Affinity: Chaos

Chapter 2171: You And What Army?

The Mayor took the lead as the group of experts flew eastward toward the Gnomes’ camp.

Grey glanced at the bunny that was in Elder Voss’s hand throughout the flight. He couldn’t help but wonder why she seemed to like it.

The human force continued flying forward in disciplined silence, the forest below growing denser as they neared enemy territory.

....

A few minutes later the two armies met in the sky above the vast forest.

The human side numbered fewer than one hundred and fifty. Across from them, the Gnomes had brought their full force, thousands of figures filling the air in a dark, spreading mass. The Gnomes showed no concern over the small number of humans. They had flown out in full strength the moment they sensed the approaching force, determined not to allow the enemy anywhere near their camp.

On the human side, Mayor Aldric raised a hand and ordered the group to halt. They waited in formation as the Gnome army closed the remaining distance.

Grey watched the approaching mass with calm eyes. His face was still slightly pale from the previous night’s battle, yet he showed no sign of unease. When the Gnomes finally stopped opposite them, he quickly assessed their ranks. The Mayor’s earlier intelligence proved accurate: three Peak Sovereigns stood at the front, backed by a number of Ninth-stage Sovereigns and a vast number of weaker troops. According to the plan, Grey would strike all three Peak Sovereigns at the opening of the battle with his mental attack. That single move would free Mayor Aldric and Elder Harrington to support the rest of the human forces against the Ninth-stage experts and the lower ranks.

The three Peak Sovereign Gnomes hovered at the head of their army. The one who had earlier opposed the brown-clothed Gnome moved forward slightly, a confident sneer on his face.

”Mayor Aldric,” he called out, ”have you come to surrender yourselves to us?”

From the Gnome’s perspective, there was little reason for the Mayor to march all this way with his experts unless he intended to yield. In this war, battles were normally fought with both the strongest and the weakest involved. A force this small appearing so boldly did not look like a serious attack. Still, the Gnome had no intention of letting them leave unharmed. At the very least he planned to wound the Mayor and Elder Harrington before the day ended.

Mayor Aldric met the Gnome’s gaze with calm, composed eyes.

”Contrary to what you believe,” he answered, ”we did not come here to surrender. We came here to wipe out every Gnome in your camp.”

The declaration drew a burst of loud laughter from the Peak Sovereign Gnome. He glanced at his companion who had been watching Elder Harrington and saw the same amusement reflected there. When his eyes moved to the brown-clothed Gnome and he saw his still worried expression, he only grunted and chose not to voice any dissatisfaction.

”You and what army?” he asked mockingly. ”Do you think those few people behind you can save you?”

Mayor Aldric was about to reply when the third Peak Sovereign, the one who had kept his attention on Elder Harrington, cut in coldly.

”Enough talk. Let us kill them and return to what we were doing.”

With that, the Gnome shot forward toward the human formation. The first Peak Sovereign laughed and followed immediately. Seeing both of his companions advance, the brown-clothed Gnome had no choice but to move with them.

The Ninth-stage Sovereigns and the rest of the Gnome army surged forward as well. Even the weaker Gnomes below the late stages of the Sovereign Plane charged in without hesitation, eager to join the slaughter.

The human experts had prepared themselves long before arriving. They held their positions and waited for the signal.

Just as the three Peak Sovereign Gnomes closed the final distance, Mayor Aldric’s voice rang out clearly across the sky.

”Attack! Do not leave a single one of them alive!”

A fierce roar rose from the human side as more than a hundred Sovereigns charged forward to meet the oncoming Gnome army. Elemental lights of every color exploded across the sky as the two forces collided. The battle turned violent from the very first exchange. Bodies began falling toward the forest below almost immediately.

The Peak Sovereigns and the Ninth-stage experts quickly separated from the main battlefield. The shockwaves from their clashes would have been deadly to the weaker fighters, so both sides followed the usual practice of isolating the highest-level combatants. Only a Peak Sovereign could reliably contain another Peak Sovereign, with the rare exception of someone like Grey.

On the newly formed Peak Sovereign battlefield, seven figures hovered in the open sky. Three small Gnome figures stood opposite four humans: Mayor Aldric, Elder Harrington, Grey, and Elder Voss.

The two more confident Peak Sovereign Gnomes glanced at the brown-clothed one.

”Deal with those two quickly and then come help us finish the others,” one of them said.

The brown-clothed Gnome did not reply. His eyes remained fixed on Grey and Elder Voss, lingering especially on Grey. He had never seen this young man before, and something about him felt off. A faint, unexplainable unease tugged at the edge of his mind. He considered warning his companions, but after remembering their earlier conversation and the mockery he had received, he decided against it.

’Maybe I am simply being paranoid,’ he told himself, pushing the bad feeling aside as best he could.

After steadying his thoughts, he summoned his puppet. A powerful aura equal to a Peak Sovereign flared around the construct. His two companions did the same without hesitation. Three Peak Sovereign puppets now stood beside their masters, dark energy swirling around them.

The first Peak Sovereign Gnome licked his lips, eyes gleaming with killing intent.

”Kill!”

With this shout, their elemental essences burst out brilliantly as they engaged their opponents.

The eyes of Mayor Aldric and Elder Harrington were locked onto their opponents, but unmoving as they waited for Grey’s signal.

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P.S: Please check Author’s Note!