"What?"
Luhar was dumbstruck by the sight before him.
Hundreds of burning arrows were falling on their army with unprecedented speed.
But that wasn't all that freaked him out.
'Impossible. The flames should have gone out from such a height; even if that failed, the wind should have been enough to put them out. Magic? If that's the case, then why did they need to use arrows? To use magic in such a way…'
He didn't have time to think it through.
"Soldiers, scatter! Protect yourselves with your shields! Hurry!" his voice ripped through the ranks.
One by one, they began spreading the order, each soldier raising their shield to protect themselves.
Still…
'Will this be enough?' Luhar was unsure and nervous. He could only wait, biting his own lips while a soldier placed a shield above his head and the patriarch's.
But within a few seconds, his fear was realized.
As the burning arrows landed on the shields, the flames spread, burning the soldiers' clothes and anything else close by.
"Ahh! I am on fire!"
"Put it out!"
"No!"
The screams of the soldiers burning to death could be heard for miles.
Even Agis, who had been mostly oblivious to the outcome of the war, could not help but watch in horror.
Many of his soldiers were on the ground, being burned alive.
Hell, even he was close to being a victim of the flaming arrows, but the soldier next to him had paid the price.
'What sort of sorcery is this?' Agis thought, turning to Luhar and seeing the same confused and shocked expression on his face.
Luhar, who had always been confident in his intellect, was shocked by an enemy's move?
Suddenly, Luhar yelled, "Staying in one spot will spread the flames! Forget defense! Charge towards the enemy and take out their archers!"
And the soldiers did just that.
Truthfully, no one wanted to remain there as more flaming arrows fell.
If they had remained, they would have been wiped out, or at least close to it.
Terra, still at the front line, could see the enemy charging towards them.
"They are coming! Ready yourselves!"
The archers hiding on the cliffs began to draw their arrows.
The tankers, carrying shields and spears, solidified their formation, leaving just enough space between their shields to thrust their spears.
And then, all they had to do was wait.
The trap had been set.
Vani, knowing full well how the war would turn out, could not help but smile confidently.
The soldiers of Farglo charged directly at their enemy, but the moment they made it to the middle of the field, they found themselves falling into large pits.
Fear was etched on their faces as both they and their horses found themselves landing at the bottom of the deep holes.
No one knew what had happened; all they knew was that the ground had suddenly collapsed beneath them.
These were the pits the soldiers of Darkin had dug beforehand.
In order to avoid falling in, the charging soldiers began to take to the flanks.
Terra, pointing at the enemy, yelled with all her might, "Attack!"
Each soldier began thrusting their spears, killing the charging enemy soldiers in seconds.
Those who tried to crawl out of the pits were immediately shot to death by the marksmen on the cliffs.
It didn't take long for the soldiers of Farglo to realize they had been set up.
They tried to retreat but found that the demi-humans and Snakeites had cornered them from the back.
They were completely boxed in, left to die from all sides.
"W-what the hell is happening? My soldiers are dying like ants! Luhar, do something!" Agis yelled, panicking.
Luhar was frozen in shock.
In that moment, for the first time since he had become an advisor, he felt truly powerless.
That feeling only got worse when he saw Shisha heading in their direction.
She had no horse. Instead, she walked toward them, a steel blade in her hand.
Luhar gulped and positioned himself in front of Agis's chariot.
"Whatever you do, My Lord, please retreat if it looks like I cannot win this battle."
"What? That is a snake-person; there is no chance she can beat you. You worry too much. Hurry up and dispose of her! My men are dying out there."
Luhar leaped down from the chariot and pulled out his blade.
He took a step closer to the woman approaching him.
'My lord does not know this, probably because he is only an A-rank. I am an A+; my senses are much sharper. Thus, I know for a fact that this woman is insanely powerful.'
Suddenly, Shisha stopped.
She wore a frown, her eyes first scanning Agis and then Luhar.
"My name is Shisha Daliona, general of the Snakeite army. Who are you?"
"My name is Luhar, royal advisor of the nation of Farglo. Do you have a new leader? This battle is unlike our previous ones."
Shisha glared at him as though she were looking at a disgusting animal.
"Don't try to talk to me. I only engaged in this conversation because it is custom. You have no right to speak to me; you're not Father." She pointed at Agis.
"I'll take it you're protecting that man. Good. If you wish not to die, hand him over. If you wish to die honorably, then I shall fight you and come out victorious."
'Their leader wants Lord Agis. That means they want to issue a master's challenge. This might be a good thing… no, wait. If this is the same leader that came up with the current strategy, then it can't be good.'
Luhar's eyes turned dark.
"I refuse. Even if you look stronger, we have battled three times, and I have defeated you every time. This one won't be any different."
Shisha grinned. "Good. I was expecting nothing less. Now then, come! Allow me to guide your soul to the afterlife!"
She launched herself forward.
In the blink of an eye, she was right in front of Luhar.
'Shit! I am going to die!' Luhar thought, frozen in fear.
...
[A/N: If you like this book so far, don't forget to vote for it, and also support with comments or reviews. thank you for reading.]