Book Eater

Chapter 223: Babarino Plains (2)

Babarino Plains was one of the most spacious areas in Soldun Kingdom. It also happened to be a useless wasteland. Soldun was famous for their lack of farmland, but they had tried to cleanse this arid land for centuries. However, they hadn’t had any success.

It had a few rolling hills, but that was the only interesting thing in its topography. It was simply a barren plain. However, a new record was set on the plains. Eighty thousand people, more than it had ever seen for centuries, descended on the plains to decide the Soldun civil war.

They were armed from head to toe with steel and leather, and flags flapped in the faint breeze. The procession of the royal army and noble army stretched out under the horizon.

The crown prince’s army took the eastern side of the plains, while Duke Cornwall and Marquis Fergana were on the west. They were several kilometers apart, and the commanders looked at the formation of the other side.

“That old raccoon, he seems to have decided to end it all here. He didn’t leave anything behind.”

“It seems he emptied everyone’s estates.”

“That formation is... Sword and Buckler. It is obvious he intends to push us step by step.”

Sword and Buckler was originally an expression referring to a combination of a sword and shield. However, as a combat formation, it referred to splitting one’s army into two smaller armies. One would blunt the enemy vanguard’s offensive, and the second would pierce through the vanguard who had lost their momentum.

This was a classic but infrequently used method. However, Duke Cornwall seems to have decided on it as his strategy. His intention was clear. Sword and Buckler was often used in the past as a way to use expendable troops to create an offensive opportunity.

Prince Elsid muttered with a frown, “A formation based on losing a significant number of troops... He really is only thinking about victory, that duke. He is already beyond obsession.”

A strategist was very familiar with sacrificing for victory. Sacrificing two platoons for killing three was a natural move. However, it was an unacceptable attitude as a ruler. The duke wasn’t planning to win efficiently. Instead, he wanted to throw away his followers?

“This is why we can’t lose this fight. Everyone, follow me until the end.”

Marquis Piris and his other subordinates prostrated themselves as they heard Prince Elsid’s determined voice.

“Your words are right, Your Highness!”

“We need to win for the people!”

“Until the end, Your Highness is Soldun’s king!”

Everyone knew they were the underdog in this battle. Even so, they didn’t hesitate to kneel. They couldn’t bear Duke Cornwall as their king. They wouldn’t accept the heartless duke at all!

They had gathered under Elsid’s banner because they shared that attitude. If Duke Cornwall had been a better person, then today may have gone differently. Elsid was visibly happy with their replies and raised his right hand. However, he wasn’t here just to see their support.

“Good! Then we will surely get rid of these rebels!”

It was because the people believed him. Setting aside strength and weakness, justice ought to win. After all this time, the people realized the ruthless reality of the situation, but embers of hope still burned within them. If a god really was watching them from the sky like the fanatics claimed, then Elsid couldn’t turn away from them.

“First Corps, march!” A loud voice echoed, and a rider moved forward with a flag held high. A small earthquake hit the Barbarino Plains as the soldiers followed the flag into the battle.

Kung!

Kung! Kung! Kung!

They pounded the ground with their spears and crushed the reeds. Power seemed to overflow on the plains every time they took a step.

This was an army, and this was war.

As the saying went, the roar of tens of thousands of soldiers could overwhelm thunder. It almost felt like their roar was even pushing back the clouds on the distant horizon.

“From now on, we will quell the rebels!”

It was the beginning of the decisive battle, which would later be called the Babarino Plains Great War or Elsid’s Civil War.

***

However, unlike the grand declarations, the battle didn’t start quite yet. The army was just stepping forward before retreating again. Just like the calm before a storm, a silence fell on the plains where eighty thousand soldiers stared at each other. Much like how a swan floating on the surface seemed serene, the legs underneath were churning.

“Second Corps, move up to the left slope!”

“Duke Cornwall’s forces are approaching! Right?!”

