Cohen of the Rebellion Volume 5 Chapter 8

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Translated by Tianic, Edited by CrimsonZair
Note: Please clic.k on the character name for their illustrations.
Characters in this chapter:
Human LeagueCohen Kheda: The main character.Marfa, Jack, Wilder, Moya: Cohen's childhood friends and firm supports.Fischer Summers: Cohen's friend and the prince of the Swabia Empire.Martin Luther: Cohen's Dark Army commander.Tyrant Pauley: A Portaria (Porta: One of the Protoss-Allied empires) commanding general. He was self-important, arrogant, but in reality, a sucker. He was later beheaded due to a shameful failure.
Beast LeagueVol'Kez: A creature with its whole body shaped in a giant eye, others body parts have degenerated.Hellhound: A fierce dog-like creature.Warwick: A wolf-like creature with two heads.Volibear: A bear-like creature much larger and more violent.Kha’Zix: A mantis-shaped (mantis as the insect, not the alien girl from Guardians of the Galaxy) magic creature, fiercest of all.
“Volibear?”
"That's right! A kind of creature that's high in lethality and low in mobility." Martin Luther said, "They’re usually not too many, but boy, they do last long."
The circumstances left me no time to make a comment; The second mass assault from the beasts was here. Blocks of wolves howled and rushed toward us at a much faster speed.
Warwick was merely a name to describe a two-headed wolf. Actually, there were some warwicks with more than two heads. They looked stronger than the hellhounds. Their gaping maws were widely open, fangs and bloody tongues revealed, disgusting liquid drooled from their mouths.
How distasteful!
Swarms of arrows were released.
The warwicks were exceptionally fast and endurance, my archers scored a lower point than the last beast attack.
Some of the wolves were able to continue running after they were shot, and few of them dodged the arrows successfully.
"Get 500 vanguards to prepare for combat, put away your bows!" I estimated the number of the wolves that passed and advanced toward us and noticed a dozen volibears that came following, "Rear soldiers keep shooting the wolves! Elves single in on the bears! Warlocks prepare to support!"
"Heads up!" Martin Luther said, "Tell Wilder to keep an eye on the Portaria zone, there might be beasts escaping from their side."
"Naughty old man!" I laughed.
"Be serious." Martin Luther said, "Beasts are approaching!"
Several hundred warwicks came running closer as we were able to see their rolling eyes and pale gleaming fangs. There was black liquid leaking from the side of their mouths. They did look fierce as if we owed them an enormous sum of money.
Among the warlock matrix came a canopy of chanting then orbs of fire were created and flew toward the wolves in beautiful arcs. What was more was that some elite elf wizards released firewalls in front of my soldiers.
Those were not the kind of ordinary flames based on burning oil. The spell-powered flames made the front soldiers retreat for a few steps, but the wolves had it much worse; They were burnt into stinking masses of charcoal.
"Grandpa, hold your position!" I was eager to fight, "I'll check it out!"
"Might as well." Martin Luther said, "Be careful!"
I jumped off my horseback and dashed to the frontline. I found a shield, raised my Machete and roared, "FIGHT!”
Five hundred soldiers roared with me and closed up our distance with the leftover wolves. We were all equipped with a shield in our left hand and a chopper in our right.
My mages stopped casting aggressive spells instead, they started to enchant us with all kinds of buff magic: Ice Shield, Flammable Armor, Sainted Barrier… making our bodies shine and glimmer from the different magics.
With a slash of my Machete I killed a warwick then I kicked away another. Followed up by rushing to the third tri-headed warwick. This one seemed to be a commander sort. It was barking when other wolves initiated the attacks.
I chopped off one of its heads. Due to the flame spell on my blade, the damage produced by flames caused the head to spasm uncontrollably. It was some sort of a badass beast as it was able to bite my magic-coated blade with its second head. Even with its mouth sizzling, in the middle of being roasted, it would not let go! Preparing to attack the third head opened its bloody mouth right above my head.
"Fuck!" I cursed then waved my left arm to cut off its third head by the sharp edge of my shield. I stabilized the Machete in my right hand and sent more pure magic power into the blade, making the flames on it even intense, enlarging them. The suddenly enlarged flame immediately swallowed its entire body.
"GO TO HELL!" I shouted and raised my Machete and swung it in a circular motion with the warwick still attached, then smashed downwards driving the wolf’s body into the earth.This beast was crushed into pieces. Judging from the scene, it did not stand a chance to be reassembled.
We have cleared out our side of the battlefield. So I took some leisure to watch how the other two armies were doing.
The Portaria heavy armored knights, covered in their thick outfits, have initiated another round of counterattack. They were having a rough time now, warwicks were not to be trifled with. Their sharp teeth and claws were able to pierce anything that was not covered by armor. They could do nothing to the knights, but their horses were not fairing the same.
I watched those horses limp pitifully. The horses were hit on their bare legs.
