Chapter 44: The Stalemate

Chapter 44: The Stalemate

At this moment, it wasn’t just the two flagship vessels clashing; the other ships of the Human and Elven forces had also jumped into the fray.

Human soldiers and Elven warriors were locked in desperate combat aboard both fleets.

Though the Elven soldiers were quite versatile, they found themselves cornered in close-quarters fighting, forced to battle the humans up close and personal.

The Mages, fearing friendly fire, dared not unleash their most powerful spells.

Yet, even in simple melee, many elite human soldiers were still no match for the Elves.

To the Elves, the human elites were merely considered ordinary.

Most of these elite soldiers were around the fourth tier, while any Elf could reach that level upon maturity—truly no big deal.

In the Elven military, one could only be deemed elite with at least fifth-tier prowess.

Plus, the Elves had the advantage of time on their side.

While this made their growth slow, there were benefits to being slow.

In this lengthy process, the Elves amassed much experience, their foundations well-established and solid.

As they say, slow and steady wins the race!

Thankfully, the humans had the advantage in numbers.

The Ninth Legion was fully staffed at ten thousand, while an Elven regiment only had around five thousand troops.

This numerical advantage helped humans close the gap a bit.

Without a qualitative difference, quantity could still make a significant impact.

Intense fighting continued between the two sides.

Almost every passing moment saw Elven and human soldiers injured or falling.

The Elven soldiers faired better, receiving not only medicinal treatment but also healing magic from temple priests to help restore their health.

On the human side, they could only rely on basic medicinal treatment, and even faced the awkward situation of running low on supplies.

Though they had the numbers, with inferior quality compared to the Elves, the injured humans were bound to increase, leading to greater resource consumption.

Moreover, the human expedition was plagued with insufficient supplies, barely enough to sustain them.

Back at headquarters, facing the brutal battle unfolding, neither the Elves nor the humans intended to send reinforcements.

This was merely a probing conflict.

Both sides’ leaders were well aware of this fact.

The humans sought to gauge the Elves’ strength.

The Elven forces aimed to showcase their might while subtly probing the capabilities of the human army.

Should one side dispatch reinforcements, the battle would undoubtedly escalate, potentially turning into an all-out war at sea.

That did not align with either side’s interests.

Alexander understood that their human army, already weary from the march, couldn’t withstand much more, relying solely on sheer determination to hold on.

Krul’s strategy was to use the island as a defensive buffer against the human assault.

It wasn’t that the Elves couldn’t defeat the humans; rather, they saw no need to engage the entire human force head-on.

They wanted to preserve their strength as much as possible.

Thus, an unspoken understanding gradually formed between them.

Time trickled on, from morning to noon.

After battling all morning, most Elven and human warriors were utterly exhausted.

Even though the Elven forces achieved significant results, it was difficult to capitalize on those gains at this moment.

Meanwhile, aboard the Elven Magic Warship, two heroic figures continued their spirited duel.

Between them, there was an exchange of offense and defense, and no clear victor emerged after such a long time.

The warriors surrounding them, both Elven and human, had long since halted their battles, waiting for the outcome between these two.

At first, they had plenty of enthusiasm.

But gradually, that enthusiasm waned.

They realized that the battle’s outcome didn’t impact them directly; it was entirely dependent on the confrontation between their leaders, Mohas and Bask.

A victory for Mohas meant the Elves triumphed.

A victory for Bask meant the humans prevailed.

As a result, they morphed from central figures into cheerleaders on the sidelines, waving flags and shouting support for their leaders.

“Go, Legion Commander! Victory is yours!”

“Lord Mohas, defeat that human lump and let them know our Elven might!”

Words like these spilled forth continuously from both sides’ soldiers.

The champions, harboring high hopes, completely ignored the cheers and remained focused on their battle.

They couldn’t afford to respond.

Firstly, they needed to concentrate during combat; one slip could be deadly.

Secondly, they honestly didn’t know how to reply.

After dueling for so long, if there were a clear winner, it would’ve been determined already.

Now it was simply a stalemate, and they found themselves at an impasse.

After so long in battle, they were also beginning to tire.

Yet, unlike the surrounding soldiers, they could not afford to stop.

They clenched their teeth and persevered.

Just then, a signal to retreat rang out from both headquarters.

Whether it was Bask or Mohas, a sigh of relief escaped their lips.

Finally, this battle could come to an end.

“This battle stops here; we shall meet again next time!”

After parting from Mohas, Bask dropped that line and led his human soldiers back.

Watching Bask’s retreating figure, Mohas couldn’t help but declare, “Next time, I’ll defeat you for sure!”

Bask glanced back at Mohas.

And that brief glance made Bask’s pupils constrict.

He realized a significant detail that had slipped his mind since the start of the battle.

The Elven Magic Warship showed no serious damage from their clash.

Logically, the fallout from their fight shouldn’t have been so minor.

This meant only one thing: the Elven Magic Warship was astonishingly sturdy!

On the way back to headquarters, a heavy gloom settled over Bask.

Though he had accomplished his mission well, gleaning valuable information, that recent discovery cast a shadow over his mood.

The Elven ships and soldiers were superior to their human counterparts.

And this was only what the Elves had revealed; they likely had even greater hidden powers.

This expedition might not go as smoothly as hoped, Bask lamented inwardly.

Additionally, he was also troubled by the heavy losses to his Ninth Legion; recovering from this would take time.

On the other side, Mohas was equally displeased.

The battle’s outcome wasn’t what he sought.

He wanted to achieve a complete victory over the humans.

Instead, it had turned into a draw.

Thinking of the human general he had just fought, Mohas clenched his fists, vowing to himself that he must defeat him next time.

P.S. By the way, the protagonist’s last name has been changed; their full name is now Aileriel Patel!