Archers and mages continued to unleash their attacks upon the approaching Denta troops. Arrows and fireballs continue to rain upon the knights, most of them blocked by their shields. Soon enough, one of them approached Lisenda at the front.

"I'll have your head!" He shouted as he raised his sword.

"Hah." With a swift kick, Lisenda knocked him back, causing him to stumble into his comrades.

"Talk about an opening," she scoffed.

More of his comrades began to get closer. Lisenda's infantry began clashing against them.

As the skirmish intensified, Feyt found himself surrounded by the chaos of battle. His eyes darted between the clashes of soldiers, the soaring arrows, and the distant figures of mages casting spells, not knowing where to focus. Lisenda began separating from Feyt as she focused on the fight.

"Ah! W-wait!" Feyt shouted.

Just as Feyt attempted to follow Lisenda, a Denta knight broke through the skirmish and charged directly at him, blinded by rage.

"Haaaaaa!!" The knight's sword gleamed menacingly against the sun as he raised it high and ran towards Feyt.

Why attack me?!

The knight unleashed a fierce battle cry, closing in with unrelenting speed. Feyt tightened his grip on his sword, nerves tingling. With a burst of adrenaline, he blocked the initial strike, and the clash of metal rang loudly in his ears. However, the sheer physical strength behind the attack numbed Feyt's hands, and he struggled to maintain his stance.

"Gah!--"

As Feyt struggled to hold the knight back, a sudden punch from Lisenda sent the knight flying backward.

"Guhak!--"

"Phew," Lisenda relaxed her stance. "I told you to stay close, didn't I?!"

I was trying to!

The sheer amount of chaos overwhelmed Feyt. This was his first-ever war, both in his past and current life. Sure, he might have experience from video games, but nothing compared to the real thing. He didn't know where to look or focus, whether he should help or stay back.

Not to mention the clashes of steel, the crackles of fireballs, the swishing of arrows, and the screams and cries of the troops; each sound is loud in its own right, and Feyt's ears amplify them. His focus was starting to waver.

I don't know how much longer I can stay here...

Lisenda glanced at him briefly, her focus returning to the battlefield. "Stay sharp. This is just the beginning."

Feyt responded with a slight nod.

More Denta knights began to emerge from the camp, all immediately rushing toward Lisenda's troops, still in a skirmish.

"Can you hold out?" Lisenda asked.

Feyt nodded, "A bit numb, but I'll manage."

Lisenda gave a slight nod in response. "Keep sticking close to me; I'll finish this mission no matter what."

After Feyt became extra careful in being close to Lisenda, no enemies managed to approach him, not in attacking range at least. Lisenda always managed to care for anyone who even came close to her. Her infantry troops weren't a slouch either, as they used their techniques to outmaneuver the brute force of the Denta knights easily. Some were injured, but thankfully, no fatalities occurred on their side.

...

"Medic!" One of Lisenda's wounded knights shouted.

"Here!"

A man in a white robe came from behind the mages and approached the wounded knight. He crouched, cast healing spells onto the knight's wounds, and gave him a potion.

Feyt looked around the aftermath of the battle. The bodies of Denta knights lay around them. Some were merely unconscious, but most were dead.

"Ughh..." Feyt groaned in disgust.

Lisenda took notice and placed her hand on his shoulder. "It's over for now; rest while you can."

Feyt nodded, trying his best not to vomit right then and there.

The group headed inside the now-empty Denta camp. It was small, clearly built hastily as part of Denta's plan of maximizing pursuit over preparation.

"Captain," One of the mages asked.

"What is it?" Lisenda responded.

"Isn't it weird how there weren't any mages or archers back there?"

Back during the skirmish, the group was only attacked by infantry. Some were using spears, some were using swords, and some were barehanded. But no ranged attackers were ever in sight.

"None whatsoever?" Lisenda questioned the knight. "Are you sure they weren't merely hiding?"

"No, Captain. We've searched the camp throughout and found no traces of such troops. All the supplies inside the tents were all melee weapons and potions."

Lisenda placed a hand on her chin as she pondered the situation. "Yeah, I guess it is weird. Have they abandoned all tactics in favor of prioritizing physical strength? It's stupid, but if it's Denta..."

Feyt heard their conversation. "No archers and mages?" He whispered to himself.

Would an army omit such a crucial part of its troops in a war? Surely not, Feyt thought. But then he remembered Lisenda's statement about how Denta prioritizes physical strength above all else.

Why would an entire kingdom be so obsessed with physical strength? Especially in a world of magic and Talents? Feyt gave it some thought but couldn't figure it out. That was when he realized he knew someone who would be knowledgeable about stuff like this and that someone was right in front of her.

Zinless

Damn, they should call me the God of Slowness.

Sorry for the slow update!