A Villain's Journey Begins in the Type-Moon World

Quan Duo's gaze turned cold, his expression uncertain. He quickly made a sound assessment of the situation, and said to Stonnov beside him:

"Have the warlocks retreat, and the heavy guards clear the way to avoid casualties. Then activate the grand formation... deploy the final array."

Upon hearing this, Stonnov was immediately startled and said, "General, are we going to use the final array?"

"Look at that army that's hurtling towards us like blades. Do you think the Imperial Guards can stop them?"

Quan Duoer shook his head and said:

"Time and time again, the morale of our troops has been almost completely worn down. Besides, that old man has already pulled out all the stops and is fighting for his life. If we still hold back, what difference is there between us and courting death?"

"Yes!"

Stonnov understood the gravity of the situation and immediately began directing the surrounding troops, issuing his final orders.

After breaking through the Hundred Battle Vanguard's line, Wang Chong and his men began to rush towards the Shield Guards. At this moment, the Shield Guards were protected by magical shields cast by the sorcerers. They not only withstood Albion's breath from the sky, but also blocked the first round of fire from the Sharpshooter Squad.

However, the cost was that all the magical shields shattered, and the large shield on his hand cracked, making it unable to withstand the subsequent attacks.

The two lava giants, wielding greatswords, intercepted all ranged attacks in some areas, while the melee elites who wanted to advance were severely suppressed by the sharpshooter squad.

Just as Arcueid and Surtr had charged in front of the shield guards and were about to break through their formation, the shield guards suddenly trembled, as if they had heard some incredible command. Then they immediately moved aside, making way for each other.

"Huh? Why are these guys clearing the way for us? Did they realize they were outmatched and give up?"

Upon seeing this, Arcueid looked at Wang Chong with a puzzled expression, indicating that he should ask him what to do in this situation.

"Charge forward. No matter what their purpose is, we have only one goal: to reach the entire Dortmund."

Wang Chong quickly made a judgment and used the black mist to give instructions to everyone's ears:

"Since they have lost their will to fight, the entire unit can conserve some ammunition. Now, all members, accelerate your charge immediately, while remaining vigilant of your surroundings. If the enemy reacts in any way, return fire immediately!"

"Understood!" the group said in unison, and immediately sped forward along the path cleared by the shield guards.

Chapter 327: Those Who Went Together

As Wang Chong and his men charged past the Shield Guards' defenses without hindrance, Herag immediately noticed something amiss, and exclaimed:

"Those sorcerers seem to have retreated ahead of time, directly to the same position as the command front where Quan Dor is. Only these crossbowmen, artillerymen, and guards remain here."

"Does Quan Duoer think that calling those sorcerers back to concentrate their forces will stop us from breaking through the defenses?" Wang Chong asked.

"No...it won't be that simple...and if that were the case, he wouldn't need to clear the way at all. He could just let those shield guards wear us down, which would at least increase his chances of winning."

Herag shook his head, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I feel like I've seen this scene somewhere before, but I can't quite remember where. Sigh, this old man is getting on in years."

"No rush. Even if Quanduoer really has some backup plan, I can still lead the team out," Wang Chong said slowly.

After receiving Wang Chong's assurance, Helag nodded, seemingly much relieved.

So Wang Chong led his troops to continue charging toward Quan Duer's camp. The guards and crossbowmen just let them rush into the camp, as if everyone had betrayed Quan Duer at that moment and watched them die.

The eerie atmosphere made everyone's hearts sink until they finally arrived at the location of the Alldor command camp.

This time, the troops commanding the main camp did not move aside but stood ready for battle. Wang Chong looked at the soldiers present and found that their uniforms were consistent with those of the Hundred Battle Vanguard, Heavy Guard, and sorcerer groups he had seen before.

The only difference is that their main color is crimson.

"These are all elites from their respective branches. Especially those red-clad veterans, they were the best of the original veterans. You have to understand that the veterans were already the elite among the vanguards. And these are the elite among the elite."

