Chapter 559: Steel And Courage
“An urgent deployment, huh? Have the native creatures of the Thunderfall World breached our defense?” Sein mumbled to himself, gazing westward amidst the thunderclouds.
At that moment, Sein’s skin crackled with electricity. He could feel the thunder energy on its surface, strengthening his muscles.
The urgent order meant that Sein could no longer continue his experiment.
He swiftly descended from the sky, returned to the magic tower for quick preparations, and then flew to the designated area west of the fortress to assemble.
The Thunder Marsh camp housed many knights; although a rear camp, it was bustling due to the presence of numerous wounded and served as a communication hub between the two war zones.
Therefore, the knights here totaled three thousand.
The number of knights that gathered in the designated area west of the fortress far exceeded three thousand, estimated soon to reach five thousand.
This surge was due to the emergency order, which had explicitly requested that all but the seriously injured prepare for battle, including those with minor injuries.
In addition to the knight troops, legions of enslaved creatures driven by the powerful knights were also converging to the west of the fortress, their numbers quickly swelling to tens of thousands.
The slave creatures of Magus World had always been considered expendable cannon fodder in interplanar wars.
Hence, the total number of enslaved creatures often outnumbered the Magus World’s knights and mages by a ratio of 10:1.
During the Viridian Venom Flame World war, several divine towers had contributed over two million enslaved creatures to the conflict.
Without such a vast number of expendable forces at the front, casualties among Magus World’s knights and mages during the interplanar wars would have certainly been much higher.
The Thunder Marsh camp had many knights and enslaved creatures, yet the number of mages was notably small.
When Sein arrived at the designated assembly point, he observed that there were no more than fifty mages like himself.
This scarcity of spellcasters was not limited to the Thunder Marsh camp but was apparent across the entire Thunderfall World battlefield.
During the Viridian Venom Flame World war, where divine towers were involved, battles of a slightly bigger scale featured war airships, prism forts, and extensive long-range magic support from the skies—sometimes even supplemented by artillery fire from space fortresses.
Here, Sein saw nothing but a densely packed legion of enslaved creatures and ferocious-looking knights.
The Thunder Marsh camp did have its magic towers on the periphery, which could be a formidable force when properly utilized.
The current situation indicated that the Order of the Steel Fist was not inclined to take a passive stance.
By gathering all their forces to the west of the camp, it was clear that the order was ready to confront the incoming legions of the Thunderfall World’s native creatures directly.
The knights of Magus World typically favored a strategy of relentless assault. They viewed taking a defensive stance and waiting for battles behind the safety of a fort as a sign of weakness.
Jeremy came over to Sein and quietly said, “Stay close to me on the battlefield later. We can watch each other’s backs.”
Although Jeremy had previously sustained minor injuries, he was now fully armored in light green that perfectly covered up his wounds.
Sein nodded in acknowledgment. Noticing the absence of Julius and Sampson, he asked about their whereabouts.
“They have another mission. The marsh to the east of the camp can’t be left unguarded,” Jeremy explained.
While Sein and Jeremy were talking, a new battle order was issued.
A knight in blue armor soared into the air, his surging battle qi manifesting as a pair of exquisitely large feathered wings behind him.
“Brothers, we’ve just received news that a legion of the Thunderfall World’s native creatures, numbering close to a hundred thousand have crossed the main battlefield of Thunder Plains and are approaching us here,” the knight announced.
"The main fortress has given us the order to intercept and annihilate them! Do we have the confidence?!” the Rank Three Sky Knight asked.
“HAAAAH!!!” The deep, resonant response echoed from thousands of knights.
Their battle cry resonated through the tens of thousands of enslaved creatures. Although they were cannon fodder for the Magus World Army, the ferocious roars of the knights also left them intimidated.
After all, the formidable presence of the Magus World knights and mages had firmly taken root in the hearts of these otherworldly slaves.
Stimulated by the fervent bellows of the knights, Sein felt a surge of resolve.
“No knightly orders were involved in the Viridian Venom Flame World war due to the faction’s interest in that low-level plane. It was fought by the united forces of four divine towers. This war in Thunderfall World, however, is an interplanar conflict led by the knightly orders. Just how powerful is Magus World?”
As the battle commenced and they charged westward, Sein, flying at low altitude, could not help but sigh in amazement as he surveyed the diverse forms of enslaved creatures around him.
***
The Order of the Steel Fist—perhaps influenced by the word “steel” in their name—the knights steeled themselves before charging into the battle.
This urgently assembled legion of knights finally clashed with the legions of Thunderfall World’s native creatures on the western outskirts of Thunder Marsh.
Strictly speaking, the battlefield lay beyond the marsh itself. Instead of a muddy, wet marsh, it was a flat, low plain that stretched as far as the eye could see.
There were no pre-war rituals or exchanges between emissaries of the warring sides.
As soon as the two forces came into view of each other, a fierce battle erupted, heralded by the echoing roars of the knights!
The knights of Magus World immediately took the initiative, charging forward with vigor.
Although the legion of enslaved creatures was initially at the frontlines, the swifter knights quickly surpassed these slow-moving cannon fodder.
For many knights experienced in interplanar warfare, the virtue of “courage” was paramount on the battlefield.
The braver they were, the less likely they were to be injured.
Conversely, those who hesitated or overthought their actions often found themselves in peril.
Of course, their bravery would also be fairly awarded at the end of the war.
Hence, there were no cowards among the knights.
After all, only the truly strong could thrive within the knightly orders.
As a spellcaster, Sein did not need to fight on the frontline like these knights.
His mastery of elemental spells allowed him to deliver devastating blows to the enemy even from thousands of meters away.
Given that the opposing forces on the plains numbered nearly one hundred thousand, Sein’s long-range magic could inflict massive casualties, even if he fought with his eyes closed.