The enemy had the advantage of the terrain; what was once a flat plain extending to the fortress a few kilometers away had turned into uneven ground overnight—a hill, not too steep but long, at least five hundred meters.
This slope... What is it, about fifteen degrees of inclination? It doesn't seem that steep, but it's enough to make a big difference in the battle.
Alexander carefully observed that formation. At the top of the hill was the enemy army, carrying banners and flags in dark beige with the image of a wolf painted in black. Soldiers wearing armor similar to his, though in different colors, bearing the colors of the wolf clan. He could see both soldiers and mere peasants holding spears, hammers, and hoes—the workers who had built the fortress.
He could see other things, too. The watchtowers he had seen two nights ago were stationed there. They were at least four meters tall, made entirely of wood and bamboo, but he could see the archers at the top, preparing their arrows.
"There are at least thirty thousand of them," Alexander muttered.
His eyes were narrowed, trying to get a better perspective of the battlefield. There were rows and rows of men at the top of the hill, mostly infantry soldiers, but he could see a few samurais who stood out from the rest; these were dangerous. Noble samurais like Shinzaemon and Shigenori, could have orange or yellow auras, and in the worst-case scenario... even greater.
"Men! Prepare for the attack, get ready!" Shigenori shouted from his horse, drawing his katana, a blade glowing green just like his armor. His aura was revealed at that moment, with strong yellow flames covering his entire body, and just being near Shigenori sent a shiver down Alexander's spine.
Power...
Alexander's unit began to move instantly; after all, it was a squadron. The men made way for him and the others to pass. They formed a line at the vanguard of the unit—Alexander, Taigen, Yasuo, and other soldiers who possessed auras.
"Oh Hachiman, protector of warriors, grant us strength and protection against our enemies... Oh Hachiman, protector of warriors, grant us strength and protection against our enemies... Oh, Hachiman..." Taigen repeated with a trembling voice as he held a red Buddhist rosary, a japamala.
"Taigen, what are you doing?" Alexander asked while still observing the enemy soldiers.
"I'm praying to the god of warriors... I pray that he protects us in this hell."
"I thought the god of war was called Shura."
"Don't you know anything about the gods? Shura is the god of war and destruction, but Hachiman is the protector god of warriors. I just hope we have time to pray to Shura too..."
Alexander took a deep breath and looked up at the immense blue sky above him. His aura was revealed like strong orange flames slowly approaching his body.
"Pray to whoever you want, but try not to die," Alexander said, turning his gaze back to the enemy army. One by one, the soldiers revealed their auras—almost all had red auras, while some had orange. A samurai mounted on a horse revealed a yellow aura.
Alexander looked around, searching for Genichiro, but he didn't see him in the front line. Looking back, he finally spotted the immense samurai mounted on an even larger horse, wearing his gleaming armor and holding a spear that was undoubtedly worthy of someone his size. He was in the rear, along with what appeared to be archers, and further back were some strange figures—people dressed in robes that resembled those of Buddhist priests, the battle mages.
"Why are the mages so far back in the rear? They're even behind Lord Genichiro," Alexander asked.
"Oh, Hachiman... Battle mages are the most protected troops in the entire army, even more so than the commander himself. They are too valuable to risk. They're not like us, who are magical warriors; we have resilient bodies due to our auras and can use magic. Battle mages can use much more powerful magic than we can, but in return, their bodies are like those of ordinary people," Taigen explained, just before resuming his prayers.
As expected, mages in this world are major area-of-effect damage dealers but have low physical resistance. They aren't exclusive to Evermagic; it's like a general RPG consensus that mages must be protected by the tank to be effective.
He looked at the enemy army once more, his eyes now focusing on the yellow-aura samurai at the top of the hill.
They outnumber us and have the terrain advantage. In the strategy games I used to play, whoever had the higher ground gained a charge bonus when attacking downhill, so it must work the same way here. Even so, I've won many battles in those games despite the terrain disadvantage. The same goes here—the victor will be whoever has the best strategy. I don't know Lord Genichiro's strategy, so I'd better think about mine for now...
At the rear of the Crane Clan's army, Genichiro observed everything from atop his iron steed, with the red-armored samurai Shinzaemon at his side.
"We're at a disadvantage both in numbers and terrain, my lord. What are we going to do?" Shinzaemon asked, surveying the battlefield that was about to erupt.
Genichiro seemed relaxed, or perhaps concerned. He was deep in thought, his face expressionless, his eyes half-closed. He held that immense spear with just one hand, a testament to his strength. The blade was large, almost half the length of the shaft, and the bluish metal gleamed slightly.
"We'll force them to come down. The moment we enter their range, the archers and mages will tear us apart. Do we know who's in command on their side?" Genichiro asked, glancing at Shinzaemon.