Helag explained.

"So, this is the real trump card of the whole Dor? These are all his carefully selected capable henchmen?" Wang Chong asked.

"You could say that... wait, this formation? Not good!"

Suddenly, after staring for a long time, Herag seemed to finally remember something, his expression changed drastically, and he immediately said, "Attack these people immediately and disrupt their formation!"

"Bang bang bang bang!"

However, before Helag could give the order, Wang Chong had already ordered everyone to attack as soon as Helag's expression turned sour.

However, this time, the invincible etching bullets were ineffective. Crimson light appeared on the bodies of the veteran soldiers, and it was that light that blocked the bullets.

"boom!"

"How is this possible?! It's so hard!"

Skadi and Specter charged to the front, prioritizing attacks on the seasoned veterans.

Strangely, although Skadi and Specter still managed to knock away the enemies blocking their way with brute force, they did not cut the enemies in half as they usually did.

Although the crimson light was not immune to the effects of kinetic energy, it effectively protected the soldiers' bodies, preventing them from suffering any harm.

Wang Chong had clearly seen this as well, and then said to Surtr, "Let's try the flames and see if we can harm them."

"Alright!" Surtr did not hesitate and immediately joined Wang Chong in using Levadin's fire power to attack the troops in front.

"……I see."

As someone with a maxed-out passive ability of spell perception, Wang Chong instantly understood what kind of power it was after touching those crimson lights with his own strength.

"It's actually a life link, sharing the damage... No, it's not just life that's linked, they even share some of the material properties, which is why their armor is so tough."

Wang Chong slowly uttered the answer.

"Not bad... This is one of the Ursus Army Group's trump cards... It's called: The Allies. It symbolizes embracing death together, binding the lives of every soldier together through Originium Arts. To kill one soldier, you have to work hard to kill all of them."

Helag also revealed the secret of the military formation before him, slowly saying:

"The most terrifying aspect of this formation is that in battles between two armies, it can rely on the advantage of not losing any men to continuously suppress the opponent in terms of morale and numbers as the war progresses, ultimately causing the opponent to collapse."

"And the Ursus Empire Army Group has several other military formations of the same level. This is what makes the Ursus Army Group truly terrifying, and the real reason why Ursus can stand firm despite being surrounded by other nations."

"However, the [Combined Forces] formation is the most difficult to practice because it not only requires the soldiers in the core formation to be of one mind and have a common goal, but also requires these soldiers to be absolutely loyal to the one who casts the formation."

"In the end, we underestimated Quan Duoer. It's incredible that someone like him could cultivate such a loyal team."

As Herag sighed, he drew his twin swords and began to slash, for the enemy had launched an attack. Powerful spells and crossbow bolts rained down on them, while the battle-hardened vanguard elites picked up their bayonets and surrounded them.

Now, they found themselves on the defensive, unable to break through the opponent's defenses in the short term.

Once the encirclement was complete, everyone's hearts sank even further. At this moment, they were prepared to fight to the death.

"Ha, does killing one person require the effort of killing everyone? If we manage to do that, wouldn't we be able to eliminate them all at once?"

When Arcueid saw something he couldn't destroy for the second time (the first time was Wang Chong), he was filled with intense interest and fighting spirit. Clearly, he wouldn't give up until he had smashed these enemies to pieces.

"Haha, that's right, let's fight them to the bitter end and see who dies first." Ghost Shark also revealed a high fighting spirit, his eyes full of excitement.

Encouraged by the two men, the eight hundred members of the sharpshooter squad were once again filled with fighting spirit. They all pulled the triggers of their muskets, unleashing firepower to the maximum speed of their guns. They were also gambling, gambling on whether they would perish first or the enemy would die first.

Because of this barrage of fire, although the battle-hardened vanguards were not injured, the powerful propulsion still allowed them to easily approach the sharpshooter squad.

