by M Sisa
With his decades of experience in the battlefield, he immediately issued out a command. “Scatter! Everyone, scatter!”
The soldiers were confused by the sudden order. They would have reacted quickly had the General shouted ‘Shields up!’ or ‘Cavalry, charge!’, but the current order was so vague that the soldiers were rooted to their spot.
Another mana bomb was dropped from the balloons and struck the army. Hundreds of soldiers were sent flying by the explosion, some of them scorched, while some had their armors pierced by the shrapnel produced by the impact, killing them on the spot.
Still, the trained soldiers of the Empire did not move without their orders.
Seeing his unmoving soldiers, Amubal quickly stormed his mind for a way out. He roared, “Spiral Spear Formation! All soldiers! Now!”
With his voice echoing through the magic stone, everyone quickly assumed the Spiral Spear Formation. It was the formation with the closest semblance to the order to scatter. With this, the soldiers have considerable distance with each other, which would greatly mitigate the casualties from the mana bombs.
After the soldiers assumed the Spiral Spear Formation, Amubal immediately ordered the magicians to cast protective spells for the army. Casting a barrier to protect everyone was an impossible feat, so Amubal decided to destroy the bombs instead.
Numerous balls of fire hovered in the air, ready to intercept the bombs the moment they were dropped by the balloons.
But to their surprise, the balloons gained altitude, until they were nothing but a pebble in the sky. The balls of fire were ready to intercept the bombs, but no bombs came down.
At the same time, the Kingdom’s soldiers started to charge towards them – each of them armed to the teeth. Since the Spiral Spear Formation was meant to deal with surrounded opponents, they proved weak against a frontal assault from a sea of enemies. The soldiers outside the Spiral Spear Formation immediately became prey to the Kingdom’s soldiers.
Amubal gnashed his teeth upon seeing his men being slaughtered one after another.
“Pike Shield Formation! Now!”
The soldiers of the Empire desperately fought back. Despite being caught off-guard, they still managed to create numerous Pike Shield Formations amidst the melee. In this formation, seven soldiers teamed up. Four were tasked to shield the center of the formation while the three inside struck the enemies with their spears. It was a good defensive ability that could block even the charge of the cavalry.
Amubal and the other officers of the Empire joined the fray. They began slaughtering the soldiers of the Kingdom left and right.
With their advantage in number, the Empire slowly pushed back the Kingdom. The Yorkshaire Army were unable to fight to their utmost potential on flat land.
“Kill the damn dogs of the Kingdom!” roared Amubal.
As expected of the so-called man-eater, he quickly slaughtered every enemy he saw, their limbs and heads flying off one after another. He chuckled as his blade pierced the flesh of his preys.
The sound of a horn echoed again from inside the city. On cue, the soldiers of the Kingdom immediately fell back. The Empire was flustered by this sudden move, since judging by the soldiers’ movements, it looked like the Kingdom’s soldiers had been briefed of this plan beforehand.
Amubal’s instinct screamed at him. He looked above and his pupils trembled from what he saw.
Numerous mana bombs were raining down from the sky!
“Magicians!” he snarled.
The magicians noticed what was happening. Their balls of fire shot up and intercepted the mana bombs. Deafening booms echoed in the sky as numerous explosions broke out.
But the magicians were unable to intercept all of the bombs. Several of them fell towards the Empire’s soldiers, immediately killing hundreds of them on the spot.
“Spiral Spear Formation!”
Amubal ordered the soldiers to scatter once again as the mana bombs incessantly fell down the sky.
The sound of drums again rumbled within the city walls. To Amubal’s horror, the Kingdom’s soldiers who retreated just a while ago started charging at them once again.
Just like before, the soldiers stationed outside the Spiral Spear Formation fell prey to the Kingdom’s soldiers. The Empire performed the Pike Shield Formation again to hold back the Kingdom, but the sudden attack from the sky created large gaps among their ranks. The Empire’s defense wasn’t as impregnable as before, and the Kingdom started gaining the upper hand.
The balloons remained high in the sky and there was no way for the Empire to shoot them down.
Seething with rage, Amubal finally issued the order to retreat. The Empire divided the retreating army into small platoons despite the risk of being killed by the chasing soldiers from the Kingdom. Amubal deemed those mana bombs to be more dangerous than the enemy soldiers right now. If they moved as one, their casualties would shoot up.
***
Seeing the retreating soldiers of the Empire, Lui Marcus issued out the commands.
“Pretend to chase, but do not engage.”
Hearing these words, a soldier waved a blue flag several times. Those standing at the top of the city walls saw this and they started hitting the gong several times. It was the signal for the start of the second operation.
Although they would have loved to slaughter those retreating bastards, their priority right now was to end this war.
The balloons moved towards the northeast, towards the direction of Magara City. It was the city of the Empire nearest to Yorkshaire Mountain, the city of the Empire closest to the frontline.
The balloons reached the city in just two days. The soldiers guarding the city did not even notice the balloons approaching, since they resembled nothing but small pebbles in the sky.
