In Terra, I Have No Books to Read

The next day, he started playing games again until 10 AM.

Scouts returned with news.

"Kazimierz Knights, approaching from the northwest of Kazdel!"

Theresica let out a long sigh and put down the controller.

The real war had begun.

P.S. I'm going to take my exams too.

Chapter 54: Collision

Within the city of Kazdel, piercing whistles blew, and everyone who could wield a weapon, young and old, male and female, began to be issued armor and weapons. However, Theresica had no intention of sending them to the front lines; he planned to keep them in the city for defense against any unforeseen circumstances.

Soldiers from Sarkaz's Experiment Division One and Two, in relatively neat formations, rushed through the streets under the watchful eyes of the residents.

Amidst the sound of marching boots, mingled the encouragement and reluctance of loved ones – perhaps this was the last time many would see each other.

"Why didn't you choose to defend?"

"There's no other way. This city has only just begun to come back to life, and I don't want it to return to what it was a year ago. The soldiers don't want that either."

Theresica shrugged helplessly, while Gladiia said, "But with your approach, sentiment has overridden rationality."

"Thank you for your concern, truly. But what the correct choice is, cannot be determined right now."

Theresica sighed. Facing the Siege Rams, the Sarkaz forces actively withdrawing from the city certainly looked like a suicide mission, but this decision had been made during yesterday's military meeting. He had seen the soldiers' overwhelming reluctance when the suggestion of city defense was made.

Kazdel was no longer the ruin it was a year ago! And their mission was precisely to protect it!

"By the way, aren't you leaving? Once the fighting starts, no one will care if you're Sarkaz or not."

Theresica looked at Gladiia. She bowed, "Thank you for your concern, but my life is not in danger. I will be here, recording a conflict in the land world."

On the desert, Kazimierz's probing forces had already engaged with the Sarkaz vanguard. Kazimierz sent their foot knights forward to engage the Sarkaz.

With the cooperation of Arts Masters and the physical enhancements of the Sarkaz, the Sarkaz maintained an advantage in the casualty ratio. However, as soon as Kazimierz's Beast Riders began to flank them, Manfred had to order a retreat to avoid being cut off and surrounded.

Although they won the engagement, the Sarkaz were continuously being pushed back by Kazimierz.

While the Sarkaz found the Siege Rams troublesome, Tolk was also shocked by the Sarkaz's combat capabilities.

Although the foot knights had not received the same rigorous training as the Beast Riders, they were all veterans of the Ukaz War, yet they were at a disadvantage in direct combat with the Sarkaz soldiers!

However, these were normal phenomena. Kazimierz's troops had been marching, and apart from necessary sleep, they had only paused for an hour this morning for formation, while the Sarkaz had done nothing.

Sitting in a temporary tent, Tolk put aside the casualty report and smiled, conversing with the generals beside him. Today, they had finally forced the Sarkaz into a frontal engagement, inflicting effective casualties on the demon-blooded, and the Beast Riders remained Kazimierz's trump card.

Hearing the cheerful laughter from the commander's tent, the junior officers around them breathed a sigh of relief. They were deep in enemy territory, but if their commander was so relaxed, the operation must be going well.

Just then, a scout ran back in a hurry. An officer, holding his report, approached Tolk.

"Sir, the Sarkaz army has retreated and set up their position on a gentle slope."

On the sand table, the responsible soldier had already placed the Sarkaz markers in position. Tolk surveyed the terrain and pointed to a parallel gentle slope opposite the Sarkaz position with his pointer.

"Move the entire army forward and set up positions here."

Kazimierz's forces officially appeared in Theresica's sight. Both sides could now see the enemy formations with their own eyes.

However, it was already 12 PM. The Sarkaz soldiers were distributing food, and Tolk did not continue the attack, instead allowing his soldiers to replenish their energy. The battlefield fell silent for a time, with only small units still engaged in probing skirmishes.

Theresica looked at the situation on the sand table, feeling a bit tense. Kazdel did not have many Siphon Drones; they were all fresh off the production line. Furthermore, Kazimierz's commander was not directly deploying large-scale Beast Riders but was strategically allowing them to rest, which was not good news for the Sarkaz.

"Report!"

A scout ran in at this moment. After being granted permission, he marked three locations on the sand table.

"To the northeast of our army, we've spotted Ursus individuals. To the southeast, we've also noticed a group of people, their nationality unknown, but their speech sounds somewhat like people from Yan. They are all observing the battlefield."

