Chương 5: Defiance of Odds

The new day started hectic. Wind already breezed through the town while dark clouds gathered overhead. For the first time in a while they blocked access to the sun and its rays of hope. Rain was on the way. To make matters worse, we were all woken up at five in the morning. The town stood in an uproar. It seemed the entire townsfolk had been shaken awake. The moment we ran out of the tents in the workshop area, I realized I had been too absorbed in my work at the forge.

I had not noticed the huge war preparations happening everywhere. Houses now featured defense spots built out of stone in preparation for a war of attrition. Given my age, I should have paid more attention, but I had spent over twenty hours working and barely gone outside to play. Just as Cornus approached me from the facility and handed over the breastplate, Reggente Sentrix's voice boomed out with such mighty presence that everyone fell silent. No one could speak.

The only sound that remained was the powerful voice of Sentrix as he began: Reggente Sentrix's (52) Speech:"People of Lae. Look upon these walls that we built. Do not look at our banners. Look at me for one minute. You see an old man with more scars than you can easily count. You see grey in my beard and a man in desperation who called in mercenaries that many did not agree with. And you think, if that is our general, then we are already in dire dark times. Good.

Because if you are standing here beside me this morning, then you already know we are not here for hope but for the very question of our survival. We know what the Metians do to the losers. They imprison and enslave. Their young ones get deflowered by these perverted bastards. We are not here because the odds are fair. We are here because this is our wall. Our children sleep behind it. Our mothers baked the bread we ate at dawn. Our fathers' bones lie under the very stones we stand on."

"And Metia… they did not come to negotiate. They did not march thirty thousand kilometers to discuss terms of surrender with us. They came to erase us. To make this place another name on their list of conquests. To turn the Bener Region into nothing more than a pasture for their campfire stories told to their grandchildren. I will not lie to you. Today will be the day of kill them or die trying. Some of us will never see another sunrise.

But many of us will cut, hurt, and bleed them out on these stones before they ever enter our walls. Hear this, and hear it plain: They do not get to decide how we die. We do! If I fall today, I will fall facing them with you all. If you fall, I want the last thing that bastard sees before the dark takes him too to be your teeth bared, your spear still in his guts, and your defiance louder than the fear. We are this kingdom's last bastion of defiance! They think they have already won?

Then we will teach them that winning and finishing a war are two different matters. So this is my last order before steel meets steel: Do not fight for me. Do not fight for glory. Fight for a tomorrow. The wife who still looks at you like you're worth something even with half your fingers missing. The dog that sleeps on your boots. The garden your mother tended for years.

If we hold until the mercenaries arrive from Zendur, if next dawn finds even one of us still standing, spitting blood and cursing their mothers, then we have already carved our name deeper into time than all of Lord Heinrich can ever dream! Now raise your weapons. Let them hear it."

"Let them know that today they did not find their end goal of glory, but their deaths! For Bener! For Lae! For every heartbeat still left inside these walls! PREPARE FOR WAR!" He slammed his helm onto his head, drew his Triplehander sword, and stepped from the town wall to the very edge of the outer wall. Raindrops fell on him, but the heat from his body turned the water to steam. Only his majestic stance remained, radiating the powerful presence of a true leader.

The roar that answered him from the full town was ragged, uneven, desperate, and utterly unbreakable. War had come to Lae. After witnessing such a speech, I put on the breastplate that Sir Cornus had updated for me. Afterward, Aubara ordered all personnel, young or old... to head to the town square where the weaponry lay. We were to pick a sword and go to the wall to face the incoming force. Just as I picked up my longsword, wearing the breastplate with my father's symbol on it, a surge of confidence filled me.

I stood on top of the wall where the archers were positioned. Rain poured down while thick clouds blocked the sunshine. The day had come. The enemy stood at our final stop. Aubara, now our commandant, told us that Metia had cut five lines of forces into our region. Two of them, which had met low resistance, now stood on our doorstep. The problem was that our scouts had never returned, so nobody knew exactly how large those two forces were.

He speculated fifteen thousand soldiers in each force, for a total of thirty thousand. That number rivaled our own force of forty-five thousand in the capital. Before Aubara could explain more, a loud "bam" sound rang out. From far away, a huge tree log flew toward our walls at an unbelievable speed. Even that attack was intercepted by Reggente Sentrix. War had begun anew. Battle Report: Bener Region total Population 72. 500 Native / 24. 200 Exodus / 53. 000 Mercs. Available: 60. 000 Natives / 10.