"Murakami Kiyoharu, 'the Tiger of Nakigahara,' is in command."
"So Kiyoharu is here. I thought he'd stay on the western front fighting Katsushige after he took Asahinawa. If he's here, there must be a reason... This fortress... I get it now."
He laughed a loud and hearty laugh.
"My lord?" Shinzaemon asked.
"That 'tiger' is more like a kitten. Now I understand! This fortress, he wanted to build a fortification point to use the same route we took from Urazaki to here, only in reverse—a haven to launch an invasion through the mountains."
Genichiro's aura revealed itself, immense green flames that made the air and ground tremble with enough force to startle the men around him. "Did you think I'd let that happen, you brat? The Urazaki mountains are mine! I, Genichiro Hidesue, accept your challenge, and when this is over, I'll return to the mountains with your head hanging from my belt!"
At the top of the hill, in the rear guard of the Wolf Clan's army, a samurai was sipping tea on his iron steed. Surrounded by soldiers bearing the Wolf Clan's banner, he drank calmly while observing the landscape covered by Genichiro's army.
"That formidable presence, it's you, isn't it, you old drunkard?" he said with a sarcastic tone. He wore armor with orange-striped plates like a tiger, his helmet wide and tall with a golden moon decorating it. A brown fur coat made from several skinned wolves draped over his shoulders.
A samurai approached his horse, knelt, bowed his head, and clasped his hands together.
"All the troops are in position, my lord! What are your orders?" the soldier asked.
"Every piece is already in place. Now it's time to start the fun. Prepare the archers and the men from units 6 to 15, and tell the mages to commence the attack."
"Yes, sir!" the soldier replied, rising and running toward the troops.
The samurai licked his lips, carefully stroking the long, thin mustache beneath his nose. His eyes gleamed with a thirst for battle, red eyes with vertical pupils like those of a tiger.
"The Battle of Asahinawa was intense, and it was there that my dear brother Rihito died at the hands of that cursed Katsushige. But now you're here and at a total disadvantage. Either you're far more skilled than the legends say, or you're incredibly foolish. Whatever it is, this must be a gift from the gods. Now come, come play with me, Genichiro Hidesue, and fall into the tiger's jaws!"
The tension in the ranks of the Crane Clan's army was palpable; anticipation truly is a wretched feeling. But it didn't last long as they saw the soldiers of the Wolf Clan approaching, calmly positioning themselves lower on the hill."They're advancing, to your positions!" Shigenori ordered.
The soldiers raised their spears instantly, watching closely as the Wolf Clan soldiers descended the hill at a very slow pace. The ground trembled with their synchronized steps, creating a threatening march.
"Oh, Hachiman, protector of warriors, grant us strength and protection against our enemies... Oh, Hachiman... Protector of warriors..." Taigen prayed as he watched the enemies descend the hill, each word sounding more nervous than the last.
"Taigen, pray more quietly, you're disrupting my thoughts," Alexander retorted, slightly irritated.
They're not advancing in a charge; they're moving slowly... Something's wrong.
At that moment, a thought occurred to Alexander.
The system, open map!
The system window appeared, showing the map. It displayed thousands of blue dots side by side and nearby red dots; the allied and enemy armies. The ground beneath the red dots was darker, a much stronger green than the green beneath the blue dots.
This map even shows the difference in terrain. It's pretty detailed, but that's not what I want to see.
He observed how the red dots were arranged; it wasn't the entire army descending the hill, just the front lines. He turned his eyes back to the troops descending, and with sharp eyes, he could see in detail—they weren't samurai like Shigenori, but the fortress workers and infantry soldiers like himself.
They're regular soldiers; I bet the workers hardly have auras, so I only need to worry about the soldiers who do... There are two options: ignore them and pray they don't come for me, or go after them and kill everyone.
Alexander took a deep breath.
A system window appeared, overlaying the map.
[!!!A Quest has appeared!!!]
[Quest: Baptism on the Battlefield]
[The Player is about to enter their first battle, marking the start of their journey to conquest. Show your power and perseverance, and prove yourself worthy of carrying the blessing of the gods and the name of the war god 'Shura'.]
[Requirements: Survive and win the battle, and eliminate as many enemies as possible.]
[Rewards (3x):]
[Uncommon Talisman]
[Passive Ability]
[XP]
[!!!May the gods protect you!!!]
[!!!Good luck!!!]
The message window disappeared.
Ah... Thanks for the encouragement. I don't know what I'd do without it.
"Take cover!"
Shigenori shouted, snapping Alexander's attention back to the battlefield.
His eyes widened as he saw magic being hurled by the enemies from the top of the hill, massive fireballs, and chunks of earth.
"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me!"