Chapter Eleven: The Great Battle
Onia realized the severity of the situation. The two Black Knights were exceptionally tenacious, their resistance to light magic far exceeding his expectations. Although the light magic array conjured by multiple mages and spellcasters firmly controlled the battlefield, the two Black Knight leaders remained ferociously aggressive despite repeated attacks from the light forces. Onia wanted to join the mage camp to help them eliminate this group of skeleton soldiers led by the Black Knights, but the two giant zombies already kept him busy. Faced with the relentless attacks of the giant zombies, even with the assistance of two quasi-Order of the Light knights, Onia found it extremely difficult to cope.
The mighty axes wielded by the two giant zombies generated waves of dark wind and deathly aura that hovered around Onia and the three Light Knights. The knights’ Light Knight Spears were forged from special luminous iron and blessed with unique light magic, giving them strength and durability far beyond ordinary knight’s spears. Yet under the assault of the giant zombies, the numerous scars on the spear shafts showed that even these spears could hardly withstand their attacks. If it weren’t for Onia continuously casting light and support spells to help the three Light Knights hold their defense, the honor of the Light Knights would likely have been trampled underfoot by those two giant zombies.
The giant zombies’ resistance to light magic posed a huge headache for Onia. In fact, he understood that they were not insensitive to light power—it was precisely light magic that could truly harm their dark essence. Physical attacks barely caused them any real damage, unless one possessed the supreme mastery of a sword sage, capable of completely destroying their core being; otherwise, such superficial attacks were useless.
The three Light Knights were doing their best. As quasi-saint knights protected by three Light Saints, their combat prowess surpassed that of ordinary high-ranking knights. Yet against the giant zombies, they felt overwhelmed. Their Light Knight Spears could only leave scars on the zombies’ indestructible bodies without causing significant damage. If the Light Knights couldn’t channel light magic into their attacks to strike at the zombies’ dark essence, they would essentially serve only as shields.
After a fierce clash between the magical powers of both sides, the two streams of magic finally converged.
With a light leap, Vladkov’s knight’s spear conjured a two-zhang-wide disc of light and shadow, locking in Leclerc, who was charging at him boldly. Leclerc, in turn, was equally awestruck—the fierce wind generated by the knight’s spear seemed to draw in all the air around them, with its shrill howling almost tearing people’s eardrums apart.
Sorenberg immediately unleashed his signature Frost Freeze magic, which, mixed with the spear’s powerful, straight-line beams, surged toward the approaching Brodin knight. Brodin’s knight’s spear had already formed a dazzling silver disc, as bright as the full moon in the sky. The humming vibration of the spear sounded like bees buzzing or the earth trembling, and shockwaves spread through the air, highlighting just how crucial this first strike was for both sides!
The four leaders had already distanced themselves from their subordinates and locked onto their targets, aiming to defeat them in the shortest time possible so they could focus fully on attacking the enemy camp. But after that first strike, they realized this was an unrealistic goal for either side. That single strike made them realize it would be impossible to completely defeat or get rid of the opponent in such a short time.
Sorenberg’s Frost Freeze magic was met with Brodin’s powerful light magic. The bone-chilling cold almost made Sorenberg’s body stiffen, while the light magic flowing through his knight’s spear nearly penetrated deep into his body. If he hadn’t reacted quickly and used his ice combat energy to counter, his first move would have failed miserably. Brodin also felt terrible—the combined impact of the ice combat energy’s shockwaves and Frost Freeze magic made it take him until the last moment before landing to recover. He was so anxious that he broke into cold sweat. If he landed stiffly and fell, his entire knightly honor would be ruined. After that strike, neither of them dared underestimate the other anymore—going all out in a life-or-death battle was the only way to win.
The clash between Leclerc and Vladkov turned deadly from the very first encounter. The true collision of dark magic and light magic was devoid of any subtlety—these incompatible forces intertwined and consumed each other in midair, generating countless colored rings and light bands. The intense confrontation shocked both proud knights. As dark and light magic clashed, a fierce wind howled and distant thunder rumbled within a three-zhang radius, with abnormal signs appearing in the air as distorted air ripples kept emerging. The sheer force of the collision distorted the entire space, preventing either the Homer knights or the barbarian warriors from approaching even half a step.
Amidst everyone’s astonished gazes, Komer had already taken out the seven-string harp. Mihajlovic wore a complex expression, while Newman was filled with excitement. As Komer pressed his fingers on the harp, dark and grayish cloud patterns on it began to ripple rapidly, creating an illusion of flowing clouds. At the same time, dull thunder and sharp wind howls started to emerge.
“Lord, if I’m not mistaken, is this the legendary Wind-Thunder Magic Harp?”
Newman, nervous and excited, kept licking his slightly dry lips. His breathing became rapid as he stared intently at the increasingly fast-rising cloud patterns on the harp, which gradually merged into a blurred misty state—this was a sign that the Wind-Thunder Magic Harp was about to unleash its power after being infused with magic.
“Hmm, Newman, you have good eyes. Since the mages of the Light Church can use lightning and fire magic to deal with my warriors, it’s only fair for me to retaliate,” Komer said with a fierce smile. He plucked the strings more vigorously and faster, the clear sounds flowing like water and blending into the increasingly intense elemental energies in the air.
