The sun shone over Alnuum's worn walls, casting long, threatening shadows over the battlefield. Archers and mages were positioned atop the cracked walls, their gazes fixed on the approaching enemy. King Relon himself was mounted on his horse, held with dignity and courage, at the front of all who answered his call. Men and women, many of them elderly or very young, wielded old, rusty weapons, the gloomy result of the hard times after the War of Morfrey. Sacred Nannu's capital, once glorious, now lay in ruins, struggling to rise from the ashes.
On the other side, Set stood at the head of his army of golden-eyed soldiers, observing the meager, desperate contingent that stood before him. With cold, analytical eyes, he assessed the strength of his adversaries. To Set, that army seemed more a pathetic vision than a real threat. Only Suzannah, the Red Queen, seemed a worthy opponent for his attention, and even she was absent at the moment. Older women, children with fearful eyes, bearing weapons that seemed more relics of a glorious past than effective tools of war, posed no challenge worthy of his power and skill.
Set knew well Saladon's desires. The Grand Duke coveted Nannu's fertile lands, and for that he needed only to eliminate the kings' lineage and their loyal defenders. He knew that once resistance was broken, the people would have no choice but to submit. However, Set was no fool. He knew that a direct attack could be risky. Suzannah's cunning combined with Alister's sagacity posed a threat that could not be underestimated. They could have carefully planned traps and strategies waiting to surprise any force that tried to invade their city head-on.
As Set contemplated his options, a slight breeze lifted the field's dust, creating an atmosphere of tension. The silence was interrupted only by the nervous murmurs of the defenders and the distant clamor of weapons being prepared for battle. Set saw determination in the defenders' gazes, even though their chances seemed desolate. They were there to protect their home, their history, and their king, despite again all the odds against them.
Set's decision would be crucial. He knew that, despite his enemies' apparent weakness, he could not underestimate them. Experience in battles had taught him to always expect the unexpected, especially when dealing with desperate adversaries. Victory had to be swift and decisive but also careful to avoid unwanted surprises.
As Set faced Alnuum's walls, an unusual sensation ran down his spine, like an unusual chill that made every fiber of his being shudder. In his mind, images surfaced like lightning in a storm, taking him back to moments of his childhood. He saw himself lying in a bed surrounded by a sterile white laboratory wall. There Dr. Arty worked tirelessly on his motionless body, making adjustments that Set, at the time, did not understand.
He remembered clearly overhearing a conversation once where Arty, speaking to Saladon, mentioned: "Just infuse mana into this stone and he will know you need help." The understanding of that phrase, until then obscure, was now crystal clear. He knew that sensation, that chill, was a call for help from Saladon. He had felt it before, whenever his master was in danger or needed his urgent presence.
Despite this familiar sense of urgency, Set pondered Zoarlath's state. Saladon, with his unchecked ambition, had emptied the capital of its best warriors, leaving behind only slave traders, corrupt mercenaries and all manner of outlaws. This had weakened the city, and now the call for help seemed to indicate something terrible had happened. Perhaps Zoarlath was on the brink of or already plunged into chaos. The desire to immediately run there and protect his master overwhelmed him with crushing intensity.
However, Set resisted. He looked again at Alnuum and the small army challenging him. There was a mission to be fulfilled here, an order to be carried out. The ambivalence of his feelings perturbed him. Should he heed Saladon's call and abandon the conquest of Nannu, or push ahead and crush the last resistance standing between him and the total conquest of the region?
With a heavy sigh, he raised his sword, a decision forming in his mind. Attack Alnuum. Even knowing there were likely traps prepared, he opted for a frontal assault. Part of this choice came from an ardent desire to complete the mission given by Saladon; another part, perhaps more hidden and insidious, came from a desire to be rid of the uncontrollable soldiers under his command. These modified, terribly powerful soldiers posed as great a threat as his enemies. If they were destroyed, he would be freed from a difficult load to manage.
With a battle cry that echoed across the battlefield, Set ordered the attack. The golden-eyed soldiers advanced, a tide of determination and ferocity, their weapons gleaming in the morning sun. Set, however, remained standing, watching the unfolding events with a stony expression. He knew he was gambling with many lives in that moment, but he also knew he could not hesitate. It was a matter of survival for him, for his dear brothers, and in a way, for the Duchy's very future.