"And the third location?"

Theresica asked. The scout was a bit older and hesitated for a moment.

"The Babel landship is docked to the southwest of our army."

'Kal'tsit actually came.'

Theresica was somewhat surprised, but she hadn't come to find him, making it impossible to determine her intentions for the moment.

"Your Majesty, should we drive them away?"

Manfred asked. Theresica shook his head.

"Never mind. Let's not create a diplomatic incident, but keep a close watch on their movements and report to me."

At exactly 1 PM, the silent battlefield erupted.

Some of Kazimierz's Beast Riders, along with ten thousand foot knights, launched a frontal assault on the Sarkaz positions. The Experiment Division One, arrayed on the gentle slope, did not retreat. The two armies collided, and the sounds of battle echoed through the sky.

Theresica mobilized all his spell strike battalions, concentrating their fire on the enemy. Dense spells rained down on the Kazimierz army formation, causing heavy casualties.

Kazimierz's Beast Riders also unleashed their Originium Arts. Although their Originium Arts did not directly attack the enemy, they allowed the Siege Rams beneath them to move faster, increasing their charging power.

When the Beast Knights charged into the Sarkaz ranks, they inflicted considerable damage and disrupted formations. However, this was precisely when the squad leaders, one for every thirteen men, came into play. Without waiting for orders from superior officers, they began to cooperate and spontaneously maintain the line. This prevented the Kazimierz forces from ever breaking through.

The battle entered a stalemate for a time.

The Sarkaz stopped retreating and began to fight Kazimierz head-on, causing the casualty rate among the Knight Errants to surge.

Tolk pushed aside the new casualties. Although the blood-for-blood exchange hurt, he had no intention of weakening his assault, as none of them had any way to retreat.

He stared at the sand table. The left flank of the Sarkaz formation, on a gentle slope, was a vast birch forest. It wasn't a place of natural beauty; it was covered in withered tree trunks and Originium crystal clusters. The right flank consisted of abandoned buildings from centuries ago, areas where it was difficult for Siege Rams to maneuver, preventing the demon-blooded from being outflanked.

He now had to find a way to break through one of these areas, then encircle the Sarkaz, and finally leverage the advantage of the Beast Knights to attack the demon-blooded from both sides!

"How many Sarkaz are on the front line right now?"

"About thirteen thousand!"

"And in the ruins on the right?"

"Unclear, around a thousand or so. No Arts users have been spotted, but the terrain makes it difficult to attack."

Tolk pondered for a moment. "Order! Dispatch five thousand foot knights to take that area of ruins!"

PS: Please vote with your tickets. The exams should be finished around December 10th.

Chapter 55: Siege Preparation

The past traces of the Sarkaz had almost all turned to dust in the fires of war. Now, only a few crumbling walls hinted at their former presence.

Today, a group of Sarkaz returned to these ruins, not to visit their ancestors, but to set up defenses.

They drove out all the desert refugees who had settled there and then created as many obstacles as possible. They moved furniture from the abandoned houses to block roads or dug trenches to restrict the movement of any potential enemies.

"Squad leader, can our battalion hold this place?"

During a lull in the construction, a soldier couldn't help but strike up a conversation with his squad leader. However, the Sarkaz beside him, struggling to move a massive stone with a chipped horn, wasn't in the mood to respond. He simply said:

"His Majesty hasn't been at war for a year, letting me eat military rations for free, and even giving my parents a house."

He gritted his teeth and pushed forward, the giant stone immediately blocking half the street. He took a breath.

"His Majesty ordered me to guard this place and not let anyone pass, so I will guard it. I don't know how many Kazimierz I can fight, but I will definitely be worthy of His Majesty's food expenses."

His words drew cheers and sounds of agreement from those around him, but a scout hurried past the crowd.

He lowered his voice, "Silence! The enemy is here! Silence! The enemy is here!"

The Sarkaz soldiers quickly put down their tools and picked up their weapons. Archers swiftly climbed to vantage points, while melee soldiers armed with various weapons took up positions near the narrow passages.

A drone flew over the soldiers' heads, its form gradually disappearing into the air.

"The enemy is all infantry, the exact number is unclear, but we've already seen over two thousand!"

Not long after, a Machinist transmitted more precise intelligence, and a look of solemnity appeared on every soldier's face.

The Sarkaz never feared battle; they were the demon-blooded! But they also didn't want any problems to arise on their end, leading to unexpected outcomes in His Majesty's arrangements or the war itself!

