With numbers being Vivrus’ strong suit, the Queen mustered five thousand soldiers in a few days to contest the enemy’s siege.

He stood above a nearby hill, observing the army spreading their forces across the battleground. Since the enemy cleared the trees in front of them, the army had no choice but to capture the checkpoint first.

While his eyes were glued on wagons carrying the items he requested, Queen Elarinya slithered next to him.

“How sly, Oracle. You would make an excellent commander.”

“Keep to your side of the bargain and I’ll keep mine.”

“I will grant you supervised visit after you help me reclaim Ilum mines.”

“And don’t forget to let me interrogate captured enemies.” He growled. “By the way, why are you leading the army? Don’t you have officers or retainers to do that for you?”

“Before I acquired the throne, I had experience as commander. I must admit, the battlefield to me is a place that is more comfortable than the throne.”

Drums echoed in the distance as they watched the insectoids fell in formation. The enemy was also determined to defend the outpost they had constructed using lumber they chopped down around them.

“Has your officer reached his destination?”

“Yes, with the enemy focused on us, they easily snuck past their watch under the cover of night. You are quite knowledgeable to realize some of us can see in the dark. Anyways, to reconfirm, Guardian Alagos is to dig a new passage into the mines and support the defenders, correct?”

“While we launch an attack to split the enemy’s attention.” Kihet added. “Reinforcements will sneak into the mines to bolster ally numbers.”

“Splendid indeed. I wouldn’t have noticed one of the tunnels was so close to the surface until you brought it to my attention.”

It was then a soldier climbed to the top of the hill, passing a letter to the Queen. It was only a glance, but Kihet noticed her expression briefly changed to a very troubled look.

“What did the letter say?”

“The enemy did not bring large suits of armor in their camp.”

“So no [War’s Blood].”

“Not necessarily. It would be foolish of the enemy to not use a weapon exclusive to them. Also, I believe Priqet acquired the materials you were after, yes?”

“There’s not as many I wanted.”

“I can only hope your idea can stop them if they decide to show up.”

“It’s a good thing a friend of mine exposed one of their weakness a while back. If these can’t stop them, they will at least buy us time.”

“One more thing, Oracle. Do you have experience in leading an army?”

“I don’t.”

“Then I shall propose you start here and learn as much as you can from this battle as a part of your duty being the Oracle. I’m certain the knowledge you gain from this fight will be a great introduction for you to lead us against the towers someday.”

“I’m getting this feeling you’re going to make me owe you from this.”

“Perhaps.” Elarinya smirk, raising her hand.

Flags were raised, horn were blown. Two of the three main division of foot soldiers marched a quarter of the way to enemy fortification before changing formation. They quickly brought large shields over their heads and mobilized into column formations after noticing the first barrage of projectiles soaring through the sky. A few stray arrows would slip past gaps, but the insectoids had their exoskeletons as a second layer of armor, allowing them to keep marching on.

“Then shall we begin? Do dutifully take care of yourself and your arm.”

“I’ll be on my way.”

As miraculous as the healing effects of ‘Full Moon Dew’ were, Kihet’s recovering arm felt sluggish and heavy. It was a wound that needed to properly heal with time, but time wasn’t a luxury he could afford. Fortunately, with the Oracle’s sigil on his arm increasing the medicine’s effects, he was able to hold lightweight weapons as long as he doesn’t swing it with all his might.

On his way to his post, Kihet felt a light tap on his shoulder then something poked at his cheek as he turned around. He turned a frown at a young girl holding a smug grin on her face.

“Lily…”

“Hee hee! Gotcha!”

“Yeah, yeah. You got me.” He brushed her hand away. “Why weren’t you with me?”

“I’m letting you get used to other people by yourself. It’s a slow process, but you were much better than before, by a lot!”

“I always held my own talking to other people.”

“I know that, but I was talking about your attitude.”

“It’s a waste of time to play nice. I don’t care if people hate me as long as I get what I want.”

“No! That’s no good! We’ve talked over this, but if you won’t change, it’ll be hard for you to find other heroes.”

At this point, Kihet thought Lily went too far getting cheeky with him. Ever since their battle with the Headsman, she forced him to ‘socialize’ with people. She was right about them needing more Heroes to battle against the Shadow and the likes. The sooner Kihet recruited more heroes the better, but it was difficult to find the right people to fill the requirements.

