{It's dangerous to remain here, you need to leave now!}
Lin's words came a tad too late. The first devil bird to break through happened to be the one that I attacked and its malicious gaze was fixated on my tiny figure.
It wanted me dead.
"Hold the line! We must hold this position until reinforcement arrives!"
Someone screamed but even as a newbie in the battlefield I could tell we can't hold this position with just two mages. The attention of the soldiers stationed on the battlement was divided between the flying horde and grounded monsters attacking the walls.
We were alone against this horde of devil birds with no more than 50 Black Guards.
My gaze shifted to Klien who's shaky vision was pinned on the approaching devil bird with a mixed expression on his face. The fear he felt was undeniable, however, there was a hint of excitement in those eyes.
He was like me, someone who only derived pleasure from battle. But this was not a fight we can win.
"SHIELD CATHEDRAL FORMATION!"
Before I retreated a calm voice cut through the chaos and the black guards moved. The heavy armor guards quickly retreated in their polished black armor and in mere seconds they had formed a circle around us—their towering walls used to form a reinforced dome with Klien and I at the center.
As the shields closed up the last few holes needed to complete the dome, I saw the devil bird I attacked charging with murderous eyes. It was furious because it knew it wouldn't reach its target and exert revenge before the formation was complete.
BOOM!
It was dark within the formation but we felt the quake of the devil birds strike against one of the formation.
Snap!
Snapping my finger, a small tongue of fire burst forth within my palm, to lighten up the dark space, only to realize a man was standing next to me. My heart skipped a bit but outwardly, I just glanced his way with indifference in my eyes.
The man was the only Black Guards member who didn't wear a helmet. He has long desert brown hair tied into a ponytail and a claw scar on his left cheeks.
The man was more beautiful than handsome and the scar ruined that beauty.
"I'm Lieutenant Thomas, at your service." The man bowed respectfully even though he was nearly twice my size and couldn't knock me out with a single blow.
It was expected, we are mages after all. Once we graduate and join the military, even the least of us would stand above him from the very first day in office.
To the empire his 50 years of service was nothing compared to a mage's 1 year of service.
That is why the government didn't have the heart of the people. Since no one had it, I will take it!
"Derek Blackwood. It's a relief to have someone as capable as yourself at a time like this." I cupped my fists and gave a small bow.
Not just Thomas but soldiers around widened their eyes in shock and I understood why. Meek mages were rare, even amongst peasants—talk more of a meek mage from a noble household. These people didn't know details about my past, they must have been out here for a long time and weren't as connected as Hugo.
What they were witnessing now was a noble who respected them while Klien, a commoner, didn't even spare them a glance.
It took Thomas a few seconds to process everything before he stepped forward and stopped me from bowing any further.
"You need not show this commoner this much respect!" Thomas hastily said like I had committed a grave sin.
I gave him a warm smile and shook my head.
"You are not a commoner, you are a warrior. Everyone here is a warrior and in my opinion, warriors who have kept this empire safe are deserving of respect regardless of bloodline and societal status." I argued.
Thomas blinked in confusion and a few soldiers who stole glances now turned around to give me a good look. They wondered if their eyes were playing tricks on them.
BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!
Before Thomas could speak the assault resumed but this time they were more fierce than ever. We both frowned as we knew the consecutive hits meant more devil birds had made their way through the barrier.
"We can talk about our values later, Lieutenant. But now we need to deal with these things and only you have he experienced we need to get through this." I said with a stern look. "Give the order and I will follow."
Buzz!
I heard their armors quake under the sound of my voice and their eyes dilated with a mixture of shock and respect. I'm sure they always found it annoying when a 15 year old with magic comes in and bosses them around with no knowledge of the battlefield.
They must have hated it every time they handed control over to kids just because they could snap their fingers and fire would appear. I simply said the words they hoped to hear but believed it would never come.
"Y-yes, young master Blackwood!" Thomas stuttered and a small smile played on his lips.
He tried to control his smile but couldn't hide it, just like his subordinates.
{Your intent to befriend commoners and high ranked soldiers is not pure. You are not a good person, so spill it.} Lin asked.
'Isn't it obvious? If I become emperor, would I need to hide my abilities?' I responded with a question.
Hehehe~Hehehe!
Hehehe~Hehehe!
Lin's sinister chuckle was contagious, unfortunately I had to shut him out and focus on the matter at hand.
"I will do my best to meet up to your expectations!" Thomas cupped his fists and bowed.
"Likewise." I nodded
Thomas rose with a determined gleam in his eyes. "Alright boys prepare to counterattack!" He barked.
"YES SIR!"
"Sunflare Counter!"
Reacting to his words the black armored knights revealed glowing amber sigils on their armor and weapon. Their black armor slowly changed color, assuming a fiery shade.
The shields and halberds of these soldiers glowed brightly under the night sky.
"HOLD…" Thomas ordered amidst the chaos.
The assault on the shield cathedral formation never stopped. In fact, more devil birds had made it through the barrier and joined the assault blending into a violent, deafening symphony.
"KILL!" Thomas's order came 3 minutes later
A roar tore through the ranks—a savage, unified cry that shook the earth. Explosions rattled the wind, erupting in front of their shields and pushing the winged demons back.
Slaughter!
The bloodlust of Lieutenant Thomas's men was unleashed in full fury as they struck forward with their golden halberds, impaling nearly a dozen devil birds.
Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!
The devil birds cried out in pain, thrashing and squirming while purple blood squirted out of their wounds.
'Not enough!' I frowned.
The devil birds flapped their ghastly wings, slowly pulling some soldiers off the ground. Other soldiers rushed in and grabbed their companions to prevent them from being pulled into the air but this mistake quickly broke their formation and left them open for other devil birds who weren't caught in this counter attack.
"From the abyss where darkness dwells,
Silent shade, heed my will.
Slither forth, a creeping chain,
Bind my foe in endless pain!"
My voice cut through the chaos like a cold knife, attracting glances.
Shadow Magic: Shadow Bind!
Buzz!
My shadow thickened and expanded rapidly, covering hundreds of meters in barely a second. Shoving my hands into my pocket, I allowed my shadow tendrils to act on their own accord.
SWOOSH!
Countless shadow tendrils swarmed forward impaling and binding the injured devil birds, stabbing into their ghastly wings, binding their limbs to limit their movements and pulling them down.
More tendrils shot past them, dancing towards the incoming devil birds attempting to take advantage of the chaos. Not on my watch!
My dark elements were my strongest and I have come to understand only them are strong enough to harm monsters thanks to our combat classes in the academy. There was also a nearly limitless supply of souls which I can use to replenish my mana indefinitely.
"I cannot lose!" I said as my eyes turned pitch black with black cracks spreading across my eyelids.
I will rely on my shadow magic alone to tame these beasts!
This was the difference between humans and mages.
Even the weakest mage is equivalent to fifty men.
"TETHER WALL DEFENSE!" Thomas's voice boomed and his men moved quickly to cover up their mistakes.
The Black Guards reached for their waist chain belts and unbuckled them, revealing fluke edges. Amber runes appeared on the fluke, causing it to turn golden and they stabbed into the ground with ease, rooting themselves to the earth.
Once rooted, they helped their comrades who had impaled devil birds and hooked them to the earth. This tactic was meant to keep them grounded and prevent getting kidnapped.
"Impressive." I muttered with genuine surprise.
Considering their coordination, discipline and sheer fact that their weapons could deal more damage on these monsters than the average spell, I couldn't help but change my opinion on powerless humans.
As long as they are trained properly and led by someone as competent as lieutenant Thomas, they can become nearly as effective as a mage.pp