Chapter 212 - The Final Push III

Southern Gate

A formation stood just behind the southern gate, with its frontline forming the shape of a spear.

At the tip of that spear stood Garran, holding a large shield formed from two shields joined together at a sixty-degree angle.

After losing Oren and Brakk, something had changed in Garran.

He was more controlled and thoughtful, which was the result of the many levels he had gained in his skill, [Fury Anchor (A)]. But that was not the only change. The skill had also given Garran’s killing intent an almost physical form. It made him one of Velkar’s most devastating frontline fighters below Tier-4.

Next to Garran stood Varric and Kael, mostly because the three of them had a better understanding of one another. When positioned at the spearhead, coordination and mutual understanding were just as important as strength.

Not that either Varric or Kael lacked strength. Varric had proven himself to be a great attacker, while Kael excelled at protecting others.

The rest of the frontline was made up of other physically strong Tier-3 fighters. Even two lieutenants were part of it, one on each side, responsible for leading them through the already chaotic battlefield.

Behind Garran stood Edward, with Rokan, Daren, Barry, and Silas surrounding him.

This time, Edward’s responsibility was not to lead but to act as a sensor for the frontline, keeping them informed about the power levels of the enemies attacking them and, more importantly, identifying any mages hidden among them.

But currently, Edward’s full attention was focused on the sky above the western battlefield.

From behind the southern gate, he could not make out exactly what was happening, but he could see balls of fire, wind blades, lances of water and earth, dust clouds, and all sorts of elemental attacks he had never seen before.

The battle was so intense that Edward could sense even the mana shockwaves created by the clashes, despite being more than three kilometers away from the battlefield.

Witnessing all of this made Edward both nervous and afraid, especially when combined with the knowledge that, at any moment, they would be out on the battlefield, taking part in a mission that could decide the future of Velkar and perhaps even Avalon.

It was one thing to experience high-level combat in the middle of a battle, where the body moved almost on its own.

But standing behind the southern gate and waiting for the battle to begin was a completely different beast.

In this situation, Edward was left with nothing but his thoughts.

And in Edward’s case, those thoughts had a habit of imagining the worst possible outcomes.

Before too long, a shadow appeared in front of the formation and took the shape of Lieutenant Gaius.

“This battle is extremely important to the survival of our town. But I have some good news before we even begin. The first charge by Captain Petrae’s unit has attracted the attention of all of Frosthallow’s Tier-4s, and even most of their mages are being called to the front to stop the assault.

“It appears that, for the first time in this war, Frosthallow’s intelligence has failed. They are unaware of the reinforcements approaching them from the south.

“I have just received confirmation from the lieutenant leading the reinforcement battalion. With the help of their earth and water mages, they have been able to remain hidden while making their way along the creek and through the valleys of the southern mountain range.

“In ten minutes, they will engage Frosthallow.

“With everything aligned, I want all of you to give everything you can in this fight. Maintain formation no matter what. Release the bombs only when your lieutenants give the order, and remember, our aim is not to inflict damage on Frosthallow. Our aim is to protect the reinforcements, especially the carts carrying mana crystals.”

Lieutenant Gaius paused for a few seconds, letting his words settle.

Then he looked at the soldiers at the front.

“The vanguard leading the formation has the most important role. You are not only responsible for carving a path through this battle. On the way back, you will also act as the rearguard, joining forces with the rearguard of the reinforcement battalion.

On NovelPhoenix, this chapter is published by its author. The text here was taken without their permission.

“Follow the commands of Lieutenant Talbot and Lieutenant Fletcher.”

Then his gaze shifted to Edward.

“Sergeant Edward, amid the chaos, you are the navigator of this formation. Don’t let our formation stray from its path.”

Lieutenant Gaius finished while looking into Edward’s eyes.

Edward saluted after receiving the order.

Lieutenant Gaius nodded, then took a few steps back, his eyes scanning the entire formation as it readied itself.

When he was satisfied, Gaius nodded to himself and dissolved into the shadows.

A tendril of shadow stretched out from him and opened Velkar’s southern gate.

The sounds of battle and the shockwaves of mana could now be felt more clearly.

The intensity only increased as the formation moved beyond the wall.

Stepping out of the southern gate, Edward finally understood what Lieutenant Gaius had meant.

Frosthallow’s soldiers were being hit from multiple sides at once.

First, Captain Petrae’s unit had acted like a sledgehammer, drawing most of Frosthallow’s attention to the west. Now, the arrival of the reinforcements would increase the pressure on Frosthallow’s higher-ups even further.

They should have already understood the importance of those reinforcements.

