Primordial Villain With A Slave Harem - Chapter 743

Chapter 743: Pincer Attack
“Curses!” Ayame hissed as her head snapped between the two forces, pinching us. Based on what I heard from Rajah, they were getting the same sandwiching treatment, just swapped the Covenant forces for Elvardia’s. I didn’t know which side drew the shorter end of the stick.

“Why would Elvardia attack?!” Sylvaris asked with disbelief, shocked by the news. Based on our intel, they should be prepared to invade the Vraven Kingdom through the Ravenshade Duchy. Sending their forces here didn’t make sense. Unless one considered that…

It was Iris who cracked the code. “If Elvardia wants to go all in on the invasion of the human lands, their borders will be vulnerable to beastkin attacks, who will take the opportunity to raid their fertile lands free of their valuables. Elvardia knew that most of the Beastman Confederation’s forces would be present here today, so by working together with the lionkin and the Covenant, they could lay waste to the forces that would be a pain in their side during their grand invasion…”

“By slaying tens of thousands of beastkin elites today, their flanks will be protected thanks to the Beastmen Confederation being forced into serious rebuild mode…” Aurora summarized with a wry tone.

Seraphiel also had a thought of her own. “And it seems the Covenant is eager to have us killed too… I imagine their history with the Consortium is long and rich, full of bad blood. The Consortium had committed over 30,000 highly trained soldiers to secure good relations with the whole nation of the Beastman Confederation. If the liches and their minions can eliminate this army, their rival syndicate will be dealt a significant blow. The Consortium might even get itself destroyed if the Greenvale family declares war, should the 30,000 members fall today.”

“A match made in heaven, huh. Their goals are perfectly aligned. They used the lionkin masterfully to be given this one grand chance at greatly weakening their enemies,” Lucille said with a sigh before turning toward me. “What should we do?”

I looked into her worried eyes for a second before steeling my heart. “Just because they managed to put us in a bind doesn’t mean we’ve lost. Let’s do this, ladies.”

“Couldn’t have said it better, brother!” Darius’s voice sounded from next to me. He and the other old guys from the Emberfang fiasco and more such veterans suddenly appeared next to us. They faced toward the incoming undead horde instead of the sallying lionkin.

The prince of the dogkin people continued. “The Consortium will handle most of the undead bastards, but we can’t trust our backs to them. Leave this front to us, old ones. You youngsters aren’t equipped to deal with the trickery of these dark magicians. Go raise hell for the lions instead.”

“Thank you,” I said to Darius, accompanied by a nod of my head.

Darius grinned and clapped my shoulder with enough force to rattle my bones. “Just make sure you don’t die before we get to share a drink over this madness. I want to introduce you to my wives and children. Maybe one of my daughters will take a liking to you…”

He winked, making me cringe inwardly. “I think one Ironfang lady is more than enough for me to deal with…”

“Bahaha! My daughters are not lunatics like my sis, she’s a special case. Don’t let that rascal ruin your impression of us. Tell me you wouldn’t want a second awesome and loyal to a fault dog-girl like Ghosty brightening your days up.”

“You bring up points worthy of consideration…” I chuckled, but the relief behind my eyes wasn’t hidden regarding his coming to the new front with his mighty warrior allies.

We weren’t equipped to deal with the Covenant. Our last run-in with that damned necromancer—just one of them—had exposed that clearly enough. No matter how strong my girls had grown, or how fierce they fought, their spells, their strategies… they weren’t tailored for foes who bent the rules of life and death.

The lionkin were bastards. But they were quite honest bastards.

Straightforward. Brutal. But alive.

Flesh and blood would always be easier to deal with than whatever that was behind us unless one specifically prepared to face those monstrosities.

“Brother…” Kitsara’s voice was trembling with worry, and her hands clenched into fists as she watched Darius shift into the vanguard position. The fact that she didn’t get enraged by our conversation displayed just how worried she was for her brother’s life. Instead, she just watched the broad, proud back of her brother stand like a wall in front of her, and for once, the cheeky illusionist had no jokes, no coyness in her tone.

“You have to come back alive.”

Darius turned his head and flashed a grin that was both wolfish and warm all at once. “Course I will. Who do you take me for? It’s about time I beat Father in a duel and become the next ruler of our people.”

Her lip trembled, and she gave a tight, quick nod.

And with that, he was gone, storming off to meet the incoming horde with his veterans at his back: those same grizzled, weather-beaten old bastards who had once walked out of the inferno of Emberfang like nothing could touch them after being thrown into the midst of the giant chaos made up of rampaging warbeasts and lionkin thanks to my [Warp Gate].

Darius’s earlier theory about the battlefield’s direction was already proving true.

Maelstrom had begun barking orders. His units were moving away from the frontlines toward the rear, where the Covenant’s forces surged like a plague of rot across the hills and plains. The syndicate’s army general must’ve known that his members were the best equipped to face the dark magic of the opposing syndicate.

Their formation adjusted with the experience of a thousand battles fought. Pikes realigned. War mages relocated to anti-necromantic formations. Wardens activated relics made to combat the undead.

Vargis, seeing the change, gave an authoritative roar and moved his forces swiftly to the left flank.

His new vanguard spread wide, putting themselves between their human allies and the oncoming lionkin charge, intending to guard their back as they had ours.

And we moved with them.

It was time for us to begin our fight for survival.

The clash was immediate.