"A total of 3 thousand Inquisitors, 5 thousand Paladins, 2 thousand Nuns, and 75 thousand believers with combat training are ready for your orders, sir!"
A man wearing a long white robe with a sigil of the Crimson Moon Church on his back bowed down deeply to the man sitting down on an arm chair, overlooking the seas. The man on the arm chair wore a silver armor embryoid with gold linings, beside him was a sword that was two and a half meters in length, a zweihander like sword.
"Tell Jerone to take control of the rank. He'll know what to do."
"Right away, Cardinal John!" The man in the white robe soon exited the room as Cardinal John continued to stare out to the sea.
More specifically, he was taking a glance at the ships that were leaving from the port as well as those ships who were just floating at the ocean, as if they were waiting for something.
Waiting for something indeed.
After all, this is the third minor war in the continent this year, those bastards will see this as the opportunity to loot whatever they can while we're focused on the incoming invaders. Cardinal John let out a sigh.
Feeling the blood pressure rise in his vein, he softly shook his head and leaned back down to the chair.
He grabbed a tea cup and took a sip while he continued thinking.
Jerone will be the strategist for this war, he'll do a much better job than i will. If we're lucky, Kasaya might've already prepared the barrier to protect the inner city...
Looking out of the window again, he saw one of the ships leave and he let out a chuckle.
Looks like one got cold feet. Others should soon follow. Anyway, Lianne will be tending to the wounded and Ahmo will be second in command after Jerone. I've already sent a few couriers to deliver the news to the capital so reinforcements should come in a day or two. If we can hold out....
He remembered the big players in this war that bumped their chances of winning higher.
Jerone, who abandoned his surname after being baptised and became a Paladin Cardinal at the ripe age of 34 years old. He was also a Bounded Rank Internal Aura practitioner with enough achievements for him to become someone influential within the church but he abandoned them all and instead promised to forever serve the church his entire life. Due to his achievements, he became known as the Dim Golden Moon.
Kasaya Imrahiel, a prodigy, a genius of the Theoretical Magic Affinity system. At the age of 20, she became an Expert Class Theoretical Magic Affinity User in the Shamanism Path, upon reaching 30, she became an Expert Class in both the Mage Path and the Magician Path as well as becoming a High Priestess. Due to her potent combat abilities as well as her proficiency in the arts of torture, she came to be known as the Bloodied Crescent Moon.
Lianne Arthurias, a High Priestess and known prodigy in the Theoretical Magic Affinity. If Kasaya was someone who was an expert in combat and destructive capabilities, Lianne was an Expert Class in both Witch Path and Alchemist Path, becoming known as the Soothing Full Moon amongst the believers.
Ahmo Gaiath, a knight from Sword Edge who pledged allegiance to the Crimson Moon Church. At the same level as Jerone, a Bounded Rank Internal Aura practitioner and also a Paladin Cardinal at the age of 45. But he was someone who was more lowkey than most people, so not many believers knew of him, but to those who does know, he was known as the Waning Blade Moon.
These four will be the Port City's greatest assets, important pieces that would help the city from being invaded.
Cardinal John leaned back to his chair once more before standing up. He gave a stretch, hearing the plates of his armor clinking against each other. He walked out of the terrace and looked towards the place where the battle would be, and turned to the port.
His entire body started trembling as the air around him shifted, distorting all around him. Holding onto the handle of the sword, he put it into his shoulder and jumped up.
***
Rueben was lying down on the floor, his limbs scattered across the floor with his head dangling above in chains. The cut off neck part of his head drippled blood, so did all his detached arms and legs.
Kasaya pushed her hair to the back of her head as she leaned back into the chair, swirling an entire bottle of wine in her right hand.
Taking a swig, she grabbed Rueben's left arm and threw it to the wall. The arm crashed into the wall, but instead of falling down due to gravity, the arm stayed there, stuck in place. Soon countless runes materialized into existence and binded the arm there.
Kasaya grabbed another arm and threw it across the room, landing in the opposite side of the left arm in the room, soon after, runes started materializing and binded the arm in that direction.
"The moment we caught you, we thought you were just a normal spy trying to get information for your country, but coincidentally, your country amassed 60 thousand men and settled in our borders. You must be someone important in your country, for them to react this swiftly." Taking a swig, she continued.
