What is magic?
Tracing back to its original vocabulary, and taking it apart and understanding it from its literal meaning, it is clear that just as these two words refer to, it is the art of gods and demons, mysterious skills and spells that only gods or devils can perform.
So, what is the art of gods and demons?
It is a phenomenon that transcends the scope of human understanding and cannot be fully analyzed by humans. It is even extremely difficult to imagine it, but it does exist.
Miracles, magic, miracles. No matter how many expressions are changed, their meaning is the same.
Used to describe and summarize things that transcend human beings.
This is the general impression that ordinary people with a little knowledge have about it.
In the book "The Origin of Magic" by Camilo Semchius, the Royal Magic Tutor of the Laman Empire, he introduced it in such a humble tone:
"Culture, language, and even imagination are in front of these creations that have a long history that far exceeds human beings."
"Pale and feeble."
"Just like newborns encounter things that are far more complex than their ability to understand. Although it is real, because they have no way to understand it, they naturally cannot use the same immature language."
"describe."
"We collectively refer to the knowledge we know and master in many aspects such as architecture, military, production and life."
"science."
"What is known is 'science', and it is no exaggeration to say that Padrosi's scientific strength is the best in the world today. This is what the Lamanite nation is proud of."
"place."
"But there are things that we cannot understand. This immature science and extremely shallow wisdom cannot explain even one ten thousandth of its complexity."
"That's what it's called."
"magic."
————
Humanity's research on magic is still immature. Instead of truly understanding the principles behind it, they more often copy it directly from other races with a longer history - especially elves.
This is also the reason why elves who can travel abroad always have a high status in human society.
The elves taught weakened magic to humans, and humans copied and copied these things, spreading the same basic teachings everywhere.
At best, what humans have learned is just the simplest magic. And even these, they just learned how to use them.
This is why humans are unable to develop new magic.
This is also the reason why they appear so powerless when facing the "unknown".
The 59-year-old Edouardinen Yavinan, the Grand Master of the Ninth Frontier Knights of the Empire, could tell from his name that he was a Suomir.
The surnames and names of the Suomir people often include natural scenery. Words with the suffix "nan" usually translate to either lakes or fields. "Ning" is similar to the "Sen" in the common surname Thomson of the Avenella people, which means "son".
The unpronounceable name is like the ice and snow there and the introverted and reserved character of the people. It is usually difficult for outsiders to understand or accept it.
But for the vast majority of Lamanites who were engaged in fighting professions, they did not need to understand that profound level.
There is a saying among the mercenaries on the East Coast.
"If you see a man who is silent, he's probably a quiet person."
"If you see a man who is silent and carries a big sword on his back and is tall and powerful, then he may just be a hunting mercenary who doesn't like to talk."
"If you see a guy who is silent, tall and carries a big sword, and has a funny name."
"Then you'd better pray that he doesn't appear in your opponent's camp."
"Because that's a damn Suomir."
Move freely in the ice and snow.
A man of brute force and a cool head.
He has pale hair and lake-blue eyes, and his exquisite blue armor is covered with snowflakes.
The white steel sword was swung horizontally.
As the flames splashed around, a heroic spirit emerged that could defeat a thousand enemies.
"Hoo-hey!" Edward Ning calmly swung his sword again to avoid the opponent in front of him, and at the same time took a side step to close the distance in the direction of the friendly forces.
The old man was skilled in the use of weapons. Rather than using his own physical strength, he relied more on inertia to swing the sword in his hand.
This is a sign of rich experience. Inexperienced people often choose to use fast and hard blows in the hope of quickly finishing the opponent in front of them, but when you are lucky enough to have experienced many large-scale battles and survived, After you get down, slowly you will begin to realize the importance of conserving your energy.
The weapons and armor born in the flames of war are usually much lighter than the heavy weapons used by hunting mercenaries. This is the reason.
In addition to the weapons you carry, the ground environment is also an extremely important factor.
It is true that the Suomir people have top-notch cold resistance. This kind of weather that is "only" more than 20 degrees below zero is more like a "warm winter" than a "severe cold" to them. But that doesn't mean they can walk in the snow.
The calf-deep snow consumes far more energy and time every time you move than on flat ground. After stepping in, the heavy snow will cause great resistance when your legs and feet have to be pulled out for the next move.
