Chapter 90: Shorter than Expected

[3rd Person POV]

"Updated order from me, you three don't have to fight, you will be on standby at the front of the walls so that you can respond to any kind of unexpected situations, that's all, thanks!"

That was what Wokung, Ruphas, and Sipnayan received as the latest order from Sophia as they saw several mages floating around, both living and dead starting to inscribe some magic formula in the walls. Sipnayan was relieved, after all, she was not called out as active offensive personnel in the last war and is one of the few who is responsible for defense, so she is quite shocked to learn that Sophia knew of her abilities, though given that her lady is the ruler of the forest, she did not question such information gathering skills.

_But still, I want to cook, I don't want to fight, unless, otherwise necessary._

She was even in her apron when she went out of her restaurant which is yet to be fully open because of the lack of a business permit, she doesn't even have fighting equipment causing the goblins in the walls to be a little weirded out, however, she thinks that Bernardo who is accompanying Philo and Lyra in training the army who wished not to stand out more than his daughter is weirder than not wanting to fight despite being fully capable of fighting.

As Sipnayan was thinking of such, she looked at her two workmates, Ruphas of course who were used to block the main gate using her humongous body immediately slept, though he was still standing and some sparks could still be seen from her horns, always ready to rumble if the situation permitted it.

However, the one who is the most disgruntled is Wokung, who is looking at the vast expanse of the plains, Sipnayan can even see the pouting of his cheeks.

"Lately I feel like the lady doesn't trust me anymore..."

He continued to mumble as if she could not hear it, however, because she thinks that the behavior of the proud tribe leader is quite amusing, Sipnayan remained silent. The three of them soon saw the mages stop their work as they were already finished, one of them went up to the walls and said.

"Cover your eyes once the inscription starts to glow." And then left without any idle chat, Sipnayan looked at Wokung, her forehead bulging with visible veins as he heard the reminder of the mage, they were reduced from a key piece to a spectator that couldn't even see the start of the ordeal!

_I hope we can interject somehow..._

Sipnayan, as a warrior (though she wanted to deny it with all her might) sensed what Wokung was thinking, she grinned and rested her head on her muscular arm.

"That's sedition, you know."

Wokung, who got lesser hair by the time he got a power-up during the final war for the ownership of the forest, thus becoming more human looking flinched as he glanced at Sipnayan, also resting his head at the walls, the noble bearings of the leader of the Pyro Erectus are nowhere to be seen and a sulking child is just present.

"I know that you know, if I don't, I will say them out loud."

Wokung, even though wishes that something bad will happen, knows his lady's planning is next to flawless and that means the danger levels of the "something bad that happened"will be limited to a degree that is negligible in the national schematics and just needs to be resolved as a matter of pride for the military and of Sophia herself, so Wokung won't hold hope that his malevolent wish will come true.

Sipnayan smiled, looking at Wokung with her vertical slit eyes.

_It seems like he just wanted praise from his master..._

She then sighed.

_... Actually, I was kind of hoping for some too._

"Then don't think about it. Who knows you might jinx her majesty's estimation."

Wokung shook his head, still looking at the planes, his eyes started to reflect numerous small dots that became bigger and bigger as time passed by, the enemies are coming.

"Master is not someone that can be jinxed, if she is, she would have died already because of her Fallen Hero title."

Sipnayan nodded, looking at the planes too as she heard the marching sounds of the soldiers already anticipated way before their arrival, whilst she did so, Wokung continued.

"It's just that... she seem to not pay attention to us living generals of hers more that she do to the undeads..."

She squinted her eyes, not because of the humongous catapults and ballistas, but because of what Wokung have said.

_No, I feel like us is what My Lady are thinking about the most. I won't say that though._

"Well, if you feel that way, you just have to remember our oath. 'we will die when she so desire'. As long as she did not say that they want us living people to die and become an undead, you don't have to worry... Oh they are here."

Wokung cannot even reply because as Sipnayan spoke, he just look at her with squinted eyes that are glowing with interest for the 50,000 strong combined knights and mages that arrived in front of the walls of Bulawan City, they are yelling.

"We are here bearing the mercy of our lords. Sophia has made a country in their territory, our sires want her to abdicate her throne and give up the great forest to avoid any blood spilling..."

The commander of the operation was sneering as he said that, Ruphas opened his eyes and Wokung  lowered his head alongside Sipnayan. It seems like the nobles are shameless and despicable as how their majesty describe them to be. Though they are not aware that they will engage on these acts in the future.

"She's not here."

Sipnayan smiled as she said so, if it's shamelessness that they want, then shamelessness they will get, it is one of the basics of hospitality. Give visitors what they want with all your power.

For some reason, the goblin's reply irked the captain, but he still replied with his seemingly kind voice.

"If you people doesn't have the intellect to act according to what must be done, then we will have no choice but to use our blade to teach you what is right, may your god forgive your thieving selves, because we won't."

At that time, Ruphas already turned off his static electricity sprawling on her horns while Wokung already cheered up from such a cheesy dialogue, preventing himself from laughing.

"Alright, I will pray for you success."

Sipnayan replied, her face also showing kindness though she is sure to be laughing her guts out on her brain because of the distorting expressions of the humans in front of her, even the kind faced captain cannot hide his fury.

