The enemy cavalry advanced down the hill, a line of hundreds of men and horses stretching across almost the entire battlefield, carrying the banner of the Wolf Clan. At the foot of the hill, the Crane Clan's army moved forward in a formation resembling the tip of a spear. Like the Crane Clan, they advanced in a cavalry formation, with the infantry following closely behind.
At the spearhead, the elite of the Crane Clan rode on iron steeds, with Genichiro leading the vanguard. His squadron advanced at a faster pace than the others, as if the entire army were merely marching up the mountain while they charged at full speed.
"Sir! As extraordinary as your strength is, this is a suicide attack!" shouted Shinzaemon, gripping an immense red-tipped spear, just like his armor. His aura glowed like yellow flames, almost golden.
"Exactly! While they aim at us, the others will devastate them from the flanks. We need a good enough distraction," Genichiro shouted with grim excitement, a smile covering his scarred face.
The iron steeds raced up the mountain, causing the ground to tremble as if an earthquake were happening. The samurai held their spears and naginatas, preparing for the battle that was approaching every second.
Genichiro's aura shone like emerald green flames, but his strength was almost incomparable to the other members of the squadron. He gripped his immense spear with both hands and raised it into the air, riding only with his legs.
"Just as a whirlwind arises in the sea, my strength is unmatched. O sea, give me your strength. Ryujin, grant me your power, give me the strength to drown my enemies, give me the power of the tsunami!" Genichiro chanted loudly while spinning his weapon, uttering an incantation. Water formed at the tip of his spear, enveloping the weapon's head entirely.
His horse began to move faster as if it were trying to lead the others. Genichiro then stood up on his horse, pointing his spear toward the top of the hill as if ready to strike someone.
"Let's kill them, Kurogane! Grant me the strength to destroy my enemies, give me the power to drown them like a tsunami!" Genichiro shouted. Water began to rise from his horse's hooves, lifting it as if it were galloping on a wave. The water surged, becoming a true tsunami on land.
A colossal wave started to rise the hill, stretching nearly thirty meters high and covering almost the entire hill. The tsunami collided with the enemy cavalry, engulfing the horses and samurai with its force, and dragging them back up the hill.
The mages and archers should be attacking us… What's happening up there?
He thought.
Even with the tsunami destroying the battlefield, Genichiro focused on the top of the hill. He watched with curiosity and confusion, noticing something strange happening within the enemy lines.
Ten minutes earlier.
"Let's head to the top," said Alexander, looking up at the hill. He took a deep breath, cracking his neck and hands as if stretching.
"System, open the map." He said as the system window opened right in front of him. He could see the enemy army moving down in a uniform line, the second wave of infantry based on their speed. He moved his hand toward the map, trying to drag it upwards to get a better view.
"Here, the entire enemy army. This hill is bigger than I thought." He said, a bit annoyed but still focused. He could see the distant units in the rear, probably the mages and archers divided into ten divisions.
These guys have around thirty thousand men, ten thousand more than we do…
He looked back, at the vast hill and the hundreds of bodies scattered across the grass and blood.
How many must have died by now? A thousand on each side? More? Probably more on our side…
Alexander turned his attention back to the map. Staring at the center of the army, they were in a formation focused on protecting the middle.
The enemy commander… If he is there, it's better to avoid him for now. Lord Genichiro can handle him, but me…
He thought, his heart racing and a sudden chill creeping into his stomach.
I have to fight people of a lower or equal level to mine… I could jump into the infantry and start clearing the ranks, but then it's only a matter of time before another Ogura shows up… Think, Alexander, think…
He stood still for a moment, gripping the horse's reins tightly. Then he smiled.
"I've got it." He said with an eager tone, eager for battle, for challenge.
His red eyes fixed on the top of the hill where he saw the enemy infantry descending, then returned to the system map.
"These guys are coming down, but they are not a hundred percent uniform. I can see this gap in the left troops… If I can get through, I'll distance myself from the center where the more powerful samurai are concentrated because of the commander, and then I'll slice them up."
A thought crossed his mind, of the immense fire and earthballs that flew down the hill at the start of the battle.
"No… I have to focus on the mages and archers, especially the mages. Our army has mages too; if I take out their artillery lines or at least cause enough chaos for them to be ineffective, our mages can strike and our troops can advance without worry."
