Chapter 3: The Battle Begins

The dark masses of barbarian warriors formed nineteen strictly organized diamond-shaped formations, along with one square formation composed of four half-orcs and mortals, and one crescent-shaped formation of half-elf archers. Almost all of Kommer’s forces were thus revealed on the Bosson Plain in an instant.

Of course, Kommer also had a elite and special unit—the Earth Dragon Warrior Assault Team and the Thunder Roc Sniper Knights. He did not intend to expose them to the enemy. In fact, his regular attacking forces were already formidable enough to crush Homer’s army into dust, provided that the court mages hiding in the background did not intervene—though this was impossible in reality.

Kommer picked up the Magic Mirror in his hands to observe Homer’s army two kilometers away. He didn’t want to waste his magic power on Sky Eye magic; it was crucial to conserve some strength at this moment. Using the Magic Mirror could also boost his troops’ confidence.

Homer’s lily flag, representing Philip, still displayed its bright colors under the sunlight. Sixteen infantry squads and three cavalry squads were also neatly arranged. Clearly, Philip was going all in, rushing all his apprentice knights and knight trainees to the battlefield. Judging from the poor-quality horses and simple plate armor worn by those apprentices, it was evident that Philip had spared no effort for this battle. It was a reckless gamble—wise men would avoid such risks. In fact, Homer’s fate had been doomed from the very beginning. Kommer observed all this coldly.

The Rebirth Knights were not present in Homer’s army, which worried Kommer. The striking power of this elite Gallic knight unit could turn into a nightmare for the infantry formations. If their attacks from the flanks couldn’t be effectively contained, his infantry would never be able to fight a fierce battle.

Although Mahagumi’s intelligence network and field scouts were doing their best to track this force, and reports from Mahagumi’s agents confirmed that the Rebirth Knights had left Cyprus and were on their way back to Gutenberg, Kommer still couldn’t feel at ease.

The members of the Rebirth Knights Order had already made contact with the Caucasus faction. The hostility they showed surprised Komer somewhat, but upon seeing the Satyr Knight’s eyes seemingly about to spew fire, Komer realized that Vero had brought him not only pleasure but also some troubles—quite interesting. It wasn’t this reason that worried Komer; rather, it was his understanding of Zelin. That old fox wouldn’t give up his ambitions just because of a few empty words or his daughter’s feelings. The only way to stop his reckless actions was to prove one’s strength. Now, Komer knew that it would be only after this decisive war that the people of Galia would truly realize the changes in the landscape.

Until then, Komer had to be cautious, fearing that this force might suddenly appear and deal him a fatal blow.

Silesia and Poznan had officially accepted Homer’s invitation to join this war, but their actions were somewhat slow—perhaps because they demanded too much. Homer was hesitant about their “goodwill,” otherwise he wouldn’t have agreed to this battle before the armies of Poznan and Silesia arrived at his territory.

A soldier rushed past the front lines toward the central command post. Komer could even see the large sweat beads on his cheeks.

“Lord, Knight Raypen has discovered a cavalry unit about thirty kilometers northwest of us, advancing rapidly toward the battlefield. According to Knight Raypen, it seems to be a knightly order, with around two thousand members and quite advanced equipment.”

“Oh?” Komer smiled, waving his hand to indicate he understood, then turned to look at Fran in his military attire. “It seems the people of Galia still refuse to forget their relationship with the Homerians. Fran, shouldn’t we give them a good lesson?”

“Hmm, Lord, I agree with your judgment and opinion. It must be the Rebirth Knights Order. Their disguise is excellent, but their purpose for coming to Homer hasn’t been fulfilled. I don’t believe they’ll just leave quietly. Without a battle, they won’t be satisfied, nor will they be able to explain anything to Philip.”

His silver-threaded armor in shades of blue and gray madeFranz’s figure appear particularly vigorous. A delicate bear head atop his round helmet indicated that he had fully integrated himself into the Caucasus forces, a fact also confirmed by the bear head emblem on his chest plate. The serious expression in his eyes couldn’t conceal his eagerness. Holding his massive sword sheathed in the soil in his hands seemed simple, yet the killing intent it exuded was hard to hide. It seemed this leader of the Caucasus army was eager to test his skills on the battlefield.

