[Elena PoV]
After three days of movement, our main force finally sighted the first line of defense of the Republic of Venetia—the Fortress City of Regium. It boasted walls fifteen meters high, making it a formidable obstacle for our assault to breach.
Currently, our troops are pitching their tents approximately 2 km from the city walls.
"Princess Elena, are you observing the enemy's fortress city?"
Hearing someone call out, I turned to the side. A man in his early thirties was walking toward me. He was Vandal de Monstruo—the second son of the Monstruo Family. He is an Animagus Wizard capable of transforming his form into that of a monster. Lord Vandal is the leader of the Monster Squad, which consists of Animagus wizards.
"You are correct, Lord Vandal. I am curious how long it will take for us to seize that city," I said to him. "Looking at it, the fortress walls are quite high and sturdy. I suspect that even if we attack it with magic, it will not be easy to bring those walls down."
"You hold those Venetians in too high a regard, Princess Elena," Lord Vandal remarked. "The Venetians are no match for those of us capable of wielding magic. The true battle will occur when their alliance forces arrive in this region."
I was not surprised to hear such dismissive words from Lord Vandal. It is true that a nation possessing Knights and Mages is superior in warfare to those who do not. This is why our country is touted as the strongest; we possess more Knights and Mages than any other nation on this continent.
However, I did not wish to underestimate them. I have often seen opponents who appeared weak manage to destroy stronger or numerically superior foes.
"Lord Vandal, I see the mages lining up in front of our camp. Are we beginning the attack?" I asked.
"The mage units have been ordered to clear the archers from the top of the city walls," Lord Vandal answered, stroking his chin. "The earth-element mages will create Golems to approach the walls. Once the archers' attention is diverted by those golems, the infantry will bring ladders and begin climbing to secure the city walls."
Is that so? As for the Cavalry Squadron I lead, we will not participate in this assault. We are only deployed for open-field battles or escort missions.
I watched as the infantry began to form ranks in front of the camp. The ones moving forward in this first assault were the Third and Fourth Caballero Units. Ten mages stepped to the front of the soldier ranks and began chanting an incantation.
"Earthborn Amalgam!"
"Earthborn Amalgam!"
Upon completing the spell, the ground suddenly vibrated. Ten Golems, each fifteen meters tall, formed from mounds of earth thanks to the mages' sorcery. The Golems created by these mages were even larger than the one Valeria made during the survival exam!
"They are Senior Wizards; it is a simple matter for them to create Golems of this size," Lord Vandal said.
"But won't your Mana consumption be much more wasteful?" I asked him.
"True, the Mana usage increases as they make the Golems larger," Lord Vandal answered with a smile. "However, we are mages. Our Mana capacity is far greater than that of you knights."
Ah... is that so? I had almost forgotten that fact.
Shifting my gaze back forward, the golems were now one kilometer from the fortress walls. I could also see the mages controlling them walking 100 meters behind their creations. It seemed there was a specific distance limit for them to freely control their golems.
900 meters...
800 meters...
The ten golems drew closer to the city walls. The archers atop the walls began to fire at them. However, all their attacks were in vain; not a single one of their arrows even stuck into the bodies of the golems.
"Haha! How foolish of them! As if mere arrows could destroy Giant Golems created with magic!" Lord Vandal exclaimed, laughing loudly.
The golems were unstoppable; they continued walking until they were within 500 meters of the city walls.
— BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Suddenly, however, three of the ten Golems toppled to the ground. Something had swiftly destroyed the legs of those three golems.
"What exactly happened?" Lord Vandal muttered, looking confused.
Activating the spell Eagle Eye, I faintly saw smoke emerging from objects atop the walls. Several people were also loading something into the devices emitting the smoke.
— BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Again, the same loud noise echoed as before. This time, all the giant golems created by the mages collapsed to the ground. The ten mages then hurried back to avoid becoming targets for the archers on the walls.
"It seems the Republic of Venetia has some tools that can counter our magic," I muttered, touching my chin and pondering what had just occurred.
"Tch, our magical power consists of more than just this!" Lord Vandal said, looking irritated. "I shall show those Non-Sorcerers the true meaning of 'terror' after this!"
Lord Vandal then left me alone. After seeing the mages' golems destroyed, the two Caballero units lining up in front of the camp also disbanded and returned to their respective tents. Our first assault attempt ended in failure.
