Chapter 528: Chapter 23: War

The war continues unabated.

Wizard Calendar Year 10142, Spring.

Along the middle reaches of the Baloda River to the northern foothills of the Eastern Border Mountains, the frontline has become deadlocked. On Karina’s side, the impact of the Blood Knight Order and the elite raids of adventurer teams maintained a local advantage, successfully reclaiming some lost territories, but Charlie’s side continued to wear them down with their vast troop resources, resulting in a seesaw battle situation.

Sporadically, low-level Wizards began to appear on the battlefield, undertaking reconnaissance, causing small-scale chaos, or providing tactical support by strengthening their side’s elites.

At this stage, both sides exercised relative restraint, bringing in lower-tier extraordinary power.

Things, however, changed swiftly by autumn of the Wizard Calendar Year 10142.

A strike force of three hundred elite knights from Charlie’s side attempted to bypass the hazardous Ashen Creek Valley in the Eastern Border Mountains, aiming to launch a surprise attack on Karina’s rear supply lines.

The operation was prematurely detected by Karina’s elite adventurer team, the “Shadow Crow.” Equipped with basic rune power, “Shadow Crow” set up an ambush in the narrow valley. Utilizing the mobility provided by the runes and the terrain advantage, the adventurers successfully routed the enemy forces.

Just as Charlie’s knight force was about to completely collapse, dozens of dense lightning bolts descended from the sky, precisely targeting each member of the Shadow Crow team like lock-on missiles.

Despite possessing knight-level strength and being equipped with the extraordinary power of rune power, the adventurers were still unable to withstand such lightning strikes, instantly turning to ashes.

It was later learned that the attack was executed by a Wizard from the Wizard Organization known as the “Light Spirit Element.”

This engagement marked the first appearance of wizard-level power in several years of conflict between the two sides.

Wizard Calendar Year 10142, Winter.

In response to the Ashen Creek Valley incident, Karina’s side was no longer restrained.

A force, comprising elite guards from the Blood Knight Order mixed with several Wizards directly affiliated with the Fiery Flame City Council, launched an attack on Charlie’s “Black Stone Castle” rear logistics depot.

The battle began as the Blood Knights, enhanced with rune power, charged and tore through the outer defenses. Immediately afterward, the Wizards on Karina’s side acted.

Flames rose from the ground like living creatures, forming towering walls of fire that divided and consumed the garrison soldiers attempting to regroup and counterattack; under earth magic, the ground churned violently and collapsed, burying the crossbowmen along with their crossbows who relied on fortifications.

The Black Stone Castle’s defense officer, an experienced old knight, tried to organize a last stand but was pierced through the heart by a silent and invisible arcane arrow that twisted the light.

The entire battle was a precise and ruthless purge, declaring the destructive dominance of wizard power on the battlefield. Black Stone Castle fell, and large amounts of supplies were burned.

Wizard Calendar Year 10143, Spring.

Charlie’s side quickly absorbed the lessons learned and began a large-scale recruitment of Wizards from various noble factions, forming an official wizard battle regiment named the “Scepter of Royal Authority.”

Amidst the battle for the strategic pass “Anvil Castle” within the Eastern Border Mountains, the “Scepter of Royal Authority” entered the battlefield for the first time with a complete formation.

Facing Karina’s side relying on the fortress’s strong defenses, the “Scepter of Royal Authority’s” several Elemental Wizards combined forces to guide a localized blizzard. The biting cold winds and ice spikes not only severely hindered the defenders’ movements and visibility but also froze the surface of the city walls to be slick and ungraspable. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI★Fire.net

Meanwhile, several thick chains of lightning shot out from Charlie’s wizard positions, fiercely striking the runic defense nodes on the castle walls. Each strike caused the pale blue energy shield enveloping the battlements to flicker violently, alternately brightening and dimming.

The standardized rune talismans equipped by the defenders had their protective effects severely diminished under such intensive magical bombardment. Soldiers braved the wind, snow, and ice spikes, retaliating with crossbows and rolling logs during the brief intervals when the energy shields shattered, suffering heavy casualties. Many parts of the city wall were breached, and Charlie’s heavy infantry began to scale and assault the castle under magical cover.

Anvil Castle was in imminent danger.

The power of Wizards had indeed become the decisive fulcrum tilting the battlefield scale. Both sides realized that this war was sliding towards an abyss increasingly difficult for mortal armies to influence, dominated by knowledge and magic power.

…

Ramding Kingdom, Gray Stone Town.

Morning.

As the sun just rose, Messiah, as usual, opened the house door and came to the courtyard to tend to the poultry.

It had been more than ten years since she first came to Gray Stone Town, and her appearance had changed significantly from her initial graceful and charming girl image to that of a woman whose figure was out of shape, with freckles on her skin.

To this day, she still lived alone in this courtyard.

Initially, the town had introduced her to several men of the same age, but all were deterred by her inherent sense of divinity.

Later, as the war broke out, the men in the town left for the battlefield one after another, making companionship even more impossible.

Over these ten-plus years, Messiah had transitioned from initial confusion and ignorance to having some thoughts.

She had felt the warmth of having family companionship, witnessed the genuine emotions of the Farrias couple, and experienced the bitterness of being a mortal. Gradually, she began to understand, to comprehend the significance of human beings existing in the world.

“Tap tap tap!”

At this moment, footsteps sounded from afar, and a young boy carrying a knapsack arrived at Messiah’s courtyard.

This was Max’s son, Kuma.

Since Max had left for the battlefield years ago due to the recruitment summons and never returned, Kuma now reached the age valid for the draft.

Standing in front of Messiah’s courtyard, Kuma said to Messiah, “Aunt Messiah, my mother asked me to say goodbye to you.”

“I’m leaving with the convoy for the battlefield tomorrow, to fight for the Harris Family, to follow in my father’s footsteps. I don’t know when I’ll return, or if I ever will…”

Kuma’s voice was somewhat melancholic.

Despite experiencing such farewells more than once over the years, Messiah still felt a pang of sadness in her heart at this moment.

She handed over a bag of nuts, walked forward carefully, and placed them in Kuma’s hand, advisedly saying, “Take these to eat on the way, don’t starve. When on the battlefield, don’t be a hero. Remember, only those who survive are the real heroes.”

In truth, she didn’t know what the battlefield was or what it was like, but she saw other women in the town giving such advice during farewells, so she did the same.

Kuma squeezed out a slight smile, “Alright, Aunt Messiah, I’ll remember.”

With the knapsack on his back, Kuma gradually walked away.

Messiah watched Kuma’s receding figure. This situation had played out more than once over the years. All these departing people were headed to one place, the battlefield.

Was that perhaps a place from which there was no return?

War,

Why does humanity’s world have to have war?

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