“Hmm, what do you plan to do?” Komer nodded.

“The Rebirth Knights have considerable combat strength, and since we’re currently in the plains, it’s perfect for their cavalry charges. I intend to use six reserve infantry formations to withstand their attacks. Although the Homer Knights also have three formations, their combat effectiveness and morale are nowhere near those of the Rebirth Knights, who are fresh forces. So I’ll face them with one infantry formation per knight formation. Both sides aim to hold off their cavalry while using archer units to inflict maximum damage. Our decisive force remains our infantry, who must swiftly and thoroughly destroy their infantry formations. Judging from our current strength, this might be difficult.”Franz paused, looking at Komer.

“Use all the Earth Dragon Warrior Assault Teams—make sure to utterly destroy them. The Thunder Roc Knights as well. It’s better to use troops when the time comes; don’t hesitate to deploy them! Don’t fear losses!” Komer commanded firmly.

“Then we won’t have any reserves left,”Franz hesitated. Not having enough reserves was a major military mistake, and commanders always avoided such reckless actions.

“Now that the Rebirth Knights have appeared, we have nothing left to hold back. Besides, I still have another force at my disposal,” Komer shook his head. “Don’t worry.”

Franz also knew that this lord seemed to have some hidden trump cards. In fact, he had some vague suspicions, but he didn’t want to delve deeper. The matters behind this lord were far too complicated—dark forces, necromantic powers, and even puppets he had only heard of. These words often came to mind. As a soldier, he didn’t want to get involved in anything outside of warfare. Since the lord was so confident, he naturally had nothing to say.

Looking at Fran’s firm and simple figure, Komer also felt emotional. It would be better for Fran to be a simpler person, and he was indeed striving to become that way. Uma had already hidden in the shadows as per his instructions; when necessary, her army of undead would surge forth, but Komer didn’t want to use this force unless absolutely unavoidable. Such undead forces were better suited for small-scale attacks rather than large-scale battles. Komer preferred to have Uma integrated into his own mage group to deliver a fatal blow to the opponent’s court mage group, thereby undermining their magical power and ensuring his own side’s invincibility. It would also significantly weaken the power of the Light Church in Nicosia, who would be his main opponents in the future. When it came to battles between mages, summoning undead was much more acceptable—dark mages were based on dark powers, and one couldn’t expect them to be like light mages. Komer didn’t care what the Light Church thought of him; what mattered more to him now was how the people saw him.

Sulaiman looked worried, while Karl Liebknecht had a solemn expression. The two knight leaders seemed much calmer. For them, war was their duty; whether they won or lost, as long as they tried their best, they could have peace of mind, though their master might not think so.

Philip’s face remained flushed for a long time—the final battle was finally here. The enemy’s formation was quite impressive, showing that the opponent had also given it his all. If they won this battle, Leon and the Caucasus would return to his control. Although it wasn’t the time to consider how to divide these already developed territories, Philip couldn’t help but think about it.

The mages were resting in a separate tent—Philip’s strongest backing for this battle. With three Light Saints, Onia who had reached the rank of Archmage, along with a large number of ordinary mages and spellcasters, Philip was confident. This mage force far exceeded that of Nicosia’s court mage group. He couldn’t imagine any other mage group on the continent that could rival them. Perhaps the guild mage group of the Bohemian Kingdom was the only one, but they would never appear here.

Everyone was waiting. The tent curtain was lifted, and Onia, dressed in white robes, along with another white-robed mage with a veil over their face, stepped in. The prominent bulge on her chest revealed her gender.

“Archduke, I’m sorry for the wait. This is Princess Elena of Marco; she, along with other saints, will represent our Light Holy Church to support Homer.” Onia nodded casually to greet those around her as she solemnly introduced the masked mage beside her to everyone.