In such terrain, many well-trained soldiers will die early without being able to exert their due strength.
Eduardinen had anticipated this early on, but conflicts arose in his exchanges with Duke Juliand Sefciomelan, the nominal leader of the entire army that was well prepared.
Obviously, as a traditional and powerful Lamanite noble. Duke Juliande was very uninterested in such a so-called "independent force" that was outside his control. When Edvardin used the poor language expression skills of a Suomir man, he tried to persuade the other party to listen and respond. With more experience in ice and snow, he ordered his subordinates to clear the snow to expand their vision and facilitate movement.
This poor way of speaking, which was obviously showing off his qualifications, unsurprisingly attracted Duke Juliande's incomparable reply.
"Are you mocking us southerners for not knowing how to fight in the ice and snow? Yes, after all, we don't live in a country where you have to bring a snow shovel when you go out to poop." His sarcasm attracted the attention of many Lamanite nobles. Laughing happily, the young Duke continued: "But I would like to ask, what is the point of making the soldiers consume a lot of physical strength before the battle? As long as the snow is still falling one day, no matter how we clean it up, it will still accumulate the next day. "
There are thorns between the lines. This young Duke, who has just inherited his late father's title for only a year, is a member of the "Beat Generation". The old leader was sternly rejected by his reasonable statement, and this was a bitter pill.
It only took five days to fully manifest.
The strange black shadow looming from the border of Bao Forest disturbed the morale of the army, and the scout troops of more than 300 people sent out in the heavy snow disappeared.
Anxiety and uneasiness lingered among the command, but the result of sending a second search and rescue force in this annoying snow was obviously not good. The young captain of the 7th Brigade of the Independent Knights couldn't help but say the words "don't listen to the old man", which further detonated the already sharp atmosphere in this already unharmonious army.
The accusations among each other, the spat between the red lips and the white teeth, were mixed with sarcasm and curses. Who should take responsibility for the scouts were pushed back and forth. Compared with soldiers, they were more like street shrews or Raman's scholar.
The majestic Eastern country of Padrosi has finally fallen to this point.
As a result of not having experienced a large-scale war for many years, those who hold high positions are often judged not by their military exploits and abilities, but by their bloodline and political skills.
Let a young, energetic and armchair politician be the commander-in-chief. What will this army look like when it comes to strategic planning?
One can imagine.
"Ha-hu-hu-ha-hu-" Edward Ning pulled his thoughts away from the memories. It became more and more difficult to concentrate as he got older. People will always be distracted when they are tired. Fortunately, this made it easier to concentrate. The familiar ice and snow played a role in keeping one's mind clear. He breathed heavily. Fighting in heavy armor in the ice and snow increased the consumption of oxygen. The old man paid attention to the consumption of his physical strength, but the situation was still not optimistic.
How long the battle lasted, Eduardin could not remember.
When these undead appeared for the first time, even the well-informed man was too surprised to speak.
Others may not understand, but Edward Ning, who was born in Suomir and is familiar with this world of ice and snow, knows it.
There are few cold-blooded creatures in Suomir.
The severe cold in the Arctic winter wiped out snakes and lizards. Except for warm-blooded animals whose bodies can heat themselves, no one could survive. The animals there were huge and had thick fur or fat layers. Heat was everything there, and only Only by being able to maintain the hard-won temperature can we move flexibly.
At this temperature, when a creature's heart stops beating. Its muscles, internal organs, and blood will freeze to a solid state in just a few minutes, making it difficult for even an ax to split it.
So how do these undead souls who are obviously dead no longer overcome the severe cold that freezes everything, and how do they move forward and move vigorously and nimbly?
"This is probably what they call magic."
It goes beyond traditional human cognition and conventional fighting methods. The army gathered north of the small town of Scotti was thirteen thousand strong. This level of troops and good equipment were enough to dominate the east coast, but when the target of their battle became "unknown".
The performance of these soldiers and even mercenaries is no different from ordinary people who have no strength to restrain themselves.
The monsters that violently attacked them were no more than a thousand at best. Excluding the relatively slow-moving humanoid corpses, the only real threat was the more than three hundred ghouls that could fly in the snow.
But this well-equipped army of ten thousand people lost almost all its forwards in the first wave of attacks.
