Empire Of Souls - Chapter 185

There was a certain quiet that creeped in when you least expected. It brought with it a type of peace and serenity that belied a momentous moment. Of course, it was relative. For the ant walking amidst the grass and shrub, what did they care for the affairs of those who fought and bled over blades of grass? Their concern was for the food on their back and the colony. Likewise, to those who walked the earth with bodies upright and with weapons in their hands, with steel on their bodies, and with trepidation in their hearts, what thought was there for the plight of the insignificant ant?

Anathema stood atop an earthen wall which had been raised through magic while in deep contemplation. Her eyes were forlorn as she looked into the horizon. Her thoughts were muddied and unclear. There were many questions she had, but her plight was to push on no matter the cost, no matter the duty.

“Did the Daemon not dream too? Were we only lead and stone, to be thrown away and forgotten?”

She couldn’t help but feeling an all too human emotion. One might find this strange, for the Daemon were monstrous, and perhaps many would say cruel. Their disregard for life was infamous and they crushed it without an ounce of hesitation or regret. But to think that they didn’t have hopes, that they didn’t have their own aspirations, would be wrong. They couldn’t help the way the Creator had made them and if one were to look at them with an objective and unbiased eye, they might even say that the Daemon were the most loyal, true, and pure of all the Creator’s creations.

Although Anathema was distracted by her thoughts momentarily, she didn’t fail to notice the unnatural fluctuation in space that suddenly took place somewhere distant beyond her sight.

“Hmm, again. Just like last night, but which god is meddling here? Should I investigate? No, I will wait for it to make its move first. There is no need to waste my time searching when I am sure they will soon deliver themselves right to me.” Anathema spoke to herself in a mild tone.

She didn’t observe for much longer and instead turned her gaze to the battlefield which had yet to erupt in violence and death. This was where she belonged, on the battlefield. Only through destruction was there meaning to her existence and to that of her kind.

An enormous wave of tiny ants were slowly swarming towards the opposite end of the battlefield. Anathema looked on quietly, but with a look of contempt which she did not care to hide. One stomp would be all it would take to send all their souls to oblivion, but she only watched without taking any action. Her skin, the color of Obsidian, was a stark contrast to the bright glare of the sun as it basked the Steppes in its light. She was a blotch of twilight that defiantly stood against the raging blaze that adorned the sky like a crown. A blotch that would never fade.

Her eyes were two pools into an abyss, but they swirled and twinkled like stars in the night sky. Those who looked too long, whose gazes were drawn within, would gladly walk straight into that abyss without knowing that their end had come. She was drawn to something distant and her eyes bored through the fabric of the world as she carefully observed something unseen to a mortal’s eye.

“What a fool. Can you really be so nonchalant on your throne of lies? I look forward to our impending meeting.” She scoffed and removed her gaze, no longer caring to pry.

There were greater concerns. A pathetic lowly Demigod who thought herself a goddess was the least of her worries. This battle in her mind was a foregone conclusion. Once she acted, things would certainly come to an end. She was much more concerned with the ones watching hidden within the shadows.

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A loud horn blared and all along the defensive line, Lenia’s army prepared for the enemy advance. The vanguard of this army consisted entirely of slave soldiers. They wore very little armor and were relatively weak, but there were easily over one hundred thousand of them swarming towards Lenia’s army. They charged while Dark Elven slave masters whipped them into a frenzy from among their ranks. These slave masters were quite formidable and wouldn’t be so easily killed, but there were only a few thousand of them.

Also mixed among the ranks of the slaves were shadows that dashed about. These were most likely Dark Elven assassins who had mixed in with the slaves. It was a common tactic that the Dark Elves employed and even though it was common knowledge, it didn’t make it any less deadly. They didn’t care about the lives of the slaves at all, and the assassins could easily find opportunities within the chaos of battle to take out priority targets while slaves were used as meat shields.

Lenia sat atop her powerful warhorse and shouted one command after another before settling down in anticipation of the battle to come. Her army was tense, with many gritting their teeths, some with excitement and some with expectation. This was their first real battle as an army and they had trained hard for this very occasion. There were none here who felt fear because they knew who was behind them and there was no doubt that victory would be theirs.

The army of slaves thundered across the Steppes, yard after yard. The pikemen who were at the front lowered their pikes and unsheathed their blades. These pikes were mostly effective against cavalry, but they would be too c.u.mbersome for fighting in close combat. Behind them, archers rained volley after volley at the approaching army. However, this was only a drizzle of rain to the approaching army and didn’t do much to dent their numbers, only soften them a bit. Although the slaves had very little armor, the Dark Elves were powerful magic casters and had cast defensive spells to hinder the arrows being launched at them.

Surprisingly, none of the shamans and other magic casters had acted yet and instead waited patiently behind the front ranks. It was only when the approaching army was only a few dozen yards out that the shamans and other magic casters finally stepped forward to the front of the formation. Lenia raised her hand and held it there while she patiently counted down in her head.

