The Centurion where Tini Bazus was located was positioned at the forefront of the right wing of the entire formation. He watched the dust rolling in from the front and felt the slight tremor of the ground, unable to resist turning his head and saying, "The Segestica people’s lineup is no small matter. Today will be a hard fight! Samoras, once the battle begins, don’t worry about me, just take care of yourself and your brothers under your command!"
It was the first time Samoras heard Tini Bazus say something before a battle and was a bit puzzled, "Huh?"
"Don’t ’huh’ me, have you heard clearly?!" Tini Bazus kicked him with his foot backward.
"I... I understand." Samoras nodded heavily.
"Today, let’s have a good fight, brother!" Tini Bazus cheered them on while he held his shield to the side.
Samoras showed a silly smile and forcefully bumped his shield against his.
"You idiot, go easy." Tini Bazus scolded him, turning forward again, watching for a while, murmuring, "The Segestica people should stop advancing, right? Otherwise, those guys in the back weren’t prepared for nothing."
Tini Bazus’s guess was correct. With the two armies still over a hundred meters apart, Andres swung his great sword to signal the troops to halt their advance.
The rumbling footsteps ceased, and the rolling dust began to settle. The soldiers on both sides stood against each other across the hundred-meter distance: the Segestica Warriors brandished swords and spears, shouting and making menacing gestures at the adversary; while the rebel army soldiers merely planted their shields on the ground, standing silently.
The contrast between movement and stillness was stark.
In the middle of the rebel army’s formation was the Second Legion, with Legion Commander Torrelugo standing at the forefront of the array. Watching the display across from him, he laughed heartily, saying, "What the enemy is doing is foolish. They won’t frighten our soldiers, only prematurely deplete their energy, making them incapable of a prolonged fight with us!"
The soldiers in the front row shouted loudly, "Legion Commander, we all heard you. You’d better get back to the rear!"
"Why the rush? Are you afraid I’ll join the battle and kill more enemies than you?" Torrelugo turned and said.
"We’re afraid you’ll be punished by the Military Judge again!" the soldiers replied in unison.
"You guys!" Torrelugo pretended to point angrily at them.
Everyone burst into laughter.
From a hundred meters away, Andres saw the relaxed smiles on the faces of the enemy and frowned, saying, "Make the slaves attack!" After issuing the order, Andres rode back to the rear of the formation.
Gowes was once a Scodisqi Noble, who witnessed the decline of his own Skodisqi Tribe when he was young. He became a slave of the Segestica, swapping his sword for a plow, occasionally being used as cannon fodder to charge the enemy lines.
However, even with just a wooden stick in hand, his performance was still exceptional due to his military training from a young age, earning him better treatment than ordinary slaves. Because of this, he was always placed at the forefront during charges, which was exactly what he desired. The fall of his tribe left him in long-term agony, and dying on the battlefield was his best destiny.
Despite the Segestica people shouting loudly from behind, Gowes did not rush forward. Seeing the enemy ahead brought forth his deepest nightmare, making him very uneasy. He loudly instructed his compatriots around him, "Stay close to me! Move slower, this enemy is different from the past, you must be extremely careful!"
Over 2,000 Skodisqi male slaves formed a loose horizontal formation about a mile long. Gowes intentionally walked at the forefront of the center of the formation, deliberately slowing his pace. With considerable prestige among the slaves, most followed his lead.
After walking ten meters, Gowes suddenly heard singing from the enemy’s formation ahead.
This sound... Gowes was moved because it was the sound of home.
As the singing grew louder and more resonant, more slaves heard the lyrics: "...People born of the wilderness, raised in the forest,
Feel the teachings of the Druid.
Our hearts are connected with nature.
When danger arises, do not panic.
Like a wild bear, gain strength from faith.
When encountering setbacks, do not lose heart.
Like a hamster, learn to persevere from adversity.
This was a Druid ballad! A song they would inevitably chant during rituals and whenever listening to the teachings! All the Skodisqi male slaves who heard this song were greatly shocked.
Amidst their confusion, countless people wearing traditional Skodisqi attire emerged from the enemy’s uneven formation, quickly coming to the front. Small flags were raised, each painted with a wild bear, made by the women of the Supply Camp over an afternoon and evening. Despite their simplicity and crudeness, the effect was tremendous, deeply moving the hearts of the Skodisqi male slaves.
It was at this moment that the Skodisqi compatriots standing in their front stopped singing and shouted in unison: "Brave warriors of Scodis, those in front of you are not enemies, but your kin! Come quickly! Escape the Segestica and come with us, let’s go home together!"
These fellow Skodisqi, both men and women, waved anxiously to the male slaves, some even running forward to pull them over.
What Gowes saw was somewhat different. In front of him stood an elderly man with long hair and beard, wearing a robe and a crown of leaves, arms outstretched and raised high... Even though he had been a slave for more than a decade, this figure often appeared in his dreams because this was the Druid, revered by the Skodisqi people!