2 days later
Alex woke up from his tent after receiving the news that they need to push the schedule of the attack a day only he agreed since he saw the enemy receiving supplies.
"Sir, the men have assembled," one of the officers talked to Alex at the front entrance of his tent. Alex nodded and wore his battle armor, then left the tent heading to the frontline trenches where his men were stationed and ready to commence the attack.
Alex saw the other side of the lake and saw the elves getting ready for battle. With his advanced hearing, he heard some shouts.
"Tolo i lin mellon!" (Form Battle Line!) an elven general shouted, making the elven soldiers form their battle line. After an inspection, he saw that the first two lines were made up of elven spearmen with quite long and strong spears. The back lines consisted of swordsmen, and the last line behind was made up of archers with golden armor. He also saw some mages per unit and noticed a red-robed magician next to the commander.
"Snipers, target the magicians. You know them. Fire at them when the battle starts," Alex ordered firmly. When they received the order, snipers in hidden positions got into positions.
Men got ready; some prayed to whatever god, except for the Draconian Empire, since they had no religions. Others prepared their bayonets, and the vanguard unit got into the vehicle to check the weapons and sight. Alex looked into the sky and saw planes hovering, but the enemy wasn't able to hear the engines since they were high up.
"Sir, preparations are complete," an officer reported in the tent.
Alex, looking over the battlefield at the entrance, said, "Great! Begin the operation and order the other fronts as well." After those final words, the communication officers began dialing the other bases.
Artillery Area
"Orders received! Men, load up the shells, and as planned, fire!" the officer shouted to the artillery men, and the others went to work.
And soon, they began loading and firing, loading and firing, repeating the sequence.
The elves heard explosions, and the magicians began casting barriers in the front and on top. However, they didn't expect to target the archers.
BOOM X20
Explosions were heard, and the archers got decimated. Some were still alive but had lost a limb or two. The men in the front glanced behind them and saw the archers destroyed and still regrouping. But a bullet pierced their helmet as the APC-mounted machine gun fired very quickly and sounded deadlier than the MG42. The elves held very well, but seeing the APC stop and the soldiers loading off, they realized the enemy was fighting long-distance.
"Noe, merin!" (Advance) the general shouted, realizing that they might lose the perfect line.
And soon, the elven soldiers advanced perfectly at the same speed. But they didn't expect artillery shells to land near the soldiers. The Draconian vanguard advanced, killing anyone passing and even fighting in close combat. The proud elves believed they could win, but sadly, they faced reality after stabbing a soldier in the chest. The weapon just stopped outside and didn't go through. That made them wonder, but not for long, as the soldiers pulled out their pistols and fired a few shots near the chest.
Soon, the line was slowly crumbling.
"Bannatha an lin!" (Hold the Line!) one of the elven officers near the battle line shouted, and soon the mages cast rejuvenating spells on the soldiers. While the other soldiers pulled back their injured ones, when the mage was about to cast a fire spell at the group, a soldier was instantly killed by sniper fire. This happened to the other exposed mages, and they were killed by headshots.
Soon, the elven line slowly crumbled, but they heard hope in the rear.
"Tirith, orthad!" (Archers ready) an elven archer officer raised his sword, and the archers, who had finally regrouped, made the soldiers fighting hold their ground.
"Anar" (Fire) the elven officer swung his sword down, and thousands of arrows rained down. Unfortunately, it didn't work; the arrows just bounced off the APC, and the soldiers knew it. They changed tactics.
"Soldiers of the Empire, advance! For the Empire!" one of the Draconian officers shouted. Soon, the others followed, as they fired and stabbed with their bayonets.
The morale of the elves went downhill upon hearing the warcry.
"Staer osto!" (Stand Firm) the elven officer said weakly, but before he could turn in the general's direction, a bullet struck him in the head, killing him instantly.
"Tiru!" (Retreat) An elven officer said while running back, and soon the others followed. This allowed the Draconian vanguard to break through.
Command Tent
"Alright, cut off their retreat, fire the artillery, and prepare the forbidden cavalry. Oh wait, is that the enemy cavalry? Remove that last and send the forbidden cavalry to face them. I want to see," Alex ordered.
Forbidden Cavalry Formation
"Sir, we received orders from the emperor. We will face the enemy cavalry and cut off their retreat," a soldier on horseback, carrying a mobile communication, spoke to the cavalry commander, who had a long black spear on his back with a black composite bow and a pistol on his side belt.
"Alright, men, get ready. We're moving out," the commander, Brigadier General Zahra, said. He came from the veteran units of the forbidden cavalry and was well-versed in fighting. Right now, he was ordered by his savior, to whom he owed his life, the emperor.
