"Fire," the Centaur Clan Leader said loudly.
Over twenty Feathered Arrows flew out, sinking into the Ogres in front with a series of THUDS.
The Ogres endured the stench of the Stinky Balls and charged toward the Centaur Village, only to be met with a volley of Arrows.
Although the Ogres’ own camp already smelled foul, it was clearly no match for the power of the Stinky Spores. They staggered forward, constantly shaking their heads. The stench was clearly preventing the Ogres from concentrating, and as a result, two of them fell during the very first volley of arrows.
"Their arrows... they hurt!" the Ogres roared. Compared to the Bone Arrowheads the Centaurs used to craft themselves, the iron spade-tipped arrowheads were clearly inflicting much more severe damage.
"Charge!" The leading Ogre was clearly a bit smarter. He knew they couldn’t retreat back into the range of the Stinky Spores; that would probably leave all the Ogres retching on the ground. If that happened, they would become target practice for the Longbows. Moreover, the stench would prevent the Ogre Mages from concentrating. The only option now was to charge into the Centaur Village and force them into close combat.
Unfortunately for them, their calculations were wrong. A second volley of arrows rained down, and two more Ogres fell. These large targets, wreathed in the fumes of the Stinky Spores, were simply the best moving targets the Centaurs could ask for to practice their Archery.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—the third volley of arrows arrived in an instant. The spade-tipped Arrows continuously struck the Ogres, not only burying themselves in their flesh but also tearing their skin. Compared to ordinary arrowheads, these inflicted larger wounds and caused much greater blood loss.
However, the remaining Ogres immediately covered their heads with their arms and charged recklessly toward the Centaurs. Their violent, savage nature had been provoked, and they had completely forgotten the pain, driven only by the desire to kill these Centaurs.
Just as the Ogres were fending off the Arrows and getting closer and closer to the Centaur archers, Shire yelled, "Pull!"
A thick rope was yanked taut. The Ogres at the very front couldn’t react in time and were tripped to the ground. As they struggled, several Feathered Arrows struck their heads, ending their lives instantly.
The momentum of the Ogre charge pulled the thick rope askew, and a few of the Ogres behind them tripped over the bodies.
"This Archery is incredible." Shire stood behind the Centaurs, practically drooling as he watched the archers. He had originally thought that just giving them heavy bows and arrows would only slightly improve the Centaurs’ strength. He never expected these able-bodied archers to be able to kill the Ogres one after another.
Although the Ogres had been hit by Stinky Balls, Shire had previously led his goblins against Ogre Mages and knew that ordinary Hand Grenade Fruits did very limited damage to them. But now, these archers were landing precise strikes on their heads and chests, an effect clearly superior to that of the Hand Grenade Fruits.
’If I could incorporate them all into my ranks, with them firing volleys from the back, I bet few enemies could ever reach the front lines.’ He rubbed his chin, calculating. ’I’ll also need to equip them with a Demon-Banning Effect. As long as we can defend against Magic Attacks, our chances of victory will be high.’
"It’s just so expensive," Shire grit his teeth. The Bows and Arrows he had brought this time were pre-ordered from Mary and the Blacksmith Shop in Yangjiao Town back when he first met Evita. He had also sourced a lot of stock from surrounding towns through the merchant’s guild. ’It’s almost as much as the money I made from selling potions.’
It was from that moment on that Shire set his sights on the Centaur Race, trying to find a way to bring them into his fold.
He had even used his subordinates to keep track of Evita’s movements, speculated on the Centaur Clan Leader’s psychology, carefully analyzed their situation, and designed tonight’s whole series of "demonstrations."
The Centaurs clearly loved the Bows and Arrows in their hands. They were far better than the weapons they used to make themselves. Although they weren’t completely used to them yet, they were all veteran archers and quickly grew accustomed to their new weapons.
"Oreco, go and tell everyone to hurry up," the Centaur Clan Leader commanded loudly. The Ogres before them were clearly afraid now, and some had already turned to flee, but the real enemy had yet to appear. The Evil Throat Army should be arriving soon.
"Yes, Clan Leader," Oreco answered loudly. He then grabbed his bow and ran back into the stone chamber, where many of his kin still needed help.
CRASH! RUSTLE! A loud, chaotic noise came from the distant forest. Flocks of birds were startled into the air, and it seemed a massive number of creatures was approaching.
"They’re here." The Centaur Clan Leader frowned, gazing into the distance by the light of the moon. He knew the real enemy was about to arrive.
"Father!" A startled cry rang out as Evita ran quickly to the Clan Leader’s side.
"How many haven’t left yet?" The Centaur Clan Leader looked at his daughter. He didn’t scold her for rushing back from the Fortress, but immediately asked about the state of their people.
