Chapter 27: Soldiers, Fire!

*Shriek*

In the vast blue sky, the thunderous cry of an eagle spread out. When you look up, hundreds of aerial beasts traveling in flocks will come to your view.

Flocks of ferocious eagles, winged beasts, and other levitating creatures were dancing around in the sky, creating sharp arcs and clearing out the clouds.

There are soldiers riding these aerial beasts. You can observe that they are experienced riders from how stable their postures are, even at high speed.

These soldiers are patrolling the sky, looking out for any signs of the enemy. Their eyes are keen as eagles, inspecting the horizon with intense scrutiny.

The neighboring wild aerial beasts fled away in fear and evacuated to their own shelters.

*Thud* *Clang*

Under the bright sun, in the ground, the sonorous sound of heavy footsteps and clashing armor echoed from time to time.

Numerous soldiers were rushing to and fro. They looked disorderly but despite that, no disputes occurred.

The soldiers' bodies were equipped with colorful metals, which caused them to appear somewhat brawny and.... colorful.

All the soldiers had grim looks and serious eyes. The heavy atmosphere seemed to form a thick smell of smoke, which prompts your heart to palpitate in dread.

In the east of the camp, there is a building that is a minute's walk away from the surrounding walls. This building was constructed to defend the healers in case a fight broke out.

A team of soldiers in a healers' suit was stationed here. They looked rather restless and nervous, like rabbits that had their habitats invaded.

Healers may be useful but their defense and strength is negligent like ants'. This is the reason why healers always try to hide from the grasp of war.

Insig was one of the soldiers stationed here. The healers were rather lax in terms of discipline, which makes the atmosphere somewhat free.

Inside one of the rooms, there were a number of wooden chairs and tables with medicines and tools above. Insig was sitting on one of the chairs, chatting with his colleague.

*Sigh*

"Hayzz. It's another fight again. Last time, my friend died because of an ambush. Just when will this f*cking war ends!?"

One of Insig's colleagues complained. The war has already taken too many casualties, yet they still continued fighting.

'Well...wars are just... like this.... It's delightful if we win and all but.... the lost ones can never... comeback.'

Insig coincided with his colleague in his mind, but he didn't say it out loud. He doesn't want to depress him any further.

*Sigh*

"Now, now. We can't do anything about it, so just do your best to survive. By the way, have you heard that the enemy is quite different this time?"

Insig motivated and distracted him. Forgetting your sorrows may not completely remove the problem, but it can at least lessen the burden on your mind.

"You mean, the enemy is sailing an airship this time?"

Asked the colleague on Insig's left side. His face was filled with dread and his voice was slightly shaky.

"Yeah! Can you imagine!? The enemy just wantonly throws attacks, yet it's already too dangerous for us. Hayzz. God must be trying to kill us."

One of the colleagues ranted in a helpless voice.

Imagine it, the enemy would just be dropping attacks and they're not even aiming at you, yet you have to dodge it with all your might. It was just like dropping water on ants, just a droplet can drown you already.

*Sigh*

"Aargh!! Why is it so hard to be a healer?! Just protecting myself is so hard already, how can we heal others?"

The other healers ranted too. The feeling of helplessness keeps on gnawing their minds away.

"Now, now. The others' have it hard too, you know. They have to keep their guards up 24/7. They are also the ones to die first. They need us as much as we need them, that's why you don't have to worry about them not protecting you."

Insig tried to appease their minds.

"Ha! Maybe the ones who should be protecting us are the ones who would kill us instead!"

Remarked sarcastically by one of Insig's colleagues.

"Hey, don't talk loudly! If the squad leader hears us insulting him, ha! You're dead."

One of the healers warned him.

*Snort*

"What? It's true anyway. That guy wreaked havoc, yet he's still not executed! He even had the guts to keep his position as a squad leader! Worst of all, he was even stationed here. I don't want to follow the orders of a lunatic."

The guy snorts in contempt.

Hearing this, Insig lightly sighed.

'That guy, Zowie, must have a solid background to evade punishment.'

