Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 198: Kin's blood(2)

The two armies collided with a thunderous roar, the earth itself seeming to tremble beneath the weight of thousands of armored men slamming into one another. Shields clashed against shields, a chorus of metal scraping, bashing, and breaking as the front ranks pushed forward with grim determination. Swords rose and fell in brutal rhythm, each strike seeking a gap in the enemy's defenses.

Men staggered, grappled, and fought fiercely in the narrow space between the lines, sweat and blood mixing on their faces as they heaved against their opponents. Spears thrust forward from behind the shields, punching through gaps in armor or trying to simply smash through their chains .

Every inch of ground was contested, and in the midst of the turmoil, the lines swayed, holding strong but only by sheer force of will as both sides locked in a deadly embrace.

 A soldier in Mavius' ranks, barely old enough to grow a beard who tried his luck in war ,thrusted his spear in desperation, managing to pierce through the links of the enemy's chainmail and pierce his guts, much to the surprise of both of them.

And so his young mind, influenced by a life lived in what he regarded as a 'boring' peace finally truly took in the horrors of war that he had so much idealized in his own short life. 

And so with an apology that he did not know if it was referred to the dying man or to the gods, he moved forward. 

Not far off, a grizzled veteran that fought in the catastrophe of Arlania, the battle that saw their emperor fall in the sand, parried a strike aimed at his neck, knocking his opponent's blade wide before stepping in close and driving his blade in the enemy's eyes. The soldier crumpled, screaming, and the veteran moved forward after slicing his throat, giving him the only mercy an enemy could give another.

From his vantage point, Marthio gazed over the chaotic, brutal clash below, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the battlefield. The plains stretched wide and flat beneath the overcast sky, offering no hiding places, no shelter—only an unbroken expanse where every movement was laid bare. Even the dust clouds kicked up by the cavalry on the distant right flank were visible, a rolling haze of earth and grit that marked the violent dance of mounted warriors.

Through the dust, he could see the silhouettes of armored clibanarii locked in battle, their heavy, gleaming armor flashing in brief, brutal exchanges as they clashed with opposing riders.