Ch.144Chapter 144: The Decisive Battle in the East (12).

But there was no time for casual chatter.

Even now, at this very moment, the war continued.

“Good, I think you’ve shown enough to qualify for this unit. Everyone, let’s begin the meeting.”

At Jerdin’s command, all unit members gathered inside the tent.

The military officer, Veron, was no exception.

Jerdin had brought Veron along to utilize his wisdom for the unit, since they were dealing with uncontrollable kingdoms gathered together. However, even Veron’s cunning was useless in this unit with its overwhelming military power.

It was merely for show.

And for reporting purposes.

“So, Officer, what’s the current situation?”

Since the prominent nations of the East were gathered here, their magical reporting system was extraordinary.

They could directly observe the battlefield situation through magic crystals.

“So far, there have been no major anomalies. However…”

“However?”

“The orcs are employing strategies similar to humans. It seems our initial decoy operation has failed.”

“Hmm… I see. Just as we predicted when they first formed their detachment.”

Though numerous uncontrolled nations were gathered, they had agreed on at least one strategy.

The plan was to lure the recklessly charging orcs and inflict massive damage with a barrage of magic.

But the orcs didn’t easily fall for human tricks.

Whether they understood the concept of reconnaissance or not, the orc forces didn’t charge at humans with full force.

As a result, the human strategy of drawing in small numbers of orcs, surrounding them, and then unleashing full magical power didn’t work.

Nevertheless, human forces with powerful attack magic were overwhelming the orcs.

“The battlefield situation isn’t bad, but there’s definitely something unusual. Orcs don’t typically move like this.”

“Who doesn’t know that? Those so-called Dark Society fellows must have gotten involved. Or this might be their setup from the beginning. Tsk, how unpleasant—me, Jerdin, being played by people whose identities I don’t even know.”

These were the leaders guiding the East.

Most of them knew about the organization called the Dark Society that the Empire’s Emperor had mentioned.

“It’s unpleasant, but that’s absolutely no reason for us to lose. Maybe against the Empire, but the East falling to mere orc hordes? Ha! Nonsense.”

Jerdin didn’t entertain the slightest thought of losing this war.

His only goal was to establish military achievements to strengthen his kingdom’s position in the East.

Even so, he didn’t want allied casualties to increase.

No matter how many achievements he made, if casualties mounted, he would face public resentment whether he wanted it or not.

It was originally an issue with nations not following control, but that wasn’t important.

“I think it would be wise to exercise caution. We cannot predict what they’re thinking.”

“You’re good in many ways, but you’re too fearful. With our new addition, there’s no reason we can’t achieve our goals. Now, let’s plan our infiltration route.”

Battlefield situations are organic.

No matter how much planning and preparation is done, things don’t always go as intended.

Especially in battles on plains like this, where the cards one holds are fully reflected in the outcome.

If it were a conventional infantry battle, it would be a simple contest of strength, but combat here—with magic, sorcery, artifacts, and technology running rampant—doesn’t flow so simply.

If Balt’s unit decided to dominate the battlefield, defeating the orcs would be easy, but the Orc King was the problem.

If Jerdin’s unit’s strength were to falter, they couldn’t stop that force composed of the Orc King and Orc Lords.

Whether the enemy knew this or was acting on someone’s orders, the current war was proceeding cautiously.

Just like human wars.

Being a situation room tent, the plain naturally featured a large map with numerous pieces marking allies and orcs.

The setup was already complete, and the many pieces were clearly distinguishable even to Balt at a glance.

That unusually large piece must undoubtedly represent the Orc King.

Veron stepped up to the map and began moving some pieces.

These represented the current formations of humans fighting on the front lines and the orc formations.

“As you can see, the orcs aren’t moving much in what appears to be reconnaissance-style combat. We had initially considered these locations for infiltration routes, but through the crystal ball, we’ve observed the orcs showing signs of vigilance about something.”

“Vigilance? Are you saying those orcs are operating sentries?”

“Yes, they are.”

It was astonishing. This was clear evidence that the orcs were using tactics and that their communication system was very swift.

A full million orcs.

The fact that such orcs moved according to orders undoubtedly demonstrated remarkable unit operation skills.

Though it was a plain, the area was so vast that there were elevation differences from hills and areas where trees clustered to form small forests.

That’s how fertile the East was.

They had selected the best infiltration points, but the orcs’ defenses were formidable.

“Well… this is troubling… If things continue like this, our casualties will keep increasing…”

Things might be fine now, but the situation could change at any moment.

To create an opening, both allies and enemies could launch an all-out offensive, but that could lead to enormous casualties.

He wanted to achieve merit, but he didn’t want allied casualties to increase.

That dilemma made Jerdin frown.

“Isn’t there a better approach? If we continue like this, it’ll just become a war of attrition. Knights and mages might be fine, but I’m worried about the regular soldiers.”

But Veron showed a troubled expression.

“If they followed orders and control, perhaps… but would they listen?”

The human forces reflected in the crystal ball were truly in high spirits.

Although the crystal couldn’t capture all the intensity of the scene, it was evident how eagerly they were competing to achieve merit in this war.

“Urgh… I can’t criticize them for stepping up for the East… but trying to control them would face strong resistance…”

From the beginning, the other kingdoms had already conceded a lot by letting King Jerdin take down the Orc King.

They didn’t know exactly how powerful the Orc King was, but they believed that combining the strength of each kingdom’s prominent warriors would enable anyone to defeat the Orc King.

From other nations’ perspectives, they had made a significant concession to King Jerdin due to his status as a Grand Master.

As they pondered, an anomaly appeared in the crystal ball.

“What’s happening?”

In the crystal ball, people appearing as black dots were flying through the air.

“Fly! It’s the Fly spell! Can this crystal ball zoom in?”

At Jerdin’s request, Veron nodded.

“Yes, it’s possible.”

As Veron slightly adjusted the crystal ball, a mage in typical wizard attire with a white beard appeared.

“Rofus Calum! Can he attack while using the Fly spell? Indeed, he lives up to his reputation as an Arch Mage!”

The Fly spell, which allows one to soar through the sky, is actually an incredibly difficult magic.

A type of complex magic involving gravity and wind, Fly requires the ability to precisely counteract and control the planet’s gravitational pull on the caster.

Only those at the level of Arch Mage, 8th circle or higher, considered masters among mages, can use it.

Even among those who have reached the 8th circle, many struggle with Fly because it requires such precise mana control.

The mage called Rofus shown in the crystal ball begins chanting while maintaining the Fly spell.

“Oh! Is it a flame spell? Yes, flame magic is perfect for areas with such concentrated enemies!”

After the high-level mage finishes his incantation while maintaining the Fly spell, five fireballs drop into the center of the orc formation.

Though no sound could be heard, judging by the impact, it clearly dealt significant damage.

“With that method, he could rack up quite a few achievements! This might make things easier…”

Just as Jerdin was saying this.

“No, that can’t be!!”

Exclamations of shock escaped from everyone watching the crystal ball.

“Where did that come from?!”

A large hole had been punctured through the stomach of the mage called Rofus Calum shown in the crystal ball.

Rofus was clearly casting spells from a considerable height.

But there was a flash of light from somewhere, and in an instant, he lost his life.

No one except one person properly grasped that moment.

But there was something they could guess.

A being capable of killing an 8th circle mage with a single blow from that distance.

Grinding his teeth, Jerdin muttered that name under his breath.

“The Orc King…”