Elena looked up in surprise. The grayish clouds above the enemy’s camp darkened instantly, the sharp wind howls intensified, and the clouds seemed to be moving through space—seemingly advancing significantly in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, air attacks began emerging from the dark clouds, with golden lightning snakes twisting their way out from the gaps. What was this?
How could the enemy’s wind and lightning magic arrays activate simultaneously? Where did they get such powerful mages? Elena couldn’t believe it. She also glanced at Onia, who was still tirelessly supporting the three Bright Knights in fighting against the giant zombies. He should know everything about the enemy—how could such a major mistake happen?!
Onia’s attention was also drawn to the changes in the sky. The swirling clouds clearly marked the onset of a large-scale magic spell. Their own magicians were currently engaged in fierce battles and had no energy to cast magic circles. Moreover, the plan did not include activating wind or thunder magic circles simultaneously. What was going on? Could it be the enemy? But he knew those few magicians on the other side well—they could never unleash two large-scale spells at once!
As the shrill howling wind mixed with the rumbling thunder rolled in, Onia and Elenia’s faces turned a deathly pale blue. That was unmistakably the sound of two large-scale spells being cast simultaneously, targeting their own camp, which was already locked in combat with the barbarian soldiers. These guys had chosen the perfect timing! And now they could only watch helplessly as it all unfolded.
Komer had chosen an attack point slightly further back. The front-line combat had already seen knights and warriors from both sides mixing together. Attacks with wind and thunder magic would cause damage to both sides, so targeting the rear area of the knights was the most effective strategy—it would cripple their reinforcements and create an opportunity for his own dragon warriors and thunder roc knights to launch a final assault.
Sweat seeped from every part of Komer’s body. Using the Wind-Thunder Magic Harp to summon large-scale spells greatly enhanced their power and efficiency, but it also placed a huge strain on the caster’s magic reserves. The massive consumption of magic left Komer somewhat exhausted, but this was a critical moment, and he dared not slack off even slightly. He would persevere, even at the cost of some sacrifice.
All of their magicians were already engaged in blocking the Homeric knights’ attacks. In the actual combat, the Homeric knights still held a clear advantage. Their bravery in the face of death and danger, along with their iron discipline and obedience during military charges, left Komer in awe. It also made him realize the absolute necessity of forming his own knightly force once he had sufficient power. Without the help of the magicians, perhaps the second wave of four warrior formations in the Caucasus would have collapsed.
A series of wind blades and thunder strikes finally began to hit the forces at the back of the knight order. Faced with these magical attacks from the sky, the knights of the order performed far better than the barbarian soldiers from the Caucasus. They systematically adjusted their formation and used anti-magic equipment to defend against the attacks from above. They gathered around the knights wearing anti-magic gloves, connected two knight lances together, and raised them high to direct the thunder strikes into the ground, thereby reducing their impact range. When faced with the wind blades, they carefully crouched on their horses to minimize their exposure and maximize their chances of survival.
Komer once again saw the gap between his makeshift army and the regular forces, especially compared to the power of the knight order. Although barbarian and half-orc warriors were physically far stronger than ordinary humans, humans far surpassed other races in terms of adaptability and responsiveness. More importantly, they had a level of discipline and understanding that no other race could match.
The Homer Knight Order might not rank among the top three knight orders in the entire Kingdom of Nicosia. The Kingdom’s Fire Shadow Knight Order, the Gallic Rebirth Knight Order, and the Cilician Bright Flame Knight Order all ranked above the Homer Knight Order. Even the Poznan Wave Knight Order was on par with them. Moreover, the Homer Knight Order was now quite weakened. In the future, he might have to confront those fully equipped and strong knight orders one by one. He could imagine the daunting challenges ahead from these knight orders. If he thought he could conquer the world relying solely on these barbarian and half-orc armies, he was underestimating the heroes of the world.
The knightly forces in the southern regions were even stronger. Perhaps forming a knight order in Flanders, recruiting disheartened knights and prospective knights, to quickly build up a strong knight force would be a good choice. Otherwise, facing the powerful knight orders from various regions in the future would be quite troublesome, Komer thought.
The Homer Knights’ self-rescue efforts achieved some success, but dealing passively with dual magical attacks left even the experienced knights exhausted. The chaos intensified when Mihajic deliberately sent two metal puppets into the battlefield to attack the knights. They had to contend with relentless magical assaults while also facing two tireless metal killing machines, leaving them unable to focus on either threat.
The skeleton army led by the Black Knight, with the help of the Soul-Eating Dwarves, tightly surrounded the court mages. They were clearly unprepared to deal with such an alien undead force. Despite holding a clear advantage, they struggled to turn it into a victory, especially against the omnipresent Soul-Eating Dwarves, who were practically natural undead killers. Three magi and one mage had already died at their hands, with another mage seriously injured and beyond recovery.
The only mobile force, Salenko, was fully committed to rescuing Maldeno. The intense necrotic poison within the Soul-Eating Dwarves kept Maldeno on the brink of death. Salenko had tried various magical remedies but still couldn’t save him, only managing to sustain his life.
Elena no longer held any hope of victory in this war. The endless tactics used by the enemy made her realize the complexity and cruelty of true warfare—victory in such a conflict could never be determined by just a few magi.