The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 231

Chapter 231

Chapter 231: Following Orders

The quiet yet palpable tension had dissipated, replaced by the guttural roars of our soldiers and the rumble of the earth as they charged forth with fervor.

Even with all of my knowledge and experience in the battlefield, both in this life and the previous, my heart still quivered in excitement.

Sylvie felt it, and she was in a similar state as well. The rush of adrenaline leaking from her mixed alongside my own barely-contained anticipation as we gazed down at the approaching enemy forces.

We leaned forward, watching expectantly as our forces collided with theirs. Our front line was an organized wave of soldiers with allies ready to back them up and provide cover, but it was different on their side.

At first, it was hard to notice. The mist that had shrouded the battlefield obscured everyone from looking at fine details.

Even the scrys behind us were barely able to give us any news or readings aside from the fact that our enemy troops all wore little to no armor of various colors.

Despite knowing what was happening below, I couldn’t make out the clashes of metal and screams of soldiers from a distance. It was different. During battles on a scale this large, sounds weren’t as distinct. They sort of blended in together in such volume that tremors could be felt all the way up here.

Can you tell what’s going on? I asked Sylvie.

My bond responded by shaking her head.

I turned to Varay. “Maybe we should get rid of the mist, General. I can’t tell what’s going on down there.”

The white-haired ice mage refused. “We know what’s on their side. We have to keep them from knowing what’s on our side. Deviating from the plan at this stage is impossible. Wait for Bairon and the Council’s orders.”

I was irritated but held my tongue. She was right—and more than that, it wasn’t my place to make suggestions like this. I was the one that refused the position because I couldn’t handle the responsibility. Who was I to come here now and do as I please just because I felt uneasy?

Choosing to trust Varay, Bairon, and the Council that were still receiving information realtime, I watched, waiting for my time to come.

Flashes of light followed by a wave of cries and screams soon caught my attention.

It looks like the Alacryans have already sent in their mages, I conveyed to my bond.

It was a little disconcerting that they’d deploy their mages so early on in the battle. However, I remembered what Agrona said about how Alacrya had so many more mages due to experiments that he had performed since generations before.

‘Their mages seem to be spread out inconsistently, though,’ Sylvie pointed out.

She was right. There were areas on the field where flashes of magic were close together or clustered, while in other areas, there would be spells going off several dozens of yards away from one another.

Again, a sense of unease filled me, but I remained quiet, My eyes scanned across the battlefield through the shroud of steam emanating from the icy ground, trying to find any signs of a retainer or scythe.

Suddenly, shadows stretched above me. Looking up, I saw a fleet of mages riding on various winged mounts.

“The aerial fleets are here,” Varay announced as the dozen or so mages sailed overhead and into the battlefield.

There would be three main forces against the Alacryans during this battle. First were the infantry, responsible for making first contact and keeping a constant pressure forward, away from the Etistin Bay. Next were the aerial forces responsible for creating disarray to the Alacryan’s backline by dropping spells on them from above. Finally, there was us, the lances.

The aerial forces lit up the foggy backdrop with their spells. One of them rained down motes of fire on the Alacryans while another utilized the mist itself and formed the water droplets into sharp icicles.

The cries and screams that were so jarring at first were beginning to blend in with the other background noises of battle. Seeing Varay’s gaze as she studied the battlefield intently, I could almost see the burdens of their deaths weighing down on her shoulders.

The battle continued for more than an hour before I finally lost it.

“General Varay. Let me go down there too,” I requested.

“No. It’s too soon,” she replied, still gazing down at the battlefield. “Wait until after the other infantry divisions flank from both sides. That’s when you’ll go down.”

I was itching to go down there, to feel useful. After the recent battles and losses, I needed a win.

‘It’s okay. We’ll have our time to contribute, Arthur,’ Sylvie comforted. ‘Besides, it looks like the tide of battle is in our favor.’ _{ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom}

This was true. I had to admit that for how little experience our side had with large-scale battles, we were holding up fairly well. I could make out the vague outlines of formations from where we were standing. With three lines that interchanged positions constantly to give each other a break, our forces were able to maintain their intensity.

Varay turned her piercing gaze to me. “You’ll go in and target only their powerful mages. You will only be in the field for an hour at a time.”

I nodded in understanding. Varay and I were the only white core mages on this side. I couldn’t be too tired in case a retainer or scythe—perhaps both—showed up. That was our most important duty.

“Get ready,” Varay instructed.

I hopped on top of Sylvie’s back, cladding myself in mana.

Another horn trumpeted out in the distance, followed by another one on the other side of the bay.

“Go!” Varay ordered. “And don’t die.”

I thought she was joking, but her severe expression said otherwise. Giving her a stern nod, Sylvie beat her powerful wings, sending gusts of wind below us.

The two of us stayed low, barely hovering over the next line of soldiers charging forward until the ground changed to snow.

Fight in human form and focus on helping our troops. I’ll handle picking off the Alacryan mages, I sent to my bond as I jumped off her back.

‘Got it. I don’t sense any retainers or scythes, but be careful, Arthur. Always be careful,’ she replied before flying off to the side in her human form.

I landed hard on the icy ground, spurring a cloud of frost. Behind me, I could hear the thunder of armored boots as our augmenter troops charged forward into battle.

Ahead, I could already see our first wave of troops trying to withdraw. Much of the white field was covered in blood and corpses and only more would come as the battle progressed.

Withdrawing and imbuing Dawn’s Ballad in pale blue fire, I held my sword aloft for those behind me to see.

“For Dicathen!” I roared, charging forward alongside the line of battle mages clad in armor and mana.

Our strides kicked up more snow, obscuring our field of vision. Perhaps it was a good thing, since I wouldn’t be distracted by the sight of my allies dying in the distance.