The battle against the Council of Xylon's army continued. The Valyrians and the other forces of the Trilance pushed forward whereas the Council of Xylon tried to retreat. Having lost contact with the commando tent and the camp on the hill, the council's Soldiers were uncertain about what happened. They changed into a defensive formation and used their numerical advantage to safeguard the Valyrians and Trilance. Simultaneously, they ordered a few fast Assassins to check out what was going on in the camp.
However, before the Assassins reached the hill, they were already faced with unknown forces. Three-meter-tall beings packed with steel-like muscles and an even faster cavalry charged at them, wielding a wide variety of weapons that were coated in the power of elements. A handful of swords and halberts were covered in blazing flames, the spears and war axes were amplified from the wind elements coating them, and there were several shields and armors coated in water and earth elements. The Lesser Elementals hidden underneath the combatants' robes used their power at full display. They used Elemental Might to coat their partner's weapons and armor sets while simultaneously exerting their power to manifest earth spikes, water shields, wind blades, fire spears and more.
Combining their magical nature and the ability to fight long-distance battles with the physical advantage of the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs created an oddly suitable synergy. Their combined combat prowess was much higher than Michael had expected it to be. That way, he didn't have to pay much attention to the Awakened fighting for him. They were strong enough to protect themselves.
Thus, Michael joined the battle again. He had to help to outbalance the enemy's numerical disadvantage.
The Forest Elves moved rapidly. They held their bows tightly in one hand and moved fluidly as they nocked an arrow on the bowstring. They pulled the bowstring back in a nonchalant manner, aimed for a second, and released the deadly projectile.
There was no need to follow the trail left behind by their arrows. The Forest Elves could tell whether they hit their targets, or if they failed. Therefore, instead of observing the massive numbers of enemies that began to slowly retreat to the camp, Lilica and the others focused on their task ahead.
Their Elemental partners decided to guide them. They manifested a compressed elemental arrow on their bowstring, allowing the Forest Elves to pull back the bowstring right after releasing the last arrow. The crucial second they required to snatch an arrow and place it on the bowstring was no more necessary. The Elemental partners acted as a temporary upgrade, evolving the Forest Elves ordinary hunting tactic into a highly lethal weapon to all beings below the Mid ranks of the 2nd Tier.
Michael watched the Forest Elves for a while and smiled. The Lesser Elementals that partnered with the Forest Elves were great aids. They protected the Forest Elves from incoming projectiles and manifested elemental projectiles on their own. Their merged strength played a huge role in hunting hundreds of enemies in no time.
The Trilance's forces regained their morale once they heard that the camp had been conquered and claimed. They had slowly begun to lose their confidence and morale before. However, hearing that reinforcement arrived and that the reinforcement managed to kill a General and two Commanders infused them with much required vigor. Their concerns dispersed, replaced by newfound strength and determination.
The Valkyria shot forward in unison. They seemed to expand and grow into terrifying monsters as ferocious flames burst from their bodies. Michael observed the Valkyria for a few seconds. His Spirit Eyes detected energy fluctuations from Soultraits and a sudden eruption of great power. The power of the Valyr's Soultraits and racial traits merged as they exerted the Valyr Martial Arts. Now that their morale was back at its peak, they didn't worry anymore. All they had to do was eliminate their enemies.
'She's quite impressive.' Michael thought as his eyes traveled to Zira. Her combat awareness and Martial Arts comprehension were highly profound. The young Valyr's only issue was her Soultrait. Zira's Soultrait was as trashy as before. There was no change. She was better off not using her Soultrait, at all.
At some point, the equation on the battlefield had changed. The council's army grew more restless and desperate whereas the Trilance gained more foothold on the battlefield.
Everything was going according to Michael's plan. The Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs were overflowing with excitement after Stringer transported them to the Mages, Supporters, and Healers. Michael gave the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs permission to go all out and relish themselves in the bloody battle as long as they didn't break their connection with Stinger.