If they reached Velkar, the town’s chances of survival would skyrocket.

Now, with one more unit entering the battlefield, visible signs of panic appeared among Frosthallow’s soldiers.

Moreover, almost half of Frosthallow’s force was made up of mercenaries, and their decentralized command structure made it hard for them to organize in such a short amount of time.

For the first few hundred meters, the formation moved at a fast marching pace, aiming to strike Frosthallow as quickly as possible.

When the formation struck the mercenary line, it sliced through them easily, like a knife through butter.

But instead of showing relief at their early success, Edward frowned.

This was not what he had expected.

Such a lack of resistance could mean only two things.

Either the mercenaries had completely given up on fighting, or, instead of intercepting them early, they had withdrawn to support Frosthallow’s soldiers farther back.

Extending his skill range farther and focusing it into a straight line only one meter wide, Edward stretched the range of [Perceptive Instinct (UC)] to four hundred meters. Then he swept that line in a circle, confirming the positions of Frosthallow’s soldiers.

“Weird formation ahead! Sixteen to twenty columns wide, with a huge gap after every fifth row of the shield wall. Current analysis: the formation is meant to counter core bombs,” Edward warned all the leaders of his formation using [Battlefield Command (UC)].

Just as they drew closer to the formation, Edward’s senses were overwhelmed by a wave of danger.

But he did not react to it.

Over the last few days, Edward had learned how to filter out this particular sense of danger because its source was one of his own squad members.

Garran.

Once they were within striking range of Frosthallow’s strange formation, Garran’s skill, [Fury Anchor (A)], activated, concentrating all of his anger toward Frosthallow.

With that, the mana surrounding Garran began to take on a red hue. As he concentrated it into his shield, the red mana formed a cloud that stretched from his chest to a few inches beyond the shield, slightly increasing the temperature of the air within it.

Then, with a short jog, Garran smashed into the barbarians standing in front of him.

The impact showed exactly why he had been placed at the tip of the formation.

Even though he was facing two opponents just as tall and strong as he was, his single strike forced them back.

Varric and Kael did not miss the chance to exploit the gap created in the front shield wall.

Garran, Kael, and Varric set the pace of the formation’s advance, while the other soldiers widened the cracks they created in the shield wall.

Once they reached the first gap between the walls, Barry, Silas, Edward, and the others standing near the middle threw multiple core bombs.

But this time, rune bombs came flying from Frosthallow’s side as well.

Two of them were aimed directly at Garran, while another flew toward the center of the formation.

Reacting quickly, Edward struck with his spear toward the incoming rune bombs, releasing two spearhead-shaped mana arcs from his weapon.

Upon contact, the two bombs aimed at Garran detonated, forming large balls of fire.

Then, with a quick motion of his hand, Edward created a mana shield to protect the frontline from the flames.

But not all the soldiers were so lucky.

The third rune bomb landed a few meters behind Edward, killing one soldier on impact and injuring four more with fire.

At the same time, it caused chaos within the formation, which was brought under control only by the lieutenants’ strict orders.

The core bombs also caused their intended damage after landing, creating a gap in the second five-row-deep shield wall.

As they approached the second gap, Edward threw another round of core bombs.

This time, someone from Frosthallow tried to replicate what Edward had done.

Upon seeing that, Edward raised his guard and once again covered the frontline with a mana shield.

“HALT! Take cover!” he shouted.

In a synchronized motion, all of Avalon’s frontline soldiers ducked and raised their shields, while Frosthallow’s soldiers remained standing, trying to take advantage of the situation.

Unfortunately for them, unlike rune bombs, core bombs were chaotic and filled with shrapnel. Detonating them in the air caused more damage, not less.

This was one of the strategies Edward had planned to use if Frosthallow somehow found a way to counter them.

That single mistake resulted in more casualties than Avalon’s formation had managed to inflict on them up to that point.

And yet, even with all these advantages, the formation’s advance slowed as they pushed through each layer of Frosthallow’s shield wall.

That slow progress reminded Edward that Frosthallow still held the numerical advantage.

If this became a fight to the death, there was no chance that Avalon could win.

“Push forward! Don’t let them exploit the gaps! Push! Push!” the lieutenant in the middle of the formation shouted as Frosthallow’s soldiers tried to take advantage of the small openings that had appeared in Avalon’s lines.

As soon as they pushed past Frosthallow’s fifth line, a sense of relief washed over Avalon’s formation.

“Edward, sweep the area. I have a bad feeling,” Barry warned.

Without wasting any time, Edward did as he was asked.

And whatever relief he had felt evaporated.

“They are aiming mana cannons at us!”