3… 2…. 1

Lenia slammed her arm downwards and the magic casters which had been waiting for the order to be given, lit up in an array of colors signalling the many spells which had been cast. The slave army didn’t slow, but they were filled with a sense of foreboding, but what they expected didn’t come. There was no barrage of hail or flame, no curses or weakening type spells. The magic casters lit up in a plethora of lights, but it appeared as if no spells were released. Those charging across the Steppes were too filled with adrenaline to wonder why the spells they were expecting to rain down on them didn’t come.

The ground suddenly rumbled unexpectedly causing some to lose their footing. The earth beneath the feets of the oncoming army exploded upwards. The explosion of earth covered an extremely large area all throughout the battle lines. The entire front of the approaching army was lifted upwards and large slabs of stone rose from the ground rapidly causing dirt and dust to be thrown everywhere obscuring the vision of both armies.

The sound of screeching and clacking could be heard throughout the dusty region, but it was difficult for anyone to see exactly where these sounds originated from. These sounds were soon followed by screams and shouts, and when the dust finally settled enough for Lenia to see what exactly was going on, she was greeted by a horrid scene. There were bodies splayed out everywhere and spiders the size of large dogs were madly attacking anything near them. They were clearly enraged after being forcibly thrown from the underground and had attacked the closest living beings. Unfortunately for them, it was those on their own side. After the dust settled, they soon settled and began screeching once more as they turned towards Lenia’s army.

No longer hidden beneath the Earth, these ferocious spiders gathered and charged forward. Lenia signaled once more and dozens of Shamans who had been standing at the front of the formation but hadn’t acted yet, began casting their spells. Hundreds of beasts were summoned within a short period of time and they dashed into the ranks of the spiders, tearing them apart. Spiders and all manner of beasts began tearing into each other. The summoned beasts were accompanied with a rain of spells which had been cast soon after.

Lightning, fire, hail and blades of wind poured down on the area. The spells hit both beasts and spiders, it didn’t matter if the summons were also struck, as long as the spells fulfilled their purpose. Not many spiders were able to get past the hundreds of beasts and the bombardment of spells, but those that did were quickly slaughtered by the awaiting soldiers.

The slaves at the front had momentarily been stunned by what had happened, but they were soon pushed forward by those behind them and they began swarming once more towards Lenia’s soldiers. Seeing the incoming enemy, the magic casters once more moved to the back of the formation and the shield bearers stepped forward interlocking their shields. They formed a wall of steel with shields which were designed to link up with others. These soldiers worked in tandem with others who wielded blades and they coordinated their defense and offense with maximum efficiency. If necessary, they could drop the shields and lift the pikes to defend against attacks from cavalry.

The slave army came smashing into the wall of shields, but their momentum was quickly stifled and the screams of the slaves being butchered by the blades which pierced into their bodies through the solid defense formed a crescendo of terror. The shield wall held and Lenia’s army went to work slaughtering the slaves. The elite soldiers at the center were easily cutting a bloody swathe through the enemy. The flanks were under slightly more pressure, but they were still holding and fighting with extreme ferocity.

As they fought, shadows flitted through the ranks of Lenia’s soldiers attempting to assassinate officers and other powerful beings. They had used this strategy in many battles to deadly effect and they were expecting this to be a similar circ.u.mstance. However, much to their surprise, their daggers were met with the daggers of other shadowy beings. Nelay danced through the ranks of the assassins and she was followed by dozens of her own shadows who spread out around her. These were assassins she had trained personally. A fierce battle soon took place not only out in the open, but also within the shadows formed by the light of the sun overhanging in the clear sky.

The shaman had already unsummoned their beasts after the spiders had been mostly annihilated and instead carefully observed the battlefield. There was a good chance that their summoned creatures would be needed if the enemy cavalry decided to use this opportunity to strike. They couldn’t afford to waste their magic power on the slaves. As for the other magic casters, they focused on defense as the Dark Elven magic casters rained down powerful spells on their army.

They threw up shields and other spells to counter the Dark Elven magic and a battle of magic was taking place in the air above the two colliding armies. The Dark Elves didn’t care about the slaves so they had no qualms with killing them in their bombardment. This meant that Lenia’s magic casters needed to be careful in defending the entire area which included the slave army. They couldn’t allow any of the spells to hit their own forces. A chorus of lights and sound lit up the sky with a diverse array of colors as spells collided against spells. It was a magnificent sight, but very few had the time to appreciate it.

Although the slaves weren’t necessarily very powerful on their own, they were fearless and continued their attack no matter how many were killed. The few thousand Dark Elven slave masters among them also struck out with their powerful wh.i.p.s and magic. They were not a force to be underestimated and they would strike, using the slaves as their shields. Their attack was fearsome and were putting pressure on the flanks. The center battlefield was quite a different scene as the elite troops easily handled both the slaves and their slave masters. They didn’t even give up one inch of the battlefield.

The fighting was savage, but Lenia watched everything calmly. Things so far were going well and to her expectations. She didn’t let it go to her head though. This was still only the beginning and she knew the Dark Elves would soon make their next move. Lenia could only hope that the plans she had put in place would be sufficient.