Clouds of smoke rose high into the air, and the sounds of collisions echoed everywhere. The place was in chaos. Burning rocks were launched into the sky and then slammed into the ground with force. Near that ground stood Tiana's palace, still towering proudly. It seemed that the soldiers of Deryal hadn't planned to bring it down yet, as the attacks were targeting only the surrounding areas.
Inside the palace were several warriors and mages. It appeared that Yarum's soldiers had finally arrived. At the palace entrance stood a knight in heavy armor with a stern expression—Vinnel—speaking to a woman dressed in a mage's outfit—Sabrina. Behind them, rows of soldiers waited, and nearby stood Laos, Stephanie, and Tom.
"I don't get it. Why aren't they trying to strike the palace?" Vinnel said.
"I don't know. It's really strange," Sabrina replied.
We had reached the palace, and that brought back a wave of nostalgia, especially when I saw Sabrina, whom I hadn't seen in a while. But why didn't she talk to me? She just greeted me as if she didn't even know me. What's really on my mind now is whether she's truly a spy from Deryal. Even after the war began, she hasn't defected and still presents herself as part of Yarum. Everything about her is shrouded in mystery.
"Well then, men, it's time to teach these Deryalians a lesson for all this noise," Vinnel said as he turned to the soldiers in front of him.
"Yes!!" the soldiers shouted.
"Alright, as we discussed earlier, you'll move out to crush that camp on our border. With the heroes' help, I think you can manage that. As for the mages, your only task is to protect the pala—"
Suddenly, as Vinnel was explaining, a loud explosion was heard. That's when we realized something had struck the palace. I rushed to see the source and was shocked to find a massive number of rocks had fallen. Yes—it was the wall. They had hit the wall. Everyone ran to see what had happened. It seemed Deryal had decided to launch a major strike against it this time.
I don't know why, but seeing that scene made me feel awful, as if it were my own palace that had been struck. Looks like my mind is still attached to this place. Suddenly, a large number of demi-humans started fleeing the palace, terrified and panicked. Then Vinnel stepped toward me and said: "You'll attack now. Show me what you've got."
"Alright," I replied.
After that, all the soldiers prepared and lined up to depart. Tom was standing with them, and Stephanie stood with the priests. I think everything's ready. Oh God, I'm so excited. This is the first time I've participated in a war. Not even just a normal war—this is a war in another world! This is unreal. It's going to be an absolutely insane experience!
"Move out, soldiers!!!" Vinnel suddenly shouted.
Everyone ran—and I ran with them. My excitement was overflowing, and all I could think about was crushing Deryal's soldiers. There they were, far ahead. In front of them stood several catapults, and lots of mages creating fiery stone balls—this looked more like some demonic ritual than a proper battle.
The soldiers around me were charging hard. None of them hesitated. Everyone held their swords and screamed at the top of their lungs. No one… no one was afraid here. Everyone was pumped up, their desire to crush the enemy blazing. Yes, I could see it—that flame burning in every part of their bodies. At the front, I spotted Tom in his white armor—and that was surprising. I never thought he'd be brave enough to fight in the vanguard.
"How are you feeling, reckless one?" Thalesa's voice suddenly echoed.
"I'm not afraid."
"Good. Show me what you can do now, fallen hero."
At that moment, several fire-enhanced rocks—maybe five—were launched toward us. I was sure if they hit, we'd suffer heavy casualties. They were approaching fast, clearly targeting us. Alright, I think I can block them—but not all of them, of course. Still, I'll try, since this could help raise my rank!
"Cutter!"
As I was figuring out the best way to deflect the rocks, a voice shouted from the front. In that instant, an enormous number of glowing white slashes were unleashed—maybe a thousand at least. They cut through all the rocks. reducing them to mere fragments. It was Tom! Oh my God, what the hell is that ability??
That fucker just stole the spotlight!! What should I do now?! Should I go destroy that camp alone? I've got to do something to outshine him. We kept advancing, and all I could see were people running ahead and around me. Even seeing clearly was getting hard. Should I move to the frontlines? No, no—I'd look like I'm just copying Tom.
We charged forward, and then Deryal's mages started forming barriers around the camp. The soldiers crashed into the barrier, but it looked harder than they expected. Alright, time for the fallen hero to shine! I moved forward, pushing aside the soldiers in front of me. Then I gave a sharp look and said: "Leave this to me."
I lifted my gaze and studied the barrier carefully. A blue aura wrapped around me—just like in the fight with Slytha—but this time, the aura disappeared quickly. Then, I suddenly felt a powerful surge inside me. What's happening?! I didn't want to waste time, so I drew Astral and released a massive Ground Wave, shattering the entire barrier.
"Nah that's crazy… even your eyes change color," Tom said suddenly, staring at me.
My eyes? Wait—did they change?! That means… I've reached the first stage of harmony! Damn! But why didn't anything happen? I thought I'd gain some new power with these eyes. But everything feels normal, as if nothing changed. The only difference is the color. Ughhh, I want to see my face in a mirror.
"Defeat them!!" the soldiers shouted as they clashed with the enemy.
Alright, the real battle had begun. The clash was intense, and it seemed that Deryal's soldiers were stronger thanks to the mages. I killed a few of them easily using slashes. Oh… this is the first time I've killed something other than monsters… This is weird… No, the weirdest thing is—
"Humans are easier than monsters," I muttered while blocking the sword of a knight who had attacked me.
