Chapter 69 - Chase

As Zelos surveyed the chaos unfolding around him, his sharp eyes caught sight of another group in the distance. They were rapidly approaching, intent on seizing control of the abandoned chariots left vulnerable in the middle of the confusion.

What caught Zelos’s attention even more was the sight of horses accompanying this new group, some of which he recognized as the ones that had escaped earlier. These were the same horses that Kaitrine had broken free during the initial attack, now returning with their riders to reclaim the chariots.

Zelos quickly realized the potential advantage this presented. With the enemy’s attention diverted, he could exploit the situation to gain the upper hand. The arrival of the horse-mounted group provided a distraction, giving Zelos and Kaitrine an opportunity to regroup and reorganize.

“They went to the left side of the camp! They are planning to create an opening in our formation!”

After hearing Zelos’s shout, a lot of the enemies turned in that direction and went to see what was going on there. Zelos couldn’t help but smile at how devious he was… still, he might have dug his grave after that since he went to the center of the enemy’s formation.

……

When Liry saw the first signs of confusion in the enemy’s camp, she immediately gave the order for all the soldiers on her side to get up and charge with all their might. Their response had been so swift that cavalry units between the camps didn’t have the chance to take a single step since they also were wondering what was happening back there and they waited for the orders on their side.

“Keep a tight encirclement to them and target them when you have the chance! Cavalry! Advance in the enemy’s camp!’

The enemy cavalry units that were the closest to them found themselves surrounded, but the others had the chance to retreat back to their camp. Thanks to that, some small archer units had the chance to approach and then unleash a barrage of arrows on the riders and their horses. They began to fall one after the other and soon the entire army began to charge toward the enemy’s camp. Even from a distance and despite the darkness of the night, Edea was able to see what was happening there.

“Our cavalry was stopped by their heavy infantry… it doesn’t look like their reserves are on the move.”

As Liry listened to the report, a sense of satisfaction washed over her. Her observations confirmed what she had suspected: the diversion was working brilliantly.

With a nod of acknowledgment, Liry quickly processed the information. The surprise attack from both sides had caught the enemy completely off guard. It was evident that the enemy general had not yet issued orders to respond to the unexpected assault.

The astonishment on the faces of the enemy soldiers was palpable. They were clearly overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events, struggling to react effectively to the dual threat from the rear and the flanks.

For Liry, this was a crucial moment. The success of the diversion meant that they had gained a significant advantage over the enemy. With the element of surprise on their side, they could press their advantage and further disrupt the enemy’s plans. However, it wasn’t enough.

“We need to go further. I want you guys to open the path.”

Heirina, Irlan, and Edea looked at each other… they didn’t join the confrontation until now all in order to protect Liry, but now she asked for something like that. They knew that she had a point… they had to bet everything on that one attack before the enemy general had the chance to give his orders, but it was just too risky.

“I am going to use my trait, and both allies and enemies need to hear it in order to become as effective as possible. I know what you want to say. You shouldn’t reveal that to the enemy, even more so when they have an army here, but we don’t have any other choice. Heirina, it is now or never.”

“... You heard the commander. Let’s open the way to the enemy’s camp.”

The other two nodded while showing uncertain looks on their faces. It didn’t take long for them to realize the trouble that they were going to face… when they reached the front lines where the heavy infantrymen was blocking their path, a lot of them recognized Liry and soon began to charge toward her… even without receiving orders, the most obvious thing to do on the battlefield was to target the enemy’s commander.

Thanks to that, their side finally began to be pushed away… despite the surprise of the attack, the enemy’s discipline and morale granted them that chance and soon their side began to take the flow of the battle.

Edea began to fire her arrows and claimed the lives of those who got closer to them, but even so, she could only fire so many arrows at a time. Irlan and Heirina moved to protect Liry while she closed her eyes and then took a deep breath. Before long, she opened her mouth and began to sing.

As Liry began to sing, a sense of unease spread through the allies gathered around her. It wasn’t because of anything she was saying. Indeed, her words were hardly discernible over the din of battle. No, the disquiet stemmed from the fact that she was singing at all, right in the midst of a fierce conflict.

