[Raul's POV]
It was true; I really had to adapt to my significantly narrower field of vision now.
— Swoossh!
Right now, my eyes could barely keep up with Elena's movements as she activated one of her Profound Codices—Almario del Relampago. She was circling me rapidly, making it harder to predict where her next strike would come from.
Glancing left and right, all I could see was an afterimage produced by the blonde woman.
— Bam!
My body was sent skidding sideways as my left cheek was suddenly struck by something. On the other hand, I could still see Elena continuing to orbit my position.
Her movements were faster than the last time we fought...
I needed to focus more.
Due to Elena's continuous circular running, the surrounding dust was kicked up. It felt as though I was trapped inside a localized tornado.
— Baamm!!!
Elena attacked again. However, this time I managed to block it by raising my right arm, shielding my head from her fist.
After failing to land the blow, Elena leaped backward. She then deactivated her Profound Codex.
I also released my fighting stance.
"It seems to be true; since your left eye isn't functioning, your blind spot has become much wider on that side," Elena noted as she walked toward me.
"You're right. I have to adapt quickly if I don't want to run into trouble during the upcoming battle," I told her.
I had to get used to this deficiency. There was still one more fight I had to face against her.
"Why are you so insistent on fighting in this condition? Haven't you already proven yourself enough in the war?" Elena asked, sounding curious.
"There is still something I must do... perhaps?" I answered ambiguously.
"Perhaps? You really are strange, Raul," Elena said with a smile. "Alright, I won't force it. We'd better hurry and get ready; the troops will all be gathered in the city square soon."
I nodded and followed Elena from behind.
To be honest, I lacked information regarding the developments of the war on this Western Front. However, based on the information Elena shared with me, it seemed the Empire was currently at a disadvantage.
Previously, they had lost nearly 40,000 men thanks to a brilliant maneuver by the Venetian Republic forces. There was no doubt that Siena was the one behind their unique movements.
In the military history of this world, this was the first time an operation involving the transport of troops via river routes had been utilized. She must have drawn inspiration from Liana's knowledge of our world's military history.
Before long, we both arrived at the stables.
Elena took a spear and a helmet, then mounted the tan horse she usually rode.
I did the same, mounting a black horse. After being separated from the unit I led and arriving here, I had asked Elena to place me in the cavalry unit she commanded so I could participate in the battle.
Once everything was ready, Elena and I rode toward the city square.
Upon arriving, tens of thousands of troops were already lined up, preparing to move out to rescue the 5,000 soldiers surrounded by the Alliance forces.
"Everyone! I know we had to make a difficult decision before, leaving 20,000 of our comrades surrounded by enemy forces!"
Marshal Salazar was giving a rousing speech in front of the troops.
"However, this time is different! We are going to rescue our 5,000 comrades currently being blocked by the Alliance! We will avenge our previous defeat and win this war!" the Marshal shouted, thrusting his fist into the air.
"Oohhh!"
"Ooohh!"
Everyone cheered at the Marshal's cry. It seemed they were all indeed eager to avenge their prior loss.
By making this decision, Marshal Salazar had successfully restored the army's morale.
"Now, let us move out and show them the supremacy of the Aragon Empire!"
With that, 50,000 troops of the Aragon Empire began to march out of the Regium Fortress City toward Bitola Village.
The cavalry unit led by Elena was positioned on the right wing of the formation. On this side, there were 10 cavalry squadrons totaling 2,000 riders.
Elena's squadron was at the furthest edge of the right wing. I advised her to take routes that were not easily visible from a distance.
There was a 50/50 chance the Alliance had already set a trap. This was because they currently held the initiative in this war. However, there was a reason the Aragon Empire was called the strongest nation in the world in the game I created.
The reason was...
I looked toward the blonde woman.
"What is it?" Elena asked, noticing I was watching her.
"It's nothing. Have you ever participated in a battle in an open field?" I asked.
Unlike standard medieval battles, large-scale combat in this world differed from my original world. This was due to the existence of magic, which meant the course of the battle was often determined by who could utilize their magic most creatively.
