Age of Heroes

The soldiers dashed inside the city, sabers, swords and spears high up in the air as they charged like an unstoppable torrent.

On top of the battlements cries mixed with screams as orders from the top was in disarray and chaos. 

With the red haired man unconscious on the other side of the battlements, chaos filled the city.

The families hiding in their houses prays to their Gods and some hides in the dark corner of their house hoping that the invading soldiers will not come in and terrorize their homes.

Fear and anxiety filled their hearts. Ragar shouted 

'KILL ALL THE SOLDIERS THAT DO NOT SURRENDER!!' His shouts filled the entire front gate and the battlements as he slashes his sabers to one of the incoming defending soldiers. 

Bloods sprayed and limbs were scattered as the pushing force of Ragar soldiers crush any resistance in the road heading to the city castle.

The gongs of wars were beaten and its sound could even drown the screams and cries as Ragar soldiers advance like they were following the beats of the gong.

'Press forward!' one of the officers of the city shouted but his shout was futile as his soldiers were gripped in fear. 

On the front, Arial blood soaked in red was slashing left and right leaving a wake of destruction and gores as any soldiers that entered the radius of his glaive was turned into mincemeat. 

With his blood soaked figure jumping and running around cutting of head and splitting people bodies into half, fear pervaded the entire defense line. 

Ragar then shouted his voice pierce through the sound of battles and slashing ordering his soldiers

'RAM!'

'AYE!' They responded, their eyes glints with murderousness. 

And then running with their fastest speed they collide themselves with the defense line breaking it almost immediately.

They were like a hammer slammed down onto fragile glass.

The shield of Ragar army has a protruding horn in front of the shield and is not only used for defense but also for ramming defense line.

This is one of the innovations of shield that Arial brought to Shadowlands mimicking the shield of Zettelian soldiers.

In the Empire they already have implemented this on their soldiers. 

As they collide themselves with the defense line it was like the soldiers of the city was being skewered as the long protruding sharp thorn pierces their stomach, head, and thighs and screams reverberated through the front gate.

Blood keep falling down to the ground.

'Push forward!' Ragar shouted as they moved forward to meet another line of defense. 

From the top the archers began trying to organize themselves and planning a counterattack aiming at the back of Ragar rear position

Arial who has proceeded forward immediately saw this maneuver.

But Arial smiles as he could feel the shaking of the earth. 

'The sound and this feeling' Arial said to himself.

'Cavalry' he said smiling mischievously.

'Castile is near.' And Arial shouted to Ragar transmitting his military order.

'Ragar, move around them and open a path!' Arial immediately shouted, his shouts move above the dins and chaos of the battle. 

Ragar nodded from afar as he fell down another enemy soldiers, his uniforms were blood soaked and immediately relay the orders.

Ragar soldiers is as fierce as tiger and thus were puzzled with Ragar orders as it seems they could crush this second defense line in a mere moment but Ragar charisma and commanding presence is enough to deter them from disobeying as they quickly retreated in an orderly manner and went around the second defense line.

The officer that is leading the second defense line saw this and immediately shouted

'They have retired. This is our chance. Press forward!' They moved forward in high morale as they saw an opportunity. 

Arial seeing the state of battle and the tides of battle favoring his side immediately jump towards the stairwells leading to the battlements. 

Running up through the spiraling staircases, he killed all those that try to stop his ascent to the battlement on top.

Blood stained the staircase flowing down like a barrel of wine had exploded at the top and its content is rushing down

The splatter of blood decorates the wall of the spiraling staircases walls. In just a few moments he arrived at the battlements. 

Appearing in crimson, with his hand holding a large glaive that seem to be able to cut apart anything in the world, Arial shouted on top of the battlements

'SURRENDER AND YOU WOULD BE SPARED!!' he shouted. His word echoes with wrath and boundless imperious will.

The normal soldiers almost unconsciously kneel but one of the officers shouted

'HAH! The Three Kingdoms will not fall to you invaders from Outside! We will die fighting!' 

This officer was high in will, six feet tall, with bushy beard and large physique, his face is extremely valiant and brave.

And he possesses a high charisma that is able to keep his men from faltering as evidence by the way their eyes shine again with will and determination.

