Chapter 402: This Is One Hell of a War (2)

The Rodrick army had prepared no fewer than 20 catapults, all of them large-scale siege weapons.

Each stone hurled by these massive catapults possessed tremendous destructive power.

Yet, none of those stones reached Silverlight's walls.

Crash!

Boom!

Lightning bolts descended from the sky, shattering every incoming stone.

"The enemy mages are in motion!"

"Deploy the mana field!"

The Rodrick army's mages scrambled into action. They needed to counter Fenris's mages and turn the attack back on the enemy.

Dnessi, the 6th-circle mage leading the Rodrick mages, shouted confidently.

"Fenris's strongest mage is at 6th-circle! The others are of lower circles and can be suppressed. Neutralize their mages first, then resume the catapult attack and attack the walls with magic!"

In warfare, breaking the enemy's momentum with ranged attacks is fundamental. The more mages one side has, the easier this becomes.

The battle between the mages resumed.

The Fenris side also had nearly 100 mages.

However, the Rodrick army boasted three 6th-circle mages. Even one could match Fenris's best mage. With two remaining, they could effectively suppress the lower-circle mages.

This would allow the 5th-circle mages and the rest to bombard Fenris with magic.

"We attack first!"

The Rodrick mages, brimming with confidence, began casting spells. By attacking first, they ensured the enemy would have to focus on defense.

Fwooom!

Countless spells surged from the Rodrick camp. These would not only devastate the soldiers atop the walls but could also severely damage the fortress itself.

The enemy mages would be too busy dispelling them to counterattack.

Dnessi stretched his hand forward, his voice full of certainty.

"Don't hold back on mana! They can't dispel all of this!"

Even if Fenris's 6th-circle mage used their mana liberally, they might only block the attacks of two 6th-circle mages. The remaining attacks, combined with spells from lower-circle mages, would certainly overwhelm them.

Dnessi truly believed this—until a woman stepped forward on Silverlight's walls.

"Disappear."

Vanessa calmly muttered as she traced her hand through the air.

Suddenly, hundreds of spells hurtling toward Silverlight dissipated like mirages, vanishing entirely.

"What?"

Dnessi's expression turned bewildered.

This was an impossible phenomenon.

Even if all of Fenris's mages had focused solely on dispelling the spells, they would have disappeared in order of their circle strength, starting with the weakest.

The Rodrick mages halted their assault in stunned confusion.

"What... what just happened?"

"Do they have more mages than us?"

"That doesn't make sense!"

They knew from their intelligence that Fenris's mage count had increased to around 100.

However, most of them were likely low-circle mages. There was no way they could have neutralized so many high-circle spells at once.

As the Rodrick mages reeled in confusion, Vanessa moved her hand gracefully once more.

"Fire Pillar."

It was a 5th-circle spell, but it had been cast by a 7th-circle mage. On top of that, it involved multicasting, a technique few dared to attempt.

Massive pillars of fire erupted simultaneously across the Rodrick camp.

Boom! Boom! BOOM!

"Aaaaah!"

Before the Rodrick army could recover, the fire pillars ripped through their siege weapons and towers.

BOOOOM!

The colossal catapults and siege towers were engulfed in flames and reduced to rubble.

Finally, Dnessi snapped out of his daze and yelled.

"Dispel those spells immediately! I'll counterattack!"

A 6th-circle mage beside him began gathering mana to cast a dispel. Several fire pillars wavered and disappeared.

But that was all. Pillars of flame continued to erupt throughout the camp.

Boom! Boom!

"What are you waiting for? Dispel them already!"

"My mana isn't enough!"

Another 6th-circle mage cried out, his face pale. The sheer power of the opposing magic was nullifying most of his own spells.

Dnessi shouted at the remaining mages.

"Assist with the dispelling!"

Though a few more fire pillars were extinguished, many still blazed across the battlefield.

"We can't! The mana resistance is too strong!"

"What?"

Grinding his teeth, Dnessi joined the dispelling effort.

And that's when he felt it—the overwhelming difference in power.

Rumble!

Even with three 6th-circle mages pouring all their mana into countering the magic, the opposing force persisted, penetrating their efforts and reshaping the space to sustain its spells.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Aaaaah!"