The moment the balloons were directly above the city, the remaining mana bombs rained down. The entire city quaked as numerous explosions caused deafening booms. Smoke continuously swirled up in the sky as flames started spreading out, burning the city to the ground. Soldiers, merchants, slaves, ordinary citizens – every single person in Magara was caught in the explosions.
Cries of anguish and cries for help were heard as burning bodies littered the ground.
Two days after this attack, the Kingdom sent a message to the Empire, threatening them to withdraw their soldiers from the Yorkshaire Mountain Range, or they would attack the other cities of the Empire.
However, contrary to their expectations, the Emperor still did not yield from the Kingdom’s threat.
The Empire declared an all-out war against the Kingdom.
Chapter Fourteen
While the Kingdom and the Empire were having a clash at Yorkshaire Mountain Range…
[Lion City]
“Come back here, you damn thief!”
Hans huffed as he ran through the street and alleyways. Chasing him was the man he robbed this morning. The man was livid with rage, but he could not catch Hans no matter what he did. He shouted and cussed as he ran after Hans, but to no avail. After a few more minutes, Hans finally lost his tail.
“Chase me all you want but you wouldn’t catch me, sucker.” Hans spat on the ground. Using his fingers, he combed his black hair backwards. Looking around, it seemed that he had ran so far that he reached the area near the western gate of the city. He saw several soldiers standing guard near the city’s entrance.
“Let’s see our loot for the day, shall we?”
He opened the small leather bag he snatched from his victim. Upon seeing its contents, he scowled. The books aside, the only items of worth were three silvers and a small bronze locket. The man was holding onto the bag as though it was a precious item, which was why Hans made it his target for today. Who would have known that it was filled with nothing but crap?
“Well, these books… I’m sure the old lady in the black alley can buy it for a price.”
He consoled himself with this thought. He grabbed the three silver coins and put them inside his pou
ch. As he was taking out the books to better inspect them, he heard shouts coming from beyond the walls. The guards standing near the entrance began to move, their expressions grim and pallid.
What’s happening?
Hans looked at them, puzzled.
The shouts outside the wall intensified. Soon, the bell on the watchtower rang. Numerous soldiers started coming from the streets, eventually gathering right before the gate.
“Hey, move! Go back to the Residential District! It’s dangerous here!” One of the soldiers noticed Hans and told him to get away from this place.
“They’re coming! Get ready!”
A soldier on top of the watchtower shouted to the guys below.
The soldiers gathered before the gate and lifted their spears up, their gazes fixed on the closed gate, as though waiting for it to suddenly burst open.
Hans shivered when he heard the roars outside. Shouts came on top of the walls.
“U-Up! T-They’re climbing the walls!”
Hans did not know who shouted those words. He immediately looked up on reflex and was horrified by what he saw. On top of the walls, numerous monsters stood. They charged at the soldiers on the battlements, tearing their limbs apart before throwing them towards the ground below.
Hans’ instinct screamed at him to flee, to get away from here as far as possible, that there was no way for the soldiers to win against those things, but the primal fear evoked by those monsters rooted him to the ground.
One after another, the soldiers on top of the walls were killed and thrown towards the ground. Blood splattered as numerous thud sounds were heard. After taking care of the soldiers on top of the walls, the monsters looked down below.
The soldiers standing before the gate shivered. They knew they were next.
The colossal gate proved useless right now. Who would have known that those monsters were capable of climbing the walls?
“H-Hey, t-those monsters!” one of the soldiers shouted. “They’re from the Lake! I’m sure of it! They’re from that damn Lake!”
Hans immediately understood what the soldier meant. There was only one Lake with monsters coming out of it.
The Lake of the Full Moon.
Hans looked up. It was still middle of the noon. Why did those monsters suddenly show up? It was not even night, more so a full moon!
And what was the garrison in the Lake doing? Hans was pretty sure that the City Lord built a fortress there several months ago to fend off the monsters.
Don’t tell me, the fortress…
Still shuddering uncontrollably, Hans gritted his teeth. He wanted to curse this stupid body of his for being frozen with fear like this.
Move. Damn it. Move!
As he cursed inside his mind, his frozen limbs started moving one by one. He slowly stepped back, his eyes still locked on the monsters on top of the walls.
“Shit.”
The monsters started crawling down the walls!
Now that he had taken a careful look at them, Hans realized how ugly the monsters were. If a gorilla and a frog had a child, this would be it. They had muscular but hairless arms, their bellies bloated, their eyes large and protruding. Whenever they roared, their long tongues would stick out.
Monstrous strengths aside, their numbers posed a serious problem. There were almost a hundred of them, probably more.
Upon reaching the ground, the monsters immediately pounced at the soldiers. Their spears proved useless against those muscular bodies. Some soldiers managed to pierce the monsters’ eyes, but they were immediately swatted away like flies.
Hans knew it was only a matter of time before the soldiers were annihilated. He glanced at them for one last time, took a deep breath, then ran for his life.
As he ran through the streets, he could still hear the shouts and roars behind him. The bell of the watchtower stopped ringing, the soldiers guarding it probably dead already.
