Overwhelming Firepower

One of the mercenaries Marquis Valeire hired looked at what was happening all around him. He was just outside the walls, and he saw dozens of men die within a few seconds.

He could not comprehend what was happening right before his eyes. What were those unknown weapons that are causing devastating damage to their ranks?

”What is this?!”

This was supposed to be an easy job. An army of twenty thousand against five thousand. They said there was no way they would lose.

Now, most of those in his mercenary band have died, and only the aura users remain. It was at this moment that his fight or flight response kicked in, and he started running in the opposite direction.

He ran without thinking about honor, pay, or even the men who had marched beside him only minutes ago. The battlefield behind him had become something unrecognizable, and every instinct in his body screamed that staying meant death.

Another thunderous explosion split the air, and the ground shook violently beneath his boots. He stumbled forward and nearly fell, catching himself just in time before forcing his legs to move again.

The sound was not like anything he had heard before in his years as a mercenary. It was not the crash of steel or the roar of a charging knight. It was deeper, heavier, as though the sky itself had cracked open.

Yet he had heard that similar sound many times today. It was the sound made before a violent explosion would happen.

He continued running without looking back, but he didn’t get too far, as someone from Marquis Valeire’s side appeared in front of him.

The mercenary was about to say something, but he was unable to as the knight slashed at him.

The mercenary was unable to react to the sword slash, and then he saw the knight was becoming taller, but then he saw his own body without his head.

That was when he realized what had happened to him. The mercenary then heard the knight’s voice before his consciousness faded.

”Those who flee will be eliminated.”

The knight’s blade flicked once to shed blood before it returned to guard position.

The knight did not spare the corpse another glance. He turned immediately, aura mantle flaring around him as he leapt back toward the collapsing front lines.

Around him, similar executions were taking place. Officers and contracted knights were cutting down deserters without hesitation; their actions meant to cauterize the spreading panic before it consumed the entire army.

For a brief moment, it worked. The fleeing soldiers slowed. Some turned back out of fear of their own commanders rather than courage.

Others raised their weapons again with trembling hands. The aura users who still stood formed a loose defensive line, their mantles burning brighter as they prepared to advance once more.

At the center of it all, Marquis Valeire observed the battlefield with sharp, calculating eyes.

His expression was not one of panic; it was one of focus. Such a shift in expectations was not enough to rattle someone like him.

He was a noble of the warrior kingdom Norvaegard. He had gotten to his position through his own efforts; this kind of situation will not be enough to break him.

The artillery from the fortress continued to fire in controlled intervals, targeting clustered formations and cutting off retreat routes with disturbing precision. The Gatling guns mounted on the walls swept across the field.

He understood those two things were the most dangerous things on the field right now. He also noticed the new swords the aura users of Duke Vardon’s side were using.

Even though those were also impressive, what he needed to focus on were the artillery and the Gatling guns. He needed to somehow destroy them.

He had misjudged the technological gap. The artillery dictated distance. The Gatling guns dictated movement. The modified swords dictated close combat.

Right now, his trebuchets and mages were specifically targeting the artillery, but it proved difficult since they were heavily defended.

There were mages placed near the two artillery and dwarves, and as for the Gatling guns, a few aura users were protecting those weapons as well.

”We need to lessen the guards on those things somehow.”

Marquis Valeire looked at the battlefield. He had a mage cast an eagle eye spell so that he could see the battlefield more clearly.

The two massive artillery pieces stood apart from the rest of the defenses, positioned deliberately at the far left and far right of the battlements.

Their spacing prevented both from being neutralized at once and allowed them to control wide firing arcs.

Between them, the Gatling guns were mounted at intervals along the wall, their relentless fire forcing any advancing force to scatter or perish.

The only ones who could get close were the aura users, but even then, they were intercepted by the Stellhart knights.

Marquis Valeire thought about it for a second and decided to send out his secret weapons, the ones meant to deal with Duke Vardon.

He had hired, using a large amount of money, a mercenary group that had several aura users at the fourth mantle, and their Captain and Vice-Captain were at the Fifth mantle.

He would send this elite mercenary group to deal with the artillery on the right, and focus fire on the artillery on the left side. This would force the other party to save one or the other.

This was one of the advantages he had with using his superior numbers. Making it harder for Duke Vardon’s side to defend since he can split his forces appropriately.

