lay in their ranged capabilities.
Following the command to withdraw, the pressure on the magic beast horde suddenly eased. Facing the zerglings that were retreating in waves, the beasts chose not to pursue. Instead, under the orders of their two lords, they all pulled back several kilometers.
The two sides fell into a tense standoff.
...
Meanwhile, the Leopard King and the Wolf King quickly tallied their own losses.
The results left them feeling deeply unsettled.
“The melee strength of these monsters is formidable, but what is even more terrifying are those attacking with acid from a distance. That took a heavy toll on everyone.”
After speaking, the Leopard King glanced at the Wolf King crouching nearby and shook its head. “We cannot waste any more time. Why don’t you go contact the cat demons? If I were to go, we would surely start fighting before we even met.”
The Wolf King remained silent for a moment before standing up. “I will send a subordinate. I am needed here to command. The enemy has not given up, and your territory might still be at risk of falling.”
The primary source of anxiety for the two magic beast lords was their lack of knowledge regarding the Zerg’s true numbers.
The forest was filled with massive trees everywhere.
Although the area where the two sides had clashed was unusually sparse in vegetation, they still could not observe the specific situation of the swarm.
Furthermore, they knew nothing about the opposing lord.
Judging by the Tier 3 and Tier 4 magic beasts present, that lord’s strength likely did not exceed Tier 6, meaning they were roughly on par with the Leopard King.
However...
What truly confused them was how these insects were so utterly fearless.
Even among the magic beasts serving under the mythic kings, they had never heard of such morale.
The truce between the two sides lasted for a brief two hours.
Xia Jin redirected 500 more zerglings and 100 hydralisks from other exploration routes, bolstering her forces to a point where it would be difficult for the enemy to flank them.
She even considered launching a surprise attack on their flank and rear.
However, she discovered that these magic beasts were not as foolish as she had imagined.
The grey wolves had actually dispatched specialized scouts to stay alert for any sneak attacks from the zerglings.
“No wonder humans have never dared to act recklessly against the Border Forest. They really are strong.”
Xia Jin couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
Individual strength was limited, and the brain bug still lacked experience in ground warfare strategy; its primary ability was the precise control of the insects.
Therefore, regarding the strategy against the magic beasts, she sought out several of her knights and the recently idle soldiers.
Twenty people were quickly gathered near the main hive.
Each person took a chair and sat around a large circular table—one that had been looted from the city lord’s manor in the City of Darkness.
Xia Jin sat at the head of the table and pushed a map, which had been fairly well drawn by the brain bug using information from the zerglings, in front of everyone.
It marked the current troop deployments and the state of the battle.
“As you can see, the northeast is primarily held by grey wolves, and the northwest by leopards. The enemy’s numbers are likely slightly greater than ours. While we could win through a direct assault, I hope you can help me find a way to minimize our losses.”
The warriors looked at one another.
Heaven was their witness; they were truly out of their depth when it came to the kind of problems usually discussed by high ranking officers.
Even as members of the Imperial Guard, they were unqualified, being among those who had been weeded out.
The knight commander glanced at the strategic map, which was marked quite clearly.
“I apologize, Princess, but I do not know much about tactics.”
Ellie also wore a look that said she was incapable.
However, after a silence that lasted thirty seconds, she spoke up. “There seem to be two earthen slopes nearby. If we can lure the enemy in and then occupy the high ground on both sides for long range attacks...”
Reaching that point, she closed her mouth.
Even a pig could have come up with this tactic.
“Then let’s do that. I think it’s feasible,” Xia Jin sighed.
It was indeed the only usable terrain. The slopes on the map were not actually low in reality. If the magic beast horde were truly lured into the middle and the hydralisks attacked, the beasts would have to charge up slopes dozens of meters high to reach the insects.
But across those dozens of meters, her side could also have the zerglings launch a counter charge.
The advantage of terrain was not to be underestimated.
“As expected, I should just treat it like playing a game.”
In certain aspects, games and reality shared commonalities. The Zerg’s real time communication made the entire battle simpler than clicking a mouse, so a little bit of inspiration could sometimes yield unexpected results.
Rate on N.U.
