by Michael Sisa
The simple but effective tactic of evading direct clashes to preserve their strength finally came to an end.
“Baron, do you hear me? How’s it going on your side?”
Lark sent out a message via the magic stone embedded on his necklace. After several seconds, a reply filled with static came out.
“We’re… Being. Pushed. Back.”
Lark frowned. He could feel the sense of urgency and tension within the voice of the Baron.
Since they were still able to communicate, despite the poor-quality magic stone as a catalyst, the First Army should at least be nearby. A week away from the Third Army’s position, at most.
“General Alvaren. That monster. He predicted. Everything. We lost a third of our soldiers.”
The static sounds increased further and it was almost impossible to understand the Baron’s next message.
“But… We. Finally found. A lead… To the scattered. Marcus and. Yorkshaire. Army. Ah, damn it. He’s. Here.”
And the communication was cut. Lark tried sending several messages to the Baron, but did not receive a single response.
But from that short exchange alone, Lark was able to surmise several things. First, the First Army was several days away, probably at the northwest, where the defeated Marcus and Yorkshaire Army retreated. Second, one of the two commanders of the Empire was currently hunting down the First Army. This meant that now was the perfect time to attack Yorkshaire Fortress, before that so-called monster of the Empire came back.
“Things got several times harder just now, huh?”
Lark decided to take the worst possible scenario into account. He decided to fight this war without expecting any reinforcements from the other armies of the Kingdom. Time is of great essence. He decided to strike now, while one of the two Generals of the Empire was out of Yorkshaire.
“Well, at least that General isn’t here to intercept our attacks.”
Lark willed all of the surveillance birds to spread out and scan the entire region. As expected, the number of soldiers was several times greater now that they were near the Yorkshaire Mountain Range. Even the smallest camp had around five hundred soldiers at the minimum.
Lark willed several birds to fly further, toward the mountain range spread out before them. Soon, a walled city came into view.
There was only supposed to be one fortress in this area. Without a doubt, that city was Yorkshaire. The target of this expedition. The city they needed to capture at all costs.
“Fog?”
Even from above, it was hard to see the entirety of the city. Everything was enclosed by a thick white fog, and only some parts of the walls and the tall tower at the middle of the city were visible.
Lark’s intuition was telling him that the fog was man-made, probably created using someone’s magic. To test this, he willed one of the birds to approach the fortress. Upon closer inspection, Lark noticed the deep ravine surrounding the entire city. It seemed that the only way to enter the city was through the large drawbridge. But that was assuming that the invaders were able to block the attacks from the large ballistae on top of the walls.
The bird flew closer to the fortress, and the moment it made contact with the white fog, the transmission was suddenly cut. Lark lost vision in that area. That finally confirmed it. That fog was nothing ordinary. It was definitely magic.
“The initial plan just went down the drain,” he mumbled to himself, his brows creased as he scanned the entire region using the vision crystal. “How the hell did Yorkshaire fall to the Empire?”
The ancestors of the Lukasians were really clever to have built a stronghold surrounded by a deep ravine, with a colossal mountain range serving as natural barrier against the enemies. Even the walls were thicker and taller than those of the capital. It was no wonder that for more than a century, the fortress never fell to enemies’ hands before this war.
But the Empire managed to defeat the Kingdom’s soldiers stationed in the mountains and capture the fortress in mere weeks. Without a doubt, the two generals sent by the Empire for this war were monsters.
Lark knew he needed to tread carefully in this battle. With the First Army currently being hunted down by General Alvaren, a single defeat in battle may mean total annihilation even for his army.
Lark knew full well the repercussions of even a single loss in the battlefield, especially something of this scale. He had seen several geniuses back in his previous life who succumbed to an early death due to their arrogance.
Lark gathered all of the officers in his army. Inside a large tent, several men and women gathered around a round wooden table.
“From now on, we’re going to move with the assumption that no reinforcements are going to come to our aid for this war.”
Lark’s opening remark made the officers flinch in response. They had expected to regroup with the First Army, but Lark just shot down that idea.
“B-But what about the Second Army, sir?” the leader of the light infantry asked.
“They’re not coming,” Lark stated. “At least… For now.”
Lark spread out a large map on the table. He placed numerous wooden blocks on top of it, signifying the different armies he saw using the vision crystal.
“These are the enemies surrounding us in all directions.” Lark pointed at the wooden figures on top of the map. “They haven’t noticed us yet, but it’ll be only a matter of time before our enemies become aware of an army this large.”
The officers gathered inside the tent had realized long ago that Lark was using some kind of trick to bypass all the enemies along the way, and that was the reason they hadn’t clashed with any enemies so far. But looking at the map and the wooden pieces on top of it, it was apparent that a clash with the Empire would be soon inevitable.
“Yzelle,” Lark said to the woman in charge of the supply line. “What rations do we have left?”
