Blacksmith vs. the System-Chapter 212

Not only that, but I also want them to be closer before we let them retreat. I didn’t want them to retreat with small losses. I tried to stay away from killing, but against Drakka, I didn’t have the luxury of playing with kid gloves.

They needed to learn that any attempt against us would cost them valuable resources.

“I can see five mages mixed among them,” Rosie said.

I couldn’t see them, but I didn’t doubt Rosie. Just like Wisdom, Perception had its own perks as well. “Can you handle them?” I asked.

“Not with them keeping their formation so tight. They are near the center,” she said.

“The disruption of that can be arranged,” I said. “Are they responsible for the shield?”

“No, that seems to be an artifact their ascended commander is carrying,” she said.

I didn’t ask her to point at him. There was no need, as he was leading the center of the formation, radiating an aura of absolute confidence. “How about Charisma?” I asked.

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“They have three sub-commanders, two at the wings, one at the rear,” she said. “They are easier to assassinate.”

“No need to hurry,” I said as I watched cannon shells either exploding ineffectively against their shield, or fizzling on their path, turning their charge into something truly majestic. I was glad that I didn’t have to put a shield wall and spears against them, not with the convenience of modern weaponry.

I looked at Rosie. “Once they clear the three-mile mark, I will start using my mana attacks against their shield, but only when they are less than a mile away, I’ll use the shrapnel shells,” I said.

“Perfect,” Rosie said with a vicious smile. “Keep the ascended warrior busy, and we’ll handle the rest,” she said as she jumped down the walls, and four of her guild members joined her. I was happy to see Jennifer was not a part of it.

It was too early for her to join a battlefield of such scale.

I pulled my blade as I watched them approach. “Increase the frequency, but spread the area of the decay attacks further,” I ordered as I brought down the blade, using a Radiant Flame attack.

[-500 Mana]

I had held back with my attack, but that had more to do with maintaining the coherency of the attack as it traveled three miles than anything else.

The ascended warrior separated from the rest of the army, riding directly toward the attack. When he drifted to the melee range, he dispelled the attack in one swing. Not a surprise. If it was possible to take them down with just that, they wouldn’t have been a threat in the first place.

I followed up with five attacks, spreading it across the whole range, forcing the ascended warrior to counter it with his own ranged attacks. I continued to attack even faster, each attack forcing his attention to split even further.

“A mixture of the new shrapnel shells right in the center of the formation, and mix them with stronger decay shells on their path,” I ordered Liam, watching the results tensely. If this didn’t work, things would turn … challenging.

The shells exploded above the magical shield, the small pieces of metal raining on the shield, creating flares as they cut through the mana barrier. The moment the breach happened, all four hundred cavalry raised their shields, though I could see three distinct patterns, probably about the Charisma control from three commanders.

The shrapnel imbued with Radiant Flame rained on their shields, enough to damage their surfaces somewhat. “Spread out,” the order came, but that order was too late. They had already entered the cloud of decay, and with the surface damaged, it was enough to infect their shields, the rot spread visible.

I jumped forward even as the ascended warrior launched his own ranged attack, thick and overwhelming. I pushed toward it, starting to throw full-powered attacks.

[-3650 Mana]

It took five full-powered attacks for me to cancel it out, showing the great gap between me and a true ascended.

“Luckily I have piled a lot of advantages,” I muttered happily, the biggest being the instant mana regeneration and superior equipment.

I pushed forward, alone. Interestingly, there was no follow-up attack from him, which suggested it was not as cheap for him.

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“Is this how Drakka acts?” I asked loudly as I pushed. “A bunch of barbarians on the raid, attacking how they wish?”

“A little dingy town, and you think you deserve our respect,” the ascended warrior shouted. “But, you’ll have a lot of time to consider your folly in your cell.”

I sighed. There was no hint of reproach from them even with our latest display, which was a tragedy. A part of me was still hoping that the battle could have been avoided. Unfortunately, that seemed to be a fool’s hope.

I rushed forward as the shells continued to rain above the army, forcing them to spread. However, unlike the rest, the ascended warrior shook off the attacks with no damage, a thin layer of Health above his armor — one that functioned perfectly despite its small nature.

He closed the distance by jumping down his mount, his speed faster than mine, but he wasn’t prepared for me to change my approach angle, allowing me to keep him to the side as I faced his army.

All he needed was to continue toward the town for me to turn back, but I knew he wouldn’t do that. He believed that he had the superior army, which meant losing any of his soldiers against a weak town was nothing more than a display of weakness.

Though, if he did, I could have returned to the town using a portal.

“Coward,” he declared, which was all he was able to say before I lashed out with several full-power ranged attacks. The mounted warriors were fast enough to avoid it, which didn’t surprise me. I was fighting against elites, under the control of Charisma.

That was all I was able to achieve before he caught up with me, forcing me into a melee fight.

Even If it wasn’t for Rosie, I would have been able to escape through a portal. Instead, I let my Legendary skill take control, my blade dancing to push his away.

My first duel against a real ascended.