000 Exodus (expected Mercenaries from Arron the Zendur Force 51. 000 Big) Units: 60. 000 Natives 1 Reggente Vestuto 3 Generals Vestuto 18. 000 Soldiers 7. 000 Old Veterans 15. 000 Workforce 30. 000 Female Support (Medics/Nurses/Bakers/Armour replenishment) 10.

000 Exodus Wall bearer´s and Gate Keepers for the incoming pushes protecting Archers / Gates Goal: Survive until the Zendur Force Arrives with them defeat the 2 Force lines Metias has to withdraw to back line with 3 Line we go Full Frontal Offensive to Overwhelming Victory Metia Metia Waffen Einheit / Metia Weaponry Unit/Force 19. 000 Soldiers 6. 000 Engineers 3 Vestuto Generäle Specialty: Mobile Units with makeshift skill to assemble and disassemble Rams with Turtle Walls.

Engineers to create a new makeshift Item to favor Victory further.

Metia Wunder Einheit / Metia Wonder Unit/Force 7. 000 Crazies 1 Vestuto Crazy General Specialty: the Crazies are Human depraved from Rules and love to Rape/Pillage/Kill in the most grotesque way imaginable they gave up their right of Glory and the path of Debauchery they go the extra Steps just for their Pleasure than Victory to hold them into the reins a man so stern and Dominating Personality holds them together as a Unit.

We went back to five minutes before the log of tree was thrown so fast that only a few could react to it. 1. Oberkommandant / High Command Schmerz (29): "So only my unit, the Waffen Einheit, and the Wunders made it in," he said with a big grin.

"Perfect. With that, I can rush in, defeat that old coot Sentrix, and present his head to the Lord. Then, the promotion would kick in." He imagined a castle even bigger than the one he already owned. 2. Generäle / Generals Schuster (21) and Harzer (23): Schmerz turned to them and said, "I want you both to tell the engineers and soldiers to go with Plan Turtle." Schuster and Harzer were perplexed. Rather than waging war with rams on the gates, he wanted to go with a wall strategy.

However, both knew that questioning a pompous man like Schmerz would be as bad as getting a beating. That was the exact reason both had joined his unit in the first place... to ride the high wave to the top with someone capable, even if his personality was rotten. Both went to the backline under the heavy rain and started to assemble the Turtle Wall shield line. Meanwhile, Schmerz did not even communicate with the High General of the crazies, Gustav. He went Vestuto, and his armor became a tree monster.

He transformed into a hulking vegetation horror straight from a corrupted forest—changing from 1. 80 to 1. 95 meters of deadwood fury with azure eyes blazing with malice. The soldiers were surprised to witness the Oberkommandant in his true power. They barely had time to stare before he used his powers. From his own body, a huge lump ripped away and turned into a perfect, massive log. As he cleanly carved a log, a grotesque grin of satisfaction widened across his face.

Schmerz: "That log weighs around 2, 200 kilograms and is 4 meters long," he muttered, his grin widening.

"It should be more than enough to destroy their wall and throw those pansies into chaos." With that, he tossed the massive log toward the capital at such a high speed of 555 km/h, that it blasted through the air right toward the wall. But before impact, and before Schmerz could even declare himself successful, Reggente Sentrix jumped in. With a swift movement, Sentrix sliced the log into so many small pieces that the attack was completely nullified. Schmerz became furious at this failed attempt.

He got so mad that his tree-like hair turned from green to red. Suddenly, two huge lumps of wood erupted from his body. They doubled in size, reaching 8 meters in length and weighing 4, 800 kilograms each. Ready to throw them, he grabbed the heavy objects, one in each hand, and drove his rooted legs deep into the ground. He was determined to throw them so fast that nobody could stop them. We shifted back to the viewpoint of the defenders during the first log throw.

After the Reggente decimated the first log, everyone experienced a massive surge in morale. Waves of cheers echoed along the walls. The soldiers went ballistic upon seeing the Reggente destroy the enemy's massive weapon without even using his Vestuto. Pure excitement encircled the entire capital. Sentrix, who had already jumped back to the top of the wall as if walking on air, looked majestic. However, he knew this was only the beginning.