"You're important enough to warrant this much manpower to rescue you. This makes you a valuable asset, much to my dismay. After this war, im going to send you to the capital, they'll deal with you there or whatever." She muttered as she continued sealing Rueben's body parts across the room.
Looking at Rueben's dangling head above, she let out a smirk and exited the room.
Leaving Rueben unable to move, think, or even act.
***
"There are 5 individuals as strong as me in this city. We don't know what kind of strength they have, nor do we know how they will act when we begin the assault. You 5 will be acting on your own, mostly for this operation. Kanis, i need you to find and bring our asset back home while we scatter the military's attention away from you."
In the middle of a field filled with mushrooms and other bioluminescent plants, Aschura and her generals rode their horses as they planned.
"I will lead the charge, Allin, Daniel, i need the both of you at gate to the west, Lokir will be with me to storm the south gate. Jonas and his group will be the first to move and distract them from our catapults. Everyone will immediately charge as soon as the catapults hit the walls and gives us enough leverage to enter the city."
Aschura spoke softly, feeling the cold wind in the air as she spoke.
She fixed her pauldron silently and continued, "Our orders are to take the city. Leave no survivors alive, kill on sight. Understood?"
"""""YES MAAM!"""""
"Good," She nodded and let out a smirk, "Let's get this show on the road."
She raised her spear turned flag as Allin and Daniel grabbed their respective group of men and charged to the west, to station themselves there. The others prepared for war, sharpening their weapons, fixing their armor.
The hunters, especially those who have long ranged firearms moved to a ridge that would give them protection and a good view of the city to help cover fire.
"What do you think the First Hunter's reaction to this would be? He might've already blown up a fuse back at the palace." Lokir let out a chuckle.
Lokir was a man with red dark hair with equally dim red pupils. He wore black leather armor, with a long coat on top.
Most of the army was wearing light armor, except for Aschura who was wearing a full silver plate armor on.
The reason for the light armor was not because of the lack of resources to create plate armor but rather the hunters were used to go into the battlefield without armor on, just their clothing to protect them from attacks.
Most of the hunters have trained themselves to either parry and dodge incoming attacks in all direction, needing both their intuition and reflexes to react on top of their already nimble and strong physical body.
Wearing an armor that would restrict their movements would only lead to more casualties which resulted to the Inventors back at Arkvem to invent a cloth with multiple layers of fabric that could stop even an incoming bullet from hurting the wearer. Their coats and clothes underneath were all made from this special cloth.
And i kid you not, they named this special cloth "Protective Cloth".
Anyway, that is why you can see why most of the hunters wore only clothes and coats on.
"I can imagine that." Aschura chuckled at what Lokir told her.
"Though, Division Commander, with the way we just marched to their doorsteps, they must've already known that they don't stand a chance against us in the open field so they'll stay holed up in their walls. They must be thinking that we can't enter inside because we only had the army show up without the machinery."
Aschura nodded her head, "Yeah, we'll have the element of surprise with the catapults breaking down their walls."
"But i'm not so sure if we can break through their walls easily, Division Commander." Lokir spoke as he followed after Aschura, who was riding back to their camp.
"After all, i heard rumours that there will be people well versed in the past power system of the Victorian Continent. The Internal Aura system and the Theoretical Magic Affinity system."
Aschura gave him a glance and asked, "You mean they might have erected some kind of barrier to protect their city?"
Lokir nodded his head, "Yes, that is my concern."
Aschura just shook her head to the side with a smile, "Don't worry. From what information we gathered in this city, they have only erected a barrier on their inner districts. They don't have enough resources to create a barrier for an 800 km radius city, they will focus more on their inner districts where most of their supplies will be. Besides..."
She then smiled as countless men surrounded her upon seeing a woman floating in the sky.
"Woah, she's flying! What kind of sorcery is that?"
"Do you think if we ask nicely, she'll teach us how to do that?"
"Nah, it's probably a trick, like, like those optical illusion things that the Inventors back at Arkvem forced us to see?"
"Ah, yeah, maybe. That makes more sense."
Kasaya stared down at the army, her hair fluttering from the soft whispers of the wind.
She then moved her hands to form hand-signs.
"Domain."
The space around Kasaya bent into a sphere.
"Precision."
