Chapter 268: The Tower of Dawn (2)
Chapter 268: The Tower of Dawn (2)
The countless spears of light that rained down were indeed a fearsome sight. Each one radiating fearsome power. Even so, there were only a few casualties.Though deafening explosions echoed one after another, the spears of light didn’t strike the imperial troops directly. Instead, they landed in the gaps between squads and formations. This reduced the number of immediate casualties.
But that didn’t help to reduce the soldiers’ fear. Sure, seeing a blade cleave through a man’s neck was terrifying, but a weapon brushing past your throat without killing you wasn’t any less horrifying.
"Damn it!"
The imperial soldiers darted back and forth, scrambling to avoid the downpour of light. In their panic, some stumbled upon a discovery. They saw an open path of retreat untouched by the spears. Grateful for their luck, or perhaps divine favor, they raced toward it, eager to escape the magical barrage.
What they didn’t know was that they weren’t the only ones who had stumbled upon the fortune.. Most of the imperial army surrounding the Tower of Dawn had also discovered the same retreat route.
Dreltein clicked his tongue while watching the battlefield from the command center. The bulk of the imperial forces were now fleeing down eight separate routes in disarray. Perhaps they thought they were executing a calm, calculated retreat, but that was clearly not the truth.
"He left them an escape on purpose," muttered Dreltein.
That overwhelming show of force had a very specific purpose. It was a demonstration of power. It was a grand display meant to show them his power, and to dissuade them from attacking him.
For Diogres, it was the only logical course of action. Even if he annihilated the imperial army here, would the empire retreat with its tail between its legs? Of course not. They would only respond by sending even more troops—more mages, more aura users—to finish the job.
No matter how powerful an archmage he was, even Diogres couldn’t ignore the crushing weight of an entire empire. The rain of light spears eventually drove the imperial army back to the outer perimeter of the tower.
Watching them regroup at a distance, Dreltein murmured, "If this were the old us, we probably would’ve withdrawn by now..."