The battle erupted just as the massive group of mercenaries prepared to set off. In a sense, attacking right as they were formed up and prepared for march sounded like a stupid idea. But in order to understand this attack, one had to look at the situation from a broader perspective.

"Boss, the first group, just engaged,

" one of Ation's officers reported, pointing the heavy blade of his ax towards the outside of the forest.

"Let them fight for a few more moments,

" Ation replied calmly, resting his back against a random tree. With his hands crossed on his chest, he didn't appear like a commander who just sent a tenth of his people to battle. Rather than being stressed out, he calmly played with a small piece of wood that he had previously carved from a random branch.

In the distance, the battle was reaching its breaking point.

The momentum of Ation's people died out quickly after the end of their charge. Even though their numbers were few when compared to the mercenaries, one couldn't notice it just by looking at how the battle progressed.

At first, Ation's people managed to put a huge dent on the mercenary forces with just the momentum of their charge alone. Using this dent, they quickly pushed their advantage, exploiting every flaw in the now broken formation of the mercenaries. But as time went on, the situation started to quickly turn disadvantageous for the clansmen.

In the end, the mercenaries didn't fight with their own strenght in mind, but by helping each other out. This was the very reason why they constantly attempted to fix their formation, as, in one-on-one situations, not a single one of them could deal with Al's warriors.

"That will be enough,

" Ation said after waiting for the specific moment of the battle, just before his troops would start naturally breaking off from the fight.

"Call them back,

" he ordered, not even bothering to move his face to the herald.

A relatively young and scrawny man raised a simple, drilled horn to his lips before blowing into it without even a moment of hesitation. On its own, this sound was pretty silent, but due to how irritating and sharp it was, it could be heard even all the way in the center of the battle.

"Now, let's see if our gamble will pay off,

" Ation said, finally moving away from the tree he was resting his back against. He fixed his hold over his beloved ax before stepping to the front.

"Men!

" Ation shouted, turning his back to the battle to face the rest of his troops still hidden in the forest.

"The time when we strike those damned celestials is nigh!

" he shouted, raising his weapon high in the air.

"We are the ones chosen to deal this fatal hit to their strenght. We are the shield that will prevent the invasion on the new lands that we were promised!

" he shouted, rallying his people.

But there was no response. Not necessarily because Ation's words fell flat. Given how the force that attacked the mercenary was just a small detachment aimed at baiting them into the forest, it would be stupid to give away the trap with extensive shouting.

'At least, if I'm the only one shouting, the sound shouldn't break through the noise of battle,' Ation thought, swallowing the anxiety caused by the complete lack of reaction from his people.

"Today, we will cull their numbers. But we are not going to waste our lives attacking their main army.

" Ation shook his head as a villainous smile appeared on his lips.

"No, it would be stupid to do that. And while their knowledge of the world might be way greater than what we know about it, that doesn't mean we are stupid enough to attack their main army right away!

" Ation continued his rallying while glancing every so often at the situation behind him.

Ever since the sound of the horn reached the battlefield... Nothing really changed. Given how the presence of the units in the forest was to be hidden for as long as possible, the first detachment of Ation's forces wasn't going to react to the horn right away. But as Ation continued his speech, the moment of their retreat finally came.

"Men, I won't waste my voice on you anymore,

" Ation said, shaking his head. To his back, the first detachment finally started to break off from the fight, starting their fake retreat to the forest.

"That's why, when you will strike down those heretics, don't let your hands hesitate. Don't hold back your attacks. Don't let them live to see another day!

" Ation shouted, shaking his ax high above his head.

Ation turned around, facing the battlefield once again. Just like planned, the first detachment started their retreat. While it wasn't as unorganized as Ation wanted it to be, it was clear that the mercenaries didn't notice that anything was amiss.

'Huh?' Ation shrugged when he noticed something peculiar. Because even when his people started their retreat... The battle didn't end. This time, however, rather than fighting at the front, the battle erupted at the back of the mercenaries' formation! 'What in the mercy of spirits are they doing?' Al's second-in-command asked himself, puzzled by the situation.

"Are they fighting with each other?

" Lessen asked, revealing his presence for the first time in a few days.

"You are here?!

" Ation shouted in surprise, jumping a few steps away from his distant relative.

"Why didn't you appear earlier?

" he asked but received no reply to his question at all.

Contrary to Ation's plan, not every mercenary got caught in the bait. Only a third of their unit rushed after the escaping clansmen, while the rest remained stuck in place... Equally as confused by the situation as Ation was.

"I came with new orders,

" Lessen said, turning his calm face to his friend.

"Outside of those who were stupid enough to follow us into the forest, do not engage with the remaining mercenaries,

" Al's direct subordinate said as a vile smile appeared on his lips.

"After all, if they are fighting with each other, why should we make it easier for that Star bastard by killing off those who go against him?

"