General Tilly and his subordinates succeeded in ambushing and destroying Chris IV’s forces.
Delighted that their plan had come to fruition, General Tilly began to feel more confident about the ensuing victory.
“Alright, everyone, good job. Now all that’s left is to encircle and annihilate the enemies who are running around in confusion. Let’s give it our all until the end!”
“Yes, General!”
Encouraging his soldiers, General Tilly resumed the advance.
Then…
“General!”
“What? Why the sudden rush…?”
“Th-there’s a big problem! The enemies… instead of falling into chaos, they are rapidly pushing into our ranks!”
“Wha… what?!”
General Tilly was starting to feel bewildered by the unfolding situation, which took a turn quite different from what he had expected.
“No… usually, when the main forces are attacked, they retreat to defend, isn’t that the principle? What the hell are these guys doing…”
Feeling more confused as reality diverged from his assumptions, General Tilly urgently began issuing orders.
“Damn it! We can’t stand around! Everyone, forward! Follow me!”
“Y-yes, General!”
Gathering his troops in a hurry, General Tilly set off for the advance.
Currently, Tilly’s main camp was in disarray, unable to stand properly to disguise the chaos.
No matter how theatrical it was, a multitude of forces needed proper preparation to face the enemy, and right now, Tilly’s camp had none of that.
If they allowed the enemy to barge in at such a time, the damage suffered would be unimaginable.
With that in mind, General Tilly began marching toward the enemy, striving to encircle and annihilate them as quickly as possible.
However, for him, misfortune awaited.
Chris IV’s forces were not to be trifled with.
*
“The enemies are coming!”
“Stop them! Whatever it takes, stop them!”
As thousands of foes started storming into General Tilly’s camp, his soldiers, who were pretending to be disorganized, began suffering real damage.
The enemies began rampaging through their ranks.
In such a situation, utilizing cannons was out of the question, and even casting magic became difficult.
In contrast, the enemy could destroy everything in sight without such restrictions, launching attacks freely.
“Fire at will! Wipe out every last one of them!”
Bullets and countless spells erupted towards the Imperial Army.
The Imperial mages tried to respond somehow, but without being able to regroup, it was impossible for them to protect their scattered allies.
Moreover, General Tilly was not present to lead them.
As the Imperial Army fell into chaos and didn’t know what to do, Chris IV’s Northern Army continued its ferocious assault.
“Destroy them all! Sons of the great Odir! Cut down every enemy in sight!”
As they closed in on the enemy, soldiers drew their weapons and engaged in close combat.
True to their title as successors of barbarian warriors, they began cutting down foes with overwhelming strength and fearless valor.
Even if wounded by blades or pierced by gunfire, the Northern warriors pressed on without flinching, advancing steadily.
Under their relentless and fearsome combat style, the Imperial Army felt their morale plummet rapidly.
“The enemies are too strong!”
“What do we do? Should we… should we retreat?”
“We… We can’t! We must hold on! Just a bit longer until General Tilly comes to save us…”
“Before that, we’re all going to die!”
In the urgent situation, the soldiers floundered without unifying their opinions.
Among them, about half had already started to drop their weapons and surrender.
The remaining half, clinging to the belief that General Tilly would come to their rescue, wavered on the brink of collapse.
However, even their resistance was rapidly crumbling due to Chris IV and the Northern soldiers pressing in fiercely.
If this continued, it was clear that the forces stationed at the main camp would soon meet with annihilation.
At that moment…
“You filthy barbarians! Do you dare challenge the might of the Empire?!”
“Look there!”
“It’s… it’s General Tilly!”
At that critical moment, the sight of General Tilly’s banner and his battle cry appeared before the soldiers’ eyes.
In that instant, the Imperial Army, previously in disarray, began to regain their fighting spirit, while Chris IV and his soldiers turned their attention to this new foe.
“You are the celebrated Great Mage Tilly of the Empire?”
“And you must be Chris IV, the audacious barbarian who dared invade the Empire’s territory. You will pay dearly for your arrogance!”
“You shall learn that this place will become your grave today! Advance, everyone! Sweep away those weaklings of the Empire!”
Immediately following the brief clash of wills between their commanders, Chris IV and General Tilly’s armies charged at each other.
Even though this was within the ranks of the Imperial Army, and Chris IV’s forces were surrounded on all sides, they still charged with terrifying momentum toward the Imperial soldiers.
In such a chaotic battlefield, the Northern soldiers, with their valor and strength, had the advantage.
Despite starting off unfavorably, Chris IV’s forces and General Tilly’s men began a fierce yet evenly matched battle.
*
“Advance!”
“Kill everything in sight and loot!”
Following Mansfeld’s orders, the mercenaries crossed the bridge without hesitation.
At this moment, they saw only a handful of soldiers blocking the way, and Mansfeld began to smirk inwardly.
“To neglect such an important defensive point… This Valenshtein is truly nothing more than a rookie. At this rate, victory will come without much trouble.”
Predicting an easy victory, Mansfeld advanced.
He paid no mind to the mere ten soldiers before him, focusing only on the camp of Valenshtein burning in the distance.
The plunder that could bolster his long-dormant reputation and secure a comfortable retirement.
With that thought, Mansfeld was convinced his men would cut down the soldiers before them and advance without hesitation.
But then…
-Boom!!!!
“! What… what was that?”
Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed everywhere.
Mansfeld, along with Christian and countless soldiers preparing to march with them, froze in shock at the unfolding scene before them.
“Wh-what is that…”
What they saw was…
In an instant, a tremendous magic engulfed the leading troops in flames.
The dozens of soldiers attempting to cross the bridge turned to ash in the blink of an eye.
A shocking scene as their comrades were slaughtered right before them.
Momentarily paralyzed by the heavy wave of fear, the soldiers in front saw one of the few soldiers defending the bridge.
A mage clad in a white robe began to unleash her magic.
“Wh-what is that…”
She was a female mage, casting a chilling smile at them.
Feeling her ominous presence, the soldiers hesitated to advance.
Then, she spoke with a voice laced with coldness,
“Is this the first time since escaping from the Dragona Empire? I suppose it’s time to stretch my legs a bit.”