“You get along with me. You can get along with others too.”

“That’s because you’re a special case.” He muttered. “Anyways, are you sure about this? This battle isn’t about being a hero anymore. We’re not fighting the Towers this time.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“And you still want to fight?”

“In order to get support from Vivrus, I need to do my part as well. I know you’re worried for my sake, but I promise I won’t get reckless. We still have an important role further down the road.”

“It’s good to have a resolve like that, but don’t overwork yourself.”

“Hey now! I should be saying that to you!”

Truthfully, Kihet didn’t want her participating this battle, but she was the only one he felt confident to stop him in case his rage got the better of him mid-battle. In short, he was dependent of her to point out his shortfalls.

“Do you have your things?”

“En! I can now carry an unlimited supply of arrows thanks to this magical storage thingy. It’s so useful I wish I knew I had this ability sooner.” Lily pointed to the white orb perched on her shoulder.

“Could it carry other things?”

“Sadly, no. I tried.”

“Then let’s move out.”

“En!”

They jumped on their mount and waited for Elarinya’s directions. Vivrus relied on various kind of creatures to perform various tasks, one of which, were giant Locusts for light calvary and giant Beetles for heavy calvary. Although not as fast as horses or sturdy as a Girax, the Locusts hind legs granted them excellent mobility at hopping over obstacles and sidestepping during a charge if needed. The Beetles, although much slower, had durable exoskeletons and powerful horns that could throw obstacles that were quadruple its weight.

He observed the enemy’s side noticing wide trenches scattered across the earth to slow their forces. Hiding behind a fence of stockades and tall palisades, pikemen formed a spear wall holding shields above their heads. Deeper within their ranks, large number of bowmen and crossbowmen aimed their sights on the battlefield. Their numbers weren’t threatening, but they seemed well prepared.

“Kihet, I have a strange question. If you were the enemy, how long would it take to prepare fortifications like that? And would you use magic?”

“If I was the enemy? If I knew Vivrus could rally a sizable army in moments notice, I’d use magic to create those trenches. That along should use up their magic reserves quite a lot, but as for the garrison itself and effort to deforest the area with their numbers, I’d say at least two weeks.”

“Don’t you find it weird how the enemy prepared this all in a few days? It seems impossible. They don’t look exhausted at all.”

“Unless there are more of them. Good eye as always, Lily.” Kihet tugged on the antenna of his Giant Locust, hopping towards, and whistled loudly to grab Queen Elarinya’s attention.

“Something amiss, Oracle?”

“Lily thinks the enemy might launch an ambush to flank us. I need people who can move fast to come with me.”

“Is that so? Tomoe, and your reason?”

“Their numbers seemed too few given how knowledgeable every country is about Vivrus’ strength. Given how they’re set up, I find it impossible for the enemy to fortify themselves this quickly with the personnel they have shown. And their formation is one to lure us then attack our flanks,”

“Excellent insight, hero. However, if I am to pull back my soldiers, it would cause suspicion and force them to change tactics. That would remove this advantage.”

“What if you add more soldiers to the field and feigned your advance to pressure them while we sneak around?”

“Hm. An acceptable idea. I shall lend you the second unit from the reserve calvary to be yours to command. We will try not to rouse suspicion. Strike fast and give them no quarter.”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“En! Let’s go, Kihet. I have a plan!”

----------------------------------------

Riding Giant Locusts took a great deal of effort to stay balanced on their backs. They would hop into the air and glide, then land, stop, hop into the air again, land, stop. There was a delay before they could change the Locusts’ direction. Fortunately, their landing was soundless, and they had the ability to cling onto vertical surfaces making them ideal traversing dense jungles.

Through the woods, Kihet and Lily guided a group of mounted soldiers in search of the enemy before they could ambush Vivrus’s main force. They took a wide detour around enemy territory and crept their way back to discover many ambushers hidden behind the cover of bushes, lying in wait. Their attention was fully on Vivrus soldiers with increased numbers than they initially began.

“Run them down!”

