The light of Verdant Apathy shone on them, allowing them to regain their clarity. However, they were still a bit confused, so Ten Dawn Iris took the time to explain what happened. Thankfully, they were quick to understand. Their faces were particularly shocked when they saw Elizabeth and Freon, who were already fighting on the frontlines. Their mysterious recovery aside, just their ability to calmly analyze the situation and determine the best course of action, was honestly unbelievable. They had the composure of seasoned soldiers, contrasting their young age. Not to mention, there was Freon… The older brother of Ten Dawn Nassandra had made a breakthrough here and became a Low Condensed Drop Arcanist? They were witnessing history in the making!
Ten Dawn Yvonne then ordered everyone to quickly use their own recovery spells. Four unique Magic Circles manifested. At their level, everyone had their personalized methods. It might not be as thorough as a combat system, but it was still impressive by the Zino Kingdom's standards. They were clearly heads and shoulders above other Arcanists. That said, it was obvious that their recovery methods paled in comparison to Rena's 'miracle'. The spirit had thoroughly outclassed them! Freon struggled to maintain Verdant Apathy, his Bloodline Ability and Three-Pointed Barrier. Although his breakthrough into Low Condensed Drop helped to ease the burden, it did not erase it entirely. There was still a limit to his mental energy. His Core was dangerously unstable too. This was why Arcanists chose to breakthrough in a safe and quiet place. The first reason was that they needed the perfect environment and mental state to attempt it. The second was that they needed a long period of recuperation and 'adjustment' following any breakthrough to stabilize their Core. Freon needed to properly condense his Core, except… it was a bit hard now.
Bang! Multiple explosions sounded in the vicinity, alarming Elizabeth. "What's the situation?" she shouted.
"Reporting to Your Highness, the enemies have breached our defensive line! We can't hold them much longer!" the Platoon Captain said fearfully.
Originally, they had around one thousand people here: seven hundred Arcanists, and three hundred soldiers. Since the Arcanists had no combat ability, they were stationed in the middle, whereas the soldiers held the perimeter. Elizabeth, Freon, and the Ten Dawns were currently somewhere in-between the two groups, neither completely safe nor in danger. This was obviously less than ideal, because three hundred soldiers could never protect seven hundred, a group more than twice their size, from an enemy attack. It was like an eggshell where the smallest touch could shatter it. Any half-decent enemy force could deal with them. Moreover, the bigger problem was that they were not facing an ordinary enemy, but one made from Half-Perception Realms and Perception Realm Novices using Martial Energy. Their combat ability was far above what the kingdom could handle! Barely ten minutes had elapsed since the start of this battle, and the kingdom had already lost more than three hundred people. Going at this rate, if they did not surrender, then they would only last a few more minutes at most.
Elizabeth realized this and yelled, "Ten Dawns! How much longer?"
"One more minute!" Ten Dawn Yvonne returned between gritted teeth. She understood how much pressure they were under too, except their recovery methods needed time. This was pushing it.
Cursing, she tried to figure a way out of this mess. There were three main threats. The first were the Imperial Sentinels that Sir Winstin and the others were fighting against. Being Perception Realm Experts, they were probably the strongest combatants on the field. The second was the large enemy force attacking them. Their numbers were unknown, but Elizabeth doubted it was anything small. It was probably enough to guarantee their defeat. The third and final threat was the vanguard force on the frontlines, where thousands of people were fighting. That was where most of the enemies were. To survive, she needed to deal with all three... and the time limit was a few minutes; however, everyone was occupied, including herself. She tightened her fists.
Should we surrender? No, that wouldn't work. I doubt they'll let anyone go, Elizabeth raced through the options. What about stalling? General Petra should've realized what happened by now. We could try stalling until her reinforcements arrive… No, that wouldn't work either. We won't last that long.
As the seconds passed by, she became increasingly nervous, making her Magic Circles waver. The pressure began to overwhelm her. After all, no matter how great her royal training was, no matter how many battlefields she 'conquered', and no matter how strong she grew, she was still fundamentally a seventeen-year-old girl. That was barely an adult in this world. Even a seasoned commander with decades of experience would stumble here. Her vision blurred as nausea set in. She felt sick. Regardless, giving up was not an option. Elizabeth forcefully pushed through and regained her composure. Her Magic Circles stabilized too. There must be a solution! It was not over until it was over! Her mental fortitude was worthy of admiration.
