[Sudut Pandang Lain] Pertempuran Sengit, Bagian 2 - 23

[Sudut Pandang Lain] Pertempuran Sengit, Bagian 2

Dengan teriakan memilukan, para bandit jatuh ke parit satu per satu.

Penduduk desa hampir kabur lihat wujud mengerikan armored lizard, tapi mereka tetap bertahan di ballista. Yah, kayaknya karena ballista punya perisai gede, jadi mereka berani.

Baguslah meskipun amatiran nggak terlatih kayak mereka tetap bertahan.

Sambil mikirin betapa bergunanya ballista, para dragon udah mendekati parit.

"Hiiee!"

Bandit paling belakang jatuh dan teriak.

Seekor armored dragon narik kaki bandit yang jatuh di pinggir parit, lalu goyang-goyang pelan. Dragon lain gigit dan tarik badan bagian atas bandit itu, yang kebanting kayak boneka.

Kaki robek, darah berceceran.

"Ah, ggh."

Dengan teriakan diam-diam, bandit itu dimakan dragon.

Ketakutan penduduk mencapai puncaknya. Bandit di parit juga liat tragedi di atas kepala mereka.

Aku tarik napas, lalu teriak keras.

"Tahan!"

Atas teriakanku, tubuh penduduk refleks bergerak, mengarahkan ballista.

Ada sekitar empat puluh dragon di depanku. Susah buat meleset.

Aku tersenyum tipis, lalu kasih perintah.

"Tembak!"

Begitu teriak, aku arahkan ke muka armored lizard dan tarik pelatuk.

Suara tajam, angin terbelah, panah besi melesat dengan kecepatan mematikan.

Panah besi itu melesat kayak ditarik magnet ke alis armored dragon yang ngangkat kepala. Lalu... ilang?

Iya, ilang. Mikir salah liat, aku ngintip dari balik perisai buat cek lagi.

Keliatan lubang hitam di kepala armored dragon. Dia maju sedikit, lalu jatuh ke tanah. Dragon di belakangnya mulai teriak dan menggeliat kesakitan.

Panah besi nancep dalem di kaki armored dragon, bikin dia menjerit.

Apa aku meleset?

Kukira gitu, tapi armored dragon yang jatuh miring nggak bergerak, kaki lemas dan kejang-kejang.

Terus, armored lizard lain narik panah di kakinya dengan ngangkat kaki.

Artinya, panah itu nembus armor tebal di kakinya dan nancep ke tanah.

Liat kiri kanan, penduduk pada melongo.

Armored dragon di barisan depan mati kena lima belas tembakan ballista.

Bukan berita gede sih, karena kita konsentrasi tembak ke sedikit target. Tapi tetep aja nggak nyangka.

"Gimana hasilnya?"

Suara agak nggak sabar terdengar.

"Tuan Van! Tuan bikin senjata yang luar biasa!"

"...Maksudmu?"

"Luar biasa! Sepuluh armored lizard mati dalam satu tembakan!"

Semua penduduk bersorak.

"Tapi, cuma sisa satu panah besi tiap ballista! Kita perlu panah besi lagi buat jaga gerbang!"

Terus ada penduduk lari ngumpulin panah.

"Kalau sempat, coba panah kayu juga! Ringan tapi sekeras dan setajam baja!"

"Kayu setajam baja?"

Kalau orang lain bilang gitu, mungkin kuanggap omong kosong. Tapi ini Tuan Van, harus dicoba.

"Sisanya, cepet siapin panah besi!"

Aku noleh, kasih instruksi. Pasang panah kayu, tarik tali ballista, siap tembak.

Mungkin karena ballista buatan bagus, penduduk nggak butuh waktu lama buat reload. Semua udah siap pas aku selesai pasang panah.

"Arahkan!"

Mereka siap dengan gerakan tenang.

Bagus. Setelah satu serangan sukses, semua punya kepercayaan diri lawan dragon. Percaya diri bikin pikiran positif dan ningkatin kemampuan.

Jadi aku yakin tembakan kedua bakal lebih akurat dan mereka lebih responsif.

"Tembak!"

Langsung setelah perintah, dua puluh lima panah melesat barengan. Termasuk panahku, dari menara pengawas, dan dari penduduk di sudut tembok.

Liat panah-panah itu mendekati target, aku mikir ini pasti pertunjukan kekuatan terbesar yang pernah dilihat desa.

Satu per satu, panah besi jatuh ke kepala dan punggung armored dragon.

Saat berikutnya, raungan putus asa bergema di udara, campur sama suara panah nancep di tanah.

Pemandangan yang nggak mungkin.

Tapi ada yang lebih luar biasa.

Panah kayu yang kutembak nembus dahi armored lizard dan membunuhnya.

Iya, panah kayu nembus dahi armored lizard, yang bahkan kebal sama bilah besi. Nggak punya penetrasi sekuat panah besi karena hampir nggak berbobot, tapi bisa nancep setengah dalem di kepala.

