NOVEL NEXT 102. Fractured Dawn
Brian wiped the blood off his blade, kicking aside the body of the fallen enemy knight with his foot. Around him, the other Everheart knights stood in grim silence, gazing at the battlefield that was littered with the dead. A heavy stillness filled the area as Tucker glanced at the deceased. Even with Brian's domain, it was impossible to avoid casualties. Tucker was naïve for thinking they would make it out unscathed, but parts of him wished it were true.
He knelt beside one of their own, a fallen Everheart soldier lying still. Their lifeless eyes gazed at the eternal dawn with tears streaming down the side of their face. Tucker gently brought his hand over their eyes and closed them.
"What are our casualties?" He asked quietly.
Jones stood to the side. "About twenty, Captain."
"And wounded?"
"None." Jones tapped on the leather satchel on his waist. "The potions we took from the storage building were enough to heal them. Most of the injuries were minor. Those who died… fell in one strike."
"I see." Tucker rose to his feet and turned to the other soldiers. They were all holding their weapons and bracing for the next attack. "Captain Morgan, how many more times can you use your domain?"
Brian shook his head. "Sorry, Captain Welford. This is the best I can do."
"What about you?" Tucker's eyes shifted to the other knights, searching for an answer that was never there. All he saw was exhaustion. Their trump cards were already exhausted.
Out of a hundred and fifty soldiers who joined the assault squad, only a hundred and thirty remained. Those who had fallen were common soldiers. If anyone were to look at the result, then they had accomplished a near-perfect victory. Twenty men for the price of two hundred enemy troops and a dozen knights.
A feat that many would find unbelievable. Even though Tucker should be happy with the outcome, he couldn't help but tightly clench his fist with a heavy heart. Not a shred of joy existed among the men—only silence and a grim reminder that the battle wasn't over.
"Form up. We have a long battle ahead of us," Tucker ordered while moving towards Brian. "How are the knights holding up?"
"They're in excellent condition," Brian replied. "We should—"
A sharp crack split the air, cutting him off. All the men staggered for a moment, struggling to regain their balance. It sounded like glass shattering under pressure, as if something was forcing its way through the fabric of the domain. Black fractures spidered across the golden dawn from the far side, breaking the illusion that had kept them safe.
Tucker kicked a spear up from the ground, focusing on the intruder tearing into Brian's subspace. His eyes locked on the Empire's knight, whose eyes were set ablaze with rage.
"You bastards!" The Empire's knight roared at the top of his lungs, prying open the domain, but before he could step through, Tucker hurled the aura-clad spear across the scorched ground. It howled across the battlefield and struck him dead center, shattering his chest piece in one swift blow. Pieces of steel broke off, and the force sent the body flying back into the Empire's ranks.
"Can you hold the domain?" Tucker asked without looking back.
"I can maintain it," Brian said with a strained voice. "But I can't restore it."
"That's good enough." Tucker raised his hand, signalling for the soldiers behind him to follow. His eyes burned with a cold, focused fury.
Not a single word was exchanged.
Every Everheart soldier there was fuming with a silent rage. One that refused to die against the storm known as the Empire. Their footsteps were silent, and as the Empire's soldiers stormed in, their gazes fell upon the soldiers that were marching towards them without a single noise.
Confusion spread across the enemy ranks. Despite outnumbering the Everheart troops, they hesitated. Something in the men before them caused their hearts to sink. In the quiet, unwavering steps of their foes, an overwhelming pressure pressed down on their souls.
Before they could understand what was happening, javelins and arrows rained down from above. Striking limbs and torsos as the Empire soldiers pushed through the breach. Bodies crumpled on the blood-stained earth one after another, and as Tucker saw this, his eyes burned with rage.
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Did we really lose to these guys?
A flash of silver came down to take his life, but he caught it mid-air with a hand shrouded in aura. Sparks flew as emerald and crimson energies fought for control, but Tucker's cold, unflinching gaze shook the enemy's heart. He snapped the blade in half and drove the jagged edge through the man's throat.
Blood spewed out of the man's lips. Tucker pushed the blade all the way through and grabbed hold of the soldier's neck before flinging it towards the incoming foes. The Empire's soldiers were strong, but to charge into a domain that hadn't fully collapsed was reckless. Arrogant even.
They thought we'd fall this easily?
Tucker scoffed at them. Their enemies were cocky and had no respect for the soldiers of the Everheart Kingdom. From a distance, another wave was approaching, but before they could reach him. Two Everheart knights burst ahead of him. Their blue capes rippled in the wind, revealing the crests etched in silver. One bore a branch held by a dove while the other a hearth nestled in a wreath.
