>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Casting a fireball requires five seconds of channeling and allows for more mana to be added to the spell even after these five seconds.
This was exactly what I did as my subordinates began charging into the ratmen. The flames in my hand roared as the mana gradually flowed out of my hands and into the swirling ball of flames in hands. With every bit of mana I put in, the flames got that much bigger and hotter.
By the time the shieldbearers made contact with the ratmen, the crackling of the flames had gotten to the point where it drowned out the sounds of battle and the heat itself warped my field of vision.
This 1 meter wide miniature sun floated ominously in my hand as I looked down at my prey. Despite the scorching heat of the giant fireball, its flames didn"t hurt me one bit as the fiery wisps playfully licked at my skin.
With a light push of my right palm, I willed it towards the densest portion of the Abaddon Rodents" army.
*BOOM!*
As the giant fireball collided with a ratman, it engulfed the poor rodent, reducing him to cinders in a split second before exploding in a violent conflagration of excessive energy. Any ratman near the epicenter was seriously burned with some of them losing a limb or two to the residual flames from the explosion.
This deadly display of fireworks cost me an astonishing 15 units and while it was worth every unit of mana I spent, this spell wasn"t something I could use regularly.
Having recently summoned Vick, casting this fireball so soon after, left my mana pool severely drained.
"Vick, go help them."
In the midst of an ongoing battle, No.3 and Big 4 would usually stay by my side. As such, the only other noteworthy subordinate left was the two-star wraith, Vick.
However, I soon regretted this decision as his stupidity came back to annoy me once more. The numbskull pa.s.sed through my back with a whoosh and floated dumbly in front of me, looking at me with a pair innocent fish-eyes. Judging from his reaction, he probably didn"t understand a thing after the word "Vick".
"Screw you, don"t try to act cute with that ugly mug of yours. I told you to fight! Get it? FIGHT. Do you know how to fight?!" I pointed a trembling finger at the ongoing battle and shouted :" Go help them!"
This time, he seemed to have gotten the message from my angry howling. He turned towards the direction I pointed in and paused for a second before eerily floating down to enter the battlefield.
However, that little annoyance merely entered the battlefield and didn"t actually attack anyone. Instead, he floated around the battlefield, teasing and pranking the partic.i.p.ants like a mischievous little dog who loved to stir up trouble.
Because this wasn"t the first time they saw Vick, my subordinates knew to ignore the little numbskull as he flitted about the field.
On the other hand, the ratmen had no experience with Vick and his harmless pranks. After a round of his annoying antics, a ratman finally snapped. He lunged at the wispy annoyance and viciously bit down.
His body lurched forward as the expected resistance of flesh never came, his mouth pa.s.sing harmlessly through Vick, bringing his body along with it as his teeth clamped down upon each other. This unexpected development left the ratmen stunned in shock. He finally understood what sort of existence he was dealing with.
Having been attacked for no rhyme or reason, the irate Vick decided to exact his vengeance upon the unsuspecting rat.
While Vick was a peaceful person most of the time, this didn"t mean that he won"t get angry. Just the opposite, people like him tend to be extraordinarily wrathful when angered.
Vick floated to the back of that ratmen the very next moment and with a ruthless rake of his hands, dug out a chunk of b.l.o.o.d.y rat meat.
*Chit!*
The rodent screamed in pain as he immediately swiped back at the wraith. But no matter how he clawed or bit, they would pa.s.s through the now incorporeal Vick.
As the micro-battle continued between the two, the rodent managed to score a couple of hits on Vick but given his strength, the hits were harmlessly soaked up by the wraith as if he was attacking a body of water instead. After that last attack, Vick"s anger had mostly calmed down.
"Chit chit chit chit…" His maddened chittering filled the air as his futile attacks began to drive him to the brink of mental collapse.
All this while, Vick merely stood by pa.s.sively allowing the rodent to attack him as he wished while he watched with a taunting look on his face. From time to time, he would float around and taunt the rat even further.
This game of ghost and mouse continued for another 10 more seconds before a change finally happened in the battlefield.
