Chapter 296 - Changes

Zaos couldn't help but frown while he looked in the enemies' direction. All the mercenaries had assumed a formation that showed that they were preparing an all-out attack. As if things weren't bad enough, the siege weapons had arrived, and they were right behind the numerous battalions. Zaos could hit them with his magic, but he wouldn't incinerate them instantly at that distance. Not to mention, the two assholes commanders had almost one hundred siege weapons under their control, from ballistae to battering hams.

"They want to go all-out from the very beginning because they are afraid of us using any weird tactic," Cohnal said.

"While that is true, it is also a sign that they think that they might lose this battle if they don't go this far," Melisse said.

"… I suppose it can't be helped," Zaos said after a long sigh. "If they want a fight, they will have one hell of a fight. Just make sure that our mages will be guarded by our best fighters and archers since I will leave the potions with them. Meanwhile, I will lead our frontline."

"Captain, maybe doing that from the very beginning isn't a good idea," Cohnal said. "While we will dominate which side of the enemy formation you decide to attack, you can't fight like that for long.

"I know, but I won't be able to calm down and just watch the fight," Zaos said. "I know myself better than anyone, and I will only get more pissed. At this point in time, it is unavoidable that we will lose thousands of men. However, still… While that is unavoidable, I want to at least fight and stay in a place where I will see fewer of them dying. I don't want to think more than I already do that people here are just throwing their lives away for the sake of leaders that don't deserve respect."

Cohnal and Melisse already knew that Zaos didn't have a good relationship with Laiex, Drian, and the king. While they didn't know why it was only obvious considering that they only sent his unit. Putting how resourceful he was aside, either they were putting too much faith in a fifteen years old boy, or either they want to punish him.

"I suppose it can't be helped…" Cohnal said. "Still, try to conserve your stamina a little bit while you keep a slower pace than usual. If you do that, we will be able to accompany and spread the damage to the sides of the enemy's formations."

"There is also the factor that we don't know where the commanders' are," Melisse said. "So, before we have a good idea of where they are, we can't just charge toward their armies blindly."

"All right, I guess I have to do that," Zaos said.

Since the potions would stay behind, Zaos won't have time to recover his mana for a while. So, some caution was necessary. Also, in order to conserve more stamina, Zaos decided to ride Moody to the battlefield. Horses can run almost on their same rhythm, so the chances of Zaos getting too worked up and leaving his allies behind would be close to none… unless he jumps from his horse.

"You are a troublesome horse, and I didn't want to rely on you, but it can't be helped," Zaos said. "So, behave yourself."

"HHIIIIIIINNNNN!" Moody whined.

Although he was a horse trained for the battlefield, he sure was troublesome. Zaos couldn't help but think that the breeder who sold him that tried to screw him, saying that Moody was his best horse… Regardless, from the back of his horse, Zaos could see that he had many soldiers behind him. Even if they are lucky, half will survive to see the other day. If they weren't… Zaos didn't want to think about that.

Although they killed plenty of mercenaries at night, the recruits sure looked nervous. It was only natural since half of the enemies had horses, and they were on foot. They knew that Zaos and his unit would try to even the battlefield, but that didn't make things easier for them. Words wouldn't be of much use, and Zaos didn't like to use them anyway. He wanted to show that his soldiers, no matter what, will see his back on the very front lines, no matter which moment they look forward to.

Zaos moved forward and then appeared in front of his whole army. That was his way of showing that he would always be ahead of them on the battlefield. Opening the path amidst the enemies… that was quite the sight, but then his soldiers noticed some changes in the enemy formation. As soon as Zaos showed up, the battalions of mercenaries began to concentrate on their right-wing… it was exactly where Zaos was planning to attack. The mercenaries who had divided their battalions in a single line suddenly decreased their formation and made that side thicker. In order to reach the siege weapons, Zaos will have to deal with at least fifteen thousand soldiers, no matter which point he decides to attack.

"Captain…" Cohnal said.

"This is kind of refreshing," Zaos said while smirking. "It is a sign that the enemy won't underestimate us."

While that was true, it was also a sign that their task suddenly became three times more difficult. It was weird for Cohnal and Melisse seeing Zaos smiling like that… after all, just a few minutes ago, he was troubled because he knew many of his men would die. It seemed he liked some challenges. The nastier the challenge, the more he liked them.

Zaos wanted to dash toward the enemies' formation, but he couldn't. Otherwise, the soldiers at the base won't have the chance to use their arrows fully. Fortunately, the mercenaries began to march toward the base, and the siege weapons began to move as well. That marked the start of the battle and the change regarding those two countries involved.. The result wasn't set in stone, but no matter the armies that stand victorious, the world won't be the same after it.