Chapter 1189 – #281_Total War (4)
#1183
1.
The desert, once filled with peace, was now engulfed in the storm of war.
The battle lines, jagged and zigzagged from the initial clash, were locked in a tense push and pull.
-Clank! Clank!
The Dragon Tooth Legion, formed by the summoning squad, built a defensive formation to face the fluttering Paper Cavalry. Despite their appearance of being blown away by a mere breeze, the Paper Cavalry broke through the straight-lined formation with swift and powerful force.
-Crack! Crack!
The Paper Cavalry, breaking shields with their hooves and dangling Dragon Tooth soldiers from their long spear tips, looked up at the sky, bruised with a myriad of colors, so different from their original hue.
-Kyaooooh!!!
At that moment, a rain of fire poured down upon the Paper Cavalry. The Dragon Knights, who had been circling the sky like angels of death, unleashed long streams of fire that cut through the center of the cavalry.
The Paper Cavalry, which had been boasting their unparalleled might as they broke through the defensive line, were burned to ashes by the fiery breath that descended from the sky, leaving not even a trace behind.
The Dragon Tooth soldiers in the rear ranks filled the gap in the momentarily shaken battle line, rebuilding the formation and confronting the monster legion that showed no signs of diminishing.
However, even the Dragon Knights, who were unleashing high-powered bombardments like gunships, were not entirely safe.
-Clack! Clack!
Puppets, broken and damaged in various places, swarmed the Dragon Knights who had lowered their altitude for bombing, and soon the Dragon Knights were smashed into the ground like dragonflies caught in an ant swarm.
Explosions, shattering sounds, the noises of bones or metal being crushed, broken, and melted echoed from all directions.
A hellscape where not only humans but even most witches would struggle to survive if they recklessly intervened. The area where the two servant armies clashed had already become a giant grinder.
However, to some, it was just a petty squabble. For example, a witch who could single-handedly jump into the front lines and turn the tide of the war if she so desired.
‘Time Witch’ Ellara Chronos, the commander of the Eastern Legion, who was standing beside Orselia, pushed up her glasses and reported.
“So far, 18% loss of the vanguard forces made up of familiars. Those goody-two-shoes are quite clever.”
“It’s a natural idea for a witch.”
Again, the witches’ front line was vast compared to their numbers.
So vast that it far exceeded the range of an individual’s perception.
Nevertheless, it was not difficult to observe the entire battlefield.
Clairvoyance was a basic skill that didn’t even qualify as a magnetic magic.
Both Orselia and Ellara could survey the battlefield at a glance, like chess players, if they so wished.
“You haven’t lost interest now, have you?”
Ellara frowned.
This was because Orselia was curled up on the chair, taking on some bizarre yoga-like pose.
It was hard to see it as a sign of great interest in the war that had begun with a preliminary skirmish.
Orselia pursued only two things.
Gastronomy and entertainment.
However, she was as quick to get bored as she was to have unpredictable desires and actions, and once she was bored, she would abandon even the things she had been working hard on without any regrets.
“Of course not. I know it too. There’s a proper order to the course, and right now, the whole meal is in full swing.”
“…Then do it properly. You’re the one who took the lead.”
Unlike Orselia, who had joined Hexennacht solely out of interest and pleasure, Ellara was quite serious about this war.
She believed that if they treated humans as carelessly as they did in the current Gehenna, the day would come when witches would be ruled by humans, so she was earnestly seeking victory with a sense of mission.
“I’m hungry… I’m hungry…”
From that perspective, Orselia’s whining was enough to make her blood boil.
“Hey!”
As soon as she grabbed Orselia’s shoulder, who was wriggling as if burrowing into the chair…
-Crack!
With a chilling sound, Ellara’s finger was almost cut off.
Orselia’s shoulder split open, and a grotesque mouth with jagged teeth appeared, trying to bite her hand.
“You, you little…”
Orselia, who had raised her head, was drooling like a patient with withdrawal symptoms.
Her white eyes, with a faint, spinning glow, were filled with a compulsive hunger.
“It’s painful to watch. There are so many banquets laid out, but the main course is still a long way off… I heard that Duke Tiferet is also on the front lines? Would she be delicious? The newly inherited Deep Sea Witch was your responsibility, wasn’t she? I don’t care about the stigma, but could you do something about her body? Shin Siwoo, ah, Shin Siwoo is also indispensable… The only male witch! I want to eat them all… I want to rush out right now… What should I do?”
She was out of her mind.
Orselia, who usually wore the guise of an unusually refined young lady, was rambling as if she was cornered.
“I knew it, but you’re disgustingly unpleasant.”
However, Orselia’s hunger and desire were directly linked to her strength.
It could be considered an inescapable attribute, as it had been intertwined with magnetic magic for over a thousand years.
She seemed to be barely maintaining her sanity, so it was unlikely that she would ruin the war itself.
“Just pick up anything and eat it. There’s plenty to eat, isn’t there? We even brought a chef to this mess.”