"The Battalion Commander orders the archers not to shoot arrows yet. Wait until they engage, then shoot so we can retrieve them!"

A messenger relayed the order to the various squads on the front line. This area was far from the main battlefield, making support difficult to obtain, so they had to plan for the long term.

Before long, the figures of Kazimierz foot knights appeared in the Sarkaz's sight. They wore largely uniform armor, with additional surcoats adorned with the patterns of their respective families or knightly orders, giving them a vibrant appearance.

"They're so rich, why are they coming here?"

The squad leader stared at the approaching enemy and casually asked, "How do you know they're rich?"

"My dad worked at a dye factory, and these dyes are really expensive."

"Then why did you join the army? Being a worker is also good. Like soldiers, His Majesty assigns housing and food. The food is a bit lacking, but there's no danger."

Facing enemies several times their number, anyone would be a little nervous, so the squad leader didn't stop his subordinates from chatting; it helped distract them.

"Joining the army... I don't know either. I just wanted to, so I came."

He smiled and said, "I learned to write here. I wrote out the names of my whole family, and my dad was quite happy."

"Archers, do your job. Prepare to engage! Once they cross that stool, we attack!"

The squad leader suddenly announced, and the surroundings immediately fell silent. At this moment, the Kazimierz foot knights had entered the ruins.

Just as they were climbing over various obstacles, the Sarkaz soldiers charged out.

Without any extra shouts, the soldiers followed the squad leader's pace closely. The dull thuds of war hammers and screams intertwined, rapidly spreading from one intersection of the ruins to all parts of it.

Some attendant archers accompanying the knights drew their bows to provide support, but they were taken down two at a time by hidden Sarkaz archers using semi-automatic crossbows.

"Accelerate the charge! Break through!"

"Hold the line! Stop them!"

The soldiers of both sides fought with all their might on the hundred-year-old ruins, the air thick with a nauseating smell of blood.

"Your Majesty, the Kazimierz have dispatched several thousand foot knights to attack the abandoned stronghold."

"Mm, I know."

Theresica nodded. It was an area where Sarkaz had once lived, later abandoned during the war due to supply issues. The terrain there was advantageous for defense and could protect the main force's left flank.

Even though he knew the forces there were insufficient, Theresica had no way to send reinforcements at the moment. The Palette forces were stationed in Birchwood Forest, and he only had Experiment Division Two and some Royal Court Guards as reserves.

These troops were meant to counter the mass charges of the Kazimierz Beast Riders. They still had tens of thousands of soldiers not yet committed to the battlefield! Therefore, as Theresica watched the wounded being continuously sent back from the front lines, he made no move to support them.

Tolk looked at the sand table, calculating how to deploy his remaining forces.

Five thousand Infantry Knights, thirty-five thousand Beast Riders – these were the forces Kazimierz had not yet deployed, and they were the absolute main strength.

"Has there been no breakthrough on the main front?"

"My Lord, the Sarkaz are holding on by gritted teeth. Their Arts users are very powerful, and their magical bombardments are causing immense casualties and psychological pressure on our soldiers."

"Send another thousand men to attack the ruins! We must take that place!"

Tolk felt a surge of impatience. It was already 2 PM. After an hour of fierce fighting, the stamina of the Knight Errants had been significantly depleted, giving the Sarkaz a clear advantage.

Furthermore, the Sarkaz also had some forces yet to be deployed, which would form a formidable infantry cluster. While the charge of the Beast Riders was terrifying, once they were bogged down in such an infantry mass, they would instantly be at a disadvantage, losing their momentum and speed. Ursus had relied on massive infantry formations to grind down the sharpness of the Beast Riders, and then slaughter the knights.

However, he had more cards to play than the demon-blooded enemy across from him, and he could afford to lose this time.

"Order the troops on the main front to prepare to move towards the flanks!"

Tolk didn't want to continue this stalemate. He planned to unleash a mass charge of the Beast Riders to push the Sarkaz back behind the gentle slope.

This would create favorable conditions for the next Beast Rider charge and also allow him to reorganize the Infantry Knight formations.

On the Kazimierz lines, a storm of sand suddenly kicked up. Theresica held his binoculars, doing his best to maintain his composure. Soldiers were all around him, and he couldn't show any nervousness.

The long-awaited Kazimierz Beast Riders finally moved. The time had come to test the Sarkaz.

PS: No spacing, feels so strange, hahaha.

Chapter 56: Situation Takes a Turn