Shadow Slave novel Chapter 1869

A few hours later, the great war machine of the Sword Domain was set in motion. The encampment surged as a myriad of soldiers were called upon by the foreboding rumble of the war drums. Dozens of legions were gathered into march formations and ventured outside the stronghold walls, making the ground shake.

The tents were taken down, the temporary buildings disassembled. Even the tall palisade itself was being dismantled — the sharpened stakes would be transported with the army and raised to form it anew at the next campsite.

Awakened warriors were moving in a strangely orderly chaos. Countless Echoes were on the move, as well — some pulling heavy wagons, some to accompany their masters into battle. The enormous scale and somber spectacle of it all were nothing short of daunting.

Feeling the booming sound of the drums reverberate in his bones, Sunny could not help but let his heart respond to the low, stirring beat. The blood flowed faster in his veins, growing hotter — and yet, a sudden chill brushed against his skin.

He had witnessed the start of the subjugation campaign from the Ivory Island, but he had not observed the expedition force in action until now. It was a grand, grim, and unforgettable scene.

'...Damnation.'

Sunny was no stranger to war, and had participated in his fair share of massive military engagements. But even the most large-scale battle in Antarctica could not compare to the subjugation offensive of the Sword Army in terms of impact, awe, and sheer scale.

Meanwhile, he was meant to be in charge of a third of this grandiose combat force. Sunny was one of the most seasoned fighters of humanity and had rich experience commanding troops, as well. Still, he spared a few moments to appreciate how bizarre and unsuitable the fact that he had been entrusted with this duty was.

But then again, a war like this one had never happened before. So, there wasn't really anyone fit for this responsibility out there — not in the Sword Army, and not among the enemy champions.

He was no worse than the best of the best.

If there was one glaring flaw Sunny possessed, though, it was that he was not as well integrated into the expedition force as Nephis and Summer Knight were. Luckily, he was in charge of the third war party, which meant that he had sixteen hours to observe the other two in action and familiarize himself with the warriors he would be leading into battle.

The geography itself presented him with a great view of the expanding battlefield. Far below, the jungle covering the surface of the First Rib had already been reduced to ash, and was now spreading anew from the fissures in the ancient bone. One could see with the naked eye an onslaught of vermilion growth devouring the white surface of the lowlands.

The scarlet infestation was spreading from several sources, expanding swiftly in every direction. Here and there, the stains of vibrant red grew large enough to merge, forming vast stretches of the recovering jungle

Before the jungle could really entrench itself, however, the first war party descended upon it like a tide.

From a distance, the clash between the human invaders and the native horrors of Godgrave seemed immense in scale, but slow and tame. Sunny knew better, however — he had expanded his shadow sense far and wide, so he could feel how fierce and terrifyingly violent the battle was.

The war party consisted of tens of thousands of Awakened warriors, hundreds of Masters, and a dozen Saints. They were stretched along a wide battlefront, advancing steadily to the closest of the fissures.

It was hard to deploy Awakened as a cohesive formation, since every soldier possessed a unique Aspect — in a combat force of that size, they were divided into units based on the general characteristics of their Abilities. Those with physical enhancement powers formed the vanguard, warriors capable of ranged attacks were grouped together, and so on.

The formation was, by necessity, loose and flexible. There were no solid shield walls or tight spear-wielding phalanxes, since a rigid structure would prevent the warriors from fully expressing their Aspects.

Such a manner of deploying troops was optimal, but put a lot of strain on the middle-rank officers, who had to possess both a keen mind and a deep understanding of tactics in order to manage their span of the overall formation with enough finesse.

'...Impressive.'

The bloodiest and most fearsome flashpoint was where Nephis and the Fire Keepers fought. White flames were rolling like waves, and entire swathes of the jungle were obliterated, the corpses of the abominations teeming in the scarlet undergrowth turning to ash. _{freewebnøvel.coɱ}

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