Chapter 728
Chapter 728
“Those damn despicable bastards!” Siegfried was enraged beyond words as soon as the bombardment ended and the assault began. Who could have guessed that they would start bombarding and commence an all-out assault once again just as they cleared the battlefield of their fallen soldiers?
Siegfried thought that they would be gracious and give them an hour or so to regroup at the very least.
The fact that they had done something so underhanded was beyond Siegfried's expectations.
“Your Majesty!” A messenger ran up the staircase and knelt on one knee before Siegfried. “Lord Quandt has instructed me to deliver this to you, sire!”
The messenger extended a small box over to him.
“From Quand? Huh? Alright, let me see,” Siegfried replied and took the small box.
[Battlefield Hero’s Ring]
[A ring embodying the valor of a hero who roams the battlefield in a quest for victory.]
[Type: Accessory]
[Rating: Unique]
[Durability: 50/50]
[Effects: Restores stamina upon slaying an enemy.]
[Note: Cannot be repaired. This item is fragile; its durability deteriorates after extended use.]
“Thanks, Quandt,” Siegfried muttered with a smile in appreciation.
He slipped the Battlefield Hero’s Ring in haste and took a bite of the Smoked Mutated Three-Legged Octopus to restore his HP, Mana, and Stamina before charging into battle.
The three Masters—Lohengrin, Nanuqsa, and Beggarius—did the same. They donned the Battlefield Hero’s Ring that Quandt had made for them and chewed on the Smoked Mutated Three-Legged Octopus to restore their HP, Mana, and Stamina before joining the fray.
The second battle between the Proatine Alliance and the Zavala Forces commenced outside the O’Toul Fortress.
“Huff... Huff...!” Duke Decimato was utterly drained after casting yet another vast barrier that protected the fortress. Casting a shield of such caliber was no simple task, and blocking thousands—no, tens of thousands of artillery shells was something only a Great Wizard like Decimato could do.
Had it not been for his shield, the Zavala Forces would have brought the O’Toul Fortress down with just a few barrages of cannon fire. His contributions to this war were on par with that of Siegfried, Lohengrin, Nanuqsa, and Beggarius—no, his contributions were perhaps far greater than the four of them combined.
However, Duke Decimato wasn't satisfied at all.
“If only... I had more mana...”
He couldn't help but lament the fact that his mana had been depleted. He wished he could unleash an area-of-effect spell to obliterate the incoming Zavala Forces. Unfortunately, he had no other choice but to curse his inability to do so.
“Just a bit more mana... I could help if I just had a bit more mana...”
Just then, a messenger rushed up to him and bowed before presenting a small box.
“Lord Quand has instructed me to bring this to Your Grace!”
“It’s from Quandt? Hand it over quickly!” Duke Decimato replied, hurriedly took the box and opened it.
A blue orb the size of a melon was inside the box, and it was emitting powerful mana fluctuations.
[High-Speed Mana Charge]
[A compressed mana battery crafted from mana stones.]
[Type: Accessory]
[Rating: Legendary]
[Class Restriction: Magician]
[Current Charge Level: 10,000,000/10,000,000]
[Effect: Touch the orb to absorb its mana. It can be recharged using mana stones once fully depleted.]
“I’ll use this well, Sir Quandt,” Duke Decimato muttered with a smile. He instantly grasped the purpose of the High-Speed Mana Charge, and he couldn't help but smile.
However, there was no time to rejoice or marvel at this interesting contraption, so he placed his hand upon it and began absorbing its mana.
“Messenger!” Duke Decimato called out.
“Yes, Your Grace!”
“Inform His Majesty at once that I will be unleashing a powerful spell in thirty minutes that will wipe out our enemies. Emphasize that His Majesty should stay clear of the battlefield and be atop the walls no matter what.”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
The messenger dashed off to relay the message to Siegfried, who was busy massacring the Zavalan soldiers coming at him.
“Your Majesty! Sire! Your MAJEEESTYYYY!” the messenger screamed at the top of his lungs.
“What is it?!” Siegfried bellowed back while still in battle.
“Duke Decimato will decimate the enemies in thirty minutes! His Grace requests Your Majesty to stay atop the walls no matter what, sire!”
“Really?!”
“Yes, Your Majesty! His Grace emphasized that Your Majesty must stay atop the walls!”
“Alright!”
Siegfried might have acknowledged the message, but he was puzzled by Decimato’s sudden request.
‘Huh? Shouldn’t he be completely drained of mana from casting that barrier just now?’
He knew very well that casting such a wide-area shield required a tremendous amount of mana. However, Siegfried did not know that Quandt had sent Decimato an item called "High-Speed Mana Charge."
However, he had no time to ponder further about it.
‘Ah, forget about it. I’m sure he has a plan.’ Siegfried shook off the thoughts and directed his attention back to the enemy. Just like he did in the first battle, he decimated the Zavala soldiers, killing every single enemy that dared to take a step closer to the O’Toul Fortress.
***
The second clash between the Proatine Alliance and the Zavala Kingdom at O’Toul Fortress could only be described as intense—no, the word "intense" was an understatement, as it was more befitting to call it "brutal" instead.
Siegfried and the three Masters unleashed their wrath upon their enemies. Their raw strength alone sentenced the Zavala soldiers to death, and their prowess on the battlefield helped the Proatine Alliance have lower casualties than their enemy.
Ten Zavala soldiers would meet their demise for every Proatine Alliance soldier that fell, and these were truly impressive for a war of this scale.
However, the Zavala Forces were relentless in their assault. Their Iron Knights pushed hard against the fortress walls, and some of them even carried battering rams to pound against the fortress gate.
