Chapter 36

The Zain Kingdom's army was arrayed with their backs to the fortress.

The Arsline Empire's Western Army was lined up on the hill.

The two armies completed their formations as if they had planned it, and a standoff ensued due to the elevation difference.

The kingdom's soldiers looked up at the imperial army on the hill as if challenging them.

In contrast, the imperial soldiers looked down at their enemies with a condescending gaze.

Both armies waited for their commanders' orders, gripping their weapons tightly with sweating hands.

"Hmm, the kingdom's army isn't moving."

Garakos Bazen snorted as he looked down at the enemy below.

He had suspected that the kingdom's army would launch a surprise attack by moving first, but it seemed they were waiting for the imperial army to form their ranks.

"Come on, attack. Come at me."

The voice of the enemy general, Bazel Galst, inviting them to attack, was clearly heard by Bazen.

"Very well, I'll take your bait! I'll see how you plan to handle this massive army!"

"First Army, charge!"

Following Bazen's orders, his adjutant, Safaris, raised his voice.

"Oooh!"

Part of the imperial army on the hill began to move. The soldiers lined up horizontally and, gaining momentum from the slope, surged down like a tidal wave.

"The high shall dominate the low. This is the basic principle of battle!"

The Zain Kingdom's army, with the Brain Fortress behind them, was densely packed in a square formation.

The numerically superior imperial soldiers lined up horizontally and spread out to envelop the tightly packed kingdom's army.

The imperial soldiers, descending the slope with momentum, fiercely attacked the kingdom's army.

"Spear soldiers, forward!"

"Huh!?"

However, the kingdom's army was not sitting idly by.

The soldiers at the front, holding shields, quickly moved to the back, and the soldiers who had been hiding behind them moved forward.

They were wielding four-meter-long spears, nearly twice as long as the lances used by the imperial soldiers.

"Uuuuuuuuuh!?"

"St-stop! Uaaaaah!?"

The imperial soldiers, charging down the slope, were helplessly skewered by the suddenly appearing long spears.

Soldiers who tried to stop and slow down were pushed by the soldiers behind them and met the same fate as those who had charged first.

"I see, so that's why they used a dense formation!"

Bazen frowned and growled.

There was no gap to penetrate in the densely packed kingdom's army, which stood like a wall of spears.

The lances used by the imperial soldiers couldn't reach the kingdom's soldiers, and the cavalry were skewered along with their horses.

"To be outmaneuvered by the elevation difference, we've been had! But, soldiers are already flanking them!"

The imperial soldiers who charged from the front were being picked off by the spears, but the flanking units were still intact. They were preparing to attack the kingdom's army from both sides.

"Archers, fire!"

However, a rain of arrows descended upon the imperial soldiers.

The source of the arrows was the Brain Fortress, which the kingdom's army had at their back.

Soldiers lined up on the fortress walls provided covering fire to the kingdom's army.

"Damn! Kingdom soldiers!"

"Ugh, gaaaaah!"

"Charge! Defeat the imperial soldiers!"

The kingdom's soldiers thrust their spears at the imperial soldiers, who were stunned by the supporting fire.

Although the imperial soldiers outnumbered and outclassed the kingdom's soldiers, they couldn't break the kingdom's dense formation while being wary of the arrows from above.

The imperial soldiers were gradually reduced in number, and the remaining ones retreated in a disorganized manner.

"I see, using the fortress in a way different from a siege... The kingdom's general is quite capable!"

"Grandpa, should I go out?"

Seeing the unexpected counterattack, Sylia, looking worried, called out to Bazen.

The imperial princess, who had been wearing a military uniform earlier, had changed into a blue-silver armor.

The armor, forged from the highest-quality mithril, was only allowed to be worn by the royal family and was an impenetrable fortress against any attack.

"Hehe, don't worry. The battle has just begun!"

Bazen smiled like a kind old man to reassure his beloved princess and stroked his beard slowly.

"The enemy is more solid than expected. This is a setback, but it's also the thrill of battle. Your Highness, please remain calm."

"Is that so? Then I'll just watch..."

Sylia nodded at Bazen's words, but her face showed a hint of dissatisfaction.

Her gaze was fixed on the fallen soldiers around the kingdom's army.

Her well-shaped lips were tightly pressed together, indicating that she couldn't fully accept the deaths of her fellow soldiers as necessary sacrifices.

(She is a kind person. Ideally, she shouldn't be standing on such a battlefield...)

Princess Sylia von Arsline is a cheerful and well-liked person. If she hadn't been chosen by the holy sword, she would have lived a life of admiring flowers without ever standing in such a bloody place.

(And eventually, she would have married a powerful noble... No, I'm getting emotional.)

Bazen, momentarily lost in sentiment, pressed his eyes and cleared his throat.

"Pull the First Army back to the rear! The Second Army, slowly and steadily surround the enemy. The Third Army, spread out on the hill and fire arrows!"

Shaking off the slight hesitation in his mind, the seasoned old general gave his orders fiercely.

The sun, shining brightly in the sky, had just passed its zenith.

The battle had just begun.