The room was silent for a long moment as the commanders considered their options.
Then—
"It wouldn't hurt to try both," the Darkan family head finally said.
"What do you mean?" asked the Sunblade Grand Commander.
"We stay here, and you activate the mountain formation. We can dismount."
"Hmm…" the Sunblade Grand Commander rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Dismounting meant the dragon knights would fight on foot while their dragons roamed the skies independently. However, it was no small offer.
'He's volunteering, what will he ask for later?' the Grand Commander thought.
Still, after exchanging a glance with the Radiant Archer Grand Commander, they nodded. It wouldn't hurt to try both.
"Let's move."
…
The mountain formation was heavily reliant on the archers. Their task: surround the entire mountain with strategic spacing and shoot on sight. The Sunblade Legion, meanwhile, advanced on foot. As an elite division, they were masters of attack precision and damage dealing.
Soon, the archers formed a massive ring around the ice mountain. From afar, they looked like tiny specks encircling a giant, while the Sunblade Legion stood ready at its base.
But unease rippled through the ranks.
The outliers had never attacked from the mountains before. And most soldiers had families living on the last front so risking everything on the word of a promising but still-young commander left many uncertain.
But they obeyed the order and waited,
Ten minutes…Twenty minutes…Thirty minutes.
Doubt began to surface. Eyes shifted towards their commanders. Murmurs began to spread.
And just as the commanders prepared to issue new orders—
RUMBLE...
A deep, earth-shaking tremor echoed across the field, seizing everyone's attention.
From the vantage point on the mountain, they could see them, hundreds of thousands of outliers charging forward, their screams reverberating across the icy plains.
Their direction: the right mountain.
"Inform the Darkan head that his intel was spot on," said the Radiant Archer Grand Commander. He then turned to his forces. "Nock."
Aura-based and physical arrows were drawn in unison. From distrust, their minds turned into silent praise at the young commander.
"Draw."
Like a grand orchestra, every archer shifted into a shooting stance.
The outliers kept coming like a black tide.
500 meters…400…300…200…
Then at 100 meters—
"LOOSE!"
A canopy of fire-colored arrows lit up the sky and then rained down in waves.
This was the Radiant Archers' signature technique: Blazing Rain.
The sky burned. The battlefield ignited. The outliers screamed as flaming arrows tore through their ranks.
The battle had begun.
…
Now that Baines was aware of his physical abilities, he was able to unleash his true power, he fought with confidence.
It didn't take long for the barbarian to lose an arm, but Baines wasn't unscathed either.
His armor was torn in places, blood trickling from minor and medium wounds, and a light gash crossed his face.
'Even though we're matched physically, it's still a 6th star.' Its aura was stronger, so he couldn't help but take some hits in, and the gap showed. Also, the barbarian wielded a claw formed from red aura, tethered to a beast called a Raging Eagle—a relentless predator, just like the other barbarians he killed.
Its red aura-enhanced claws slashed again and again, driving the barbarian's frenzied attacks. Even missing an arm, it didn't stop.
But Baines was ready.
He exhaled while gripping his sword with both hands, sword intent to cut blazing around his sword aura, and raised it high.
The barbarian's instincts immediately screamed danger.
It lunged forward, desperate to interrupt the swing. It had to destroy him before he swung that sword down if not, nothing more needed to be said.
Its remaining hand surged with aura, forming the largest claw it had ever summoned.
He didn't run away, why? Because it didn't matter. Anywhere he went, the sword would have followed.
"Degrade"
And he swung it down.
"GAAAHHHHH!"
The barbarian howled as its limbs withered away, flesh and aura corroding into dust.
Thud.
It collapsed, blood spilling recklessly across the ice. Likewise, Baines stumbled back, blood pooling profusely from his mouth. He popped a pill into his mouth, alongside Eye, and his healing process began.
Then he took another pill and exhaled.
The technique he'd just used—Aging Reversal—was one of his most dangerous. It wasn't necessary here, but he wanted the tattoos intact. And more importantly, he needed to get used to his skills.
But the toll was severe. His aura was now exhausted, and the move had ravaged his internal organs. Without the pills and Eye, he would not have survived.
Finally, he reached his goal. Kneeling beside the barbarian, he placed a hand on the tattoo.
Without prompting, Eye began scanning.
[SCANNING...]
…
Elsewhere, the nomand fell.
With only one hand, a distraction from a legion commander, and a brutal strike from the Grand Commander ended its life.
Then they turned their attention to the barbarian.
Together, the legion commanders launched one ultimate attack after another, while the Grand Commander kept them alive. The barbarian fought savagely, but exhaustion caught up with it.
The Grand Commander ended it with a single, clean beheading.
"Phew…" he exhaled, sheathing his weapon.
But there was no time to rest. Two figures approached.
"Grand Commander," Baines greeted, then quickly explained everything.
The Grand Commander's eyes narrowed.
"If that's true, then another battle is already underway…"
"GRAND COMMANDER!"
Five vanguard riders rushed in, urgency written on their faces.
"What Battalion Commander Jin said was true, they attacked the right mountain. And your help is needed. Their numbers are estimated at over one million."
Silence.
The Grand Commander froze.
One million?
And if he, a seasoned veteran, was shocked, then how would the others react?
'It's now certain, they're looking for something,' Baines thought.
"Grand Commander," Baines said, "how about you leave 20,000 with us. Take the rest."
Everyone turned to him in surprise.
The battlefield was still active. The outliers still outnumbered them by far. But Baines seemed confident.
The Grand Commander looked at him. "What do you suggest?" Actually, he had expected the legion commanders to have stepped up by now; however, the fact that they still remained meant, this boy had something to do with their winning on their various battlefields.
"I suggest we cause earthquakes and summon lightning."
Everyone stared.
"…Excuse me?" one of the legion commanders asked in confusion.
"Mark. Justin," the Grand Commander called out.
"Yes?" they responded.
"Stay behind with him," the Grand Commander ordered, then turned to bark orders to the rest of the army.
Ten minutes later, approximately 120,000 soldiers separated from the battlefield, leaving behind 20,000 to hold the line.
The Pyre Vanguard had come with over 200,000. Now, only a seventh of that force remained.
Thankfully, they still had dragon knights, around 3,000 of them.
Mark and Justin exchanged nervous glances.
What could they possibly do with this much smaller force against more than 300,000 enemy soldiers?
But at the same time… they wanted to give their savior a chance to shine.
And Baines? He was just getting started.