Bab 193: War of Flags V
The reason Arthur had pushed for Jin to reach White-rank was as clear as it was strategic: the sheer number of summons.
At Silver-rank, Jin had been limited to ten necromantic summons, skeletal and fragile. But with the jump to White-rank, that number had soared to a hundred. A hundred souls bound to his will, an army of the dead at his command, each one capable of being deployed to overwhelm, distract, and disrupt the enemy.
It was perfect for Arthur's plan—a plan to crush Jack's attack before it could even begin.
Liora and Kevin, the two unit leaders Jack had sent after Jin, would find themselves funneled into the valley, their squads huddled together with no cover and limited mobility. The narrow pass offered them no room to maneuver, making them easy targets for both spells and the natural dangers of the terrain.
The plan? Simple, brutal, effective.
With Jin's summons, he could create a whirlwind of confusion, raining spells down on the enemy and triggering the very landscape to turn against them. The valley's steep walls were vulnerable, prone to rockslides if pushed by enough force. Spells aimed not at the enemy but at the ground itself could loosen the earth and bring it crashing down on them. A perfectly executed ambush.
Liora, who was nearly on par with Jin in raw power, might have been able to weather a direct confrontation, but the guerrilla tactics Arthur had devised were designed to exploit her reliance on positioning and brute strength. Kevin, though competent, wasn't a threat on the same level. He lagged far behind Liora, and in this terrain, that gap in power would be magnified.
The stillness in the valley was deceptive, the air tense as Jin's summons scouted ahead. The wolf-beast disappeared into the shadows, its ghostly form blending into the gloom. A faint flicker of its vision reached Jin's mind—figures moving cautiously, unaware they were walking into a trap.
Jin raised his hand in a signal, his black eyes gleaming with a mixture of focus and anticipation. His unit remained silent, their breaths held, their nerves taut.
"Now," he whispered, releasing the hold on his summons.
The valley came alive with the sudden appearance of death. Dozens of spectral figures emerged from the ground, ghastly soldiers of bone and shadow surging forward like a tide. Jin's unit watched in awe as his summons, now numbering in the dozens, scattered into the valley below, their presence a haunting prelude to the attack.
With a sharp gesture, Jin directed them to the edges of the valley, where they dug into the loose rocks, forcing the landscape to shift.
The first tremor rolled through the ground, a low rumble that quickly grew louder.
Liora's squad had barely enough time to react before the rocks began to fall.
"Look out!" Liora's voice rang out, her sharp instinct kicking in as she raised her hands, ice magic flaring to life as she tried to shield her unit from the collapsing terrain. Huge boulders and loose gravel came crashing down, tearing through the narrow pass. The sheer force of the landslide sent men scrambling, some of them trapped beneath the weight of the earth.
Kevin's squad wasn't as lucky. His unit was caught off-guard, and as they attempted to flee, Jin's spectral soldiers surged forward, cutting off their retreat.
Jin himself remained calm, standing at the mouth of the valley, his eyes glowing with necromantic power. He watched the chaos unfold, his summons cutting through Kevin's forces with ruthless efficiency, while the landslide did the rest.
Liora, her squad battered but not yet defeated, shot a look up at the ridge where Jin stood, her eyes narrowing in fury. She sent a volley of ice shards in his direction, the air crackling with mana as the projectiles screamed toward him.
But Jin was ready. With a wave of his hand, a wall of ghostly figures rose up, absorbing the impact of the spell before shattering into dust.
The battle was far from over, but with the valley now collapsing around Liora and Kevin's forces, Jin knew that Arthur's plan was working. Guerrilla tactics, misdirection, and the use of the terrain itself—this was how they would win, not through sheer power, but through strategy.
And Jack, wherever he was, would soon realize that his carefully laid attack had been turned on its head.
The battle in the valley raged on, the rumble of falling rocks mixing with the sharp clash of magic and the eerie wail of Jin's spectral summons. Dust swirled in the air as the ground continued to shift beneath the weight of Jin's necromantic assault. The valley itself seemed to fight alongside him, collapsing under the pressure of his strategy.
Liora's squad scrambled to stay on their feet, battered by the landslide and hemmed in by the spectral soldiers that cut off their escape. Kevin's squad, however, was faring far worse. Caught between the landslide and Jin's relentless onslaught, their formation crumbled, leaving them vulnerable to the deadly precision of the enemy.
Kevin's eyes darted between his squad and Liora's. The weight of command fell heavily on his shoulders. His own forces were being torn apart, but Liora's squad, though battered, still had a chance. He couldn't let them be wiped out—not when they were key to Slatemark's overall success.
Gritting his teeth, Kevin made his decision.
"Liora!" he shouted over the cacophony of battle. "Take your squad and go! I'll hold them here!"
Liora hesitated, her ice-blue eyes locking onto his with a mixture of shock and determination. "You can't—"
"Go!" Kevin's voice was firm, his mana flaring around him as he raised his hand to unleash a final spell. "You're more important to the team than I am. Don't waste time!"
With a heavy heart, Liora gave a sharp nod, acknowledging the sacrifice Kevin was about to make. She quickly barked orders to her squad, and they began to retreat, battered but still intact. Only a few of her people had fallen to the landslide, and she was determined not to lose any more.
Kevin, meanwhile, unleashed his power, channeling all of his remaining mana into a massive wave of earthen magic. The ground beneath him buckled and surged, creating a barrier that temporarily halted the advance of Jin's spectral army. For a moment, it seemed like he had turned the tide—rocks exploded upward, forming a protective dome around him and what was left of his squad.
But it was only a temporary reprieve.
Jin's eyes narrowed, his gaze focused on Kevin's desperate last stand. With a flick of his wrist, he commanded his summons to press forward. The spectral soldiers flowed like a dark tide, overwhelming Kevin's hastily-constructed defenses. The ground trembled again, but this time under the force of Jin's necromantic will.
Kevin's squad was no match for the relentless assault. One by one, they were cut down, their artifacts activating to signal their elimination. Kevin fought with everything he had, sweat pouring down his face, but even his strength couldn't hold out against the sheer numbers Jin had at his disposal.
And then, the barrier broke.
Jin's soldiers surged forward, tearing through the remnants of Kevin's defenses. The last of Kevin's squad fell, their artifacts flashing as they were eliminated. Kevin stood alone, his mana nearly depleted, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.
But he didn't give up.
With a final roar, Kevin charged forward, his fists glowing with the last of his power. He swung wildly at Jin's spectral soldiers, taking down a few before his energy gave out completely.
Jin watched, his expression calm, as Kevin's artifact flared to life, signaling his elimination. The valley fell eerily silent for a moment, the echoes of battle fading into the distance.
Kevin was gone, his sacrifice having bought Liora and her squad the time they needed to escape. They had only suffered a few casualties, thanks to his final stand.
Jin stood amidst the wreckage of the battle, his own squad gathering around him. He had lost a few of his own—a handful of students lay exhausted, their artifacts pulsing as they were pulled out of the competition—but the majority of his forces remained intact.
He glanced toward the distant retreating figures of Liora's squad, his mind already calculating the next move. Kevin's sacrifice had saved her, but it had also cost Slatemark dearly. Jin had won this battle, though the war was far from over.
As the dust settled and the valley returned to its grim stillness, Jin took a deep breath, letting the cool air wash over him. He had done what was necessary, and for now, Arthur's plan was still intact.
But he knew this was only the beginning.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone