Three weeks had passed since First Lieutenant Aria's surprise attack on the Imperials. The Imperial force, Second and Third Division of the Eleventh Legion, were now cautious, as they finally emerged from the mines after three full weeks of grueling march. They had lost 5,000 soldiers along the way: starvation, cave-ins, injuries, disease, and more had taken their toll.

  Half of those losses weren't from accidents, though. They had been executed for attempting to desert. After all, the Empire doesn’t take kindly to deserters.

  Meanwhile, the Royal Army's 9th Corps waited on the Plain of Imoras. All ten Independent Cavalry Regiments had regrouped and supply lines were established. The troops were well-fed, well-armed, and their morale was high.

  In the 9th Corps, General Cedric would command the center alongside Colonel Cameron, leader of the Mage Division, with 15,000 troops. Brigadier General Lily held the left flank, and Major General Claudius, so old he could barely see, commanded the right flank, each with 10,000 troops.

  The Imperials, meanwhile, positioned Major General Caelen at the center with 20,000 troops. The left flank was led by Major General Remnell with 15,000, while the right flank was commanded by Brigadier General Jack with 10,000.

  The two forces met on the plain. 35,000 against 45,000. Then, as Major General Caelen charged from the center, his troops surged forward behind him, and the battle began.

  [(0)]

  "HAHAHA! Such weaklings!" Major General Caelen grinned as he charged forward, his fists flying as he crushed royal soldiers left and right. His iron knuckles gleamed red as he smashed through an iron shield in an instant. The soldier holding it flew backward and crashed into several others. "Is this all you've got? Where is General Cedric, the Moon Bringer?!"

  "Sir!" Colonel Alysia shouted behind him, struggling to command the 20,000 troops while Caelen did whatever he pleased. "I would advise you to stop advancing!"

  "FOOL!" Caelen laughed as he punched a royal soldier in the head, shattering it completely. Brain matter splattered across the ground. "We have the advantage! Look at those Royal soldiers flee!"

  True to his words, the royal soldiers were retreating, forming a defensive shield wall as they fell back. Behind them, mages lined up and began casting spells while archers nocked their arrows and took aim.

  "I would advise we retreat and regroup!" Alysia shouted, her silver rapier flashing as a royal soldier collapsed with a small hole through his heart. "We need to block the—"

  "I can kill their mages for good, just like they did to ours!" Caelen grinned viciously. "Tell the cavalry to charge forward and break those shields! The Iron Fist comes with me!"

  The Iron Fist, an elite unit of 100 soldiers trained personally by Caelen himself, wielded iron gauntlets just like their commander. Even though they were all wearing heavy iron armor from head to toe, they tore through the royal soldiers like paper.

  "...Of course, sir." Alysia bit her lip as she issued the commands.

  Soon, 3,000 cavalry charged forward, attempting to break through the shield wall.

  The royal army, seeing them approach, pulled back further. The mages canceled their spells and retreated. The archers, however, unleashed a barrage of arrows. Riders began falling by the dozens.

  But it couldn't stop the charge completely. The cavalry crashed into the shield wall, breaking through. Behind them, Imperial foot soldiers swarmed forward, and the battle devolved into chaos.

  Still, the royal soldiers kept up their arrow barrage, and the mages began casting spells again to prevent the Imperials from pushing too deep.

  By the end of the first clash at the Plain of Imoras, 2,000 Royal soldiers had died. Only 500 Imperials had fallen.

  [(0)]

  General Cedric, who was overseeing the entire battle on top of a small hill, stroked his chin and frowned.

  "I fear we've underestimated the enemy," Cedric said as the two armies clashed once more. "That man, Major General Caelen, is something else entirely."

  After all, the single man had broken through the 9th Corps' defenses without taking significant damage. It was unfortunate they had had no time to gather intelligence on their enemy commanders.

  "Should we deploy First Lieutenant Aria, my lord?" Colonel Devon asked, receiving report after report from messengers.

  "No." Cedric shot the idea down immediately. "This is a battlefield, not a duel. She'd be cut down before she ever reached Major General Caelen."

  While Cedric was notified that Aria had held her own against an entire army of training dummies with leather weapons, there were thousands of enemies down there. It would be foolish to let her run wild like they had during Operation Iron Thrust where the soldiers were drunk. The circumstances were completely different.

  On top of that, the blue-haired woman Cedric assumed was Caelen's aide fought with deadly force. Aria would have to face two powerful opponents while surrounded by an entire army.

  Cedric had been warned a thousand times: do not lose Aria at any cost. She was one of only nine secret weapons the kingdom possessed. The irony wasn't lost on him. His most powerful piece sat idle because he couldn't risk losing her. He hated it.

