Chapter 2: Collapse

The sudden fall of Fort Saint Nicholas was like a bitter cold wind sweeping over the northern plains of the Kingdom of Nicosia, which was gradually entering late autumn. Everyone felt a fear of being suddenly frozen solid, even to the point where their thoughts ceased. No one expected the breach to start at Fort Saint Nicholas. The massive and reckless minotaur warriors, wearing helmets with horns covering their faces, charged across the northern plains like a flood. Compared to the Mogan Wasteland, where light snow was already falling, the climate here was far more tolerable. When the flag of the five tribes of the current Kingdom of Rambion—the Tiger King’s flag, representing the leader of the Orc Alliance—appeared at Fort Saint Nicholas, the mortals across the northern plains felt as though the heavens themselves were about to collapse.

No matter how ferocious and wild the orcs had been in the past, they had at most managed to capture small castles and fortresses, raiding the interior before leaving. Even last year, they did not occupy the Duchy of Main, Susor, or Mellen; instead, they set fire to Mellen’s capital, Mycenae, to prevent it from becoming another obstacle to stop the orcs from advancing southward. Yet Mycenae was merely the capital of a duchy and could not compare to the important large-scale fortresses of the kingdom. Fort Saint Nicholas, on the other hand, was a massive complex fortress made up of twelve interconnected castles. It was impossible for anyone to capture it without paying a heavy price, let alone orcs who had not even mastered siege equipment.

But this time, everyone was stunned by this sudden upheaval. The half-orcs who controlled Fort Saint Nicholas did not simply plunder and burn everything before leaving, as they had done last year. The appearance of minotaur warriors and colorful warriors at Fort Saint Nicholas seemed to indicate that the orcs had changed their tactics this time.

No one could imagine the consequences of the fall of Fort Saint Nicholas. The orc wolf riders surged forward and engaged in the first battle with the knights of the Fire Shadow Knights Order fifty miles southeast of Fort Graz. The knights of the Fire Shadow Knights Order successfully defeated the vanguard of the wolf riders, but soon after, the herdmen, as numerous as locusts, and the berserker warriors, whose strength could withstand ordinary attacks, appeared. With the support of the Golden Oak Regiment, the Fire Shadow Knights Order once again dealt heavy blows to the infantry formations of herdmen and berserker warriors. However, this battle was not as easy as the first. Despite being repeatedly defeated, the tenacious herdmen always managed to regroup and launch counterattacks. Thanks to the berserker warriors’ formidable strength and resistance, the war situation gradually turned against the Kingdom of Nicomedia.

When the wolf riders joined forces with the Bimon Kingdom’s elite Tiger Clad Troops and appeared on the rear flank of Fort Graz, the Golden Oak Regiment could no longer hold out. It was clear that the Bimons were planning a major offensive. After withdrawing from Fort Graz, the Golden Oak Regiment faced combined attacks from the Tiger Clad Troops and wolf riders, while the herdmen and berserker warriors pursued them relentlessly. This marked the first devastating defeat for the Golden Oak Regiment since its establishment.

Faced with an orc coalition twice their number, although they received reinforcements from the Fire Shadow Knights Order and the Court Mage Corps, it seemed the orcs already knew all too well the tactics of mortals. They used the mobility of the wolf riders to distract the Fire Shadow Knights Order, while the Fox Clan’s Feathered Hands attacked the mages of the Court Mage Corps. At the same time, a special unit—the Eagle Knight Corps—was deployed as a last resort, becoming a key factor in turning the tide of the war.

This was the first time the orcs used their previously unused special combat unit. Over the past few decades, the Eagle Knights, who rode Wyvern Eagles, usually operated alone as scouts and spies, rarely acting in groups. But this time, they launched a coordinated attack, suddenly assaulting the unprepared mages of the Kingdom of Nicomedia. The Wyvern Eagles swooped down and instantly torn apart the fragile bodies of several mages. The Eagle Knights then struck, killing five mages and nine magi in this well-prepared orc attack. If it weren’t for the rapid arrival of the knights from the Fire Shadow Knights Order to provide reinforcements, almost all the mages of the Court Mage Corps would have perished.

Without the protection of city walls, fortresses, and archers, the mages’ defenses were at their weakest. Sudden misfortune descended upon the court mage corps; caught off guard, the mages were instantly defeated by this unannounced aerial attack. The mage corps that had been providing magical support to the Golden Oak Army’s assault on the minotaurs immediately collapsed. The minotaurs, who had been struggling to hold out under the relentless magical attacks, finally saw a turning point when the Tiger Warrior Corps led by the Tiger Armored Warrior joined the battle at just the right time, dealing a fatal blow to the Golden Oak Army.

The Golden Oak Army also collapsed entirely after exhausting its last reserves. The Fire Shadow Knights suffered heavy losses as well under the attacks of the Wolf Cavalry and the Fox Feathered Archers. This battle, dubbed the decisive one for the kingdom’s fate, ended with the destruction of the kingdom’s Golden Oak Army. The kingdom’s Fire Shadow Knights and court mage corps also suffered heavy losses in the subsequent pursuit by the orc Wolf Cavalry and Eagle Knights. This battle shocked the entire kingdom and the northern part of the Azure Continent. The Kingdom of Nicocia, known as the most powerful nation in the northern Azure Continent, was defeated in this battle as its elite Golden Oak Army was annihilated by the orcs. More importantly, the significant weakening of the court mage corps directly affected subsequent battles, while the Fire Shadow Knights were also severely weakened. Although they held an advantage in fighting the Wolf Cavalry, the latter outnumbered them greatly, and the despicable Fox Feathered Archers hiding behind them also caused tremendous damage to the knights.

The destruction of the Golden Oak Army and the heavy defeats of the court mage corps and Fire Shadow Knights plungedthe entireJazair into extreme panic. Although the Blue Dove Army rushed to reinforce the northern front immediately, the Iron Cross Army was attacked by orcs from the west and unable to escape. The kingdom could no longer afford further shocks. The Iron Cross Army was still struggling to hold off the orc warriors in the now-desolate Duchy of Mellen inside the western fortress. When dozens of battering rams appeared before the officers of the Iron Cross Army, they were nearly heartbroken.