Book 8: Chapter 98: Fraying at the Edges |
Zeke's mouth twitched as he watched the pieces come together.
Now, that was a proper killing field. The Legion was burning lives like cinders while the defenders barely had to expend any energy. Worse, the previously exhausted Flesh Mages were even recovering their strength. Soon, they might regain enough strength to join the melee, making the situation even more unfavorable for the Legion.
Though Zeke knew this couldn't last. Likely, this was nothing but the Legion high command probing their strategy. In the great scheme of things, these frontline soldiers were a small sacrifice and certainly didn't impact the Legion's capabilities much.
Clearly, they wouldn't just roll over after encountering a slightly tough nut. They must have a few surprises of their own in their back pocket.
He glanced at Akasha. How would she react when the Legion finally showed its teeth?
***
Viola watched in horror as her countrymen were torn to shreds. Whether it was at the hands of the ever-regenerating horde of summoned beasts or in battle with the half-beast soldiers, they were utterly powerless to resist.
It was a horrendous sight.
Even though Viola had often disagreed with the actions and conduct of the Legion, she knew, ultimately, that these were merely soldiers carrying out their orders. If she wanted to find issue, it should not be with them, but with high command who had issued the orders. Therefore, the sight of so many of her countrymen being slaughtered like cattle sent a chill down her spine.
"Shouldn't... shouldn't we do something?" she asked her superior, whose face had become equally grim.
The woman glanced at her. "And what would you suggest we do?"
Viola blinked. "What else? We should be able to pass through a mere dampening field with our ships, couldn't we?"
There was a twinkle in her superior's eyes. "Naturally, we could make it through. But do you think he will let us?"
"He? Who?"
"Who else? Your little boyfriend up there."
Both their gazes drew to the flying fortress overhead as if they had agreed to it beforehand. There was a moment of silence before Viola spoke again.
"...He's not my boyfriend. Also, do you really think he could stop us, even with you here?"
The woman sighed. "You haven't seen what that ship can do. Last time I faced it, I was lucky to escape with my life, but even that came at a price. I don't fancy going up against it again..."
Viola gulped. Her superior was one of the few pure-blooded Windtänzers in the Legion and the only Archmage at that. This was a woman with considerable status, even within her family. If even she spoke in such tones about that flying fortress, it didn't bode well for them.
Where in the name of the four winds had Zeke gotten his hands on something so dangerous?
Before she could ponder such thoughts any further, her attention was drawn by the shift that was happening within the ranks of her allies.
The Greycloaks that had been ready to charge stopped their advance and made room for a different unit to take their place. Viola had expected it to be one of the Mage units. The Flamecallers, maybe. But she was surprised to find a completely unfamiliar formation step forward instead.
They wore green, coarse robes, not in the typical style of the Legion. The garments shrouded their figures from head to toe, making identification impossible. Viola was certain she had never heard of a unit that wore this color.
"Who are they?" she asked.
Her superior remained silent for a moment, also observing the change. "I don't know," she ultimately said. "But if I had to guess, I would say that we are in for a surprise."
Viola wanted to ask more, but she knew that this woman wasn't one to explain more than she already had. Leave it to Archmages to always remain cryptic. Instead, she focused on the new unit.
A moment later, her question was answered when they removed their robes, baring pale, slender upper bodies.
"Half-Elves? Are those natives?" Viola couldn't hide her surprise. "I didn't think they would fight for us after what we have done..."
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The gaze of her superior remained locked onto the battlefield, but there was now a peculiar note in her voice. "I suggest you don't question it too much and focus on the battle instead."
Viola frowned for a moment but decided to heed those words. Even though her curiosity was piqued, it was always a bad idea to lose focus on the battlefield, and there would be time enough to get to the bottom of this later.
Just then, there was a change in the new unit. The flesh on their bare upper bodies began to shift. It almost appeared as if they were aging by decades as their smooth skin became wrinkled. Then, even the color began to change, turning a greyish brown.
Viola's eyes went wide. She had seen this before. She had seen it when the Exarch of Wind had annihilated the elven army. Skin like tree bark. This was an elven nature spell that made their warriors nearly impenetrable to physical attacks.
But now, it was being used by her own side instead of against them. They had somehow acquired the secret of elven war magic.
"Seems like this is about to get interesting," her superior said.
Viola couldn't help but nod. When she had seen the elves use this spell, it had been completely useless against the might of an Exarch, but now their enemies were physical combatants of similar strength. It would be interesting to see how this method performed against enemies of a similar tier.
