The signal had been given; a high-pitched sound rang from the bugles.
"Charge!" The voices rang in unison as 2,000 cavalrymen let loose a primal warcry, shaking the earth.
The commanders led their contingents in a full gallop towards their predetermined targets.
"Lances down!"
These were the nobles' personal retinue and knights, the elite portion of the Rici army. They were the best of the best, with many being low-tier mages.
Thus, they were far stronger than the average spearmen at the front.
It was this force that wheeled about and charged the advancing centre flank of the enemy army, once more creating a deafening clang of steel on steel as men screamed out in pain, run through by lances.
The impact was huge as the enemy line buckled forward under intense pressure from all sides, with men being slaughtered left and right.
Then, the Whitecastle soldiers wheeled around, digging their heels in and resisting the overwhelming weight of man and beast.
Alexius, watching from a distance, couldn't help but want to clap for the Whitecastle royal troops. Even the children and the large, burly men acting as their caretakers gasped in awe.
The reason was simple: under immense pressure from the front and rear, a situation in which most armies would have immediately disintegrated and collapsed, they had actually managed to keep order and even mount a solid defence!
Just then, several men in armour in the Whitecadtle army were seen throwing off their armour, baffling Alexius.
Did these men not want to live?
However, his questions were answered shortly as they disappeared in the blink of an eye.
'Warrior-mages; and they are all either tier 3 or above!'
They swept through the Rici cavalry like death reaping its victims, with the lower tiered mages in the cavalry failing to put up much of a fight against the monsters who appeared and disappeared like the wind, leaving behind severed heads and limbs.
'How devious!' Alexius cursed at their trickery, but couldn't blame them for doing what he would've done in that situation.
Now, the battlefield was truly in a stalemate.
The enemy had used their brilliant discipline and hidden assets to stabilise the situation once more. However, it was clear to everyone that their advance had completely stalled, being surrounded on all sides and unable to pressure the Rici army's centre anymore.
If this went on, with the overwhelming numbers of their army, the Rici soldiers would be able to grind the enemy down with no hope of them escaping.
Up in the command tent, however, a scene of chaos was taking place.
Papers flew here and there, and men shouted at the top of their lungs to get their point across, like a hurricane had just passed by.
"This is serious; all our units are committed and we don't know where 1,000 of the enemy are!"
"I propose we pull back our cavalry and make a strategic withdrawal back to Littlesberg!"
"Never- we would just have wasted a tremendous amount of blood and sweat if we did! Continue pressing; we will win before sundown!"
They all looked up at the sky, which was growing darker, not just because of the sun but also due to the clouds. However, they did not attach much importance to any sudden rainfall that might occur.
Just then, another voice sounded. "Those cavalrymen are the backbone of our army- losing them is akin to losing the entire army! If they are all killed, we will have a shortage of lower nobles and their retainers, making the country ungovernable!"
A cacophony of voices erupted once more, before a voice of reason finally spoke up.
"That's a matter for our liege to decide. Right now, either he or Legate Valery has to intervene to end the battle quickly."
Suddenly, the frail old man who was their leader felt all eyes of his expectant officers on him.
Sighing, he resisted the urge to sit down and show weakness to his officers. Turning to Archmage Reaves, he once more questioned.
"Are you really not going to help your homeland when it needs you the most?"
The Archmage shook his head as a sorrowful look came over his face. "My liege, I am incredibly disappointed with this too, but it is a precedent set by the Mage Association for Archmages to not interfere in international affairs."
Nearly every officer in the duo's presence scoffed, whereas the mages under Archmage Reaves simply nodded. Not interfere? The man had already taken control over the country's Mage Guild, something which was unprecedented!
Their scorn was warranted. 'These fools- if the Archonate is defeated here, I, as an Archmage of the Mage Association, can place myself as a mediator and receive greater powers than just a mere magician ever could!' He thought with glee, even though his face remained stoic.
'What does ties to my homeland matter if I have to risk my life for it? I'd rather sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labour!'
Oblivious to the thoughts of the elegant man dressed in purple robes, Archon Otto simply nodded his head.
"So be it! Valery, I entrust this army into your hands while I snatch back our victory!"
Suddenly, the frail, aging man didn't seem so weak anymore as his mana heart circulated the energy of magic through his veins, inspiring everyone who was watching. Then, he simply disappeared, moving at such a speed that he was barely a blur.
"Our leader will lead us to victory!" Legate Valery shouted while watching this scene, evoking cheers and chants from the army leadership gathered there.
...
The force of 1,000 horsemen remained hidden in the long grass as the early middle-aged man squinted at the chaos unfolding before him. They had just finished manoeuvring around the enemy army and had, thankfully, remained unseen.
His sky-blue eyes brilliantly reflected the scene of battle before him, contrasting their calmness with the horrible scene of slaughter.
Unlike the meditative-like calmness in his eyes, however, bis mind was a far cry from being calm and cool.
He had waited patiently for nearly two hours now, and if he didn't make a move soon, his army would collapse.
Such was the tier six mage's dilemma as he stood at a crossroads.
To interfere, or not to?
If he did, he would be losing both his and his unit's element of surprise. He was the highest tiered mage on the battlefield, but there were more high-level mages on the opposing side. He might be forced to turn tail if it came down to a slogging match.
However, if he waited till the high-level Rici mages showed themselves, then the army's cohesion might be beyond saving and the battle would be lost regardless of who he managed to kill.
At that moment, the first raindrops began to fall.
*Woosh!*
He grinned as the rain quickly turned from a light drizzle to a heavy rainstorm. Stamping his feet, the ground still felt quite hard, enough for a cavalry charge.
At that moment, a great wall of earth rose up, separating the armies at the centre of the defensive line, causing a great upheaval as many Whitecastle troops were thrown up, falling down to a gruesome death!