  "Send First Lieutenant Aria to the left flank," Cedric ordered, his eyes never leaving the battlefield. "Let her gain some real combat experience against their weaker formations. She needs to learn how large-scale battles work."

  He paused, watching Caelen tear through another formation like paper.

  "And since we have no conventional way to stop Major General Caelen..." Cedric's expression hardened. "Tell the Mage Division and archers to concentrate all fire on him. Let's see how he handles hundreds of arrows and a dozen spells at once."

  "Yes, my lord!" Devon saluted and immediately began relaying orders to the messengers.

  Cedric watched the runners sprint off toward the mage lines and archer formations. Within moments, the archers adjusted their aim and mages raised their staves in unison.

  The first volley came fast as hundreds of arrows streaked through the air, all converging on a single point: Major General Caelen.

  The man didn't even slow down. His iron-clad fist shot forward, and the air itself seemed to ripple as arrows shattered mid-flight, splintering into useless pieces. The magic missiles, Snipe Spells meant for accurate kills, met the same fate, dissipating harmlessly against his fists.

  Cedric's jaw tightened. "Switch to Field Spells. Now."

  The order went out. The sky lit up as countless fireballs, lightning bolts, earthen spears, and wind slashes rained down on the Imperial formation.

  “HAHAHA! Good! Try to fight more!” Caelen roared with laughter and punched his way through them all.

  But his troops weren't so fortunate.

  The soldiers around him screamed as fire and lightning consumed them. Earthen spears erupted from below, impaling those too slow to react. Wind slashes carved through armor and flesh. Caelen was untouchable. His army was not.

  "Pull back! Regroup!" Colonel Alysia's voice cut through the chaos.

  The Imperial soldiers began retreating, shields raised overhead as they scrambled away from the bombardment. Caelen retreated with them, even though he couldn't risk being surrounded and isolated in the middle of enemy lines.

  The battle continued. But this time, neither side gained meaningful ground.

  [(0)]

  I watched as the Imperial army in front of me advanced. That was right, I was at the very front of the line, riding the same Saky I had had with me during my time with the Independent Cavalry Regiment.

  Apparently, Brigadier General Lily, one of General Cedric's most trusted officers, a grey-haired woman with one eye who had sniped the spy from impossible distances, had told me: "You've quite ruined some of our plans. I believe you need some punishment."

  And thus, here I was. Really, why?

  "I believe it has something to do with blowing up the mine," Warrant Officer Elion said, pushing his glasses up. "It made them cautious, and ruined the major operation the 9th Corps had planned."

  "It's not like I wanted to," I grumbled, sighing.

  I looked relaxed on the outside. But inside, I was screaming. My legs were shaking and I was legitimately close to wetting myself in fear. After all, during Operation Iron Thrust, the enemies had felt more like training dummies than actual soldiers since most of them were drunk or half-asleep.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  But here, on this open plain, I was facing properly armed soldiers with commanders who clearly knew what they were doing. I was absolutely chickening out.

  Just then, the enemy shifted formation as archers stepped forward in unison. The sound of bowstrings being drawn rang out across the field. Arrows filled the sky, flying through the air as they arced toward us. And of course, I was at the very front at the worst timing.

  "What should we do—huh?" I turned around, only to see that everyone had already formed a shield wall. Elion included. He pushed his glasses up with a completely serious expression with a mouthing "I'm sorry."

  "You traitor!" I cried out, spinning back around just as the first arrows reached me.

  Pure reflex took over. I drew my sword and swung wildly, somehow managing to slice the arrows heading straight for me clean out of the air. The Saky beneath me reared in panic, and suddenly I had to calm a terrified horse while deflecting a rain of arrows.

  It felt like an eternity, but the volley finally ended after a few seconds. I was already exhausted, slumped forward as I patted Saky's neck. He had finally calmed down, thank god.

  "Orders have been given!" Elion suddenly appeared beside me on his own Saky, as if nothing had happened. "We're to charge forward and break open the enemy formation!"

  "Where the hell were you?!" I shouted at him.

  But I didn't have time to argue. Behind me, the thunder of hooves rose as 1,000 troops riding Saky, my old Independent Cavalry Regiment, appeared in formation, lances at the ready. Wait. Lances? Not spears?

  Elion handed me one as he gripped his own, though I could see him struggling with the weight. I held it with no problem, of course, but I had never used a lance before.

  "Lances are best suited for cavalry, ma'am," Elion said. "After all, they deal the most damage when charging on Saky."

  I sighed once more as I readied myself. For some reason, my heart had calmed down a little. I felt... ready. Seriously, I didn't know what was wrong with this body.

  "Alright then, charge!" I shouted, and the soldiers behind me roared in response as 1,000 cavalry surged forward.

  The enemy rained arrows down on us again. I swatted them out of the air as fast as I could, but many of our allies weren't so lucky.