Up till now, the devil"s well-practised tactics and equipment had aided their happenstance allies, the h.e.l.lhounds, greatly. In a mere minute, the Mo sabre wielders had slaughtered over 10 Abaddon rodents.
All this was accomplished behind the stalwart safety of the heavy bone shields wielded by the shieldbearers. With a strength that was unmatched by any other large imp in my army, these shieldbearers formed an impregnable shield against the oncoming ratmen army.
Against this brutish display of strength, the naturally weaker rodents were steadily pushed back by the advancing shield wall and the deadly thrusts of our sabres. They tried multiple times to break through our defensive line only to be repelled by the long ranged sabres.
Some of the rodents had the clever idea of trying to flank the shieldbearers but unfortunately for them, all that awaited them at our flanks were the equally deadly guardsmen.
These guardsmen were the elites of my army who had undergone careful grooming by me. If in the near future I"m able to create a sufficient amount of equipment for my army, I would definitely promote these elites to the position of my personal guard where they would enjoy the highest standards of treatment.
With their sword and shield in hand, they fulfilled an all purpose role within this battle. Whether it was on the offense or defense, their formidable combat strength would never disappoint me.
As the rodents charged at them, the guardsmen would meet their charge head on with a quick bash of their shields swiftly followed up by a fatal stab at their now exposed bodies.
With their impressive numbers and tactics, the timid rodents stood no chance against them. Within the short span of two to three minutes, there were already 50 over rodents lying dead on the battlefield.
It was at this moment that the rodent who was being constantly hara.s.sed by Vick, gave out an ear-piercing squeal of pain that shattered the already low morale of the rats.
This single squeal opened the floodgates for the collapse of the ratmen army; no matter who it was, devil or ratmen, facing the unknown was always a terrifying prospect.
With such a perfect opportunity laid out before him, One-eye immediately rallied the devils into a thunderous charge. "FOR THE MASTER!"
With this, the curtains drew to a close on this battle between the h.e.l.lhounds and the Abbadon rodents.
The combined might of our devils, Vick and the h.e.l.lhounds and had shattered their army. Their backlines began to flee without any regard for their comrades currently engaged in battle. The ratmen on the frontlines noticed this as well and began to beat a hysterical retreat.
*CHIT CHIT CHIT CHIT!*
All this while, the maddened squeals of a certain rodent continued to echo in the air, striking terror into the hearts of the rodents. Their battle formation soon crumbled as the fleeing rodents not only left a hole in the formation but also disrupted any rodent who still tried to resist.
I had to admit, this numbskull did a good job today. The fact that we were able to defeat the ratmen so easily was in large part due to the psychological damage he had inflicted.
"Don"t let them get away! Kill them!"
Nine-finger roared for the army to continue their pursuit. As he did so, his spiked mace would smash any rodent that failed to run away in time. One-eye joined in the chase as well but gave up soon after. The retreating rodents were simply too quick for them.
Even so, the number of rats that managed to escape were less than 150.
*Awoo~~~*
With the Abaddon rodents gone, the remaining h.e.l.lhounds began to gather together in a circle, growling at us as they did so.
While I didn"t understand their language, I was still able to deduce the meaning from their tone. They warned us against trying any tricks and also inquired about our intentions.
The h.e.l.lhounds had long since been aware of our appearance and while we were both creatures of Purgatory, the h.e.l.lhounds didn"t feel a shred of kinship with the devils.
If it wasn"t for the Abaddon rodents separating us from them, they might"ve attacked us right from the start. After all, our relation could at best be described as neighbors. Without a strong leader controlling them, the devils and h.e.l.lhounds would probably hunt each other down on sight.
However, this didn"t mean that they were blind to our previous display of aid. Due to our previous a.s.sistance, the h.e.l.lhounds merely adopted a cautious stance instead of attacking us.
Of course, it could just be that we were too strong for them.
"HEY! (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ, we just saved your a.s.ses and this is how you repay us?"
As expected of the mentally handicapped Nine-finger, each word he utters is enough to start a war…