The tier six mage smiled, as it seemed like his dilemma had just been resolved.
...
Alexius once more watched as the brutal battle entered another stage, as the Archon himself took to the field.
It was like the fist of heaven had come down to Nessim, utterly destroying all who walled its path! A bright light whizzed past the battlefield, bringing death and destruction to all it called enemies as those who stood in its path were blown away.
Suddenly, with the arrival of this new player, the balance started to shift in favour of the Archonate once more.
Solid earth, in combination with the heavy rain and Archon Otto's magic, turned into a sticky goo in barely a few seconds, trapping hundreds of royal troops in a quicksand-like substance, making them easy pickings.
He could hear the anguished screams and cries of the men at the front as the whole landscape changed, all because of one man.
"Look! That's our leader!"
"It's him! He's our liege!"
Excited but kiddish voices rang out as Alexius watched in silence, while taking notice of the emotional stares that the fat-bellied caretaker made towards Archon Otto.
'It seems like he hasn't the best relationship with Mr. Otto there.' He thought to himself.
However, it appeared that the battle was coming to a close.
'Phew, that's enough twists for one day!' Alexius thought to himself, thinking back to the eventful battle, during which the momentum switched between attacker and defender more than once.
Above all, he was most relieved by not needing to defend himself with all his-
Oh, wait. Was that a cavalry force hidden in the long grass to the right of our army all along? How the hell had we not noticed?
'And they carry Whitecastle banners too; next, just fuck me over and be done with it!' He cursed to the sky, in both English and the Imperial Standard language.
While the children watching this battle who were supposedly 'learning' cheered and clapped like they were watching a blockbuster, Alexius' reaction was shared by the officers and mages in the command tent, with Legate Valery letting out a rare curse.
"What the hell- Another flank? What is this, a game of fucking tug-of-war?"
Groans and curses could be heard once more as the officers were snapped out of the misconception that the battle was over and they their sweat from their brows.
...
Archon Otto could feel something was wrong; no, he knew it.
With the sudden heavy rainfall drenching everyone, the water energy in the surroundings should have increased significantly.
However, not had it not increased, within the entire area, it seemed as if the concentration of water mana had actually... lessened.
His mind worked fast as his brows furrowed, trying to think of an explanation.
Before very long, he stumbled upon one, which just so happened to be the situation be dreaded most.
The Archon involuntarily sucked in a deep breath while muttering some spells to prepare for his next barrage.
That was because the only two beings present who could to that in such a short time were Archmage Reaves, or the enemy's tier six mage, Legate Leon.
And Archmage Reaves had pledged not to interfere.
That only meant one thing: the enemy mage was about to make his move.
Floating into the air, Archon Otto closed his eyes, focusing on his senses in an attempt to find where his enemy was-
"There!" He sensed a wave of water energy cascading towards a singular person at the rear of the enemy's cavalry charge. Unsheathing a hidden sword, he imbued his mana into the wind energy, catapulting himself forward.
'A quick, surgical strike to bring the opponent down while he's busy.' The point of his sword streaked through the air with a brilliant light, illuminating the gloomy field and making some people forget that it was still raining.
It looked deadly as the tip gleamed, much too fast for any mortal to intercept.
But the surprise attack didn't work against the tier six mage, as a pre-made shield made out of ice appeared, blocking it.
*Cling!*
The ice shattered, but Legate Leon, whose eyes the Archon could now make out, just kept creating more, with each shield getting harder and harder.
*Woosh!* With a great swing, Archon Otto altered the direction his sword was facing, letting it pull him along with it, narrowly missing the unassuming enemy leader in order to conserve his momentum.
In response, the enemy Legate just raised both his hands high, suddenly causing the ground to harden as all the water-energy in it flew towards him.
It was like the rain couldn't touch the fight between the two mages.
*Crash!*
Archon Otto landed on the ground, planning to push off of it and go back for another attempt, but instead couldn't control his speed as he slid along the ground.
'Shit!' He thought, slamming his sword into the ground, piercing through the ice and bringing his body to an abrupt stop.
As he panted, his eyes fixated on his enemy, as if everything else on the battlefield was irrelevant, the invader spoke.
"We finally meet... the son of the man who defeated the great Marlonian Empire in open battle, winning his territory's independence, and a count of the Whitecastle Kingdom." A devilish smile appeared on his face as his sky-blue eyes curved upwards.
Archon Otto didn't respond, having already assessed that his enemy was a traditional mage. 'He is only trying to buy time to cast more spells... I must press the attack, even if his magic power is stronger than mine!'
"I'm sure you never expected someone half your age to be facing you down in a fair fight, our dear Otto, but-" While his opponent spoke, the Archon made his move.
A white flash suddenly erupted and headed towards Legate Leon at breakneck speeds, with the Archon himself following closely behind, pointing his sword towards his target.
This time, Legate Leon couldn't just shrug the attack off. Rushing some spells, a bubble of water appeared in front of the slash imbued with Archon Otto's mana, guiding it up and into the atmosphere, where it simply disappeared from view.
This revealed the Archon behind it, and Legate Leon conjured multiple sharp pikes made of heavily reinforced ice in front of him, densely packed together. If the man continued with his charge, he would only skewer himself on the ice spikes.
However, densely-packed didn't mean impenetrable, as not only did Archon Otto preserve his momentum, he also weaved through the tiny gaps between the spikes, avoiding getting impaled by gaps less than a millimetre wide.
"Hah- no matter how talented in magic you are, you are no match for someone who's fought stronger enemies than himself for decades longer than you have!" The Archon's voice seemingly reignited with vigour, the sharp tip of its sword close to the heart of his enemy.