When the enemy turned back, a swarm of Giant Locusts sprung at them from behind and slammed into them. On the creatures’ back, insectoids thrust their spears using momentum gained from their swift charge to quickly dispatch their foes. Moreover, the sight from a swarm of fast approaching giant anthropoids would terrify anyone. The Ogres who fought for Rozzosea quickly fled their stations in terror, but those who ran with their backs exposed were sniped by Lily watching from cover of leaves.

Her arrows threaded between tiniest gaps. Some curved around trees and wove between branches while others blinked from place to place from her powers as a hero. Magic orbs controlled by her manipulated the trajectory of her arrows at will. Her projectiles would always find their target. Even if they survived, they would eventually bleed out from serrated arrows.

While she dealt with deserters, Kihet led the assault against those making their stand. He swept his macahuitl that was securely tied to his hand, cutting down three soldiers before their weapons were even drawn. Hailstone shards embedded to it ripped through hide armor and carved into flesh.

As another enemy thrust a pike his way, Kihet hopped off the giant locust and pounced at his attacker. He yanked a mattock hanging off his waist and hacked the sharpened tip into the enemy’s helmet. His swing gathered too much force that he raised the corpse’s upper half off the ground as he lifted his weapon.

Seeing how they were exposed, ambushers dropped their equipment and ran. Vivirians pursued them, but Kihet stopped as he spotted a short metal rod tossed aside inside tree roots.

At first glance it appeared to be a type of bludgeoning weapon until he saw a hole on one side and a larger one down one end. A coil of wicks, metallic marbles, small square cutouts of oiled parchment paper and small enveloped packets fell out of the pouch. As he inspected each item, he recognized the black powder from the enveloped packets.

He had flashbacks of the siege equipment General Toudo demonstrated to him. He also remembered the wounds the insectoid messenger received. All these tools and items meant one thing.

“Kihet, we got them on the run! The others are giving chase!” Lily jogged up to him then found him silently staring down. “What is it?”

“I found something you might want to look at this.”

“Is this, it’s a fire lance. It works like a cannon, but it shoots tiny iron beads instead. So, these are the reason the insectoid shells were getting pierced-. Oh no!”

A thundering sound shook the air as their eyes shot towards the battlefield. The insectoids’ defensive formation collapsed as a something penetrated their shield wall down the middle. The fortunate ones look down on the bodies of victims smashed and turned to pulp. As if one wasn’t enough, more rained down on the army, halting the ally’s charge.

Clouds of dirt shot up all over the field as the insectoids were being bombarded by iron casted balls. Even with earth walls raised by magic to defend them, the raw power of cannons easily destroyed their covers.

Meanwhile, Kihet could only watch Vivrus’ army being decimated.

“They got us.” He growled. “Lily, we need to take out those cannons.”

“We don’t have enough people to break through their numbers.”

“We’ll create a diversion with these and make an opening for the main army.”

Kihet set down six small pots. One was filled with gasoline, the second one contained preserved liquid tree resin. The third had Slimy mucus scraped off the Globoss they fished and would act as the binder for all ingredients. The last three jars held crushed charcoal, quicklime and sulfur.

Lily made a face, familiar with some of these products. She saw him purchase two of those items from the Werecat merchant a while back.

“What are you making at a time like this?”

“Hellfire bombs. Since they’ve barricaded themselves in a wooden fortress, it should flush them out.”

“Hellfire? How dangerous is it?”

“It’s a work in progress, so I’ll be the one using it. While I spread fire all around, I’ll need people to cover me. That’s why everyone go look around for more of these.” Kihet commanded, raising a fire lance. “Lily, once they get their hands on some, run them through on how to use it.”

“Eh?! I know how they work, but even I haven’t used one before. Without proper training, we can get hurt. You can get hurt.”

“I’m not telling them to shoot with my back facing you guys while I’m running through enemy camp. We just need to scare the enemy and make them think we know how to use their weapons against them.”

“But then they’ll turn their attention on us.”

“That’s why we have a unit of calvary with us. Before they know we shot them with blanks, we’ll run them down. The Giants are most likely too heavily armored for others to deal with. Get their attention and I’ll handle them.”

