The half-orc Chosen noticed the Meteor Swarm earlier than ordinary people, but other than taking cover with his personal guard, the "Eyes of Gruumsh," there was nothing else he could do.
The orc coalition's disastrous lack of discipline had doomed them to suffer this catastrophe.
Just as he'd expected, the orc coalition collapsed under the meteor shower that came crashing down from the sky.
Both shocked and furious, his gaze swept past the tightly shut city gates and landed on the city wall.
Amid the stunned soldiers, he immediately spotted Anser, who stood out from the crowd.
He didn't know Anser, but from his bearing and expression, he could tell that this man had to be someone important—and that he had known about the attack.
The moment his eyes met Anser's calm gaze, it was as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. His anger died away, and reason returned.
'This was a planned attack!'
He surveyed the battlefield. Flames raged, thick smoke filled the air, and scorched earth stretched everywhere, littered with mangled corpses. Only a few hundred of his personal guards remained at his side.
"Awooo—"
A long, powerful horn blast sounded from inside the city, followed by the pounding of drums and the thunderous rumble of hooves.
He glared viciously at Anser and brandished his weapon.
"Retreat!"
The remaining half-orcs and orcs turned and fled, crossing patch after patch of cratered, scorched ground before disappearing into the thick smoke.
On the city wall, Anser pursed his lips in disappointment. That half-orc Chosen had looked ready to explode just moments ago. How had one look from him been enough to make the guy chicken out?
He'd actually wanted to go a round with him and see just how powerful a Legendary Chosen really was.
'Cowardly dog. What a waste of those big tusks.'
He turned toward the city. At the far end of the broad avenue, a great Purple Dragon banner came into view, followed by column after column of cavalry.
Countless hooves pounded against the stone pavement, the vibrations making people's hearts tremble.
'Pretty quick response.'
Not that he could blame the half-orc Chosen for chickening out. How could a commander with practically no army left dare face the might of Cormyr's royal forces head-on?
If this really was a planned attack, then the ultimate target was probably the half-orc Chosen himself. Of course he'd run.
Besides, if he didn't hurry to rally the scattered survivors, those goblins, orcs, and temporary gnoll allies might just flee all the way back home to the Storm Horns.
Then he'd really be screwed!
Imagining the scene, Anser couldn't help laughing aloud. Trying to round up all those fleeing orcs, goblins, and gnolls would be no easy task!
The city gates slowly opened, and the thunder of hooves drew closer.
The knights charged through the gates, only to be forced to slow their horses.
Flames were spreading outside the city, with enormous craters scattered everywhere. The scorched, uneven ground was still belching black smoke.
These conditions were hardly suitable for a cavalry pursuit. Forcing it would only injure the horses, and it wasn't worth the cost.
"Forget the pursuit! Split into groups and wipe out the remaining enemies—"
A shout rang out. The cavalry stopped hesitating and divided into groups to sweep the battlefield, eliminating the goblins and gnolls who had collapsed in place and were too afraid to flee, while putting out the fires along the way.
Anser watched quietly without joining in to finish anyone off. He'd already gained more than enough today.
He had just checked the combat log. Nearly two thousand soldiers from the orc coalition had died to Meteor Swarm, netting him tens of thousands of experience points. He was only a few thousand experience points short of gaining two levels in a row.
He'd struck it rich in one shot!
'I'll never complain about Meteor Swarm again.' The corners of his mouth curled upward.
For all of Meteor Swarm's shortcomings, there was simply no criticizing its destructive power.
And Meteor Swarm had one advantage other spells didn't: it could turn potential energy into genuine destructive force. The higher the point of impact, the stronger the explosive shockwave.
Of course, that also had a downside. People could spot it from far away, making it easy to dodge in advance, especially at night.
'I could lower the altitude a bit, then add Seeking Spell so they chase people down and smash right into them...' he calculated.
By now, the soldiers defending the city had recovered from their stupor. When they saw Anser, none of them dared come over and disturb him.
Before long, a burst of hurried footsteps approached.
Anser turned his head and saw Maddox running toward him with a tall warrior.
Maddox slowed his pace, his expression complicated.
"So, how'd you like my fireworks?" Anser teased.
"They were the most beautiful, spectacular, and thrilling fireworks I've ever seen in my life." Maddox rubbed his chest. His heart was still pounding.
No one wanted to experience a scene like that twice—especially anyone standing beneath those meteors.
"Go back and ask Erastul if he's feeling confident now." Anser looked at him with a faint, knowing smile.
"..." Maddox stared at the fires outside the city, opening and closing his mouth several times without managing to say a word.
The orc coalition had routed. Whether they could even regroup was still an open question.
With the enemy practically gone, talking about "confidence" now just felt awkward.
He knew Anser meant no harm, but the remark still made his cheeks burn.
Compared to Anser's high spirits and boldness, Cormyr's royal family seemed far too conservative and old-fashioned.
"Ahem." The tall warrior beside him held his helmet under one arm and took the initiative to change the subject. "Was that Meteor Swarm just now?"
"Yeah." Anser's gaze swept over him, and he recognized him immediately.
This was Chegba, one of the deputy commanders of the Purple Dragon Legion, also known as the Fearless Banner General in the group chat. His profile picture was a photograph of himself.
"That felt damn good. Absolutely incredible." Chegba grinned broadly, the smile on his face slightly exaggerated. "Those guys in the War Wizard Corps are all talk. They're useless as shit..."
"Don't talk nonsense." Maddox lifted a foot and kicked him in the shin.
The Purple Dragon Legion and the War Wizard Corps had never seen eye to eye. In the past, the War Wizard Corps had firmly kept the Purple Dragon Legion under its thumb, but ever since the Weave fell into chaos, the situation had reversed.
Yet without the War Wizard Corps' support, the Purple Dragon Legion couldn't really get its act together either.
"You weren't hurt, were you?" Maddox asked Anser.
"That half-orc took one look at me and ran. I only threw out a few spells. How could I have gotten hurt?" Anser shrugged.
Maddox and Chegba exchanged a glance. For the first time, they realized that Anser could be rather infuriating when he talked.
'You call those a few spells? That was more than a dozen ninth-level spells! Don't make it sound so casual, or you'll give me the illusion that anyone could do it,' Maddox couldn't help grumbling inwardly.
Someone like Anser was definitely not cut out to be a teacher.
"His Highness the Crown Prince probably really wants to meet you. How about we go sit down at the royal palace for a while?" Maddox offered, though there was now a trace of restraint in his manner.
It wasn't that he was a snob. Anyone who had witnessed meteors raining from the heavens would inevitably feel a sense of awe.
What kind of city could withstand destruction on that scale?!
Suzail certainly couldn't.
Anser's eyes shifted slightly as he understood what Maddox was feeling.
It was basically the same as someone else having nuclear weapons when you didn't.
"No. You guys should hurry up and clean up the battlefield. I'm going back to sleep." He waved a hand, took a single step, and vanished from the city wall.
Maddox froze for a moment, then smiled. "He must be tired."
"You look more tired than he does." Chegba couldn't resist taking a jab at his twisted old face.
"You're a noble knight, yet you're not honest at all. Hurry up and clean up the battlefield. What if the orcs come back? And remember to take a few sets of battlefield photos for me."
"I'm out of Spirit Coins."
"I'll transfer ten to you. Now hurry up! A whole bunch of people are waiting for the battle report."
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---