'ATTACK! Prove our worthiness as one of the inhabitants of the Shadowlands!' Arial looking at that man shakes his head in regret.

'Such valiant officer!' He remarked. 

'If only that man worked under him!' He lamented. 

It is truly a waste to kill this person. Arial did not expect to see many talents here in the Shadowlands. 

It is now evident to Arial that while the people of the Thirteen Tribes are primitive, the people of the Shadowlands on the other hand possess many similarities to many ruling dynasties of other continent, possessing their nobility, code of conducts and talents not inferior to the people of other continent.

An undiscovered talent in an unknown region of an unknown continent. 

He only sighed before thrusting his glaive forward and wind swirls around his glaive and thunder exploded from the tip of his glaive shredding apart the soldiers in front of him into globules of blood.

'DO NOT FEAR! CHARGE!' the man with the bushy beard shouted and was the first one to jump in front and charge toward Arial.

'Heh' Arial snorted as soldiers poured out from right and left as Arial face the battlement might alone.

He swings his glaive like a celestial general beheading devil and Demons, blood dripping down from the battlements staircase rushing down like flood, the stench and smell of bloods and charred flesh were revolting.

The battlements right now were like the deepest parts of hell, as only screams of despair and wailing of pain echoes back and forth.

This battle today and the time it takes for Balhae to fall will surely made Arial to be called a great hero as his renown would surely spread thought all of the Three Kingdoms.

There is already the Scarlet General in Iathus and now a new hero emerges again in this chaotic and turbulent times for the Shadowlands. 

The Shadowlands remain in balance with the Three Kingdoms for thousands of years, yet now that the dark fog covered everything outside the Shadowlands, only the Shadowlands were able to house life and as such chaos breeds.

Darkness reigns. And in time Light will come and be a beacon shining open a path to salvation.

Meanwhile on the ground as the second defense line was about to chase Ragar troop which is trying to pass them from a different direction the commanding officer suddenly halted his step.

An earth shaking sound entered the battlefield and then a shout pierce through the battlefield, jolting everyone into action.

'Break the formation; trample them all under the hooves of our cavalry!' A group of soldiers in horseback with bows behind their back and sabers and swords on their hand rushed from behind the open path.

The enemy officers pale in fright as he finally understands why Ragar open a path. 

It was not to avoid clashing with them but to open a path for this cavalry.

Seeing such a massive cavalry entering the city, sword and saber being swung murderously, caused the enemy officers troops to suddenly panic and their resolve weakened.

Sixty thousand soldiers. 

That is the soldiers that Balhae city possess. But fighting not even twenty thousand soldiers they already lost hope. 

This is why Arial always said 'In battles numbers is not as important as morale.' 

After all, even if the superior always stressed to the soldiers that their numbers exceed the enemy, in the end what matters was when that soldier face to face with death and unexpected circumstances.

Balhae city has never been breached but today it has. 

That is an unexpected circumstances and that itself has already thrown the command in chaos. 

Then the red hair man who presumably the strategist or high commanding officer of Balhae was incapacitated so the line of command from the top was broken. 

That is another unexpected circumstance. 

And now, a huge cavalry broke through the front gate and bringing death like a Devil horseman. 

And the soldiers of Balhae now truly know what it felt like to face death face to face.

Rushing like a fast flood, the cavalry looks like a natural disaster coming over to swallow them whole.

When that time comes, numbers will pale in comparison to their current situation. And their current situation is that they are encountering a rushing cavalry.

At this time what numbers come to mind? Nothing. Only the desire to survive. To run. To surrender. Or to fight. 

At this time each man thinks for himself unless they are trained. This is why it is important to have a high morale and training

Low morale lead to the army line of defense easily broken. Training strengthen one will

And with Arial prowess in full display terrorizing the entire battlements alone on top of the city walls and Ragar army brutality the soldiers of the city have already wavered. 

And now reinforcement came. 

To those soldiers facing this calamity they could not see the sixty thousand soldiers that their superiors said to them.

They did not remember that they have the numerical superiority 

They only see the enemy in front of them and only hear their own heartbeats pounding erratically as their mind try to make a decision.