We can’t win. 

Celene grit her teeth as she bent her broken arm across her chest to dig her fingers under her chestplate. Picking up her sword, she pushed her tired body up from the ground and looked over the battlefield with a gaze filled with grief.

In the beginning, they thought they had a chance to subdue the dragon. That was partially because it showed no intent on using necromancy, and instead prefered to burn its opponents with the flames from its jaws. 

But once it had killed enough of their soldiers, as if to completely demoralize them when they thought that they could kill it as long as they were willing to make sacrifices, the dead began to rise. With tens of thousands of undead suddenly added to the enemy’s army, it was as if all their efforts thus far had been for nothing.

It’s toying with us.

A part of her had wanted to face the dragon herself, as she considered herself among the strongest magicians in the Empire. But there were plenty of people both stronger and more capable than her, and leaving to fight the dragon would soon make the rest of the battle fall into disarray, which made her choose to trust in her people to handle the dragon while she oversaw the battle. 

A choice she now regretted.  

Celene raised her sword and sidestepped one of her own soldiers that had turned undead. With a swift slash with her sword as she moved, she seperated the head from the body and could hear two muted thumps, one after the other, as they fell on the ground behind her. 

What do we do now?

Celene’s tearfilled eyes turned wrathful as her next opponent was one of the rul’maga. One of the traitors who had betrayed them all.

With two quick waves with her sword, she deflected the axe aimed at her face and opened the rul’maga from hip to shoulder. As the rul’maga fell on his back, twitching and shaking in agony, Celene stared down at him before plunging her sword into him and igniting the body in flames. 

We can’t retreat. Trying would be suicide at this point.

Celene turned her eyes to the dragon that was rampaging at their flank. Even though they still outnumbered their enemies and had most of their army intact, it wouldn’t remain that way for long. While their attacks on the dragon had been effective in injuring it, they hadn’t been enough to kill it.

…An all-out attack on the dragon. As long as we bring it down, even if we all die here, at least we won’t become undead in their army.

The next army would be able to deal with simple undead and demons, as long as they gather enough soldiers. 

As Celene was making up her mind whether to order the suicidal all-or-nothing assault on the dragon, she could feel the faint rush of mana inside the camp. Moments later, she felt strength returning to her tired limbs and how her mind became clearer. When turning to look in the direction of the flow of mana, she also felt how the pain in her broken arm seemed to have lessened. 

With a frown, Celene realized she wouldn’t be able to see who was responsible for the magic supporting the army. However, she knew what kind of classes were capable of such a thing. 

Archdruid? But we have none…

Moments later, she saw two soldiers in armour made of shaped wood emerge between the lines of tents in the camp. They quickly looked over the battlefield, before one of them spotted Celene and spoke to the other while pointing.

Elves?

The few royal guards that were left uninjured to escort Celene seemed to have noticed how she was distracted. 

“Empress?” (?)

Celene ignored them and headed straight towards the elves that were running at her. 

That magic was probably an archdruid if the elves are here. An archdruid will be of great help, but will it be enough?

“Empress Celene!” (Aleesha)

Celene recognized the elf’s voice, and smiled faintly as she looked into the elf’s grey eyes. “I didn’t expect to see you-”

“Forgive me, but polite greetings will have to wait!” Aleesha replied sternly and nodded towards the camp. “You need to retreat your army to the forest behind the camp! We’re preparing a trap to bring down that dragon as we speak!”

Celene frowned and glanced toward the forest that was several hundred meters behind the camp. “We can’t. If we try, they’ll break through our lines and we’ll be massacred.”

“The Amaran Guard will help you cover the retreat.” Aleesha insisted. “All you need to do is order your men to head for the forest, to bait the dragon to fly over it. We’ll handle the rest.”

Amaran Guard? As Celene’s frown deepened in confusion, she saw how a small army emerged from her camp where the two elves had come only a short while ago. 

Watching them, Celene could only describe them as a motley group. People of different races - humans, elves, a short and stout race that too looked like humans, as well as a few centauri - marched in disorder headed for the formation of soldiers. Soon enough, a large portion of them quickly spread out to make their way through the formation of soldiers to get to the front line, while mages, priests and druids spread out behind the formation. 

Although she couldn’t tell what level they were just from looking, their posture and confidence was enough to reveal that every last one of the combat-oriented strangers were experienced. As soon as the battle came into their field of view, they were calmly - and in some cases, excitedly - looking for paths to the front line as they split up. Even at a glance, Celene suspected that at least a few of them held a strength comparable to the strongest humanoid demons she had ever met. 

Celene realized that even though the reinforcements only numbered a thousand, they could very well be enough to turn the battle around in their favour. 

