Baron Marcus looked on in shock through his binoculars. The city along the Western Border remained largely intact, but it was eerily devoid of life. At least no Nirvanian was present within the city's walls.

Instead, flags of Miran were raised instead, with Miran troops patrolling and moving what seems to be…bodies? Marcus had no idea what exactly transpired that led to this unexpected downfall. The city was supposed to fend off a good Miran invasion for a week, but it fell within 2 days. The only clue that Marcus could find was the presence of an enormous number of puddles in the potholes all over the city.

Marcus vocalised his thoughts, "Something to do with water, huh? Our Western cities are not known for experiencing heavy downpours, so it could be flooding by unnatural means. Perhaps it's Water magic? This explains why the city can remain largely intact, if a huge amount of water simply swept through the city slowly, drowning all the soldiers and inhabitants. How cruel. The enemy could be one of the 5 Pillars, given his immense amount of magic power."

One of the captains under him asked, "Sir, your orders on our next course of action?" Marcus replied, "Given that our enemy has a means of mass destruction, it would be unwise to put all our eggs into one basket. Instead, I believe it prudent to attack them on multiple fronts, like a pincer assault. What do you guys think?" as he turned to face all the commissioned officers of his division. They all nodded in agreement, not out of blind compliance but one of common understanding as they have witnessed the fall of the Western Border with their own eyes.

Marcus continued, "Here are my orders, we shall split into 3 groups, with Lieutenant Colonels Aaron and Darius taking charge of the other 2 groups, each 800 men strong." Aaron interjected, "Sir, if that's the case, aren't the men accompanying you a little too few? 400 men under your charge is way too small as the group directly attacking the enemy head-on!"

Marcus smirked, "Don't worry. Accompanying me are my own elite personal squad of vampires, which already number to 100. With a little illusion magic from my dear Beatrix, we can fool the enemy into thinking that our main effort is from the front, where in reality, we're going to crush them via the flanks. After all, battles are not only won by physical superiority, but also information leverage!"

The 2 Lieutenant Colonels nodded as they digested the plan, churning out details of how the plan would be executed within their heads. Marcus added, "For now, I believe you all should make your final preparations before we storm the city and seize back what's rightfully ours!"

Hours later, as dusk approached, Marcus led his force of 400 men to march forward to the front city gate. He had Beatrix, his wife's beloved student, put up an illusion to replace the 1600 missing. Marcus was thoroughly impressed with Beatrix. Despite her tender young age of 20, she was a very capable magician, perhaps the best illusionist in Northern Nirvania.

What impressed Marcus even more was her fortitude to resist vampiric conversion despite her teacher and boyfriend both being vampires. He later found out that it was because she was slightly haemophobic. Though she wouldn't be frozen in fear by the sight of blood, she definitely detested the sight of it and wouldn't want to be exposed to it on a constant basis which vampires are compelled to.

Meanwhile, Aaron and Darius had cloaked the presence of their troops with the help of the magicians within their respective groups. Upon giving the signal, the 3 commanders broke off from each other and headed their respective directions.

Marcus ordered, "All magicians to the centre of the formation! Ready the barriers against air assaults! Warriors on the flanks, ready your shields in the tortoise formation! Pikemen, spears raised to cover the sides! Vampires, hide within the tortoise formation until my permission is given! Cavalry to lead the front with me! Everybody is to move together except the cavalry and vampire squad when directed. Let's go!"

Moving in unison, Marcus' small army made big with the help of Beatrix's illusion began inching towards the enemy-held city from the front. Meanwhile, on the top of the city wall was a young man with blue hair dressed in white robes. He remarked arrogantly, "Ah, they've come. Who's leading them?"

A soldier replied, "Lord Neptune, it's one of the 10 Saints, the Blood Baron Marcus!" Neptune laughed maniacally, "Finally, someone who can meet my match has appeared! Ready the archers and tell them to shoot 5 salvoes! When that's done, send in all of the cavalry we've got!"

The soldier interrupted timidly, "My lord, isn't it a little too presumptuous to send our entire cavalry against an enemy with that many troops? Moreover, what if this is simply a ruse to distract us from their real objective?" Neptune's face suddenly turned red with fury as he quickly drew his sword and placed it on the soldier's neck, drawing blood.

Neptune bellowed, "You don't give me instructions, you cretin! Military might is nothing in the face of my power! Even if it's a trap, I would simply overwhelm them with sheer strength, not to worry!"

