Quest of Automata King

Counter Attack

“Remember! Do not give them a chance!” shout Challender angrily at the very front of the line. Time for them to discuss their plan has ended, and second round will be started now. Challender looking at Emmellia and the whole class F. Wounded by his loses last round, he swear that this time there will be no more mercy for them.

“Second round, start!” shout Boris, and at the same time, loud voice from the mechanical board signaling the beginning of the round.

“Charge!” shout Challender. Motivated by Emmellia’s last scheme, he learned to not let any chance for them to sneak up. His plan now is to swiftly defeat every enemy soldier at one swoop, just like what Emmellia did to him in the previous round.

“Archer! Sentinels! Move!” he shout again, commanding his two layer to also move forward.

Challender dare to swear that he sees Emmellia grit her teeth, accompanied with a despreate expression to see Challender attacking his whole army.

“Fall back!” shout Emmellia. The vanguards of class F quickly abandon their outer ring, seconds before class A’s sword are able to reach them, they turned back and run to the direction of the sentinels.

Although they managed to won last time, class A are still way above their level, and to face them head-on is a dangerous bet.

“Move faster! Don’t let them get to their defense!” shout Challender. Arrows are started to fly from their back line, flying between the gap of class A’s soldier, and heading toward their enemy.

One arrow able to hit the vanguard the vanguard, cost him to retire.

“Class F! Eliminated! Another one! Oh! And another!” shout Boris, commenting each vanguard that are not fast enough to avoid those arrows.

“Watch your back!” shout Emmellia, “Don’t run in a straight line or you’ll be easier to hit!”

The accuracy of their archers are not a loke. Especially their skill at shooting moving target without hitting their allies. Only under two and a half minute since the second round started, class F have lost all of their vanguard, except Emmellia as their commander.

When she get closer to the shield’s row, they moved a bit and make a gap for Princess to get through. Emmellia get into the gap by sliding on the ground, and instantly, one of the defender come with a spear, and plug the gap by sticking out his weapon.

“Sentinel! Phalanx formation!” shout Emmellia.

The shielder and long-reach weapon users are quickly moved to their designated place. They tightening the guard at one shield to another, and sticking out their weapon between the gaps, just like the previous soldier doing.

Phalanx is one of the common strategy of the battlefield. It consist of the frontliner that wear shield and spear, to meet head-on against the row of enemy forces. In attacking position, they proved to be strong strategy, but in defensive, this strategy is heavily flawed when the enemy are able to exploit their flank or rear.

“Vanguard, stop advance! Sentinels, forward!” shout Challender. Those line of spear are dangeroud to fight head-on. Especially that the vanguards uses speed and flexibility for their advantage.

No, instead, Challender will send slow unit against slow unit, and commanding his vanguard to attack from both of their sides.

The sentinels of class A changed place with the vanguard, they make their own phalanx, and use it to fight against class F. At the front, spears are poking at each other, trying to reach the enemy at the other side.

The situation is not good for class F, their sentinels are not as much as their enemies, making the left and right side vulnerable, their attacking power also heavily diminished, since huge number of their vanguards are eliminated.

“Archers! Watch out the flank!” shout Emmellia. Class A’s vanguards are starting to pour from left and right, overwhelming the shielders little by little. When the archers are starting to see enemy soldiers on their teritory, an arrow fly toward them, and hitting their armor. It was enough to make them eliminated from the match.

“Class A! One person! Three person! Another two!” shout Boris, entertainingly counting the amount of soliders that they are losing.

“Avoid the gap! Focus to topple their shield first! Once their defense is ruined, we can easily defeat all of them!” command Challender.

The archers of class F find it difficult to aim now, the enemy vanguards are focusing to push the shielder, and with no visual of their target they can only shoot their arrow as surpressing fire.

“Everyone hold on!” shout Emmellia, she moved at one side to another, poking her rapier between the shields to fend off the amount of vanguards. “Archer! Start to aim for their back row!” she shout again.

Belle and the other archer are confused and looked at each other.

“But Princess! If we’re doing the ‘rain’ they will have right to use it too! We will suffer even heavier casualities!” said Belle. At the same time, she sees one of the enemy trying to breaking through the perimeter. Belle pulled her bow at the right time, and a arrow hitting the previously said enemy.

Emmellia did not answer right away. She looked between the flood of man, searching one particular person. When she moved to another side, her eye catched at the small leather armor with the color of her class.

“Do it Belle! Now!” shout Emmellia.