Along the way, Hans noticed the panic-stricken residents of the city. The news regarding the monster horde must have reached them by now, but the sheer shock made them unable to properly react.
Not wanting to see more people die, Hans shouted, “Monsters! Monsters are coming this way! Everyone, run away!”
Everyone who heard this turned even paler.
And as though Hans’ words were the cue, an ominous roar trembled through the city. Hans heard numerous heavy footsteps coming their way.
Shit. Shit. Shit!
He ran like a madman, disregarding the people he passed by along the way. He had done his part. Whether they would believe him or not, whether they would run or not, it would be entirely up to them.
“Ah! Help me!”
“Monsters!”
“Run away!”
The monsters have finally reached this far. Hans knew he had to keep on running. Otherwise, those monsters would also reach him.
But where should he go? If the Lion City was overrun by monsters, where would he take refuge?
That person…
Hans skidded to a halt upon seeing a familiar figure. Behind the man were several dozens of soldiers.
“Ah.” Hans’ lips parted. He remembered who the man was. He was Daltos, the Fire Golem. One of the Commanders of the soldiers of Lion City, the so-called impregnable fortress.
Looking at the Commander, Hans felt a sense of calm. If it’s this man, then maybe they could drive those monsters back.
“Is Lord Valcres safe?” said Commander Daltos.
“Yes, Commander,” said one of the soldiers. “He’s currently in the underground chamber of the castle.”
Commander Daltos nodded, “Good.” He furrowed his brows and unsheathed his sword. “They’re coming. Get ready.”
The soldiers unsheathed their weapons and formed a blockade with the commander at the center.
A roar was heard and tens of monsters appeared across the street. They ripped apart the bodies of the citizens in their way. Some had their limbs pulled off, while some had their heads smashed into the ground. It was a gruesome sight, but the commander and his soldiers stood their ground.
Then the soldiers and the monsters clashed.
Commander Daltos immediately activated his magic. His entire body was soon covered with flames, giving him the appearance of a three-meter fire golem. With his every punch, a monster was sent flying out. With the commander at the center of the formation, the soldiers slowly pushed back the monster horde.
It was an exhilarating sight. Hans unconsciously clenched his fist as he cheered for the commander and the soldiers. The sight of those ugly creatures being blown away made Hans’s heart pound in excitement.
As expected of the Commander! The protector of Lion City!
The number of monsters continued to increase, but so did the number of soldiers. More and more soldiers came as reinforcement. There were numerous casualties on the City’s side, but it was apparent that the monsters were the ones being pushed back.
The monsters tried pummeling Commander Daltos to the ground, but the flames covering the Commander’s body protected him from all attacks. Definitely, the nicknames Fire Golem, Impregnable Fortress, and Protector of Lion City weren’t there for nothing.
“The Mercenaries are here!”
The daredevils, who chose to remain and watch while hiding, cheered. Although the Mercenary Guild Master – Sword Saint Alexander – was not here, his officers were all skilled.
The Assistant Guild Master easily cleaved the monsters in half using his axe, while the other officers held back several monsters at the same time.
The monster invasion continued from noon until dusk. With the combined forces of the soldiers and the mercenaries, the damages from the monsters were mitigated, and the horde was pushed back.
Evening came and the monsters retreated. The aftermath of the battle left several hundreds of dead bodies lying on the ground. It was only after the monsters had been cleared before Lord Valcres appeared to calm the citizens.
Hans went back to
his home in the Commoners District. After pickpocketing for several years, he had finally saved enough money to buy this small house half a year ago. It only had one bed and a living area, but to Hans, this abode was more than enough.
He jumped into his bed without even bothering to change his clothes. Although his entire body was trembling with fatigue, he did not fall asleep easily. The mere thought that those monsters could come again while he was asleep ate away at his peace of mind. He anxiously stared at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to come.
What if they invaded again tonight?
Hans shuddered at this thought.
“Damn it.”
This city was no longer safe. He was sure of it.
The soldiers and the mercenaries may have defeated the horde for now, but what about tomorrow or the next day? The next full moon? With each invasion, the number of soldiers defending the city would lessen, until the time comes when they would no longer be enough to defend the city.
“Should I try my luck at the Capital?”
It was far, but he heard the Capital was the safest city in the Kingdom. He could sell this house and start over there from scratch.
Hans shook his head.
“No, it’s too far.”
There was also the option of leaving for the nearby cities. But if the monsters of the Lake could come this far, those cities wouldn’t be safe either. He would rather migrate to a city faraway from this place, like the Capital.
Hans heard several loud knocks on his door.
“Hey! You’ll destroy my door if you keep knocking like that!” Hans snarled.
He jumped from his bed and briskly walked towards the door. He pulled it open.
“What are you doing in this time of the nig—” Hans cut his words upon seeing the man behind the door. He momentarily stopped breathing. “Vice Leader. It’s you.”
Behind the Vice Leader, a muscular man wearing leather armor, was several others.
“I’ll get straight to the point,” he said. “We’re leaving the City. I’m personally visiting our members to urge them to come with us.”
Hans opened the door fully. The man before him was the vice leader of one of the three underground organizations in Lion City.