Neptune calmed himself down before resuming, "Jin and Ren, I want you 2 to stay here in the city in case there is more than one front the enemy's attacking from. Karin and Mika to follow me to engage the enemy. Carry out my orders, now!"

The Miran soldiers rushed frantically to their posts and began their assault on the incoming enemies. Marcus watched on calmly as rains of arrows showered upon them. The arrows were deflected away from his army thanks to the combined efforts of his magicians, who began hurling long ranged elemental spells as well to soften the wall defences.

The scene was chaotic as arrows and spells flew everywhere from both sides, littering the battlefield. Soon enough, the city gates opened and the Miran cavalry rushed out. The Miran captain at the front yelled, "Charge! Let's rush these fools and kill the magicians! Then they don't have protection against our arrows!"

The Miran cavalry was huge, approximately 1000 strong. Even with their shields and spears, the Nirvanian warriors knew that they would be overrun within seconds with such a huge force. Marcus smiled as he ordered silently, "Cavalry to disperse to the flanks. Vampire squad ready to rush on my command."

The Miran captain looked on in disbelief as the Nirvanian cavalry, said to be the most elite troops of Nirvania, were dispersing away from the front. Sensing an opportunity, he smirked as he drew his sword from the scabbard on his waist and infused it with mana to increase its sharpness. His fellow cavalrymen did likewise and shouted in unison as they rushed to bash through the line of shields before them.

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Marcus grinned and shouted, "Now!" The Miran captain's eyes widened as he was stunned by the sight before him. The tortoise formation of Nirvanian troops opened to reveal several pairs of gleaming eyes. Within seconds, the vampires leapt forward and began tearing through the cavalrymen at the front before they could react.

The Miran captain leading the front was the most unfortunate, as his sword-wielding arm was chopped off before he could blink followed shortly by his head. The ambush by the vampires created a shellshock effect as both horses and Miran soldiers were falling into disarray, becoming easy prey for the vampires and Nirvanian cavalry.

The few who held their nerves managed to fend off a few Nirvanian troops, but the ruthless efficiency of the Nirvanian soldiers resulted in their swift deaths with little casualty on the side of Nirvania.

Some brave Miran troops tried to rush the tortoise formation with their speed and power, but with their diminutive numbers and the discipline of the Nirvanian foot soldiers, their advance was halted as the horses collided into an unbreakable wall of steel formed from mana-enhanced shields. The riders would then meet their unsightly end as spears impaled from between the gaps of the shields, as the tortoise formation continued advancing forward, slowly but surely.

Neptune watched on in amazement as his troops were getting decimated before him. He smiled and exclaimed, "Time to take action. Let's go, Karin, Mika!" The 2 young women armed with polearms nodded as the trio jumped from the top of the city wall, landing with a "thud" sound before taking off swiftly towards the Nirvanian Army.

Suddenly, the tides were turned as the trio started cutting through Nirvanian cavalry and a few vampires fell too despite their enhanced physical abilities. Neptune was cackling crazily as his sword was swinging like a conductor's baton, Karin and Mika expertly twirling their polearms beside him as they decapitated any enemies who got near.

Marcus felt a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead as he slashed across a Miran knight's body. He yelled, "Erin, Michael, he's here! Let's go before we incur any more unnecessary casualties!" His 2 vampire aides nodded as the 3 steered their horses towards the centre of action.

A Nirvanian captain shouted, "Surround him and attack him from all sides!" as Nirvanian cavalry and vampires formed a circle around the Miran trio before leaping in, swords and claws shining. Neptune muttered silently, "Rumble the seas, [Poseidon]!" as his sword transformed into a trident that produced water at its tip.

Spinning the trident above his head, he created a massive whirlpool that thwarted the advance of the incoming Nirvanian troops and pushed them back. Neptune ended the movement by ramming the end of his trident on the ground, causing the whirlpool wall to surge outwards and sweep across the Nirvanian troops.

Neptune followed up by casting, "[Lightning Current]!" as he generated a stream of electricity that spread outwards from him on the ground, electrocuting several soaked Nirvanian troops. This minimally rendered them unable to battle, as they collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Neptune smirked as he commented, "How weak, it's a waste of energy to ensure they're dead, I would get the others to do that later. Need to go find…ah, speak of the devil." Neptune came face to face with Marcus and his aides. Marcus remarked, "I can sense quite the amount of magical power that weapon's emitting, you're one of the 5 Pillars if I'm not mistaken?"

