In the lands of Viscount Hoffman, the young commander of the Empire's Third Legion — the sixth-rank titled knight Gaspar Vele — stood upon the hill, gazing disdainfully at the distant tide of beastman soldiers charging toward him.
As a scion of the royal house of the "Kingdom of Valor" Vele, Gaspar possessed valor far surpassing that of ordinary men. Every ounce of his current status and glory had been earned through blood and battle.
Because of that, he understood better than anyone what kind of creatures the beastmen were — pitiful things who could only rely on numbers to make up for their lack of true strength.
Of course, as a veteran knight who had lived nearly a century, Gaspar would never be so foolish as to underestimate his enemies. He was not like his ancestor — that reckless madman who once led a small force straight into the beastmen's heartlands.
To deal with the beastmen this time, Gaspar had done everything by the book the moment he arrived.
He despised his enemy strategically — but respected them tactically.
"Archers, ready! Shield bearers, raise shields! Spearmen, brace!"
Gaspar shouted his orders. The ground he had chosen was a small rise overlooking the field, and he had diverted the waters of the Mandrake River to flood the slope below, turning the terrain into a deep mire.
Against the beastmen's famed cavalry charges, this was the most advantageous battleground he could hope for.
"Loose!"
Gaspar roared. The enemy vanguard had just entered arrow range. Their mounts slowed by the swampy ground — this was the perfect moment to strike.
Thousands of arrows hissed through the air.
Caught in the bog, the beastmen fell in droves — pierced, trampled, and drowned.
But then, a clear, youthful female voice echoed across the field:
[Advanced War Magic: Immovable as the Mountain]
At once, earthy-yellow spectral forms shimmered into being around every beastman cavalryman. Those phantoms linked together, and in the next instant, an enormous phantom mountain loomed faintly over the entire army.
The next volley of arrows struck harmlessly against that spectral bulwark and fell to the mud.
Before the stunned humans could react, the same young voice rang out again—
[Advanced War Magic: Aggression as Fire]
In an instant, the hooves of the beastmen's mounts burst into flame. The fire devoured everything it touched — even the swampy ground beneath them hissed and smoked under the searing heat.
But that was only the beginning.
Those low-ranked cavalrymen — second or third tier at best — began to float, their mounts galloping half a foot above the ground as though they were running on solid earth. Their charge did not falter — it accelerated.
"War magic?! The Bloodhowl Fang? She dares to come here herself?"
Gaspar's eyes widened.
In all their intelligence reports, it was assumed that Nikki, one of the Seven Kings, would never personally step into human lands.
After all, the entire Aera Court had only one Demon King — her. If she fell in battle here, her entire kingdom would be thrown into chaos.
Thus, her non-participation had long been an unspoken agreement between both sides.
But what they didn't know was that Nikki had not come to hunt the awakened angel — she had come for the Death Witch hiding within the Heim domain.
"Magus corps, prepare! First volley, target the enemy's central command!"
Gaspar shouted. If Nikki herself was here, then the only way to continue this battle was to eliminate her as quickly as possible. Otherwise—
[Advanced War Magic: Fog of War]
Nikki stretched out a finger toward the human army atop the slope.
A thick, unnatural mist erupted across the battlefield, swallowing the entire human formation.
To the beastmen, the mist was transparent — they could see everything within it clearly.
To the humans, however, it was absolute darkness.
The mages, robbed of sight, began firing their spells blindly. Many lost their sense of direction altogether — their attacks slammed into their own comrades.
In moments, the human army dissolved into chaos.
"Heh… this is the strength of humans? Pathetic little insects."
Nikki smirked coldly as she watched the disarray from afar.
Though among the Seven Kings and Seven Calamities she was often mocked as the weakest — the "Disgrace of the Seven Kings,"
though she had foolishly tried to train both magic and martial arts, wasting centuries —
— in war, she feared no one.
For she was the War Witch,
and her strength was not her own body — but the unstoppable armies that marched under her will.
[Advanced War Magic: Battle Cry of Zeal]
[Advanced War Magic: Song of the Ancestors]
Two more waves of blinding light swept across the battlefield.
The vanguard roared like beasts possessed — blood surging, eyes burning with frenzy.
In an instant, they crashed into the human lines, tearing apart the defensive formation like paper.
At the same time, the beastmen's fifth- and sixth-rank champions charged forward — their goal: the enemy's elites.
Even though the lower ranks had gained the advantage, true victory would only come if they triumphed in the duel of the strong.
Otherwise, the flying knights and spellcasters above would turn the tide in moments.
"Old man! You and the others go too — we need to finish this quickly!"
Nikki shouted toward a grey-haired wolf-beastman nearby — her third uncle, and the current ruler of the Aera Court.
Though a king in title, he had always been overshadowed by Nikki, the Demon King of Aera.
He said nothing — just nodded grimly, signaling to several other high-ranked warriors before leaping into the fray.
Meanwhile, on the human side — battered by Nikki's relentless magic — Gaspar barked his orders:
"Pull back! All units, defensive formation!"
The army began to tighten ranks, shields interlocking, the line bending but not yet breaking.
Gaspar himself rode forward, leading his strongest knights straight toward the beastmen champions.
Their mission was not victory — but delay. To buy time.
And so, the battle of the strong began —
for in this war, the outcome of the sky above would decide the fate of all below.
"Everyone—follow me! Charge!"
Gaspar roared, spear leveled, and thundered headlong into the storm.