"Never," Elena replied. "I didn't even participate in the assault on Regium Fortress City."
"I suppose that's natural, considering cavalry units are only effective in open spaces," I remarked.
After nearly three hours of movement, we reached an open area. To the left of the army, the Tuscan Forest stretched as far as the eye could see, while to our right were several hills ranging from 100 to 200 meters in height.
The cavalry squadron led by Elena moved behind these hills, following my suggestion.
The blonde woman stood atop a hill, observing the surrounding area. Shortly after, she climbed down and approached me.
"What's the situation?" I asked.
"I see an Alliance army camp about two kilometers from here," she answered. "Additionally, I see our 5,000 troops being blocked by two Alliance forces."
Reconnaissance units from both sides would have surely detected each other at such close range. If the Alliance forces didn't immediately retreat upon realizing our arrival, it meant they were ready to face our army here.
However, it seemed clear they had set a trap nearby, using the 5,000 Imperial troops leaving Bitola Village as bait to draw the Empire's main force in.
If that was the case...
After a brief pause to rest following the long march, the entire army advanced toward the Alliance camp.
I climbed the hill with Elena to get a view of the situation.
In the distance, the Alliance forces further to the west began to advance to engage our besieged 5,000 troops. Meanwhile, the Alliance forces closest to us turned and prepared a defensive position.
It seemed they intended to hold our main force back while their other units finished off the 5,000 surrounded soldiers.
— Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of the drums ordering the advance echoed, and our troops began to move slowly toward the enemy. A flag bearing a golden lion symbol fluttered in the center of the army.
This was the pride of the Aragon Empire.
The distance between the two armies was now only about one kilometer. The battle was about to begin.
***
[Siena's POV]
The reconnaissance unit has just returned from their scouting mission in the plains outside the forest. They say the Imperial army has arrived and is moving toward the 15,000 Alliance troops blocking the 5,000 Imperial soldiers coming from the east.
"Major Siena, shall we move out immediately and encircle them?" one of the military officials asked me.
"No, we must be patient until they deploy all their units before we emerge from this forest," I replied.
If we emerged now, there was a high probability the Imperial side could still change their formation to adapt to the battlefield conditions once we revealed ourselves.
Currently, the 20,000 troops at the easternmost edge of the area are engaged in battle with the 5,000 Imperial troops. I estimated our forces there would win in just about half an hour.
Seeing their comrades being slaughtered, I believed the Imperial side would be more likely to deploy all their available units to quickly defeat our 15,000 troops blocking their path.
"What about the enemy? Have they realized we are here?" I asked.
"So far, we have successfully intercepted enemy reconnaissance units trying to approach the forest," he answered.
"Good. Do not let them suspect our presence inside here," I said.
We must win this battle. However, the most difficult factor is the Grand Espadas.
In this war, the Empire sent three Grand Espadas to assist their forces against us. I am capable of fighting—and even defeating—one of them if I try. Fighting two at once would be difficult and likely fatal if I'm not careful.
Therefore, the Draconia Kingdom and the Greco Republic have agreed to have their strongest fighters face whichever Grand Espada appears.
We will surely succeed; I will guarantee our victory in this battle.
***
[Raul's POV]
The sound of trumpets blared, and our infantry slowly advanced toward the enemy lines ahead.
The flags of each nation fluttered in the wind.
The Aragon Empire featured a Golden Lion on a red background.
The Venetian Republic featured two Golden Seahorses against a sea-blue background. Between the seahorses was a mermaid holding a trident and wearing a crown.
The Draconia Kingdom flag bore a Black Two-Headed Raven on a white background. The raven's talons gripped a ribbon inscribed with 'Fear And Blood,' the motto of the Dracus family.
Finally, the Greco Republic. Their flag featured the goddess Diana holding a scale in her right hand and a sword in her left.
When the armies were about 500 meters apart, the Alliance archers stepped forward and aimed their arrows toward the sky.
As our infantry reached a distance of 300 meters, the Alliance archers began to fire, causing the sky over the battlefield to be obscured by thousands of descending arrows.