Soon, the formation moved out and saw the enemy. Their mounts were unique, very strong deer, and it was not any normal deer. It was well-versed in any weather, yet they couldn't equalize with the chaos horse of the empire.
Soon, they began charging at each other, and the elven cavalry did a line charge while the forbidden cavalry formed their famous tactic.
"Trident Formation!" the commander shouted. Soon, the cavalry formed a trident-like shape and maintained it. The man led in the front, and when they were about to clash, they threw their spears. It was a superhuman throw; the elves raised their shields, but the spears pierced through. They were thrown off their mounts, and the spear didn't stop; it pierced all the way through to the backline. It caused the elves to be shaken, but when they clashed, they faced cavalrymen, and it was utter chaos as they fought with pistols and sabers, going for their heads.
The battle continued, and not far from the units of Spartans used as the vanguard, mixing with Draconian soldiers, continued to fire accurately into the running elves. Shells rained on the retreating elven hoard.
"All units, advance!" one of the officers shouted. The APC started to move, and the soldiers moved slowly. The elven general shouted something to his officer, but Alex felt it. When his soldiers crossed and took the first step over the river,
BOOM
A large explosion went off behind them. Looking back, they saw Novoros soldiers screaming in pain and being burned. People with the height of half of the average human came out from behind the fire. They were wearing heavy armor and holding weapons from long spears to maces, with a shield behind them. Alex raised his hand and lowered it.
"Orders received," a communications officer grabbed the radio and spoke.
"Second wave must be sent in orders from the imperator," the communications officer finished.
Soon, the second wave was brought in; the majority were Novoros soldiers, but in the forefront were Draconian soldiers.
"Soldiers, create a defensive line!" the officer shouted. The APCs turned their turrets and fired into the distance. The Grand Magician cast a magic arrow spell, and it rained on the group of 1,000 soldiers. However, no effect; the attacks just deflected and inflicted minor scratches.
The dwarves charged and fought a melee battle. The soldiers brutally kicked or stabbed them, and the dwarves ganged up on one soldier but failed, as the Draconian soldiers fought in groups. The dwarves were being pressured, but every time they swung their weapons, it only caused a small dent. The Spartan soldiers just punched their faces, causing the helmets to cave in.
The elven general looked at the Grand Magician and just nodded. Soon, a large magic circle released a large blue flame. The men, seeing it, went behind the APC to cover themselves. The flames went over the APC, and after the fire subsided, they came out and threw smoke grenades.
HQ
Alex gazed at the war table, and reports came in from different fronts. They were winning, but grand mages were stopping their advance. However, Alex saw the cavalry battle break off with the Forbidden cavalry winning.
"Continue to storm and send our forbidden cavalry to split up into two groups. The first will raid the enemy camp, and the second will be sent to face another cavalry group coming. I think they are the dwarven cavalry."
Soon, the second group joined the fray and began pushing the elves, who had created a new battle line. They collapsed, and the grand mage tried to cast a barrier to defend himself but died from a grenade launcher shot from the Spartans.
"Orders from high command: Secure the perimeter!" the officer in charge shouted.
Soon, they secured the perimeter, and after more soldiers arrived, they stormed the camp where the cavalry had met them. They secured the perimeter and took prisoners.
Alex went to one of the Elven prisoners and tapped his head. A small power ball came out and went to his throat. Immediately, Alex understood what they were saying.
"Hold the support planes for now. Tell them to return to base."
Soon, Alex left the base and headed to the now captured enemy camp. He saw some tents that were not torn down and some elves, most likely non-combatants, but they were chained since they could fight.
"Your Majesty, here are the things we gained in the tent," an officer came up, and when Alex read it, it was somewhat shocking.
'Over 100,000 arrows, 40,000 bows, 70,000 long spears, 70,000 swords and shields, 100,000 standard armor equipment, along with officer designations and different magical artifacts, and over 300 tons of food good for 7 months.' Alex finished reading the letter, and it was enough to create an army. He decided to melt the different armor and weapons and donate them to Novoros to begin their production. The officers and weapons would be given to the Assassin X units stationed for better infiltration.
Command Post
Alex received the casualty report, and it stated:
"Over 20,000 Novoros soldiers died, and 30,000 more are injured and currently being treated. For the Draconian Forces, no deaths were reported, just minor injuries and some heavy ones currently being treated," one of the officers in the meeting stated. "Everyone, give those men a proper burial, and the families compensation."
Alex looked at the officers, nodding, and he continued.
"I plan to build a fortress where we can block off future invasions. During that time, we will fix the atmosphere of the public. For me, I will be staying in Novoros until the end of the month."
To be continued...