Running on limited time, Kihet mixed and poured the flammable solution equally into the six pots, plugged by cloth. Once the insectoids gathered discarded fire lances and loaded them per Lily’s orders, they were given vague instructions on how to operate it. Everyone then quickly rode towards the enemy’s flank.

A standard line formation along the jungle’s edge was used. Soldiers poured fire medicine down the barrel and stuffed it with pieces of oiled paper then aimed down at the enemy.

“Lily, can you take out the two soldiers in the watch tower?”

Lily called for the two orbs floating around her and set them into position. She drew an arrow for both targets and loosened the projectile towards an orb behind one of the watchers. As usual, her arrow found its mark, piercing through the throat. It then travelled through one orb and sprung out from the other, silencing both watchers before either of them warned the camp.

“Done.”

“Back me up with flaming arrows. The rest fire at the enemy when they see me.”

“You got it.” She nodded. “Everyone else ready?”

“We’ll be right behind you, Oracle. Light the matches!”

“Here goes.”

Kihet struck a light on his lantern then darted towards the enemy. He ran and ran, staying on course towards the platform supporting a trio of cannons. When he got close enough, he hurled the first jar at it. The shattering jar alerted the enemy as they saw one intruder rushing through their camp. Kihet smashed the lantern at the dark greenish gel like substance clinging onto the cannons, setting an area ablaze.

“F-fire?! Someone is burning our barricades!”

“A fire at a time like this? Spellcasters, put them out! I need soldiers protecting the left side! We can’t lose the cannons!”

Their reactions were quick as spellcasters sprayed water to douse the flames. Unfortunately, that only served to spread the conflagration as the fire continued burning over water. Moreover, it also helped Kihet identify who had the highest authority among the enemy to give commands.

“Lily, that one!”

On his command, an arrow soared into the group. The enemy captain raised his arm to block the arrow before it reached his eye then his guard tightly formed a defensive perimeter around as soldiers scrambled to stop Kihet.

While they were focused on Kihet, the air cracked as disorganized and mistimed small clouds of smoke appeared from the jungle. Familiar with the noise, light armored enemies immediately jumped to the ground, holding their helmets. Many of them slowly stood up, feeling their body for injuries and look around confused until one saw an army emerged from the brushes.

“Charge!”

All eyes fell on a swarm of Giant Locusts leaping in long strides to cover Kihet’s rear.

Kihet spearheaded into the enemy using [Blooming Petals] to push through the wall of pikes and cut down two pikemen. He hurled two of his incendiary bombs at the two groups on both sides and had Lily ignited them. Vivirians trampled the rest of light infantry before they formed a spear wall or any kind of wall and quickly steered away from heavy infantry.

The weapons Vivirians used were made of sharp sticks and stones, not enough to pierce the defense of heavily armored Giants. Instead, they lured them to have their backs exposed and doused in flammable solutions then ignited by a flaming arrow. Even when they managed to remove their armor and had their comrades splash water over them, the flames continued burning them alive.

To be honest, Kihet felt shameful for using such tactic since it reminded him of his past, but to bypass the enemy’s heavy armor it was the only method at the time he thought of.

Snapping back to reality, he saw a team of disorganized soldiers waddle up to him. He managed to slip away from the enemy trying to surround him. Their movements were dull, slow and zombie like, all the easier to flee from them, but they had something shiny sprinkled on them.

-These guys are affected by golden dusts…-

“Why haven’t you lots killed him yet?!”

Kihet clicked his tongue hearing the enemy commander blasting commands to his mind-controlled soldiers. As much as he wanted to interrogate him for information about Eizan right there and then, it was impossible for Kihet to fight through a horde between him and his target with his current condition.

“Kihet, the cannons stopped firing and our allies are breaking through!”

“We did enough damage. We’re withdrawing!”

The enemy pursued Kihet’s group leaving their cannons to be overrun by insectoids who eventually crossed over their obstacles. Outnumbered and low on morale, Rozzosea’s checkpoint was swiftly captured but not without the enemy detonating charges of explosives to take out their own cannons and ammunition. Those who were under the influence of golden dust were separated from being commanded to cause unnecessary commotions.

When Kihet and Lily returned to the main army, rows of bodies laid across the camp covered underneath white sheets. From the wears of faces all around, the army exhausted more stamina than intended.