The Golden Stinger Wasp used its unique spatial trait to move the frenzy Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs through the battlefield. Stinger unleashed the frenzy Awakened first in the back of the council's army before transporting them to the flanks where the Warlock Centaurs could act as cavalry to send the enemies to death. The Berserkers, on the other hand, were throwing into the middle of the battlefield with the Holy Knights and Michael.
Michael used Zeroa's spatial affinity to create several spatial portals for the Valkyria and other elite forces of the Trilance to join the battle.
Less than one hour after Michael and his subordinates joined the battle, the defenses of the Council were breached and their morale crushed into tiny bits. Michael didn't expect the council's army to crumble this fast. He had been prepared for a drawn-out battle of attrition, but he presumed that it made sense. The Council of Xylon was not actually a kingdom in a true sense. It was a patchwork kingdom that consisted of dozens of alliances, alliances that had been at war a few months ago.
The Council of Xylon had various internal problems and they were projected on their armies as well. The battlefield at the border to the Laprix Lord's territory was rather small, but one could still tell that the Council of Xylon hastily put together several smaller armies of former enemies. They loathed each other, yet they were forced to fight together against their common enemy – an enemy who they'd never fought before. However, their Lords ordered them to fight, so they did. The Council of Xylon's plan would have worked out. All they required was the vast numerical advantage to defeat an enemy with similar strength. The Trilance was only slightly stronger than the other alliances. But that didn't mean they could go up against a flood of enemies that were only slightly weaker. Fortunately, Michael and his subordinates were capable enough to do what others couldn't.
But even then, it was not like the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs escaped the fight unscathed. Almost all of them sustained heavy injuries, most warriors received more than one, but they were too excited and pumped with adrenaline to take note of their wounds.
Even if they could feel the pain that had been inflicted through severe wounds, the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs wouldn't care. They would be proud.
Tradition remarked that every enemy slain would increase their Warlan, which was part of a karmic system that determined how much impact a Warrior had on the people around them, the world in its entirety, and the universe. The more Warlan a Warrior accumulated, the higher was their impact. The higher their impact, the grander their welcome into the afterlife into the Sacred Halls of Wyrian. They wanted to be welcomed into the Halls of Wyrian as Great Warriors, and Warlocks. A few wounds were nothing in comparison!
The Holy Knights and Forest Elves were also feeling elated, even those who sustained injuries. They battled valiantly and found themselves in several near-death situations, but they survived. They experienced the threat of war and learned how warfare worked. Their combat experience increased, their techniques improved and the energy influxes they'd received from every slain enemy fortified them.
Last but not least, Michael distributed Jungle Points for killing Awakened and ordinary Soldiers. Jungle Points could be accumulated by both Summons and Awakened, and they could exchange them with various treasures that would help them to grow even stronger in the future. "That wasn't too bad," Tiara said, appearing next to Michael.
Michael raised an eyebrow when he saw Tiara again. He saw Tiara once on the battlefield fighting among the Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs, and he had to acknowledge that Tiara's wild instincts were not too different from the Berserkers' frenzy. The only differences were that Tiara could control herself much better than the Berserkers and that she only went ballistic upon transforming via the Silvarean Tiger Soultrait.
The longer she fought, the stronger the force of her wild instincts. Her combat awareness skyrocketed and she would subconsciously use her Soultraits. Once, Tiara blacked out mid-battle, only to regain her senses while being surrounded by a flock of corpses.
She was not proud of it at that time and worked on herself to learn more about her instincts and how to utilize them well without losing control.
"We did great for our first warfare with the Holy Knights and Awakened. But, as always, there is a lot we can improve," Michael said, only to hear Tiara snicker. Was it that hard to praise his people without finding faults for him?
Michael smiled lightly and shrugged, his attention moving to Zira and the Valkyria.
"Everyone did great," Michael remarked and a smile manifested on Tiara's smile.
"But we can do better!" "Urgh," Tiara groaned, staring at Michael, the corner of her lip still tilted upward.
