The improvisation

"Soldiers, this situation has not happened for decades since we managed to stabilize humanity under our Empire! I know that most of you, have never been to such an event, but don’t be afraid. We are Mora, the great Empire, and our adversaries are just rebels composed of the majority of prisoners of war and enslaved people who have been defeated and will be again! Our glorious Empire has existed for more than 1,793 years, and it will continue to exist regardless of what happens here. However, I, Magus Fortis Dante, am not willing to miss this chance to prove my worth and increase my glory, for one day I will go to the sky of the city of immortals! And there I will be boasting about my achievements, and I believe that many of you want to be there and will go, but we have a long time until then, so stand firm. We will win this with the least number of casualties. We will make history, because we are the strongest Empire in history. We are Mora!"

What followed was a sequence of cries from soldiers, raising their swords, and euphoric screams of excitement at the battle that would begin.
On the two-meter-tall platform stood two Magus: Dante, a robust, strong man with dark, short hair and a shaved beard, aged 55, responsible for nullifying the technique that plagued Uire for little more than a day. On his side, Rubeum Gulielmus, a 19-year-old young man, tall and thin, with smooth red hair, fair skin, and a cold look, was a new Magus who had emerged a few months earlier in the Empire, and now had his chance to prove himself. Both had imperial-style clothing, except their armor, instead of gold, was platinum.

A few hours before…

“Are you telling me that they already have this supposed weapon in their possession?” asked Magus Dante.
I was still tied up, with handcuffs in a camp that had been set up. He was sitting on a chair next to his personal guard. Rubeum was quietly standing by my side but a bit far away, watching me.

"Yes, Mr. Magus."

"I understand, however, why they would leave you with that information alive?"

“Sir, if I may say so, I believe that they are planning some ambush. I am not sure if they want us to rush and attack them, but surely they intend to beat us here.”

He looked at the dodecahedron his guard was holding.

"There are no lies in his words, Magus Dante," said his guard.

"Ok, take off these cuffs and take care of your wounds. Let’s prepare for war. I have to communicate with the high rank of Mora now," he spoke, standing up.

"Thank you, Mr. Magus," I said.

He looked at me with a nod, but said nothing.

But as the soldiers were releasing me, Rubeum Gulielmus approached.

“You said you wanted to bury a person before the war, if possible, in case you don’t come back alive, right? Do you really want to do that now?”

"Yes, Mr. Magus."

"Ok, I’ll send two soldiers with you. I have some riding birds. Where are you going?"

"Thank you, sir. It’s not very far. It will take an hour or two at most."

Now…

The soldiers entered formation, in two platoons and were about to advance. Two groups consisting of 1,200 soldiers, 400 envoys from Mora with her two Magus in command, and others coming from various regions of the continent of Nniatibri.

I was about to enter the battle formation, fully dressed as a soldier, when Valerius approached my side.

"Commander, are you here too?" I said, surprised.

"You don’t mind if my soldiers and I join you in this battle," he said, approaching with Flames Flaminius, his second-in-command, along with other soldiers.

“No problem, it will be an honor to fight by your side!” I replied with a false smile.

It was obvious that, even if they were not in a command position there, they had at least a grudge against me after the incident I caused. And who knows, they were still suspicious and had some suspicion about me. In any case, I must be careful with friendly fire on their side. Besides that, I must act naturally.

That was a huge area. It felt like we were in a city, only underground, with that giant tree upside down on the horizon.

We began to carry out the natural battle formation, soldiers with at least two meters of distance on average from each other at the front and on the back, 10 soldiers next to each other—that was what the streets allowed—and as we were in, two formations advanced. The first ones were formed by users of abilities or combinations of abilities that allowed them to resist the enemy attack more. In the first of one of the two lines was Magus Dante, going with his formation of 600 soldiers further forward to the right; he was the most capable of reacting to a direct or airborne attack from the opponent.

After two minutes, the ship’s escapees soon appeared from the houses and above the rooftops and began to attack from the sides with long-distance strikes, arrows, energy balls from various elements like fire, water, and earth, and shots of energy blasts. But the first two soldiers of each rank, the soldiers on both sides of the squadron, were specialized in creating energy barriers. Most of the attacks were defended, or caused little damage.

This kind of strategy is useless, as I expected. They were only being used as a distraction to buy time. There were not many with great capabilities or military levels for such battles.

So, I see them in the sky.

The Empire began carrying out attacks from afar with giant birds, with mounted soldiers of the squadron of Magus Rubeum Gulielmus to assist in air strikes. However, more and more of them began to come out from all sides and went into close combat. Our barriers only allowed attacks from inside the barrier.

 What kind of strategy is that? With that, they won’t have much time.

In wars like this, the Mora Empire always uses joint attack tactics, no matter the Ability of the enemy. If we use defenses and attacks in sets, coordinated, we can react better to the situation and adapt when necessary. At minimal energy cost, attacks or powerful defenses from enemies with combined abilities lose effectiveness if we act that way. We win in the fatigue and despair of the initial wave with their frustrated techniques.

The only type of combined technique that could cause powerful damage and even cause a major problem against this strategy would be that of a Magus…

Just above, the roots of that old tree began to grow. I looked up, just like many others.

So this Magus will try to use something?

When a Magus acts, the story changes completely. They can devastate thousands of soldiers with a technique. His power is devastating, but to do so, Mora uses her intelligence and combat adaptation, with other users of combined abilities that can help contain the enemy’s technique and even other Magus to do it directly.

The roots began to grow, forming reeds, with black flowers springing from all sides, releasing pollen from the skies, coming towards us.

“I’ll take care of it!” Dante shouted.

Here comes the technique of Magus Dante…

He raised his hands into the air, and with his wrists shocked both hands, creating vibrations that rose to the sky and could be heard by all of us as if they were bells.

“Vital punishment of the divine sacramentum,” said Dante.

“Vital Force + Sensory + Destruction”

This is the combination of abilities of Magus Dante, and this was a variation of his technique, performing a resonance by sound with control of its strength, creating a technique that applies itself and destroys anything he specifically wants. The more it resonates, the stronger it becomes…

We saw in the sky his aura by sound waves, purple, disintegrating the pollen… He probably stopped the technique when it was executed days ago on dry land on the mainland by the enemy, sounding the ground directly with his fists hours before arriving here with his army.

He looked and saw the roots still moving towards us.

“What?” I said.

Something is wrong. This tree is directly linked to the enemy’s technique. Why didn’t he destroy that too?

“What’s going on, Dante?!” exclaimed the other Magus, Rubeum Gulielmus.

“No doubt…” Dante said nervously, then shouted, “People, listen! The executor of this technique, that person, has melted directly into this great tree. Now this is his physical body and not simply a technique—I can feel and guarantee it with certainty! And he will attack us, prepare yourselves!”