Man on the ark, forced to become king

“I know that we fought them once after you left. They were indeed very strong, but I think their operation also needs time, and it is impossible for them to complete the encirclement so quickly.”

Talulah was well aware of the strength of the army group. If it weren't for Shining and Surtr's intervention, even with the addition of the Shield Guards, the Reunion Movement would have struggled to fight them. Unless there were exceptionally strong individuals within the team, ordinary units would be utterly helpless against a well-organized army group.

However, isn't there an exceptionally strong individual in the team right now?

"No, you don't know... Everyone, be on guard!"

Suddenly, Wendigo's roar drowned out the wind and snow, reaching the entire team. Bozokasti slowed his pace, and a crimson glow appeared under his helmet.

In the direction they were heading, a well-armed army emerged from the snowstorm. Apparently having discovered the presence of the infected group, they immediately changed direction and headed in their direction.

The heavily armored troop carriers slowed down, and fully armed soldiers jumped out.

The armored vehicles moved in an orderly fashion, crossing the road and connecting end to end, forming a steel defense line composed of vehicles in the blink of an eye.

Some soldiers raised their shields to block the gaps between the vehicles, crossbowmen lined up behind the shield guards, and the vanguard troops armed with sharp blades began to form ranks on both sides of the defensive line.

There was no commanding voice; it seemed that everyone in the army knew what to do and how to do it.

They built a fortified position as quickly as possible, without advancing, and adopted a defensive posture.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh——!

From the gaps in the defenses, countless sharp crossbow bolts flew out, densely covering the halted infected ranks.

Following the rain of arrows came a relatively sparse barrage of spell missiles.

"No, we can't hold on!"

Yelena reacted quickly, activating her Originium Arts almost as soon as the team stopped, conjuring an ice wall in front of the team to intercept the attacks launched from the opposite side.

However, under the barrage of arrows and spells, her ice wall only lasted a few seconds before cracking and crumbling.

Faced with the firepower of a regular army, her ice wall was not much stronger than a fragile wooden plank.

A group of two hundred people.

Bozokastie scanned the battlefield with his eyes beneath his armor and quickly assessed the size of the enemy force.

Just as Talulah had predicted, even elite army groups need time to move in the icy environment, so they only encountered one of the troops scattered across the ice field.

However, a force of two hundred men already possessed considerable combat capability.

"Everyone back off! Yelena, cover them! When the time is right, lead them to break through!"

The army's mages and crossbowmen, hidden behind the ramparts, skillfully divided into two groups to attack in turn, forming a continuous barrage that completely covered a large area in front of them. Bozokasti knew very well that the miners behind him were no match for these well-trained army soldiers and were completely ineffective.

From the beginning, he didn't expect these people to be of any use.

So, after Yelena blocked the first wave of bombardment, he immediately ordered the troops to retreat, while he picked up his tree spear and charged towards the neatly constructed steel wall.

On one side was a military formation of two hundred men, well-organized and well-trained.

On one side stood the Wendigo warrior who had stepped out from the crowd; he was tall, but there was only one of him.

A completely disproportionate number of people charging into an army formation by one person is, by all accounts, a foolish act of courting death. Anyone who dares to do so will inevitably be overwhelmed by the barrage of magic and crossbow bolts. Even if they manage to get close, they will crash into the solid steel walls and be left with bloodied heads.

However, the situation is quite different when Bozokasti chooses to do so.

When he launched his charge, it seemed as if even the wind and snow stopped; his imposing presence even threatened to overwhelm the entire army.

The prayer of the Hundred Forms of the Furnace unfolded once more, and golden wings, several meters long, coalesced behind it.

This time, Bozokasti did not take to the sky. Instead, he dragged his dazzling wings behind him and charged forward, accompanied by a violent storm. The swirling snow gathered into rolling snow waves as he charged, crushing the army formation like an avalanche.

The powerful crossbow bolts struck the dark gold armor and fell limply to the ground, failing to even slow the attacker's progress. The large area of ​​magical missiles that covered the area were quickly dissolved as soon as they made contact with the surging energy around the wings, leaving no trace.

