The Papacy's Crusader Army suffered a major defeat in the Socalo Plain.
If they had merely been routed, that would have been better, but they suffered a defeat beyond what was expected—almost all 70,000 soldiers they had committed to the battle were wiped out.
In order to commit every unit of their forces to the battle, the Crusader Army narrowed its vigilance around the battlefield, so they did not realize that the Gabella, in addition to deploying troops in front, had also sent troops to the Crusader Army's left, right, and rear, leaving the collapsing enemy with nowhere to escape. The Battle of Socalo was a trap from the beginning, and the Gabella's arrangement was based on their absolute certainty of victory in the battle.
The Gabella Empire, or more precisely the Arcane Society, had been plotting a war against the Light Church for a very long time. Through both overt and covert channels, the Arcane Society never stopped gathering and studying information about the Papacy's armed forces. They had a thorough understanding of the Crusader Army's organizational structure, fighting methods, and even the personal temperaments of its generals.
The Arcane Society has conducted a detailed study, in particular, on the Vatican's greatest asset— the War Elephant Legion.
In earlier times, before standardized magical weapons like the Fire Crossbow and Thunder Hammer could be widely used on the battlefield, mages possessed diverse abilities and varying skill levels, making it difficult for them to fight as a unified army. Lacking means of direct confrontation, the Arcane Society once deeply feared these behemoths.
They judged that the chances of victory were extremely slim if they fought on Papal lands or even on the imperial borders. Therefore, they exploited the weakness of war elephants, who were ill-suited to different terrains, and devised a war plan to lure the enemy deep into their territory. They also used their initial setbacks to weaken the power of the old imperial nobility.
Thanks to Mariana's efforts, the Arcane Society acquired the Fire Crossbow and Thunder Hammer. These two weapons, when infused with magical power, can unleash attacks far more powerful than traditional weapons, bridging the gap in abilities among mages. Before this, due to a lack of systematic inheritance, most members of the Spellcaster community could not cast offensive magic. The Fire Crossbow and Thunder Hammer finally gave many Spellcasters who only knew some useless spells their own value and allowed them to go to the battlefield.
Arcane Society was finally able to build a true army with the help of these two weapons— the Blazing Dragon Legion, an army of spellcasters that truly belonged to the mages themselves.
However, the previous war plan to lure the enemy deep into our territory was still carried on, albeit with slight modifications, and Blazing Dragon Legion was given a rather dazzling appearance.
News of the annihilation of the Papacy's main force swept through the occupied rear areas like wildfire, plunging the once-powerful vassal armies—the groups of believers and monarchs of small countries who had come to serve the Papacy—into apocalyptic chaos.
Their banners fell one after another, and the garrison commander, along with his cronies, looted the sacred silver vessels from the warehouses, leaving the soldiers bewildered in the morning mist. Along every road leading to the holy city, abandoned gilded armor and tattered banners were scattered, like a path of retreat paved with the remnants of faith. Occasionally, stray clergymen were recognized by the Gabella people; these white-robed figures, once whom the Gabella people dared not look directly, now became conspicuous targets for stones.
Some occupying soldiers fell into a state of hedonism, not fleeing but locking themselves inside their fortresses, drinking heavily from their cellars of holy wine while tearing pages of the * Scriptures of Light * and throwing them into the fire. A smaller group went on a final rampage, setting fire to houses throughout the town, even churches, burning everything of value after looting. But this often provoked fierce resistance from the warlike Gabella people—the main force of the Papacy had been annihilated, so who would fear a bunch of lackeys!
Meanwhile, the former Gabella lords who had surrendered were busy throwing the papacy's commissions into the fire while sending messengers to reaffirm their loyalty to the emperor.
The fall of the War Elephant Legion was like severing the pillars of the Papacy, plunging this once invincible religious regime into unprecedented turmoil.
Throughout the propaganda, the Neos Forest Elephants were portrayed as divine beasts bestowed upon the Holy See by the Lord of Light, beings transcending the mortal realm. However, these divinely granted creatures were utterly annihilated by Gabella's evil sorcerer.
Beneath the dome of the cathedral, the bishops gathered inside, arguing incessantly and shouting to shift blame—some accused the frontline commanders of blasphemy, some denounced the Intelligence Department for dereliction of duty, and others pointed the finger directly at the Pope's decisions.
Despite the bishops' best efforts to suppress the news, rumors spread faster than any messenger. The loss of 70,000 troops at Gabella was a major event that could not be concealed and soon became the talk of the town. In the streets of the holy city, fearful believers discovered that the pastors who preached daily about being "invincible" had suddenly changed their tune and said that "the tribulations are the Lord's tests."
The stained-glass windows of the Grand Cathedral reflected the sparse candlelight, and the square, once teeming with pilgrims, was now only occupied by circling crows. A terrible rumor was spreading: if even the sacred war elephants could be defeated by the magic of "heretics," then was the divine power of the Lord of Light not as omnipotent as the scriptures described?
Soon after, an even greater shock came – Emperor Antonio of Gabella announced the recognition of the Spellcaster's legitimacy.
As the leading power on the continent, and geographically situated at a crucial point connecting East and West, Gabella's recognition of Spellcaster's legitimacy undoubtedly had a tremendous impact, far exceeding that of the small states around Horn Bay.
Emperor Antonio's edict was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up political ripples across the continent and eventually forming wave after wave.
The Papacy, fresh from its crushing defeat at the hands of the Empire, issued a proclamation condemning it as "a traitorous act of making peace with the forces of darkness." However, having lost the War Elephant Legion, the Light Church was unable to muster the strength to punish Gabella in the short term. They had a mountain of problems to deal with, including withdrawing the remaining troops still within the Empire's borders—though few remained—and beginning the defense of their homeland. Who knew if the Gabella would launch a counterattack?
Within Gabella, the Emperor's decree has been issued, and legally, the Spellcasters who once hid in cloaks can now openly appear. However, Spellcasters in most areas still need to remain discreet, as the power of tradition is formidable.
The area near the capital was the first to change; mages were already selling alchemical potions in the markets, children were laughing and chasing after the mages' fire magic, and anyone who dared to make things difficult for a Spellcaster would be punished by imperial law enforcement.
As time went on, mages appeared in more and more areas of Gabella.