Chapter 13 - Fight for immortality

Two sides stood on the opposing sides. One like a calm, disciplined water ready to turn into a raging tsunami with a single command.

On the other hand, stood a controlled wildfire. Burning brightly no matter how many times it got extinguished. An inevitable clash.

His 'idea' and vision already brought him a kind of immortality. Forever leaving a mark on the history of humanity.

No matter who tries to rid the world of it. Someone would recreate the concept once again and rise even further beyond.

Athánatos took death as a mere toy. For him, if he'd win, he would find a way to immortality and everything would come under his rule till the end of time.

On the other hand, failure meant immortality in another kind of way. He would become the saint and martyr of the religion he made.

The one who guided the ignorant. Ortus didn't have such a luxury. His feats, although grand, would never be able to make an imprint like his rival did.

He feared death more than anyone. Nonetheless, he didn't fear to admit his fear of death. The Barford army split in half as his general vanished into the endless forest on the western front.

Meanwhile, his trench diggers already made the first line of defence. Athánatos didn't idly as he coordinated his army.

In under 10 minutes, they were in the shooting range as they fired the first bullets. His unique armed cavalry waited for his command.

Ortus, facing the pressure of the two armies, didn't flinch. His men hid under the trenches as they fired back without fear.

Athánatos' army suffered the first batch of casualties as his cannons roared to life and teared into the hidden positions of the enemy.

Ortus' own division began to fire back as iron reapers teared through the battlefield, taking life at every turn.

Athánatos employed a distraction tactic using his first army as he discreetly readied a breaking point on the other side.

As the battle grew to a breaking point. Athánatos suddenly appeared on the other side and, with a heavy barrage of cannons and firepower, broke through the eastern first line of defence.

Ortus reacted quickly and took a swift measure as his troops slowly retreated under the heightened barrage of cannonballs.

A few soldiers remained in the ditches as they placed around explosives and were prepared for the last battle.

As his army retreated, Ortus witnessed the quick flash with a booming explosion. Important parts of the trenches collapsed, making it much harder to move around.

Athánatos' troops poured in as Ortus used a few carefully placed cannons. They shot deep into the sky as gravity brought them back in.

Their sizzling soon turned into explosions as they took dozens of lives. The enemy found itself blocked inside the trenches thanks to the non-stop musket bullets flying by.

Ortus' army calmly replaced itself in batches as they shot and retreated to reload, creating a kind of rhythm.

His first trump card used. Athánatos, realising that the first defence line had been a trap all along, ordered his general to lead a 2 sided attack.

With the heavy bombardment making it hard to see, his two armies split up and approached Barford army from the sides.

Once they got into a sufficient distance. Athánatos' took out weird looking troops, their weirdly shaped creations soon exploded as dozens of lead balls fell from the sky.

The lead balls sometimes shattered into shards as they inflicted fatal wounds to the enemy side.

His one time use weapons were a limited prototype. Nonetheless, his bet proved to be correct, and they won the momentum.

Ortus couldn't retreat as he just had his third line of defence as a last measure. Under his command, a firework flew into the sky and exploded.

Troops began to pour from the forests as they split into dozens of divisions. Ortus had created a total web around Athánatos' army.

To be bombarded from all sides would result in a swift victory. So, he used the destroyed first line as a natural blockade.

In an organized manner, most of the troops soon began to focus their firepower on the eastern first defence line.

Under the heavy attack. Barford's divisions had to retreat, giving Athánatos a brief opportunity.

With a sweeping attack, they broke through the blockade at a relatively high cost. Now, Athánatos deployed his cavalry.

The spread out divisions proved to be a perfect target as the swift horses surrounded various divisions and destroyed them one by one.

For every elite on the horse, the Barford army had to pay with at least 5 soldiers or even more.

Sure enough, the Barford general soon reorganized the divisions back into one army. Their numbers weren't high enough to withstand such consumption of soldiers.

The entire first battle took a toll on both armies and they retreated and created a camp.

Generals and leaders of both camps banded together to think of countermeasures against their enemy as regular soldiers took a break.

Many were distraught. Such carnage would haunt them for years to come. That is, if they had any future whatsoever...

Both sides decided against a night raid, and the moon soon passed by. Right as the sun came back, both sides were all ready for round two.

This time, Athánatos chose to be on the defensive. With his superior quantity of cannons, he held the decisive advantage in long distance battles.

Ortus' trench division didn't stay still during the night, and various trenches appeared on the battlefield.

They hid some and some were clearly visible. So, even though Athánatos held the advantage, it was like playing an expensive whack a mole.

Most rare hits resulted in injuries at best. He didn't mind though, as supplies were on the way.

In his own territory, he had an endless supply of ammunition. A death machine. Unless Barford family armies split up and abandon each other in order to stop his supply point.

Athánatos would never run out. He had scouts spread out everywhere as they relayed any crucial information.

This time, the Barford army held back and didn't shoot out indiscriminately anymore. An elite group leaving the camp didn't leave Athánatos' sight as he commanded his general to intercept them.

With a sizable chunk of soldiers. They moved much faster under the guidance of the scouts throughout the forest like terrain.

Ortus knew that such a plan didn't hold much weight and concentrated on the front lines. He had to end it in 3 days, otherwise the odds of victory would become null.

Hundreds of lined up cannons livened up the battlefield. As the Barford family began their offensive.

The wind blew in their favour as the bullets and cannon balls travelled through the air unhindered.

One of the last divisions, with melee weapons, rushed into the enemy from the sides as a barrage of bullets covered them.

He equipped them with a single handgun and a scimitar like a weapon for close range combat.

This time, Ortus led his army as he charged near the front. With his presence, he controlled the battle much more efficiently.

Bullets whistled by, but he didn't hesitate at all. After 30 minutes of heavy fighting, his soldiers managed to create a weakened position.

Not giving them enough time to replenish their soldiers. He charged with everything he had into the western wing.

On the other hand, his entire cavalry pressured the eastern wing of Athánatos' army as they cut through them like butter.

Casualties were numerous, but Ortus finally had a decisive advantage. Then the enemy general returned.

With his presence, they repelled the cavalry, causing them heavy casualties. Athánatos, no longer tied with the eastern wing, fully supported the western one as Ortus had to retreat.

The second battle resulted in another draw. Though this time the Barford army had to draw a bit more blood this time.

With the confirmation, that Athánatos controlled his surroundings quite well. The possibility to steal or destroy enemy supplies seemed very difficult.

Ortus looked at the battlefield map as his eyes glinted. Tomorrow would be the ultimate battle that would result in victory or defeat.

He entrusted the defence to his general and disappeared under the night sky with his trusted soldiers.

Some scouts detected their presence, but very few managed to escape. The shots alerted the enemy. Nonetheless Athánatos decided against moving out with a lot of soldiers.

He called up his general to intercept whatever the enemy planned to do. A division of 200 or so soldiers then departed.

But, for Ortus, his plan had already succeeded. As long as his plan worked out, then the entire battle would become a breeze.

Though, if according to his calculations. The mother nature decided to be against him, then it would render his plan useless.

Hundreds of trees were being chopped up without Athánatos' knowledge as Ortus took up all of his attention.

When he finished making enough mess and with the arrival of the enemy. His soldiers and he returned to the camp.

The Barford army sent a few divisions over the night to keep the enemy alert as Ortus took a necessary nap.

On the other hand, Athánatos endured and caught a few divisions in exchange. The movement didn't make sense to him at all.

The enemy moved around in endless patterns all night without accomplishing anything substantial and the reports came back without any results.

But, in the morning. He would receive a fiery surprise...