Boom! Another large explosion came from the front this time, startling everyone including the enemies. They were the ones doing the ambush, and yet they were ambushed themselves. Was it the kingdom's reinforcements? Sentinel Kong, Mao, and Feng wore grim expressions, whereas the kingdom's soldiers were overjoyed. They were saved! Elizabeth was the only one who frowned, realizing it was too fast. It could not be General Petra, so who could it be? Her answer soon came when two massive storms of Martial Energy tore through the enemy's backline. Bodies and blood flew, as two figures charged through the vacated space. Despite being outnumbered and surrounded, they slashed down everyone with ease. No one could stop them! They were like little demons on the battlefield! Upon getting closer, Elizabeth and Freon were stunned because it was unexpectedly Benedict and Shirley. They had forced their way through! The Imperial Sentinels immediately pivoted in their direction to prevent them from reuniting, but Sir Winstin and the Royal Guards stopped them. Benedict and Shirley made it!
Touching down, Benedict said, "Sorry, we're late."
"Better late than never," Freon replied with a smirk.
"Are you two alright?" Shirley asked worriedly.
"We're barely holding on," Elizabeth said. "You came at the perfect time. How's the other side?"
"Not so good. We were attacked over there too. I… I don't think they'll last much longer."
"There's also these super powerful Perception Realms that almost killed us," Shirley added. "I think they're Perception Realm Experts, bordering on Master."
"Over there as well?" Freon smiled wryly. "We have our own mess to deal with here."
"Elizabeth, about Commander Christina, I heard that…"
"…You don't need to finish. Now isn't the time," the girl answered steadily. However, if one were observant enough, they would notice that her voice was shaking a little. She was pretending to be brave.
"Someone also helped us out. Was that the Featherwind Sect again?" Shirley quickly changed topics, recalling the Battle of Liguang where the birds secretly saved them. Only they could perform such heaven-defying acts!
"You too?" Freon was confused.
"Huh?"
"We'll talk later," Elizabeth stated. "Can you two fight?" They nodded. "Good. Ten Dawn Yvonne?"
The Ten Dawns removed their spells at the same time. "Ready, Your Highness."
"Freon?"
He removed his Verdant Apathy and replied, "Ready."
"Then let's begin!"
Ten Dawn Yvonne and Rosemary began constructing the Magic Circle for Yin-Yang Arrow, while Ten Dawn Lorth and Runenda began constructing the one for Mirage Valley. The vast aura of four Low Condensed Drop Arcanists flared to the surface, alarming everyone of their intent and causing their enemies to intensify their attacks. They could not let them complete their spells! However, unlike before, Elizabeth's side was prepared. Ten Dawn Iris strengthened her curtain of wind, while Freon conjured a huge wall of flames. The two spells then combined into a huge curtain of fire that rejected everything that came close! And when the odd stray did manage to sneak through, Benedict and Shirley would block it. The protection around the Ten Dawns was rock solid!
Elizabeth shouted, "Vacate the area!"
Sir Winstin and the Royal Guards heard her call and immediately disengaged from their opponents, as did the Grand Knights. Although the Imperial Sentinels wanted to tie them down, Elizabeth's Formless Step was too useful of a spell. Their movements were as swift as the wind! No one could touch their shadow, if they wanted to escape. The path cleared up, as the Ten Dawns activated their large-scale tactical spells! Yin-Yang Arrow! The black, white, and blue arrow blasted forth, piercing deep into the enemy lines, before unleashing a humongous explosion that slammed into the entire battlefield. Mirage Valley! The ground disappeared from underneath hundreds of soldiers and similarly exploded from the interference strength, creating another tremendous shockwave that shook everyone's balance. Sadly, due to the Ten Dawns' lingering injuries and the growing interference strength, their spells' power was a fraction of what it should have been. Elizabeth was thankful though, since this had concentrated their effects otherwise, many more people from their side would have died.