“Siege weapons! They’re trying to breach the gate!”
“Target it! Fire at will!”
“Defend the gate!”
“Hold the door!”
The Proatine Alliance utilized every ranged weapon available to attack the battering rams, but these were fortified with protective spells, making them hard to destroy.
Baaam! Baaam! Baaam!
The battering rams rammed against the gate, causing small yet visible hairline fractures on the iron gate.
Siegfried’s eyes shot wide in horror as he cried out inwardly, ‘N-No! That can’t be!’
He instinctively realized just how dire their situation was, so he was about to leap from the wall to stop the battering rams from breaking the iron gate down, but—
Wooooong!
—A powerful wave of mana emanated from the fortress.
“H-Huh...?” Siegfried muttered and instantly turned his head. There, he saw Duke Decimato in the distance, chanting a spell while clutching the Lich Skull Staff.
‘How does he still have mana?’ Siegfried wondered, baffled at the sight.
Duke Decimato chanted an incantation together with his Lich Skull Staff.
“Sowap... Jotcham... Jawai... Sakunam...”
“Sowap... Jot... Cham... Jawai... Sa... Ku... Nam...”
Siegfried immediately realized what was happening, so he shouted, “Protect the duke!”
“Guard the duke!”
“His Highness has commanded us to guard Duke Decimato!”
Siegfried feared that Duke Decimato might get struck down by the enemy once they realized what was happening, so he commanded the soldiers to protect him. He was a Great Wizard, but even he was vulnerable while casting a powerful spell.
The Proatine soldiers immediately encircled Duke Decimato, forming an impenetrable human shield.
About one minute later...
“Mwapwak! Hub! Motiya! Wira! Kawsam!”
“Mwapwak... Hub... Moti... Ya... Wira... Kawsam...”
The spell reached its climax.
C-Crack! Crack!
Fwooooosh!
Krwaaaaang!
The ground in front of the O’Toul Fortress split open and pillars of crimson flames erupted from the fissures.
But that was not the end of it...
Whoosh!
Lava surged out from the rift, flooding the area outside the fortress.
The spell was called Hellfire Domain, and it was a highly advanced fire spell.
As expected, it wreaked havoc on the battlefield.
“Aaaaah!”
“Arghhh!”
“Ack!”
“S-Save me!”
The land before the O’Toul Fortress instantly transformed into a searing lava field, and the tens of thousands of Zavala soldiers were either set ablaze or reduced to smoldering charcoal.
“Fall back! Retreat!”
“All forces! Retreat at once!”
“Hurry! Retreat!”
The Zavala Forces were forced to retreat after suffering the devastation brought upon by Duke Decimato’s Hellfire Domain. Their losses in this battle were so severe that only less than half of the troops deployed managed to survive and return alive from the battlefield.
“Woooo!”
“We did it! Victory is ours!”
“Long live the Proatine Alliance!”
“Long live His Majesty, King Siegfried van Proa!”
“All hail Duke Decimato!”
And with that, cheers of victory erupted from the O’Toul Fortress, with their triumphant cries reverberating across the battlefield. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
***
“I don’t believe it! I refuse to believe it!” General Andrei screamed, unable to hide his shock as he watched his men retreat from the battlefield that had become a lava field courtesy of Hellfire Domain.
“Does this make any sense?! Somebody tell me! Does this make sense?! How is this even possible?! Does that Great Wizard have infinite mana or something? How can he cast such a devastating spell after casting a wide-area shield twice?! This is madness!”
General Andrei’s voice rang with fury. His mind raced to comprehend the absurdity of the situation that had just unfolded right before his very eyes.
Ammunition was not free, and artillery shells were even more expensive than ordinary ammunition. The cost of the bombardment so far had already exceeded the annual budget of a minor kingdom, which proved just how costly was a bombardment.
The Zavala Forces did not spend all that money just for the fun of it or to flex their wealth. No, General Andrei had ordered the bombardment to force the Great Wizard hiding among the Proatine Alliance into using all of their mana for a wide-area shield.
Why?
It was all because General Andrei knew that his forces would suffer devastating damage if the Great Wizard were allowed to cast an offensive wide-area spell.
The bombardment was a calculated move to deplete the Great Wizard’s mana, and it was a great move on their part.
However, as shockingly as it was, half of the men he deployed to battle were wiped out by the Great Wizard’s spell, causing General Andrei to seethe with anger.
“How is this even possible?! How can a backwater kingdom have such a strong king but also four Masters?!” General Andrei raged, unable to control his anger.
“G-General! Please compose yourself!”
“Please calm down, sir!”
“S-Sir...!”
His officers barely managed to calm him down, allowing him to regain his senses.
“Fine! We’ll see how long they can keep this up! They are powerful, but there’s nothing they can do once fatigue creeps in!” General Andrei exclaimed. Then, he summoned his major, “Supply Commander!”
“Yes, sir!” Major Supply responded at once. He was Major General Supply, and he was the officer in charge of the logistics for this war.
“Request reinforcements and additional war supplies from the kingdom at once!”
“S-Sir...?”
“You fool! Siegfried van Proa has four Masters with him! Four! There’s no shame in requesting help from the kingdom when faced with such enemies! Use your brain for a change, you imbecile!”
“S-Sir! I will contact the kingdom at once!”
Major Supply snapped to attention at General Andrei’s outburst. He raced to the communication tent without any further hesitation and carried out the general’s orders.
“I will show those bastards the might of a great power! The power of the mighty Kingdom of Zavala!” General Andrei growled, clenching his fist tightly. His gaze was fixated on the O’Toul Fortress, still standing in the distance. He resolved to crush it into pieces and bring the Proatine Kingdom to its knees.