The first clash erupted with a ferocity that seemed to shake the very earth. Voss's army charged forward like a storm, their shields interlocked in a wall of steel, their swords glinting ominously under the gray, cloud-choked sky. The rhythmic pounding of their boots sent tremors through the ground, and their battle cries—a deafening roar of hate and confidence—echoed across the battlefield, a deliberate effort to shatter the morale of Noah's smaller force. But Noah's troops stood firm, their faces hardened by the grim reality of war. They were outnumbered, but their resolve was unyielding.
The collision was explosive. Steel met steel with a jarring clang that rang out like a death knell. Shields splintered under the force of blows, and the air filled with the sickening sound of metal piercing flesh. Bodies fell in rapid succession, the ground quickly becoming slick with blood and churned into a muddy quagmire by the trampling of thousands of boots. On Voss's side, the soldiers pushed forward with a brazen confidence, their commanders barking orders to maintain the relentless advance. They believed their sheer numbers would overpower Noah's forces, that victory was theirs for the taking.
But Noah's army was no ordinary force. From the chaos emerged the Soul-Forged Knights, their obsidian armor gleaming faintly in the dim light, like shadows given form. They moved with an unnatural precision, their movements fluid and deadly. Each strike was calculated, each step deliberate, and they cut through the enemy ranks with terrifying efficiency. Voss's soldiers swung their swords and thrust their spears, but the knights seemed almost invincible. Blades shattered against their armor, arrows bounced off harmlessly, and even when one of them fell, another stepped forward to take their place, relentless and unyielding. The knights carved a path of destruction through the battlefield, leaving a trail of broken bodies and shattered spirits in their wake.
Voss, mounted on his warhorse at the rear of his army, clenched his fists as he watched his men falter. "Push forward!" he roared, his voice hoarse and strained. "They can't hold forever!" But even as he shouted, doubt gnawed at him. The Soul-Forged Knights were supposed to be a myth, a story whispered by terrified villagers. Seeing them tear through his army was something else entirely.
Then, chaos erupted from the rear. The Umbra Assassins, shadows made flesh, struck with silent, lethal precision. They appeared as if from nowhere, slipping through the ranks like wisps of smoke. Supply wagons burst into flames, their fuel igniting with a roar that sent plumes of black smoke into the sky. Officers fell with slit throats before they could even cry out, and panicked soldiers turned on each other, their discipline crumbling under the weight of fear. The once-tight formation of Voss's army began to unravel, the soldiers' confidence shattered by the unseen terror that stalked them.
From the front, the Soul-Forged Knights launched a devastating counterattack, their advance relentless and unstoppable. The knights surged forward like a tidal wave, their obsidian armor glinting as they cut down anyone in their path. Voss's soldiers, already demoralized by the chaos, found themselves caught between the unyielding force of the knights and the unseen, deadly efficiency of the assassins. The battlefield became a hellscape of screams, clashing steel, and the sickening thud of bodies hitting the ground.
Voss's face paled as he watched his army disintegrate. "No… this can't be happening!" he shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. He spurred his horse forward, trying to rally his men, but it was too late. The tide had turned, and there was no stopping it.
Before he could react, a group of Soul-Forged Knights closed in on him. One of them, towering and imposing, reached out with a gauntleted hand and yanked Voss from his horse with a single, powerful pull. Voss hit the ground hard, his armor clattering as he struggled to rise. He looked up to see Noah standing at the edge of the battlefield, calm and composed, his hands clasped behind his back. The contrast between Noah's serene demeanor and the chaos around him was striking.
"Overconfidence," Noah said softly, almost to himself, as he glanced at the captured governor. "It's a killer."
Vosp spat blood, his eyes wide with disbelief. "How… how did you do this?" he stammered, his voice barely audible over the din of the battle.
Noah smirked, a cold, calculating expression that sent a chill down Voss's spine. "Strategy," he replied simply. "And the willingness to do what you wouldn't."
The battlefield was a grim tableau of destruction, but Noah's victory was undeniable. The governor's army, once a formidable force, was now a broken, scattered remnant of its former self. And in the center of it all, Noah stood—unshaken, undeterred, and utterly in control.
[System Notification]
[ Soldier killed : 60,562
[SP gained : 3.6 million
[Casualty: 5,472
[Troops remaing : 13,464]
[System Notification ]
[QUEST — DEFEND VERIDIAN COMPLETED]
Objective: Repel the Governor's advancing army and prevent your territory's capture.
Reward: Unlock new basic troop types and upgrade your Soldier Pool (quantity and tier).
"well it seems that, the system has gotten better excited, because of the rewards I got from defending my territory quest and not to mention 3.6 million SP noah muttered.