As for the female Rivalzian commander, the one who hit me. The soldiers under her command were doing great defending the line. she took some of her men to attack both of the lines fronts.The soldiers swung their heavy swords and speedily advanced. Our wolf opponents did not stand a chance. The female commander ordered her soldiers to split the breasts into small groups then slaughter respectively. She had careful tactics, decisive strategy and skillful combat knowledge, which all have impressed me.
The human league had archers' support, so many beasts could not make it to the defensive lines. However, the situation changed after the volibears joined the battle.
More volibears and warwick hordes were approaching rapidly. The bears bent down to utilize all of their four legs to accelerate.
I was astonished to find out that Grandpa Luther's 'low in movement' comment was comparably relative. These bears were not slow at all! As their plump bodies approaching, I could even see their misty breath.
Besides some of the giant creatures that were shot in the eyes and fell belly up, the volibears did not suffer too many losses. On the other hand, my elf archers were facing more enemies and started to fall short.
The dungeon wouldn't stop puking beasts. I came to understand that these bastards have been holding up grudges for nearly twenty years. They were waiting for today to win!
"Elves and wingmen take off. Prepare to support." Since there were no airborne beasts, I gestured to Wilder, "The rest soldiers, mount up! Keep an eye on the shrine side for immediate assistance!"
Wilder made a 'roger' gesture while giving back Martin Luther's 'be careful' gesture.
Awesome, right? This was a unique way to communicate that circulated only within the Dark Army. My officers were able to exchange information with several dozens of gestures, which was extremely handy at a seeable distance.
I would rather not see my soldiers yell out the orders. That way will lose my operation privacy, and look stupid.
My mages and archers did their best to prevent the beasts from advancing, the volibears roared with bodies full of arrows and flames. They were inches away now!
If a volibear stood up, it will be at least a head taller than human beings. I bet they must be eager to tear us apart and stamp to crush us into meat paste. Anyway, as of now, they were preparing their vigorous and light-shining claws and the fangs in the mouths were ready to bite.
Martin Luther specially instructed our mages to enchant the soldiers with a peculiar spell aside from other protective magic: Brutality!
I have read from the Elf Note to see where this particular spell came from. The elves were delicate and weak for generations, which had held them at a disadvantage for certain times. Thus this Brutality spell was created by an exceptionally lovely Elf Chief, functioning in empowering bodily strength and combat skill.
It was a series of spells instead of a single one. The outcome of Brutality will increase the human power from double to 20 times stronger according to the caster's magical level.
Compared to which, my warlocks were capable enough to empower us 7~8 times of our normal strength!
It was the first time I was enchanted with such a buff. I could immediately feel an unknown power from the dark. My body was agitated with power flows that made me want to move, fight and roar!
A volibear faced me with its massive palm slashing downwards and landed heavily on my shield, causing the enchanted ice sparks scrumb messing on the shield surface.
"OH!!!!" I started roaring as sif I forgot my language. I pushed the shield in my left hand and utilized my the Machete in my right to chop the bear into half!
The soldiers beside me did even better jobs. Some kept on roaring and chopped with their yellings so high as if their voices were dispensable products. Some even made the bears into small pieces and stamped them into the ground.
Our side mess was cleaned in a short time.
The other two armies were not so lucky. They were having a hard time dealing with the bears. Both of them dispatched their best officers into combat. They were forced to resist, and the casualties began to accumulate.
Their army mages were too stupid. During the mess, a Portaria mage released a blinding spell into the bears. Once the beasts were blinded, they became crazy, crazy enough to tear anyone beside them into pieces.
Some of the officers were lucky enough to just be smacked away by the blinded bears. Some were slashed open like scarecrows. Even the thickest and heaviest armor cannot prevent those crazy monsters! The bears, by instinct, crushed armors and cut them into pieces with their sharp black claws. The once living flesh and bones had become meat paste leaking from the breaches.
Pieces of metal could be melted down and forged into minted armor, however, how could pieces of body parts become living lives once again?
In the Rivalzian war zone, their army mages did a lackluster job. Their commander, the female, was quite the opposite. Directed by her orders, the Rivalzian army has cast containing and weakness spells onto the bears.
In this way, the bears' speed and strength were gradually diminished, making the mobilized soldiers able to survive under the bear claws while killing them in the meantime.
Even so, the casualties rose up to a new record.
An orderly darted to me and told me a piece of information in stress.
"Your Highness…" He said, "His Royal Highness Fischer wants me to tell you, that the situation has been underrated… He wants you to find a way to assist the other two forces if your condition allows."
eI was astonished that even my spell-powered savage brain cooled a little. I looked through towards the shrine. A dozen white-robed priests were in a mess trying to seal the dungeon. Though from my point of view, they still need some time.
I gestured Martin Luther as an inquiry. He was staying above all soldiers, he must be seeing the whole picture.