The initial surprise from the new weapons had faded, and he now had time to think of ways ot overcome them.

A few aura users and mages were also getting used to defending and evading the artillery shells as well as the continuous fire from the Gatling guns. The death rate of the soldiers had also slowed down.

After Marquis Valeire gave out his orders, a unit that looked to be so much better equipped than the others emerged from the rear and began to move.

Unlike the scattered advance of regular soldiers, this group advanced in silence and perfect coordination.

Their aura mantles did not flare wildly. Instead, they burned steadily and densely, like compressed flames waiting to erupt.

Even amidst the chaos, nearby soldiers instinctively moved aside. The elite mercenary corps, Dragon’s Claw.

Six fourth-mantle aura users formed the forward edge of the formation. Behind them moved the fifth-mantle vice-captain, and at the center was the captain who was also at the fifth mantle, his presence alone causing the air around him to feel heavier.

Dragon’s claw made their move and dashed forward towards the artillery on the right side of the battlements.

”Focus fire on the left side of the fortress. Destroy that weapon!” Marquis Valeire commanded, and everyone started firing at the artillery on the left.

The protection from the rune engraving on the wall was starting to fail. The mages tried their best to defend and counter whatever was coming their way, and so did the dwarves, but the density of the attacks made it hard.

So a few aura users came to help defend the artillery on the left side. That was when Dragon’s claw struck the artillery on the right side.

Seeing this scene, Marquis Valeire couldn’t help but smile, thinking that everything was finally going as planned.

It was at that moment that he noticed that Sir Thalos intercepted the members of Dragon’s Claw.

He was a little confused as to why Duke Vardon still did not make a move, but since the other party was willing to give up his strongest knight, then who was he to deny such a gift?

All he needed to do now was wait for the destruction of the artillery, then he could focus on the Gatling Guns. Finally, he would overwhelm the knights and Duke Vardon with sheer numbers.

***

The leader of Dragon’s Claw noticed Sir Thalos blocking his path. He and the other members of Dragon’s Claw got into fighting stances.

The leader of the Dragon’s Claw made a few hand gestures, telling his men to finish the object first while he stayed behind to distract Sir Thalos.

They nodded their heads in response and quickly moved towards the artillery, but then Sir Thalos appeared before them and punched one of the fourth mantle mercenaries. The mercenary had his ribs broken and pierced his lungs, killing him.

”Do you really think I’ll let you do that?”

Sir Thalos spoke, cracking his knuckles, rolling his shoulders once, and the ground beneath his boots cracked faintly.

His aura mantle did not flare wildly. It compressed inward, hugging his frame like a second skeleton.

The group of mercenaries did not respond with words but with actions. The Captain attacked from behind, making a piercing motion with his spear, and the vice-captain attacked at the front, doing a horizontal slash with his sword.

Both of them had enveloped themselves and their weapons with their aura mantles as they attacked.

While they were doing that, the five other mercenaries were sprinting towards the artillery.

Sir Thalos, who also has his body wrapped in his aura mantle, evaded the spear thrust by slightly moving his head to the left and took the slash from the sword.

The sword had cut through his armor, but was unable to cut his flesh; it could not go through Sir Thalos’s muscles, which were forged to an incredible degree.

He then grabbed hold of the spear the Captain thrust at him and threw the other party at the mercenaries sprinting away.

The Captain flew towards the mercenaries, and before hitting them, he pierced his spear into the floor, forcing himself to stop.

The Vice-Captain tried to pull out his sword from Sir Thalos’s body, but Sir Thalos tightened his abs to stop the sword from being pulled out.

Sir Thalos then clenched his fist and, with incredible speed, punched forward. The Vice-Captain was somehow able to react to the strike and let go of his sword to block the attack.

Unfortunately, he should have just evaded instead. The second Sir Thalos’s punch hit the Vice-Captain a terrible cracking noise could be heard.

The Vice-Captain flew towards his Captain. Sir Thalos’s attack had broken both his hands. He could not stop himself from flying backward and hit his Captain making the other party slide backward.

Using this opening, Sir Thalos once again blocked the path of the other mercenaries and proceeded to punch and kick them.

A few died immediately, but there were also some who were able to evade his attacks. Now there were only two of the fourth mantle mercenaries.

”I told you that I won’t allow you to do that.” Sir Thalos said again to the Dragon’s Claw mercenary group.