"This doesn't look good, Bastion," Seraphina said, scanning the chaos beyond the walls. "The fortress will be overrun if this keeps up."
"I agree," he replied grimly. "This is beyond what the fortress was built to withstand. Something in the forest is driving this many creatures to the wall."
"Like a high-ranked monster?" Lilia asked.
"No," Bastion said, eyes narrowing. "More like a war sweeping through the area. It would take more than a single monster to terrify this many creatures."
Bastion then turned to Alexander who had a concerned expression. It was clear he hadn't encountered anything similar over the past 20 years he had been the knight commander.
"What do you think, Alexander?" Bastion asked.
"Quiet. I'm thinking," he growled, his eyes flashing as he snapped toward the female knight who had followed them inside. "How the hell did this happen without any warning?"
"The scouts reported that a goblin tribe had been moving west, intending to invade the warthogs' territory," she replied. "They must have started a territorial battle that sent the warthogs scrambling, throwing the forest into a frenzy."
"You should have told me earlier!" Alexander barked, though the edge in his voice cracked.
"I tried telling you all week, but you wouldn't listen!" she shot back, her frustration cutting through him.
Alexander's posture slumped, his shoulders folding inward under the weight of her words. "It's fine. It doesn't matter," he said quietly. "I'm sorry, honey."
"Hmph!" she huffed, turning her head away.
'It seems I may have been too harsh on him,' Bastion thought, watching the exchange. 'If he folds this easily, perhaps he isn't as insane as he first appeared.'
Bastion took a moment to scan the surrounding soldiers and spotted a pair who gave him a brief wave. Flora and Fauna Crestwood, the twins he had once considered marrying. They were experts in plant summoning and beast taming, though their personalities were notoriously difficult.
It seemed his brother's harem was growing steadily. He was likely preparing to have as many children as possible to ensure there would be an heir to inherit the title of duke, just as their father had done.
Alexander turned to Bastion. "The bet's still on! I'll take the southern wall, and you take the north."
"Fine by me," Bastion replied before walking away with his group.
This way, they were free to kill as they pleased.
Their girls were also allowed to fight, knowing their kills wouldn't count since the magic contract specified that only their own kills would be tallied.
Each moved toward their designated positions along the walls.
"What's this about a bet?" Seraphina asked, her brow furrowing with concern.
"Alexander wanted to put me in my place with a duel," Bastion explained. "The odds of winning weren't looking good, so I proposed we settle it by seeing who can kill the most creatures while defending the fortress."
"He doesn't know about your guns?"
"No, but he does know about you. He added to the terms that potions aren't allowed."
"I guess it's not such a big deal then," Seraphina said, relieved. "What are the stakes?"
"Whoever wins gets to order the other around for a century."
"What if we lose?" Seraphina asked, raising a brow. "What if he orders you to surrender us to him?"
Bastion smiled confidently. "I'd follow his orders. Whether you obey would be up to you."
"Couldn't he order you to have us hunted, captured, or killed?"
Bastion's smile didn't waver. "With your friend on the throne? I'd like to see him try."
"I guess that makes sense," she said. "He can't go overboard with his orders while Aurelia sits on the throne to keep things in check. At most, you'd lose your position as duke, and we'd run away for a century to avoid both you and his commands."
Seraphina hesitated for a moment before asking, "What if he targets Elyra?"
Bastion's expression hardened, his eyes darkening. "We both know how much our shadows mean to us. He'd know he would be making an enemy he'd have to eliminate. It goes far beyond his desire to profit while focusing on gaining power."
"What if he is that crazy?" Seraphina pressed.
Bastion's jaw clenched. "I'd hunt him down to the ends of the earth."
"This is Gaia, Bastion. If he runs, you might never see him again. You might not even survive before the wager ends."
Bastion fell silent, the weight of doubt settling over him. Deep down, he realized he had been overly confident when proposing this plan. He hadn't fully considered that his enemies might truly be that reckless and dangerous.
Seraphina saw the doubt flicker across Bastion's face and felt a quiet satisfaction. She didn't want him making decisions like this alone in the future. It would only cause problems for all of them.
Her expression softened as she stepped closer and took his hand. "Don't worry so much. I'm sure we'll win this bet easily. But promise me you'll include us in decisions like this from now on."
He met her gaze steadily. "You're right. I'm sorry. I promise."
"Good. Now, let's go win this bet!"
They arrived at the northern wall, coming into full view of the ongoing carnage. Soldiers of various ranks bombarded the creatures as they approached the wall, fighting fiercely to repel those who managed to get close.
As for the stronger foes that simply leapt over the nearly 10-meter-high fortress walls and escaped, the soldiers ignored them. There was little they could do against such powerful creatures that easily cleared the defenses.
