[Leona's POV]
I would never get tired of the beauty of that scene, several Ecence Blasters slicing through the sky like a meteor shower.
That was the standard strategy against any kind of magical defense.
Creating physical barriers against magic wasn't efficient. The cost of building a defensive system using physical barriers was prohibitive, especially for Carriages.
The most common approach was to equip the carriages with absorption barriers.
They would generate a magic circle around the carriages.
The most common models produced a circle with a 30-meter radius. Mr Matthew's carriage could generate one with a 50-meter radius.
But today, we have limited that circumference. The larger the radius, the more perimeter we'd have to defend.
Absorption barriers worked, as the name suggests, by absorbing the energy of any magic that tried to penetrate the perimeter. All that absorbed energy had to be stored in Ecence crystals. This was another key factor in determining the quality of a defense system.
The greater the storage capacity, the larger the Ecence crystals would be, and therefore, the more expensive the system.
Mr Matthew's carriage had one of the best defense systems money could buy for someone who wasn't royalty, high nobility, or a military officer of the Kingdom.
His carriage's system was even better than the standard defense setup used by the Kingdom's guard.
But these systems had a weakness. If you attacked them with magic-saturated strikes, you could overload the crystals, causing cracks and reduced efficiency, or, in more severe cases, shatter them altogether.
So the standard strategy against such a defense system was a saturation attack.
The mages needed to use their most efficient spells to ensure they could deliver the highest energy output.
Usually, a mage's most efficient spell was precisely the Ecence Blaster, just like the ones now approaching our barriers.
These were spells made from pure Essence. Since you didn't need to convert it into any elemental energy, they were extremely efficient.
However, they had little use beyond what we were witnessing. Since the magic had no elemental property, it was weak against any kind of elemental defense.
The Blasters hit the barrier, forming an even more beautiful spectacle of color. It was a magnificent scene, one I would never tire of.
"Prepare to cast spells."
As soon as that round of enemy attacks ended, it would be our turn to strike.
We still didn't know if the enemy had any mobile defense devices. So that first barrage would be a test, we would also launch Ecence Blasters.
I chose to proceed cautiously, although my instinct told me it wouldn't be necessary, we would likely be wasting that first volley.
But on the battlefield, you have to hold back from following your instincts. It's better to stick to the pre-defined strategies and only improvise when absolutely necessary.
Many of the barriers protecting the other companies in the caravan were taken down by the enemy's first barrage. That played in our favor. The faster they looted the others, the sooner they'd be satisfied and abandon the attack.
Several enemy groups immediately advanced after the first wave of Ecence Blasters and began assaulting the other companies.
We could hear the clash of steel and screams of pain and despair in the distance.
I couldn't do anything to help them; that wasn't my role.
As my instincts predicted, our first barrage was useless. The enemy had no mobile defense devices, only the personal defenses of each soldier.
"Keep attacking, now with elemental magic."
Our mages continued their assault.
Theirs did too, but it was pointless. With an Array Master managing our defenses, he could use the four carriages in our group as if they were one. He was also able to use the energy stored in the crystals to counterattack.
There was no way they could break that spell with the limited number of mages they had. They'd soon realize it.
I hoped that they would give up and be content with just the rest of the caravan. But of course, it wouldn't be that easy.
They stopped the magical attacks and began marching toward us. They weren't in the vanguard, but the RedTails were clearly among the group advancing on us.
"Shield wall," I commanded, and our allies quickly formed a solid defensive line.
They were all experienced adventurers. It wasn't their first, nor would it be their last, time forming a shield wall to fend off bandits.
Our shield wall was firm, locked right above the edge of the absorption barrier's perimeter. That forced the battle at the wall to be purely physical. Any attempt to use magic there would be a total waste of energy.
Felicia and I were mounted, I with my longsword, and she with a spear.
I guarded the right flank of our wall, and Felicia guarded the left. We were ready in case anyone tried to flank us.
Luana and Rose positioned themselves behind our shield wall and in front of our line of mages.
It wasn't uncommon for someone to use a martial technique to leap over the wall and target the rear.
Our enemies outnumbered us, but our defense was solid. They would have a hard time breaking through.
My greatest concern was the RedTails. They weren't participating in the first offensive, they were watching us from the rear.
They had probably already figured out that Felicia was the one who had taken down one of theirs.
They had likely also assessed our levels and knew I had the highest rank in our group.
They were probably just waiting for the right moment to strike.
I'd have to worry about that later. Our shield lines were about to collide.
With a loud crash of shields, our battle finally began.
***
[Tomas's POV]
What the hell was I doing here?
Why the hell did I grab that damn shield? What difference could I possibly make here?
No one had given me any orders. I wasn't obligated. No one would've blamed me if I had just hidden in the coachman's cabin.
But no. This cursed dwarf blood couldn't resist a fight.
In moments like this, my body acted purely on impulse.
Of course, this wasn't my first time in a shield wall. What kind of half-dwarf would I be if it were?
Not that I was a particularly skilled warrior, but in that situation, skill didn't matter much.
You just had to plant your legs firmly and push the person in front of you as hard as you could, then use every opening in the wall to stab your enemy.
Today I wasn't on the front line. My short height compared to the others would only get in my companions' way.
My job today was to pull bodies.
If the dead fell on their side, great. But if they fell on ours, it was a big disadvantage.
To keep the wall firm, the ground had to be stable. You couldn't hold your footing when corpses started piling up under your feet.
Dragging those bodies was like a stroll through hell.
I had to squeeze between the soldiers fighting at the wall. And let me tell you, there wasn't much room.
I was constantly being kicked by my allies. I had to keep my head down because their weapons, and sometimes the enemy's, kept hitting me in the head.
But the worst part was the infernal heat mixed with the smell of blood, sweat, and guts.
Yes, the most common injury in a shield wall was a gut wound.
Most of the bodies had their intestines spilling out. Even some of those still fighting had their guts hanging from their wounds.
They were so pumped with adrenaline that they didn't even realize they were dying.
The body I was dragging had its guts exposed. That smell, blood, bile, and shit, mixed into a macabre cocktail, is something I'd never get used to.
When I finally managed to drag that body far enough from the shield wall, all I wanted was a breath of fresh air, but someone seemed obsessed with denying me even that.
The first thing I noticed was a shadow growing over me. I looked up and saw someone leaping over the shield wall, a spear aimed straight at my chest.
There was always one of those show-offs. Some bastard was trying to flaunt their martial skills like they were on stage.
Dying to one of those pricks was beyond frustrating. Unfair. But what could I do? My fate was sealed.
I closed my eyes, resigned. Whatever. I just hoped it'd be quick.
But the tip of that spear never reached me.
When I finally mustered the courage to open my eyes, the show-off's body was lying just ahead of me. His head had rolled and come to a stop right between my legs.
And there she was. An angel, with golden hair and sword still raised, was guarding me.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Luna barked. "Get back to the carriage and be ready in case we need to flee."
She had decapitated the bastard. Saved me. Luna. My guardian angel.
She didn't need to tell me twice.
After that near-death experience, the sensible cowardice of my human blood had finally overpowered the insane bravery of my dwarven side.
I was going to stay as far away from that battle as possible.