"No problem, leave here to me." Martin Luther replied, "Come back before the spells fade!"
I led 500 soldiers who were all refreshed with a full set of buffs and prioritized supporting the Portaria troops. My absence was placed on Wilder and his men. The integral commanding role rested on Martin Luther's shoulder.
Only by the time I have arrived did I get to know how harsh the Portaria troops' situation was! The stench of human blood was exceptionally strong. The ground was piled with oddly shaped metal. We marched quickly on their battlefront to save them from being slaughtered.
Afterward, the Portaria soldiers took the time to save their still alive squad leaders. They wiped the sweat on their heads and regrouped. They were good soldiers, I can tell!
"BANG!” I pushed away a blinded volibear, along with the dumbass who has been struggling beside it.
"WHO WAS IT!" Tyrant Pauley stood up, "Are you blind?"
I was reluctant to argue with him, then once again bumped him away and ended the life of a volibear beside him.
"COHEN KHEDA! JERK!" He winded up in the crowd of his men, his cape was placed the other way around covering his helmet, "How dare you do this to me!"
I did not bother to talk to him whereas taking off my face armor and found the mage squad among the Portaria troop.
"I am Cohen Kheda!" I roared, "Who ordered the blinding magic?"
"It's me!" A mage looked me and said, "I'm a Portaria nobleman, my name is…"
I was not here to listen to him. My Machete slashed open his throat for good.
"If anyone uses a spell like that from now on, this is the example!" I roared at this idiot's body, "WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS IS, HUH? THIS IS WAR! NOT PLAYING TOYS! DAMN! THE FUCK!"
I knew I was right because from the moment I came in and killed a man, I called my troopers to support the Rivalzian army. no Portaria soldiers tried to stop me. As for their officers, I didn’t give a shit about how they thought.
Luther ordered a few elf warlocks to take off and refresh our buffs. Apparently, he saw us waste much time here.
The beasts that were harassing the Rivalzian troops were comparably easy to deal with. These monsters were nothing more than puppies to me with a full set of buffs.
When I have arrived, I ran into the female commander stabbing a bear with her thin sword. when she was slammed off the horseback, I could have caught her but the thought of being hit made me relinquish, thus I let her fall and killed the beast instead.
She rolled to stand and penetrated the bear's neck with her sword. This action did give me a lesson on the subject 'tough'.
Thus the two of us fought together, I roared and utilized my shield and blade to stun the bears, whereas her single-handed sword will stab into their heads and ears with each bout.
The most powerful spell has to rely on the receiver's physical condition. After this wave of volibears and the fact my soldiers and I running on the whole field to support the other armies have driven my mages and ourselves exhausted, thus the results of the buffs have weakened.
My temper has always been good, but the priests on the shrine were too useless. It was a seal, what made it so hard to reseal a seal. They have been attempting for quite a good while. If it were not for my men, the other two armies will soon be aced!
What they needed to do now was hold long enough for me to save them.
Maybe because he noticed my strength loss, Martin Luther quickly agreed with the other two armies. Thus the three empires' force started gradually retreating and narrowed to protect the shrine, where the princes and the priests were located.
I handed over the supporting role to Wilder and dragged my exhausted body to Martin Luther.
"Cohen," Martin Luther said seriously, "Something's not right…"
"What is it?"
"There're too many volibears." Martin Luther said, "One more dreadful creature hasn't shown yet…"
"Th… ther… ther… there's more?" I was tense, "What is it?"
"Kha’Zix!" Martin Luther said, "There were only two during the last time, but judging from the amount of the volibears, it can't be just two this time."
"How many bears from last time?" I asked.
"Less than a hundred."
"What…" I lowered my voice, "We've killed thousands!"
"Yeah, I know! That's what I've been worrying about…" Grandpa Luther said, "No matter what, you need to keep His Royal Majesty safe!"
"I guess…" I whispered, "If anything goes wrong, we take Fischer and run!"
"What about the others? And the priests?"
"They're not my men." I groaned, "I don't care…"
"Okay!" Martin Luther was a man who knew priority, "Once it happens, you get Fischer, I'll hold it!"
"No, you get Fischer, I'll hold." I shook my head and said, "I run faster and I'm not a fan of the idiots above!"
"Let's wait it out…" Martin Luther did not prolong the argument, "It's about time those monsters gave their last strike!"
Wilder was fighting fiercely at my position. This man has wanted to be a formidable warrior since a kid. However, he had not had any chances for combat staying in the army. As of now, even if there was a real demon showed up in front of him, Wilder will swallow him without spitting a bone.
So much for the fight, the beasts have ceased to appear again. The outermost pillars were showing with ancient characters like what they looked from the beginning of the war. Between the pillars where engravings showed, bright ribbons were born and bonded them together.
Seen from afar, those ribbons were indeed glimmering. The brilliant pillars were extraordinarily beautiful. However, that beauty was crowned by countless soldiers' dying souls.