“Oh dear,” reply Belle. “Give them the rain!” she said while maning five arrows right to her bow. Her fellow archers are doing the same, each one launched five arrows upward toward the region of their enemy.

One of class A archer looked up and notice the rain of arrows. He duck down and shout.

“RAIN INCOMING!”

Twenty five arrows fall from the sky, some are missed the spot, and some are succesfully eliminated class A’s soldier.

The archer that notices those attack is unharmed. He get up, and shouting angrily.

“Payback the rain!” he shout, followed by another archer. They shoot five arrows each from their bow. The same rain of arrows appear again, but this time, toward the class F.

“Damn what an i***t!” shout Boris. “’Rain’ when you’re out of number!? Are you trying to kill yourself or what!?”

Those rain of arrow causing class F to lost more of their soldiers. The wall that supposed to protect the middle ring, now destroyed, and enemy soldiers started to pouring in. Luckily for Emmellia, she manage to miss being eliminated, althought she have very little option left about what to do after that.

“I give you a chance, Emmellia...” the line of class A shielder separate, and from there Challender walked forward, he smile proudly and his body is sturdy as if he finally found his honor back.

“I have to say that I’am impressed by your trick. You used that creature as a bait to surround us, but you forget that class A is much better at every aspect than what you all are!” said Challender. “Therefore, the answer is to don’t give you any chance in the first place. One attack to end it all!”

Two remaining shielder of class F lift their shield to protect Emmellia and other archers. Without any mellee forces to fight back, class F is as good as losing in this match.

“Really? Impressed? It feels like this is the first time you ever said something like that,” said Emmellia. Challender answer it with frown on his head.

“Don’t give me that face Challender,” said Emmellia “I know what you are. Loses annoy you, and win doesn’t satisfies you. Even if you’re win, it would not end until you can humiliate your opponent. Isn’t it?”

Challender lift his shoulder, decline those accusations. “Win and loses are the fate of the battlefield. To accept what happening is how nobles should behave,” replied him.

“Pfft,” laughed Emmellia. “Look at that? Finally use Master Katta’s words to benefit yourself huh?”

“Enough! You have lost Emmellia, why didn’t you just give up so we can move on to the third round already?” Challender unseathe his sword angrily, at the same time, his soldiers are preparing their weapons.

“Your Majesty... What should we do...?” Belle move slightly toward Emmellia, hesitant of the next step that the princess would take. But in turn, Emmellia just smiled.

“Last round your little bait is able to trick us, but not this time! Now, he must be sitting at the eliminated bench with the rest of those losers!” said Challender.

“Do you think so? Why don’t you look again?” replied Emmellia.

Challender turn away, he looked at the eliminated bench outside of the field. One thing that he noticed, there are no sheep horn, no matter how much he glanced at them.

“Mui! Run!” Shout Emmellia.

Suddenly among class A, a small body running away. His sheep horn and black tail can be seen clearly, while his right hand is grabbing the flag that supposed to be nested at class A’s base.

“WHAT!?” shout Challender. He is dumbfounded when the Devil suddenly appeared out of nowhere with the flag on his hand.

“Archers! Vanguards! Go get him!” said Challender. “Damn it! Since when!?”

Emmellia laughed. “Do you think the rain strategy only for attacking? It have other uses too you know, for example, to make your archer looked up instead downward.”

Gritting his teeth, Challender quickly run toward Mui. But in the end, his body and equipment are too heavy for him. Mui already reached his base with enemies flag on his hand. He slams that flag down and chime appeared from the mechanical board.

“That’s a game! Once again class F won the round and the game finished with their victory!” shout Boris.

For the last time, every class F students are cheering excitedly. Including Emmellia and the rest of her army that happen to survive.

But on the other hand, Challender growl angrily.

***

“Alright maggots, gather up !” finishing his lesson, Boris gather both class. “I hope you learn many things for this lesson, started from strategy, teamwork and chivalry!” said him. He looked at Emmellia, and then to the rest of class A.

“Now, i know what you must be thinking. Class F may be the victor, but that does not mean that they are winning the war!” Boris’s word turning the attention of everyone.

“Class A showed chivalry and how nobles are striving for their nobility! While class F is sacrificing too much for the sake of winning!” he said.

Confusion and dumbfounded, student of class F looked at each other with face of displeasure.

“Therefore, I declare that winner of this match is class A!” shout Boris.

None of them are cheering, not even the class that supposed to be the winner. Instead both classes are left quiet. All they wanted now, is for the classes to end.