Regaleon: The Forgotten Knight

Chapter 101: Plans For Retreat

Regaleon’s voice rang across the ruined dais, cutting through the deafening symphony of clashing steel and crumbling stone.

Despite the chaos surrounding them, every member of the expedition heard him, and not a single one objected his words nor question his judgment.

Because by now, every one of them already understood the grim reality they faced as they knew this was no longer a battle they could hope to win.

In truth, victory had ceased being a possibility the moment the six-winged guardian had awakened.

Also, the Terracottas simply refused to diminish as every construct they managed to destroy was replaced by dozens more climbing the broad staircase from below.

Worse still, the majority of the shattered Terracottas scattered across the dais hadn’t even fallen by the exiles’ hands. Instead, they had been obliterated by the indiscriminate swings of the colossal guardian itself.

And against such an endless tide, fighting had become meaningless as they were no longer struggling for victory but precious seconds.

In fact, every exchange merely bought them another breath and chance to remain alive...

Now that Regaleon had spoken the word retreat aloud, the decision felt less like surrender and more like common sense.

His golden eyes swept rapidly across the battlefield as he assess the state of their opponents...

The surviving Terracottas had already begun reforming their disciplined ranks as the brief disorder caused by the guardian’s latest strike had vanished almost completely.

Rows of armored constructs steadily advanced across the fractured dais, their crimson visors glowing ominously through the lingering dust.

And beyond them... Even more Terracottas continued climbing the massive staircase from the lower chambers.

The numbers alone were enough to suffocate any hope for victory and presiding over them all was the six-winged guardian...

Regaleon’s thoughts raced...

Charging blindly would accomplish absolutely nothing because the Terracottas had already encircled the platform and every obvious escape route had been sealed.

Actually, if they attempted to flee individually, they would be isolated within moments and one by one, they would fall...

His gaze swept across the battlefield again; searching and calculating for the best way out. Then, his eyes settled upon the staircase...

The Terracottas clogging its entrance hadn’t completely tightened their formation as they were still repositioning due to the guardian’s devastating strike...

Therefore, a narrow weakness remained amongst their formation. It was small and temporary, but it is enough...

Regaleon’s eyes sharpened as he fixated upon it. There was only one path left and undoubtedly, they would have to force their way through; not by scattering, but by striking together like a spear piercing armor...

"Everyone!" he called out. "We move as one..."

His commanding voice immediately drew the others toward him.

Ignoring the pain wracking their bodies, the seven exiles hurried across the shattered dais while avoiding the approaching constructs, and within moments, they regrouped around Regaleon, forming a rough defensive circle.

Every face bore signs of exhaustion, blood, dust, and bruises; yet every eye remained fixed upon him...

Time was slipping away so Regaleon spoke quickly.

"Our objective is the staircase." He started, pointing toward the only remaining route leading away from the dais.

"Their formation isn’t fully established yet, so this is our only opportunity."

After saying that, he then began assigning roles. He turned to the failed Vanguard first..

"Valmyr, you’ll lead the charge..."

Regaleon pointed toward the densely packed line of Terracottas guarding the staircase as he continued.

"They’re relying on discipline rather than brute force. So don’t waste your strength trying to overpower every construct. Instead, drive your shield into the center of their formation and keep advancing. Once you create even the slightest gap, don’t stop. Instead, force them to stumble into one another until their formation collapsed on itself."

Valmyr nodded solemnly. "I understand."

His voice was grim as he replied because he understood the task wouldn’t be easy. Charging directly into a wall of enemies as strong as Rank One Animas bordered on insanity; yet if anyone among them could accomplish such a task, it was him...

Regaleon gave a slight nod turning toward the failed Alchemist instantly.

"Veyrath, you’ll have stay beside Valmyr. Your Cauldron is the heaviest Soul Essence here after Valmyr’s Shield so I need you to use it to knock them off balance..."

He gestured toward the constructs as he spoke further. "The staircase is narrow. If a Terracotta falls, it’ll drag the ones behind it with it. So use the weight of your cauldron to shove them aside, not to kill them."

"Wait!" Veyrath protested. "I’m an alchemist! Not some hulking Vanguard! I don’t even have Valmyr’s strength or his muscles, so how exactly am I supposed to charge into them...?"

Unfortunately, his question wasn’t answered as Regaleon already turned away to the next person before the complaint was finished...

"Kaeloris, we’ll be needing your Law Script. With it, you are to disrupt their advance. Don’t bother wasting your strength trying to immobilize all of them; instead, slow those nearest to Valmyr, trip the ones attempting to surround us, and create confusion inside their ranks. That’s all." Regaleon concluded.

"I understand," Kaeloris answered quietly.

Regaleon nodded before turning toward the failed Pyromancer.

"Vaelorin, your flames can’t destroy them but they don’t need to. All you have to do is simply flood the staircase with fire to create smoke to obscure their vision; you know, something for a distraction or confusion. If they can’t clearly coordinate their movements, then they’ll lose the precision that makes them dangerous."