His old bones told him it was no time to get lost in emotion, so he kept his eyes fixed on the woods, which were about 15 kilometers away. Suddenly, Sentrix felt two even faster logs being thrown toward the wall. He jumped into their trajectory in an attempt to stop them, but the logs reached him before he could slice them like the previous one. In that split second, he knew he had to activate his Vestuto. He transformed into his Ink Shadow form to complete the interception.

The twin logs, each with a heavy trunk heavier than a complete siege engine, hurtled at 733 km/h and screamed through the air like comets. Behind him, the castle wall trembled in anticipation of ruin. Sentrix's ink-shadowed body gave way without hesitation. His flesh and armor liquefied at incredible speed, cascading into a torrent of glossy, dark ink that exploded outward in a controlled manner to absorb the logs into his body. It was a painful defensive maneuver brought them to a halt.

There was no scream and no flashy explosion... just a liquid rush as he activated his Vestuto, becoming pure shadow-ink in motion. The logs struck the center of his expanding form with massive force. The impact sent shockwaves that cracked the walls like a bomb blast. Yet, instead of splintering bones or tearing wood, the logs were swallowed by his yielding, darkness-filled ink. The ink then expanded into a long puddle before splashing and retracting back into his original form.

Their forward momentum was utterly halted. Droplets of living ink combined to form a shadowy figure that looked like Sentrix, but in a glossy, veil-like form with a liquid-like response. He seemed solid and liquid at the same time... a truly terrifying Vestuto. From within the darkness, Sentrix's voice echoed, "These walls will remain unharmed." Then, slowly, the ink shadow drew the splintered log pieces from his fluid body as if they were mere debris caught in an ocean of darkness.

He began to air-walk upward in graceful defiance of the odds, rising through the unrelenting rain of the pouring storm. Meanwhile, the soldiers erupted in wild, joyous celebration, relentlessly cheering his unbelievable feat of stopping those massive logs. Their voices echoed off the walls, and they raised their fists in triumph, stomping their feet in an frantic fashion. Thunder clapped nearby, shaking the very ground of the battlefield. However, those very walls...

already fractured from the sudden impact of Schmerz's attack, gradually cracked further under the stomping weight and excitement of the army. The deep fractures moved outward with a sickening snap as the stone gave way with a deafening sound. In an instant, the capital wall collapsed in a brutal cascade of stone and mud. If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. Sentrix, who was already air-walking high above, rushed instinctively toward his men.

He desperately tried to intercept the falling debris and shield the soldiers who were falling. Even as he steadfastly saved his men, he saw the heartbreaking truth carved in the midst of the chaos: Schmerz's full-power assault had ultimately succeeded. His desperate defense had proven tragically short-lived. The enemy forces, who had initially been shocked by how powerful the logs were, now broke into wild celebration. The war had officially shifted into a dangerous new stage.

As Sentrix saved his falling army by completely absorbing the falling debris into his fluid body, he thought about how the war plan was far from ideal. That attack had been completely unorthodox and entirely unprecedented. Usually, Vestuto users always attacked midway through a battle or toward the end for obvious reasons—such as stamina, perseverance, and leaving room for regular soldiers to gather glory and level up their own spirits. However, it seemed that Metia was approaching things differently.

Sentrix pondered this complex and unfolding situation in sheer disbelief. He could not believe he had failed to fully stop the shockwaves from the clash just mere seconds ago. To him, this entire frustrating situation just screamed of an old man having to wait for the bathroom to finally open, only to find it constantly occupied by someone else. Sentrix: "SHIT! How I could have failed to stop this in full is beyond me... whoever threw it went way too far ahead of himself, though."

As he thought of a new approach for a safety precaution, he called out in his demanding voice, "My Generals, to me right NOW!" His powerful voice echoed so loudly that everyone in the capital stood at attention. The generals who were left in the capital were Camrix (46), who was stationed at the flank line for a rear-line rush; Healix (70), who was positioned at the backline to prepare an ambush inside the city once the signal was given; and Bruxix (26), who stood at the town square.

Everyone knew that their main objective had been completely crushed and that they had to rearrange their strategy on the fly. Therefore, they rushed to the collapsed wall on the frontline to reverse the situation before the opponents could gain more of an advantage. As they came rushing in with quick steps, Sentrix turned around to look at the trees where the logs had flown from. Strangely, there was no movement. Why was there no movement? No rush? No third logs being thrown?

