AURORA BOREALIS:
"Look here," I said, holding the Ichos Sphere out in front of him. The scene within the crystal ball changed. "That large group is the enemy commander. They have men spread out evenly around the village, with moderately sized groups spread out. Take your warriors and charge one of the solo casters two spaces over from the main group. They'll likely cast some spell to delay either you specifically or your entire group. Push through, and ensure that they die. You'll be attacked from both directions by both the large group and one of the moderately sized groups. Stand your ground, or retreat towards the village if you must, but not too close. Play for time, delay them as long as you can. Don't hesitate to engage them in dialogue if you think it will help. While you all do your part, I'll hunt down and kill the rest. It won't take long. As soon as I'm finished, I'll come to aid you and your men."
Gazef took a moment to digest my words before nodding.
"Vice Captain. Ive. You two go to the other groups. Inform them of the plan and tell them to saddle up. We leave in mere minutes. The rest of you, prepare yourselves."
He then addressed me.
"We'll do our best. Good luck."
I only nodded in response.
Greater Teleportation
I appeared in the skies far above the village. Looking down, I saw the Sunlight Scripture steadily approaching. Their gaze ought to be forward. Not up. I began burning through my daily charges of Low Tier Angel. Dozens of archangel blazes, one per man.
[Widen Magic: Greater Invisibility]
Every angel summoned was now invisible for the next several minutes. Had I used the third-tier spell, Invisibility, the Principality of Observation, a fourth-tier sentry, would have noticed them and alerted its summoner. However, its sensory abilities could not pierce the sixth-tier spell, Greater Invisibility. The mana cost in widening a sixth-tier spell to cover as many targets as it did was grand, costing almost as much as a ninth-tier spell. Were it not for the Crown of Macedonia, I would only have had enough mana to do so twice. The Warrior Band, having finished their preparations, began rushing out of the village to the east, a stampede of hooves and dust. It was time. I transmitted an order telepathically to my angels. They would hunt down the casters who wouldn't immediately engage with the Warrior Band. I withdrew my shield and spear. I would wield my whole panoply this time.
Enoch, battle mode.
Affirmative, Architect.
Now, to wait.
GAZEF STRONOFF:
We rode out in tandem, our anxieties high and bloodlust higher. I could feel my horse's agitation from beneath me. Because it was a trained warhorse, a beast born and bred for battle, it knew its death loomed near. Our target, a sentry and angel, stood before us, about fifty meters out. To the man's credit, he didn't panic or fret. He stood tall, staring us down as we approached. I let out a battle roar.
"CHARGE! PAINT THE GROUND WITH THEIR GOD-LOVING GUTS!"
I knocked an arrow into my bow, aimed directly at the man before us. I let the arrow loose, and it flew towards my target. Several other arrows, launched my by comrades, chased after it. Not a single arrow missed the man or angel, but they all bounced off. If we had magical bows or arrows, the man would be dead at least thrice over. Alas, he stood unharmed. We approached him quickly.
He raised an arm in our direction. A glowing blue magic sigil appeared from his palm. I tensed up, drew my sword, and prepared myself to defend, to dodge, to respond in some manner to the offensive spell that was about to fire our way. Yet, no projectile launched forth. The sigil's color brightened, and my horse came to a screeching halt whining loudly. I tensed up, gripping the reins and leaning forward. I had almost been thrown off my horse.
Suddenly, the horse began thrashing beneath me, as though it were a wild beast. Mind control magic. Rather than try to target me, the caster targets my horse. I leaped backward off the beast, sword in hand. My men rode beside and past me, kicking up dust when they passed. They charged the caster, but a bright purple barrier appeared around him as he tensed up and threw both his hands to his sides. Many of my men struck at it as they passed, using maces and swords. Some threw javelins. The barrier visibly sustained damage, but it didn't crash. The men continued riding past. Some of the men in the back of the group had slowed down and held their hands out to help me on their horses.
I was about to reach out and accept when movement flashed in the corner of my eye. The angel was rushing at me, flaming sword in hand. It thrust its thin, bright blade at me. I stepped to the side, dodging the attack, and counterattacked with my own weapon. I swung my blade in both hands, using not just my arms but my entire body's strength and momentum. I cut deep into its metallic shoulder, a mechanical grinding accompanying my slash. The attack quickly lost momentum, coming to a halt. I pulled my sword out and leaped back. The angel turned to face me, golden ethereal motes of energy leaking from the wound. Angels had a unique power that allowed them to mitigate the damage they took from non-magical attacks. By this point, all of my men had rode by the caster. The last of the group managed to break the barrier and wound the caster, but he wasn't dead yet. The noise of the stampede faded into the distance.
[MARTIAL ARTS: FOCUS BATTLE AURA]
My blade glowed with a crimson light. Power hummed within it. The angel took the chance to attack, but it was far too slow. I slashed horizontally with my blade and bisected the incoming angel. Its wings flapped a few times before it dissolved into many small, dissipating motes of light. Pretty. Were a street performer to make the light show appear, I would surely give my applause. I would probably even give them a tip. However, I was on the battlefield with no time to admire it. I turned my gaze towards the now wounded caster. He stared back at me through that strange visor. With both hands held out, a bright light flashed, and another angel identical to the one I had just slayed appeared.
How unfair. I looked around on both sides of me. The two groups were approaching, one significantly larger than the other. Both had several angels. A particularly large angel hovered above the larger group. Before I could prepare for incoming attacks from all sides, I heard the stampede return in volume. My men were charging back into the fray, battle cries shouting.
"What are you doing? I told you all to scatter once you got through the blockade!" I shouted out, even though they couldn't make out what I was saying. "Each and every one of you is a damn fool…fools I'm truly proud of."
