A high pitch screech echoed throughout the forest as the noble army arrived for their invasion. Many of the men carried torches prepared to set everything in the forest ablaze. Anger, hate, and sorrow burned in the men’s eyes. The march slowly came to a halt as they gazed into the darkened forest. Even their torches did little to brighten the area. Normal men would be filled with fear or panic. But these heartbroken men had long cast aside the delusions of finding happiness in this life. They would rather die destroying this evil and join their loved ones in Zeyana's eternal kingdom.

Clarence, on his horse, glanced towards the immense human force then towards the eerie forest. No hesitation was in his eyes. All he had done. All he will do. Was for his dream of returning to Scottsburg. There was only one direction for him. He unstrapped his spear, pointing it forward. His blood essence exploded outward, creating a haze of green aura that shot across the sky. Illuminating the entrance. Listening to the screech Clarence addressed his troops, “Do you hear that, men? The monster is screaming. It is scared. Scared of humanity and her power. Let us send this lich to its final slumber.”

The knights began yelling, perhaps to give themselves courage or signify the beginning of their organized campaign of destruction. Under Clarence's direct command was a force of 2,600 men. They marched in the direction of the lich’s cave. 900 formed the center with Clarence at its head. 500 broke off to each side, becoming the left and right flanks. 700 remained in the rear setting up defenses and magical barriers. 

As Clarence’s horse trotted forward, the screeches subsided, and a long untuned whistle hazily made its way throughout the forest. The tune was strange as the men felt their hearts tightening and a slight pain, not of the body but of the soul. For a moment, their spirits felt weakened and flimsy. 

Loud rustling followed the tuneless whistle as the entire forest shook from movement.

Clarence raised a fist signaling the forward force to slow their march.

Everyone stared ahead with anticipation. Some of the more novice soldiers' bodies began to shake, causing the sound of armor to clang. Their instincts blared warnings and begged for them to run from impending danger. But the ranks held firm.

Within minutes the humans watched as unholy abominations rushed from within the deepest crevices of the forest.

Flying squirrels with 20-inch canines sharpened to a point, their eyes glowed a deep red drenched in rage. Spiders the size of dogs swarmed with black venom incessantly flowing from their agape mouths. Hordes of rats erupted from the foliage. They were grotesque in shape with abscesses that spewed black ooze.

What could only be assumed as mutated dogs that had lost their tails barked with jaws that had become unhinged. Bird-like creatures hovered overhead. Their tunes were a symphony of death. Misformed bats repeatedly screeched, seeming to be satisfied with the number of lifeforms its echolocation was picking up. More and more bizarre creatures made their way to the humans. The beasts' depraved noises were an orchestra of demons thanking their evil gods for the meal to come.

“Zeyana, have mercy,” Michael leading his fanatics under the main force, could not believe his eyes. So many monsters that should not exist in any world had appeared. Under normal circumstances, he would be zealous for battle. But these weren’t just nonhumans. They were abominous scourge that fed off the nightmares of men. The wild zealots under his command chanted scriptures from the holy book of Zeyana. Yet none in the group had divine magic, so she would offer no help.

A standoff set in. The invading human army was flanked by all sides. The grotesque horde remained still as if waiting for a signal.

Clarence’s heart pumped furiously, an adrenaline cocktail exploded through his body. Glancing around at the scared faces of men, Clarence gripped his spear, roaring, “Onward. Onward. Move forward or die retreating.”

Those whose village was destroyed yelled like the madmen they had become and bravely rushed headlong in the demon spawns.

Seeing them charge ahead, the other knights swallowed their fear and yelled as they too charged.

The few mages brought for the battle unleashed various spells into the horde of monsters causing trees to explode in the crossfire. 

The first to unwittingly make contact with the enemy was the flanking 500 men on the left. Who realized something was wrong with the ground after marching forward. The ground was too light. Before anyone could yell, retreat. Holes began popping up, and giant bugs yanked men away. Many screamed as their lower halves disappeared. Some tried to drag them out only to find half of the men's body was gone. Intestines stained the ground. There was no help for those dragged under, and those who tried to help found themselves in precarious positions. Sharp stingers would drill into their heads, killing them instantly.  

The flanking men on the right heard the wails of their comrades and charged towards their opponents. They clashed with the misformed dogs hacking away only to notice the durability of the dog’s fur. The weakest of the knights proved incapable of damaging the fur. Fear became present in their eyes. The unhinged jaws of the dogs now appeared to be smiles that heckled the humans for their foolishness.

