Just like the church, the order mages were forced to retreat after a few minutes of battle, but their losses were minor. Mages with an affinity for wind or magical items that allowed flight fled through the air and took as many mages as they could with them.
The order of magic only used mages and disposable slave troops, so they could retreat much easier compared to the church, which relied on large numbers to fight.
Dozens of coastal cities and fortresses fell, this time the damage being far more serious than the previous battle. During the previous battle, the demihumans had taken over the strongholds and despite the structural damage, the focus was on killing the humans, so the repairs weren't as extensive after the humans regained their territories.
This time, however, the story was different. The destructive power of the Mermans in the ocean was on par with natural disasters like tsunamis and they submerged entire cities, leaving only wreckage after the tide passed.