Boom! !

The golden-white waves crashed straight into the defensive line formed by the armored vehicles and shield guards. The unparalleled force directly blew the shield guards at the forefront away, shield and all. The armored vehicles that were standing still were also swayed by the violent impact and nearly overturned.

"furnace!"

Wendigo's roar shook the army formation. A thick dragon tail, several meters long, condensed behind Bozocas's body and unleashed a powerful sweeping attack. The force of the attack was even greater than the impact that had just occurred. Not only were the surrounding soldiers swept away, but the metal armor of the vehicles was also dented deeply.

hum!

The strangely shaped tree spear was raised high into the sky and began to spin at an astonishing speed. The branch-like structure trailed streaks of light around it, which converged into an intertwined golden vortex.

Combat Skill: Silurian's Whirlpool!

The combat techniques engraved on ancient weapons unleash their power in a brand new world. The tip of the great spear slams into the earth with Bozokasti's movements. In an instant, endless golden light bursts out, and a violent golden vortex spreads rapidly from the point of impact of the great spear, as if to shatter everything.

The once orderly military formation was instantly turned into a mess. Shields shattered, weapons broke, and the sounds of bones breaking mingled with the splattering blood, creating a hellish mud.

"Stop him!"

Someone roared, and the soldiers fearlessly rallied together, trying to hold back the giant rampaging through the ranks, but their bravery had no effect.

Crossbow bolts and spells could not penetrate the armor's defenses, and even the shield guards' heavy shields could not stop the swings of the spears. The vanguards wielding sharp blades could not even withstand a single exchange before being swept away.

However, the army formation that had been breached by a single person did not become completely useless. The armored vehicles that formed the defensive line were quickly driven and dispersed to the surrounding areas. Under the cover of magic and crossbow bolts, they charged at full speed toward Bozokasti, who was located in the center of the battlefield.

This approach is somewhat clumsy, but highly effective.

Faced with the impact of several armored vehicles, Bozokast would have had difficulty breaking free immediately—if he could still rely on his halberd and shield for offense and defense as before.

The situation is now quite different. Supported by the Furnace Wings, he no longer needs to stand on the ground. So, under the horrified gazes of the Ursus soldiers, the massive Wendigo flapped its wings, rose from the ground, and directly avoided the impact of the armored vehicle, hovering in mid-air.

Chapter 228 Faith Awakens from its Slumber

Bozokasti's sudden suspension in mid-air momentarily stunned the soldiers below. Warfare in this world is mostly limited to ground combat, and it is rare to encounter floating enemies. In conventional warfare, the most common enemy is various types of drones, which are controlled by sorcerers and used as spellcasting units.

However, those things don't fly very fast, and they're far from being agile. They also don't fly very high, so trained crossbowmen or sorcerers can easily shoot them down if they focus their fire.

Therefore, the armies of various countries, even the elite army groups of Ursus, did not have much experience in dealing with aerial enemies, let alone such a large target that suddenly flew up.

The over two-meter-tall, heavily armored Bozokasti rampaged through the battle formation, looking like a steel chariot. Even though he had two magically conjured wings on his back, no one thought he could fly into the sky. After all, the heavy armor warrior class had nothing to do with the agile style of aerial units. How could a lump of iron fly into the sky?

Moreover, it's completely unnecessary. How powerful a spell would it take to levitate such a massive body? Wouldn't it be better to use that magical energy directly on attacks? Who would choose to waste it on something as flashy and impractical as levitation?

However, the absurd thing of heavy armor units flying into the sky actually happened right before the eyes of many soldiers.

"Warlocks, focus fire and take him down!"

However, the army group was, after all, the most elite force of the Ursus Empire, with first-class tactical skills. Although they were momentarily stunned at the beginning, they quickly recovered and began to rearrange the bunkers to prevent personnel from launching an air counterattack.

As for the infected group remaining a hundred meters away, they could only keep an eye on them and guard against sneak attacks. They didn't have much energy to think about intercepting them. Everyone knew that if they didn't shoot down that big guy in the sky, the entire group would face defeat.