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, a voice suddenly rang out:

"The entire army shall cease fire for now. How about the opposing forces also cease fire?"

Upon hearing the voice, everyone exchanged glances, and Hrag was the first to recognize its owner, saying, "It's Alldor. No one should dare disobey his orders."

Sure enough, after the order was given, the vanguards all stopped moving. Wang Chong also had his team put down their guns, begin reloading and preparing for the next round of firing, and then he and Herag looked toward the source of the sound.

On a chariot a hundred meters away, Quan Dor slowly revealed his upper body and looked towards Wang Chong, Helag, and the others.

His body also radiated the same crimson light as those soldiers, which meant that special operations and decapitation strikes were of little use to him.

Now, everyone present was staring at him, wanting to see what tricks Quan Duoer, who now had a certain advantage on the surface, would play next.

Chapter 328: Reconciliation? At this very moment?

"General, now that you are already in the formation, please come out and speak."

After some time, Quan Duoer, surrounded by his personal guards, arrived at the front line.

He went straight to Herag, completely ignoring the Sharpshooter Squad and the other hero-level experts. Coupled with his nonchalant demeanor, it was as if everything was under his control.

But is that really the case?

Quan Duo'er's inner world was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

As the executor of the "Combined Forces" army, he was well aware of the extent of damage the entire army was currently suffering.

If each person has a health bar, then the effect of [Combined Forces] is to combine everyone's health bars together. As the controller of this formation, Quan Duo can see exactly how much the overall health bar has decreased.

In just one minute, the health bar had already dropped by one-tenth!

Such destructive power sent a chill down Quan Dor's spine. In other words, if he could not reduce the enemy's numbers, the enemy could maintain this burst of power for only ten minutes to kill Quan Dor and his troops.

This is even more dangerous than the most dangerous situation General Takagi warned about when he taught this formation to Quan Duo. Are you thinking about it? Are you in the air? Are you in the forest?

He also remembered that General Takagi had once told him:

"The 'Fellowship' formation is not invincible. Over the years of fighting, various countries have gained some understanding of our formation."

"For example, the Sarkaz royal court used wide-area destructive spells to maximize damage; for example, Kazimir's Silver Spear Pegasus charge completely destroyed and scattered our army's formation; for example, Letania's mind-control spells disrupted morale, making the [Comrades] army's formation unstable..."

"But regardless of the method, in a war, the golden time when soldiers can unleash their full potential at the very beginning of the battle is within fifteen minutes. In other words, within these fifteen minutes, the enemy's morale will not collapse because of our army's invincible posture."

"When the time reaches ten to fifteen minutes, if the enemy has not yet broken through our 'Comrades' formation, the enemy commander will no longer choose to engage our army head-on. This is because not only can the enemy commander not afford to gamble, but the soldiers under him will also be on the verge of losing their fighting spirit and risking a rout."

"And this has basically become a consensus among military groups of various countries. Ten to fifteen minutes is the time to decide whether to continue fighting with our army, which has deployed the 'Combined Forces' formation."

"Similarly, fifteen minutes is also an extremely dangerous signal for our army. If we find that the enemy legion can break through our army's formation in about fifteen minutes, then we must consider retreat and break the formation in advance."

"The closer we get to fifteen minutes, or even beyond fifteen minutes, the less we can afford to let the enemy continue to gamble with [Partners], or we'll lose everything!"

Quan Duoer recalled those words, his heart growing even heavier. During the Battle of Blood Peak, his teacher had no choice but to use the "Fellowship" ability to fight to the death, ultimately succumbing to the relentless attrition by other army groups, resulting in the defeat and the loss of his men.

Because of this precedent, Quan Duoer was extremely cautious about using this military formation, and would never use it unless absolutely necessary.

The reason he called for a truce so quickly was that he already had the intention to temporarily halt the fighting. Hrag's trump card force had exceeded his expectations, and continuing the battle would risk his life.

