Chapter 35: Ambush
Orion's pulse thrummed with anticipation. Although the war was happening in a combat simulator every sensation was almost real, the hunger, the pain, the smell and touch.
From his vantage point, Orion watched as the River Kingdom's forces scrambled into a retreat with the dropped supplies, their formation almost breaking under the relentless harassment of Amon's skirmishers, forcing them to take the only viable escape route—the ravine.
Right where Orion wanted them.
And today's battle wasn't a battle he could just oversee from the safety of his fortress. If this plan was to work, he had to be leading from the front.
Orion turned to the hundred and fifty students standing in disciplined silence, their weapons gleaming in hand. Juno reported the number of enemy's forces to be over a hundred and seventy. Assuming they would fight four the resources with the other neighboring Kingdom this meant there weren't a lot of students defending the rations initially supplied by the academy. Orion wanted to attack their base but since their King was here, he decided to take him out instead of going for the base.
He raised his sword. "Now attack!"
The response was immediate. A roar of affirmation surged through the ranks as they charged down the slopes, their footfalls thundering over the frozen earth. Snow kicked up around them as they descended into the kill zone, where the River Kingdom's forces were just beginning to realize their mistake.
The first clash was brutal.
Amon slammed into an enemy warrior, his blade cutting through the man's chestplate in a single, decisive strike. Blood sprayed across the snow as he spun, parrying a spear thrust and driving his elbow into his attacker's throat.
All around him, his soldiers struck with precision. The River Kingdom's forces, already battered from their earlier fight, had no time to regroup. Their lines crumbled as Amon's unit carved through them like a hammer striking glass.
Orion spotted their commander, a broad-shouldered rallying his men near the base of the ravine. If the enemy reformed around him, this would turn into a drawn-out fight.