This unnatural silence brought paranoia to the forefront of his mind. He knew that what had been done was done and could not be changed. He realized the best course of action would be to hold back and not attack. It felt like a trap to lure them away from the capital, allowing a second frontline to strike while they were fighting, leaving the city defenseless.

"We must not let this go over our heads, especially me. I should not have air-walked," he thought, biting his lip in anger as he pondered his mistake.

"I should have stayed down and checked the quality of the wall after the attack. My mistake cost us a lot, and it is causing me immense stress." The generals reached the Reggente, but before they could even answer, rebuttal, or reassure him, he spoke again. This time, his voice was not screaming. His eyes were not on his men but remained fixed on the woods 15 kilometers away, constantly monitoring for any reaction so he could be as reactive as possible.

He ordered, "My men, I want you to position the archers on the side walls, even if their range gets reduced. Healix, you take care of that. As for the rest of you, I want you to destroy the entire wall on this frontline. Since it spans 12 kilometers, it will be perfect for my new approach. Because, as you know, once a wall collapses, it becomes useless scenery. And I want it gone." Sentrix: "After that, Camrix, you and the special forces will go to the right side. When you see my attack and you will see it.

I want you to rush and engage the enemy line from their flank. But do it only to provoke them. Since they are way too quiet over there, I want to ruin their composure. After that, rush back into the city via the sewers. I hope they will follow you, and at that exact point, Bruxix, you are going to collapse the entry from the wall side with your units. I don't care how you close it, but ensure there is no exit, so that group remains locked off for as long as possible. Then, Camrix, activate your specialty.

Now, move! Time is of the essence. I need that debris NOW!" With that, all the Generäle started to hit the 22-meter-tall wall with their weapons, breaking it down. As the debris fell, Sentrix absorbed it into his ocean-like body, keeping his eyes fixed on the horizon. We shifted the viewpoint to the attackers, just before the wall collapsed. After what initially seemed like a failed attack, Schmerz could not even move or react for a few seconds.

The enraged throw he had just performed had taken 100% of his strength, plus a little extra. He needed to rest for a couple of minutes, as his entire body was in immense pain. He turned his eyes toward his colleague rather than the defenders. He desperately wanted to wipe that damned smile off the face of that bastard, Wittbreut. Their long history of competing for glory and trying to outshine each other had thrown his entire plan into disarray.

It had created an unpredictable situation for everyone involved, both attackers and defenders. Although the shockwaves had traveled back to him, confirming a successful hit on the target, his hopes were dashed when he looked back toward the capital. Expecting to see a shattered wall, he instead saw a shadowy monstrosity falling through the air and no visible damage on the structure. He quickly looked back at his competing colleague, who had now started to laugh hysterically.

The pain-filled wooden figure of Schmerz rearranged his body into a resting position, rooting himself into the ground with a face of wallowing, gnashing teeth-grinding rage. Though he was no fool and did not utter a word, his furious expression was worth a hundred bars of osmium on its own. However, as he turned his gaze forward to hide his emotional face, he suddenly saw the capital wall collapsing.

He quickly spun around to gloat, but Wittbreut had already shifted his position in such a swift fashion that he gave Schmerz neither satisfaction nor credit. This pissed Schmerz off even more. He was so utterly unfocused on what might happen next that he failed to realize the wall had fallen. He did not order his troops to march in, and that perfect opportunity was lost because the army was in complete confusion, and he himself was emotionally blocked by his own chaotic actions.

We returned to the defenders' perspective. In just six minutes and sixteen seconds, the entire front wall was no more. There was no debris in sight, making it look as if there had been no wall in the first place. I, Erumes, had never seen such a showcase of brilliant sweeping. I just could not fathom why the wall had been taken down. We all stared with prying, glaring eyes, still perplexed by this whole ordeal.

It was as if we all wanted to glimpse even further—like a child finding a rare ore in a cave, wanting nothing more than to mine it and hold it in their hand. The generals who had destroyed the wall went to their respective positions and told us to position ourselves around the sewer system ladders in the Merchantry Sector. As ordered, we followed instructions.