"Half are still here, but many of the supplies have already been moved," Evita said excitedly. The escape, having progressed this far, was closer and closer to success.
"Abandon the rest of the supplies. Forget the tubers for now. Get our people out first," the Clan Leader decided instantly. He had originally harbored the idea of the Centaur Race being self-sufficient, but with the Evil Throat Army about to arrive, he had to prioritize the safety of his people. ’We’ll have to rely on the goblin race for a while,’ he thought.
During his previous communications with the goblins via paper slips, a sentence from Shire had completely convinced him: "To gain land but lose people is to lose both. To save people but lose land is to save both."
Soon, Oreco ran over. "Clan Leader, the order has been given. The tubers have all been thrown away."
"Good." The Centaur Clan Leader nodded, then looked at his daughter beside him. "Evita, there is something I must entrust to you."
"Father." Evita looked at her father, not understanding what he meant by saying this now.
"I know I haven’t been a competent Clan Leader, and perhaps not a competent father either. The previous Clan Leader warned me that I was indecisive and always worried about too many things. But now, there is one thing your father must do."
He reached up and removed the Beast Tooth Necklace from his chest. Several canine teeth hung from it, strung on a golden cord that was clearly woven from the hair of a Unicorn.
"You are a good child. You dare to think and you dare to act. Although you can be reckless at times, you are very brave. Father believes you can lead our race well." The Centaur Clan Leader placed the necklace around Evita’s neck, gazing at her with deep affection.
"Father, what are you saying?" Evita stood frozen to the spot, but she immediately understood the meaning behind her father’s actions. "No, Father, don’t."
"Listen to me, Evita." The Centaur Clan Leader grasped his daughter’s helpless hands. "The Evil Throat Army is coming, and some of our people haven’t left yet. Someone must hold them back. If someone must pay with their life for this, I want it to be me."
"You know how bloodthirsty those fiends are, how hard they are to deal with. Their Slave Soldiers are insane. Even if they lose arms and legs, they will still crawl forward to attack."
"I can only do my best to buy you time." After speaking, the Centaur Clan Leader glanced at Oreco. "Take her away."
"Yes, Clan Leader." Oreco crossed his arms over his chest and stamped his forehoof heavily. This was a Centaur gesture of respect, a rite of pledging allegiance to their leader. Not a single person had performed this action when the Centaur Race signed the letter of allegiance to the Evil Throat Army.
Oreco called over a few other Centaurs, and together they forcibly pulled Evita away. At the village entrance, only the Clan Leader remained, looking back at his daughter.
"That was pretty cool of you just now," Shire said, walking over with a sigh. "Are they really that strong?"
"The Evil Throat Army is very strong. This is the only way I could think of." The Centaur Clan Leader turned his head to look into the forest, where the chaotic noise was growing closer.
"Help us. Help Evita," he said solemnly.
"I will," Shire nodded calmly.
"So, you plan to hold off the Evil Throat Army by yourself?" A few elderly Centaurs walked over. Their tone was casual, as if they were discussing what to have for dinner or what the weather would be like tomorrow.
More and more elderly Centaurs gathered, some even snatching the Bows and Arrows from the able-bodied Centaurs and kicking them away with their hooves.
These old Centaurs gathered together, chatting about their hunting achievements from their youth, teasing each other, and bringing up embarrassing old stories. If they weren’t gripping the Bows and Arrows in their hands so tightly, Shire would have thought these old-timers were no different from the old men who used to play chess at the village entrance back in the day.
By now, the night wind had mostly dispersed the stench of the Stinky Spores. Many torches appeared in the forest opposite them. The Evil Throat Army, just as the Centaur Clan Leader had said, had arrived.
Shire watched the elderly Centaurs. They had automatically formed a line, seemingly ready for battle at any moment.
"What a truly natural spectacle," he mused. Shire recalled something he had read once: when migrating antelopes encounter a canyon they cannot leap across, the older antelopes will jump first. Then, the younger ones will step on the backs of the old, using them as a platform to launch themselves across the chasm.
Now, red-skinned goblins were charging forward, heedless of death. Even when Feathered Arrows pinned them to the ground, they still struggled to push forward toward the Centaurs.
Through his telescope, Shire personally witnessed several red-skinned goblins, impaled with Feathered Arrows and trailing their own intestines, crawling toward the Centaurs.
"They really are tough," he frowned, watching the elderly Centaurs gradually become swarmed by the goblins. Then, he turned, walked into the stone chamber, and stepped inside the Stone Ring.
As the last person to use the Teleportation Gate, Shire said to Broken Tooth:
"Once I’m gone, destroy the Control device. And don’t leave the shadows."
Then, with a flash of white light, he was gone, leaving behind only the sounds of tearing and biting from outside the stone chamber.