Zowie, who destroyed the field, was only detained as a punishment. When the enemy was about to arrive, he was quickly released because of lack of manpower.

This caused massive dissatisfaction among the soldiers. I mean, think about it, a person killed dozens of people, only to be detained in the end. Where's the justice? How about our friends and the innocent lives lost?

But the unreasonable military reasoned with them, saying it was an accident. Of course, as military personnel of the military, how could they disobey? So they could only vent their dissatisfaction in private.

Thinking of that person, a hint of cautiousness and ill intent crossed Insig's eyes.

'If he still retained his memory when he lost control, that means, he somehow knows that I possess control over an unnatural magic. If that happens, what should I do to shut him up?'

Insig has been nervous for the past week because of this. He has been too careless and didn't have much sense of danger in the world.

As a person from another world, he doesn't know what attitude the people here would take if he displayed his magic.

Insig was still brooding over this problem, when the scouts up in the sky noticed something.... big.

The scout who's wearing a perplexed expression looked over the horizon, and a small lustrous silver object appeared in his view.

It has an arched shape in the front and it looks similar to a ship, except that it has a roof.

There was a banner hanging in the front, with a soaring red phoenix inscribed in it. It was a noble, beautiful, fiery, and unrestrained phoenix, soaring for the stars above.

Seeing this, the scout felt his breath stagnate out of shock.

'Hahaha, this must be a hallucination from too much nervousness.'

The scout tried to escape from reality and rubbed his eyes. He once again looked at the horizon and it was still the same, except that it was closer.

'Oh f*ck! It's really here! I have to report this!'

The scout's heart throbbed in agitation. He hurriedly retreated and reported what he had found.

Shortly after, an alarm resounded throughout the camp. All soldiers hurriedly picked up their weapons and looked above the sky. The flying scouts above also moved towards the west of the camp, guarding against the enemy ship.

The Commander, upon hearing the report, hurriedly went to the top of the walls and set his eyes on the huge ship.

The soldiers hurriedly loaded their weapons, like earth magic cannons, wind magic ballista, and so on.

They were inscribed with flowing and shining runes that looked animated and alive. They formed a circular shape, surrounding the weapons.

The soldiers aimed at the enemy, but the Commander hasn't commanded them to fire yet, so no one has attacked.

The enemy airship looked lustrous under the bright sun. Its momentum was overbearing, like a lion walking down from its throne.

It seemed like a beast made of metal, its weight alone can crush you to pieces. There were metallic runes embedded here and there, increasing the sturdiness of the ship.

Surrounding the ship was a faint whirlwind, making it float high-up in the air. Don't underestimate this however, as just a single blade of this whirlwind can cut a wood to pieces.

The soldiers above the walls felt nervous as they looked at the incoming airship. Its aura was sturdy as hills and the pressure it gave was comparable to an Integrated.

On top of the hull of the ship appeared a woman who's radiating a fiery aura and equipped with red armor.

In her graceful and slender hands was a magical artifact. Her noble and confident figure made her look like a proud peacock.

She pointed her pink lips at the magical artifact and spoke in an egoistic and contemptuous voice.

"Greetings, Ershnirians. I am the leader of the strongest army of the Fenix Kingdom, the Red Phoenix. We, the compassionate and considerate Fenix Kingdom, have offered you the opportunity to live for another day. On the chance that you would immediately surrender, we pledge upon our honor, that we will spare your lives."

Oddly enough, the woman didn't scream but her voice was heard clearly and loud.

The woman convinced them to surrender, this was to lessen their casualties and lower the enemy morale.

With a person at the Integrated state, they can wipe out this whole camp. However, that would still cost a lot of casualties and resources. If there's a way to lessen the casualties just by saying a few words, who wouldn't do that?

If the enemy has been given the chance to live, and you know that fighting will just cause both of you to lose, everyone in their right mind would immediately have second thoughts.

Upon imagining the scene of winning without many casualties, the woman smiled joyfully.

However, upon hearing the enemy's speech, the soldiers felt ashamed and angry.

