The massive, lance-like bolts could pierce a man and the man behind him as well.
「Under Divine Flag」was a spell that was centered on the paladin who had cast it, which meant that its effect were strongest when many people were bunched up within its effective radius. However, that only led to more casualties.
The sound of flapping came through the air before the enemy could fire a fourth time. Winged angels flew through the sky and passed over the heads of Neia and the others.
While they were angels of the lowest order, they headed straight for the demihumans. They had burning brands in their right hands and they held pitchers with cloth sticking out of their mouths in their left hands. Those pitchers clearly contained oil or powerful spirits.
In other words, they were carrying explosive throwing weapons ― firebombs.
Of course, the flames produced by those weapons would not harm fire-resistant opponents in the slightest, or demihumans with thick hides or large bodies. They might not even have an effect at all.
On the other hand, there were also those demihumans who could not deal with fire, and damaging the ballistas would also stop the enemy attack.
The angels filled the sky above the ballista-wielding Ogres and lit their pitchers. However, they did not even have the time to cast them down.
There was a flapping sound as demihumans took to the sky. They were Pteropuses. Their hands were shaped into leathery wings, and their arms remained still as they rose straight into the air like they were riding the wind. That was probably the effect of some kind of spell.
A white weblike substance flew out at the same time, entangling the angels. It had probably been produced by a special ability of the Spidans.
The angels looked like butterflies caught in a spiderweb, and they plunged to the ground since they were unable to move freely. They were swallowed up by the demihuman hordes, and it was needless to say what happened to them after that.
However, the angels had not sacrificed themselves in vain.
Several firebombs hit the ground, and roaring flames splashed all around.
Neia judged that this was the best chance she would get, and tensed her bowstring.
Until now, it had been impossible to aim directly at the Ogres due to the shields mounted on their ballistas. Even if she took aim at their unshielded legs instead, it would be nearly impossible to kill them in one hit.
Her father would have been able to shoot out an Ogre’s eye through a tiny opening. However, Neia’s skills were not as honed as his. However, the Ogres raised their ballistas and pointed their shields upwards. Perhaps it was because they feared the flames or they were afraid for their ballistas, but whatever the reason, their attention was focused on the fire, and they did not pay her any attention.
If she missed this chance, she would probably not get another.
She drew her bowstring to its limit, and then loosed her arrow.
The magic item she had borrowed from the Sorcerer King aided Neia in bringing forth a result that approached what her father could do.
The arrow flew on a startlingly straight path, and struck an Ogre’s head.
Neia had not aimed for the thick skull, but a squishy eyeball. While some monsters possessed a protective membrane over their eyes, she judged that it would be easier to strike a fatal blow there rather than targeting the skull.
However ― things did not go as planned.
Her arrow sank into the vicinity of the Ogre’s jaw.
The stricken Ogre howled loudly, shuddering from the pain.
The Ogre dropped its ballista, and it clutched its face ― the part where it had been shot. Then, it shakily turned its back on Neia before falling back. While she had not dealt it a mortal blow, she had at least broken its will to fight.
If the demihuman army had healers, it would probably be able to return to the frontlines in no time.
“Tch!”
This was all Neia could accomplish, even with the aid of the powerful magic items the Sorcerer King had lent her.
Neia clicked her tongue and immediately took cover behind the battlements, then pressed herself to the city side of the wall and began to move. The militiamen beside her stared in surprise as she suddenly left her post, and she addressed them in harsh tones.
“―Get out of here! They’re going to counterattack this place!”
It was not because they had heard Neia’s shout, but several of the ballistas discharged their projectiles in her direction. While most of the bolts had gone awry, some of them landed in Neia’s vicinity, and they wrecked the nearby wall.
If Neia had been unlucky, she might well have been impaled by those bolts.
She peeked at the demihumans again. The chaos from the angels and fire attack was being steadily contained, and the Ogres raised their ballistas again. It would seem news of being hit by an arrow had spread throughout the enemy army. In that case, they would probably not make the mistake of lowering their shields again. Therefore ― would she gamble on being able to emulate her father’s skill by a stroke of luck, hitting them even if she could only strike their exposed bodies? Or would she shrink up like a turtle and wait for her chance?
Amidst her confusion, the bow she had borrowed from the Sorcerer King caught the sun’s light and gleamed beautifully.
You won’t be praised for rashness...
Yes. She had managed to borrow such incredibly potent items, and she had to return them no matter the cost. Therefore, she ought not to take risks.
They can’t have that many special bolts!
It would seem the demihumans were volleying an endless hail of lance-sized bolts at them. However, their crude manufacture meant that very often, they flew towards places with nothing to hit, and some of them even fell into the city streets without striking anything.
She could not return fire, so all she could do was hunker down and wait for the enemy attack to stop.
Fragments of the destroyed city walls showered Neia. Some unlucky militiamen were hit and died on the spot, but while others silently prayed for the enemy attack to stop, since they could not do anything else.
Soon, she heard a mighty doom, the beat of a drum. The same sound repeated itself four times. In the distance, the same sound came from what should have been the left wing of the enemy’s formation.
…They’re coordinating their movements with the number of drumbeats. It looks like the right and left wings are using that to communicate. If I could enter the enemy camp and steal one of those drums, then beat wildly on it, that ought to disrupt the enemy’s cohesion ― that said, it would be impossible.
The enemy ought to know the importance of their drums. Therefore, they would be heavily guarded. In that case, who could charge into their camp?
Perhaps an adventurer could use 「Invisibility」 or 「Silence」 or other spells to cause chaos among the enemy and then sneak in.
There’s no point hoping for the impossible…
Still, there was no doubt that the enemy was changing tack. Neia ― and many militiamen ― nervously rose up to peek at the enemy’s movements.
After that a great commotion rose up from them.
It was a feeling which combined shock, fear, and furious anger.
The army arrayed on the other side of the wall was advancing at last. The left and right wings of the Demihuman Alliance forces moved forward in parallel. The center detachment approached the city gate in a layered formation.
The demihumans advanced with earthshaking steps, as though they wanted to hunt down and kill Neia and the others.