At the center, Clarence led himself and the elites straight towards the cave. Any creature unlucky enough to get in his way was dissolved into a puddle. A green haze leaked from his eyes as his wyvern blood went berserk in the heat of battle. Even his men did dare not to make eye contact with him.

The screeching birds who had been hovering far above began to nose dive into the backline. The commanding knight’s eyes bulged as he ordered, “Archers prepare to fire.” Archers rushed to their positions. The sky above them was blotted out by the flock of demons. The commanding officer sweated profusely as fear gripped his heart. His voice cracked, crying out, “loose.” The archers let loose arrow after arrow. 

The excited birds ignored their mounting losses. By the time they reached their targets, only 50 were left. But 50 was more than enough to cause havoc. The commanding knight was the first to fall. Swallowing his fear, he tried to protect the archers only to have his eyes pecked out. His screeches of pain as his flesh was pecked clean, grated on the archer's ears. More of the knights rushed forward to protect the archers, but most of the elite knights were sent to the front.

A knight's ranking was based on merit, strength, skill, and experience. The lowest ranking official knights were those with the fourth star. The highest-ranking were those with the first star. Two ranks sat between the fourth and first star, but their abilities could not even be compared. It was like comparing the national guard to seal team 6. Similar to creating seals, there was a plethora of resources and time needed to create them. 

However, six ranks stood far above the first star, making them look like a local militia. But only the king could ever dream of producing a knight of such a level. Once someone's strength reached that level, why on Titan would they remain loyal to a weak benefactor.

Runic knights were in a gray area. One did not need skill or strength to be strong in magically enhanced armor. Of course, if one were, they would be 100 times stronger than one without. Still, money was all it took to become a runic knight. In enhanced armor, a fourth-star knight would be two levels above their normal star. Meaning a well-trained first-star knight would most likely defeat them. Even the best first-star knight in the strongest armor would be treated like a toddler by a knight above the first star. 

If all these were true. Why do the nobles not mass produce first stars and give them armor? It was expensive as hell and useless. Most soldiers were used for maintaining order. War was on a low scale in this era. The easier and most effective route was using overwhelming numbers of mediocrity, with a splash of high-end shock troops. The current battle proved the ineffectiveness of throwing bodies in a battle of strength.

Though the reserve knights tried their best to help their ability to fight flight-based opponents were pitiful. The lightly armored archers began running in fear as the birds’ sharp beaks pecked through the heads of many, killing them instantly. No mages were seen at first. As they were busy within tents that had been hastily set up. 

Finally, the magical barrier hummed online, blocking the rest of the monsters from entering. With that taken care of, the mages entered into the fray and supported the archers in eradicating the birds. Everyone in the rear, especially the nobles Grey and William, breathed a sigh of relief. Many of the reserved guards laid on the ground with peck marks. A significant price had been paid, yet the birds now had nowhere to escape. Vengeance was assured. 

With the rear now secured, Clarence pushed his men aggressively forward. Stabbing through squirrels, badgers, and canines, the forward flank extended, stretching out thin.  

500 men had been on the left flank. 50 men had already been lost, mostly the low leveled fourth-star knights. 250 of the men were third-star knights. After the initial surprise, order was restored as the experienced men began tossing torches wherever a hole in the ground appeared. 100 men were second-star knights. These men dispersed within the flank, supporting the third-star knights in clearing the holes. Only 50 men were first star knights. They remained in the front blocking the advancing rat horde while the other men reorganized themselves. 

The right side fared far better as they enjoyed a good number of veterans who switched off their emotions in the face of battle. The only thought in their mind was to kill or be killed. 20 men had died, but a sense of order still existed. Many of the fourth-star knights ganged up on sole canines hacking until the body was in pieces, then moving on to the next canine like a mob. While the canines charged in, squirrels relentlessly glided down, biting into the necks of men. Their superior agility and speed made them a nuisance. 

With a distorted bark, a large canine three times the size of the other ones made his appearance. The monster growled and snarled as it ripped the head off a first-star knight with ease. There were 5 packs of canines on the right flank. Each pack had one of these large canines who appeared to be of superior strength. 

Back at the center flank, Clarence alone easily batted away the monsters seeming to be nigh unstoppable. As the flank made their advance, a humanoid looking shadow appeared. From beyond the trees, human-sized mantis swarmed forward. Clarence clicked his tongue as he stabbed and ran about. His men were considered elites. They were first-star runic knights. However, the praying mantises were able to penetrate through the enhanced magic armor.  

Luckily the horde of 2000 men was not slowed by the monsters, only disorganized. Even with the monsters' unnatural strengths and defenses, they numbered far too little to stop the humans. No matter the losses inflicted, the battle was slowly tilting towards the humans. It was a matter of morale when fighting a force with more troops. The possibility of wiping them out completely was absurd. But if their wills were broken, a retreat would follow. The question then was what would happen first. The humans' will breaking or the monsters' extermination?