Yzelle—better known as Chryselle Vont Aria—one of the Elders of the City of Magic, had joined the Third Army and become the leader of the supplies team. Thankfully, even the residents of Wizzert did not know her face as she hardly went out of the tower unless necessary. Disguising herself was not even necessary. With her skills, she was easily accepted in the army.
Coming with this army carried great risks, but it was definitely worth it. She could finally directly observe the man who created the perfected magic circle.
“Four weeks,” she said. “But we can extend it to a month and a half if we cut down the amount we give to the soldiers.”
Lark could feel the suppressed mana oozing out of the woman before him. Since she’d shown great competence in managing the supply line these past weeks, Lark decided not to probe further on her identity. But to be safe, he asked Anandra to monitor her movements every now and then. He also assigned two of his trusted men as the assistant leaders of the supplies team.
“Four weeks, huh.”
Lark knew he should also take the number of casualties into account. Death of a hundred soldiers would mean a hundred fewer mouths to feed. By estimate, thousands of soldiers would probably die within four weeks.
They could probably hold out for two months with the rations they currently had. But that was assuming that their supplies remained intact all throughout the war.
Lark studied the map unfolded on the table again. With the vision transmitted to him by the surveillance crystal, the entire battlefield became clear. The only variables remaining were the Yorkshaire City shrouded by the fog, and the First Army currently being hunted down by one of the Generals of the Empire.
“Attacking the city shrouded by the damn fog is suicide.” Lark considered the possibility of the fog being filled with poison or illusion magic. If they attacked head-on, they would risk numerous casualties, or worse, annihilation. “And we can’t continue camping in the wilderness like this any longer.”
It would only be a matter of time before their enemies discovered their whereabouts.
Lark grabbed a large wood
en piece and placed it on top of the map with a thud. “This city. We’re taking over this one before midnight. Disseminate my orders to the army. Prepare to move out.”
***
Their first target was the City of Akash. When Magaras heard of this, even a tormentor like him questioned the sanity of the Commander of the Third Army.
The City of Akash was only a day away from the City of Yorkshaire by cart, and it was surrounded by a few villages occupied by the Empire. Therefore, their enemies would need to defend the city for only a day before significant reinforcements arrived.
There were only two possibilities why the commander had chosen this city as their first target. Either he had gone mad from war or he was confident of capturing a walled city in less than a day. For some reason, Magaras felt it was the latter.
Interesting.
Through his half-stitched mouth, Magaras’ tongue protruded and licked his lips.
After killing the head of the Lurie family a few years ago, he founded his own band of mercenaries to satiate his hunger for flesh and blood. But contrary to his expectations, the peaceful era did not come to pass. Years after massacring the surviving members of the Lurie family, his flaying knives had yet to meet a noteworthy prey once again. Aside from the occasional requests to exterminate monsters outside the city, and the rare requests to assassinate a few people, his little band of mercenaries were left idle for too long.
Until the declaration of war with the Empire came.
Magaras could still remember vividly how he shuddered in ecstasy upon hearing of the King’s decree. Without hesitation, he signed up for the military.
He’d finally found a playfield. A place where he could torture humans to his heart’s content. It was the perfect excuse to dismember humans without aggravating the Kingdom any further.
“Boss, should we bail?” one of his men asked him.
Thousands of soldiers were currently marching toward the City of Akash. Along the way, they encountered several scouts from the Empire, who were quickly dealt with by Anandra and his men.
Even Magaras’ men knew how foolish it was to attack the City of Akash the moment they stepped foot on the Western Front. It was only a day away from Yorkshaire. If they failed to capture this city within that timeframe, they would find themselves surrounded by enemies at all sides. It was basically suicide.
Magaras grinned. “Don’t be stupid. Are you afraid of mere dogs from the Empire?”
“O-Of course not!” His men replied indignantly, with fear in their eyes.
“Hahaha! That’s right!” Magaras chuckled. “But aren’t you guys curious why that kid ordered the entire army to charge toward Akash the moment we set foot in this land?”
To be honest, they were all curious why. But no matter how much they thought about it, it did not make sense in the slightest. Sieges normally took months, and even the fastest ones took several days.
They would probably just poke their hands into the hornets’ nest then back away once the swarm came. And they were not the only ones thinking this. Most of the soldiers were questioning the sanity of the upcoming clash.
Soon, their target came into view.
The City of Akash was small, probably around half of Lion City, but the height of its walls was comparable to those of the City of Magic’s.
They had not even stepped outside the nearby forest when the watchtower of the city rang its bell. The soldiers stationed outside returned to the city and shut the gates. And as though they’d practiced it thousands of times before, numerous archers positioned themselves on top of the walls and nocked their arrows.
“Sons of bitches,” Magaras cursed, but his eyes were glimmering with delight upon seeing the sight. “If a small city’s like this, then I can’t even imagine how we’ll be able to capture that damnable Yorkshaire.”
Magaras looked in front, where Lark Marcus was. Peculiarly, despite his young age, their commander was calm, as though he was taking a walk in the garden of his mansion. He gave out directives every now and then, and the soldiers moved according to his commands.
