Chapter Seventeen: Head-On Collision

In that fleeting instant, the twelve magicians were reduced to piles of broken limbs. Blood rained down, and a nauseating stench of blood filled the air. The knights, who hadn’t yet reacted, were furious.
“It’s the Cordillera Wasteland Thunderbirds! Damn barbarians!” Trajan and Kent realized this almost at the same time. Roaring, they leaped up to try to stop the Thunderbirds, but those lightning-fast birds had already flown by. Fuming, they could only watch as the six dark figures disappeared into the distance.
The success of the twelve magicians satisfied the Thunderbird team greatly. Although they couldn’t completely eliminate the threat posed by the enemy magicians, they had still dealt severe damage to the combined forces’ magical capabilities.
Komer couldn’t help but applaud in admiration. This covert tactic was truly ingenious—it had completely crushed the arrogance of the Light Mages. Seeing the pale faces and panicked eyes of the remaining magicians, Komer believed they would be distracted even when casting spells, as they had to constantly worry about the flying killers attacking from above. The Light Knights had failed to keep their promise; they were unable to fulfill their duty of protection.
The Thunderbirds circled around the combined forces’ camp in the sky. The archers’ range posed no threat to them. They didn’t need to launch an attack now; simply hovering around the camp was enough to inflict immense psychological pressure on the magicians. Especially after witnessing their once-cheerful comrades torn to pieces right before their eyes, even the Light Mages found it impossible to calm down quickly.
With the Light Mages severely weakened, the magicians of the combined forces, who had been struggling to resist magical attacks, felt a sudden relief. The various magical elements that had surrounded Homer’s camp also diminished significantly. Seizing this opportunity, Rebrí switched from defense to offense. The starry sky spell conjured by Newman and others was activated immediately, causing turmoil in the sky above the combined forces’ camp. The vast heavens trembled, and although it was daytime, the sunlight faded, leaving the usually blue sky tinged with an eerie green hue.

Lorenzo’s expression changed slightly. He was not skilled in star magic, but he also knew that in such large-scale military confrontations, star magic was undoubtedly the most effective weapon. If the power of star magic fell on their own side, morale, already weakened by the attacks from the enemy’s magical devices and Thunderbirds, would surely plummet even further. The outcome of the impending battle was almost predictable, and he absolutely could not allow such a thing to happen.

As Lorenzo turned his gaze toward her, Onia saw the worry in his eyes. Once full of confidence, he now realized that achieving a decisive victory in this war might not be as easy as he had thought. He had anticipated that Komer would not just sit idly by, but he still hadn’t expected the sheer variety of tactics this man possessed—magical devices, Thunderbirds, and possibly even the Cordillera Wasteland Dragons lurking in the background. If they couldn’t turn the situation around immediately, the war might take an unpredictable turn.

Understanding the expression in his eyes, Onia first elevated her own Light Mage to its peak. The power of the star magic array was immense; she had to suppress the enemy’s magical output before it could fully activate. Otherwise, the Light Mages, already shaken by the Thunderbird attacks, might not even be able to withstand the assault of the star magic array.

A series of light columns formed around Onia’s body one after another, like endless light swords piercing the sky. The blue sky was illuminated by these sudden light columns, creating shifting shadows. The surging magical energy swirled and fluctuated, while colorful lights danced in the sky, creating a dazzling spectacle that seemed as if the heavens themselves were about to change.

Lorenzo had to admit that this important subordinate of Vazinki was not only a vital aide in worldly affairs but also matched Michelangelo in terms of magical prowess. The Supreme Light Sword was one of the most difficult spells to master in the art of light magic. To be able to wield such a spell meant that the practitioner’s own light magic had reached a high level. The Supreme Light Sword didn’t have much offensive power against ordinary objects, but it was a natural counter to magic and magic arrays—this was also why Onia rarely used this formidable spell.

Seeing Oonia suddenly boost her mana to unleash the Sword of Supreme Light, Lorenzo and several mages around him knew this was her attempt to prove that the strength of the Vazinki lineage hadn’t been greatly affected. The Sword of Supreme Light required a tremendous amount of mana, and Lorenzo believed even a powerful warrior like Oonia would struggle to sustain it for long. Meanwhile, the opponent’s star magic was clearly the work of multiple powerful individuals. The clash of their spells ultimately hinged on each party’s mana reserves and their understanding and mastery of magic.

At this point, both sides had to rely on real combat to determine victory, and the confrontation between the star magic array and the Sword of Supreme Light was the most direct manifestation of their determination and strength.

The Homerian army and the allied forces finally began to make progress half an hour after the initial clashes between their vanguard units. The Roaring Tide Corps charged forward like raging waves, their sharp axes and spears splashing countless dark red drops of blood. At the same time, the allied forces’ halberds pierced through the Solid Rock Corps’ sturdy tower shield defenses, tearing open gaps between them, thus sparking a brutal close-quarters battle.

The Feathered Wings Corps and the allied archers almost simultaneously halted, unleashing a torrent of arrows that covered the sky like swarms of locusts. The whistling sound of arrows and the snapping of bows filled the air. Under the onslaught of wave after wave of arrows, groans and screams of pain echoed incessantly—this was the price of war; to kill the enemy required a corresponding cost on one’s own side.

With Trajan’s decisive wave of his hand, dozens of agile figures formed several razor-sharp conical arrows that plunged into the combined attacking force. The knights, unable to hold back any longer, fiercely tore through the defensive structure built by the Homerian army. They aimed to gradually create wounds in this defense, letting those wounds bleed endlessly and causing the Homerian army’s lines to crumble bit by bit until they ultimately collapsed completely.