“Your majesty!” Aleesha exclaimed, bringing Celene’s attention back to the elf before her, and away from the short humanoid that was ushering what appeared to be over a dozen armoured clay golems past them.  

Celene met the elf’s determined gaze. “With your strength added, we have what it takes to defeat them without retreating.”

“Only if the dragon plays along!” Aleesha protested. “It’s not stupid. As soon as it realizes we have the strength to defeat it, it will retreat. And come back with an even greater army!”

Celene knit her brows. That’s true…it could easily gather corpses from the countryside wherever it goes.

Glancing at the crier that had been following Celene throughout the battle, she saw that he was watching her intently as he waited for an order. 

Celene nodded solemnly to him. “Prepare to retreat.”

“Prepare to retreat towards the forest!” (?)

Aleesha nodded with a smile. “Thank you, your majesty.”

Celene watched her without answering. Are they really allied with the demons? 

If they are…leading our army into the forest means the end for us. 

“Oi, yeh fuckers! Ma axe is thirsty for demon blood! Make way!” (??)

Celene turned her eyes to the front lines, where one of the short humanoids elbowed his way past the soldiers and immediately swung his axe to cut off the legs of two rul’maga. With a new overhead swing, he buried the axe into the chest of one of the two that had fallen on the ground. 

“Take that, ye filthe demon!” (??)

“I don’t think that was a demon though!” (???)

“Eh? Did I kill an allie?!” (??)

“No, but-” (???)

“Then shut yer trap, elf!!” (??)

Celene raised an eyebrow as she watched how the entire front line seemed to have turned chaotic with the sudden addition of the Amaran Guard. But it wasn’t chaotic in a bad way; they were giving the humans of the empire and kingdoms of the east coast a moment to breathe. 

…Allied with demons? Ridiculous. If they were, they’d just leave us as we were or joined the enemy straight away.

“Empress Celene, we’re ready!” Aleesha once again broke Celene’s train of thought. “I’m not sure how deep your soldiers should enter the forest, but we need the dragon to fly over the trees or land next to it. The deeper the better.”

Celene glanced at the elf before nodding. Turning her eyes to the crier, she commanded. “Give the order.”

With the crier’s shrill shout echoing across the battlefield, the formation started making its way towards the forest. A few seconds after they had taken their first steps, Celene felt another rush of mana near the center of the camp.

Moments later, all the demons and undead flinched. As Celene kept her eyes on them while they retreated, she saw how they seemed to move more sluggishly - as if they had injuries and they were reluctant to move. At the same time, she felt another rush go through her, making her even more invigorated than she had been before. 

…Hallowed Ground. That’s definitely an archbishop’s spell. 

For a moment, Celene wanted to issue the order to battle the weakened demons. But once she recalled that the largest threat would still be the dragon, she held her tongue.

Celene turned her eyes towards the elf, who had remained where she stood and was casting spells at the slowed down demons. 

“Is his excellency the pope here as well?” Celene called out to her. 

Aleesha turned around with a confused look as she tilted her head. “Of course.”

Realizing that the formation of soldiers were quickly advancing towards the forest when Aleesha turned back towards the enemies, Celene frowned and followed her soldiers at a distance. She had no intention of going in first - not because she actually thought the trap was meant for them, but as one in the category of stronger individuals in her army, she had to ensure the stragglers made it as well. At least, as long as they weren’t at risk of getting overrun.

While she was moving towards the forest with the rest of them, all the while casting the occacional spells from a distance to help the Amaran Guard keep the demons and undead at a distance during the retreat, Celene fell into thought. The pope is here as well. 

I suppose he was in the south and helped treat the injured during the last war, which was one of the reasons he became the pope in the first place. But he’s not a combatant. 

Honestly, I expected him to sit in Levan and watch. And at best help organize the reinforcements gathering at Levan…not to actually bring any himself. 

The retreat continued with relative ease, as the demons were occupied with trying to surround the members of the Amaran Guard. But just like when Celene’s soldiers had tried to overcome the demons with numbers, the individual strength of each of the elves and the stout humans was more than enough for them to be able to escape precarious situations. 

Once they had made it out of the camp and the first soldiers had already reached the forest, the sudden, deafening roar from the dragon shook the air. 

Turning her eyes in the direction of the dragon, her heart went cold as she saw the black dragon beating its wings as it took to the sky. And after gaining altitude, it turned and headed straight towards Celene’s retreating army. 

“Prepare attack spells!” Celene commanded. Magic Circle!

