The battle between the Kingdom of Mireana and the Bestia Empire continued to rage across the Seremuse Plain. When considering the depletion of raw military power, the Bestia Imperial Army had sustained far more damage, with its lead unit already half-destroyed. Members of the King’s Faction, having witnessed the terrifying scale of the firestorm, had rushed into the fray, unwilling to let the Neutral and Noble Factions hog all the glory. Their opportunistic arrival was a stroke of luck for Mireana, as it prevented the Bestia ambush—carried out via teleportation stones and Beast Soldiers—from inflicting fatal damage to the army's rear.
Even though Bestia continued to take losses, the overall damage to their army remained significantly higher.
However, in terms of the strategic advantage, the Bestia Imperial Army was in a vastly superior position. They had successfully launched a surprise attack on Count Alius, the Supreme Commander of the Kingdom of Mireana Army.
Had Theoreme, the leader of the Beast Soldiers, been the supreme commander of the Imperial Army, one could have argued that Mireana held the upper hand based on the disparity in casualties. But despite his fearsome reputation, Theoreme was merely one of several generals. Since the Empire’s actual supreme commander remained completely unscathed at their own main camp, it was a stark reality that the Kingdom of Mireana was losing this war.
"…What was that just now?"
Theoreme muttered the question as he worked to steady his horse.
Beside him, Siance was doing the same, scanning their surroundings while reigning in her own agitated mount.
Only seconds ago, as they galloped through the chaos in search of Count Alius with fifty Beast Soldiers in tow, they had witnessed a gargantuan dragon face manifest out of thin air. It had no body, only a head—a contradictory phantom that looked like a dream yet radiated an overwhelming, tangible sense of awe. When that dragon opened its fanged maw, a flash of light had lanced across the earth. Even though they were several kilometers away from the strike, the resulting shockwave had buffeted them, and the instinctive terror of the display had sent the horses of Theoreme and Siance into an immediate panic.
Fortunately, the phantom dragon had only fired that single flash, allowing them to regain control of their animals. Yet, even for veterans like Theoreme and Siance, seeing magically enhanced warhorses reduced to such a state of terror was a first.
Furthermore…
"Lord Theoreme."
At his lieutenant’s murmur, Theoreme looked around.
His eyes fell upon the Beast Soldiers. They were barely holding themselves together.
Actually, those who were merely trembling were the better off. Some were huddled on the ground, literally tucking their tails between their legs.
"To think they could inspire such primal fear in the Beast Soldiers even from this distance."
Theoreme’s mind immediately turned to the outlier who kept a Gryphon as a tamed monster.
According to the reports he had received, Rei preferred flame magic. He understood that the youth was capable of other attributes as well—he had seen the wind magic slashes and, more importantly, the cataclysmic firestorm that had dominated the horizon until moments ago.
(But is this different?)
He considered it for a few seconds before shaking his head.
That last attack had been a light strike. None of the intelligence gathered on Rei mentioned him using light magic.
Still, he couldn't rule the boy out entirely, simply because it was hard to believe there were two separate entities on this battlefield capable of such monstrous power.
"Lord Theoreme, how shall we proceed? If we try to move forward in this state…"
Siance gestured to the surrounding Beast Soldiers.
A few were still cowering on the ground, and while most had recovered from their initial shock, they would likely hesitate if ordered to march toward the source of that phantom dragon head.
They wouldn't refuse—or rather, they couldn't—but if their morale remained at rock bottom, he couldn't rely on the ferocious combat power that made them so valuable.
(I need to rally them.)
Theoreme turned his gaze toward his troops and spoke.
"Listen to me! You are the strongest warriors of the Bestia Empire. You offered up your own bodies and discarded your human forms to achieve this power. Do not fear! You are the ultimate blades of our nation. Show your strength to those who have blocked our path to the Sea of Bounty! For the sake of your motherland, seize the sea!"
His choice of words was effective. These Beast Soldiers had volunteered for their procedures out of deep loyalty to the Bestia Empire.
If they had been the type of thugs who only enjoyed bullying the Mireana soldiers, they likely would have never recovered their nerve. Indeed, many such individuals elsewhere on the battlefield remained paralyzed with fear.
(They’ll snap out of it eventually, but right now, every second counts.)
Even the Beast Soldiers, powerful as they were, had their weaknesses. This unexpected psychological vulnerability was a lesson for the future, but for now, Theoreme pushed the thought aside and looked toward the direction where the dragon's face had appeared.
"Siance, what do you think? Is Count Alius where that dragon face manifested?"
"The probability is high. It was likely magic, and using such an irregular trump card to protect the supreme commander makes sense. …To be honest, heading toward someone with that kind of power feels like a suicide mission."
"Perhaps. But to end this war quickly and preserve our strength, we must either kill or capture the enemy commander."
"Preserve our strength, sir?"
Siance glanced back toward the main Imperial force.