Alexander pulled the reins, guiding the horse to the left. Riding was still difficult for him, and he realized it, having to focus both his hands and feet to steer the horse precisely, but slowly he was getting the hang of it.
"For now, it's better to steer this beast than have it run in the wrong direction," he muttered, still focused on the map and the battlefield.
They're getting closer… Now I'd better hurry.
Alexander spurred the horse, shaking the reins and moving his legs, making the animal start running uphill. He was now charging toward the vanguard of the Wolf Clan, slightly guiding the horse in the direction he wanted.
"Faster, boy! Inventory: silver fang," he said, causing the silver katana to appear in his right hand. Pressing his legs against the horse's sides made the animal run faster.
Every second, they got closer to the enemy lines. He could see the gap, an opening almost five meters wide between the divisions of soldiers and workers wielding weapons. Alexander saw them, and they saw him, preparing for his solitary charge, pointing their weapons and spears upward to scare the horse.
"Damn it… They've already spotted me, huh?" he said, irritated.
Using his legs, he squeezed the horse's sides, focusing on not killing the horse with his strength. The animal let out a loud neigh, surely feeling Alexander's force, and began to gallop at full speed. Alexander gripped the reins tightly, quickly pulling them slightly to the left and right, guiding the animal with precision.
"Damn…" Alexander muttered as he saw the gap between the squads slowly closing.
The horse is fast, but it won't make it in time! Think… Think…
Alexander let go of the reins and grabbed the saddle, more specifically the front part where he was seated. He moved his feet, freeing them from the stirrups, placed them on the saddle, and crouched down, holding on tightly to avoid falling while the horse galloped uphill.
His aura was turbulent like orange flames fueled by gasoline, extending a few meters away from the body of the red-eyed elf. Alexander was focused on the enemies, their units pointing their weapons at him and the horse. Closing in fast, fifty meters, forty meters, thirty meters.
The aura, which had been fierce, began to compress, concentrate, and shrink fast. Its color grew much more intense and bright, now extending just a few centimeters from Alexander's body.
With each second, the combat drew closer. Sweat dripped from Alexander's face, his eyes narrowed, his breathing slightly irregular, deep in thought.
The right moment is now. I'll place myself in the center of their lines and break them from within!
Alexander's aura concentrated on his legs, the orange flames burning even more intensely. He took a deep breath and then jumped, like a grasshopper leaping from one leaf to another, soaring nearly ten meters high, passing over the two divisions before the gap closed. He had a clear view of the enemy army, his heightened senses sharpening his vision, observing like a hawk in the sky.
Where? Where are the mages… If I remember, they looked like Buddhist monks or something like that, wearing different clothes than the rest… There! In the rear, behind the archers!
Alexander looked down. He could feel the force that propelled him upward slowly fading, causing him to descend. His aura began to shine even brighter as he started to fall.
He landed on the ground like a comet, landing precisely behind the enemy lines.
Alexander began to advance, running like a rabbit across the battlefield. Each step was like a small leap that covered at least two meters. It didn't take long for the enemy soldiers to try to stop him. The soldiers who had tried to block his advance earlier started chasing after him but couldn't catch up.
Alexander could see more battalions approaching, another layer of the enemy army. All of them pointing their weapons at him.
Let's start the fun!
Alexander started running even faster towards the enemies.
If you insist on getting in my way, it's your fault!
He jumped once again, landing like a comet in the middle of the enemy division, making the ground shake with his terrifying strength, scaring the men nearby.
"Kill him!" one of the enemy soldiers shouted.
Within seconds, they recovered and charged at Alexander.
"Come at me!" Alexander said, gripping his sword with both hands.
The various enemies tried to strike him, all in vain.
He could see the movements of those warriors, some with red auras at best, while others had no aura at all. Their armors alternated between beige and black, furious glares and shouts of rage— all useless.
Alexander attacked, a downward slash splitting a warrior in half before he realized he'd been struck. His red eyes danced across the battlefield, seeing the enemies' movements a few seconds before they hit. Two quick strikes took off one man's head and another's arms.
The grass quickly turned red with the enemies' blood. A soldier charged, attempting to stab him from behind with a spear.
"You think I didn't see you?" Alexander said, turning in an instant, and delivering a diagonal slash that sliced the man in half. Blood sprayed everywhere, the cut running from the left shoulder down to the right side of his waist.
"Now, time to kill some mages"