The next day, under a blazing sun, the enemy army surged across the plains of the kingdom of Ednia, advancing with the certainty that victory was theirs. Their coalition, made up of 260,000 fighters—130,000 demons and 130,000 orcs—seemed invincible against the 120,000 soldiers of the kingdom of Ednia, reinforced by 30,000 reinforcements. The numerical difference was striking, which would play against them.
Ednia, outnumbered, had held firm for a month. The kingdom's mages had taken a central role in the war, compensating for the disparity with devastating magical enchantments and attacks. But the coalition troops had noticed something had changed in the enemy ranks over the past few weeks. The human resistance, once fierce, seemed to gradually fade, giving the impression that the soldiers were curling up, retreating behind their walls, waiting for an inevitable end.
As the coalition advanced deeper into enemy territory, approaching the rocky hills and arid plains, no resistance was felt. The land seemed deserted. The atmosphere was heavy, yet there was neither the noise of war nor alarm bells. Not a single soldier in sight.
Giyard, the demonic commander, frowned, scanning the surroundings with a piercing gaze. He was a master strategist, but this absence of signs of life worried him. His lieutenants turned to him for instructions, his face twisted as he observed the deserted plains.
— "Where are they?" he murmured, his eyes burning with suspicion as he stared at the barren hills.
The landscape before him was unsettlingly quiet. Giyard thought, If the humans had abandoned, why hadn't they made a more obvious retreat? Why no vanguard patrols to slow our progress?
Kurt, the gigantic orc chief, burst into laughter behind him, breaking the heavy silence.
— "Wahahaah! These pathetic humans are cowards!" he sneered, his large hand gripping his war axe. "They think hiding behind their city walls will save them. But we orcs will crush them like insects in a sack!"
His loud laughter echoed in the dry air, a sound betraying his absolute confidence in their imminent victory. The orcs, full of rage and fury, marched at their pace, sure of their dominance. The demons followed closely, their eyes burning with impatience at the thought of a swift victory. But Giyard, despite himself, could not shake the unease creeping over him.
— "You might be underestimating these humans a little too much," he replied slowly, his eyes scanning the horizon. "Something is not right here."
He paused, but his thought was suddenly interrupted by a piercing cry coming from the orc camp at the front of the formation.
— "Lightning strike!"
Before anyone could understand what was happening, the sky darkened instantly, black clouds spreading like a raging sea. A bolt of lightning suddenly shot from the sky, striking the orc ranks with unimaginable force. The electric discharge, fiercely intense, struck the first combatants who were thrown to the ground, paralyzed by the shock. Others rushed to escape, but panic quickly took over their ranks.
— "Attack them!" shouted Kurt, his hoarse voice as he brandished his massive axe. "Don't let them escape!"
His orcs, despite their fury, were disoriented. They moved forward, running toward the hills where a few figures of mages appeared, atop the ridges, casting bolts of deadly lightning.
But Giyard, watching the scene with growing frenzy, widened his eyes as he realized the magnitude of the situation. A bitter realization dawned on him. He raised his hand, ready to give the order to retreat. But it was too late. The second phase of Ednia's trap had just unleashed.
— "Rainstorm!"
With a synchronized gesture, the mages of Ednia summoned a torrential rain. It was not simply water falling from the sky, but a powerful spell transforming the dry ground into a true swamp. The orcs charging at full speed were caught off guard, their momentum broken. Their heavy boots sank into the soil, preventing them from advancing. The more they struggled, the more they got stuck. Soon, what was to be a battlefield became a muddy, impassable terrain.
The orcs found themselves trapped, their movements slowed and their rage turning into despair. Kurt, the orc chief, struggled, but even his colossal strength could not free him from the grip of the quicksand. Cries of terror echoed everywhere, those trying to run found themselves swallowed by the mud.
Ednia's archers, camouflaged on the hill crests, had wasted no time. They waited for the precise moment to unleash a rain of arrows. The projectiles flew like hail, striking the orcs and demons trapped in the mud. Every arrow carried the mark of death. Every shot was precise, calculated, targeting their opponents' weak spots.
Catapults, positioned strategically, launched flaming projectiles that burst upon the enemy. Fire spread, devastating the stuck orcs, their skin burned by the flames. The demons, more agile but not immune to suffering, tried to flee the rain of fire, but their movements were slowed by the mud and chaos.
Giyard, watching this massacre from a distance, clenched his fists in frustration. He had been blinded by the certainty of his victory. He had neglected the fact that Ednia, far from fleeing, had set a perfect trap.
The orcs, disoriented and paralyzed, were quickly decimated. Those who survived the lightning and arrows now found themselves trapped in a swamp, with Ednia's mages and archers unleashing their power from the heights. The scene was a true carnage.
Atop the hills, two human generals observed the battle, their faces motionless, but in their eyes shone an evident satisfaction. Lord Robert, the veteran tactician, and Maximilian, a promising young strategist, exchanged a silent glance.
— "Victory is ours," murmured Lord Robert, eyes fixed on the now-disorganized enemy ranks. He could not hide his pleasure. Jonady's plan had worked perfectly.
Maximilian nodded, his eyes narrowed in intense concentration.
— "Finish them!" he ordered sharply.
At this signal, a second wave of archers rose, and an incessant rain of arrows fell on the last survivors. The catapults and ballistae continued to launch flaming projectiles, pursuing the work of destruction.
The surviving orcs were now a handful, fleeing in all directions, their screams of terror drowned by the roar of fire and chaos.
The triumphant cry of Ednia's soldiers rang through the hills:
— "For Ednia! For freedom!"