The Clash on Belikezel Plain
The plains of Belikezel were already blanketed in tension from the first light of dawn.
The wind snaked low through the hanging clouds, scattering a cool, sharp scent across the vast ochre expanse of the plain.
From far off came the scrape and grind of iron gear. The clash of spears and shields, the thunder of hooves—all rode the wind and spread wide across the land.
A faint mist cut through the heart of the plain, heaving like the very breath of war. Beyond it, the silhouettes of the Imperial army began to take shape one by one, still hazy and distant.
“…….”
From the hilltop camp, Kortzan watched the front in silence. Ahead and behind him, thousands of Karu warriors held their lines, ready to surge the moment the order fell.
Banners snapped in the wind. Eyes burned with killing intent. The main force that had crouched and waited all this time looked ready to slaughter the Imperials by sheer presence alone.
Then a low voice spoke at his side.
“To think Bowukartaon would make that choice. He was an outstanding warrior… a waste.”
Baolk Sravan stood beside him. Kortzan did not answer at once. At last he turned his head slowly.
“We found no trace of Lucael on this battlefield. That means there is another monster among them—one we failed to predict.”
The power of Bowukartaon after he had gone mad needed no further praise. Even Kortzan, who ranked among the top five fighters in all of Belikezel, could not have sworn he would win against him. If a man like that had fallen, it meant the Empire fielded strength capable of matching him.
Baolk gave a short, dry laugh.
“Failing to predict it does not erase your responsibility.”
The words were brief and sharp, yet they carried the cold judgment of a veteran who had seen many campaigns. Kortzan had no reply. Baolk continued.
“Still, do not worry overmuch. The Taman will not kill you for it.”
“……If the losses in this war grow any larger, punishment will be unavoidable.”
Baolk clapped him lightly on the shoulder.
“That is why we are here.”
He exhaled slowly and cast his gaze into the distance.
“Outsiders think we chieftains enjoy privilege. But when trouble comes, taking responsibility is exactly what our place demands.”
As his words ended, the earth beyond the hill began to tremble. Distant drums rolled like echoes, and a faint vibration climbed through the soles of their feet.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The vast Imperial host was now clearly visible. Baolk’s eyes narrowed.
At that moment a subordinate hurried up.
“Lord Baolk! It is time to take your post.”
The commanders had to move to their assigned positions for the coming battle. Baolk looked at Kortzan.
“I wish you fortune in battle.”
“My thanks.”
Kortzan bowed his head. Among the officers there was always a quiet rivalry, yet Baolk had been an elder since the days of the previous Taman. His words could sound cold, but his character and deeds embraced the entire Karu people; many warriors held him in deep respect. Everything he had said to Kortzan had been sincere.
Baolk only chuckled softly and turned away. Once he was gone, Kortzan faced his own warriors. The ranks were already dressed and waiting for the command. Axes, swords, and spearpoints glittered with a cold hunger for blood. In every pair of eyes a great fire seemed ready to swallow the whole plain.
“Huuup…!”
Kortzan drew a deep breath, raised his axe high, and roared.
“Show those Imperial dogs who dared set foot on the plains of Belikezel without knowing their place just how merciless this frozen land can be! Tonight we will take their heads, tear out their guts, and feast!”
“Uooh! Uooh! Uooh!”
The warriors’ answering cry exploded like a storm. Kortzan’s shout lifted their spirits still higher.
And then…
Below the hill the Imperial army’s formation came into sharp focus. Armor flashed in the sunlight like a silver wave. At the front the cavalry’s hooves hammered the earth. The distance was so close that the mixed breath of tension and fear seemed almost audible on the wind.
The Karu warriors fixed them with murderous stares.
Kortzan bellowed again.
“Not a single Imperial will leave this land alive!”
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
“Uoooooooh!”
Beast-like howls shook the entire plain. At the same instant Imperial trumpets answered.
Bwooooooooooo!
The battlefield itself seemed to heave with the sound.
Watching it all, Krelmuk broke his silence.
“It begins.”
“Will you take the field yourself?”
“If it becomes necessary—at any moment.”
Baolk’s quiet question drew only a low murmur from Krelmuk. Across his shoulders the six feather tattoos that only a Great Taman of the Karu could bear rippled with the movement of muscle.