The spear infantry, equipped only with helmets and breastplates, had their throats torn apart and their limbs broken by claws and sharp teeth. The ghouls rushing towards them almost clinging to the ground were extremely fast, and with the thick snow obstructing their sight, they He rushed directly into the unsuspecting human army.
And experienced commanders understand this.
Once the army falls into chaos like this, the best thing to do is to temporarily keep the following troops at a distance and form a tighter formation to prevent chaos from spreading to the entire army.
"Experienced" commander.
Juliande is obviously not among them.
He, who was originally full of confidence, panicked.
Like a poker player who cannot withstand the intimidation of his opponent, when he is frightened, his natural reaction is to play all the cards at hand and try his best to stop his opponent's actions.
Therefore, the follow-up troops were sent up before they could assemble a rigorous formation, and joined the chaos in a loose formation. Their failure to restore the situation only made the chaos further expand.
The center of the battlefield became a meat grinder.
But that's just the beginning.
The ferocious ghoul is like a tiger, standing on all fours with sharp fangs that are highly venomous. Its bites and scratches cause great harm to ordinary infantry with insufficient protection. Among the large number of humanoid undead following them, many were former imperial soldiers. In the chaotic battlefield, it was difficult for the soldiers to see their faces clearly and they had to judge their enemies and friends from their equipment. When these "people" also entered the army's array, after.
The madness came to a complete climax.
Thinking it was your teammate, you turned your back to him. But it was a damn undead, and it stabbed your unprotected neck with a rusty sword from behind.
With your eyes red, you slashed wildly at the head and face of a guy you thought was an undead, but when your face was splashed with hot blood, you realized that it was a living person who accidentally lost his helmet.
What's even more frightening is that not long after you kill him, he really turns into a dead corpse and gets up again.
The situation deteriorated so quickly that no one could react.
Edward Ning, who led his men to rush to the rescue, realized halfway that unless a miracle happened, the central battlefield was already out of control. With the few troops he had on hand, it would be useless to rush forward. Knowing this, he was about to lead his men back to the left wing to get closer to the Royal Mage, who knew more about such strange things, but suddenly found that he was also surrounded by enemies.
——Or is this really the enemy?
"How the hell do these guys manage to be so flexible!" The screaming attendant slowed down his movements for half a beat, and his throat was accurately slit by a long sword.
Edwardin was silent for a moment. The two opponents in front of him were very skilled in fighting. His move to retreat towards the friendly forces actually brought disaster to them.
"Hoo-ho-" The old regiment leader's breathing became more intense. He began to feel tired, but he could not rely on his subordinates. He distanced himself, and just as he expected, these two ferocious-looking undead also chased towards this side with swords in hand.
One person held a sword in his left hand and lowered his posture, while the other person was behind him, cooperating to protect the other side.
Is this the fighting quality that the undead should have? Obviously not.
As with many things, as a warrior reaches a level of combat skill, they begin to explore and develop their own unique fighting style.
The usual starting position, the interval between attacks, and which move is habitually used after this move.
If they are very familiar with each other and often fight against each other, you can tell who it is from the style of moves and even the strength and pace of the moves without looking at the face.
"Dior and Brom..."
The senses can be deceived.
As you age, not only your wrist strength and physical strength, but your eyesight will also begin to decline.
But the old man's heart is clear. From the cooperation between every move, he recalled the situation when the two young knight captains fought against him when they were still immature.
It was influenced by magic.
But how it affected him, he didn't know.
As he advanced and retreated, during the clash of gold and iron, Edward Ning still had time to take a look at the surrounding scene.
As an experienced warrior, he knew the importance of knowing the numbers and positions of both the enemy and ourselves.
These enemies did not appear out of thin air. The number of people in the open space on the left wing and center has not changed at all from before to now.
It's a friendly force.
became an enemy.
Or at least to the naked eye, they turned into twisted and ugly undead.
"People with unstable minds will be deceived by the whispers of the devil."
"Walking into the frozen forest and never coming back."
“Even the gentle words of a loved one cannot awaken you.”
The ancient legend of Suomir, even to Edvardnin, seemed more like fairy tale and superstition than truth.
But how should we explain the strange sight that cannot be described in words that really appeared in front of us?
After all, Edward Ning doubted whether even those magicians and scholars who stayed in the research room every day could give a reasonable answer to all this.
He waved the big sword in his hand, just to force the opponent back, but he didn't really kill him.