Upon witnessing the bodies, Lily dropped down on one knee and began praying. As a Priestess back in Xu, it was natural she would offer a prayer to help guide the souls to the afterlife.

“Good work, Oracle. The enemy was more fortified than I imagined.” The Queen slithered beside them.

“How many?”

“Four hundred brave soldiers were lost. I had intended to test the enemy’s defenses but did not expect such devastation. You and Tomoe have my gratitude stopping the enemy’s unknown weapons.”

“They’re cannons. Xu had them.” Kihet commented. “How are the soldiers? Can they move?”

“The assault took a toll on them mentally. They would need a few hours to recover and to stop more deserters after the sight of those ‘cannons’.”

“Next time, how about sending Aten to deal with them? He’s immortal, isn’t he?”

“The old fool may not be as immortal you think he is. Overburdening that curse of his could result to him being captured. I don’t want to risk losing such a powerful asset. Instead, I’ve sent him on a mission to disrupt enemy supply line.”

Elarinya sighed heavily and looked down the road.

“Honestly, Oracle. During this trying time when the world is at war with the towers, I do not understand why there are counties that insist on making the situation worse. Do you know why Rozzosea became so bloodthirsty all the sudden?”

“It’s because an Ogre named Eizan. He appealed to Rozzosea’s king for something about revenge against Lily’s family. He’s the reason why everything went to hell after he summoned that Shadow Wizard and killed my friends.”

“He called upon the Tower’s aid? Tell me more.”

Kihet pulled back his sleeves, revealing the sigils on his arms. When he put them together, they glowed ominously bright.

“He was researching something about this, and his notes said about it being the symbol of worlds. He somehow tapped into its power and caused the catastrophe in Rozzosea a decade ago.

“I don’t really see the resemblance of the world or worlds. That is the Oracle’s mark. Did he perhaps misinterpret it?”

“I don’t know. Hopefully one of the captains here know what he’s up to. I haven’t heard a word about him when I was in Xu.”

“I pray you’ll find your answer. For now, let us focus on driving the enemy back.” Elarinya uncoiled herself and slithered towards her army. “For now, rest as much as you can. The storm hasn’t passed yet.”

Kihet fell backwards on the grass and looked up at the dull sky. Only a few spots among the clouds allowed light to pierce into the world.

Suddenly, he saw two pair of antennas and a pair of horns popped up in his view. He moved his head slightly back and tossed his visitors a quick glance before staring at the clouds once again.

“Kihet, look who I found!”

“Good work out there, Oracle! You and Tomoe sure saved our shells!”

“You two were here?”

“The Queen’s battles are our battle. We went to flank the right side while you were attacking from the left and crushed the enemy. You should’ve seen how great we were. They came at us left and right, but we prevailed!” Priqet pridefully explained it like he told a great tale about himself.

“They didn’t have that many people hiding over there compared to our numbers.” Yixy quickly shot down Priqet’s exaggeration as a ‘urk…’ slipped out of his tongue. “I heard the announcement about new weapons Rozzosea brought with them. It’s a miracle how our allies are still defending the mines.”

“I’m surprised you’re not complaining about taking a nap at a time like this.” Kihet said to Yixy.

“How could I take a nap when there’s so much noise?” She yawned. “By the way, did you receive my findings?”

“I did. Thanks.”

“Out of curiosity, why were you after Dracalefic fly antennas?”

“I was after their ability to cast lightning bolts, but I only understood how it’s able to create lightning. We’ll need it to defeat any [Wars Blood] titans seeing how we don’t have any mages to cast thunder magic.”

“They’re weak against thunder?”

“Kihet, Kihet!” Lily beckoned. “What did you talk with the Queen?”

“Why are you so nosey about everything I do?”

“It’s my job!”

“Since when?”

“Since the day you held onto me tightly and didn’t want to let go.” Blushing, Lily continued. “Even after when you pushed me and held me down all night~.”

“Oh my! S-should we be listening to this?!”

“I think your imagination went wild for a second, Yixy.” Priqet answered. “Oracle, and your response?”

“I was desperate, but not in that way. I needed someone to save me from myself and Lily was the one who did.”

“And then you two-.”

“Did not do anything else.”

“Boo.” Lily pouted. “One day.”