As the relentless magic continued, soldiers who had been maintaining discipline began to descend into chaos.

Seeing this, Dnessi broke into a cold sweat and shouted desperately.

"E-Everyone! Lend your strength! Dispel those spells immediately!"

In the end, nearly half of the Rodrick mages, including the 5th-circle and lower-circle mages, joined forces to dispel the magic.

Even so, the opposing magic continued to push through, filling the Rodrick mages with dread.

Dnessi, their leader, trembled as his teeth chattered.

"Wh-what is this... Who in the world is up there...?"

It made no sense. Fenris's highest-ranked mage was known to be a 6th-circle mage.

While 6th-circle was impressive, it should have been impossible for a single individual to overpower so many mages.

To achieve this would require a mage at the superhuman level of the 7th-circle. Yet the only 7th-circle mage in the north, Delmud, was already dead.

"Who in the world is it?!"

Vanessa's recent ascension to the 7th-circle had been kept a secret by Ghislain. Since no one knew, the Rodrick forces' confusion was inevitable.

There wasn't even time to figure out the identity of the person behind the spell. Any lapse in concentration could allow the mana field to be breached.

"This… this power makes no sense… It can't belong to just one person."

All of Rodrick's high-circle mages were effectively neutralized. With their combined power rivaling two or three magic towers, being rendered useless was an unthinkable scenario.

Although Vanessa was also occupied, Fenris gained a significant advantage, as their smaller numbers left no room for inefficiency.

Dnessi couldn't bring himself to accept the current situation.

"Damn it! The remaining mages, attack the fortress! There's no way Fenris has another mage to deploy! They must be using some kind of trick!"

He refused to acknowledge the possibility of a 7th-circle mage. Dnessi believed Fenris's mages must have combined their efforts using some unknown technique.

Rodrick's remaining mages numbered around 50. Most were 4th-circle or lower, but without significant opposition, their collective power could still inflict massive damage.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

Once again, countless spells shot out from the Rodrick camp.

Though lower-circle spells, they were still deadly to ordinary soldiers.

Whoosh…

However, the spells dissipated before even reaching the fortress walls. In response, low-circle spells were cast from the Fenris side.

"There are still mages left?!"

Dnessi cried out in shock.

If they were countering the spells, it meant Fenris still had enough mages to match the 50 or so Rodrick army had left.

Fenris's remaining mages were indeed of lower circles, but they were enough to block the spells coming their way.

Zap! Crackle! Boom!

With the high-circle mages locked in a stalemate, the low-circle mages on both sides were left to exchange their relatively unimpressive spells, only for them to cancel each other out repeatedly.

Watching this display, Ascon muttered to himself.

"Is this really a fight between two so-called great powers? My heart grows smaller just watching this."

The battle between the mightiest forces of the north and west resembled a local festival's fireworks display.

Claude smirked and said, "But we still have one more card up our sleeve."

The enemy remained in disarray, struggling to reform their ranks. Vanessa had destroyed most of the catapults, and a large portion of their siege towers had been reduced to rubble.

Claude stretched his hand forward, and a man stepped up.

"Phew... finally, it's my turn."

Though most of Fenris's mages were tied up, there was still one high-circle mage left—Alpoi, who had recently ascended to the 5th-circle.

He didn't know any 5th-circle spells yet, but thanks to the Dragon Heart, his mana reserves exceeded those of a typical 5th-circle mage.

Claude looked at him and asked, "You'll do fine, right?"

"My 4th-circle spells are as good as 6th-circle spells," Alpoi said with typical bravado.

Everyone snickered at his boast. Despite all the time he'd been given, he still hadn't mastered a single 5th-circle spell.

Even so, his 4th-circle spells were strong enough to fight knights. Hastily mastered as they were, they were more than sufficient against common soldiers.

"Fire Lance! Fire Lance! Fire Lance!"

Thanks to his extensive construction experience, Alpoi was one of the best in the territory at mana manipulation. Rapidly conjured lances of fire rained down on the Rodrick camp.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Aaaah! They still have a mage!"

With no mages left to counter him, the Rodrick soldiers were helpless against Alpoi's relentless barrage of fiery lances.