The zealots within the center didn’t even know the definition of defense, merely throwing themselves forward more than willing to die if it meant taking a monster with it. Though their strength was lacking, their morale and ferocity were the highest of all the soldiers present. It would not be wrong to say they were the backbone of victory. Their morale made up and influenced everyone else's.

While fighting, Clarence noticed a soldier with his intestines hanging out who spurted nothing but the glories of Zeyana with a weird smile etched on his face. A mantis’s claw chopped his head off, yet that smile remained, and the zealots near him took the opportunity of him dying to strike down the mantis. It appeared it took lunacy to battle lunacy. 

Hopping back from battle, Clarence took note of the situation. The right flank had stabilized as they began burning the trees around them. The left flank was still losing swaths of men to the underground bugs. Fearing their collapse, Clarence sent 100 men from the already stretched front line to them. 

Those in the rear composed of mages and archers with a few knights finally defeated the last of the birds. With their attention free, they began to rain hell upon the forest indiscriminately regardless of if a monster was present or not. For the first time in a very long time, the forest was alive with life and was bright as a manmade bonfire raged.

With the large canines on the right flank making their presence known, the majority of men were forced to retreat. The large canines, perhaps containing a shred of intelligence, aimed for the first star knights. A horde of third-star knights busied themselves with stomping on fallen squirrels and dragging back injured men. Regardless of the numeric advantage, too many of their numbers were the fourth star, and injuries were mounting. The 5 superior canines took a similar tactic from the fourth-star mob. Like a roaming elite party, they ripped open the defense of the right side. Once inside, they killed every injured first-star knight they could get their canines on. 

The 100 extra men tried to rally the left side, but the bugs continued to pop up from underground no matter the number of fires lit in the holes. Too many of the men on this flank were novices, and the few trained ones were stretched too thin. Without warning, a hole in the 50 man defense had opened as several rats rushed through, eating injured fourth-star knights alive. The scene was horrifying as the sound of bones being crunched and the screams of men going through indescribable pain echoed. The influx of rats caused the deaths of the remaining 50 fourth star knights. If not for the fresh 100 men, the left side would have collapsed. Yet, it was uncertain if the 100 men were enough. For now, they simply extended the time of defeat.

Clarence had believed the priority was to push straight to the cave, but he now knew that would be impossible. Seeing the dire straits, Clarence leapt on his horse and dashed to the left flank. His charge cut from the forward flank straight to the left. He easily defeated rat after rat as his spear glowed with a green hue. One man stabilized the entire flank, earning the respect and awe of the soldiers. 

With the left flank secured, Clarence turned his attention to the right flank. Pulling back his arm, he flung his spear. The spear whistled through the air before exploding the head of a superior canine. Before the other four canines could react, Clarence appeared in front of them, dropping from the sky. Grabbing his spear from the dead dog, he began twirling about, cutting into them and leaving acid that burned to their bones. 

Given this breather, the army gained its second wind and rallied, pushing the monsters back slowly.

Thomas’s creations in the forest were never able to sustain a large population due to the death of the forest’s original inhabitants. Their only advantage against the humans was their ferocity, strength, and fear factor. Once Clarence broke these things, the monsters lost all chance of victory.

The archers in the rear fired around the rats with flaming arrows that skewered and slowed them. Mages cast healing magic on injured soldiers, making them semi-fit for combat. A giant golden cannon was rolled from the village. It was a special and expensive magical cannon. These machines, a modern miracle, took 30 horses to draw them. They were manned by 20 alchemists at a time. The cost of firing for one hour would be enough to bankrupt a small city-state. As one volley cost thousands of gold. 

With the arrival of the cannon, an unknown officer ordered, “controlled retreat.”

Like worker ants, the knights formed up. They slowly marched in retreat, leaving the injured and staying on the defense against the monstrosities. 

Clarence alone continued to rampage about allowing the army to freely move back without being bogged down again. 

2/3rds of the forest was ablaze. The smell of burning flesh and fresh blood permeated throughout the region.

Taking note, Dante could tell that over 900 men were dead. 200 were injured either with cuts and bruises or had life-threatening gashes or appendages missing.

The monstrous cannon gave hope to the soldiers, and many believed that its appearance signaled the end of the battle.

Clarence felt a disturbance coming from the cave’s direction. Looking up, he found the sky darkening as if it were about to rain. He felt goosebumps rising on his arm and knew something was amiss.