Nearby, Tom was killing too. It all felt so normal. But I didn't understand what was happening to me—because I was seeing this like a game, not a real war. The sounds of clashing swords spread all around, mixed with fast-casting spells. I was killing anyone near me—well, not everyone, I mean just the Deryal soldiers.
"Lubonios!!" a voice shouted from afar.
Suddenly, the sky started raining rocky spikes. Fuck! I dodged some, but a few struck my armor. Still, they couldn't pierce it. Suddenly, someone special entered the battlefield. He wore a mage's robe, but in a color unlike any other mage here. He had glasses and stared across the battlefield as his blue hair fluttered in the wind.
"Where are you looking?" a voice suddenly whispered behind me.
I jumped quickly and turned around. That's when I saw the whisperer. He was a tall knight with long brown hair and half-closed eyes—eyes that reminded me of an old friend. He stared at me with a faint smile, then drew his sword. Alright, looks like he knows who the special opponent among these soldiers is. Let's see how a 1v1 feels in the middle of a war.
"You're one of the heroes, aren't you?" he asked, holding his sword.
"Yeah."
"I'm Jeol, the one in charge of this camp. Show me what you've got."
He then ran toward me with his long sword. The one in charge, huh? If I defeat him, it'll be a huge victory. Yeah! I'll even surpass Tom! I unleashed a few slashes, but he dodged them. Okay, we're dealing with a skilled enemy. When he got close, he swung his sword, but it was such a shallow attack I thought there must be a trick behind it. I blocked his strike, and he quickly stepped back, probably realizing I was about to launch a counterattack.
"Ground Wave!!" I shouted.
A massive wave of water rose from the ground and surged toward the knight. Let's see where you run now. Sorry to say, but not even a dragon could dodge this. The wave hit something—it was obviously him. When it faded, I saw him on the ground. Just as I expected!
"Cold Spikes!!"
Every spike hit him, and some even pierced his armor. Damn, that's pitiful. For some reason, I felt the urge to let him get back up. And he did, quickly, grabbing his sword again. That's when he opened his eyes wide and muttered: "Looks like heroes are on a different level. Facing you one-on-one isn't going to end well for us."
"What about you, Lumis?!"
Nearby, Tom was fighting that mage with the glasses—Lumis, it seemed. He was also losing to Tom. So they figured it out—there's no beating us in a 1v1. After that, a large number of knights advanced toward me. Oh, I get it... they want to overwhelm us with numbers. Alright then… I'm gonna crash out!!!
"WATER BALL!!!" I fired a huge water sphere using the third form.
All the knights who had gathered around me were sent flying when they collided with the sphere, and the rest tried to continue the attack, but I took them down easily with a few slashes. This is way too easy. Yeah… way too easy. I can't believe it. How is this a war? Are they just weak, or am I just that strong?
"Damn you, Yarum..." muttered the knight with the half-closed eyes.
Then, Deryal's soldiers began retreating. Are they surrendering? Damn, I haven't satisfied my urge yet. I want to kill that commander so badly. I can't let them escape. Tom saved the soldiers by cutting those rocks, while all I did was destroy a barrier. Yeah, I need to do something that shows my role in this fucking war!!!
"Retreat!!!!" shouted Deryal's soldiers.
They all withdrew, just as I expected—including that knight. I can't let him get away. I can't!! I won't let him escape. I want… I want to kill him. I need to accomplish something. I couldn't hold back any longer, so I dashed toward them with my sword in hand, overcome by a massive urge to kill… a truly insane urge!
"Laos! We're not supposed to chase after them if they're retreating! Did you forget, you stupid idiot?!" Tom yelled suddenly.
"Fuck you!" I shouted as I ran at full speed.
There he was in front of me, his brown hair fluttering. One slash and he'll be dead. Yes! I swung my sword and fired a slash with all my strength. It hit his armor at full speed and pierced right through it. All he could do after that was fall to the ground and collapse in a pool of his own blood. I approached him, raised my sword to stab him—but then, I noticed something coming at me.
"Ground Wave!!" I unleashed an ability to protect myself from the incoming attack.
"Carry Jeol and retreat!!" shouted one of the soldiers. Oh, it was that mage with the glasses.
"Gavalan!"
Another barrier formed, and he fled far away. This is hilarious. So hilarious I didn't even feel like chasing him. Well, I guess I did something important. I let him escape, then returned to the camp we had taken. The soldiers of Yarum were cheering, and when they saw me staring at them with my blue eyes, I raised my hand high. I bet I looked more intimidating than Tom.
"Victory for Yarum!!!" the soldiers shouted in unison.
Amazing… amazing how I feel right now. It's a feeling of immense power, like I'm a king or a tyrant. I feel something great—not strength exactly, more like dominance. Looking back on what I did in this battle, I thought I'd feel some sorrow, maybe even some shock—but this is what I feel now. Just excitement, and a sense of power and superiority.
Well, that was my first time participating in a war, and it doesn't seem like it was bad. We won—not just won, we crushed them. And I think this war will be really easy if it keeps going like this. For now, all I need is a refreshing bath and a whole lot of food. Alright… the first battle is a success.