Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

”Blam... blam... blam!”

Three burning boulders slammed into the dome once again, setting the self-repairing magic tower ablaze. The mages grew overwhelmed as they struggled to assist the endless automated repairs, with several collapsing from sheer exhaustion. The situation turned increasingly dire. The enemy catapults launched a relentless barrage, and the front lines of the enemy army crept forward with triumphant grins, simply waiting for the magical dome to shatter.

Late afternoon was setting in, with the sun sinking in the west and preparing to dip toward the other side of the world.

”Attack! Don’t stop the catapults... keep firing! Archers, stand by! The moment that magical dome disappears, rain arrows down on every last one of them!” Dhorga bellowed.

”Uoooooooh!”

The enemy troops roared in excitement, their morale clearly at an all-time high. The catapults fired another volley, and this time, one of the burning boulders punched straight through the protective shield, smashing the magic tower into scattered ruins. ”Waaaaaah!” the mages attempting to repair it were thrown backward by the blast. Because the protective canopy was a barrier sustained by the combined power of multiple magic towers, the destruction of one caused the entire shield to vanish into thin air. A wide grin split Dhorga’s face.

”Archers... fire!”

”Syuuuut!”

Every enemy archer fired upward toward the ramparts of Mageford. Inside the city, the soldiers and mages gasped in horror as thousands of black arrows darkened the sky, raining down toward their town. Many soldiers swallowed hard, staring up without looking away, while others reflected on their entire lives or braced themselves to pass into the next world. But just as the thousands of black arrows in the sky prepared to descend, the fast, heavy thunder of galloping hooves echoed outside the fortress walls.

”Activate the Holy Shield!”

A female commander’s voice rang out in a roar. ”Understood, Commander!” the knights bellowed in response. Suddenly, a massive wall of yellow light in the shape of a giant kite shield surged upward, blocking the incoming volley of thousands of arrows, which clattered harmlessly onto the dirt upon hitting the barrier of light. Once the shield vanished, the archers and mages atop the ramparts peered down to see the knight order of the Kingdom of Thetor lined up along the city walls, casting their holy shield to block the barrage. They numbered roughly 1,000 strong, led by Evelyn, the first princess of the Kingdom of Thetor.

Seeing reinforcements arrive, the soldiers, archers, and mages of Mageford breathed collective sighs of relief, smiles breaking out across their faces. Meanwhile, Dhorga, who was observing the line of Thetor knights before the walls of Mageford through his spyglass, clenched his jaw and ground his teeth. His arrogant smirk vanished, replaced by a fierce glare.

”Thetor knights... a thorn in my side... but how did they find out about this attack?” Dhorga thought to himself, fuming.

”General, should we fall back?” the commander asked.

Dhorga snapped out of his enraged reverie at the commander’s words, turning sharply toward him with an intensity that made the commander flinch.

”Fall back? We advance! Charge in and wipe them out! Don’t let a single knight of Thetor return to their kingdom! We have the numbers... forward, all units! Show them how barbarians fight!” Dhorga roared, drawing and raising his massive battleaxe.

”You heard the general! CHARGE!” the commander shouted, drawing and raising his sword.

”Uoooooh!”

The barbarian infantry and cavalry surged forward like a roaring wave toward the Thetor knights, who were now forming a defensive line and dismounting from their steeds. ”Clang!” the front-line knights locked their shields together and thrust their spears forward.

”Everyone, hold the line! We stand our ground here and do not let them pass! For Goddess Hestalia!” Evelyn shouted, raising her sword.

”Understood, Commander!” the knights roared in unison.

The knights arrayed themselves with Evelyn at the very front, forming a tight testudo formation like a turtle hunkered inside its shell, waiting for an opportunity to strike. ”Yoooooh!” Finally, the two forces collided. The barbarian horde smashed against them like a battering ram against a fortress wall, attempting to breach the defense. Screams of wounded soldiers and knights, the clash of clashing steel, and spirited war cries echoed across the front of Mageford.

”Hold... hold!” Evelyn shouted, thrusting her sword from atop her steed to impale a barbarian soldier.