Adrenaline rushed through Celene’s veins as the air throbbed when the dragon beat its wings while approaching them. As soon as her magic circle was complete, she looked up at the dragon which was quickly approaching - its jaws open wide as its throat began to light up with a yellow light from within - and realized her window to release the spell was quickly diminishing. 

Channeling her mana into her vocal chords, she screamed before releasing the spell. “Fire at will!” 

Lightning Strike!

The moment she released the spell, she closed her eyes so as not to be blinded. All she heard was a sharp crack before everything went silent.

As she opened her eyes to witness the aftermath, she saw that her spell seemed to both have hit and been effective. But although the dragon was throwing its head in the air with its jaw agape as if it was roaring, it remained in the air. 

However, her spell seemed to have made it wary, as it made an effort to dodge the spells that followed from her army. 

At least we bought a little more time. It changed its mind about the attack run.

Celene felt a tickling in her ears as the spell cast by the archdruid seemed to still be in effect and healing her injuries. As she watched how the dragon quickly beat its wings to gain altitude, she noticed that many of the soldiers who had stood near her were heading towards the forest while looking around, evidently temporarily deaf as well. Some were blinded, and had stopped or walked cautiously with an arm extended in front of them as they waited for their sight to return. 

The first thing Celene heard when her eardrums were healed was the gradual return of the panicked voices of the soldiers in front of her, as well as the beat of the dragon’s wings. Just as Celene was about to continue towards the forest, she saw how the dragon flew over the trees as cover from the barrage of spells and arrows.

We got it to the forest, now we just need to get it to fly deeper over-

Before she was able to complete her line of thought, dozens of pale vines that were hundreds of meters long shot out from beneath within the forest, cast out like a net straight in the dragon’s path. As the dragon had its eyes turned towards the mages’ spells, it was completely unaware of the awaiting danger before it was too late.

When the dragon flew into the flying vines, they wrapped around the dragon as if they had a will of their own - around the dragon’s neck, wings and limbs. A deafening roar escaped the dragon’s maw as it lost its balance in the air when the vines became straightened. Two vines made a  loud, audible snap when the dragon beat its wings in an attempt to escape.

But before it could beat its wings a second time, the vines were put in tension by the archdruid that was controlling them inside the forest. In an instant, the dragon - which at first seemed to still have enough momentum in its flight to break free and continue away from the source of the vines - was yanked back as if the goddess herself had plucked it with an invisible hand. As the dragon tumbled in the air after the sudden initial change in direction, the vines seemed to pull harder, making the dragon accelerate as it was headed towards the trees at a rapid pace. When the dragon disappeared below the treetops, countless branches and trees could be heard breaking, accompanied by the dragon’s furious roar.

Celene realized she was staring with her mouth open, and all the soldiers who were far enough away from the forest’s edge to have seen what transpired above the tree crowns had stopped. 

Another furious roar was heard when a flash of bright yellow was seen within the forest. As the depth of the forest remained lit up with a less intense light after the initial flash when the trees deep inside caught on fire, Celene finally processed what had happened. 

The trap worked. They’re bringing down the dragon!

It worked!

Celene momentarily considered whether they were supposed to charge into the forest and help with killing the dragon. But recalling that the elf, Aleesha, hadn’t actually said that they should, she judged that her soldiers might simply get in the way. 

Turning her head towards the camp, she saw that the Amaran Guard had been forced to retreat faster as well in order not to be overrun. Although the Amaran Guard had been few to begin with, she thought there were fewer of them now that were holding back the advancing army of undead and demons. Either that, or the clear contrast between when the Amaran Guard had been mixed with a large number of her soldiers and the current numbers in close combat gave the illusion that they were now fewer. 

But in either case, it was clear to Celene where her soldiers should be directed. The dragon is occupied. We’re better off turning our attention back to their army. I’ll simply have to trust that the elves can bring it down.

As Celene was channeling mana into her voice to issue the command to turn back, another deafening roar was heard from within the forest. A roar that suddenly turned into a shrill, ear-piercing whimper.

Celene turned her eyes to the forest again, in shock. What the…

Could they really be bringing it down that quick-

Celene’s thoughts were interrupted as her necklace heated up when the dragon’s shrill whimpering gained intensity. Just as the necklace against her skin became so hot that it became painful, while many of her soldiers crouched with agonized expressions while holding their hands over their ears, the shrill sound abruptly stopped. In the absolute silence that followed, a bell rang in her head.

[Ding!]

The entire army that Celene had gathered was holding its breath, just like her. Celene held no doubts about what had happened. It’s dead.

Dead!

With tears emerging in her eyes as relief overcame her, she turned her eyes back towards the army that was approaching them from behind. “People of Teyrin! The dragon is dead! Show no quarter!”