***
[Ezio PoV]
Their first attempt failed. The ten stone monsters they created were instantly destroyed when hit by cannon fire—a new piece of artillery for our country, created thanks to Captain Siena's direction.
"Hey, Stefano, do you think we can hold them off until the troops from the Greco Republic arrive?" I asked one of my comrades in the Cavalier Squad.
"Nah, seeing those stone monsters they made get destroyed instantly like yesterday, I think we can hold them here for a month!" Stefano answered, then began eating his breakfast.
Currently, we were in the cafeteria for breakfast to ensure we felt in prime condition when the real fight suddenly began.
"Stop worrying, Ezio. Even if our enemy is touted as the strongest nation, it's impossible for them to defeat the combined strength of three countries!" Stefano said confidently.
"You're right about that, Stefano. However, it's been a month since the war began, and my sword is still clean of enemy blood!" I was a bit disappointed at having to continue waiting to see action in this war.
"Well, if those Imperial dogs were right in front of me, I'd slash them until—"
— CRASH!
I couldn't hear the end of Stefano's sentence.
That was because the building we were occupying for breakfast suddenly disintegrated. My body was thrown to the side, and dust flew everywhere, obscuring my view of the surroundings.
"Curse it! What happened here!?"
"Arrgghh! My leg! My leg is pinned under a block of stone!"
Everyone sounded panicked. I pushed myself up and saw a giant boulder that had likely fallen and struck this place, causing the chaos.
"Stefano! Where are you!" I shouted, calling out my comrade's name.
I walked toward the large rock sitting right in the middle of the cafeteria. There, I saw several people lying dead, struck by the falling stone. Human blood and organs were scattered everywhere. Suddenly, my foot felt like it stepped on something squishy and slightly wet.
Looking down, I could now see Stefano's condition. His body was crushed, his arms and legs twisted in ways they shouldn't be, his eyes bulging, and his mouth open, leaking blood. What I had accidentally stepped on were the remains of Stefano's entrails that had spilled out. I could even see the remnants of the breakfast he had just eaten, as they hadn't been fully digested yet.
It seemed he died instantly when that giant rock crushed the dining table we were occupying. I stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened. A comrade I had known for three years had suddenly died a gruesome death in an instant.
— BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Again, I heard the sound of impacts from falling objects. Stepping out of the cafeteria, I saw several buildings around the area destroyed by stones of the same size as the one that hit the cafeteria. Shifting my gaze toward the sky, I saw several stones flying and falling toward us.
I hurried toward the city walls; everyone looked panicked by the events. Had the Imperial forces attacked again? But how? Weren't their stone monsters destroyed by our cannons yesterday?
"Take cover! The enemy is bombarding us! Quickly, take cover!"
The situation was utter chaos.
"Ezio! Where are you going!?"
I turned around because I suddenly heard my name being called. I saw a woman with short black hair tied in a ponytail approaching while carrying a rifle that looked slightly different from the others.
"Marcela, I want to go up the wall to find out what's happening!" I answered her. "Have you seen the other Squad members?"
"Not at all," she replied, shaking her head. "Where is Stefano? Weren't you with him just now?"
Hearing her question made my heart feel very heavy. I didn't want to discuss my comrade's death right now; there was something more important to be done.
"He died from the impact of a giant stone block," I answered briefly. "We'd better hurry and move to the top of the wall. You'll be more free to use your abilities there, won't you?"
"Y-yes, you're right! Let's go!" She answered haltingly. It seemed Stefano's death had shocked her as well.
The two of us began to run toward a set of stairs leading to an archer tower atop the city wall. As we climbed, the wall suddenly vibrated violently, nearly causing Marcela and me to fall. Up here, Gunners—the officers responsible for operating the cannons—were busy loading the cannons with round shot.
"Aim!" shouted one of the officers, signaling to prepare to fire.
Glancing forward, I saw the same giant stone monsters as yesterday lifting massive boulders. It seemed they were the ones conducting the bombardment that had destroyed several city buildings.
"Fire!"
— BOO--BOO-- BOOM...! BOOM...!
Several cannon shots streaked toward the giant stone monsters. However, none of our cannon fire could reach its target at all. All the giant stone monsters were outside the cannons' firing range!
"Prepare yourselves! Their attack is coming again!" one of the soldiers cried.
