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If we were to rank the military capabilities of nations and ethnic groups across the entire continent, the Northerners have traditionally been considered to hold a fairly high position.

The reasons for this were varied. Their exceptional sailing skills, which allowed them to navigate skillfully between the Baltic Sea’s inland waters and the rough, unpredictable North Sea with just a single ship, or the destructive power of their unique “freemen” class of heavy infantry. There were so many aspects that it couldn’t be explained in just one or two ways. In many respects, the Northerners had built an impressive military tradition.

One such tradition was the special battle formation known as the “Song of March” (Laten av march) or the “Flag of March” (Marts flagg).

Its origin came from the name of the war god Mars, Marts, or March. In the days when farming techniques were underdeveloped, every March, without fail, raids and wars would break out, and warriors had to arm themselves and prepare for battle. Hence, the name.

Like many other battle formations devised across the continent, this formation had clear purposes and corresponding characteristics shaped by the traditions and battlefield environments it had inherited.

The most representative features of the traditional infantry formation passed down among these Northern peoples were “cohesion” and “destructive power.” For the Northerners, whose martial spirit was exceptionally vigorous, the impression of a battle formation was less about “defending” and more about “advancing.”

True to their belief that dying honorably on the battlefield was the greatest glory, they valued the “cohesion” needed to maintain a tight formation, as well as the ability to move forward without retreating or stopping, considering it a virtue of their battle formations.

Originally, such a twisted virtue shouldn’t have held much tactical value. But coincidentally, this world had something called “mystery.”

The most representative mystery in this world was undoubtedly “spells,” but spells weren’t the only mystery. Taboos that must not be broken, oaths that must be kept—there were countless elements in the world that could act as mediums to evoke reactions from the spell waves, just like main strength.

Perhaps because of this? These formations, created with the intent of “never scattering” and “never retreating,” gained a strange power as generations passed and history unfolded…

As long as the members of the formation were freemen warriors born and raised in the North, the more the troops stayed united and advanced without retreating, the more their morale, combat ability, and the formation’s breakthrough power increased.

Even at this very moment, the formations and battle lines formed by troops assigned their positions based on origin and affiliation were weaving together the morale, discipline, and fighting spirit of their members, transforming them into an overwhelming force that radiated pressure, especially toward the front.

And Brantley Somz was the one who had figured out how to integrate this into his spell system.

*Thump!*

The sudden drumbeat resonated with the hearts of the warriors, who were already filled with fighting spirit. The resonance from within and without. Moments later, the warriors were gripped by a strange sensation.

“What is this…?”

“Power… it’s overflowing!”

Their fighting spirit and energy surged to unprecedented levels. Their limbs were filled with overflowing strength, giving them a sense of omnipotence, as if they could do anything. Their senses were sharpened to an extraordinary degree, allowing them to focus so intensely that they could detect the movement of a single ant, while simultaneously their vision expanded as if they were looking down from above.

At the same time, they instinctively understood how to maintain and even enhance this state. They knew how their comrades and allies intended to move, what movements they expected from each other, and most importantly, what they needed to do to gain the upper hand in this battle.

Their fighting spirit, physical abilities, sensory perception, and even their instinctive understanding of the battlefield were all enhanced, and they shared this with each other in a miraculous phenomenon.

All of this was undoubtedly due to the intricate spellwork laid out across the city by the spellcasters and Brantley, who led them.

The energy interlinked according to the predetermined deployment of each camp, and the resonance with the barrier stones that had been functioning as the core of the port blockade barrier since the moment they entered.

All of this had manifested the warriors and troops who had entered the port at this moment as pure entities of battle, embodying the mystery of combat.

“The essence of the formation is ultimately the interaction through flow. In short, they’ve properly caught the flow.”

“Indeed, that’s exactly it.”

Brantley Somz spoke with pride, and Iida Birgitt Somz nodded honestly, mesmerized as she observed the intricate flow and interaction of the spell world.

Just as Brantley Somz had gained enlightenment upon seeing Sophia’s formation, at this moment, Iida Birgitt Somz was also immersed in the rising tide of enlightenment, rewriting the general understanding of the relationship between main strength, spell waves, and phenomena. This great revelation was more than enough to broaden the horizons of another spellcaster.

