Chapter 5: Kings of the Battlefield
In the open grounds allocated solely to aerial training, 23 students were floating in the air through a Flying Spell. As though stars surrounding the moon, they circled around the Aerial Battle Instructor Hartman.
"In an aerial battle, regardless of whether your opponent is a Mage like you or an aerial unit, the most optimal magic that you can use are always the bullet-type, laser-type, and ball-type! Bullet-type spells have a fast casting time and minimal consumption. Also, it could be used flexibly and cast consecutively, allowing a wide range of usage, such as rapid blind shooting to suppress the enemy's movements or harassing an opponent at close quarters. As such, it has a place in all kinds of aerial combat! In comparison, laser-type magic holds incredible might and there's nearly no delay between the moment the spell is cast to the point it strikes its target. As such, it should have been the most ideal aerial combat magic spell to use. However, it requires a long preparation time, and it triggers an extremely powerful elemental ripple, causing it to be easily detected by opposing Mages. One could simply dodge the spell in advance or cast a defensive spell to deflect the laser. As such, you will have to use your imagination to come up with ways on how you can use laser-type magic effectively in battle!"
Regardless of how bizarre the lessons were, the combat-type instructors in the academy were all Mages. The line of thought for Mages was simple. Firstly, they would fill their students up with all kinds of theories and knowledge, forcing them to memorize all of it. Then, they would use practical lessons to teach them how to apply these theories in battle. While it was simple and crude, it was effective.
Compared to Instructor Arnold, Instructor Hartman felt more like a military man. He wasn't arrogant, and he didn't get angry easily either. He would complete the responsibilities assigned to him with all his effort, and despite repeating the same words over and over again throughout the years, there wasn't the slightest bit of impatience in his voice.
"For a very long time, the ball-type magic became the main offensive spell-type that Mages use in aerial combat. You all should have personally experienced how difficult it is maneuver while traveling at high speed. Even when making a u-turn, one has to turn a huge arc. Thus, if you were to use your flying techniques to remain at the 6 o'clock direction of the enemy's direction, get him into the effective range of your spell, mental lock-on to him, and cast the ball-type spell which you are the most adept in, you would have launch an effective aerial combat offense!"
Instructor Hartman lifted his hands and produced two bundles of flames. Amidst the wind, the two small bundles of flames chased one another mischievously in the air.
"So, does that mean that if the enemy were to remain firmly at your 6 o'clock, you can only helplessly wait for death? Of course not! There are no perfect combat techniques in the world, and there's always a flaw in everything. The main purpose of defensive maneuver techniques is to allow us to escape from the other party's mental lock-on and guided spells, and to reverse a disadvantageous situation into an opportunity for you, turn the tables and retaliate!"
The chased flame abruptly flew upward and stopped. On the other hand, the chasing flame was unable to stop in time and flew past the former. In an instant, the chased flame immediately pursued the chasing flame, and the initiative has switched hands.
"This is the main content in this lesson. I will first test everyone on their grasp on the two maneuvering actions that I have taught you all in the previous lessons, then guide you all on the significance and usage of these two maneuvers in a practical battle. I hope that everyone can regard this lesson seriously." A hint of a smile appeared on the stern face of Instructor Hartman. "That's because in the next lesson, everyone will have to use these two maneuvers to deal with the pursuit from a group of 12 Gargoyles. You'll have to apply what you've learned to gain strategic advantage against them and strike them down!"
Along with the instructor's orders to disperse, the students swiftly formed teams and started to test out the maneuvers on one another. Sigmar shrugged, and without looking at Instructor Hartman, he swiftly accelerated to the front——Under this situation, it would definitely be the instructor who would chase him. Given Instructor Hartman's capabilities, it would be a miracle if Sigmar could bite on firmly to his 6 o'clock.
As expected, a furious gale sounded behind Sigmar. Several dozens of White Bone Fangs flew past him. Given the instructor's mana capacity, he could easily use the necromancy bullet-type magic White Bone Fang to scatter shoot the area all around Sigmar——And the situation was just like that. Countless White Bone Fangs flew toward Sigmar as though it was free, sealing off his escape routes.
"The heck, it feels as though I'm facing three bosses at once…" Sigmar twisted around the air, dodging the relentless and bizarrely angled attacks. "The concept of the Cobra Maneuver is to decelerate swiftly or come to a sudden halt, causing the person behind to charge past you, thus granting one the strategic advantage in the fight. As the weak body of Mages makes it impossible for us to stop too abruptly, Mages will have to use the Cobra Maneuver along with spells to reduce the toll that gravity and the deceleration force will have on our body…"
Sigmar reorganized his understanding of the Cobra Maneuver in his mind as he recalled the small change he has made to the movement during his private training. He inconspicuously slowed down and used the White Bone Soul to deflect a close-by bone fang. Then, he gave Instructor Hartman an 'I'm ready' signal——After all, this was only a practice. If it was a real battle, given Instructor Hartman's precise offense and his aerial battle experience, how could Sigmar possibly be given an opportunity to use the Cobra Maneuver to gain strategic advantage?