As Celene began casting spells while making her way back towards the demons’ army, she could hear how her army responded and followed behind her. Keeping her eyes on the enemy, she noticed that the Amaran Guard seemed to have picked up their level of fighting; the elven magicians that had been supporting the melee combatants were suddenly unleashing a frightening barrage of spells. It was a remarkable show of power that by no doubt would have been able to inflict severe damage on the dragon, if directed at it.

…They were holding back. All in order not to alert the dragon and make it fall for their trap.  

Despite that the danger wasn’t yet over, Celene couldn’t stop the tears from overflowing in her eyes and streaming down her face. No matter our losses from now on, we’ve won the battle. 

And most of her relief was because of the Amaran Guard. Watching them operate during the retreat, as well as during the battle when Celene’s army returned to fight, she couldn’t help herself from being both inspired and awed. They were exactly the kind of force she had been trying to create, but she had only had limited success. Even after decades of training and preparation, even her strongest and most experienced soldiers would still fall into disarray when a battle turned chaotic. But the Amaran Guard - especially the elves - seemed to be continuously aware of when and how they needed to reorganize, despite being in the thick of battle. An awareness that was even further complimented by Aleesha.

Every now and then, Celene could hear Aleesha issuing commands to the Amaran Guard across the battlefield - commands that seemed so specific Celene thought it’d be impossible for someone to have such a level of awareness. Especially because she was issuing orders at the same time as she was fighting herself. 

“Priority threat near the ninth platoon: high level magic brawler! Warden support requested!” (Aleesha)

“Be advised, Hallowed Ground ends in thirty seconds!” (Aleesha)

“Priority threat near the second platoon: high level assassin! Presence detectors and wardens requested!” (Aleesha) 

“Fifth through seventh platoon, delay your advance! Wait for the left flank to advance!” (Aleesha)

The continuous stream of information made it abundantly clear what the situation was across the battlefield. Celene had completely surrendered control of the battle to the Amaran Guard, as all she and her army had to do was support them and fill the gaps in the line as they advanced.

As Celene stopped to catch her breath, she looked over at the elf issuing another command while trading blows with a demon.

How can they be so aware-

With only the sound of rushing wind as a warning, a pale vine as thick as her arm suddenly swept over her head and down at the dozens of demons and undead in front of her.

The first tendril was followed by another, which was followed by a third. Each of them slammed into a line of enemies, utterly crushing them into the ground.

Turning her eyes to the source, she spotted a lone, pale figure that had emerged from the formation of soldiers to her left. With the shape of a human it was shrouded in pale bark with black scorch marks over it. It had two legs with roots sticking out of the stumps and arms with pale vines hanging from it instead of hands. 

And with a flat face, with two bright, yellow lights aimed at the army of demons. Lights that despite their colour, were so cold, and so domineering, that Celene felt a chill run up her spine. As if it had no understanding of how battles with armies were fought, the entity never stopped advancing at the demons after getting past the soldiers.

While she stood staring, Celene noticed that much like herself, her soldiers and most of the Amaran Guard were staring at the entity that repeatedly swung its tendrils to crush dozens of enemies at a time. 

What is that? 

Although she knew that the entity was currently an ally, Celene couldn’t help herself and decided to form a magic circle. Appraisal!

The spell activated, but as she waited, the screen she was expecting to emerge in front of her didn’t materialize. Frowning as she assumed that her appraisal had been blocked, the blue screen suddenly flashed into existence several seconds after it would normally.

Celene stared at the screen dumbfoundedly as she read one ridiculous line after the other. 

Prophet of Alarice?

Did Alarice send it to help us? 

Sensing a large rush of mana, Celene raised her gaze towards the sapling. It had suddenly stopped, and a large magic circle had appeared as it seemed to have dug its roots into the ground.

Although Zenon had by any logic overextended, his flailing tendrils kept the demons from coming close while he was completing the magic circle. Celene glanced towards Aleesha, who was watching as well - seemingly not sure what the sapling was doing either. 

The moment the magic circle flashed and vanished, the grass that had been trampled by the battle rose back up. For a few seconds the grass even seemed to be growing in height, before they began swaying as if a wind was rushing over them.

And a moment later, the flailing grass began ensnaring the feet and legs of the army of demons. Though it seemed ineffective against the majority of demons, almost all the undead seemed to be immobilized. 

While the enemies were trying to free their feet, new grass grew and kept rising to replace any that had been snapped or cut, ensnaring them anew. 

As Aleesha commanded the advance to take advantage of the fact that their enemies were limited in movement, Celene remained behind as she took in the sight of their impending victory.

…We’re pathetically weak. 

 I’m pathetically weak.