All the giant stone monsters threw massive boulders toward us. Marcela and I immediately ducked, taking cover behind the wall.
— SWOOOSSSHH!
Several boulders passed right over us and crashed into city buildings. Some also struck the wall, causing the place to vibrate violently from the heavy impact.
"Marcela! You're a Sniper, aren't you? Can you shoot the mages behind those giant stone monsters to stop their attack!?" I pleaded with my Squad mate.
"Alright, let's see," Marcela said as she stood to look at the giant stone monsters. "Hmmm... roughly a thousand meters, is it? I think it will be quite difficult to hit them, Ezio."
"You have to hit them! If not, the monsters' attacks will destroy the city buildings and increase the casualties even before the battle truly begins!"
Hearing my prodding, Marcela fell silent and surveyed her surroundings. She then began running toward the tower. I followed behind her. We both climbed to the top of the tower.
Marcela began to aim at the mages behind the giant stone monsters. She took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly.
5 seconds...
10 seconds...
Marcela still hadn't pulled the trigger of the rifle she held. The giant stone monsters appeared ready to launch another attack.
"Marcela, those giant stone monsters are going to—"
"Be quiet, Ezio." Before I could finish my sentence, Marcela suddenly cut me off in a cold voice. "I am concentrating. Observe and witness the beauty of this shot."
I nodded, but my heart was thumping wildly as the monsters threw the boulders toward us.
— Bang!
Suddenly, Marcela pulled the trigger. The city wall vibrated from the impact of the boulder thrown by the monster. However, I saw one of the ten monsters suddenly crumble and fall to the ground.
"Headshot. Target neutralized..." Marcela muttered.
"You can kill a mage from this far away! Your shooting skills truly are the best, Marcela!" I praised her.
Marcela only smiled and then cocked her rifle to eject the spent shell. She then loaded a new bullet and began aiming at the mages again.
— Bang!
Again, Marcela managed to shoot one of the mages without missing a single time. She continued firing until she had taken down four mages, leaving only six of the giant stone monsters remaining.
"Marcela, those stones are heading this way! It seems they've discovered your position!" I shouted to warn her. "Quickly, we have to move before those stones hit us!"
However, Marcela did not respond to my warning and remained focused on aiming at the mages. The stones were plunging down toward us. If we didn't move now, we would surely be crushed by one of those rocks! Thinking of that, I immediately moved and scooped Marcela up to carry her away.
"Ah! What are you doing, Ezio! I had already locked onto his head!" Marcela said, sounding annoyed.
I ignored her and leaped from the tower.
— BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A loud noise echoed as the stones struck the tower we had occupied. The tower cracked at the front, then buckled and crashed to the ground. I landed smoothly, carrying Marcela in my arms. She stepped down and gave me an annoyed look.
"What? I saved both our lives!" I said to her.
She didn't respond and only gave me a sour expression while aiming back toward the mages.
"Huh? Something is strange," Marcela said. "The giant stone monsters are now holding barrels in their hands."
It was true. What exactly were they going to do with those barrels? I thought it impossible for barrels made of wood to destroy buildings or the fortress walls of this city. The giant stone monsters then threw the barrels they held, sending them flying toward us.
Looking up, I watched the five barrels fly high until they reached the middle of the Fortress City of Regium. The barrels then began to fall from the air. Suddenly, however, they all shattered to reveal five humans who were biting their respective wrists.
"I shall show you lowly Non-Sorcerers our greatness—the greatness of mages!" one of them shouted. "Gigante del Toro!"
"Gigante del Toro!"
"Gigante del Toro!"
After they shouted that, yellow lightning suddenly struck the five of them. A deafening noise rang out. However, the next sight I saw made my eyes widen in disbelief. The five people had suddenly transformed into giant beasts!
A Dog, a Bear, a Bull, a Tiger, and a Gorilla. They all landed in the center of the city, making the ground shake and destroying the buildings around their landing site.
— ROOAARRRRR!
The five giant monsters roared so loudly they created a shockwave I could feel even from this distance!
"Good heavens, Ezio... exactly what are we facing this time?" Marcela muttered, sounding both amazed and terrified at the sight of the five monsters.
I only then realized—all the stone attacks earlier were merely an opening to clear the landing site of our troops for these five monsters.
"I don't know, Marcela. What's certain is that this fight has only just begun."