Even from where he was standing, Nero felt the ground shake when the Calamity Phoenix crashed into the ground. That was immediately followed by a strong gust of wind that caused all the windows in the watchtower to shake, almost as if they would be shattered. Dirt, rocks, rubble and body parts of countless beings rained down from the sky, falling out of the massive dust cloud that had shot up as a result.
The fight was no longer visible, at least for now, but Nero was not disappointed. Being able to see even a fraction of a Sage’s true power felt incredible. Sage Triss Berg was a very big deal in Kolar. Although she could not be equated to Sage Kade, who was the Chief of Army, she was still a household name as the leader of the Felix corp.
The Felix corp, which was responsible for domestic security and management, which included security of the cities, the roads, the train tracks, and everything else that was required for society to function, was the backbone of Kolar. One could not exactly say it was more important than the other two corps, but it was the largest corps, and the one that interacted with the citizens the most.
As the leader of it, Sage Triss was naturally a complete and total badass, hence the incredible nickname. Though, to be fair, there was hardly a Sage alive who had not earned an incredible and awe inspiring moniker.
"Sage Triss is one of the people gifted with the incredible rare, physical alteration innate ability. It is an active innate ability which allows her to change into the legendary Phoenix, a majestic creature known for its incredible healing powers, bordering on the ability of coming back to life from the brink of death," James continued to explain.
"She naturally exhibited the same qualities, healing from wounds that would kill anyone else. To top it off, she paired her innate ability with the profession of Agha, giving her a nigh indestructible body. Even other Sages struggle to harm her, but the worst is that as soon as she is harmed, her innate ability allows her to instantly heal.
"She is an indestructible force of nature, unyielding and uncompromising. That is why she is called the Calamity Phoenix - alongside the fact that wherever she fights, she leaves the battlefield as if a calamity has struck there. You will shortly be able to witness that for yourself."
There was another screech, and suddenly a gust of wind cut through the dust cloud as an invisible force cut through the ground, destroying every cursed creature in its path. The dust cleared, but the Calamity Phoenix was already gone, striking different areas of the battlefield faster than any of them could see.
The others struggled to follow the Sage, but Nero’s eyes suddenly locked onto a specific corner of the battlefield. Nero’s eyesight was already improved, but he used Keen Insight to get whatever little boost he could, and observed even closer.
From a Sage, Nero expected nothing less than the absolute best. But out there, in the middle of the battlefield, Nero saw something he found even more captivating than a Sage so powerful he could not really follow her. He saw Corporal Thomas!
The man was standing with his team, all of whom were surrounding a couple of researchers who seemed to be conducting some kind of test, right there in the middle of the battlefield. But while the entire team had surrounded the researchers, the bulk of the burden of the attacking monsters fell onto Thomas.
He was a single man fighting multiple creatures all at once, yet on his face Nero saw not an ounce of concern or solemnity. He wore the same, neutral expression he always did, and each and every one of his movements was completely relaxed.
Even Nero had fought numerous enemies at once, which is why he knew that to maintain an edge in such a fight, one had to preempt the movements of the enemy, and to an extent, move faster and with greater strength than the enemies themselves.
Timing had to be precise, and the faster one acted the more time he would have to react to other enemies. But Thomas, with his steady, deliberate movements seemed to be breaking that rule.
It was not as if he was reacting to his enemies, instead they were falling into his rhythm, attacking exactly where he wanted them to attack, striking when he wanted, and dying exactly as he wished them to.
In the chaos of the battlefield, his calm and calculated actions forced some semblance of order on the world around him. Nero had no idea if this was just pure skill, or perhaps the effect of some kind of esoteric innate ability or card. Yet as he watched the Corporal unleash absolute carnage with every single one of his movements, Nero felt his blood boil.
The Sage was too far from Nero, he could not even begin to learn something from her if he wished. But from Corporal Thomas, from the way his teammates knew exactly how to coordinate with him, from how held an entire tide of monsters at bay without seemingly feeling any pressure, Nero could learn a lot.
With eyes burning passion and greed, Nero took in everything he saw. But, as much as he was inspired by Thomas, he did not limit himself to watching just one man. No, he watched the entire Fordham Battalion.
He saw a rain of arrows cut down monsters, ignoring the soldiers on the ground. He saw the earth tear asunder, he saw lightning flash, and fires explode. He saw carnage, and he saw an orchestrated order.
He saw the curses of this world attack with wild ferocity, and he saw the curses break themselves on the shield of Kolar, and cut down with the swords of the soldiers.
Nero saw from deep within the darkness of the forest, an enormous monstrosity rise, its flesh reeking bloodlust and venomous greed, and he saw the Sage clash with it - briefly.
Outside the walls, it was as if the end of the world had arrived, yet within them there was absolute peace. In fact, there were entire reserves of soldiers who had not been deployed yet. Even Lieutenant Earl had not started to fight yet, and remained standing on the wall itself, one by one passing orders.
Among the roaring, raging bedlam of battle, Nero even felt like he could hear someone singing, vaguely making out the single word, ’March’.
In front of such a heated scene, how could Nero remain calm and collected? He could not. This was the very thing that they fought against to maintain the right of survival - or rather, the privilege of survival. Sure, this specific battle may be a little more intense than what was usual. But the complete calm maintained by all soldiers even upon seeing such a scene, or at least lack of fear, told a story of many such battles fought.
Slowly, the time passed by, and as the sky began to darken, James indicated that they should retreat now.
"I hope this little scene allowed you to see for yourselves that you are not the only ones facing peril," the scientist amicably said. "While you young Neophytes fight within the other dimension, all these young and brave soldiers fight out here to keep you safe."
For once, Nero had to admit that the scientist said something that made sense.
"Sir, since you know my mother, do you also know my father?" Nero asked, deviating from the ongoing conversation.
James gave him an unusual look, the meaning of which Nero couldn’t exactly decipher.
"I’ve not had the privilege of meeting him myself, but I indeed have heard of the young man who married the lioness of the Soren family."
Nero smiled, as if proud of his father.
"Before my father dropped me off here, he gave me a piece of very important advice. He told me to be more friendly, offend less people, and try to get along with my superiors a little more. It’s a lot harder than I imagined, but I’m trying."
Nero held out his hand, as if to shake the lieutenants. Strictly speaking, such an act was against protocol and was highly inappropriate, but it seemed neither one of them cared at that moment.
Like a friendly old man, James extended his hand and shook Nero’s, as if he was humouring Nero. Yet the handshake did not exactly end when it should have, for Nero did not let go. Instead, he maintained eye contact with the old man and continued to speak.
"Of course, while I try to listen to my father, my mom really just does whatever she wants. So if she hears about an old man trying to touch me and peek at things he shouldn’t be peeking at, I can’t exactly predict how she’d react."
The threat was very clear and evident, even though Nero’s tone was quite friendly. Yet instead of being offended, James smiled, and after a few moments, started laughing.
"Young man, it’s a tragedy that my great-granddaughter is a little too old for you, or else I might try to act as a matchmaker for you two. Anyway, I apologise for getting ahead of myself. I should not have peeked without permission. Worry not, I have no desire to offend your mother or father. Our relationship will be strictly professional."
The old man had none of the bearing of someone of his rank. Then again, he was going with the whole friendly-old-man persona as far as Nero could tell, so it would be a little strange if he suddenly acted a little differently.
The conversation ended there, and Nero departed, Vanessa’s eyes following him.