Trick or Trap! (1)

3,000 Allendia troops were deployed in Poltaron, 4,000 in Fieldrocks, and 3,000 in Alseed. 12,000 soldiers, led by Sabine Asil, moved back and forth between the defense lines.

Thus, the Kaldris-Mado alliance stationed 22,000 units near the triangular defense line. 3,000 units were set aside for back support, and 8,000 units were deployed as Poltaron.

Since then, Tonitrus faced off on the Hwaren Plain with 14,000 troops against Sabine Asils army, who had moved south to support Poltaron.

The result ended in the loss of both troops.

Allendias main force was cut to 8,000, and Tonitruss army was reduced to 9,000 or so. Since it was a battle the troop loss rate was similar.

Sabine Asil retreated to Fieldrocks, leading the rest of the army, and Tonitrus again joined the frontlines outside the defenses. He then slowly advanced with the main battalion, keeping Alseed in check with 3,000 units assigned to the rear support role.

As a result, Fort Fieldrocks had a combined power of 13,000, and the main enemy force had 17,000.

Soon afterward, Poltaron collapsed.

After three days of retreat, Poltaron troops entered Fort Fieldrocks with about 300 casualties.

Fort Fieldrockss commander, Lord Lacrell, responded with surprise as he heard the report.

Less damage than I expected.

Leon Hart replied in a bitter tone.

We couldnt even fight properly.

They just got stuck in a fort, got bombed, and ran away.

Most of the casualties were suffered by the Aliens of Akhtarun during the retreat.

Sabine Asil raised an eyebrow.

I dont know if we should see this as a success or a failure.

The ultimate goal of Allendias strategy was to eventually attract the Thunder King and the Archmage on their terms.

On the contrary, their opponents goal was to reduce the territory of the incarnations forces and drive them into a corner.

As such, it was necessary to retreat as naturally as possible.

Unlike when they fought Hollien, they shouldnt notice that it was an inducement.

Those who enjoyed Effirs air mobility should continue to suffer from the same tactics.

That way, they wouldnt doubt their opponents.

In that sense, Poltarons defeat couldnt have been more natural.

They were defeated.

The unexpected bombing of the Ancient Dragons caused the team to lose without even doing anything right. They even tried their best to save one more ally.

This is the way its supposed to be, but

Lord Lacrell smiled bitterly.

Thats why both sides have broken their strategies.

At Poltaron, the detached troops of the Thunder King had to be cut by more than half even if the garrison was badly damaged in return.

That way, the future battle at Fort Fieldrocks would be more advantageous for them.

But they did little damage.

At best, they killed several of Akhtaruns Aliens.

However, it wasnt an operational failure.

That side has done very little damage to this side as well.

Thanks to the ultra-high-altitude bombardment done by Effir, the enemys ankle was held down brilliantly. It was also due to it that most of the troops were able to retreat safely to Fieldrocks.

Angelica stuck out her tongue.

Were not doing as much damage as we expected, and weve avoided more damage than we expected. The results ambiguous.

Ryu Han-bin, who was listening to the story, wondered.

Is that a problem? Its a good thing were avoiding bloodshed.

Leon Hart had a pensive look on his face.

Thats also how much more blood were going to lose.

* * *

Breath of Yessen, bring down the power of purification.

Seira washed away a wounded mans injuries with a red light. Just another Spiritist put a healing spell on him.

Leslie was also busy.

She worked hard to heal and perform arts together with the members of the Spiritist unit.

It was a battle with hundreds of casualties, albeit small in size.

Having managed to get inside Fort Fieldrocks, they had to look after the wounded before it was too late.

After casting a spell on another wounded man, Seira shouted, Bandage and hot water!

A blond Elf came running fast with a basin in his hands.

Yes, Princess Seira!

It was Seiras servant, Raondel.

Since he had already recovered both of his arms, he was put to work once more.

Is there anything else I can do?

Help Leslie, too.

Got it.

Unlike before, he was actively following Seiras orders, and it was all because of his hate for the Kaldris Kingdom.

You wicked bastards!

Raondel hadnt been brought home even though his arms were cut off.

Currently, all the powerful Spiritists were assigned to the Allendia army. It was better to stick next to Seira and Leslie.

Seira was not cold-blooded enough to leave the seriously injured Raondel, who lost both arms, no matter how much she wanted. She even did her best in healing him.

He didnt become so humane that he felt grateful and changed his mind, but it was true that his antipathy was somehow weaker than before.

He laid on the bed with his arms cut off and kept agonizing endlessly.

Why? Why did you go after me?

Raondel was nothing for Han-bins party, so he was erased from their mind, but how did he feel?

Why the hell did they want to kill me?

Eventually, he thought of a good reason.

They were the special forces of the Kaldris Kingdom. And in Kaldris lived his eldest brother, Roacell Eli Atransas.

My brother tried to kill me!

It had long been said that power was heartless.

He probably tried to kill his rival to get his hands on the Atransas family!

You wait and see, Roacell!

Vowing revenge, Raondel ran hard among the wounded.

I understand why that young Elf has changed so much

Watching the scene, Leslie tilted her head.

Did Prince Roacell try to kill him?

Seira snorted.

I dont know if hes even interested in that.

She was unsure what was left of the ruined family and the unfortunate fate that came with power.

Moreover, Roacell was never wary of Raondel before.

Well, there had to be a threat. He wouldnt have let his guard down either way.

He didnt understand whats going on yet

Seira shrugged her shoulders.

Lets leave him alone. Hes a good listener, isnt he?