Secondly... it was also because of Herag. As a veteran of the Ursus Guard, he could naturally see through the essence of his own army's formation, and the consensus reached in fifteen minutes was equally clear to him.

If they call a halt after about ten minutes, it might actually give Hrag a sense that his army is about to fall.

Although Quan Duoer was well aware that his elite vanguard troops were about to approach the musketeers, in close-quarters combat, his troops would inevitably slaughter the enemy units and cause casualties.

But he dared not gamble; who knew if Hrag had any other trump cards up his sleeve? If Hrag's troops were given enough time to unleash their full power, he would surely perish.

But now he also has to gamble, gambling that he can intimidate the old general and force him to retreat. And once the old general sees through his scheme, he will have to gamble again, gambling that his army can eliminate all enemy units before being broken.

"Major General Quan Duo, I never imagined that Takagi would pass on his proud battle formation to you."

"Likewise, the old general's experience is also admirable. He has such financial resources and connections to build such a strong and elite army. If the council knew, they would probably have invited the old general to come out of retirement long ago to revitalize the military prestige of our empire."

Quan Dor's words were a veiled compliment, subtly reminding Helag of his current sensitive position. Unexpectedly, Helag chuckled and said, "Quan Dor, how the council treats me is none of your concern. Besides, what you're doing now is no less serious than what I'm doing."

"If you're going to keep spouting those bureaucratic platitudes, then forget it. I'm old, and I can't remember many things. The only things I can rely on are the sword in my hand and my comrades by my side. Quan Duoer, if you still think of yourself as a general, then use battlefield tactics."

Quan Duo'er narrowed his eyes slightly and said directly:

"Okay, very good. Since we've come this far, I'll get straight to the point."

“I can spare your lives now, old general. On the condition that the people of the underground city cease to be our enemies, and that this is officially announced to the entire city.”

"General, I already know what you're after. After all this time of biding your time, you're just another fellow traveler like me."

“In that case, there’s no need for us to take such a risk and wipe out our entire fortune. If you help me obtain Chernobog, I will also help you establish a firm foothold in the new mobile city. You should know that there are my border troops in various cities in the south right now.”

“This deal is a good one, isn’t it? There’s no need to waste your life on those lowly people.”

After listening, Herag gave Quandor a deep look, then chuckled lightly, shook his head, and said:

"So, you want to reconcile with me? Right now? Quan Duoer, even those children won't believe your words. We've come this far, both sides have revealed their cards, do you think there's still any possibility of reconciliation?"

Upon hearing Hrag's words, Quan Dor's expression darkened considerably.

"Let's not even talk about how you have no idea what I want to do... Quan Duoer, don't look down on others with your own ideas."

"Even if I really am as ambitious as you say, do you really think you'd let me go after I've pushed you to the point where you've revealed your hand? Let alone anything like helping me gain a foothold in other mobile cities."

"You're just stalling for time. As you said, your border troops are in all the cities of the Southern Region. You're waiting for them to come so you can completely stabilize the situation in Chern City."

"This is what you call a ceasefire? It's nothing but a stopgap measure to buy time... Am I wrong, Dor?"

Hrag's words struck straight to Quan Duo'er's heart, completely revealing his thoughts. Quan Duo'er gritted his teeth and said:

"Old man, since you see things clearly, you should also know that stalling for time is not only beneficial to me, but also to you!"

"With your skills, you can always start over... Anyway, you've already taken over the elevator, so you can leave tonight..."

“You’re wrong, Alldor,” Herag interrupted. “I’ve already said it, you have no idea what I want to do… so I won’t accept your near-surrender proposal.”

"Moreover... you would resort to such a desperate measure... Quan Dor, it seems my troops have inflicted considerable damage on your [Comrades] battle formation."

These words nearly shattered Dortmund's last psychological defenses. The old man had finally sensed something was amiss and was now determined to fight him to the death.