Seeing this, ten mages from the Empire activated Earth Element magic to create giant "bamboo propellers" made of soil, launching them toward the thousands of arrows in the air.
The massive soil propellers spun and took flight. Their rotations swatted away a portion of the thousands of arrows aimed at our advancing infantry.
— Boom! Boom! Boom!
The giant soil propellers then landed, crushing a small portion of the Alliance forces.
Shortly after, our infantry entered a 200-meter range with the Alliance.
After failing to rain down arrows effectively, the enemy withdrew their archers and replaced them with rows of musketeers.
The first row took a kneeling firing position, while the second row stood and aimed over the heads of the musketeers in front of them.
— Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of firearms rang out in unison, and smoke filled the musketeer lines after they discharged their rifles.
I saw many in the front row of our infantry collapse under the volley from the Venetian Republic marksmen.
On another part of the field, our cavalry had already made contact with the enemy cavalry. A massive amount of dust spread, covering the area where the left-wing cavalry was fighting, preventing me from knowing exactly what was happening there.
Meanwhile, the cavalry squadron led by Elena and several others were still hiding behind the hill, waiting for the right moment to descend and launch a surprise attack.
— Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of gunfire echoed again.
The first line of our infantry had almost entirely collapsed, and even the second line suffered heavy casualties from the Venetian musketeers' volleys.
This time, it was harder for our infantry to close to within 100 meters because the musketeers' fire slowed their advance. Furthermore, the Alliance forces were seen slowly backing away from our infantry.
However, a cluster of black clouds suddenly appeared above the Alliance troops. It seemed the Imperial mages were about to strike them with Thunder Bolt Ultima!
But suddenly, a strong wind emerged, pushing the black clouds away from the Alliance's position. Their mages hurried to clear the clouds before lightning could strike their troops.
However...
— BOOOOOM!!!
A flash of lightning struck before the Alliance mages could fully move the black clouds. A small portion of the Alliance forces was hit by the lightning, slowing their retreat maneuver slightly.
"Charge them!"
"Glory to the Empire!"
Now, the distance between them was only a few dozen meters. The Alliance forces then withdrew their musketeers from the front line.
Soon after, the two lines of infantry finally clashed. The real battle had finally begun; everything before this had merely been a skirmish.
The sound of clashing swords and the screams of soldiers could be heard even from where I stood. The infantry formation used by the Empire was a long column. This was designed so that soldiers could rotate quickly to replace those who grew exhausted on the front lines.
In contrast, the Alliance infantry formation was shaped like a crescent with very thin columns. It seemed they did this to prevent the Empire from performing flanking maneuvers using their superior numbers.
Elsewhere, two figures from each side were seen leaping into the air, facing off against one another. They separated themselves from the general infantry combat.
It appeared the Grand Espadas—with the exception of Raymond de Chatillon—were already fighting the strongest warriors the Alliance had to offer. However, I still hadn't found any trace of Siena.
"Hey Raul, isn't this the right time for us to appear and charge the flank of the enemy formation?" Elena asked me.
"No, not yet," I said.
In another direction, I saw our 5,000 troops being further cornered by the 20,000 Alliance soldiers pursuing them in a different part of the battlefield.
They would be destroyed if we didn't crush the Alliance force blocking us here.
— Dum! Badum! Badum!
Suddenly, I heard the sound of war drums coming from behind the Imperial army. A line of troops had just emerged from the direction of the Tuscan Forest.
"About thirty thousand..." I muttered, looking toward the newly appeared force. "No... it looks like more than 30,000."
"Raul! This is bad! There were still enemy forces hiding!" Elena said, looking worried.
"It's not that strange. We had the same idea as them, didn't we?" I replied.
The newly emerged troops halted. Their musketeers stepped forward and prepared to fire at our army from the rear.
— Bang! Bang! Bang!
Thousands of bullets sped toward the Imperial troops, causing hundreds to fall instantly in a single volley.
"This place is about to become a sea of blood..."