* * *

The next morning, the detached force, led by the Thunder King and the Archmage, joined the main force.

It resulted in the attack force against Fort Fieldrocks reaching 25,000 men.

The supreme commander, Tonitrus, politely knelt to greet the two.

The enemy is now preparing for battle in the fort. Shall we launch a full offensive?

Fort Fieldrocks had over 15,000 soldiers.

A fort of that size would collapse like a thatched house if 25,000 troops were combined with the Thunder King and the Archmages powers.

But Garhan shook his head.

Theres something we need to do before that.

Genovia smiled bitterly.

Its common sense to knock when you go into someone elses room.

* * *

Five thousand soldiers separated from the enemys main camp, which took control of the southern part of the fort and began the march.

Watching the scene from the wall, Ryu Han-bin frowned.

How come the formation looks so familiar with me?

Kibie nodded as well.

They will repeat what they did at Fort Poltaron.

Indeed, light rose from the center of the army.

Colorful flashes turned into huge beings. A roar ripped through the atmosphere.

Grrrr!

Four ancient dragons began to gallop through the Earth, escorted by the army. And, as expected, they stopped just halfway between the fort and the main camp and opened his mouth wide.

Boom!

Four streams of Breath flew into the fort.

Leon Hart sent a hand signal right away.

Prepared to defend!

The response was also quick. They had prepared for that in advance, after all.

The extensive shields of the magic unit kept the Breaths at bay perfectly.

Artis snorted.

Huh! Were not going to let it pass that easily this time.

The Poltaron garrison was only 3,000. As such, the number of spiritual units and magic units was small.

Therefore, they had to retreat after less than 10 minutes due to a series of long-range barrages by Ancient Dragons.

But now, the troops were five times as strong.

On the other hand, the number of the Ancient Dragons was the same then and now, right?

Even if they bombarded the fort for more than an hour, they could withstand it with ease.

We wont do as bad as when we were at Fort Poltaron!

Leon Hart murmured in a firm voice.

No, thats also a problem.

Huh?

Artis looked back at Leon Hart in wonderment.

His expression was still stiff.

Holding on against them is also a problem.

A group of Ancient Dragons stepped forward, delivering ruthless violence that lasted for nearly a few minutes.

All the Mages and Spiritists of the Allendia army clenched their teeth and pulled up Mana and Prana.

Hang in there!

All you have to do is hold the line!

Dont lose focus!

Finally, the bombing stopped. In the end, they blocked the attack of the Ancient Dragons.

The Dragon disappeared, and 5,000 guards returned to the main camp.

Genovia grinned broadly.

We knocked hard, but they didnt open the door?

She grabbed the Staff of the World.

Well, then we just have to open it ourselves.

Four seeds of light dug into the ground. Immediately, a brilliance bloomed and became a beautiful giant tree.

Garhan had a curious look on his face.

Youre using it again? You said it was crude.

It was the magic spell they had seen in Fort Poltaron.

The management and efficiency of Mana are crude

Genovia spoke casually.

Its not as bad as it looks. Do they happen to have similar weapons on Earth?

Four trees turned into gigantic Magic Arrows.

She flicked her staff up.

Go, my giant radiance. Bombard them with destruction!

Four ballistic missiles soared into the air with a roar.

Boom!

* * *

Oh, four all at once this time?

Furious, Ryu Han-bin pulled out his Gigant. Effir immediately picked him up and flew up.

First, she headed towards the Magic Arrow at the front.

Han-bin frowned while pulling up his Blade Aura.

Its gonna split as it did then, right?

His attack split the pillar of light.

With the explosion, three mega Magic Arrows reappeared, but

If we already know, we can stop it!

With a cry, Effir picked up speed.

A red flash shone toward the remaining three missiles.

-Crosscut!

All of them exploded at the same time.

Of course, based on previous experience, those would be split up again and become another set of projectiles.

In preparation for that, Han-bin fired Blade Aura one more time.

-Continuous Crosscut!

Two flashes of light flew in sequentially, aiming for the backs of the Magic Arrows, which were about to split.

With consecutive tremors, shockwaves exploded throughout the atmosphere.

Boom!

Woah. Thats pretty good.

Genovia watched the scene from afar with widened eyes.

But

She smiled.

We still have three shots left.

They seemed to have dealt with a lot, but Han-bin only handled one of the first four.

The rest were still heading for the fort.

No matter how hard it is, he cant block them all

Genovia, who was talking to herself, was soon rendered speechless.

The Sword King and the Wyvern suddenly acted strangely.

Effiyr! Lets do what we practiced!

Yes!

The Sword King soared into the air. At the same time, the Black Wyvern flipped over her body and grabbed Han-bins feet with both her feet.

And spinning in the air, she flew like a frisbee!

Giant swing!

It looked like a disk with a weight at the end was flying in the sky.

Garhans eyes widened just like Genovias.

That was physically possible?

Well, its not something a winged beast would do

When centrifugal force peaked, Effir threw Ryu Han-bin.

Pitching!

The top speed of Effir was raised by centrifugal force. At an extremely alarming pace, Han-bins giant body followed the Magic Arrows closely.

In the meantime, he focused.

That is not magic. Thats not magic. Thats not magic

He continued his mantra.

Thats a dog. Thats a dog. Thats a dog

He could beat dogs easily!

-Sword King Swordsmanship, Dog-Beating Style First Form: Random Cut!

Dozens of Blade Aura littered the air, creating a huge net that seemed to spread out in the sky.

It was an attack that could not be avoided.

Boom boom boom!

All of Genovias Magic Arrows exploded simultaneously.