As Set's soldiers ran toward the walls, the deafening sound of the attack filled the air. Alnuum's defenders, despite their desperate situation, did not retreat. Arrows flew from the walls, striking the front lines of the enemy. Spells began to be conjured, illuminating the battlefield with explosions of light and fire. The battle was underway, and there was no turning back. Set remained observing, his eyes fixed on the chaos he had unleashed, prepared to face any unfolding, whether victory or defeat.
With the morning sun shining intensely over Alnuum, the tension increased as Set's golden-eyed soldiers approached the city walls. The archers and mages, already exhausted and out of mana, desperately tried to stem the implacable advance of the soldiers. However, their efforts seemed futile; Set's soldiers were an almost unstoppable force. The threatening aura emanating from them struck terror even in the most experienced warriors, causing many to abandon their posts and flee in terror.
Arthan, beside King Relon, watched the rout with indignation. "They are fleeing like cowards!" he exclaimed, but was quickly interrupted by the king.
"Do not blame them," said Relon with impressive calmness. "Set and his men's presence is suffocating, able to frighten even the bravest. These soldiers have already given their all for their king."
Arthan, perplexed, retorted: "Their lives still remain to give, my king!"
Relon, with a tranquil gaze, responded: "They have already given me their lives. They could have abandoned these lands after the war against Morfrey. What remains here? Dead lands that bear no fruit, animals and flowers that have disappeared. Still they remained. Tell me, Arthan, son of Marcus, what remains here to protect?"
Understanding the depth of his king's words, Arthan knelt. "Only our King remains to us, Majesty!" He paused before continuing, with renewed determination. "As a war counselor, I renew my vows before you. Alnuum lives as long as an Aquarion sits the throne, and thus I reaffirm my loyalty. My life is at my king's service!"
Relon smiled, satisfied with Arthan's loyalty, and turned his attention back to the battlefield. When Set's soldiers drew dangerously close to the gates, an arcane dome-shaped barrier surrounded them. Relon smiled again, knowing the plan was working. Arthan looked back and saw Gwen and Katara concentrating, conjuring the powerful barrier that enveloped the enemy soldiers. Clara then conjured a water spell that turned the ground beneath the soldiers' feet into a sticky mud pit, trapping them in place.
Then Suzannah emerged from behind the walls, her mana restored. "I'm brimming with mana again, I think we can play some more!" she declared. From her elevated position, she focused all her mana and conjured her most powerful magic: "7th Circle Solar Eruption Supreme Fire Magic!" This time, instead of dispersing the energy in beams, she concentrated it into a single bright point. Gwen, sensing what was coming, dispelled the barrier just in time, allowing Suzannah's incandescent beam to hit the trapped soldiers head-on.
The impact was devastating. The beam blasted a huge crater in Alnuum's gates, turning the mud and stones into a scorching heat inferno. Enemy soldiers were incinerated or flung into what seemed an abyss of melted rocks and boiling mud. The force of Suzannah's magic was such that it drained her mana, causing her to collapse in exhaustion in the arms of Sillard, her apprentice.
Seizing the opportunity, Lilla led a mounted attack group emerging from nearby trees. They charged the remaining disoriented, weakened soldiers. King Relon, wielding his spear, joined the attack, leading his people in a decisive assault against the enemy.
From the walls, Sillard watched the scene with admiration. "This was an excellent plan, professor. I couldn't expect less from a mind like yours!" He saluted Suzannah, acknowledging her crucial role.
Smiling despite her exhaustion, Suzannah responded: "This plan was not mine." Sillard, confused, asked: "Whose then?"
Pointing to Relon, Suzannah said: "Our king's! He is now, finally, a man worth following."
The battlefield seethed with the final onslaught, Nannu's troops, reinvigorated by the masterful plan and inspiring leadership of their king, repelled the threat of Set and his soldiers. Alnuum's defense, a city surrounded by death and despair, was reborn through the willpower and courage of its defenders, led by a king who, against all odds, now revealed himself even more worthy of the Aquarion throne.