Chapter 414: 414 - Tamers War - Single Obstruction (1/2)

Chapter 414: Chapter 414 – Tamers War – Single Obstruction (1/2)

The constant rhythm of the march had managed to calm Kharzan’s nerves slightly. His forces advanced without problem even while being so close to the inner city. Perhaps his paranoia had been unfounded after all.

The mathematical certainty of his situation was reassuring. He was in the center of 12,000 soldiers, now that he had absorbed additional forces from his frontier positions, represented overwhelming power by any conventional measure. No individual, no matter how skilled, could stand against such numbers.

“My Lord,” a messenger landed beside him. “Increased activity at the abyss frontier wall.”

Kharzan frowned but didn’t alarm himself. Activity was expected… Yano would naturally be mobilizing whatever forces they could gather.

“What type of activity?”

“Troop movements, my Lord. They appear to be reorganizing, but entering and exiting from within the wall makes it difficult to determine their exact numbers.”

Kharzan considered the information. They were still quite far from the main wall, any response Yano was organizing would arrive too late to affect his current advance.

He had already made the decision to gather all his soldiers at the bridge once they completed this phase of advance. His new frontier line wasn’t as important as the attack he was about to make, so he was absorbing those forces.

The first 10,000 had become 12,000 and increasing.

He had to make an effort to give Yino the opportunity to see his great contribution to the joint effort of this war. Political survival required demonstrating value to powerful allies.

“Maintain observation, but continue the advance,” he ordered with the confidence of someone whose plans were proceeding smoothly.

♢♢♢♢

The army entered the inner city, where the character of the terrain changed dramatically. Buildings became more numerous and denser, structures that reflected centuries of urban growth and constant replanning.

In tamer cities, initially there had been no real urban planning. Constructions had sprouted organically around centers of power and resources, creating a chaotic maze of streets and districts that followed no logical pattern.

But over time this had been corrected, one of the many unique advantages of having earth tamers capable of rearranging terrain and displacing entire buildings when necessary.

Now they navigated mainly through a main avenue that had been ironically designed specifically to allow rapid military movement against Yino in the bridge, but Kharzan couldn’t shake his concern about the buildings flanking their route.

The architecture was distinctly upper-class, multi-story mansions with reinforced foundations, wide windows that could serve as attacking positions, and rooftops that provided commanding views of the street below.

“General Valdris,” he called to his most experienced commander, “what’s your opinion on possible counterattacks from the houses and mansions on the sides of the road?”

Valdris studied the question. “It’s a valid concern, my Lord. Many windows, many blind angles. But our front line still has most of our earth tamers who should feel any underground movement and be able to stop any attack smaller than our numbers with the walls.”

“And if it’s a major attack?”

“With respect, my Lord, if they had sufficient forces for a major attack, they wouldn’t have abandoned the territory so easily.”

It made sense, but something continued bothering Kharzan. It was too quiet for a city that should be full of civilian activity.

Another messenger approached, this one with an urgency in his posture that immediately captured Kharzan’s attention.

“My Lord,” the soldier practically dove toward him, “there’s a single person directly ahead, approximately one kilometer away.”

“A single person?”

The simplicity of the report was somehow more alarming than if the messenger had announced an entire enemy army. One person standing alone against twelve thousand soldiers suggested either madness or a trap of unprecedented audacity.

“Yes, my Lord. It appears he just emerged from one of the houses ahead and stopped in the middle of the road. Alone.”

Kharzan felt his stomach tighten with a cold knot of apprehension. This was exactly the kind of unexpected development that could unravel carefully laid plans.

“Description?”

“Adult male, military bearing, beast partially manifested. Dark hair, high-level energy signature… The patrol suggests it’s Sirius…”

‘He can’t be alone,’ Kharzan thought, his mind racing through possibilities. No commander of Sirius’s experience would position himself so vulnerably without some hidden advantage.

“Is it really Sirius Starweaver?”

“We believe so, my Lord.”

“Have you seen Selphira Ashenway?”

“No, my Lord. He appears to be completely alone.”

Kharzan couldn’t understand it. What did Sirius hope to accomplish by standing alone against twelve thousand soldiers? Was it a distraction? A symbolic sacrifice? Or was there something more he wasn’t seeing?

The tactical implications raced through his mind. Sirius was undoubtedly powerful, his reputation as one of Yano’s premier military leaders wasn’t based on political maneuvering alone. But power had limits, and those limits fell far short of what would be needed to face an entire army.

But after a moment of consideration, he decided it didn’t matter.

“We’ll attack him,” he declared, cutting through uncertainty with decisive action. “One man, no matter how powerful, cannot stop an entire army.”

“Do we send the aerial squadron first?” the messenger asked, clearly expecting specific orders.

“No,” Kharzan responded immediately. “They’re valuable and important for subsequent operations. Surely Sirius would eliminate more than one if we send flyers, that could be exactly what he wants.”

He paused, calculating the most efficient tactic.

“Have him attacked conventionally, with earth spears and magical projectiles as soon as they reach range of the foot soldiers. Concentrated fire, multiple angles. Even Sirius Starweaver has limits.”

The messenger nodded and prepared to transmit the orders, but Kharzan stopped him with a raised hand.

“And tell the front line to maintain formation. I don’t want them dispersing chasing a single target. This could be exactly the distraction he’s looking for.”

As the messenger flew away at full speed, Kharzan observed the wall advancing before him. Somewhere up ahead, Sirius Starweaver waited alone in the middle of the road, as if one man could stop the tide of history approaching.

‘Let’s see if your pride is worth more than your life,’ Kharzan thought, though he couldn’t completely shake the feeling that there was something fundamental he wasn’t understanding about the situation.

♢♢♢♢

Hagen and his group of thirty elite soldiers maintained absolute silence, stalked by the massive presence extending beneath their feet. The air itself vibrated with the energy of something so powerful it made their abyssal beasts retreat instinctively deeper into their consciousnesses.

Hagen had initially thought it might be a Leviathan Worm, but something didn’t add up. The behavior patterns were all wrong for that classification.

‘Those colossi are always in constant movement, feeding on crystal formations as soon as they form, traversing enormous territories in search of sustenance. This one is too still, too… concentrated.’

But they could all clearly feel the creature’s energy signature pulsing beneath the rock. And what was most disturbing was that this energy was superior to the place itself… a creature scaling toward Platinum right now.

Although it wasn’t there yet, or at least the energy was still somewhat far from completing the transformation. The raw power radiating from below suggested something in the final stages of evolution, a metamorphosis that would elevate it to a level of power that could never be touched by the corrupted.

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