Still gazing downward, Krelmuk spoke softly.
“Give the order. I have no wish to yield the first strike to the Imperial dogs.”
They were a people who always crushed and seized everything by attacking first. Baolk bowed his head.
“Understood.”
He turned to the aide beside him.
“The advance order has been given! Advance!”
The cry rang across the field.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Drums pounded the earth and climbed into the sky. A second, spine-shivering trumpet blast followed.
Bwooooooooooo!
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
“Cut them down!”
“Kill the Imperial dogs!”
Tens of thousands of Karu warriors on the hilltop roared as one and charged. The ground shook with a colossal vibration; a gigantic tsunami of bodies poured across the plain.
At the heart of the Imperial lines, Velkain watched the oncoming wave of Karu warriors and narrowed his eyes.
“All forces—prepare to defend.”
He had expected them to strike first. It was simply the Karu instinct. Yet the Imperials had no intention of standing idle either.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Stamp! Clash!
“Push them back… and make this land ours. Cavalry—ride out.”
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
“Smash their formation! Charge!”
The moment Velkain’s command fell, the waiting cavalry thundered forward at full gallop. More than a thousand horsemen, each gripping a heavy lance, charged like living battering rams.
Thudududududu!
From the flank of that leading cavalry, another force moved.
“Silent Spear unit.”
Arteon gripped his spear and fixed the Karu ranks with a fierce stare. Behind him the Silent Spear unit, already battle-ready, closed up tight.
“We draw their eyes and shatter their formation. That is our only task.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Understood!”
Their powerful answers rang out as Arteon led the unit forward.
Then the two armies met in the center with a tremendous crash.
“Die!”
“Uwaaaaaah!”
Dozens of men were hurled aside and killed in the first impact. Some were spitted by blind spears; others were simply trampled under the tangled mass of bodies.
“Enemy cavalry! Aim for the horses’ legs!”
“Don’t meet them head-on! Strike from the side!”
“Dodge!”
Thudududududu!
The Empire’s first blade was devastating enough to break the Karu momentum. The northern warhorses alone swept warriors aside; any man caught on a lance was torn clean in two and died in a grotesque spray.
But only for a moment.
“Hyaaaaaah!”
Crunch!
“Hiiiiiiink!”
The Karu warriors slipped aside with startling speed and hammered the thick legs of the northern mounts. Those horses were tough enough to shrug off ordinary blows, yet Karu strength could snap even that bone.
“Ugh!”
Riders spilled to the ground as their mounts collapsed. Heavy armor made rising nearly impossible; broken bones only worsened it.
“Finish the fallen!”
“Strike the gaps in the armor! Kill them!”
“Crush the helmets whole!”
Bang! Bang! Bang! Thunk! Slice! Crash!
A merciless rain of blows fell on men who could not even stand. Blood poured in thick streams from inside the armor.
“…….”
The early Imperial surge had already settled into a tense, grinding balance. In the center the fighting refused to tip either way.
“Commander-in-Chief.”
“We watch a little longer.”
Velkain let out a quiet breath as he surveyed the field. Forces were already committed on both flanks. If those too held firm, another approach would be needed. This was a distant expedition for the Empire. Unlike the Karu, who could replenish men and supplies on their own ground, every hour that passed worked against the Imperials. If the enemy simply blocked and delayed, the disadvantage would only grow.
The one small mercy was that the Karu were never comfortable fighting a purely defensive battle. Even so, having struck first did not automatically grant them the upper hand.
“…….”
The terrain itself favored the defenders. The way they held the high ground showed that while strategy might not be their strength, pure combat certainly was.
We need one powerful blow that can open a gap in their lines…
Velkain’s eyes narrowed as he took in the entire battlefield.
Then—
KRAAAAAANG!
A thunderous explosion tore through the right flank. No mages were supposed to be present, yet the roar was unmistakable. Every officer watching the field snapped their gaze toward the sound.
There, at the head of the collapsing right wing, a small unit was already racing forward.
“Their formation is broken! Advance!”
“The right flank is collapsing! Drive into the gap!”
Velkain’s pupils trembled.
“…Arteon?”
The Silent Spear unit was smashing through the enemy line and plunging deep into the Karu ranks with terrifying speed.