Siege on Yongtein (12)

Everyone got to work immediately. The Arcanist platoons raised their wands and constructed hundreds, if not thousands, of Magic Circles at the same time. The battlefield was briefly illuminated by their brilliant glows. Thousands of barriers then materialized in front of the kingdom's forces to repel the incoming flying strikes. Boom! Gigantic, continuous explosions rocked the lands as the barriers and flying strikes collided. It was a contest of Magic and Martial Energy! The kingdom's vanguard took this chance to fall back, regroup, and assess their next move, while the Imperial Council's vanguard did the same. They knew what was about to happen, so they kept the central corridor open. A great massacre was about to unfold!

The Arcanists had an early advantage, since they could attack and defend, and the Perception Realms could not. Their limited understanding of Martial Energy was fully exposed here. For a moment, the council suffered heavy losses from the one-sided onslaught; however, the tides quickly changed because of interference. This referred to the increasing resistive force in phenomenon manipulation, brought upon by Magic or Martial Energy, which could eventually prevent anyone from using external abilities. This would be a fatal flaw for the Arcanists since their spells were exclusively external-acting and the Imperial Council could fight without flying strikes. Despite their rocky foundations, they were still Perception Realms. Their battle potential was far greater than any Fundamental Realm soldier! That was why the longer this battle dragged on, the worser the kingdom would be. The ones tasked with overcoming these odds were the Ten Dawns.

Ten Dawn Iris erected a massive curtain of wind around the other four Ten Dawns to protect them. Since her partner, Ten Dawn Krogan, was killed in the Battle of Liguang, she could no longer utilize her large-scale tactical spell, Diffusion Void. Her battle potential thus paled in comparison. Nevertheless, she was still a Condensed Drop Arcanist, so she put her abilities to good use. Any flying strikes that made it past the barriers were gracefully diverted by the curtain of wind. It was a simple, yet elegant solution. The four Ten Dawns made use of this opportunity to focus on their spells. Two humongous Magic Circles and a swirling storm of World Energy formed. Everyone could instantly feel the energy surging towards the four. Hundreds of flying strikes flew in as their enemies desperately tried to kill them. Ten Dawn Iris and the other Arcanists were pushed to their limits to defend. It was a hectic contest of endurance!

Thankfully, they did not have to wait long. A large arrow made of water appeared, as tendrils of light and darkness magic swirled around it. A unique combination of water, light, and darkness-type magics, it was the large-scale tactical spell that boasted the greatest destructive power, Yin-Yang Arrow! On the other hand, Ten Dawn Runenda and Lorth were more reserved in their display. There was no indication they were doing anything at all aside from their rising Magic Auras. No one could guess what the spell Mirage Valley implied. The four nodded to each other and pointed their spells in different directions. Yin-Yang Arrow shot forward like a steak of moonlight and flew deep into the enemy lines before exploding. Boom! The ground shook as an enormous shockwave ripped through the air, shattering over a hundred thousand windows in the nearby capital. The scared citizens witnessed a blossoming tri-colored explosion dominate the horizon for a second. Of course, any soldiers caught in its range were vaporized without a trace. 

The neighbouring soldiers thanked their good fortune though that was soon short-lived because they noticed that the ground beneath them began to glow. Initially, it was very faint and went unnoticed, but these soldiers were Perception Realms. Their senses transcended common sense! Unfortunately, it was too late. The earth trembled and gave way to an enormous dust cloud. Boom! Over a thousand soldiers suddenly fell into a deep pit that appeared out of nowhere. They groaned and stood up from the nasty fall. Although many of them got injured and a few even died, the soldiers were more perplexed than scared. They had no idea it was the spell, Mirage Valley. Just as they began to climb out, Ten Dawn Runenda and Lorth stopped their spell. There was no phenomenon manipulation that could last forever. Whether it was due to interference or a limited energy source, the world would eventually correct the anomaly. That was an absolute rule and the spell took advantage of this fact. If the world was going to correct the existence of a pit, then what would happen to those stuck inside?

The soldiers were focused on getting out yet those more attentive noticed something odd. The air was getting thicker and thicker, transforming the once sunny day into a dark hazy night. People found it harder to breath or move. Moreover, there was this rich earthy stench. More soldiers realized that something was wrong when the wind whipped up in a sudden dust storm. Their armor was dinged by hundreds of tiny pebbles, then small rocks, and then larger rocks. They began to panic when boulders appeared, and people were nearly crushed by them! The size and frequency of the attacks kept doubling endlessly. It was like the entire sky was raining boulders! Horrifying screams were heard, as the Perception Realms struggled in vain. And then in a final thunderous explosion, another earthquake shook the battlefield. After everyone regained their senses, they discovered that the mysterious pit had vanished, and the ground had returned to normal, but the people inside when it happened had vanished too. All that was remained was an empty grassy field. So, what became of the people then? The answer was obvious. Buried under the dirt, they died! It was not as flashy nor destructive as Yin-Yang Arrow, but Mirage Valley carried its own frightening lethality. More than two thousand people died from the two spells alone!

For four people to bear that power, they were certainly worthy of their reputation. General Petra and her subordinates were amazed, while their enemies were horrified. The two sides could only stop and admire the destructive power. It was something truly incredible and terrifying. However, Elizabeth was one of the few people that thought somberly about it. For that many people to die in an instant, it was beyond saddening. The weight of ending all those precious lives was truly heavy. She could not imagine how the Ten Dawns must feel. It was no wonder that Ten Dawn Nassandra, Freon's younger sister, grew traumatized. It was not a sin that anyone could bear alone. She sighed because this was the reality of war. It was brutal, savage, and inhumane. Lives were as valuable as dirt here. Seeing the two spells reinforced her resolve to end the war once and for all. It could not be allowed to continue. She would see it through no matter what!

Instead of advancing, the kingdom's army chose to retreat and rebuild their formation. They did not attempt to exploit the opening the Ten Dawns created. This strange move was not a miscalculation though. While the two spells, Yin-Yang Arrow and Mirage Valley, did kill over two thousand Perception Realms, there were still almost seven thousand and seven thousand Perception Realms was more than enough to shatter the kingdom's formation. The Ten Dawns and the Arcanists were the only ones who could keep them in check except… the interference strength had grown too strong. They could no longer reliably cast their spells in the area anymore. It had become an energy 'dead zone'! This was the same problem that plagued Elizabeth and Freon in the Battle of Liguang. Their spells eventually weakened to the point they abruptly disappeared without doing anything. To prevent that from happening and regain the initiative, the kingdom's army had no choice but to retreat. 

That brief lull was a critical chance for the council as their generals ordered an immediate attack! The Alzar Kingdom was simultaneously besieged in every direction and took massive losses in the process. It was particularly deadly near the main vanguard where the Dragon and Tiger Divisions were. They were happy to repay the favor the Arcanists gave them, and viciously slaughtered anyone standing in their way. It was a brutal counterattack! Before long, the kingdom suffered more casualties than they inflicted and since they had less soldiers than the Imperial Council did, this was especially bad. It seemed like the kingdom lost more than it gained. Things did not look favorable for General Petra and Elizabeth.