Explosions could be heard everywhere in the Marshlands as the two parties unleashed a barrage of spells against each other.
Lux and his Mercenary Group didn't participate and only observed the battle from a distance using telescopes.
General Phobus had told the Half-Elf that he could act in any manner that he liked as long as it didn't jeopardize their military operation.
In order to better understand how the skirmish was being conducted in the Marshlands, Lux decided to observe for now.
The Ammarian Soldiers were assembled into a unique formation where those who specialized in creating barriers served as the Vanguard.
They would hold their shields up for an extended period of time while the other spellcasters would hold their spells at the ready.
The moment a side didn't have any magical spells flying towards them, the barrier would be taken down, and it would be their turn to unleash a barrage of spells on the Yelan Defenders.
Lux wasn't familiar with this kind of fighting style, but seeing that the Ammar Army was able to advance little by little towards the Yelan Camp, he could tell that this strategy had its merits.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but that all changed when the Ammarian Soldiers were less than 500 meters away from the Yelan Camp.
When half of the army had managed to pass through a certain point, loud explosions erupted from the ground, taking the Ammarian Soldiers by surprise.
Panic immediately spread among the soldiers, destroying their formation.
It was at this moment when the Half-Elf heard a rumbling sound in the distance.
Thousands of light cavalry from the Yelan Army charged towards the Ammarian Army Soldiers, who had fallen into disorder, and started a massacre.
While this was happening, spells flew over these mounted soldiers and landed at the very rear of the Ammarian Formation, killing those who tried to flee.
"They got them good," Lux muttered as he looked at the slaughter that was happening on the battlefield.
He wasn't too proficient with war, and this exchange between the two armies taught him a lot. Fortunately, General Phobus' Vice General was quick to act, and immediately ordered their cavalry to advance, engaging the Yelan Cavalry with their superior force, while their infantry retreated.
Thousands of soldiers died that day, but the Yelan Army still managed to kill more than the Ammarians did.
It was a brutal clash, dyeing the water that flowed in the marshland red with the blood of the people that died.
After half an hour, both sides pulled their soldiers back, only leaving the thousands of dead bodies behind.
"With that many corpses, you can easily wipe out the Yelan Army using that same trick you did back then," Malcolm commented as he gave Lux a sidelong glance. "Why don't we ask General Phobus to gather the bodies, so that you can use them later on?"
The others who heard Malcolm's words didn't understand what he was talking about.
However, Lux's friends fully understood what the leader of the Skystead Alliance meant.
If Lux used his skill, Corpse Explosion [EX], and detonated all the dead people, a chain reaction would occur, which could easily wipe out thousands of soldiers in a matter of seconds.
Lux only shook his head after hearing Malcolm's proposal.
"Now is not the right time," Lux replied. "I'm still waiting for something to happen."
"Something to happen?" Malcolm arched an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"Sorry, but I'll keep it a secret for now," Lux stated. "However, the General on the side of the Yelan Army is good. Who would have thought that he had placed remote mines under the marshlands. This must be some kind of Gnome Technology."
There was also one thing that surprised Lux. He thought that Eiko would look excited after seeing the Remote Mines exploding in the battlefield.
However, the baby Slime's expression was calm, as she had recently learned how to properly use the Blast Bomb [EX] skill that she currently possessed.
Eiko could freely detonate the Blast Bombs or make them detonate upon impact. This gave this skill a certain degree of flexibility, allowing the baby Slime to attack and set a trap for her enemies at will.
An hour later, an angry General Phobus chastised his captains for their inability to react in time when the Yelan Army charged at them during their moment of confusion.
If not for the fact that he had sent reinforcements right away, the ten-thousand strong Vanguard would have been wiped out completely.
Out of the ten thousand soldiers, only a third of them remained.
Although this skirmish lasted for only about an hour, the Ammarian Army still suffered a great loss of manpower, which made General Phobus very furious.
The next day, the General thought of another strategy, but each and every time, he was thwarted by the opposing General, lowering the morale of his army, and making Lux understand why the Great General of the Ammarian Kingdom, General Rafael Watts, had sent them to reinforce the Marshland Camp in order to replenish the troops that were constantly being lost in the territorial battle.
'According to Diablo, the General of the Yelan Army stationed in this part of the battlefield is a middle-aged man named, Fahad Durnham,' Lux thought as he watched the retreating Ammarian Army, who had suffered another loss from the Yelan General's hand. 'It seems that he is winning this battle of attrition.'
After three days of consecutive defeats, General Phobus summoned Lux to his tent and asked the Half-Elf a very important question.
"Why aren't you participating in the battle?!" General Phobus growled as soon as Lux entered his tent. "Aren't you supposed to be a Mercenary Group working for us? Why are you and your group slacking off? If you just came here to spectate, all of you should just pack up and go home!"
The Half-Elf had already expected that he would receive this kind of greeting, so he ordered everyone to not accompany him and remain at their temporary accommodations inside the Ammarian Encampment.
Lux knew that the Ambassadors and other representatives of the other Factions, who were watching the progress through their scrying artifacts in the entrance of the Domain of the Fallen were also getting impatient about the lack of progress in their mission.
For the past three days, Lux had simply observed and done nothing, making Malcolm, Nero, and Enlil, the Elven Prince, feel as if they were just wasting their time.
Lux looked at the angry General in front of him and smiled internally.
"We have participated in many campaigns before, but this is the first time we are fighting in the Marshlands," Lux replied in a calm manner. "As you can see, our numbers are few, so I don't want them to participate in the skirmish without sufficient understanding of the terrain as well as the capabilities of our enemies. After observing the battle for three days, I've come to realize that the opposing General is a very formidable foe."
"Are you telling me that I'm inferior to him?" General Phobus asked, and his voice reeked of killing intent.
Lux knew that if he gave the wrong answer, the General might attack him in order to vent out his frustration.
having considered this, he made sure to choose his words wisely, so that the person in front of him would not strangle him to death.