"How dare she treat us like it's our honor that we will be spared when they are the ones who attacked us in the first place?!"

"Is she an idiot?"

"I'm gonna kill that bitch!"

Hearing the soldiers remarks, the Commander made them more agitated.

"Soldiers! Don't be fooled for her tricks! She just wants to lower our morale! Everyone, remember your families! They pushed us out of the harm's way when the enemy was attacking us! They ruthlessly killed our children and families! They mercilessly plundered our village and cities, killed our friends and destroyed our peaceful life! We can never trust their kindness! Everyone, say it with me, Kill all Fenixians!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers looked melancholic and gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes were devoid with fear and blazed with courage and anger.

Their homes were suddenly plundered, they didn't even have the time to digest it. The enemy massacred their families, leaving no one behind, except for the lucky ones who hid in the corner.

They remembered seeing their families' despairing and lifeless eyes. They were like black holes that sucked your souls and made you feel guilt from the bottom of your heart.

They remembered their little sister, who would happily play in the mud, but was brutally played in front of their eyes. They were powerless, helpless, and useless. If it weren't for the reinforcement who helped them, they wouldn't have survived.

They swore to live for them, avenge them, be happy for them, be sad for them. All of the feelings poured out like the ocean flooding the shore. All of the animals nearby are pushed away mercilessly.

Their breathings hastened and their eyes were bloodshot. The thick hatred and anger seemed to form a volcano, ready to erupt anytime.

"That's right! Kill all enemies, kill all Fenixians!"

The soldiers echoed back. Their voices were so loud that it seemed to shake the earth.

'That old ass, looks like he didn't become a Commander for nothing. However, I still have one last trick up my sleeve.'

The woman up in the ship thought in contempt, but she still confidently smiled.

"Hahaha, you must be joking. Do you really think that you can stop us, with just Core states soldiers?"

The contemptuous mockery of the woman resounded in the ears of the soldiers. All the soldiers felt angry and kept screaming, but they weren't able to block the voice.

The woman dropped a bombshell above them.

"We have an Integrated personnel on board, tell me, can you defeat him?"

Upon hearing that, many agitated soldiers stopped. They were all going to do their best on account that they had a chance to win. However, if all attempts to retaliate are futile, who would choose to? Especially, if the enemy is giving you the chance to live, what would you choose?

The fire on some of the soldiers' eyes was doused down. They Immediately felt helpless and hopeless.

This was the terror of an Integrated, almost everything beneath them are ants. They can destroy hills and rivers if they want to.

After hearing that statement, the Commander felt threatened. He hurriedly tried to retaliate.

"Everyone! Don't listen to her! She just wants to scare us!"

In spite of this, the woman laughed mockingly.

"Hahaha, it's up to you to believe it or not. However, do you dare to take the risk with your life on the stakes?"

"Remember, all of your friends and families sacrificed their lives for you. However, weren't their last words "Live!"? Think about it, how would they feel if you just died? Wouldn't all their efforts end up to nothing? Look! Your Kings didn't even send any reinforcements! They have already abandoned you! Are you just going to die here?"

Some soldiers felt angry that the woman used their friends and families' words, when they were the ones who caused them in the first place. But, however angry they may be, the woman's words resonated in their minds and convinced some of them.

Their families sacrificed themselves for them, if they are going to get caught up in this war, then they're families' sacrifices will just flush down the drain.

"We don't want to fight unnecessarily, that's why, we are giving you the chance to live. For the last time, we promise upon our honor that we will spare your lives as long as you surrender."

The woman extended her hands like a saint who's willing to forgive all your sins and save your life.

'Damn it! The soldiers' morale is falling!'

The Commander felt helpless, actually, he slightly felt frightened from the speech too.

'If the enemy really has an Integrated....'

Shaking his head, the Commander doesn't dare to think deeply anymore. He just pointed at the enemy and engaged in an attack.

"Enough nonsense and useless talking! Only our power can do the talking! Soldiers, at my command, fire!"