This approach seemed to be conveyed to Brom and Dio. They must also be blinded by magic, because they did not take the opportunity to attack when the old leader showed his weakness several times.
But that's all.
The attacks did not stop.
Not to mention them, even Edward Ning himself would not stop.
Because this was a war none of them had ever faced before, he couldn't bet his life on a possibility.
Perhaps the two knight captains were still human, but their vision was blinded. But this feeling is so lifelike. What if they have really become undead for some inexplicable reason, and they have not killed them before just because they are no longer as sensitive as before after the transformation?
And even if there is no transformation, ending this battle is not something that Edvardning can do on his own. Behind him, a larger area of chaos is arising. These precious members of the Independent Knights under him are slashing at each other with swords and stabbing each other with their spears.
He was heartbroken but unable to stop this.
In the eyes of Brom and Dio, he must have turned into an ugly undead. They must have recognized him from his swordsmanship and pace, but this was also the reason why they chased him.
Witnessing the tragedy of the central battlefield with their own eyes, the horror of the undead made these experienced knights tremble with fear.
So when they found out that their respected grand leader had become their most terrifying enemy, even if they couldn't bear to attack, they had no choice but to bite the bullet and come forward.
A sharp blade can indeed hit the enemy head-on, but it becomes useless when you can't distinguish between friend and foe.
This is a war that goes beyond "common sense."
If you ask Edwardin to formulate a strategy to deal with another human army, he can quickly arrange many detailed tactics that cooperate with each other, as well as logistics and various aspects of deployment management.
If the opponent he was targeting invented a new weapon, he would still be able to react quickly, find out the opponent's weaknesses, and then fight.
But when faced with the unknown.
All he could do.
Just pray to God.
"Pang!! Cang——" The long sword flew out from his hand. Edward Ning's blow increased the intensity, but it did not pause after doing so like other swordsmanship, giving the opponent the opportunity to attack. Opportunity.
The reaction force caused by the collision prevented him from relying on inertia to continue swinging, but this was not a problem for the old leader. He simply reversed his wrist and rotated his body, using the force to change the direction and started swinging again.
Iron Butterfly.
This is what the Lamanites called this sword art.
If a sword of this size is to be used against people, it must have a self-contained method of swinging the sword.
Using inertia, it flaps continuously, like the huge wings of a butterfly flapping up and down.
Beautiful, but deadly.
"Boom - boom." "Hey!" A sword strike knocked down one of them, and Edward Ning then leaned closer and kicked the other person down.
He was breathing heavily, and his body, which was no longer young, began to show signs of exhaustion, but on such a battlefield, Edward Ning had no chance to rest.
"Boom! - squeak!" "Uh ah -" A sharp stinging sensation came from behind, coupled with the scream of metal armor, this was obviously the result of being hit by a piercing weapon such as an ax gun.
"Hiss——!" The dry undead opened its mouth and let out a hollow sound of airflow. If this was not a real undead, then this illusion magic would be really frightening.
"Drink -" There is no time to hesitate. There are nearly a thousand people in the Knights, and Edward Ning is only familiar with some of the high-level personnel.
He cut off the head of the undead with a sword, although it might be a living person, but he was affected by hallucinations and could not tell clearly.
But he had no choice.
"Ah - hiss." The old regiment leader's old face covered with white snow showed ferocity due to the pain. He raised his hand behind his back with difficulty and pulled out the ax gun. Although this would make it difficult to stop his bleeding, but afterwards Even he couldn't move freely with an ax gun stuck in his back.
"Wha-" But the next second, things worsened again.
Edvardning immediately realized that what he hacked to death was one of his own regiment members, because although the dead body he saw still looked like an undead, the attacks on him by Dio and Brom, who got up again, became deadly and fierce.
In the eyes of these two children, I was afraid that I had cruelly beheaded a living member of the Knights.
already.
There is no choice anymore.
Eduardin turned his head.
The blood that spilled from his back dyed his short white cloak red, and seemed to have caused severe damage to his internal organs. The blood from his throat overflowed to the corner of his mouth without stopping.
The old warrior took a step forward with a big sword in his hand and killed the two young knight captains.
"Ding!" A gap appeared, and Edward Ning, who no longer held back, cut off the opponent's sword, but the weapon in his hand was also damaged.
