章 3: Battlefield
Thousands of ice crystals floated in the sky. Willy, who witnessed that, immediately shouted and tried to warn the other soldiers. But Willy's screams were useless.
'Damn it!'
Without thinking, Willy immediately laid down and pulled one of the corpses next to him and turned the corpse into a meat shield. Willy closed his eyes as the crystal rain fell down like thunder. The screams of the soldiers who faced their deaths echoed in his ears.
'Damn it!'
The sound of ice crystals broke through the wind, and the sound of flesh being pierced continued to sound. Willy's whole body shook. There wasn't much he could do but hope that things would pass quickly.
When the sound of falling ice crystals stopped, Willy dared to open his eyes.
Hundreds of soldiers died like porcupine carcasses, covered in thorns of ice crystals sticking out of their bodies. It was a stroke of luck if they died instantly. Several soldiers were still breathing even though they had dozens of ice crystals all over their bodies. They could not move, they could only cry and endure the pain until they died.
Braun was still standing firmly, with a light blue light shrouding his body. Not a single crystal arrow hit. However, his breathing was irregular, and his face was pale. It was as if he had used up a large amount of energy.
Meanwhile, the soldiers who had just approached the two of them died in pathetic conditions. His body was on his back, and eight arrows were stuck in his body. The soldier's eyes were open and reflected utter fear. Willy shuddered as their eyes met.
Willy immediately got rid of the corpse that was on top of him, then quickly approached Braun.
"Braun! Are you okay?" Willy caught Braun, who was about to collapse.
"Are you underestimating me, son? I've been through battles. It's nothing." Braun's words were the exact opposite of his condition.
"You're too kind to be a mercenary. Well, even though we're not really soldiers. What's your name, by the way?" Braun looked at Willy with a pale face.
"William," Willy replied.
"Willam, huh? Hmm, 'Willy' might suit you better."
'That's my nickname.'
The sound of trumpets suddenly echoed across the battlefield, a signal to start the attack. The black-armored troops who had just received the arrow attacks panicked, they were not prepared. More than half of them were seriously injured and died from the attack of the ice crystals.
There was the roar of thousands of soldiers. From the east, right at the rear of the black-armored army, thousands of cavalrymen ridden by elven warriors rushed in droves. Instantly the morale of the black-armored troops dropped drastically.
Frustration swept through their minds as many soldiers were confused. Some were angry, knowing they had been framed. Some chose to flee after realizing the situation, and some were resigned to accept death.
But despite the fact that they had fallen into the abyss of despair, there were still warriors who had courage.
A soldier with a dull face stood amid the chaos. His face was calm. He looked up at the sky, which was as cloudy as the armor he was wearing. A drop of water fell on his forehead. Then, raindrops began to fall. It was raining on the battlefield. Lightning boomed in the sky.
The soldier smiled as drops of water ran down his face. He said, "It's raining heavily."
He took out the heart-shaped pendant embedded within his armor. "Sorry, Honey, I can't go home today."
Then he joined the charge along with the rest of the brave soldiers.
"Arrrgh!"
On the other hand, Willy was still holding onto Braun, who had exhausted himself after fending off the thousands of ice crystals that had hit him.
"Braun! I see some soldiers are running away. We should too!" cried Willy. He had to be loud enough to be heard, because of the sound of raindrops and thunder.
"Hahaha! If you want to go, just go, kid. But you need to know, we are in Alfheim territory. There is no way out for us. The only way out is in our backline, the forest to the east. But it's from that direction where this elf cavalry troop suddenly appeared from.
We have been provoked into fighting in their territory. The weak troops we fought earlier turned out to be just the bait so that all our troops gathered in one place. They weren't even elves, but humans. Their main force turned around, then charged at us from behind. We've fallen into the trap, son."
Willy bit his lip. His head was deep in thought as he tried to find a way out.
"Isn't there a special order from the commander? In a situation like this?" Willy asked.
"What do you expect from that guy? The commander was a mountain bandit. What experience does he have with war? Midgard didn't hire us to win in the first place. I knew this from the start, but who knew it would get this bad. If I wasn't too greedy."
Willy was new to this world, so he didn't understand the situation now.
This battle was a war between Midgard and Alfheim. Or rather, Midgard invaded Alfheim. The Midgard army, the army of black armor, was an army of mercenaries and criminals forced to fight. The troops that were attacking right now weren't the real Midgardians.
Willy didn't understand Braun's words. He didn't really care either, the only thing he cared about now was getting out of this hell of slaughter. Just a moment ago, Willy wanted to die, yet now, he was thinking hard about surviving.
One hundred meters away, the elven cavalry troops would soon arrive and finish them all off.
"How about we play dead?" Willy's lips were shivering from the cold rain.
"That's right, this is your first war. I tell you, son. Our race has a long history with them, I'm sure they won't let us live. After the battle is over, they will send people to hunt down the escapees and examine our bodies. Even if we are captured alive, our fate is the same as the troops we slaughtered before."
Willy grew desperate to hear Braun's answer.
'Is there really no way out?'
The rain was getting heavier. Thunder boomed. The cold air began to cut to the bone. Willy was still standing, trying to find a way out. Meanwhile, Braun, who had resigned himself to his fate, lay down among the corpses. Braun smiled, enjoying the drops of water massaging his face. Braun had no more power after using Aura.
Willy saw dozens of soldiers fleeing from the battle. Then he turned to the east. There, he saw the black-armored troops recklessly charge at the elven cavalry. Even though he didn't know them, Willy felt guilty not joining the fight. But at the same time, it gave Willy a little time.
The elven cavalry easily crushed the Midgard army. The cavalryman's spear pierced and crushed three soldiers at once. The soldiers of Midgard were trampled by the hooves of the horses. Their screams were heard over the sound of galloping horses and the rush of rain. Their spilt blood blended into the puddle. The grass, which was originally green, had now turned murky red.
For some reason, Willy's heart was broken to witness the incident. Sadness. Guilty feeling. Despair. Frustration. All mixed up in Willy's heart. This wasn't Willy's war though.
Willy looked up, trying to enjoy the raindrops hitting his face. He tried to imitate Braun.
'Is it really over?'
Then he looked around again and took in the sight of the scattered corpses of horses and humans.
Suddenly, an idea popped into Willy's head.
'There it is!'
Immediately he woke Braun, who had given up and was enjoying his last moments.
"Hey, Braun! Wake up! Get up! Hurry up, we don't have much time," Willy shouted.
"We don't have much time indeed," said Braun. He still closed his eyes while enjoying the raindrops, like a child.
Annoyed at Braun's behavior, Willy hit Braun's stomach.
"Aw! What are you doing, son?" Braun then got up.
"We have a way out!"
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