Masih syok, tapi sebagai komandan, refleks buka mulut.

"Semuanya! Ganti ke panah kayu! Siapin ballista!"

Nggak perlu nunggu pasokan panah besi yang terbatas. Yang penting kecepatan dan akurasi.

Aku tarik tali, siap.

"Perhatian!"

Beberapa penduduk masih isi panah, tapi mayoritas udah selesai.

"Arahkan!"

Semua ballista udah siap.

"Tembak!"

Perintah ketiga.

Armored dragon tinggal lima.

Kalau panah kena punggung atau bahu, cuma bikin sakit. Tapi kalau kena kepala, mati.

Suara tajam, dua puluh lima panah ngejar target.

Kebanyakan nancep di punggung, tapi ada lima panah—termasuk punyaku—yang kena kepala.

Pertempuran yang antiklimaks tapi sukses besar.

Musuh hancur. Nggak ada yang terluka, apalagi mati. Konsumsi panah kurang dari enam puluh.

Kalau bikin laporan kayak gini ke Komandan Ksatria, pasti kuhukum karena laporan palsu. Kalau ngomong ke Stradale yang nggak ngerti bercanda, dia bakal marah besar.

"...Stradale. Tuan Van bakal jadi sesuatu yang luar biasa. Sesuatu yang nggak bisa kita bayangin."

Aku bergumam, lalu noleh ke belakang buat liat muka Tuan Van.

Mata penuh harap itu persis kayak anak seusianya.

Sambil ketawa, aku angkat tangan tinggi-tinggi.

"Menang! Armored lizard habis! Kemenangan telak!"

Sorakan keras dari desa. Penduduk di tembok saling peluk, bergembira. Tuan Van juga senyum seneng, dipeluk Till dan Kamsin.

Oh iya, Espada ngelap air mata pake saputangan pas liat Tuan Van gembira. Tapi kalau kusebut, dia marah. Jadi aku diem aja.

[Sudut Pandang Orto]

Kami pulang ke desa dalam suasana hati bagus setelah dapet banyak bijih. Tapi Ksara yang jadi pemandu tiba-tiba hentiin kereta dan buru-buru bawa kami ke depan.

"Ada apa?"

Ksara matanya nggak bergerak, nempel ke arah desa.

Pas aku liat ke arah sama, aku ngerti.

"Armored lizard!"

Musuh busuk yang nggak bisa ditembus pedang. Dan ada puluhan.

"Sial, sebenernya apa yang terjadi...?"

Aku gigit gigi, megang pedang. Sampe sadar sesuatu yang aneh.

"Oh, hei ... kenapa armored lizard pada miring?"

"Kayaknya mati."

Omongan Ksara bikin Pluriel yang di sampingnya melongo.

"Bohong, kan? Lawan kawanan sebesar itu, butuh dua ratus ksatria cuma buat imbang. Itu pun belum tentu menang."

Pas Pluriel bergumam, sorak-sorai kayak teriakan perang dari desa.

"Hei hei. Van, kamu udah ngasih kejutan setahun dalam seminggu."

Omongan itu keluar dari mulutku.

[Another Perspective] A Fierce Battle, Part 2

With pitiful screams, the bandits dropped into the moat one by one.

The villagers were on the verge of routing at the ferocious appearance of the armored lizards, but they didn't leave the ballistas unmanned. Instead, they held their ground. Well, I guess the fact that the ballistas had massive shields influenced their decision.

In any case, it's good that even undisciplined amateurs like the villagers stood their ground.

As I mused over the ballista's usefulness, the dragons had closed in on the moat.

"Hiiee!"

The rearmost bandit fell over and screamed.

An armored dragon pulled the leg of one of the fallen bandits at the moat's edge and shook it lightly. Another armored dragon took a bite and pulled at the upper body, swinging him around like a child's doll.

Legs were torn to shreds, blood splattered in vivid gore.

"Ah, ggh."

With a silent scream, the bandit's body was eaten.

The villagers' terror reached an all-time high. Same for the bandits in the moat watching the tragedy above their heads.

I sucked in a breath and yelled loudly.

"Stand your ground!"

At my shout, the villagers' bodies reflexively moved and set the ballistas' aim.

About forty dragons in front of me. Hard to miss.

I made a slight smile and issued a command.

"Loose!"

As soon as I shouted, I aimed at the armored lizard's face and pulled the trigger.

A sharp sound rang out as the wind was ripped asunder, iron arrows flying at deadly speed.

The iron arrow flew as if magnetically attracted into the brow of an armored dragon that had raised its head. And then... it disappeared?

Yeah, gone. Thinking I'd seen wrongly, I involuntarily peeked from beside the shield to check again.

Saw a conspicuous black hole on the armored dragon's head. After stumbling forward a bit, it keeled over. An armored dragon behind it began screaming and writhing.

An iron arrow was embedded deep within the armored lizard's foot, causing agonized screams.

Did I miss?