Everyone in the vicinity suddenly had a red dot on their forehead.
"Curse."
The darkness around them trembled, the skies above became even more cloudy.
"Pain."
A screeching noise could be heard from the void.
"Equality."
The red dots on their forehead grew smaller.
The hunters below could feel a dark energy wrapping itself around her body, the darkness around them shifted as if something was tugging them as everyone prepared themselves. Most of the hunters swiftly went to the back of those who were holding up shields and those who were holding shields swiftly went forward.
Kasaya glared at all of them as a small dark sphere formed between her palms, compressing into a single point as she made a finger flicking gesture with her hands.
"Realm of Suffering Corpses."
She muttered softly and flicked her finger towards the army.
A dark sphere of explosion consumed everyone in the vicinity.
Aschura leaped forward and thrusted her spear towards the incoming spear and it disintegrated into nothingness.
Silence, before Kasaya coughed out blood as she landed on the ground.
Aschura pushed her white hair to the back of her head as she held her spear, her face blushing with a grin as she spoke.
"I'm here, after all!"
The dust settled soon after as Kasaya held a long black stick in her head, she stared at the woman who had impaled her and her attack, losing the first advantage in this war.
The yells of the hunters stormed the entire area.
She watched as the woman in silver armor with white hair smile at her, raising her spear, brandishing the flag of her country.
"I am Aschura of Arkvem! Tell me your name before we begin." Aschura yelled, her voice could be heard even by those inside the walls.
Kasaya pushed herself up and spoke, "Kasaya Imrahiel, High Priestess of the Church of the Crimson Moon. Tell me, you savages, why have you come to our territory?"
Aschura placed her spear on her shoulders and smiled, "You got someone important to our country, we would like to have him back."
"..."
Kasaya stared at her for a moment, before smiling, "Can you please clarify whatever you meant?"
Aschura took a glance at the walls behind Kasaya, seeing dozens of hunters near the wall, she smiled.
"No need for that, Ms. Kasaya!"
Aschura dashed towards her and thrusted her spear towards Kasaya, who made a hand sign and an invisible oval shaped barrier appeared infront of her, blocking the incoming thrust. The barrier then turned dark and folded themselves to the spear.
Seeing her spear being devoured by the dark invisible barriers, she pursed her lips and pushed her spear up.
"Was that sorcery?"
Kasaya had already dashed out of view, now in the sky while making hand signs. Ignoring her, Kasaya spread her palm and a spinning disk formed between her palms.
Aschura clicked her tongue. She looked at the spinning disk and crossed her arms together.
How in the Eternal Dream can i reach her? She's floating in the sky, that's unfair.....
Shaking her head, she turned to look at the walls and saw that the group that Jonas was leading was already fighting with an army guarding the walls.
She then turned to the direction where the catapults were hidden, already primed to fire. She then turned her eyes to the woman floating in the sky and the large spinning disk slowly forming between her palms, pointing towards their army.
Aschura let out a sigh.
I swear to Almer....
Aschura made a gesture, her entire hand forward, in a slicing motion.
It was slow, deliberate.
Kasaya swiftly turned her head towards Aschura before she was suddenly blown away, making hand signs to enchant her body, she crashed into a mountain with a loud sound, dust and dirt flew in the air.
Aschura let out a smile and pushed her spear up in the air.
"Fire the catapults!"
***
Jerone stared at the scene, turning his head to the mountain where Kasaya was blown away, he turned his head to the woman in silver armor, holding a spear raised up to the skies above. He then watched as countless catapults appeared into view, with flaming boulders, he turned to the skies and let out a sigh.
He jumped up from the tower as the boulders flew towards the walls, holding his sword, Jerone made a stance in mid air and slowly unsheathed his sword.
"Crimson Typhoon." He softly muttered as a golden aura shone from his sword, the golden aura soon turned into deep red as the sword was fully unsheathed.
He made a small slash towards the incoming burning boulders.
A large crimson red arch materialized in the air, cutting the boulders into 16 tiny parts.
The boulders crashed into the walls, destroying a part of it. The other tiny parts of the slashed boulders crashed into the wall, creating tiny cracks.
Jerone landed in the middle of the army below, he looked at them and let out a smile.
"Come at me."
The army behind the wall erupted into a cheer.