_____

_They seem to be proficient in psychological warfare..._

The captain said, not admitting that the three monsters in front of them is not taking them seriously, but rather are just doing their best to somehow communicate with their queen in a faraway land.

"Why there are only three of them? Are they underestimating us?"

The remarks of the vice captain caused the irk of the knights and the mages, causing them to bellow curses to the three monsters, the two humanoids even started to nibble on a round biscuit like they are watching a show, the goblin and the monkey seem to be even flirting on top of the walls and are just few seconds to kissing each other whilst the goat just simply snored while blocking the gate as if they did not exist. All of these are observable because of their night vision visors.

The captain raised his hand and then clumped it into a fist, causing the whole army to stop their slurs, the captain observed the three, but no change on their actions can be observed.

"This is why all of you are called subordinates, can't you see the situation? There are only three of them, this is to trick us so that they can use whatever method they think of to inform their queen of the situation, and their soldiers must be in stand by to ambush us in the two sides."

The captain, even though growing anxious did not voiced it out, his vast experience made him realize these points that should be correct, actually, it is, for the most part. He then continued.

"Now, heed my orders and ignore these fools, take the ballistas and catapults forward, the mages shall position themselves in the middle so that they will be protected as they analyze what kind of magical defense they are using, use all of your power to break it once you have analyzed how too. The knights then will divide themselves and make a triangular position in order to protect the flanks of mages, for now, the crossbowmen and the operators of the sieging weapon will focus in straining the barrier as much as we can."

The way of sieging in the world of Sophia is quite different from this world. In that world, the only factors that are needed to be protected by the soldiers are the food and supplies, supply line, communication line non-combat personnel and the military base erected, it is almost a given that the siege will take days in the least to be finished. In these world, siege or warfare in general can be finished for a day as the shortest and a year at the longest (though wars between exceptionally powerful can last centuries), a siege attack doesn't even need a communication line or supply line, they only need mages to break defensive formations, supply them with rocks for catapults and the food they have stored. Protect them and they will succed at any given time.

_With these organized preparations, they shall be rat- WHY ARE THEY KISSING!? AND WITH TONGUE!_

The captain was flabbergasted, looking at the two humanoid who started to worm their tongue on each other's mouth while also cupping their private parts, it was as if the knights and mages army did not even existed, finally the captain snapped.

"YOU BARBARIC MONSTERS SHALL PERISH WITHIN THIS NIGHT! FIRE!"

As the order was heard, all of the projectiles from giant rocks, bolts of acrobalistas as well as the arrows of the crossbow squad was simultaneously released, and also at the same time, like a falling meteor shower, all of them crashed to the defensive barrier and at this moment, the captain, vice captain as well as all of the soldiers and mages finally understood why there are only three people in the walls, no, more like they did not understand why there are even people in the walls at all, for you see, all of the projectiles, no, I am not joking, I mean all of them vanished with motes of light like millions of fireflies as a mage stutteringly said.

"Captain...  we... the inscriptions... we cannot write them down..."

It was already thirty minutes from when the first round of projectiles were fired, yet the mages did not even created a model to replicate and counter the barrier.

"...In our estimates, sir, the formula of the barrier is not even a week year old..."

The captain shuddered, looking at the vanishing physical features of the barrier.

"Not even a week? But that is the minimum to create a prototype!"

Before the captain called Brunson can even finish speaking, one by one, all of the sieging weapons started to explode, it was like they were trampled upon by big objects, like the projectiles they have just fired.

"Argh!"

"Guargh!"

However, the tragedy of the knights is still yet to end, for the crossbow men started to fall one by one, their heads seem to be pierced by a sharp object as the captain looked at the falling bodies and the sieging weapons being destroyed without saying anything, the vice captain is already dead because he is a crossbowman, Sipnayan and Wokung who just want to mock them but somehow got caught up on the strong reproducing instincts of their race stopped exploring the mouth of each other.

_Wait a minute, that is not the surprise our lady was talking about._

Said both still embracing each other.

Sure enough, the surprise is yet to stop, because before Brunson can order a retreat, the inscription in the wall glowed suddenly, causing all of the knights to pause for a second, and that pause is the last pause of their lives can make for the whole wall flashed a light so bright that the night reverted back momentarily to day, the nobles at Urduja City started to get flustered, especially the two nobles who are sneering at Sophia all night long.

Sophia calmed the crowd down and said that it was just a flash of light to celebrate the brightness of Urduja's sun that shines bright despite the darkest night.

_Feels like Hiroshima._

That is Sophia was thinking while making up such bullshit.

The rest of what happened is history, the magic visor did not considered "flash bangs" and because of that, the light overstimulated the eyes of the knights, burning them for good, their screams of help and agony heralded the gallops and march of the living soldiers of Kamatayan from the sides the captain have protected, his decision is right, but his chosen enemy is wrong.

Saru was leading the charge, the order is not to mutilate them too bad because they will be useful as new undeads for Sophia's future endeavors, that was her reminder that she repeatedly said whilst she is briefing her soldiers.

The knights cannot even resist, nor can they surrender because Sophia did no allowed them to remain alive, she just said not to make them unrecognizable, thus their flanks were destroyed in a rather honorable fashion, despite all of knights and mages not being able to fight back.

The battle lasted for about 30 minutes with Bulawan City's complete victory, Kabuto picked up the head of the two captain and nodded to Saru, whilst all of Bulawan city received a message from their queen.

"Good Job."