The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 452: Volume 9: Phantom of the Ancient Castle - 9: Showdown_2

Chapter 452: Volume 9: Phantom of the Ancient Castle Chapter 9: Showdown_2

Balmore was equally aware of this point. The momentum exhibited by the enemy was vastly different from what he had imagined. Lances stood like a forest, giant shields like mountains. The usual chaotic scenes were absent; only a frightening stillness existed, as unmovable as mountains. The three times larger half-beastman armaments now appeared incredibly ferocious and terrifying. Balmore’s feeling of falling into an endless abyss grew stronger, and he realized that this battle would bring trouble he had never imagined.

"Your baron, something seems off. How did these half-beastmen suddenly become so impressive? This is completely different from the army we encountered in Banassia. Should we hold our ground and strengthen our defenses instead of hastily attacking? We should observe the situation before proceeding."

Balmore seemed to have perceived the danger. Although he knew the baron had never taken his suggestions before, as the deputy general, he had to consider the best interests of the entire army and fulfill his responsibilities.

Baron Haranto was also hesitant. While the half-beast army’s armor appeared rudimentary and their weapons mismatched, they were still an army. Most concerning was their displayed fervor and determination. He couldn’t help but wonder if the wild charge of the three times larger half-beastmen could shred his soldiers to pieces should his army fail to suppress them with strict discipline.

"Baron Haranto, do not be intimidated by the facade these creatures present. These half-beastmen are no different from the ones in Banassia – a facade of strength with hollow insides. If necessary, we can reenact the scenario from Banassia once more. It’s laughable that these ridiculous half-beastmen can simply don a tattered helmet, strap on some broken leather armor, grab a few wooden sticks and hoe handles, and suddenly transform into soldiers. I believe that as soon as our magic is cast in front of them, everything will repeat itself. You just need to order your soldiers to be ready to charge; in this battle, we can achieve a more complete victory."

The robed magicians who had always followed the baron finally spoke. They were not very interested in this one-sided fight which lacked suspense. To them, it might be somewhat refreshing to watch these half-beastman slaves, who had probably never seen mages casting spells, scatter into a frenzied rout, but such battles were truly tedious.

Haranto hesitated. Although the half-beast men stood with a formidable air and remained motionless, it seemed they were waiting for an attack from the enemy’s side. Looking closely, the half-circle defensive formation of the half-beast soldiers was extremely cautious. Towering shields thoroughly covered the front-line soldiers while long spears protruded through gaps in the shields, slanting into the ground, and more half-beasts awaited behind with javelins, hand axes, and even stones, quietly waiting for the explosive moment of combat.

Could it be that these half-beasts had developed defenses against magic attacks? Haranto quickly dismissed the thought. Half-beastmen were inherently magic-blind; expecting them to learn such a complex and sophisticated art was ludicrous. There had never been a tale of a mage amongst the half-beasts, not even those with half-beast bloodlines, as if having half-beast lineage meant it was impossible to learn magic.

It was also improbable for them to secure the assistance of mages. Across the Leon region and the entire Homer Region, aside from Cyprus with mages serving the duke, there were none others.

Seeing the reserved and prideful demeanor of the mages, Haranto swiftly made up his mind. If he could quell the slave uprising in the Leon Region by defeating the rabble from Mandu, the unrest would largely subside. As for Izmir, Haranto believed the outcome would not be much different from his own. The ridiculous attempt of these foolish half-beastmen to overthrow mortal rule and seek freedom through such means was utterly absurd. If such a phenomenon were allowed to progress, would The whole continent not fall into disarray?

Upon Baron Haranto issuing the command, three centurions quickly passed down the order to prepare for attack. Three thousand elite Homer soldiers shifted formation, quickly forming three dense assault wedges, ready to charge at the still silent mob at the general’s signal.

Of course, the half-beastmen’s defensive formation was remarkably thick and solid, and it would indeed take a considerable amount of time for the Homer Army to conquer it with their current strength. But a more powerful force was preparing – their magicians.

As the Mages in their deep grey robes appeared at the forefront of the Homer Army, chants echoed in waves between the two camps without any hesitation as they blatantly demonstrated to the armed Half-beasts their power of communion with nature.

Dark clouds roiled in the sky, and spherical lightning tore through the blue and tumbled out of the clouds, exploding in the midst of the Half-beast formations.

The Half-beast soldiers, caught off guard, frantically dodged this heavenly force. Several Earth Elementals, three meters tall, slowly formed on the ground by absorbing the power of the mud. The brownish Mud Giants swung their two-meter-long colossal hands; their blurry faces appeared ferocious and terrifying. They advanced towards the Half-beast camp with slow but determined steps, as if intending to dissolve everything in front of them into their own mud-and-earth bodies.

Meanwhile, the ground suddenly split open with huge fissures that seemed bottomless, swallowing unprepared Half-beast Soldiers whole. A golden Fire Dragon, several meters long, instantly formed from the spatial distortion on the ground. It swiftly thrashed about, roaring with boundless heat as it surged towards the Half-beast camp, quickly enveloping several Half-beast soldiers into struggling fire figures.

All of this happened in just a few short minutes, and when everything was accomplished, the Mages were content to prepare for a well-deserved rest.

They observed the Half-beast soldiers in front of them with almost pitying eyes. In the last battle of Banassia, they had merely used thunder-based magic and Earth Elementals to scare the ignorant Half-beasts into crying and fleeing in terror. For this battle, knowing that this was probably their last performance before bringing peace to Leon, they were even more eager to exhibit their power on this stage.

The Fire Magic’s Flame Dragon and the earth-based Hell Devourer were also unleashed. They hoped to see the Half-beasts scream and wail in panic in front of them. Indeed, the taste of flaunting one’s superiority in front of the weak could provide boundless psychological satisfaction.

But to their surprise and disappointment, a different scene unfolded. Spherical lightning struck and exploded within the Half-beast formations as before, but this time the Half-beasts seemed completely different from the ones in the last battle at Banassia. Although their faces showed the same panic and terror and some Half-beast soldiers died on the spot, it seemed a certain discipline held most of them in check.

The chaotic behavior of the Half-beast soldiers continued, but some were already shouting orders as if acting on a predetermined plan. The areas where the spherical lightning fell quickly raised large wooden shields. The lightning shattered on the shields; apart from injuring a few Half-beast soldiers, the Mages did not witness the scene they had hoped for.

Even more shocking was the fate of the Earth Elementals. As the Earth Elementals, inching closer to the Half-beast camp and about to use their formidable power to embrace the pitiful Half-beast Warriors, disappeared into thin air without warning, right before the eyes of the Mages. Apart from a strange spatial distortion that hinted at the intervention of magic power, they observed no other anomalous phenomena.

The Hell Devourer, which initially consumed dozens of Beast Warriors, met its end when a similarly powerful earth-based force closed the ground’s fissures with staggering strength. The Flame Dragon that had managed to approach the Half-beast Soldiers’ formation vanished inexplicably after a gust of violent wind swept through.