"Let's clear a path and get down there," Bastion suggested. "I'll have a better sweeping range if I'm at the same elevation as the stampede."
"We'll defend your flanks and rear," Seraphina added.
"Wouldn't shooting from the wall be safer?" Lilia asked.
"It would," Bastion replied. "But from up there, I'd only be able to take them down one at a time. On the ground, I can eliminate more with less effort."
With their plan set, Bastion began by casting Diamond Rain over as wide an area as he could manage, then activated Diamond Shatter to clear the space. The girls followed closely behind as they jumped down and established a perimeter.
Seraphina released her phoenix and activated her domain, Eternal Flame, bathing the area in golden light that burned the rampaging creatures. She unleashed Deathflare with one hand while drinking mana potions with the other, targeting the base of the wall to take out those acting as ramparts for the stampede.
It didn't take long before her mana ran low, given the power of her spells. Fortunately, she didn't have to hold out against the stampede for long.
Lilia followed, sending out walls of water that protected them from every side while Bastion prepared. She occasionally glanced at Seraphina with longing, whose flames tore through the stampede, leaving scorched earth in their wake.
Elyra remained hidden in the shadows, guarding against ambushes, while Seraphina and Lilia swept through the creatures near the wall, clearing space and protecting the army.
Meanwhile, Bastion planted the rotary cannon firmly on the ground and unleashed a thunderous barrage. He swung its barrels in wide, sweeping arcs, sending a relentless hail of bullets tearing through the air. Each shot ripped into creatures by the dozen, turning the battlefield into a storm of shattering bodies, flying shards, and crimson splatter.
As an autocannon, it could instantly destroy Apprentice Rank creatures. Made from Rank 1 materials, it was also capable of taking down Rank 1 foes outright. Rank 2 creatures, however, either fled after multiple hits or succumbed to their wounds.
The sounds of Bastion's assault echoed through the fortress, striking fear into the soldiers watching. Though many outranked their duke, who was only an Apprentice, witnessing the carnage he could unleash alone made them keenly aware of the vast disparity in power.
While Bastion and his group began their massacre in the north, Alexander's group launched their own assault in the south.
-----
On Alexander's side, Flora began by summoning a whipping willow that slashed at any creatures within reach below the walls, clearing space for the party to drop down.
Next, Fauna used her beast-taming skill, Calm Beasts, which emitted a soothing melody, scent, and aura that pacified the surrounding creatures and prevented their team from being overrun.
Finally, Alexander summoned his diamond steed and activated Diamond Cavalry, summoning a dozen mounted Diamond Knights to flank him, six on each side. Then, using a skill from his Rank 2 Knight Commander class, Command: Charge, he accelerated their assault through the stampede of creatures.
Like a bullet train rushing through a field of wheat, he singlehandedly plowed through the stampede, carefully avoiding any Rank 2 creatures that could stop his charge. Although he had other skills that might maximize damage or even knock aside a Rank 2, his objective was to kill as many enemies as possible. So, he chose to conserve his mana and prolong his assault, focusing on eliminating as many creatures as he could.
"I don't know what skill he received when he became a Diamond Knight, but I'm sure he lacks the synergy that being Rank 1 gives me," he said gloatingly. "I bet he's probably already run out of mana."
An hour into the battle, Alexander returned to the whipping willow to rest and recover, while Flora used Invigorate to restore both his stamina and mana. He needed to keep using Command: Charge to maintain momentum against the stampede, which drained a significant amount of his mana.
He turned to the female knight and asked for an update on Bastion and his group.
"How does it look? Is he already out of mana?"
"I received reports that he's using a weapon to decimate their side of the battle."
"What!?" he exclaimed in disbelief. "How is that possible?"
"I don't know, but the captains are sending more soldiers to our side to help with the defenses. It's not looking good, Alex."
"I refuse to lose like this," he shouted, a sudden idea sparking in his eyes. "Have the support squad buff me. Potions aren't allowed, but no one said anything about support from the army."
"Alex—"
"Do it! Now!"
With a sigh, she called down the support squad, who quickly began casting a variety of powerful buffs on Alexander. They used Haste, dramatically increasing his movement and attack speed; Stone Skin, reinforcing his skin to absorb more physical damage; Arcane Focus, accelerating his mana regeneration to sustain continuous spellcasting.; Giant's Might, enhancing his strength to increase physical damage output; and Graviton Surge, increasing the weight and force behind his attacks, to name a few.
"With these buffs, I should be able to kill significantly more than before."
"Let's see who will win this wager now!"
-----
Support me on Patreon
patreon/babywrath