Several of the incoming casters used the same mind control spell they used on my horse. I could hear the groans of the pain of the men who were abruptly thrown off their horses. Several angels rushed the incoming cavalry charge. The fallen men were targeted first. Spells began firing, both at myself and at my men. An incoming fireball forced me out of my observation and into a sidestep. I looked at where the spell came from and saw the larger group. Among all of the uniformed men, one stood without the strange hood on. The largest angel hovered directly above him. Their leader. If I took him out, the rest wouldn't flee. But it'd be a damn good start.
I began charging at the group in earnest. Dozens of angels flew to intercept my target and me. I began activating several martial arts in preparation for the incoming skirmish.
[SIXFOLD SLASH OF LIGHT]
Six red slashes followed the path of my blade and cleaved through six of the angels, killing them instantly. I allowed myself to quickly peek at the fight between my men and the angels. While a single one of the warriors was an even match against an angel, they also had to contend with the incoming spell barrage. The angels employed hit-and-run tactics, striking a quick attack before flying out of reach. Some of them attack in duos, one taking the attention of a warrior while the other stabs him from the side or back. An angel rushed at me, sword swinging.
[INSTANT COUNTER]
My body blurred, and I struck back at the angel, killing it.
[FLOW ACCELERATION]
I killed two more.
[SIXFOLD SLASH OF LIGHT]
Six more fell.
The combat raged on and on. For every angel I killed, two more attacked in return. I was barely approaching the enemy commander. At this rate, it'd be a battle to stay awake by the time I got there. I had been burning through martial arts quickly. I held six martial arts that passively enhanced me since the beginning. I had almost doubled my previous record of consecutive sixfold slash of light. My head was pounding from the incredible focus I demanded of it. At least fifty angels have died by my hand at this point. I looked up and locked eyes with the commander, who only sneered. He then opened his mouth.
"Give up your life, Gazef Stronoff, and I'll make your death painless. Resist, and I'll go out of my way to slaughter the villagers after your inevitable death."
The fool. Had I been rested, I might have been able to hold my amusement. But in my exhausted state, I let out a deep laugh thoroughly unfit for the battlefield.
"Oh? I don't see what's so funny here, mongrel. Would you care to enlighten us?"
"That village is under the protection of one far more dangerous than I am. Attack them, and you'll find no surer death" I answered honestly. I knew there was something dangerous about Aurora Borealis the moment I saw him. Perhaps it was just a warrior's instinct, honed throughout a hundred battles, but I knew deep in my soul that he was the most deadly being I've ever met.
"What inane prattling is this? Do you think a mere bluff will work on me? Or perhaps you've simply gone insane from being on the edge of Surshana's scythe. Enough of this. Kill him."
With that order, he and all of the other magic casters raised their palms at him. Spell sigils ignited in the air. I noticed a slight change in the air coming from the commander. I quickly stepped to the side. Magic Arrow. The spell launched an invisible projectile at high speeds. Getting hit by it felt like taking an incredibly powerful punch. I remembered the nasty bruise I had from the first time I got hit by one. Another shimmer from the commander. If I took note of the slight changes in the air, I could track and dodge a Magic Arrow. I could do that for two at once. Up to ten probably. But each man was shooting several. I couldn't dodge dozens at once.
No matter what I did, blow after blow rained down on me. I flinched, tried blocking with my sword, and stepped to the side. All futile. And while I was dancing around, an angel came from behind me, from the right. Its fiery sword stabbed beneath my ribs and came out through my stomach. Pain blossomed through me. It pulled the sword out and swung down at me, but my breastplate blocked the blade. That didn't spare me from pain, however. The impact of metal clashing against metal sent a shockwave through me, aggravating the wound I had received. I swung weakly, but the angel easily evaded. I dropped to one knee, breathing heavily from my open mouth, greedily devouring as much air as my lungs could inhale.
"What you see now is the death throes of a rabid beast. Let us be merciful and put it down. All angels, attack at once, on my order." He paused for a second. Countless wings tensed up, awaiting the signal. "Now."
Over a dozen angels moved at once. I prepared myself for one last burst of strength. I would swing my sword until my final moments. As I built up the strength, an impossible sight happened.
Angels flew over my head and killed the incoming angels. It took me a second to recognize what had happened, and several more seconds to realize why, but it clicked. It would seem as though I wouldn't be dying here. The angels that saved my life looked familiar to the angels that attacked me, but I noticed some differences. They were bulkier, their wings were larger, and they held a longer sword in hand. They currently formed a wall in front of me, defending me from any spells. The sounds of combat drew my attention to the skirmish where my men fought. The bulkier angels were killing the theocracy angels with ease. Two theocracy angels fought one of the bulkier angels at the same time, only for them to both be killed within the same second. All of my men had been spared from further death.
Once all of the theocracy angels were killed, all of the bulkier angels flew ten meters in the air before falling back. It was foolish to turn my back to the enemy, but I turned my head, following their flight path. They were forming an aisle in the sky, in the direction of the village. They floated shoulder to shoulder, staring down at the angel opposite of them. And then they bared arms, as though they were valiant knights before a royal lord or a military figure of significance. At the far end of the row, a large golden glow lit the darkening skies. From the glow emerged a figure who slowly hovered through the genuflecting angels. It was clad in elaborate golden armor. Blue lights pulsated through engravings in the armor. An angled blue visor cracked across the helmet. A golden spear was gripped in its right hand, the spearhead shining with light. In its left hand was a massive shield. An unfamiliar crest was displayed, six wings emerging from a circle. The circle and the contours of the wings were adorned with sapphire. Were it not for the recognizable fiery wings and elaborate crown, I would not have recognized him. He reached the edge of the angelic row before slowly floating down towards me. The ground cracked and trembled right before his boots touched the ground only a meter or so away from me. Aurora Borealis has arrived.