“No, not yet! Fourth and Fifth Corps, keep advancing! Don’t show a gap until the enemy rearguard is revealed!”

When elites clashed, the strength of the individual soldier was the deciding factor, but victory and defeat between armies was decided by the strategist or battlefield commander. Elsid and his commanders were doing their best to try and open a gap in the duke’s army. The problem was that the difficulty was ridiculously high.

“Damn, the difference in troops is so absolute!”

It wasn’t just that there was a disparity of twenty thousand troops, but that the duke was prepared to sacrifice twenty thousand soldiers just to deliver a crippling blow to Elsid’s army. As such, they couldn’t step forward or retreat.

The difference in options changed how the two armies moved, as Duke Cornwall’s army started to take more space. If both commanders were capable, the side with the superior numbers would have the advantage. Prince Elsid started to despair as his disadvantage started to grow.

Is this my limit?

A delay of a second would kill ten people. Elsid gritted his teeth and made a quick decision. He turned to the rider next to him and commanded, “Raise Meltor’s flags! Prepare for a barrage!”

This was the only card which could change the flow. The firepower that Meltor’s elites would bring to the battlefield would act as a shield against the Duke’s army. Elsid had wanted to use them to annihilate the rearguard, but he couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

... Flap.?

The four-color flag of Meltor blew in the wind.

Orta saw the signal and nodded. The Crown Prince’s response was perfect. Punishing the duke’s mistake wasn’t feasible if they were pushed into passivity. They could only turn the tides by meeting the duke’s aggressiveness head on.

“Concentrate your magic power. Prepare for a barrage.”

The sixty four war magicians responded, and...

Kururung!

The clouds overhead scattered as magic power descended around the magicians. If enough 5th Circle magicians combined their strength, they would be able to rival a master in terms of firepower. The magic circle laid out under the feet of the sixty four war magicians glowed, and the magic power distorting the atmosphere coalesced. The terrifying magic which had yet to dissolve started to melt the ground beneath them.

“Manifestation.”

Simultaneously, Cobalt Sun, the tactical class spell developed by the Red Tower, appeared in the sky. It was the combined fire spell of sixty four war magicians! Despite the fact that the heat was quite a distance away, the soldiers on the Babarino Plains looked up at the turquoise sun rising in the sky.

The moment the magic power reached its peak, Orta declared, “Fall.”

The Cobalt Sun dropped onto Duke Cornwall’s ten thousand strong vanguard. It had enough magic power to rival the 7th Circle spell, Inferno. If it exploded at the center of the troops, at least three to four thousand soldiers would turn into ash.

It was at this moment that...

? ? ? ? ? · · ·! ? ? ? ? ?--!

An orchestra seemed to swell out of nowhere.

“This?” Orta’s expression stiffened, as he recognized the music.

It was the Sacred Order’s Hymn. Unlike the magicians who pursued different paths, priests of the Sacred Order prioritized teamwork. It allowed them to generate incredible power by harmonizing while singing the same song. It was a power that came from religion, not rationality.

“Divine Protect!”

Unsurprisingly, a golden shield, made from divine power, appeared over Duke Cornwall’s vanguard. Unlike the Magic Society that tried to dissect natural law, divine power just blindly followed natural law. Their logic was that everything was divine, and they just needed to worship and follow. That blind faith formed the shield.

“Annoying,” Orta murmured as the two powers collided.

Kurururung.

This time, the clouds were torn apart as the Cobalt Sun exploded against the golden shield. A storm of light barraged the soldiers’ ears and eyes. Shattered armor and weapons flew everywhere, while soldiers turned into charcoal statues. The divine shield couldn’t stop the Cobalt Sun perfectly.

However, this much couldn’t change the flow of the battlefield. It had only eliminated a few thousand out of the duke’s fifty thousand strong army. Moreover, Elsid’s objective of annihilating Duke Cornwall’s vanguard had failed.

