At that very moment, a series of explosions suddenly erupted near the high ranking gnolls.
Banelings!
The terrifying power of the blasts spread alongside a green toxic mist. In an instant, most of the Tier 4 and Tier 5 gnolls were heavily wounded.
Although the Tier 6 gnolls withstood the initial shockwave, they could only hold out for a short while. To ensure their survival, they were forced to retreat from the area; otherwise, they would lose their combat effectiveness within a minute.
But how could the zerglings give them a chance to escape?
They swarmed in from all directions with a reckless disregard for their own lives, using their bodies to delay the powerful gnolls and pinning them down within the mist. Working in tandem with the hydralisks' venom, they slowly wore the unfortunate creatures down to their deaths.
Xia Jin quickly mobilized more zerglings toward the right flank, preparing to encircle the gnolls organizing there.
At this point, Amelo noticed the dazed lords and let out a deliberate cold snort. "Her Highness has already taken action. It wouldn't look good for you all to just stand there and watch, would it?"
"My apologies. I was simply shaken by the Zerg's might," Count Hai said, wiping away a cold sweat.
Providing a bit of support was one thing, but the significance behind this battle was that the Princess needed the support of these border lords.
Now, faced with a young woman who commanded such monsters, did they even have the room to refuse?
It seemed a rebellion against the entire kingdom was truly about to begin.
An exiled princess, returning with a mysterious legion of monsters to reclaim her status and power.
Although she was strong, if one thought about it carefully, her return wasn't exactly legitimate.
Because the Zerg would naturally be seen as magic beasts, using them to turn around and attack fellow humans could, at its worst, be viewed as a betrayal of the human world.
While these thoughts crossed his mind, Xia Jin's gaze drifted over to him.
Count Hai took a deep breath and said to a knight behind him, "Order the main force to attack."
"Yes, sir!"
The battlefield was vast, and organized groups of gnolls were already preparing to approach from other directions.
Xia Jin's tens of thousands of Zerg would certainly not be enough on their own.
Count Hai felt he couldn't hold anything back this time. He needed to display enough strength to earn the Princess's approval.
Since he had decided to stand in her camp, it would be impossible to secure a higher position without showing sincerity.
He didn't want Amelo to hog all the limelight.
After all...
Setting aside all other factors, Her Highness was truly too beautiful.
Such beauty was enough to shatter a person's perceptions. As nobles, they had encountered many beautiful women, but after seeing Xia Jin, all other women seemed to lose their charm.
To put it bluntly, his aesthetic threshold had been raised.
As the order was passed down, a large group of warriors clad in grey armor advanced toward the southeast.
These were Count Hai's men, totaling 18,000—the largest force among all the lords.
From this perspective, he was indeed quite "generous."
However, the primary task of these human warriors was to deal with enemies coming from weaker directions.
The main assault was still led by Xia Jin's Zerg.
"Brothers, this battle is not just to protect our homes, but also for our Princess! Everyone, charge with me!"
The leading knight commander let out a thunderous shout, and 600 cavalrymen on the flank followed him into the charge.
Warhorses carried the brave warriors toward the enemy like a tsunami. The remaining infantry began to disperse and form phalanxes, using long formations to plug several gaps.
Archers lit their fire arrows and began shooting at the gnolls.
What surprised Xia Jin was that the flaming arrows easily ignited the gnolls' fur, producing excellent results.
In addition to these units, squads of soldiers at the rear of Count Hai's army took their positions, setting the massive catapults into a ready state.
Whoosh—
A giant boulder flew out, crashing into the distant enemy.
Following that first shot, the rest were launched in succession.
Bang! Bang!
The enemy was completely unable to withstand such impact. The gnolls who had attempted a surprise attack from this direction were held firmly at bay by the shield warriors. Combined with the unfavorable terrain, this created the perfect conditions for the long range units in the rear.
Seeing that Count Hai was sparing no effort, the other nobles were forced to dispatch their troops as well.
A total of 40,000 fresh human troops joined the fray, instantly putting immense pressure on the gnolls' defensive line.
In truth, in terms of average quality, the lords' armies were not weaker than the enemy.
The gnolls' primary advantage lay in their sheer numbers.
Once they failed to form an advantage in a localized area of the battlefield, they were easily crushed by the human legions.
Naturally, when facing the swarm, this gap was further magnified.
Xia Jin observed the battle; the enemy's resistance was becoming increasingly fierce.
Between the sprawling clusters of tents, the swarms of gnolls looked like countless ants, enough to make one's skin crawl.
"Have the lurkers move into position for an ambush," she ordered Brain Bug No. 1.
Rate on N.U.