The area where the firestorm had reigned was a wasteland. She couldn't begin to fathom the total casualties, but the damage to their main army was undoubtedly catastrophic.
Theoreme nodded, his expression grim.
"Precisely why we must finish this here."
"…Is it possible that light strike was also the work of that mage, Rei?"
"The possibility exists. However, I suspect it was someone else."
"May I ask why?"
Understanding that the Beast Soldiers were eavesdropping, Siance kept the conversation going.
Theoreme's speech had restored their morale, but she could still see traces of fear in their eyes. Giving that fear a name—and more importantly, concluding that the person capable of creating a natural disaster like the flame tornado was not at their destination—was a necessary tactical lie.
"I have seen the one who created that flame tornado. His magic is fundamentally fire-based. While he might be able to use other attributes, I do not believe he possesses light magic of that caliber."
Theoreme spoke without a hint of hesitation. Gradually, the dread within the Beast Soldiers began to fade.
This would do. Feeling an internal sigh of relief, Theoreme and Siance led their unit toward the site of the dragon phantom. The warhorses had settled, and the group proceeded with high alert until the roar of combat grew loud enough to drown out their thoughts.
"…We’re here. Remember, our only objective is Count Alius’s head. Ignore the others."
Positioned behind a small cluster of trees on the edge of the fray, Theoreme gave his final orders.
Siance and the Beast Soldiers nodded.
"I will be heading in to take the head myself, but any of you may claim the honor. You know you needn't hold back for my sake."
"Lord Theoreme, we understand. Your will is ours," Siance answered for the group.
"Very well. Let us go. End this war, seize the sea, and offer victory to our Prince! All forces, follow me!"
The warhorses burst into a gallop. Siance followed at Theoreme’s side, her expression unreadable, with fifty Beast Soldiers thundering behind them.
"Enemy! Bestia reinforcements! Stay alert!"
A knight with sharp eyes screamed the warning, but the Mireana forces were already pushed to their limit. There was no one left to intercept Theoreme’s fresh unit.
Before Elena’s arrival, the situation had been dire. Now, the battlefield was a chaotic mix of Elena’s knights, the vanguard units that had retreated to the rear, and various noble retinues. Seeing fifty more of those deformed monsters joining the fray caused despair to ripple through the Mireana ranks.
The enemies were few in number—no more than two hundred Beast Soldiers in total across the entire rear engagement—but each was a deformed monster capable of fighting ten or twenty men alone. It took thirty soldiers attacking in waves just to bring one down. To see fifty more of these juggernauts appearing led by a human commander was a nightmare come true.
However…
"Do not panic! Concentrate your strength and stop their advance! Archers and magic units, support from the rear! Ara, I’m going in. With me!"
Elena’s voice cut through the air.
Despite the chaos of over a thousand men fighting, her voice rang out with supernatural clarity, never lost in the din of steel and screams.
It served as an anchor for the hearts of the soldiers, knights, and adventurers who were on the verge of drowning in despair.
"That’s right! The Princess General is here!"
"It’s Lady Elena! She’s crushed the Empire’s invasions time and time again! We can win!"
"Long live the Princess General!"
"Lady Elena! Lady Elena!"
With a single command, the morale of the soldiers surged from the depths of hopelessness.
Her beauty and charisma played their part, but it was her undeniable record of victory against the Bestia Imperial Army that fueled their fanaticism.
"…I am with you, My Lady."
Beside Elena, Ara nodded, though she cast a worried glance at her master’s profile.
Elena looked composed at a glance, but Ara could see the faint traces of exhaustion. The strain of using Dragon Language Magic—which she was still mastering—followed by continuous, high-intensity combat against the Beast Soldiers was taking a heavy toll.
It was only because Elena was fighting with such reckless abandon that they were holding the line at all. If she and her Escort Knight Order hadn't been here, Count Alius would likely already be dead or captured. A dozen Beast Soldier corpses lay scattered around Elena, and her Dragon Language "Laser Breath" had vaporized a dozen more in an instant. This battlefield was being held together by her sheer will.
The others were fighting hard as well. Ara was using her Herculean Strength to cleave through the torsos and limbs of the monsters with her Power Axe, her blows crushing even the thickest scales and carapaces. Her stamina, once a weakness, was bolstered by the Power Axe’s constant recovery effect. Alius swung his greatsword to cleave monsters in two, and even Siminal, recovered from the paralysis poison, was holding his own with a speed-focused sword style.
But despite their heroics, the sheer quality and quantity of the Beast Soldiers was overwhelming. The Mireana line was thinning, and now Theoreme had arrived with fifty fresh monsters. Leading them was a man who stood out as the only human in the Imperial vanguard. Elena knew that man. Just as her title of "Princess General" was known to all, his alias was equally legendary.
"The Flash… Theoreme Energy."
She whispered the name. Before the presence of the Imperial general could sap her army's newfound morale, she summoned her horse and stood with Ara to block his path.