Empowered by the Dragon Heart, Alpoi unleashed spells with reckless abandon.

'Yes! This feels amazing! This is who I am!'

Ecstatic, Alpoi fired spell after spell with even greater fervor.

Until now, he'd never played an active role in the war. His only job had been to provide mana to Vanessa, essentially serving as a living mana reservoir.

Now, casting spells himself in a real battle, he felt euphoric.

'The world will know my name!'

Driven by his insatiable hunger for fame, Alpoi poured every ounce of effort into his attacks.

Oddly enough, using 4th-circle spells might have been better suited for facing an army of this size. Even after firing dozens of lances, his mana reserves remained abundant.

Boom! Boom! BOOM!

Although the massive 60,000-strong army wasn't wiped out in one fell swoop, the damage and chaos he inflicted were significant.

"Knights, block!"

With their magic defenses overwhelmed, the Rodrick knights emerged, using their shields to block the incoming spells.

This effectively left Alpoi facing dozens of knights single-handedly. Even so, his efforts had already achieved remarkable results. Yet, he was still frustrated.

"What the hell! Why are my spells getting blocked now? I'm supposed to sweep them all away!"

He failed to realize the magnitude of his contribution. All he could think about was how his spells were being countered, fueling his frustration.

Neutralizing the enemy's magic force is the first priority in war. With both sides' mages now effectively stalemated, the Rodrick army began moving again.

"Kill those damned bastards already!"

Marquis Rodrick, enraged by his magic force's lack of results, fumed even more.

Under his orders, commanders shouted across the battlefield.

"Reform the ranks and advance!"

"Abandon the catapults! Push forward with the siege towers!"

"We must take the fortress in one blow!"

As the 60,000-strong army began its advance, the sight was overwhelming, even for onlookers.

They still had 10 siege towers remaining. Each one alone was capable of breaching a small fortress.

Rumble!

Soldiers began pushing the massive towers forward.

If those 10 towers reached the walls, Fenris would be unable to hold them back.

"Heavy infantry, clear the path!"

The heavy infantry, equipped with large shields, formed ranks and carefully advanced to protect the siege towers from any attacks.

Silverlight was built slightly higher than the surrounding terrain. The incline was subtle enough to go unnoticed from afar, but the soldiers pushing the siege towers could feel it.

"Damn it, is this an incline? This is harder than in training!"

"Just a little more! Once we get close, it's over for those bastards!"

"Push harder! It's uphill!"

Even a slight incline made it exponentially harder to push the massive siege towers. Combined with loose soil and sand underfoot, progress slowed even further.

Squelch. Squelch. Squelch.

The soldiers trudged forward, their boots sinking into the sand and soil.

For men accustomed to the open plains of the west, even walking in such terrain was exhausting.

They were nearly within range to position the siege towers, but there was still no sign of arrows from Fenris.

The only sound was Ascon's relentless barrage of insults.

"Hey, Marquis Rodrick! You pathetic idiot!"

Naturally, the commanders, enraged by the provocations, urged their troops onward.

"Move faster!"

"The closer we get, the more advantageous it is for us! Keep advancing!"

Under their commands, the soldiers picked up the pace.

But the closer they got, the harder it became to move.

Squelch. Squelch. Squelch.

The ground, filled with dirt and sand, now reached up to the soldiers' ankles, making it even harder to push the siege towers.

"Damn it, is the ground like this because it's the north? Even the earth sucks here."

"Look at all this dust kicking up!"

"It's so hard to walk with all this sand!"

The siege towers slowed even more. With the incline and the sand, it felt nearly impossible to push the massive towers forward.

Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!

The soldiers pushed through the terrain, their frustration mounting.

As they inched closer to the fortress, still no arrows flew from the walls.

Rodrick's forces were determined not to waste the opportunity and pushed forward with everything they had.

When the advancing troops were finally close enough to be clearly visible, Claude spoke.

"War isn't so different from a card game. Each side takes turns, trying to reveal the other's hand. Of course, the side with the better cards wins in the end."

Smiling, he gestured with his hand.

"Open the first floodgate."

At Claude's command, Fenris soldiers moved. Hundreds of small openings at the base of Silverlight's walls opened, releasing torrents of water.

WOOSH!

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