It was about time.
Samael listened closely as the sounds of killing and clashing weapons within the ruined fortress gradually faded. From afar, he watched the Undead Army withdraw one after another, rushing back to reinforce the chaotic Persian forces. A dim glint flickered in his eyes as he murmured to himself.
Hum!
The Ancient Serpent summoned the Spear of Nation Building and drove its end into the ground. Crimson light, stirred by divine power, spread outward like countless threads, extending in all directions. A massive blood-red Magecraft array, stretching for kilometers, took shape across the sky.
Under its influence, the Persian spellcasters riding flying carpets found themselves as if trapped in a mire. The golden-red flames surrounding their bodies began to flicker and fracture, and in an instant, dozens were struck through by lightning.
In contrast, the Roman Magi and priests seemed invigorated. They felt the Ether concentration around them surge dramatically, its activity rising sharply.
As inspiration struck, they were able to chant the obscure divine words with ease at high speed, their resonance with mana strengthening significantly.
"Magi, chant one to three verses of divine words in three staggered waves. Fire spell projectiles in rotation!
Mars blesses you! Priests, prepare suppression spells and recite anti-magic prayers. Archers, form ranks at a seventy-five-degree angle for volley fire. Javelin throwers, ready yourselves. Begin clearing the air!"
Gripping the Spear of Nation Building, Samael issued his orders coldly.
Under the swift counterattack of the Magi, the Persian spellcasters were not immediately shot down, but they could no longer focus on their incantations. They could only dodge frantically from side to side, thrown into disarray.
At the same time, the blood-red mist surrounding the hill seeped into the soldiers' pores, enhancing their mental acuity, physical strength, and the speed of their mana circulation. The battle intent building within them surged to its peak, erupting into a crimson aura that seemed to rise toward the heavens.
As the Roman troops stationed nearby as guards methodically lowered the shields covering the area, the priests and ritualists brought their chants, heavy with suppressed ferocity and killing intent, close to completion.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Sharp sounds tore through the air in waves as the soldiers hurled weapons layered with prayers and glowing with dim light toward the Persian spellcasters hovering above without mercy.
In an instant, javelins filled the sky like a forest, sweeping forward in dense waves, while arrows poured down like rain, leaving no gaps. One spellcaster after another had their faint protective glow from the divine lamps pierced through, their bodies riddled like hedgehogs before plummeting from the sky, crashing into the ground as mangled flesh.
After just three waves of attacks, nearly twenty percent of the thousands of valuable Persian spellcasters were wiped out. The rest were gripped by terror, desperately steering their flying carpets in an attempt to flee this deadly zone that had bared its fangs.
However, the blood-red Magecraft trap covering the sky had greatly weakened them. With their sense of direction thrown into chaos, they could not shake off the blood mist clinging to them like parasites.
Samael lifted his head slightly, watching the Persian spellcasters stumble about like headless flies within the crimson sky. A trace of mockery flickered in his eyes.
Anyone who's seen the bronze magitech cannons can figure out their strengths and weaknesses. Do you think I wouldn't know?
Maguses charging in without support units to cover them. Do you really think you're invincible warriors?
Your advantage in numbers has made you completely lose your sense of judgment.
While the Undead Army was withdrawing into the city, did you think we were just standing here doing nothing?
A bunch of arrogant fools.
As for why I let you live this long...
Heh. With you high and mighty casters blocking the sky, the Meteor Legion might have been forced to fire another full volley.
Such perfect enemy meat shields are best saved for the final withdrawal.
Besides, since we didn't break through the Persian camp, we can't exactly go back empty-handed. Since we're already here, we might as well take you down along the way.
The Ancient Serpent watched the Persian spellcasters flee in panic, leaving behind a trail of corpses, and curled his lips into a malicious grin.
Trying to run? This isn't enough yet.
Not nearly enough.
At that moment, trapped within the blood-red sky, Scheherazade saw the situation worsening by the second. Terror filled her eyes as she hurriedly pulled a sheet of golden paper from her robes, bit her finger despite the pain, and began writing across it in swift strokes.
Whoosh!
At once, the golden page flashed with light and ignited without wind, condensing into a dazzling golden-red fireball before splitting into several streams of flame that swept outward in all directions.
The blood-red mist burned violently like spider silk thrown into fire, letting out shrill squeals like rats as its dense color gradually thinned.
One Persian secret Magus, the most accomplished in covert arts, sensed that the binding force of the blood-red sky had weakened dramatically. He immediately poured mana into his flying carpet with all his might, abandoning many of his peers and charging out first.
With someone taking the lead, the Persian spellcasters, who had already suffered more than thirty percent casualties in so short a time, scattered like frightened birds and beasts.
As for the few fools who, seeing the blood mist disperse, thought the advantage was now theirs and turned back to fight, along with the unlucky ones too slow to react, they were left isolated behind the others and instantly became targets for concentrated volleys of spell bullets, javelins, and arrows. In no time, they were swallowed up by wave after wave of attacks.
Flame of Destiny!
Watching the blood-red sky from within the army, Samael's gaze froze. His expression turned deeply wary, and the hand resting on the Spear of Nation Building quietly lowered before he turned and shot Pompey a look.
"Woo! Woo!"
In that instant, Pompey snuffed out the last trace of hope in his heart. The signal flags behind him changed in rapid succession, and the previously stirring war horns immediately shifted into a low, urgent call.
Inside the ruined fortress, the battered remnants of the Tenth Legion felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over their heads. Their raging battle lust ebbed away like a retreating tide.
Seeing that most of the Undead Army and elephant troops who had broken into the city were beginning to pull out, the centurions inside quickly gathered their scattered comrades. Following the guidance of Magecraft resonance and signal flags, they fought as they withdrew along the long streets, breaking out through the western gate at the rear.
At this moment, both Persians and Romans arrived at a strange tacit understanding. One after another, they pulled back and began reorganizing their forces.
"I've taken a rough look. Eighty percent of the defensive facilities here are already damaged. I'm afraid we can't hold it any longer. Everyone from the Tenth Legion who could be saved has been brought out. I'll stay here and cover the rear. Take the men and prepare to withdraw to the Ninth Legion's camp!"
From atop the low hill, Samael noticed that as the two main Persian forces, the Undead Army and the elephant troops, flowed back in, the Persian army was gradually suppressing the chaos and beginning to stir once more. His eyes flickered as he made the suggestion to Pompey.
The decisive Roman commander accepted it without hesitation. Leaving behind part of the cavalry and more than a hundred bronze magitech cannons that were too cumbersome to transport, he immediately sent out flag signals and led the merged legions in an orderly retreat from the battlefield, disappearing into the endless yellow sands of the wilderness.
Using the forces at hand, the Ancient Serpent viciously bombarded several weak points in the Persian army's connecting lines, then decisively destroyed the bronze cannons, which were already close to failure from firing too often, before leading the remaining men in a rapid withdrawal.