Chapter 5: A Minor Setback

One kilometer, 500 meters, 300 meters—knights now in the charge phase began consciously controlling their speed and rhythm. They needed to maintain a relatively intact formation to launch their assault. The sturdy-bodied soldiers of the enemy, clad in thick armor, had already stopped in their tracks and firmly planted their tower shields in the soil. Sharp spears protruded from the gaps between the shields, forming a dense wall of weapons ready to withstand the knights’ first wave of attack.

LeClair carefully signaled Brodin with a gesture, telling him to slow down and hold his position to conserve strength as much as possible. By deliberately slowing down, they were waiting for the court mages hidden behind them to deliver a stunning performance against these unprepared barbarians. Only in this way could these lower races understand why mortals could stand atop all other races on the continent—there must be a reason—and realize that lower races would always remain lower races, unable to become complacent due to fleeting luck!

Dark clouds had silently gathered over the battlefield. Komer and Mihajevic noticed the anomaly immediately. They stealthily hid behind the infantry formation to observe the changes. Behind them, Clarence and Schaeffer looked slightly pale. Upon learning that the Three Saints of the Light Church were involved and that the Nicomedia court mages would take part in the battle, they grew uneasy. But out of pride as mages, they still forced themselves to participate in this war. No matter how powerful the enemy, mages would never break their promises—this was the most fundamental rule of survival for them.

“Thunder clouds?!” Mihajevic frowned tightly. “Lord, are those guys about to use thunder magic?”

“Hmph, not just thunder magic—it’s a combined thunder spell even more powerful than a standard thunder magic array!” Komer also looked grim. “These guys seem quite knowledgeable about barbarians and half-orcs; they actually know how to use thunder magic against them!”

“Lord, both barbarians and half-orcs have been trained in various types of magic, but they still can’t withstand spells of such intensity. We must stop them!” Mihajevic’s expression was cold and resolute.

“It’s highly unlikely. Lightning-based combination spells can’t be stopped by just you or me. Such spells are essentially like small magic arrays, forming quickly and efficiently. But they require wizards with interconnected mana who know each other well to cast them together—and they just meet those conditions.” Komer shook his head. “For now, we can only hope our warriors can withstand this first wave of attacks! We still need to follow our established plan!”
“Clarence!” Komer raised his voice.
“My lord,” Clarence said through gritted teeth as he rushed over.
“Begin the ritual. Prepare the Earth Splitting Rift. I’ll give you a hand!” Komer’s eyes began to turn slightly red. If they were going to fight, they would fight to the end—to see who could hold out the longest!
“As you command, my lord.” Clarence took a deep breath. This lord was too domineering, demanding that he use the highest level of his most skilled earth magic right away. He had only succeeded in casting the Earth Splitting Rift twice in his life, both times with the help of powerful magic scrolls. He had never tried casting it on his own, but seeing Komer raise his hands to his chest as a strange glow began to form, Clarence was terrified. Could this be the Divine Illumination among white magic?
At this point, Clarence had no time to think further. He gently bit his tongue to let the taste of blood help him stay calm, preventing his mana from being overdrawn and causing backlash. Until he was sure of this lord’s power, he wasn’t willing to risk his life. Failing to cast the spell would be troublesome, but not fatal. But if mana backlash led to madness, that would truly be death.
Amidst the shouts and approaching footsteps of both sides, whose beast-patterned masks could now be clearly seen, the battle finally broke out between the two camps!
Dark clouds gathered in an instant, forming a eerie pitch black color. The ink-thick clouds were compressed together, terrifyingly dark, as if suddenly condensed into a dark essence, before suddenly bursting forth, accompanied by countless flashes of golden lightning. The dark clouds rolled wildly, and thunderstorms erupted instantly.

Although the barbarian warriors had undergone regular training in dealing with magical attacks, facing golden lightning mixed with black clouds rushing at them, they still felt extreme fear—completely different from what they experienced during training. This was genuine magical assault, deadly enough! The golden lightning exploded among the soldiers, shattering tower shields into countless pieces of wood and metal. The stench of burned corpses and charred flesh caused chaos among the barbarian infantry formations; no one could remain calm under such circumstances, not even the best infantry units. The difference between elite infantry units and ordinary formations lay in their ability to adjust their mindset quickly and regain fighting spirit. Clearly, the barbarian infantry before Komer did not possess such qualities. Both infantry formations collapsed almost immediately, even before the pursuing Homer knights could reach them. In an instant, Fran’s face turned red with an indescribable mix of emotions—anger, pain, disappointment, along with a hint of helplessness and sorrow. As the founder of an army, this sight truly disappointed him. Fortunately, the subsequent groups of barbarian warriors somewhat calmed Fran’s mood. Perhaps influenced by the continuous mental magic cast by Shefrey, the initially panicked barbarian warriors in the other formations quickly adapted to the relentless thunder magic attacks. Although tower shields could not withstand direct strikes from heavenly lightning, proper formation adjustments could still significantly reduce the likelihood of being hit. Aside from the casualties caused by direct lightning strikes, the barbarians had at least adapted psychologically to this unconventional form of attack. Perhaps this was what the lord meant by human warfare—they had to learn to adapt!