Neptune declared, "Yes, and I presume you're the Blood Baron, Marcus? I'm Neptune of the East, pleased to be your acquaintance. These 2 are members of my personal guard, Karin and Mika. I believe those 2 are your personal guards, right?" Marcus replied politely, "They are Erin and Michael. Enough small talk, shall we begin?" as his pupils suddenly turned into slits.

Neptune grimaced as his body was overwhelmed with a crushing sensation. He could tell that Karin and Mika too were struggling against this invisible attack. Neptune thought frantically, "What's going on? I feel like I'm going to explode under this pressure…telekinesis? No, it feels as though my blood wants to burst forth from my body…an Enigma Ability to control blood? That's insane…but if it's true, it's not a bad thing for me…"

Using the ability of [Poseidon] to manipulate even water from external sources, Neptune attempted to control the flow of water within his body, which was found within blood. Once he regained full control, he leapt forward suddenly and slashed Marcus across his chest, Erin and Michael gaping in shock.

Marcus' eyes widened as blood spewed forth out of him, breaking his focus and releasing Karin and Mika from his grip. Erin and Michael rushed forward to aid their master who swiftly recovered. Neptune laughed, "That's a pretty dangerous ability you got there! Too bad it's useless against powerful Water magic that enables me to regain control of my own blood, you fool!"

Suddenly, without warning, several needles of blood flew towards the Miran trio, interrupting Neptune's manic laughter. They spun their weapons to deflect as many needles as possible, but a few still got through and inflicted grazes on their bodies. Neptune smirked, "Can't underestimate a member of the 10 Saints, huh! Using your own blood as a weapon, fascinating!"

Marcus didn't reply, merely focusing his mana within his body as he prepared a huge area of effect spell. Erin and Michael could sense Marcus' mana pressure rising rapidly and they quickly backed off to a safe distance far away. Karin and Mika too could sense impending danger and they did likewise.

Marcus mumbled, "[Blood Vortex]." as he started gathering blood within a 100 m radius from himself. Blood started flying from all over, forming streams that spun around a sphere of blood increasing in size. Neptune had to focus hard to prevent his blood from being drained, but his unfortunate men with open wounds had their blood sucked dry as they shrivelled to leave nothing but bones.

The Nirvanian troops didn't suffer from these effects as they were protected by the magicians who felt the attack coming. Everything was prepared beforehand as the magicians were thoroughly drilled to remember the sensation of a spell fatal to non-magicians.

By the time the spell ended, an enormous ball of blood the size of a football field was hovering above Marcus. Marcus reformed the amassed blood into a huge lance before he swung his hand down, bringing the gigantic lance down. Karin and Mika jumped away, leaving Neptune behind.

Neptune laughed and exclaimed, "Yes! This is more like it! Show me what you're made of, Saint!" as he blocked the incoming lance with [Poseidon]. The resultant impact caused the ground to crack as Neptune laboured to withstand the weight of the lance upon him.

Marcus' aides, Erin and Michael, immediately engaged Karin and Mika in a 2v2 battle, for they knew that their lord would need to stay focused against this strong adversary. Karin and Mika had similar sentiments, as the 4 began to exchange intense blows with each other faster than the naked eye can follow.

Neptune panted, "Not bad…but you're going to have to work a lot harder to best me!" Just as Neptune completed his sentence, the enormous crimson lance morphed quickly into several sharp tendrils, impaling Neptune from all over before he could respond. Neptune coughed out blood as his face contorted to give an expression of disbelief.

Marcus remained emotionless as he said, "If you want to live, you better start showing me your real power. I can still sense that you're holding back quite a lot within that weapon of yours. If all it could do is produce just this much water equivalent to a Master tier spell, it won't be anything special, would it?"

Neptune smiled as he quipped, "The truly strong are usually the most observant as well. To reward you for detecting my real potential, I'll show you the true power of a S-Class weapon, a weapon of legends! [Poseidon - Armed]!"

Neptune's trident disappeared into a flash of light that surrounded his entire body as a revolving globe. When the light finally faded, Neptune was covered in an exquisite blue armour which surface resembled a shark's skin. On top of his head, Neptune wore a helmet with a shark fin at the top. He was still holding the same trident within his hands.

Neptune grinned as he casually released the magical pressure stored within his armour. A bead of sweat trickled down Marcus' forehead as he felt the gravity around him intensifying. The magical pressure was so strong that the normally invisible mana became clear to the naked eye with a strong blue colouration.

Marcus thought, "This is really going to be a fight to the death." as both started gathering their mana before their epic clash.