The operation proceeded smoothly. Riding the flow of the formation combined with spell design, the warriors of the Kingdom of Dane steadily eliminated the monsters.

Originally, such operations would typically involve significant sacrifices. Serious injuries were expected, and irreversible losses or deaths were considered a constant in such realities.

But surprisingly, up to this point, there had been no significant sacrifices during the operation. While injuries occurred, no one had suffered fatal wounds or died.

The reason was simple. In addition to the Northern formation’s unique defensive capabilities, the various blessings derived from the formation turned fatal injuries into serious ones, serious injuries into minor ones, and real-time healing effects were being applied.

The Northern formations were somewhat strict, demanding unity and forbidding dispersion, insisting only on moving forward and never retreating.

If they were to disperse or retreat, the various enhancements provided by the formation would immediately be withdrawn, and the warriors, who had been part of a powerful formation, would be reduced to mere individual human warriors.

But within the workings of the formation, the warriors in each formation could effortlessly disperse and regroup, or change the direction of their advance according to the overall movement of the battlefield.

Yet, the enhancements of the Northern formation were not withdrawn. It was as if they continued to advance in a state of unity, with the enhancement effects only growing stronger.

“From the moment they caught the flow within the barrier, all the warriors here were essentially one unified force. Moreover, all changes in formation according to the flow are treated as ‘advancing forward,’ right?”

Brantley continued his explanation, but at this point, no one was listening. They didn’t have the capacity to. Just as the warriors had become one with the flow within the barrier, the spellcasters were also immersed in the massive flow as they activated and maintained the barrier, enduring the intense spell surge.

In the dangerously heated flow that could melt their consciousness at any moment, Brantley Somz clicked his tongue and adjusted the flow of the formation that composed the barrier. Iida Birgitt Somz, Brantley’s elder sister, quickly regained her composure and assisted her brother in maintaining the barrier and adjusting the flow.

If they could safely get through this time, they would likely experience significant growth. Of course, they would need to reorganize their spell worlds accordingly.

Among those observing the situation, some were optimistic that the port purification operation would conclude without any major issues. Unaware that this optimism was a moment of carelessness.

And in that moment of carelessness, disaster struck.

+++++

*Whoosh—!*

It sounded like a sack of flour bursting open.

On the road in the port area where the purification operation was underway, a thick red mist suddenly appeared, like a dark cloud.

The red mist, which had abruptly manifested, swept through the space with explosive and ferocious force, expanding its territory. At the same time, Brantley, Iida, and Conra, as if by prior agreement, urgently canceled all active spells and shouted.

“It’s a Spell Eater! Protect yourselves!”

Thanks to their immediate reaction upon sensing the anomaly, the three of them, as well as most of the spellcasters who had released their spells and withdrawn their main strength upon hearing the command, managed to escape the disaster caused by the red mist.

And “most” meant that there were those who couldn’t avoid the calamity.

“Ahhh!”

“Aaah, aaaah—!”

The suddenly appearing red mist voraciously devoured the spell energy in the surrounding area. Its greedy consumption even reversed the flow of energy connected to the spellcasters, draining the spell structures stored in their spell sockets and their inherent main strength.

The spellcasters caught by the red mist were reduced to lifeless mummies or mindless fools.

Looking around, everything from the barrier stones engraved with runes to various potions, amulets, talismans, scrolls, staves, and all sorts of spell-infused tools—anything touched by the red mist—had been rendered powerless.

The red mist, writhing like a living thing, loomed over the area. Those with developed spiritual senses who glimpsed inside the mist swallowed their disgust.

What they saw was a swirling mass of countless hands writhing in hunger, countless eyes gleaming with insatiable appetite, and countless mouths gasping with thirst, all tangled together in a chaotic frenzy.

“Damn it, why did a Spell Eater appear here? What’s there to eat? Wait… could it be…!?”

Someone screamed in panic. It seemed they had carelessly triggered a spell and had their main strength drained.

A Spell Eater, as the name suggests, is a vicious spell-consuming creature, the most feared entity by spellcasters. With the arrival of such a monster, the spellcasters on the scene were thrown into chaos, swept up in the rapidly spreading tide of fear and confusion.

 

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