Aria

What we end up finding after arriving at a cliff located several massive trees away from the hearth is pretty much what I was expecting. A force made up of about fifteen thousand. The survivors from their first attack on the barrier fortress with several thousand missing.

Sean mentioned that he suspects the third hearth to have been split up into two forces. One stationed somewhere inside of their territory, ready to attack the mountain fortress should we go all in, and the other made up of most of their forces so that they can attack the barrier fortress with hit and run tactics.

Something I realized about fortress sieges in this world is that they’ve quite different from how they were before the System. Probably because some people are powerful enough to punch through a fortress wall that doesn’t have enough defenses put up on it. So the main purpose of a siege defense now is to just plain keep the sieging force away from the wall for as long as possible. Mostly just pelting them with attacks from the wall.

Which, overall, makes fortresses a lot less of a superior position than it was back on Vortel.

After we scope out their numbers and situation a little bit more, Rory and I kneel down, hiding behind a bush as she whispers, “Aria, go attack the soldiers waiting in the camp. I’ll deal with the main forces.”

I nod my head and quickly begin to carefully make my way around these main forces towards the direction I saw some of them coming from. And eventually I find what I’m looking for.

A largely barren basecamp with walls that were clearly built through earth magic.

Temporary walls, movable tents, very little defenses, except for around the food storage and weapon’s storage tents. Especially the weapon’s storage tents. Probably because of the fact that they can’t make more weapons.

I purse my lips for a second before deciding that I don’t have to die for this operation.

A loud commotion rises from where I came from, along with the sight of purple and black mist rising into the sky and screams.

Okay, definitely don’t have to die for this operation.

The soldiers in this basecamp all immediately rise to action, with many of them looking out over the walls at the mist. So I take advantage of this to make my way around to the other side of their camp before summoning around fifty or so Lesser Death Spirits and arming each with some explosives and a rifle. Because these fellas are actually smart enough to fire one unlike the Lesser Minor Death Spirits.

Of course, I make the explosives grenades this time. Which aren’t as powerful as the full on lukian explosive charges that they suicide bombed with before, but they’re still quite strong.

I don’t want to waste their guns after all.

Instead I summon a bunch of Lesser Minor Death Spirits along with them – one hundred to be exact – and I send them in with the charges.

Because boom.

Thankfully I have a lot of spare soul energy right now. All due to the first battle of the war, where around fifteen or so thousand enemy soldiers died, giving me a massive surplus of soul energy. Along with some devoured soul cores of the higher ups of the enemy officers who died. Soul cores I wasn’t just gonna let get away since they were worth more than the ones I previously had.

Right as all of the enemy forces are watching the Southwestern wall, I order all of the spirits to charge while hiding in a tree myself and just watching the show.

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None of the enemy forces are watching. At least until explosions begin to ring out, with screams along with them after my Lesser Death Spirits lob dozens of grenades over the walls, blowing up large portions of the soldiers within. Meanwhile some of the Lesser Minor Death Spirits directly run up to the walls and blow themselves up with the charges before regenerating and running straight into the walls.

I merely watch from the tree as the soldiers all try to figure out what the hell they’re supposed to do. Because from what I can see, my spirits actually managed to take out the leading officer amongst them in their first attacks. Probably because the leading officer of this hearth isn’t at the basecamp and is instead with the main forces.

One rather interesting thing about my powers, albeit sad from a certain perspective, is that I can pretty much fight infinitely in a war like this. Where my soul energy tank is just constantly being refilled by the dead and dying soldiers.

It’s interesting because it’s very beneficial for me, but sad because I’m not really sure how I feel about being made into a weapon again. One meant to spread death to all.

But at the end of the day, I guess things are as they will be.

I’m me, and I do what I need to. And if I ever want a moment of peace, war is the way to go for now.

Unless I just want to be captured while still weak and tortured for thousands of years. Until whoever is torturing me dies of old age.

Which isn’t what I’d call a peaceful life.

At the very least, explosions make for a quick death. So there’s that.

One of the reasons I like them so much. Little to no pain in dying to an explosion. Especially when you don’t often realize you’re gonna be blown up before exploding.

I should know. Although I did feel the aftermath when regenerating from being blown up.

Meanwhile I try to get all of my Lesser Death Spirits to fire on vital points. Mostly the brain, but the heart too.

Kill them as quickly, painlessly, and efficiently as possible.

All while I may or may not be listening to the System ring out in my head about the progress towards the next level rising.

The numbers continue to rise as I watch from the tree with one leg hanging over the branch and the other held to my chest, with my chin sitting atop my knee and my hair just blowing in the wind. But eventually I’m interrupted from my little break when some of the enemy soldiers, who had been running around like crazy trying to figure out how the hell to kill my Death Spirits, finally spot me and point me out to the other soldiers.

Even then though, I just kinda continue ignoring them as they shoot me full of holes. Because they can’t really hurt me, and they can’t damage my outfit anymore.

So why bother?

That is, until some of their officers finally have a go at it, flying straight past my Death Spirits and punching me in the face. Literally, in one of their cases. A case that sends me flying out of my poor tree – which ends up a sacrifice to the punch as well – and into multiple other trees.

I let out a sigh after landing and having everything finish regenerate. Then I climb back to my feet and pull out my lovely sword gun. Something I actually haven’t had much opportunity to use since coming here. What with my increasingly frequent use of bombs.

My nonchalant thought process begins to tighten up again when the enemy officers all begin to surround me though. Because I can’t see a single one of their levels.

Which isn’t a good thing.

“You must be tha immortal,” one of the officers says, his gaze filled with hatred. And I don’t really blame him for it.

I’d be upset back on Vortel if someone went around massacring my forces too.

None of the others look particularly happy either, but only the first officer speaks.

“Tie her down and capture her,” the officer continues, the man having long black hair and surprisingly no beard while wearing a set of gray full plate armor. “Destroy her head after that. And keep destroying her head every time it regenerates.”

Interesting method to keep me contained. Probably’ll work too, so long as they don’t let the crimson energy build up.

It’s really the only way to stop those Death Spirits from rampaging amongst their forces.

Oh, and speaking of Death Spirits, I summon several dozen more Lesser Death Spirits surrounding them, startling them with the sudden rifts in space opening. And frightening more than a few of them at the sight of what lies beyond the rifts.

I tried before poking my hand into one of the rifts before the thing vanished, but found that nothing but the Death Spirit I’m summoning can get inside. Which is unfortunate, since I kind of wanted to use it as an escape route if I could.

Anyways, the officers all tense up around me.

Meanwhile I take the safety off of my sword gun while shifting it to gun mode and grin.

Time for the real battle to start.

All while black and purple mist are still rising into the air from where Rory is, mixed with more than a few screams.