The idea of singing during battle seemed absurd too many, a reckless and unnecessary action that could potentially distract or expose them to danger. Yet, as the notes of her song filled the air, something remarkable began to happen.

Allies within earshot of Liry felt a surge of energy coursing through their bodies. Their fatigue was momentarily forgotten as their spirits were lifted. The melody seemed to invigorate them, infusing them with a newfound sense of strength and determination.

Conversely, the enemies found themselves struggling against an unexpected weight pressing down upon them. Liry’s song seemed to sap their strength, leaving them feeling sluggish and lethargic, their movements becoming more labored with each passing moment.

It didn’t take long for the enemies to lose their momentum and the heavy infantrymen began to lose and fall. While seeing their side piercing the enemy’s camp with almost ease, Heirina, Irlan and Edea couldn’t help but frown. Liry’s trait allowed her to make those she saw as allies recover their health, magic, and stamina quite fast while the enemies were spent on the same rate… such a trait was truly abnormal.

“So, that is the trait of the imperial family… they certainly can affect the entire battlefield. Any battlefield can turn into our favor like this, but since she decided not to use it from the beginning, it should have some issues.”

Heirina looked at Liry and didn’t notice anything odd with her. Her face seemed normal and she didn’t look like she was getting tired faster, so perhaps her guess wasn’t correct. Still, she couldn’t help but think that Liry put herself in a really bad situation.

Still, Heirina didn’t have time for that since she could see the enemy’s calvary approaching… they took their time coming, so it seemed that Kaitrine and Zelos did their job. There were no signs of the chariots coming, though.

Zelos crossed the enemy camp, trying to look as normal as possible. Thanks to that, no one took notice of him. It was dark and he didn’t show his dark sword, so no one recognized him. In the end, he found the largest tent in the camp and decided to attack the enemy general. There was no time for a duel. He had to assassinate him, but the place was guarded by ten soldiers who had their hands in their weapons.

“I should have known… Those guys should be no joke. I can take down half of them with my iron balls, but the others will have to be dealt directly. That will give the general plenty of time to react and prepare.”

In the worst-case scenario, Zelos will be surrounded, if not by those guards, by others when the general calls for help. In any case, Zelos didn’t have time to think about that… he had to put his plan into action without hesitation and with speed.

In the end, Zelos approached a bit more to the large tent with his iron balls already in hands. When he was ready, he threw the Iron balls at the targets and then fell on the ground in quick succession after a nasty sound echoed from them.

Around the same time that Zelos charged with his sword in hand and ready to strike, Liry’s voice echoed on the battlefield filling him with energy. At the same time, the guards felt their bodies getting weaker. When they saw Zelos and tried to react to it, two of them were too slow and were beheaded. 

The third managed to block the attack, but Zelos’s brute strength destroyed his guard and then his side was cut by the sword. At the same time, the final two enemies went to attack Zelos and then they pierced his sides with their spears, but Zelos was waiting for that and attacked them at the same time, making their heads roll afterwards.

As the enemies fell under the onslaught, Zelos felt a rush of relief and adrenaline. However, amidst the chaos of battle, he couldn’t escape the sensation of something cold spreading through his body.

The enemy’s spears had found their mark, but luckily, they hadn’t pierced Zelos’s bones. Instead, they had inflicted some damage to his muscles, causing a dull ache and a chill that seemed to seep into his very core.

Though his bones remained intact, the damage to his muscles was enough to slow him down. Each movement became a little more difficult as the chill crept further through his body.

Despite the discomfort, Zelos gritted his teeth and pushed through the pain. He knew that he couldn’t afford to let his injuries hold him back, not when the battle was still raging around him.

Zelos tried to ignore that and turned around to attack the general, and soon he found a man charging at him with a pair of swords and swinging them to cut his throat.

Zelos raised his sword in a hurry to block the attack and then he opened his eyes widely when the enemy began to push him, despite being a dual wielder. 

Zelos tried to fix his stance by bending his knees a bit, but then the enemy spun his body and then kicked Zelos’s sounds in his right side. The attack made Zelos lose all the air in his lungs, and the pain made his eyes spin. Still, he clenched his teeth and endured.