And the command to charge forward rang out.
Magaras was stunned upon seeing the entire army charging toward the walled city just like that. At first, he expected some kind of genius strategy. But after seeing this sea of soldiers charging toward their target like some mindless mob, Magaras could not help sigh.
“Seriously, this kid.” Magaras shook his head. He was also running forward, he and his men were positioned right at the middle of the charging army. “Trying to take over that city using numbers, huh?”
Magaras was disappointed. He had expected more, especially after hearing the previous feats of Lark Marcus and after meeting him in person. But this tactic—it was something even Magaras was capable of pulling off.
“Blackstone Knights!” roared Lark Marcus. “Charge!”
Magaras’ eyes widened when a group of soldiers wearing full plate armor charged toward the gate with no regard for their lives. There were over a hundred of them, and each of them dashed forward without hesitation, their armor shining upon the touch of light.
The bells in the city continued to clang. The archers stationed on the battlements released their arrows and the volley rained down from the sky. And as expected, the armor of the knights easily repelled them. They continued charging forward with a single-minded focus of destroying the gates.
When the enemies noticed that arrows were useless, they started loading the catapults and fired. Small boulders rained down and struck the charging knights.
“W-Wha… What?” A gasp escaped Magaras’ lips.
The boulders clearly hit their targets, but to his surprise and horror, the so-called Blackstone Knights simply took the blow. Some were sent flying, their armors deeply dented by the impact. There were even those who had their arms and legs crushed. But as though getting hit was a trivial matter, they groaned and stood up, then resumed their charge.
Magaras was sure that even their enemies were stupefied by this sight, as they started shooting more boulders at the charging knights. Some of the knights must have gotten used to this pattern of attack, as they started zigzagging and evading the falling boulders.
Magaras could hear the archers on top of the walls shouting in fright.
Soon, the Blackstone Knights reached the gates. They started boring holes through it with their punches, as though it was made of parchment, before ripping it apart with brute force.
The Blackstone Knights poured into the city in droves and began massacring the Empire’s soldiers. Even from a distance, Magaras could hear the screams and smell the thick scent of blood.
Magaras shivered.
So, this was the reason why the kid was so confident about sending the entire army forward. They haven’t suffered many casualties yet, but they’ve already managed to breach the city’s defenses. He even started seeing several Blackstone Knights on top of the walls, killing the archers one after another.
It was a one-sided massacre. Everything was being handed to them on a platter.
“Ha… Ha… Hahaha!” Magaras laughed as he savored the sight. “See that, boys? All of those soldiers are our prey! What are you dallying for? Charge! We can’t be too late for the party, right?”
With the archers taken care of, the rest of the Third Army entered the city and clashed with the Empire’s soldiers. But with the momentum and number on their side, the Third Army easily dealt with the resistance.
Within just a few hours after the battle, the Third Army managed to capture the City of Akash.
And Magaras received his heart’s desires.
“Magaras,” Lark Marcus said, “this man is the leader of the soldiers of this city. You know what to do, right?”
A man was kneeling in front of Lark Marcus, his hands and legs tied to his back. The man must have resisted until the very end, since his entire body was filled with cuts and bruises. His entire face was swollen, making it impossible to see what he originally lo
oked like. Still, the man’s eyes were shining with a dangerous light.
The perfect prey. Magaras would love to see those rebellious eyes succumb to fear and despair.
“Of course, My Lord.” This time, Magaras bowed his head low. He was satisfied with the feat Lark Marcus had shown.
He finally understood everything, the reason why Lark disregarded any form of tactic. With such prowess, the best strategy was to bore through Akash’s defenses with mere brute strength.
“Repair the broken gate! Fortify the walls! Raise the Kingdom’s flag!” Lark shouted his orders. “For this war, we’ll make this city our main camp!”
VOLUME 4: CHAPTER 7
After taking over the City of Akash, Lark immediately ordered the Blackstone Knights to dig a wide trench around the city, particularly deeper at the place where the gate was situated. A wooden drawbridge was also being made, which could be easily pulled back during a siege.
Lark had finished inspecting the walls and judged them to be adequate enough to fend off attacks from a regular army. Fortifying it even further would take too much time, so he decided to just focus on creating magic towers to help them suppress their enemies from a distance.
“Sir, the blocks have been transferred to the fifth area. The other items you’ve requested have already been prepared.”
Lark nodded after hearing his subordinate’s report. He went to the fifth area—an area located at the middle of the city—and started supervising the magic tower creation himself. Wood, iron and stones were being transported left and right as numerous soldiers and workers moved about.
Unlike the towers he made in Lion City, this one was taller and larger. Instead of stones as supporting pillar, the base was going to be made with iron. It would probably take more than a week to finish this thing, but this magic tower was an absolute must for them to defend against the enemies surrounding them at all sides. The magic tower would also prove useful later on, the moment they decide to launch an all-out offensive against the Empire.
Lark decided to transform the City of Akash into a fortress. The rallying point for the Kingdom’s army.