After their transformation was complete, the elves began to charge. There was no order to it. It was the charge of an undisciplined rabble. Whatever training they had clearly didn't cover proper formation.
They reached the barrier and rammed into the dampening field without even slowing down. They seemed far less affected by the restriction than the Greycloaks had been. This elven magic must have boosted their physical strength considerably.
Then they finally reached the inside of the defensive turtle shell. Viola held her breath. This was where her countrymen had all been stopped. Their bodies were still littering the ground.
The first to make contact with the charging elves was the woman with the massive spear. Once again, she charged as if riding the wind. Viola's expression sank as the spear carved through the first of the elves with ease. A second fell in the same strike, but then something different happened. The moment the spear impacted the ribcage of a third tree bark warrior, it suddenly stopped.
The woman and the warrior seemed equally stunned. Then the man did something incredible. He grabbed hold of the spear, half-embedded in his wooden skin, and held on to it with the determination of a man willing to die.
In the same breath, the people behind him began to charge.
His struggle didn't last long. The spear-wielding woman smashed him to the ground and bisected him. But it had still been enough to allow the warriors behind him to close the gap.
Then it happened. For the first time, the leader of the snake people, this indomitable presence of slaughter, was forced to take a step back to create room. A dozen more died before she was forced to take a second step back. For the third, it only took four more.
Step by step, the woman was driven back by the fanatical charge of these half-elven berserkers. Part of it was their incredibly tough bodies, which resisted physical attacks as well as a full suit of steel might have, but more importantly was their willingness to charge into death without blinking. Each and every one of them seemed willing to give their lives to inflict a minor wound, or even just to force her back.
And if even their leader was struggling so much, it was only natural that the average soldiers were doing even worse. Across the entire defensive perimeter, the defenders were being pushed back. Though their casualties remained minimal, they struggled to hold their ground against this veritable legion of deathsworn warriors.
It didn't take long for a small area within the barrier to fall fully under Legion control.
It was all they had needed.
The moment the opening appeared, one of their elite Mage units was already there, as if they had known in advance.
They were one of their core units, led by an Archmage named Severus. Viola knew him well. He was an intensely unpleasant man, but his magic was second to none. Within the Legion, he was among the top contenders for first place.
But before he could even begin to rain hellfire upon the defenders, he was intercepted by the swing of a giant fist. The Titan had charged his position alongside her army of giant, moving trees.
Her quick intervention managed to stop the defense from being completely overwhelmed, but it only took a few more minutes for another breach to appear. This time, one of their Earth Mage squads made it through. They were once again intercepted, this time by somebody Viola knew all too well. David, the former butler serving under Maximillian.
The man seemed to have advanced to Archmage since she had last seen him and was now engaging one of their commanders in battle.
But she didn't have the time to watch as another breach appeared right after. This time, the leaders of the Fleshshapers they had been chasing stepped up to fill the gap.
Next, it was Karas Skarn, the summoner, who stepped in. However, by now, Viola could see the pattern. The defense was already fraying at the edges. There was simply no way to keep these suicidal elves at bay. It didn't matter how ferociously the defenders fought. Sooner or later, more gaps would appear. Gaps her people would exploit. And soon, the defenders would run out of high-level combatants capable of stopping them.
And then, this stalemate would turn into a slaughter.
***
Zeke's face grew serious as he watched his people being driven back. Akasha's perfect defense was faltering, all because of the presence of this new force.
Brainwashed natives copying the methods of the elves.
What a disgusting tactic. But Zeke had to admit, it was incredibly effective. These half-elves were nearly on par with his Chimeroi legions in terms of physical combat. If they had been given more time to train, they might have been actual rivals. But even now, their strong bodies and reckless charge were enough to have his elite units struggling.
"This can't go on," he said to Akasha. "What are you going to do?"
Akasha answered without a breath. "I am going to use the Alexandria to create some breathing room."
Zeke shook his head. "If you make a move, their fleet won't sit still either. Can you stop their ground units while protecting yourself from their destroyers?"
"Some damage is expected, but I will be able to protect our critical systems."
Zeke frowned at that. The Alexandria wasn't only their most powerful war asset, it was also their only means of retreat. Any damage to it could quickly turn into a situation in which there was no avenue of retreat. It wasn't something he was willing to risk.
"Forget it," he said, as he began to rotate his arms and work some feeling back into them. "You just focus on keeping their fleet in check."
"Then how..."
"How else?" Zeke interrupted her with a smile. "I am going to take care of it."