  "UGHH!"

  A soldier riding right next to me got shot through the chest. He tumbled from his Saky and was trampled under the hooves of the Sakys behind him. I didn't know his name, but guilt twisted in my gut.

  Another volley. More soldiers fell, but I kept charging. Retreat would only make things worse. I gripped my lance tighter as we closed in on the archer line. The archers were already scrambling to fall back.

  "DIE!" I shouted, thrusting my lance into a nearby Imperial archer. He was impaled instantly. I yanked the lance free and stabbed another archer who had failed to retreat fast enough.

  "SHIELD WALL!" A voice boomed from the Imperial side.

  Hundreds of soldiers formed a dense wall of metal shields, long pikes jutting out between the gaps, waiting for us.

  "Don't stop now!" I shouted as I spurred Saky forward.

  I swung my lance down hard, shattering the pike aimed at me. Saky slammed into the shield wall at full speed. The wall buckled and part of it collapsed.

  Using the opening, I drove deeper, thrusting my lance with everything I had. An Imperial soldier went down, then another.

  "AHHHHHHHHH!" The cavalry behind me crashed into the breach. Starting from that single point, the shield wall began to crumble as we rode deeper into their formation.

  Cavalry's strength came from speed and momentum. Stopping meant death. I kept riding, cutting deeper into the enemy ranks.

  "CHARGE!" I barely had time to glance back as royal foot soldiers had caught up, finishing off the Imperials we had behind. The two armies crashed together as we pushed forward.

  "ELION!" I shouted, forgetting to use his rank. I didn't care. "What do we do now?!"

  "Break through the center and hit their commander!" Elion shouted back. He had dropped his lance after an Imperial soldier tried to stab him with a pike. He dodged and countered with his sword instead.

  "Alright!" I snatched up a fallen pike with my free hand, then hurled my lance like a javelin. It impaled a charging Imperial soldier clean through. I started swinging the pike in wide arcs, cutting down anyone who got close, then shouted to a nearby royal soldier.

  "Start bringing me more pikes!"

  "Yes, ma'am!" The soldier rushed off to collect pikes from fallen Imperials and allies alike.

  I fell into a rhythm: stab, swing, stab, swing. Imperial soldiers dropped left and right. When my pike broke, I would simply grab a new one from the soldier I had ordered.

  "She's a monster!" an Imperial soldier screamed, right before I impaled him with a broken pike half and threw the rest at another.

  "S-should we run?"

  "Fool! We'll be executed!"

  "But we're dead either way!"

  The Imperial morale started crumbling. Soldiers began backing away, refusing to engage me, desperately trying to keep their distance. I didn't let them. I kept pushing forward, impaling them with pike after pike.

  "First Lieutenant Aria!" A messenger ran up to me just as I was about to throw another broken pike. "We're ordered to retreat immediately!"

  "Why?!" I shouted, genuinely shocked. From where I stood, this was the perfect moment to break their center. Their morale was collapsing and their formation was on the verge of shattering. We could reach their commander.

  "We're being encircled!" The messenger looked at me like I was an idiot. "It's a trap to isolate the main force!"

  "Oh." I said dumbly, realizing the Imperials had made it too easy.

  "Furthermore, enemy reinforcements are advancing on Brigadier General Lily's position!"

  That was even worse. It would throw our entire formation into chaos. I had two choices: retreat now and try to defend our forces, but it would cost many lives, or break through the center and hope the enemy would focus on us instead.

  "How many men are still alive?" I asked Elion, who had ridden up beside me.

  "About 5,000," Elion said grimly. "We've lost 500 to 1,000. The cavalry's down to 750."

  "Tell the cavalry to charge the enemy center," I ordered, taking the risk. "Infantry follows behind. We're going for their commander."

  "What?!" The messenger's face turned red. "With all respect, ma'am, you're a First Lieutenant! Brigadier General Lily has ordered a retreat, and you need to follow that order!"

  "Well," I grinned, taking a spare lance from Elion. "Then I guess only the cavalry will follow."

  It was a gamble. If we retreated now, all the sacrifices we'd made would be for nothing. Even worse, the battle would drag on, and more soldiers would die.

  "M-ma'am!" The messenger stammered, trying to say something, but I didn't care. I spurred Saky forward, lance in hand, with Elion close behind.

  Seeing me charge, the rest of the cavalry followed, driving straight through the enemy's thinnest defense, their center. Imperial soldiers waited for us there, bows drawn.

  Why is the center the thinnest defense? I thought as we charged forward. It would only endanger the commander... unless!

  A sudden realization flashed through my mind. I glanced down at the ground, and my thoughts went blank. Straw. Covered in something black. Oil.

  "RETREAT!" I shouted as hard as I could, yanking hard on Saky's reins. "THIS IS A TRAP! RETR—"

  "FIRE!"

