601: Still On-Track

Still On-Track

After annihilating the fourth legion, Natasha and her legion of the Ocean Leviathans swam down river towards the Fort with little to no resistance. 1

They managed to get to the part where the stream diverted into two distinct curves as at that point Natasha led her legion to land where they were faced against DarkSorrow and the third legion.

As the Ocean Leviathans charged forth on land, Natasha, their commander, arranged them in an expansive formation. 

The Nereid frontline consisted of the most seasoned warriors, brandishing tridents and spears. They were the shield, with their hardened scales and honed battle instincts. Behind them, the less experienced, yet still formidable, nereid soldiers formed the second and third waves, ready to bolster the front lines at Natasha's signal.

This formation allowed the Ocean Leviathans to maximise their numbers and take advantage of their enemies' gaps in defences. However, it had a weakness: if the frontline were to falter, it would create a domino effect, causing the entire formation to collapse. Furthermore, without the cover of water, the nereids' speed and manoeuvrability, their key advantages, were significantly hindered.

Meanwhile, DarkSorrow, understanding the limitations of his opponents, employed a different strategy. He had his third legion form into tightly packed phalanxes, interlocking shields to create a seemingly impenetrable wall of steel, with long sword wielders and spearmen behind. His strongest fighters were dispersed across the frontline, providing stiff resistance against the Leviathans.

This formation allowed DarkSorrow's troops to mitigate the impact of the nereid charge and protect their more vulnerable members. Yet, it too had a drawback: it was less flexible, and the dense arrangement of troops could potentially be a liability if the nereids managed to break through at any point. The tightly-packed soldiers could be easy targets for a well-placed nereid attack.

The battle began, and the clash of the two formations was like watching a strategic dance. The nereids' initial wave crashed against the Bloodfall's shield wall but couldn't break through. Meanwhile, DarkSorrow, using his formation's sturdiness, launched counter-attacks whenever an opening presented itself.

Seeing her frontline struggling, Natasha signalled the second wave of nereids to join the frontline, trying to overwhelm DarkSorrow's troops with sheer numbers. Simultaneously, she led a squad of her best warriors, circling around the melee, looking for a chink in DarkSorrow's armor.

DarkSorrow, perceptive as ever, saw this tactic. He sent a brigade of his fastest runners and archers to intercept Natasha, turning the tide of the battle into a match of wits and tactics, with both commanders attempting to outmanoeuvre each other, turning the battlefield into a grand chessboard. 

However, although DarkSorrow had made the right move under the circumstances, it counted for naught as with Natasha leading the troops personally, a dozen high powered spells later the brigade that he had sent out to stop her march was laid to waste. 

The fight between the nereids and the Bloodfall soldiers was pound for pound. 

For every dead on either side, a revenge life was claimed on the other as hundreds died on the battlefield every passing minute. 

********* 

( Meanwhile on the central battlefield )

On the central battlefield, the clash between Sebastian's undead and the Greengale Phantoms reached a fever pitch. The undead, who were once at a disadvantage, were now reinforced by a swarm of Eagles and fallen Greengale soldiers for a second wind of assault. 

The Greengale Phantoms fought bravely, but the onslaught was overwhelming. Their numbers dwindled rapidly, many of the fallen were raised back as the enemy, their faces still bearing the markings of their allegiance, now a grim mockery of their sacrifice. Their comrades were forced to fight against their brothers-in-arms, a psychological blow that further eroded their morale.

The tide was turning against the Greengale Phantoms. The once-robust ranks of the mercenaries were decimated, their disciplined formations fragmented under the relentless assault. Every man, woman, and non-human combatant fought with the desperation of those cornered and outnumbered. The undead were unyielding and unfeeling, their grim advance undeterred by injuries or fatigue.

Then, just as the situation looked the bleakest for the Phantoms, when the last embers of hope were about to be extinguished, reinforcements arrived. The Crimson Shadows and the Frostwolf Marauders burst onto the battlefield, a rush of new energy and hope.

The Crimson Shadows, led by their injured commander Donatella , rushed into the fray, their dual daggers and other assassination weapons slicing through the undead with ruthless efficiency. Their shadows seemed to dance around them, making it difficult for the undead to land a hit on them.

The Frostwolf Marauders, on the other hand, bore the brunt of the attack, their heavy armour and strong clubs holding the line against the undead. Their commander, Vas, stood at the front, his massive club swinging in broad, deadly arcs that mowed down the undead.

Together, they pushed back the undead, their arrival injecting a surge of renewed vigour into the beleaguered Greengale Phantoms. 

With Sebastian already fleeing the battlefield with the clone, there was no one left to lead the armies properly except the elder lich's that Sebastian had raised. 

Hence when Vas and Donatella began using their divine attacks, all hell broke lose. 

[ Crimson Thunder ] 

Constant Bolts of red lightning began pelting the flying legion of the eagles, each strike incinerating a member of the horde to ashes. 

[ Blizzard ] 

Vas used a AOE ice spell to summon the coldest tundra winds as he froze a large section of the undead skeletal warriors into ice statues. 

[ Continental Slash ] 

Finally, a returning Gurdan used an AOE sword attack to unleash a dangerous attack that sliced through half the undead ranks in half. 

With the three god's personally leading the legions, soon the undead were hunted to oblivion as the march towards the Bloodfall fort continued as planned. 

The Mercenaries had piled up a lot more losses than they had expected to reach this point. 

But despite their mistakes and struggles, they were still on track to win this battle.

—---- 

/// A/N - Chapter 5/20, a new day begins ///

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