Chapter 66: The Crimson Battalion
The wind howled like a beast across the battlefield, carrying with it the acrid stench of smoke, blood, and ash. Under the dusky sky, flickering with the faint glow of dying fires, Kael stood atop a weather-beaten tower, his obsidian cloak fluttering behind him like the wings of a specter. His eyes narrowed, gaze fixed on the eastern ridge beyond the broken forest.
"They've arrived," murmured Arkan, Kael's First General, stepping beside him. His bronze armor, marred with dents and scars, glinted faintly under the storm-lit sky.
Kael said nothing, but the tension in his jaw spoke volumes. Across the valley, a new force emerged—marching in eerie silence, rows upon rows of soldiers clad in blood-red plate armor, each bearing the sigil of a snarling serpent impaled on a black lance.
The Crimson Battalion.
Legends had whispered of them—an elite force born of the enemy's most brutal campaigns, forged in fire and steeped in cruelty. They were said to never speak, only scream in battle, and each of their number had survived a hundred wars.
Their commander, a towering figure with a horned helm and twin scimitars glowing faintly with infernal heat, rode at the front atop a beast unlike any Kael had seen—a six-legged reptilian creature cloaked in smoke, its hide layered with crimson scales that pulsed like molten metal.
"Lord Kael," came Ashira's voice, calm but urgent, "the wards around the southern bastion are weakening. If the Crimson Battalion breaches the line, we may lose the southern ridge entirely."
Kael turned. "Then we will not let them breach it. Prepare the ridge for a counteroffensive. Bring forth the Blacktalon Riders. Arkan, you take command of the eastern ramparts. Let no shadow pass uncut."
Arkan saluted with a closed fist over his chest and departed.
Ashira, clad in a silver-blue mage's robe stitched with stardust runes, raised her hand. "We must know more about the commander. His aura is… corrupted. Not mortal alone."
Kael activated his system interface with a blink.
[SYSTEM SCAN INITIATED…]
[TARGET: Crimson Battalion Commander - Designation: Lord Valgorth the Blightbearer]
[Power Level: Advanced Tier - Town Apex]
[Special Traits: Infernal Body, Flame Reaving Blades, Morale Suppression Aura]
[Background: Once a warlord of the Eastern Ashen Kingdoms, Valgorth was granted infernal blessings by the Demon Courts in exchange for the souls of his own kin. Now, he leads the Crimson Battalion, an elite scourge bred for annihilation.]
Kael's eyes narrowed. A demon-touched warlord. One who had slaughtered his own to gain power. This enemy was beyond redemption—and exceedingly dangerous.
Crimson March
The Crimson Battalion did not halt. Their steps were rhythmic, like a war drum beating against the heart of the earth. The moment they reached the perimeter of Kael's southern defenses, they surged like a tidal wave.
Infernal flames burst from their front lines, engulfing barricades. The ground melted in streaks, stones cracked, and wooden palisades burned to ash.
Kael's soldiers scrambled into defensive positions along the ridge. The terrain was rugged—craggy cliffs, narrow trails, and steep drops. But Kael had chosen it for that very reason. The high ground would be their advantage—if they held it.
High above, war banners snapped in the wind—black and gold, bearing the symbol of the Forsaken Flame. Below them, the Blacktalon Riders mounted their raven-armored steeds—sleek, muscled beasts with dark metallic feathers and piercing violet eyes. They were the fastest strike unit under Kael's command.
Their leader, a stoic woman named Ceryn, adjusted the blade holstered across her back. Her face was veiled, eyes sharp as knives.
"Riders, form up," she barked. "We strike their flanks, aim for their firecasters first. The commander is mine."
With a shrill cry, the Riders charged down the slope, trailing black mist and stormlight.
The Duel Begins
Lord Valgorth raised a hand, and the frontline halted. Then, he pointed his scimitars toward Kael's fortress.
"Burn them all."
A barrage of flame catapults ignited the sky. Crimson fireballs rained upon the fortress walls, exploding on impact. Shouts erupted. Screams. Stone crumbled. But Kael's trap mechanisms activated instantly—hidden rune-circles absorbing impact, redirecting some of the energy into energy shields.
Ashira, from her elevated position, chanted a forbidden incantation—her eyes glowing white.
"En'Varath…solith karas…UL'THENOR!"
A massive arcane sigil bloomed in the air, swallowing half a dozen fireballs in a vortex of frost, neutralizing them mid-air.
Kael leapt from the tower to the second defensive line, his greatsword—Oathbreaker—now drawn. It shimmered with a violet-black hue, the sword humming in sync with his heartbeat.
He landed among the second line of defenders, his arrival greeted by roars of encouragement. He raised his blade high.
"For every brother fallen, we rise tenfold stronger! HOLD THE LINE!"
Inside the Enemy's Ranks
Valgorth saw the Blacktalon Riders approaching from the left flank. With a guttural laugh, he slammed both scimitars together, igniting a shockwave of crimson flame that launched him forward.
Ceryn met him mid-charge.
Steel clashed with infernal heat. Her twin crescent blades sparked violently against his scimitars. He moved like a beast—raw, relentless. She, a dancer of shadows, gliding between his strikes.
"You're not the first demon I've killed," she snarled, kicking him square in the chest and flipping backward.
Valgorth barely flinched. "You'll be the first to die with honor."
He summoned chains of fire that lashed out at her subordinates, dragging two Riders from their mounts, incinerating them.
But she had no time to look back—her focus was absolute. Their duel raged through the enemy ranks, neither yielding.
System Notification
[ALERT: Elite Unit Engaged in Heavy Casualties - Blacktalon Riders at 46% Capacity]
Kael saw the numbers in the corner of his vision. His jaw clenched.
"Arkan, release the Obsidian Pike Guard. Reinforce the left. Ashira, form a channeling circle—target the enemy's rear formation. We're ending this now."
Ashira blinked once. "You're thinking of invoking the Aetherstorm Protocol."
Kael's gaze was steel. "Do it."
The Aetherstorm
As the battle reached a fever pitch, Ashira stood at the fortress peak with seven of her archmagi. Together, they traced sigils into the air—symbols from the forgotten language of stars. The sky dimmed.
Lightning coiled in the clouds above, unnatural and whispering. Winds howled backward. Gravity twisted.
Then came the roar.
A pillar of energy erupted from the heavens—a beam of pure aether, descending like judgment incarnate upon the heart of the Crimson Battalion's rear supply unit.
Explosions tore through enemy siege towers. Screams rang out. The flame-sorcerers were incinerated. Valgorth turned sharply.
"WHAT IS THIS!?"
Kael stood on the ridge with Oathbreaker raised high. A storm of violet-black flame danced around him.
"Your reckoning."
With a final cry, Kael charged into the fray—his blade carving through the infernal ranks like a reaper through fields of crimson.
The battle had reached its turning point—but the storm had only just begun…