The Golem Mage

Alec observed the battle raging at Titan’s city only briefly before being forced to redirect his focus elsewhere, due to the fact that the two other armies he had been keeping a close watch on had finally chosen this moment to make their move against him.

Gazing toward the distant human city settlement near to him, he realized that the force that had occupied it belonged to the sea races.

While Alec hoped that their combat effectiveness would suffer away from their aquatic domain now that they were on land, the sheer speed in which they had conquered the neighboring human stronghold proved they were not to be underestimated.

Because to Alec anyone with the ability to crush a human domain so rapidly meant they possessed formidable strength, enough that he had to keep them strictly on his radar.

At the forefront of their forces marched an army of sharkmen, slowly closing the distance toward the regional city gates.

Even with all of this Alec has been able to determine that the battlefield demanding his immediate and undivided attention was the one that faced the beast forest.

Currently to him, It appears as if the beastkin had been the one who formed an alliance with the sea race, and considering the fact that they seem to have timed their assault to begin only after the aquatic forces began their march toward his domain, was just making his thought feel valid.

He just couldn’t understand how they could communicate given the distance separating them.

Jake flew swiftly toward the city walls overlooking the beastkin front, awaiting him atop the ramparts were Connor, the Barbarian Lord hero; Leon the First, hero of the Spartan warriors; and Unbreakable, the hero commander of the all-cavalry unit.

Meanwhile, the Amazon Queen and Fortress had departed for the neighboring region to bolster Beatrice, her city lay adjacent to the human domain from which the sea race forces were advancing from.

To further reinforce her defenses, Alec had dispatched Brandon and Arthur alongside their respective units.

Although Alec would have preferred to personally go and reinforce her city defence, however; he knew that the incoming strike from the beast forest posed the most immediate threat which also demanded his direct presence.

“What is our strategy for the assault?” Alec inquired of the three heroes standing before him, who were acting as the chief generals in charge of his city’s defense.

“My king, I have requested that my fellow commanders permit me and my vanguard to lead the charge against the enemy forces,” Unbreakable declared, crossing his arms over his chest.

He was now exuding the formidable aura of a peak Tier 7 warrior, and he also seems to have completely shed the initial bewilderment he had felt upon first being summoned from the army barracks.

Despite this, Alec was utterly stunned to hear Unbreakable propose an immediate outward charge, having just constructed defensive cannons and several archer towers, he was perplexed that his generals favored an all-out offensive over relying on their fortified defenses to secure victory.

“My men and I are fully prepared to spearhead the offensive, Sire, while the remaining two regiments would follow in our wake.” Leon the first added his own bits.

At that moment, Alec felt as though the world had gone mad, he had initially assumed Unbreakable was the sole commander eager to abandon the walls and battle head on, however; he swiftly realized that the other hero generals of his seem to share the very same sentiment.

After finally noticing Connor’s silence, Alec was forced to turn toward him, quietly hoping that at least one commander of his would prefer a defensive strategy over a reckless charge.

However, the eager expression on Connor’s face made it instantly clear that he was just as enthusiastic about leading an offensive as the other two heroes.

With all three generals staring back at him, awaiting his final verdict, Alec set aside his original reservations. Inspired by their unwavering confidence, he chose to embrace their aggressive plan.

“If you are all so determined to take the fight to them, then I will stand by your decision,” Alec declared.

“However; the cavalry division will spearhead the assault, followed closely by the Spartan infantry, and then the veteran barbarian troops will march just behind them to offer immediate support should anything go awry.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the three heroes offered a bow of respect towards him before all leaping straight off the battlements without a moment’s hesitation.

It was clear they were eager to get onto the battlefield as quickly as possible, making Alec question why he had stationed so many similar military units in the same place to begin with.

Rivalry was inevitable in such a situation, just as they were demonstrating now and all he could hope for was that this competition of theirs would push them to fight even harder.

As the city gates swung open, Unbreakable led his unit out in a furious charge, as the spear cavalry surged forward in the lead just behind him while he effortlessly gripped his massive halberd with one hand.

It was an unprecedented sight; with every stride, an unstoppable momentum gathered around them.

The Beastkin forces on the opposing side were stunned to see the human lord deploy his troops outside the city walls for an open confrontation, having prepared for a grueling siege against fortified defenses, this sudden counter-charge threw all of their carefully laid battle plans into complete disarray.

Exchanging quick glances, the two beastkin leaders realized the situation had quickly spiraled beyond their expectations. Forced to change their plan, they had no choice but to improvise and adapt their strategy immediately.

They promptly adjusted their marching formation, bringing the bear-kin warriors to the front line, though their advance was deliberate and slow, however; their towering frames and heavy aura which rolled off them seemed to project overwhelming power.

Watching from atop the city walls, Alec could feel the sheer force of their presence, a heavy momentum that seems to rival that of his own vanguard cavalry whose surging charge seems capable of piercing anything in their path.

Flanking the central bear-kin formation were the tiger-folk, mounted atop ferocious, tiger-like demonic beasts, from his vantage point, Alec quietly counted down the seconds remaining before the two force collisions.

Meanwhile, frustration mounted among the beastkin ranks, as their commanders openly cursed the informant who had sold them intelligence on Alec’s domain, realizing the provided information was glaringly inaccurate.

The intelligence report had made no mention of a cavalry unit, and had only warned them to prepare for an ice golem, a metallic golem, and a storm-controlling thunder golem.

This incomplete information was precisely why the bear-kin and tiger-kin had volunteered to lead the assault, given that most of the tiger-folk possessed an innate affinity for lightning, they expected to easily counter the thunder golem and its subordinates.

The bear-kin, meanwhile, were intended to lock down the ice golem or hold the line against the steel golems; they had even planned for the other strange golems Alec was rumored to have under his command, which is what had prompted their alliance with another race for this coordinated strike.

“Why let that trouble you? My warriors are more than capable of crushing their front line, regardless of whether they have a cavalry unit,” the bear-kin commander scoffed with a light grunt.

Rather than joining the front line, he and the Were-tiger commander held back in the rear, dispatching several of their captains to lead the charge while their lieutenants issued commands on their behalf.