Even so, the soldier-like instructor still gave it his all. Hartman abruptly raised his speed, and in an instant, he brought Sigmar into the effective range of his spell, in other words, the greatest radius that his psyche could reach. As he commanded the fire element in the air, a violent and unsteady power started to form within his hands. Glowing bright red, it flew in an arc, straight toward Sigmar's back.
Sensing a searing sensation behind him, Sigmar's alarms immediately went off. Without even giving a second thought, he abruptly pulled his entire body upward. In his slightly darkened vision, he could see a brilliant fireball shooting across where he was previously. According to the principles of the Cobra Maneuver, he should have decelerated to try to regain his balance and his optimal flying state before charging toward his enemy to launch his offense——But instead, a thought flashed through Sigmar's eyes. Instinctively, he continued to pull his body upward, swiftly completing a 360-degree aerial flip. By the time the instructor flew by swiftly, Sigmar has already returned back to his original position before executing the Cobra Maneuver, and the instructor was right before him!
When you could clearly see even the hair of the enemy dancing in the air, it was impossible for your spell to miss——Following the teachings of a certain Aerial Battle Instructor, Sigmar abruptly rose his hands, and five bone spears spiraled straight toward the instructor!
——————
"Perhaps many people have said such words to you, but I would still like to say it." After the end of the exhilarating aerial battle class, Hartman and Sigmar sat on the clouds as they overlooked the other eleven pairs of students dodging and soaring about the skies. Smiling, Hartman said, "Sigmar, you are truly a genius."
The cloud has been modified by the instructor, who was skilled in air element magic, and as though a sofa, one could sit on top of it. It was soft. Sigmar stretched his body as he said in self-mockery, "But it's a pity that nothing is perfect in the world. I have many flaws, and I probably disappointed many people."
"When I was younger, I have participated in many wars. Back then, I faced off with many enemies, be it the Griffin Knights, Gargoyles, Steel Eagles, Hawks… And the most difficult opponents are those who are Mages like us. Possessing incredible skills and vast knowledge, they understood innumerable spells. Even so, when I faced them, they could only repeat the same spell over and over again in despair. On the other hand, even though I knew a lot of spells as well, the one which claimed their lives was just an ordinary Bone Spear infused with the Power of Wind." Hartman patted Sigmar's shoulders and chuckled. "It's okay if you don't wish to learn it. No matter how many spells you learn, you will only end up using a few, so what's the point of wasting your effort?"
Sigmar chuckled without saying a word. Today, Instructor Hartman seemed to have exceptionally talkative. Perhaps Sigmar's amazing feat today has sparked something within this conqueror of the sky, causing many emotions to resonate with him.
"130 years ago, in the Rhine Wars, the Stag Communal Country built their first hundred Mage squad and devoted them to the battlefield. In an instant, the 10,000 infantry, 3000 cavalries, 5000 archers all became mere spectators. The Mages ruled over the entire battlefield. Frost prevented the infantries from approaching, the marshes crushed the charge of the cavalries, and a storm destroyed the aiming of the archers. Only the rampaging strength of elements brought out the despair of death. Mages, the Kings of Battlefields…" Hartman softly recited the legends which people spoke of. He patted Sigmar's shoulders and said, "Lad, you are born in a golden era. The older generation has toiled through the hardest times to build a brilliant future. All they hope for is to entrust their hopes to the next generation, and all we have done, taught, and sacrificed were so that you all can reach greater heights…"
Enjoying the breeze before him, he spoke calmly, "After all, we're already old."
"I can foresee the number of Mages swiftly increasing in the next few decades. As our theories and arts become more and more complete, we won't need Mages to be skilled in all aspects. Rather, they would only have to be specialized in a single field. Aerial Battle Mages, Land Battle Mages, Sea Battle Mages… Everyone would be allocated to a domain based on their own talents and capabilities; Air-to-air Destructive Mages, Air-to-air Defensive Mages, Air-to-land Destructive Mages, Air-to-land Sieging Mages…" Hartman's expression was calm, but Sigmar could see a burning passion in the heart of the old instructor. "No one can replace us. Every single strategist and generals would have to center their strategies around the strength of the Mages, and they would be considering how they could maximize the strength of their Mages, how to minimize the strength of the opposing Mages, how to achieve victory with the limited Mages they have at their disposal, how they could earn aerial advantage with the Mages they have, and how to maximize the strength of the elements in the surroundings to strike a heavy blow to their opponents. That's because we wield the power to influence the world, change the world, guide the path of the world…"
Hartman stared at the student who was bound for great things with expectations. However, he said nothing about it. Rather, he spoke of the ideology he believed in for his entire life calmly, "Because, we are the Kings of the Battlefield…"
Sigmar was silent. Looking at the instructor, he couldn't bring himself to say that the only reason for his diligence was so that he could successfully achieve truancy…
Looking for an editor for this series.
Anyway, need an editor for this. I don't like editing my own work, and my edits are full of mistakes.