“That’s blasphemous! Ellara! Do you even know when food is at its most delicious? This hunger and waiting are the heavenly seasoning…”
“I don’t want to listen to your gastronomy theory. It’s basically ‘hunger is the best sauce,’ right? So, what are you going to do?”
Ellara cut her off, not wanting to listen carefully.
Orselia pouted as if she was offended, but soon regained her composure and wiped her drool.
“I think it’s about time to pick up the tempo, don’t you think? Right?”
Currently, Hexennacht had a simple advantage in terms of military power.
Furthermore, the entire army was enhanced with high-performance artifacts prepared overnight by the Green Witch, Verda, and there was also Blanche, a trump card that was planned to be deployed in case of emergency.
This meant that they had the initiative, and they had more opportunities to make up for mistakes and play their trump cards than their opponents.
While the war of familiars continued in the center of the battlefield, the Gehenna Right Wing Defense Force spread out like wings.
The commander was R’lyeh Nukelavi, the newly inherited Deep Sea Witch.
The Right Wing Defense Force, which would be facing Hexennacht’s ‘Eastern Legion,’ was weaker in terms of military power than other areas, whether intentionally or not.
This meant that there was enough room to probe.
“Ellara, lead the Eastern Legion and teach the Deep Sea Witch a lesson.”
2.
R’lyeh stood tall on the highest sand dune, with her arms crossed.
Her navy blue eyes took in the flames and the aftermath of magic that were rising in the distance.
“Lady Nukelavi, the vanguard of the enemy’s Eastern Legion is advancing.”
“Hmm, I can see it too.”
Compared to the Left Wing Force, which was almost attached to the Central Army, the Gehenna Right Wing Force, which was deployed far away, had a defined role.
With a lower military strength ratio, it was impossible to deploy equal forces on all fronts.
If they did, they would have to succeed in the miracle of enduring inferiority on all fronts to win the war.
Therefore, the Right Wing Force was an intentionally exposed weakness, a kind of bait.
They deployed a force that appeared relatively smaller than other fronts.
A force that was appetizing enough for Hexennacht to invest a little more and swallow it in one go.
Even in a witch’s war, if one front collapsed, it would be very, very disadvantageous, following the most basic principle of war.
The more the confrontation was tense on other fronts, the stronger Hexennacht’s desire to dig into the weak spot would be.
“What about the main forces?”
“It seems to be the ‘Time Witch,’ the commander of the Eastern Legion, along with the Parpa Unit, the El Special Forces, and the Hexennacht’s dispute mediators.”
They were gathered under the banner of Qliphoth, but they were still public enemies with a strong sense of self-preservation.
Just as Gehenna had organized its allied forces on a ‘society’ basis, they too had not completely integrated into the legion and maintained the outlines of their existing forces.
The Parpa Unit was a notorious cartel of public enemies that had once dominated the South African region.
The El Special Forces were a group of exiles centered around the ‘Light Witch,’ who had made location points a headache.
The dispute mediators were the judges of the dispute resolution organization, which was established after the founding of Hexennacht to punish citizens who had caused trouble in the city.
Unlike the Gehenna Right Wing formation, which was made up only of witches, they were marching with a force of familiars separated from the Central Army.
With the commander of the Eastern Legion directly on the front lines, it was clear that they intended to have a proper fight.
“Hoo, they’ve drawn a rather sharp sword.”
Unlike R’lyeh, who was as calm as the deep sea, the other witches were stiff with tension.
Just looking at the numbers of witches against witches, they were at a disadvantage of 1 to 1.4.
In a good sense, it meant that they had successfully ‘lured’ them, but conversely, it meant that they were facing that much danger.
It was a dangerous role, and the people who had volunteered to participate were naturally intimidated by the approaching threat.
“Sigh…”
R’lyeh took a deep breath.
“Attention, everyone!!!!”
She drew the attention of the entire Right Wing Defense Force with her booming voice.
The witches who were trembling at their fingertips, the witches who were swallowing their saliva, and the witches who were holding back their tears all turned their gaze to R’lyeh.
“I know of a naval admiral who defeated his enemies despite being at a disadvantage! He said that if you are willing to die, you will live! If you want to live, you will die! What a wonderful golden saying!”
One of the roles given to a leader who leads a group is to boost morale.
R’lyeh fluttered her white cloak in the wind, revealing a glimpse of her true queenly nature.
“I want to live!”
A moment of silence passed.
“…Didn’t you say that if you want to live, you will die…?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
This was because R’lyeh’s speech, which had begun with a solemn atmosphere, had gone a bit awry.
However, R’lyeh continued without caring.
“Therefore, all enemies who oppose me will die.”
It was interpreted differently from the original meaning, but the important thing was the atmosphere.
The Gehenna witches, moved by R’lyeh, who was not at all intimidated by the approaching army and was saying something cool, shouted.
“For Gehenna!”
“Long live the Deep Sea Witch!”
“Prepare for battle!!!!!”
“She says to prepare for battle!!!”
“We will obey the order!!!”
R’lyeh’s nostrils, having fulfilled her lifelong wish, flared slightly.