Meanwhile, the archers and mages atop the ramparts hesitated, unsure how to act out of fear of striking their own allies with arrows or spells. The knight order managed to hold their ground and threw the enemy forces into disarray. Evelyn charged forward alone, cutting through the enemy lines with a handful of knights following in her wake, followed by the rest of the unit. But because the enemy forces poured forth like an endless river, the push led by Evelyn eventually ground to a halt, slowly forcing them onto the defensive.

”We hold here! Though they outnumber us, never forget that we are the holy, invincible knights of the Kingdom of Thetor! Stand firm!” Evelyn bellowed.

”Uooooh!”

The knights roared and held their ground. They retreated no further, nor did they advance, blocking the incoming barbarian horde. But as Evelyn spotted two siege towers loaded with archers rolling forward, her face turned pale.

”This is bad... at this rate, we’re going to be overwhelmed,” Evelyn thought to herself, her mind racing for a solution.

As she scrambled for a strategy, a dark blur flashed past her. Startled, Evelyn whipped her head around, her eyes widening as hundreds of black shadows slipped through the gaps in her ranks to strike the enemy. They pushed the opposing forces back like phantom warriors whose attacks were entirely unpredictable. The tense, weary look on Evelyn’s face gave way to relief, and a smile broke across her lips.

”The Shadow Hand of Eredor... you arrived just in time,” she thought to herself.

”Greetings, Princess Evelyn.”

A voice spoke beside Evelyn, and she turned to see Haruto standing at her side. Evelyn removed her helmet and bowed before Haruto.

”Greetings, Lord Sion. It is a relief to see you on this battlefield,” Evelyn greeted Haruto.

”Withdraw your knights into the city, Your Highness. I have already instructed the archers and mages atop the ramparts to unleash their fire upon my command,” Haruto stated.

Evelyn glanced up toward the top of the wall, spotting Johan and Astrid standing alongside the mages and archers, who stood ready with flaming arrows notched. Seeing the archers and mages prepared, Evelyn turned back to Haruto and nodded. She then faced forward and raised her sword.

”All units, fall back! Into the city!” Evelyn commanded.

”Understood, Commander!” the troops bellowed.

Without delay, the knight order marched back into the city walls. Shortly after, over a hundred members of the Shadow Hand gathered at Haruto’s side, vanishing into thin air before reappearing safely inside the city. Standing atop the wall, Johan raised his hand, wrapping it in green flames that swept across the battlefield. Every fallen corpse of a barbarian warrior, knight, or Shadow Hand agent scattered across the earth caught a spark of the green flame and rose once more. They assembled, forming a defensive wall far ahead of the ramparts.

Dhorga stood stunned as he watched the army of the dead advance, though he knew such an undead force could never truly stop his main army. Yet before he could issue the order to strike, he caught sight of the burning arrows prepared by the archers hiding behind the walls. He then glanced toward his siege towers, his jaw tightening as he surveyed his remaining forces, which were still vast in number. Turning to his commander, he spoke firmly.

”Pull all forces back. That undead army is just a trap. We retreat for now,” Dhorga commanded.

The commander stared at the general with a look of utter confusion, considering the undead horde was hardly a terrifying force, serving merely as filler to compensate for their lack of troop numbers.

”Hey... did you not hear what I said?” Dhorga barked.

”Y-Yes, General! All units, fall back! Fall back! We retreat for now!” the commander shouted.

Without hesitation, the barbarian forces pulled back alongside their siege towers. Watching from atop the ramparts, Johan, Astrid, Evelyn, and Haruto analyzed the situation.

”Hmm... impressive indeed. He realized we were luring him into a trap. General Dhorga’s reputation is certainly well-earned,” Haruto remarked.

”What should we do now, Lord Sion? Should I cancel my spell?” Johan asked.

”Hold on a moment. Let us observe first to see if he is truly retreating or simply trying to bait us,” Haruto answered.

”It seems this war is going to be a long one,” Evelyn murmured under her breath.

”Yep... spot-on. Hopefully our main reinforcements arrive soon and put an end to this war,” Astrid replied, her eyes remaining fixed on the road ahead.

Though the forces had pulled back, neither side dared to ease their tension. Both Dhorga’s forces and Mageford remained locked in a state of war, even as the bloody clash before the city temporarily came to a halt.