Chapter 22: Each Fights on Their Own

Watching the allied forces growing increasingly chaotic, Komer smiled in satisfaction. It was time. The magical attacks of the Light Mages had been greatly weakened, as had the power of the knights. The withdrawal of the Rema Knights had also dampened the fighting spirit of the allied soldiers. Compared to the tenacity of the Homer side, the willpower of the ordinary soldiers in the allied forces was clearly much weaker, especially in such a disadvantageous battlefield.

Fran also noticed this subtle change. He was surprised by why the Rema Knights had withdrawn from the battlefield, but as a commander, he could never miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was time to use decisive force. As the battle flags were waved, the remaining twelve Thunder Griffins swept in from both flanks. Out of concern for being detected, not all Thunder Griffins had been deployed in the first wave of attacks on the mages, but now there was no need to hide. The most important thing was to strike at the allied forces’ willpower and destroy their desire to fight.

This was not yet the most crucial move. As the horn sounded, strange changes began to occur within the Homer camp. The Homer army started retreating while splitting apart, creating several huge passages. The allied soldiers on the other side hadn’t even fully realized what was happening.

With deep roars, three Earth Dragons appeared before the allied soldiers as the vanguard of a triangular assault formation. The Earth Dragons, over four meters tall, had thick, dense scales that shone in the sunlight. On their backs were Terrain Dragon warriors wielding five-meter-long dragon lances. They were clad in heavy armor, with even their faces fully covered by beast-shaped masks. Driven by the warriors on their backs, the Earth Dragons began to move faster, charging headlong toward the allied camp.

Most of the terrified allied soldiers had never seen such a terrifying scene before. Imagine a mountain-like beast rushing toward you—each step of its massive dragon feet left footprints the size of basins, causing the ground to tremble as if struck by an earthquake. The dragons’ fierce roars echoed across the fields, and atop them, the ruthless dragon warriors watched, ready to deliver a fatal blow the moment you managed to escape their footfalls.

With little need for further provocation, the allied forces began to collapse. The defection of the noble mercenaries set a terrible example, while the attacks from both flanks by the Thunder Eagles terrified them. The appearance of the Earth Dragons added the final straw. The escape of the noble mercenaries quickly spread throughout the allied forces, and the fierce assaults of the Earth Dragons completely broke the fighting spirit of those who tried to resist. The mages attempted to use their magical powers to stop the Earth Dragons, but the knights of the Homer Knights and Black Flame Knights, who had switched from defense to offense, did not give them such a chance. The knights who had suppressed the Sky Eagles were eager to launch a counterattack, and the mages, with their weak close-combat skills, were undoubtedly their best prey. The light mages quickly realized their crisis. Without the protection of the knights, they could only huddle in the castles and fight against the knights in close combat. Aside from a few extremely powerful archmages, it was practically suicide. No one was a fool, especially when they saw the Thunder Eagles retreat and even that guy, Denibi, disappear. With the Homer forces advancing with unstoppable momentum, the light mages immediately understood the situation—fleeing was the wisest choice. Wars between secular forces should not drag mages into them, especially when it endangered their lives. On this point, the light mages were surprisingly united. Lorenzo and Onia exchanged a look of bitterness. Komer’s decisive move had been perfectly timed. Initially, the allied forces had gained a decisive advantage thanks to the offensive capabilities of the Light Knights and Thunder Eagles, and the power of the light mages had left the Homer forces struggling to breathe. If nothing went wrong, the Homer forces could hold out for at most half an hour before the entire battle was decided. By then, even the appearance of Earth Dragons would be meaningless. A barrage of magical attacks could turn those large but weak creatures into roasted dragons. But all of this was reversed because of that damned Denibi’s actions.

To this day, Lorenzo and Onia still don’t understand how Komer managed to get the Denebi and Ramah Knights to withdraw from the battlefield. If this was a premeditated scheme, the cost was far too high. The Ramah Knights and Sky Falcon Knights caused immense damage to Homer’s army, leaving virtually no room for counterattack. If it weren’t for the Ramah Knights pulling back in time, no matter how strong those barbarians and half-orcs were, they would have been unable to withstand their assault, and their only outcome would have been destruction.

Lorenzo and Onia also never expected the withdrawal of the Ramah Knights to be merely a coincidence. Denebi, driven by his own selfish desires for the Church of Pericles, completely ignored the interests of his allies. Although this alliance was already fragile, such an outcome was still deeply sorrowful.

Though filled with grief, Lorenzo and Onia knew that staying any longer might mean they could never leave. They weren’t afraid of those barbarian soldiers, but facing the encirclement by the Dark Knights and the attacks from the Dark Mages, their limited strength wouldn’t allow them to turn the tide. Leaving early might be the wisest choice. This war no longer had any point in continuing; let the secular forces resolve their conflicts among themselves.

Susinov realized the unfavorable turn of events earlier than Lorenzo and Onia. As the commander of Galle, his extensive war experience gave him a sharper sense than most people. When the Ramah Knights quietly withdrew, he understood the severity of the situation. Losing the advantage of knightly power would bring a series of negative consequences, especially as the power of mages would be suppressed, which could greatly affect the outcome of the war. He had to think ahead—preserving his strength might be the only option. In times of crisis, everyone must fend for themselves. As he retreated first, Susinov could only apologize to the Golden Oak and Blue Dove regiments, who still hadn’t realized what was happening.