Before long, every unit had taken its assigned position.
When everything was ready, Bernard raised his hand.
A massive fireball spell was launched toward the mouth of the cave.
Not as an attack—
but as a signal.
And as provocation.
BOOM!
The explosion thundered through the forest, dust and smoke billowing into the air.
Moments after the sound faded, a low, rumbling roar echoed out—
followed by countless, thunderous footsteps.
"First unit, prepare!"
Everyone tightened their grip on their weapons, waiting for Dorian's command.
Ryn could immediately feel the fear spreading through every breath of those around him.
Even Goran.
Sweat beaded on the foreheads of soldiers and mages alike.
No one dared move without orders.
Then they emerged from the cave—
Calami.
Far more than there should have been.
Everyone waited.
But no command came.
They drew closer.
Too close—already within striking distance.
Yet from the rear…
There was only silence.
In that instant, Ryn understood.
Dorian was going to let the vanguard—
including Ryn himself—
die here.
A heavy weight crushed Ryn's chest.
Guilt surged through him.
He knew… he was one of the reasons this was happening.
But there was no time to think.
Ryn made his decision.
A defensive spell burst forth, spreading outward and enveloping everyone on the front line.
Gasps erupted around him, but there was no time for questions.
"Protect the mages,"
Ryn told Goran, before stepping forward alone.
That sight snapped everyone back to their senses.
The frontline soldiers moved with him, weapons clenched, feet advancing.
And then—
The battle began.
Ryn was the first to charge.
The massive sword in his hands swung with fluid precision.
Slash!
The first Calami was cleaved cleanly in two.
At once, every soldier surged forward, weapons flailing in a frenzy.
The clash of steel against flesh, the guttural roars, and the screams of the dying filled the air.
The female mages retreated and regrouped, then unleashed a relentless barrage of spells into the Calami swarm.
Goran did exactly as Ryn had told him—
cutting down any Calami that broke through toward the mage line before they could reach the casters.
At last, the battlefield…
was engulfed in fire.
The fight raged on.
Though the human forces were vastly outnumbered, they were clearly gaining the upper hand.
Morale soared as everyone witnessed the small-framed man wielding a sword far too large for his body, cutting down Calami as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The soldiers charged with reckless ferocity—
no hesitation, no fear.
The front line grew even more energized by the sight.
Meanwhile, Dorian stood watching from the rear, surrounded by twenty female mages.
Alize took one look at his expression and understood immediately.
Dorian wasn't pleased that the battle was turning in their favor.
He was irritated.
Irritated that Ryn still wasn't dead.
And because of that, he still hadn't given the order for the left and right wings to launch their planned assault.
Seeing her chance, Alize casually struck up a conversation with the other mages.
"Look at that,"
she said lightly, pointing toward the front line.
"That little guy… he's incredibly strong, isn't he?"
"Yeah, yeah,"
another nodded.
"Come to think of it, he's kind of cool too. Small body, huge sword—and strong on top of that."
"I think I'm starting to like him already~"
The conversation drifted into typical teenage-girl chatter, giggles breaking out here and there.
A vein twitched at Dorian's temple.
"That is what you call strong?"
he cut in with a harsh tone.
"I could do the same—better than what that brat is doing."
Alize glanced at him, then smiled faintly, deliberately.
"If you truly can,"
she said sweetly,
"I'd love to see it."
She paused, then added the final line.
"It would surely be an image I'd remember for the rest of my life."
Those words…
were like oil poured onto a blazing fire.
The anger, hatred, and jealousy boiling inside Dorian exploded all at once.
He yanked himself off his horse.
"Fine!"
Dorian shouted.
"I'll show you all just how much better I am than that little runt!"
He drew his sword and raised it high over his head, pointing it toward the sky like a legendary hero—
forgetting that this was a real battlefield, not a stage for grandstanding.
"Charge!"
He roared at the top of his lungs, then sprinted straight toward the front lines.
Leaving everyone behind staring—
half in shock, half in utter confusion…
wondering what on earth he had just done.