“... No, it wasn’t completely pointless,” Elsid muttered as he looked down at the epicenter. The shield might’ve blocked most of the damage, but the soldiers had shrunk back, stifling their forward momentum. Even if it didn’t reverse the situation, it bought them some time.

But when Elsid and the commanders were trying to think of another way to break through...

Dozens of strands of lightning lashed their army’s flanks.

Kwarururung!

Lightning magic truly contained a mighty destructive force. The armor that the soldiers wore was useless as the lightning bolts hit them.

“Kwaaaack!”

“M-My eyes, what is this?”

“Kieeek, kuk… Kuock.”

This wasn’t a spell any magician could use. It was a 6th Circle spell, Lightning Splash, designed to strike multiple targets. It was also famed for its difficulty in controlling. As a result, everyone’s eyes landed on the lightning’s source. There was only one magician on Duke Cornwall’s side who could feasibly cast this spell.

“This is a silly fight.” Fergana touched his mustache uncomfortably as he surveyed the soldiers in front of him. “If it wasn’t for my daughter, I would’ve stayed still until the end.”

As the two masters of Soldun Kingdom, Earl Mersen and Marquis Fergana were loyal to it. So, if it wasn’t for a certain person, he wouldn’t be standing in the midst of this complicated situation. The old raccoon had even brought up his daughter while Fergana had been trying to enjoy his tea before the battle.

Damn you, old, greedy...

Marquis Fergana tsked as he roused his magic power again. It couldn’t be helped. He needed to return home quickly. He was the feared Thunder Noble of Soldun. The marquis had built his reputation on the lightning magic he’d started using since he was a youth. However, this time, he was forced to abort the spell he was going to cast.

Piing.

He dodged to the side as a flash of light shot past his head, destroying a few strands of his hair. A chill ran down Marquis Fergana’s spine. If he had been a little slower in dodging, he would’ve died. He might have been born and raised in the Central Continent, but he had heard about that spell. Any magician who dabbled in warfare knew and feared that spell.

It was the war hero Alfred Bellontes’ Magic Bullet!

“Who?” Marquis Fergana’s expression turned grim.

His intuition warned him that this attack was dangerous. No, the magician behind the flash was the dangerous one. It had been a long time since he had been threatened on a battlefield, but his intuition hadn’t disappeared.

“It’s nice to meet you, Marquis Fergana.” Theo’s red robe fluttered as he flew forward. The four-color pattern with the 4 in the center of his robe was a symbol that only belonged to Theo.

It was his first time revealing his official position, so Theo confronted Marquis Fergana while filled with half nervousness, half excitement.

“As the captain of Meltor’s magic division, Quattro, I, Theodore Miller, will deal with you.”

“Theodore Miller? That name...” Marquis Fergana had to rack his head before nodding. “Indeed, Meltor’s young hero. Ascending to this level before thirty... It is a scary achievement.”

“You’re overpraising me.”

“It isn’t a compliment. I hope you realize that all your potential will be crushed today.”

That was it for conversation as Fergana went into combat mode. His opponent was a fearsome genius who had become a master while he was still a youth, so he couldn’t afford to take him lightly. Marquis Fergana used his Sorcery without hesitation.

Pajijik! Paijijik!

Strands of blue lightning started to flicker around his luxurious robe, starting as weak static before becoming thick ropes of lightning. It wasn’t lightning magic. Marquis Fergana’s magic power was gradually being replaced by actual lightning.

Theo tried to understand the principles for a moment before realizing it was a fruitless line of thought. Sorcery came from a magician’s interpretation of the world. No matter how much Theo thought about it, he wouldn’t be able to reach the same answer as Marquis Fergana.

So, he took a step back. There was a whirlpool of lightning in front of him, so there was no reason to make this a melee battle. There were only a few attributes that could rival lightning in speed and power.

Then why?

... Is it worth a try?

Why was his intuition whispering that...

He could overpower that lightning bolt.