Only God-Chapter 606 - 511: The Long-Awaited Victory (Two-in-One)

The plan was straightforward and simple. Philip only needed to lead his troops to lure a Dwarf legion that had ventured too deep into a place called Nado River. The terrain there, composed of hills and plains, had slopes suitable for Cavalry charges and also served as visual blind spots ideal for ambushes. Once the main force of the Dwarf legion was lured there, it would be a classic case of trapping the enemy in an enclosed area.

But, as it often happens in warfare, straightforward and simple plans are the hardest to execute. They greatly test a person’s courage, perseverance, and ability to adapt to situations spontaneously.

Before setting out, Philip swore an oath on the crown of Scatty. In the mythic beliefs about Scatty, adherents often swore oaths on different parts of Scatty to signify the level and importance of their vows. The most sacred oath was one sworn on Scatty’s crown while the most trivial was sworn on Scatty’s ankle. This tradition was related to the first North Kingdom established under Scatty’s guidance, the founder of which was Baird’s friend who, after seizing the Heavenly Descending Gem for Baird, followed Scatty’s will and established that ancient kingdom in the North.

Making such a significant vow meant that Philip’s mission was a matter of succeed or fail; his brother Weiset appeared anxious at the departure, worried both about the success of the mission and whether Philip would return alive.

So, in front of Weiset, Philip took an oath on Scatty’s shoulder, kissed his elder brother’s cheek while on horseback, raised the flag, waved goodbye to him, and set off with more than a hundred Cavalry and over a thousand infantry in a grand procession.

According to frontline intelligence and the priests’ divinations, the Golan people had their eyes on the second Dwarf legion, known for its rapid marches and widespread plundering, which had a cow as its banner. The fast marching speed suggested few giants in their ranks and also likely implied their strong desire to quickly accrue military glories.

However, the course of the battle was not complicated. The second Dwarf legion targeted a commercial town, deploying troops to attack it, expecting to breach the walls in three days. After fierce street fighting with the town’s Garrison, they planned to completely plunder and torch the place.

Dwarf infantry clashed fiercely with the town’s Garrison. Despite the Garrison’s desperate efforts, they struggled to withstand the swarming Dwarf infantry and the towering, armored giants.

At this critical moment, Philip’s banners suddenly appeared on the battlefield. Initially, the second Dwarf legion retreated thinking it was reinforcements. The Dwarfs ducked behind their shields and climbed down the walls.

But soon, a flag officer of the second Dwarf legion noticed that this supposed reinforcement was not numerous. Upon reporting this to the Legion Commander, the latter made a decision he would regret for the rest of his life.

"Sly humans, they are merely pretending to be reinforcements to bluff us!"

The Legion Commander judged that Philip’s forces were not real reinforcements but a small-scale army faking strength under the guise of reinforcements, and then he ordered his entire force to engage them.

Upon engaging, just as he predicted, the so-called reinforcements were too few in number, barely over a thousand, and could not form an effective combat force, beginning to retreat in a short time.

Arrows flew all over the battlefield, the second Dwarf legion pressing hard on the retreating Philip’s forces with their powerful crossbows. The Legion Commander faced another decision: continue the pursuit or turn to siege the town?

His initial thought was to turn back to the siege, believing the chances of the reinforcements escaping successfully were high, easily leading to nothing, whereas capturing the commercial town seemed more practical. But a sudden and unexpected change on the battlefield quickly dismissed this thought.

"Centurion Philip has fallen! He’s been shot!" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Urgent and frantic shouts came from the humans, not feigned but real; Philip had indeed been shot by a crossbow bolt that punctured his cheek, exposing flesh and blood.

The Legion Commander noticed the disarray in Philip’s forces, accustomed to victory, the Dwarfs did not realize that pursuing could lead them into a trap. Under his command, the Dwarf infantry relentlessly pushed forward, slowly becoming disorganized with the already few giants in their ranks.

As Philip’s army’s formation was disorganized and their leader wounded, considering the absolute numerical superiority of their side, the Dwarf Legion Commander judged that the Golan people were defeated and fleeing without much guard.

But Philip gritted his teeth and persisted, striving to stay steady in his saddle, leading the Golan people to retreat in an organized manner despite heavy losses. They remarkably reformed their lines all the way to the Nado River.

Then, with the sound of a thunderous horn, already prepared Cavalry crested the climb, spears thrusting toward the Dwarfs.

Caught off guard, the second Dwarf Legion was sent sprawling, severely damaged by the mighty initial Cavalry charge. Then, as the Cavalry disengaged, Golan infantry followed up the charge under the cover of arrows. Within just an afternoon, the second Dwarf legion was utterly defeated, nearly a thousand killed on the spot, two thousand captured, and only a little more than a thousand escaped.

After the victory, the Golan people swept through and intercepted the disorganized Giant Army. The giants, not yet informed of the front line’s defeat, were taken by surprise in a flanking attack by the Golan Knights, suffering heavy losses.