All the attackers were killed effectively, but the secondary spell remained active and lived its own life, occasionally spewing geysers of deadly plasma from its depths. It was easy to guess that this plasma was not hitting the vampires, but rather the ranks of the Valerians, which already had significant gaps. However, the centurion hesitated to order a retreat, fearing it would disrupt the overall front and cause panic with his withdrawal.
The Supreme Vampire's personal hundred arrived at the scene just in time. The numerous surviving vampires were simply disorganized. The attack began earlier than they had anticipated, and their initial successes suddenly turned into repulsed assaults.
The hail of stones that fell upon them cooled their warrior's ardor, especially since many had already quenched their initial thirst. With reinforcements and a competent commander, the fighters regained their spirit. However, the defenders, who had relaxed behind the archmage, were stunned by the new push on their positions.
Askol'd ran in the front lines. A boulder that fell nearby did not scare him or make him stop. The rare chain of soldiers only drew a smirk from him. There was almost no fire. The defense was held by ice and earth mages, and the fiery orb hanging in the sky was far behind them and provided less light than desired. Poorly seeing Valerians tried to engage the enemy with personal shields but were instantly swept away by powerful blows and became food.
The former guard discarded the mage's body, whose blood he had drunk, and noticed the approaching reinforcements trying to plug the breach. These were clearly paladins sent from the commander's reserve. The last free fighters of the mages. It seemed that the situation was beginning to tilt in favor of the vampires… or not… But the commander personally participating in the battle was unable to discern this.
Ducking under a raised arm, the vampire attempted to slash the opponent's back with his sword, but the opponent unexpectedly leapt into the air from his position and, flipping over, ended up behind Askol'd. Taking the blow on a firm block, the Supreme Vampire struck his opponent's face with his left hand.
The opponent, receiving such an unexpected blow, was knocked back a couple of meters. However, this left the vampire alone, and a nearby mage quickly took advantage of this, and the world before Askol'd blossomed in all the colors of the rainbow, reflecting the unleashed "Ice Spear."
Leaping into the air, the man tried to reach the mage but was intercepted mid-flight by a paladin who had recovered from the strike. Upon landing, he realized that the hilt of a dagger was sticking out of his left shoulder. Pulling the weapon from his body and tossing it aside, Askol'd prepared for battle, but two vampires immediately attacked him and tore him apart.
The mage, who had been casting another spell, saw how the paladin who had been covering him was torn in two, and shifted his aim to send a deadly gift to one of the assassins of his comrade. A huge icicle pierced the former human's body and pinned him to the ground, but the still-living vampire immediately tried to stand up and, realizing that the ice was obstructing him, began to break it. The mage did not have time to see how it all ended, as he was struck in the throat by a sword.
While Askol'd was drinking blood, the body of another paladin fell near him. Looking at the fallen, he shifted his gaze to the fighter who had struck him down. Not far away, covered in blood but alive and smiling, stood his friend and assistant. Surveying the battlefield, the Supreme Vampire realized that the main objective had been achieved.
The defense had been broken and the line breached. Several hundred of his fighters had surged into the center of the enemy camp. The only remaining stronghold of defense in what had once been the rear was the archmage's tent.
Several dozen paladins and mages, a couple of magisters, and the archmage himself formed a formidable force and were not planning to surrender. Grinning malevolently, the vampire simply pointed at this target, and his fighters surged into a new attack.
Picking up a paladin's shield from the ground and taking it in his hand, Askol'd was about to join his warriors, but his plans changed.
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