Bozokasti's response was exactly what he expected. He deliberately hovered in mid-air without attacking, intending to draw attention to the situation. Only in this way could the miners, who were essentially defenseless, bypass the battlefield and continue their advance under the leadership of Talulah and Yelena.

They cannot stay here for long. No one knows when the army group's reinforcements will arrive. The longer it drags on, the more dangerous it will be. The best course of action is to escape quickly while the troops' attention is completely tied up.

"go!"

Bozokasti's command consisted of only one word, requiring no further language, and Yelena understood his meaning.

Upon hearing the order, White Rabbit and Talulah exchanged a glance and immediately led their team to change direction under the cover of the ice crystals, preparing to bypass the army formation.

Their goal is to lead the miners away from here. With Bozokastie holding off the army, it would be pointless for them to attack again. Given the strength Bozokastie has shown, they can easily escape after they leave. The infected team staying here would only be a hindrance.

However, before the troops could set off, the sound of artillery fire rang out in the distance. A dense hail of bullets streaked across the sky in bright arcs, striking Bozokasti, who was suspended in mid-air, and knocking him down from the sky.

With engines roaring, more armored personnel carriers emerged from the snowstorm, their lights piercing through the snow and fog, casting an orange-yellow glow.

Boom!

Wendigo fell from mid-air, landing on one knee. Wisps of blue smoke rose from the furnace armor, and the chest area of ​​the armor was slightly dented, slowly repairing itself in the golden light.

The power of Ursus's long-range artillery should not be underestimated; even the Forge Armor, forged from Life Gold, could not escape unscathed.

However, the armor's defense remained formidable, with almost all the power of the cannon fire being intercepted and absorbed, leaving little impact on the user. Thanks to Wendigo's own robust physique, the damage from the cannon fire was less than the recoil from the impact of landing.

Raising his head, Bozokastie looked into the distance, taking in the convoy breaking through the snow fog, and subconsciously tightened his grip on the tree spear in his hand.

The army group's support arrived even faster than he had anticipated.

His thinking actually overlapped somewhat with Talulah's: the army groups needed time to march, and the ice plains were vast. Even with two army groups deployed, the manpower allocated to each area would be sparse. Coupled with the harsh snowy conditions, their marching speed would inevitably be limited. Therefore, if they broke outwards, they would likely only encounter one force in the same direction for a period of time, making the chances of an accident very small.

However, as it turns out, even the smallest chance can happen if it exists. Only ten minutes had passed between the encounter and the start of the battle when another team arrived, carrying heavy firepower specifically designed for large-scale warfare, which directly disrupted their breakout plan.

What should I do?

The armor gleamed crimson, and for a moment, Bozokasti had no good solution.

He was still just one person, even though he was stronger than before after his rebirth and wore better equipment.

What about the enemy they encountered? Apart from those who had just died in battle, there were at least three hundred to four hundred more. Facing such a large army group, Bozhuokast knew very well that he could only guarantee that he would not be defeated. It was almost impossible for him to hold off an army of nearly four hundred men on his own.

The idea of ​​killing them all in a short time is simply a pipe dream.

Those were nearly four hundred elite Ursus warriors who had experienced major battles, received rigorous training, and were fully armed, not four hundred pigs!

Their combined strength might not be particularly fierce in attack, but defending would be incredibly easy. If they could hold out for a while, other teams would arrive to reinforce them, and the situation would only worsen until no one could escape the battlefield.

Should we abandon the infected we brought out of the mine and leave with the Yeti, Talulah, and Yelena?

That's possible. A team of a dozen people isn't many, and with three high-level combatants, it wouldn't be difficult to break through the army's defenses.

However, if he were to choose to do that, he wouldn't be Bochokasti.

There has never been only one choice: to fight!

Thinking of this, Bozokasti straightened up, his dark gold armor emitting a faint glow, and violent energy began to gather in his body, with a faint crimson color seeping out from the gaps in the armor.

Marching stance!