I thought so, but the armored lizard that fell sideways showed no sign of getting up, limbs limp and twitching.

Then another armored lizard pulled out the arrow stuck in its foot by lifting its leg.

In other words, the arrow had pierced through the thick armor on its paw and into the ground, finally stopping.

Looking left and right, the villagers were all astonished.

The armored dragons at the herd's front had been put down with a salvo of fifteen ballista bolts.

Not incredibly huge news since we concentrated fire on a small number of targets. But even so, unexpected.

"How'd it go?"

A slightly impatient voice rang out.

"Master Van! You've built one hell of a thing!"

"…What do you mean?"

"It's amazing! Ten armored lizards killed in one salvo!"

At my words, cheers erupted throughout the village.

"However, there's only one more iron arrow per ballista! We need more iron arrows to defend the gate!"

As I shouted, some villagers rushed to gather arrows.

"If you have time, try the wooden arrows too! They're light but just as hard and sharp as steel!"

"Wood as good as steel?"

If anyone else said that, I'd dismiss it as nonsense. But if Van-sama vouches for their quality, I must try them.

"The rest of you, hurry and get your iron arrows ready!"

I turned and gave instructions, nocked a wooden arrow, wound my ballista's string, and got ready.

Perhaps because the ballistas were well-made, villagers didn't take long to reload. Everyone seemed almost ready moments after I finished loading.

"Take aim!"

They all got ready with calm movements.

This is good. After one successful strike, everyone gained confidence to face the dragons. Confidence helps keep the mind positive and improves ability to act.

Therefore, I'm confident the second salvo will be more accurate and villagers more responsive.

"Loose!"

Immediately after I issued the order, twenty-five arrows were fired simultaneously. Among them was mine, some from observation towers, and some from villagers manning the defensive wall's corners.

Seeing all arrows rapidly approaching targets, I mused this was likely the most impressive show of force the village had ever made.

One after another, iron arrows fell upon many armored dragons' heads and backs.

The next moment, roars of despair echoed through the air, mixed with thudding sounds of arrows lodging deep in the ground.

Truly an impossible sight.

But something was even more incredible.

The wooden arrow I fired pierced an armored lizard's forehead and killed it.

That's right, the wooden arrow pierced the forehead of an armored lizard, which was even invulnerable to iron blades. It doesn't have the same penetration as an iron arrow because it's almost weightless, but it managed to bury half its length into the beast's head.

Although still reeling in shock, as commander, I opened my mouth through conditioned reflex.

"All of you! Switch to wooden arrows! Prepare your ballistas!"

We don't have to wait or rely on a tenuous supply of iron arrows. All that's required is speed and accuracy.

I reeled the string and readied myself.

"Attention!"

Some villagers still loading, but majority finished.

"Take aim!"

All ballistas loaded and ready.

"Loose!"

I issued the third order.

Only five armored dragons left.

If arrows hit backs or shoulders, just pain. But hit the head, they die in one shot.

A sharp sound rang out as twenty-five arrows pursued their targets.

Most stabbed into backs, but exactly five arrows—including mine—hit heads.

Both anticlimactic and overwhelmingly successful.

The enemy was devastated, not one of ours injured, let alone killed. We consumed less than sixty arrows.

If I made such a report to the Knight Commander, I'd be punished for false reporting. Tell Stradale, who doesn't get jokes, he'd scold me endlessly.

"…Stradale. Master Van is going to become something amazing. Something none of us can even imagine."

I muttered, then turned to look behind me at Master Van's face.

The expectant eyes looking at me were exactly like those of a child his age.

Laughing, I held one hand high in the air.

"Victory! The armored lizards are wiped out! Complete victory!"

A loud cheer erupted from the village. Even villagers on the defensive wall hugged each other, rejoicing. Van-sama smiled happily as Till and Kamsin hugged him.

Actually, Espada wiped his tears with a handkerchief seeing Van-sama rejoicing behind him. But if I pointed that out, he'd get angry, so I'll refrain.

[Orto's Perspective]

We were heading to the village in a good mood after mining lots of ore, but Ksara, acting as guide, suddenly stopped the carriage and ushered us to the front hurriedly.

"What's going on?"

I called out, but Ksara's eyes were fixed and unmoving, sewn in the village's direction.

When I looked the same way, I could see why.

"An armored lizard!"

Nasty opponent swords can't pierce. And dozens of them.

"Damn, what in the world is going on…?"

I was gritting my teeth, fiddling with my sword, until I noticed something strange.

"Oh, hey… why are those armored lizards lying on their sides?"

"I think they're dead."

Ksara's dialogue stunned Pluriel, who came up beside him.

"You're lying, right? Against a horde that size, a group of two hundred knights would be required just to even the odds. Even then, victory uncertain."

Immediately after Pluriel muttered that, a loud cheer like a battle cry erupted from the village's direction.

"Hey hey. Van, you've given me a year's worth of surprises in just a short week."

Those words popped out of my mouth.

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