  Hundreds of flaming arrows arced down toward us. Saky weren't afraid of fire like normal horses. That was why the tactic usually didn't work on cavalry. But their goal wasn't to scare the horses.

  I tried to grab the arrows mid-air with my bare hands to stop them from hitting the ground, but it was too late. All around me, fire erupted simultaneously as the oil-soaked straw ignited. A wall of flames rose up, swallowing us whole.

  "AHHHHHHH!"

  "HELP!"

  "SOMEBODY PUT OUT THE FIRE!"

  Saky reared in panic. I lost control and tumbled to the ground, crashing hard into the flames. I tried desperately to put out the fire on my clothes, but it was no use. All around me, others fell from their mounts as well, and many weren't so lucky.

  It was my mistake. It was my call to charge forward for the commander's head. Instead of returning in triumph, I had led my troops straight into death.

  "FIRE!"

  Another volley of arrows rained down. This time, we were helpless. I gritted my teeth and drew my sword, charging forward through the flames as my regeneration kicked into overdrive. I had to protect as many troops as I could. I had to.

  I swung my swords left and right, deflecting arrows as I tried to save as many people as I could. But no matter what I did, I couldn't save them all.

  "HELP!"

  I watched a young man, Rowen, barely in his twenties, get shot in the chest. He stumbled, flames still raging around his body as he fell.

  "RETREAT! RETRE—ARGHHH!"

  Another man, Austin, tripped and crashed face-first into the flames before a panicked Saky trampled him, the horse itself burning alive.

  "Tell my mom I love her..."

  A boy, almost fifteen, Patrik. His voice was dry, barely a whisper as the life left his eyes.

  This is all your fault.

  A voice screamed inside my head. I clenched my teeth and kept swinging my sword. But no matter what I did, nothing could stop the death surrounding me.

  Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw it, a flaming arrow arcing straight toward my head. I had no time to dodge.

  Is this my end?

  No matter how brutal Instructor Demo's training had been, he had always avoided my head and heart. Those were my only weaknesses, he had explained. If that arrow struck my head, I was done.

  Fear gripped my heart. My body froze, refusing to move. The fear of death, an emotion I hadn't felt in so long, paralyzed me completely.

  "ARIA!"

  Elion. Burn marks covered his face. His left arm hung at a wrong angle, clearly broken. But he was running toward me. And when he reached me, he jumped.

  The world slowed down. The arrow that was meant for me, pierced straight into Elion's heart. My mouth fell open. Elion, who had taken the arrow, smiled as he collapsed to the ground.

  "Elion...?"

  I forced my frozen body to move, dropping to my knees beside him. I shook him. He didn't respond.

  "Medic..." I croaked. Then louder: "MEDIC! WE NEED A MEDIC!"

  No one came. I shook Elion harder, desperate. This world had magic, didn't it? They had regeneration abilities like mine. They could fix him. Right? Right? But no help came. Only screams. Only more soldiers dying around me.

  "This is all my fault..."

  Yes. This is all your fault.

  I felt my consciousness slipping. At the edge of my vision, everything turned red. I gripped Elion's body, and as I let my consciousness fade, one final thought echoed through my mind:

  I'm a coward for letting go.

  [(0)]

  "That was a close call, wasn't it?" Major General Remnell sighed in relief. "For a moment, I thought their cavalry would break our ranks."

  "I have to agree," his aide, Brigadier General Varian, nodded. "That silver-haired girl was especially dangerous."

  After seeing the enemy cavalry, they had prepared a trap to lure them in. Draw them deep into the formation, ignite the oil-soaked straw, then rain arrows down on them. Even if the fire was extinguished, the cavalry would have neither the strength nor the morale to continue. On top of that, hundreds of Imperial soldiers were waiting in reserve to finish them off.

  "Any news from the other wings?" Remnell asked.

  "The center gained a huge advantage on the first day but slowed down on the second," Varian reported, looking grim. "As for the right wing... despite having all our mages, they've yet to inflict any significant damage."

  "I see." Remnell nodded. "And what abou—"

  "SIR!" A messenger suddenly ran up, face ghost-white as he stumbled forward. "A monster is approaching us!"

  "What?!" Both Remnell and Varian looked up in shock.

  A lone figure burst out of the flames, charging straight toward their position. Imperial soldiers moved to intercept. In the next instant, they were cut to pieces.

  "Is she a Wild Magic user?!" Remnell cursed. "Tell our forces to fall back!"

  The lone girl, Aria, smashed through their ranks like a battering ram. But instead of her usual orange eyes, her eyes burned blood red as she charged forward.

  “System, Frenzy Mode activated.” Aria muttered quietly. “Killing all enemies. Executing now.”