Their auras ignited, blue and orange hues flaring across their blades with a golden outer glow. In perfect sync, they swung their swords, unleashing arcs of radiant energy that tore through the oncoming enemy line. Aura defenses cracked and shattered against the sheer ferocity of the attack. Blood splattered across the scorched earth, painting it in a slick crimson.
Bodies fell in heaps, and the Everheart soldiers immediately charged towards the fracture.
Tucker could feel the surge in morale—his men were holding strong, but for how long? They needed to regroup with the other survivors, or their body count would only increase. He tightly curled his fists and observed the battlefield.
His men were fighting back to back, in tight-knit formations of three to four. The Everheart knights swept through the battlefield, supporting the common soldiers like flowing water. Supporting the front lines with clean and decisive strikes. It was a system born from desperation but honed through experience, where the common soldiers focused on defending while the knights delivered the killing blows.
It was enough for now, but they needed a solution that would get them closer to the inner walls.
Tucker stood guard beside Brian, watching the battle unfold before them. Both of them were gazing beyond the crack that tore into the domain. The inner gates were only barely two hundred meters away from them. It was possible for them to break through. Rush out and storm the gates, but if they did, they'd leave most of the common soldiers behind. The others wouldn't be able to keep up, and Tucker knew what that meant.
He stared at his fleeting aura and dwindling spirit essence with a grim expression. The odds of him fighting a knight on even footing were close to zero. There wasn't a chance in hell they would escape—not without sacrificing the lives that followed him.
Yet as Tucker fell deep into thought, an idea came to fruition. There was still one move left on the board. One that was desperate enough to work.
He turned to Brian and spoke with sincerity. "Captain Morgan, I need a favor."
.
.
.
"How the hell are the inner walls still standing!?" General William Falcone slammed his fist through the wooden desk. The sudden crack caused his officers to flinch. "We have them cornered like rats!"
The men in the command tent fell into a tense silence at his question and kept their heads down. So far, the Empire had captured the fifth bastion and was well on its way to take over the third. But the resistance at the inner gates of the fourth bastion had proven to be far fiercer than expected.
No one in the Empire had anticipated such a desperate last stand to arise from the Everheart soldiers. Especially not after what had happened to the other fortress city. And yet, here they were, bleeding men at the threshold of what should have been an easy conquest.
Sir Philip nervously stood to the side of the tent, his silver armor smeared with dirt and grime. "General Falcone… we need to call off the troops attacking the inner—"
"Like hell we'll do such a thing!" William bellowed, cutting him off. His voice thundered throughout the tent. "We've got them within our grasp! And I would rather take this damned city through blood, sweat, and fire than rely on those monsters."
William took several deep breaths after finishing his sentence. No one dared to utter a word and kept their mouths shut. In less than a day, one of the Empire's war machines would reach the Stafford Bastion. Once reinforcements arrived, they would easily take the city. Yet their general refused to halt their assault. His pride and his hatred wouldn't allow it.
But after observing the General for the past few days, Igneel noticed that something was off. The General's fury wasn't truly aimed at the Everheart soldiers. It burned elsewhere. At a place deeply connected with their nation. Toward the mages of the Emerald Tower.
Standing near the edge of the tent, Igneel couldn't stand by any longer and finally broke the silence. "Sir, with all due respect. Even if we did take the inner walls. At our current pace, we still wouldn't be able to take the castle, no matter how hard we tried."
The truth that came from Igneel caused William to slowly exhale with a long-drawn-out breath. He tightly clenched his fists before knocking everything off the table in one fell swoop. His arm sent maps, tokens, and metal markers crashing to the floor. Papers fluttered in the stale air, and silence followed once more. Only to be broken by the soft clang of iron hitting dirt.
William stood still, his shoulders tense. Not in rage, but in defeat.
The castle was within reach. Victory was right there, and yet…
He couldn't take it.
Years of his life dedicated to service, honor, and warfare were shattered in one siege. Twisted by the Emerald Tower and their cursed interference. At most, he had once hoped to grant mercy to the citizens of the Everheart Kingdom with a swift death. But that choice had been taken from him.
They couldn't take the castle in time.
They couldn't change the Emperor's opinion.
Those monsters from the Emerald Tower had nearly won.
But there was still a chance for them to turn the situation around.
William turned away from his advisors. "Prepare the knights. We're sallying out."