Everyone covered the ladders without question, eyeing the dark openings and enduring the stinking smell, fully expecting unwelcome visitors without even being told when to jump in and attack. As if that were not enough, three minutes passed in the short time it took to organize and split ourselves into 20-man groups, each covering all the ladders leading into the sewers.

A loud puffing sound was heard, as if someone had exhaled in massive relief after holding their breath for so long that they could no longer keep it in. With that, white debris from the now non-existent wall appeared in the air, hailing down in all directions toward the positions where someone might imagine enemy soldiers to be. The bursting sounds of the debris hitting the ground sounded as if small cannons were being fired. The resulting explosions left craters so large that they could easily be seen from afar.

As the debris bombardment commenced, the turtle-wall shield formation was not yet fully finished. Oberkommandant Schmerz absorbed the impact of one incoming hail of stones. He knew that if he let this get out of hand, the damage would be far more severe. Therefore, he put his ego aside and transformed his big tree hunks of arms into shields armored with wooden spikes. He then ripped his rooted legs from the ground and used his four main roots as a jumping pad to launch himself into the air.

He was huffing in pain, since he had still not fully recovered from his previous 100% attack. He judged that while he could currently only use up to 60% of his spirit level, it should buy enough time for the turtle-shield formation to finish and come to support him. So, while Sentrix continued to shoot the debris across the terrain, a fast-moving tree monster appeared. In just two seconds, Schmerz had covered 13 kilometers, closing in right on top of Sentrix.

Sentrix had already used his ink-shadow ability to sense the infiltrator's approach, and the battle between the two Vestuto users instantly shifted into brutal melee range. Sentrix shot his ink to blast the tree monster's body away, aiming to gain superior footing and secure the high ground on the terrain. However, the counter from Schmerz was as effortless as blocking a baby from climbing over its bed fence.

The hulking tree monster used both of his shield-hands to press the gooey, hardened substance deep into the ground. As if that were not enough, the moment the impact occurred, Sentrix pulled his ink ability back from his attack. Both started to look at each other even more fiercely. Both were veterans... one more experienced than the other... and they now had a quick, mutual understanding of exactly what each man had to offer.

Sentrix assumed that the wooden man could enlarge his arms as a base for a melee-range assault. Schmerz assumed that the inky shadow had a fluid and solid state that he could interchange whenever he pleased. Schmerz: "So, after seeing it all, who are you to stand here in our path to conquer your nation and bring it into our regime, haha?... Cat got your tongue, or do I have to prove my superiority further?!" Sentrix answered with a shake of his head.

"Buddy, you know... and I know that you know... exactly who I am and what my Vestuto is. I am more than famous enough for that. But... you? No, you are a first for me. That alone should tell you that you have no legacy to stand on, you brazen fool, hahahaha!" He placed his hand over his face to hide his smirk.

"Let's stop this waiting game and keep fighting!" Schmerz was clearly pissed, but he knew his full strength had not yet returned. His stalling tactics were failing hard and falling on deaf ears.

"As you wish, Reggente Sentrix! I will show you... no, scratch that... I will show you OUR MIGHT! FÜR LORD HIMMEL!" That vocal command reached his backline. The units, who had been slowly walking with their shields raised, followed the other generals toward the now non-existent wall, right onto the capital's doorstep. Sentrix shifted into a higher gear. He molded his lower body into a fluid state while hardening his upper body, rushing even faster than before into the melee range of the tree monster.

With his super-hardened hand, he drew his longsword and started slicing at the wooden arms. However, the overwhelmed Schmerz acted cunningly. Knowing full well that he could never physically keep up with Sentrix's speed, he covered his entire body in razor-sharp thorns. He tried to hug Sentrix with his shielding arms, attempting to entrap and squeeze him within his grip.

"Wooden Maiden! Time to feel pain!" Schmerz laughed hysterically. As if that barrage were not enough, the splintered wooden parts quickly regenerated. They started to form sharp spikes that flew toward Sentrix's vital areas... his eyes, groin, and throat. Though his efforts were in vain against the lower body, as Sentrix's fluid form simply absorbed them, Sentrix continued to cut faster and faster into the tree.

However, Sentrix could not transform the absorbed mass into a counterattack because he could not shoot debris while in constant motion; he was forced to just keep absorbing more. Both men were now in a perilous position. One had to endure the intense physical pain of being sliced apart, while the other had to manage the finite capacity, exactly 11 tons, that his ocean-like body could absorb...