Vaelorin tightened his grip around his Staff as he gave a small nod. He understood Regaleon’s intentions perfectly; even if the fire couldn’t deal damage to the Terracottas, it would still be enough to buy them precious momentw that they desperately needed...

Then, Regaleon’s gaze shifted toward Aureleah. But before he could even utter a single word, the silver-haired assassin spoke first.

"I’ll deal with any that slip past them..." Despite the exhaustion weighing upon her, her silver eyes remained calm and resolute as she assured.

"My daggers might not do much against their armor, but if one gets around Valmyr’s shield, I’ll intercept it before it reaches the others."

Regaleon nodded at her words. Aureleah was reliable, so there was no point in instructing her further about what needed to get done.

Finally, Regaleon looked toward the failed Merchant and for a brief moment, his thoughts drifted back to the Breeding Nest...

Had her silver Coins survived that brutal battle, then her Essence Rune "Coin Legion" would have transformed this desperate retreat entirely.

A legion of spectral soldiers striking from every direction would have been invaluable against an army of enemies that relied so heavily upon rigid formations.

But unfortunately, those coins had all been destroyed long ago and there was no changing that now...

"Caelestra, you’ll remain beside me..." Regaleon stated.

"The Terracottas won’t stop chasing us once we break through, so we need to defend the rear together. Your Soul Essence is heavy enough to deal some sort of damage, so you can handle the pursuers with it. Remember, you don’t need to defeat them, we just need to hold them back for brief moments as we break through."

The failed Merchant gave a crooked smile as she spoke. "You can trust me on that."

Immediately after she replied, Veyrath threw both hands into the air.

"Hold on!" He shouted before pointing accusingly toward Caelestra.

"Why does she get the easy job while I’m expected to ram headfirst into an army? We both have ridiculously heavy Soul Essences and beside, I see no reason why I can’t guard the rear instead?"

Regaleon’s expression darkened. He fixed the failed Alchemist with an icy stare as he rebutted.

"Do you honestly think this is the time to complain about fairness? Look around you, we’re surrounded by enemies that are infinitely stronger than we are and you think this is the best time to argue over who has the easier assignment?"

Veyrath immediately shrank beneath the glare as Regaleon continued mercilessly.

"Your Cauldron is the only Soul Essence here capable of matching the weight behind Valmyr’s charge. If you don’t help him break their formation, then we all die. So think!"

Veyrath opened his mouth to reply but after several awkward seconds, he simply closed it before lowering his head.

"Fine..." He said resignedly.

Taking one final breath, Regaleon turned his gaze away before fixing it upon the advancing Terracottas.

The constructs had finished reorganizing and rows upon rows of armored figures now stood between them and the staircase and behind them, the six-winged guardian remained...

Regaleon slowly lowered his stance. His grip tightened around his Halberd and his eyes were narrowed as he spoke.

"We break straight through and no matter what happens don’t stop moving. Run as fast as you can, understood?"

"Understood!" The reply came almost simultaneously.

Regaleon inhaled deeply. Then...

"On my mark! Ready! Set! GO!"

Immediately after the last word drops, Valmyr erupted forward like an avalanche...

His shield remained raised before him, but unlike before, he didn’t activate "Mountain Stand." Instead, he used the Essence Rune "Absolute Guard."

A brilliant radiance enveloped the massive Soul Essence as every remaining fragment of Aether within his body was funnelled into the Shield.

His muscles swelled, veins bulged beneath his skin, and with a thunderous roar, the failed Vanguard slammed into the foremost Terracotta...

BOOM!

The collision shook the staircase...

And following right behind him was the failed Alchemist...

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Veyrath’s voice rose as he charged. But rather than it sounding like an impressive battle cry, it sounded far more like absolute panic covered by a thin layer of courageous determination.

His face had turned deathly pale and his legs were visibly trembling; yet somehow, he still charged...

Holding the enormous bronze Cauldron over one shoulder, the failed Alchemist sprinted after Valmyr with all the desperation of a man running from death itself.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!!"

He shouted at the nearest Terracotta and with every ounce of strength remaining in his battered body, he swung his Essence.

The gigantic bronze cauldron carved through the air with terrifying momentum...

BOOM!

The Soul Essence crashed squarely into the construct. It actually remained largely undamaged, but damage had never been Regaleon’s objective...

Instead, the sheer weight of the bronze Cauldron blasted the Terracotta backward and ufortunately for the construct, it happened to be standing near the edge of the staircase.

Its footing slipped causing the Terracotta to topple backward. It crashed directly into the ranks behind it, creating a chain reaction; one construct knocked into another... Then another... And another...

Until within moments, the tightly packed formation collapsed into complete disorder and a cascade of armored bodies tumbled down the broad staircase, crashing into those still climbing upward.

Seeing this, Regaleon’s eyes flashed and instantly, he shouted.

"NOW!"

Then, without the slightest hesitation, the eight exiles surged forward as one..