Hogwarts Summoning Guide

The sound of war drums clearly alerted the patrolling ghost cavalry. The ghost cavalrymen raised their iron spears, which were more than three meters long, and let out deafening screams. The ghost infantrymen who had been motionless in the wooden stockade seemed to have been switched on, and they shook in unison before opening their eyes.

The dark helmet glowed with a faint green light, and the eyes were no longer human's. It was clear that Tamamo-no-Mae had added some ingredients to the Demon Slayer Corps' "recipe" to facilitate the manipulation of soldiers. This should have been easy for a nine-tailed fox demon who was good at manipulating people's minds.

"Roar!" A ghost cavalryman roared, forcefully striking the armor on the side of the tall demon horse with his spear, producing a muffled sound like a bronze bell, seemingly urging the infantry to leave the camp and meet the enemy.

As expected, the demon soldiers, like a robot army from Star Wars, mechanically drew their swords and marched out of the wooden camp in neat small square formations. Although their numbers were far fewer than the troops that marched out from the distant mountains and forests, their aura was even more imposing. A bloodthirsty and hungry aura emanated from the demon soldiers, making even Seimei shiver from afar.

Seimei and Minamoto no Hiromasa exchanged a glance, both seeing the apprehension and fear in each other's eyes. No wonder the refugees were so afraid of the demon soldiers; fighting them might not just mean death...

"Master Bai, do you have any plans?" Seimei no longer addressed Bai Lin as Da Yun, but respectfully called him Master. Seimei was not good at dealing with this kind of two-army confrontation, so he took the initiative to ask Bai Lin for advice, indicating that he was willing to follow orders.

"We can't count on the farmers down the mountain. We can only wait and see how strong the Genji army and the demon soldiers are..." Bai Lin looked back at the camp down the mountain. Many farmers were frightened by the distant sound of war drums. Some were trembling and didn't know what to do. Some were looking for nearby obstacles to hide themselves. Some had already started packing their things to run away... In any case, it was neither humane nor realistic to let them take up hoes to fight the demon soldiers.

Minamoto no Hiromasa nodded and said, "It would be wiser to observe the battle situation first and find an opportunity to fight!" His tone was somewhat hesitant. Bai Lin could see his complicated feelings. As the former crown prince, he was still more loyal to the imperial family. Seeing the Minamoto clan gather such a large army, he even hoped that they would fight the demon soldiers to a draw.

Leaving aside Minamoto no Hiromasa's ulterior motives, Seimei's expression was extremely solemn. He and Hakurin could both see that just one or two thousand demon soldiers could probably crush the Minamoto clan's twenty thousand troops.

While the three remained silent, the Minamoto army in the distance had already formed a battle formation. Although it was not as neat and beautiful as the formation of the Eastern army, it was still quite impressive. This reminded Bai Lin of the history of the Japanese pirates during the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the Japanese pirates took advantage of the complex terrain and adopted small-team tactics. Qi Jiguang also created the "Mandarin Duck Formation" to counter the enemy.

Under the command of dozens of cavalrymen, the ghost soldiers lined up on the hillside, forming a black armored wall.

"The demon soldiers don't have bows and crossbows, so the Genji should keep their distance and defend instead of attacking..." Seimei murmured.

"It's no use..." Bai Lin stared intently at the ghost knights. They were probably the leaders of the ghost soldiers, or perhaps they were generals of the Imperial Guard when they were still human.

The demon soldiers remained motionless. In the end, the Minamoto army was getting impatient. As the saying goes, "One should strike while the iron is hot, but the second will be weaker and the third will be exhausted." If they did not charge after the second drumbeat, their morale would be gone. It seemed that the general in the formation had given the order, and several colorful family banners began to move. About three thousand men, as the vanguard, began to charge towards the demon soldiers' formation.

The daimyo's troops were reasonably well-equipped, though not as good as the "Handsome Army" of Kyoto, but at least everyone was armed. Among these three thousand men, there were also five or six hundred cavalry.

Against a human army of two thousand, these five or six hundred cavalrymen alone could create a formidable offensive. However, cavalry was a precious military force, and the vanguard commanders deployed them on the flanks, not as spearheads. The soldiers were in high spirits, their battle cries echoing throughout the battlefield, raising huge clouds of dust.

The ghost soldiers' formation also began to move. Hundreds of spearmen lined up in several rows, forming a triangular formation of about seven or eight hundred men, and rushed down the hillside to meet the unknown family vanguard.

The two armies clashed quickly, and bloodshed and severed limbs instantly became the focus of all the human soldiers' attention.

"Oh no!" Seimei punched his palm.

This was hardly a battle between two armies; the division of forces resulted in a one-sided massacre. The demon soldiers' triangular formation resembled a giant armored tank, directly crushing into the Genji vanguard. Human soldiers charged at the demon soldiers' armor with their spears, most of which snapped off instantly, while a few pierced the demon soldiers' bodies, but the demon soldiers were completely unaware.

In contrast, the black iron spears of the ghost soldiers were like bamboo skewers for candied hawthorns. With each charge, at least two or three human soldiers were impaled on each spear. Some soldiers did not even die on the spot, but howled miserably, watching their blood gushing out of their abdomens and throats.

The ghost soldiers' formation pushed forward, killing at least several hundred enemy soldiers in a single encounter. The human cavalry on both flanks, unwilling to accept defeat, tried to flank the ghost soldiers and break their formation from the side. The ghost soldiers immediately turned their spears around and used the spears still impaled on corpses to meet the human cavalry.

In just over ten minutes, the Genji vanguard had lost at least a third of its forces, while only a few unlucky demon soldiers were beheaded. The demon soldiers on the hillside seemed unwilling to let the Genji army suffer a setback and retreat, so they abandoned their defense, formed several formations, and took the initiative to attack.

"We can't wait any longer. The Genji army is too large and too disorganized. Once they retreat, they'll fall apart!" In Minamoto no Hiromasa's heart, humanity prevailed over self-interest. Looking at the one-sided situation below the mountain, the soldiers being pierced or killed deeply pained his heart, making him want to rush down and help.

The Minamoto clan clearly realized this as well. They were a hastily assembled force; they could charge together, but a retreat would inevitably result in a stampede tragedy. Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who was in the midst of the battle, immediately issued orders. Dozens of generals responded and obeyed. Yorimitsu's Four Heavenly Kings and the best of each clan led their respective troops in a massive all-out attack on the approaching demons.

Bai Lin pointed to the ghost knights behind the ghost soldiers who hadn't yet joined the battle and said, "They are the commanders of the ghost soldiers. Soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals. Let's go over and eliminate them!"

"Great idea!" Seimei exclaimed happily, "Make a big commotion! I'll bring the Blazing Sun Army soon!"

Bai Lin rolled his eyes at him, grabbed Yuan Bojia, and activated his Phantom Shift ability, appearing directly behind the Ghost Knight. At any time, surprise attacks always have a good effect.

"Shikigami! Summon them all!" Bai Lin concentrated his magic power on the tattoo on his arm. Although he didn't like Seimei's scheming mind, he still decided to go all out and let the Genji know his strength.