"Hey!" He slammed his shoulder directly into the opponent's chin with a powerful and heavy charge, then held the opponent's waist with one hand and slammed it directly into the snow.
"Stab -" "Uh - cough" Another long sword stabbed in through the gap under the armpit of the armor. The close-fitting chain armor did its job and deformed and collapsed under the powerful impact.
Edvardning immediately felt that his breathing became difficult, and he judged that his lungs were damaged.
already.
Even the shouting.
None can be sent.
"Boom!" The big sword was stuck in the snow, and the old captain could not even stand without relying on it.
But he hasn't fallen yet.
"Haaaa——!" With a hoarse and silent roar, the old man, who was covered in his own blood, held the sword in both hands and hit the opponent's sword with another heavy blow. Then, his powerful thigh wearing leg armor was raised like lightning, and he used The knee armor made of steel hit the opponent's chin heavily.
"Poof-" The opponent flew backwards and fell into the snow.
"prick--"
But before he could take a breath, a dagger was inserted straight through the gap in the collar of the back of the armor.
"After all... I can't let go." The big sword in his hand fell to the ground.
"Illusion dispelled——" The light wave of magic swept across the whole place.
Like a mirror that fell to the ground, the ugly monster's appearance shattered into pieces, revealing its original appearance, panting and covered in blood.
"Damn it, stop it." Camilo was so anxious that he stamped his feet. Even his usual weird way of speaking was gone.
"No - I, I -" Dio's voice sounded from behind, and he stepped back with trembling and bloody hands. The old leader, who could not even speak, turned around with difficulty and stretched out his arms. She reached out and tried to touch his head, but it just hung down beside him feebly.
"Don't be careless!" Camilo roared at the top of his lungs. His dry lips were cracked and bleeding because he could not withstand such a roar with his mouth wide open. The bright red color formed a very clear contrast with the pale face of the magic instructor. In contrast, as he screamed, several large ghouls came at high speed from the other side.
The pale-faced Dio looked at his bloody hands and trembled, while on the other side he realized that the other members of the Knights who had been killing their companions were not much better.
"Calm down! Fight first!" Camilo shot a fireball, but the ghoul nimbly avoided it. He pulled Dio's collar. The tall and strong knight commander was staggered by the thin and weak magic instructor who was a head shorter than he was due to lack of preparation.
"Pah!" Camilo slapped Dio awake.
"You want more people to die, you idiot knight!" He roared so loudly that it almost sounded like a woman's scream, but it also successfully woke up the knight captain. He rushed over and picked up the grand captain's big head. Sword, and then started to kill the dead corpses and ghouls desperately.
'Yes, that's good. '
'As I taught you, do not hesitate, do not hesitate. Edward Ning put on a smile and fell into the snow.
'Don't be like me...'
'I am sorry'
'Although you have given me such attention, as an old immortal, I cannot repay your expectations. '
'Your Highness Constantine. '
Drowsiness began to set in. Although Edvardning tried hard to resist and not want to be transformed into one of those monsters, his lungs were damaged and he tried desperately to take his last breath.
But before the world truly turned dark, he saw someone lifting something high on the far horizon.
"Otuz!" It was a nice girl's voice. With these words, a strong wind and an illusion dissolution that was far larger than the magic released by Camilo swept across the battlefield.
The snow on the ground was flying wildly due to the strong wind.
Before they fell, Edvardnin saw the dusty Constantine riding a war horse and charging towards this side with a sword in one hand.
The blond elf magician.
The indomitable prince.
But what he couldn't take his eyes away from was the man behind him whose appearance and temperament were very similar to Constantine.
Or maybe it's the man they, the guys with Suomir blood, are deliberately trying to imitate.
The great sword with the sloping guard.
Even from this distance it was such an eye-catching brilliance.
'Hehehe——' Edward Ning laughed silently.
'I didn't expect how old I am. '
'I still believe in fairy tales——'
'The shining wonder of the eternal night, the Aurora of Aurora. '
'Just once, I really want to. '
'Look at it again——'
"Huh--" He breathed out his last breath.
Grand Master of the Ninth Border Knights of Padrosi.
He closed his eyes peacefully.
At this time, only 13 hours had passed since the battle began.
The human army has suffered more than half its casualties.
And the witch.
Haven't shown up yet.
