(Kiyomi POV)
I still have a lot to learn.
I had been too blinded by my own hubris of power that I failed to recognise the threat right in front of me before it was too late.
I'm just glad that Master was not here to see this pathetic side of me and my respect for Master has grown tremendously.
To have that much power and still be so humble is definitely the trait of a Divine being.
Just a little bit of strength was enough to make me think myself invincible, how pathetic of me.
This is why Master stands at the apex while we bask in his presence.
"Ufufufu~ We don't have much time to waste here with the fight still going on at the front, it would be best if we can just make them retreat from here~" My dear sister thought aloud.
As if on cue, the group of heavy cavalry reared their horses and began charging towards us again, this time with the shield already encompassing them.
I glanced at her without moving my head, "Do you have a plan, dear sister?"
"Ara, ara? Is my cute little Kiyomi depending on me? I should not disappoint then~"
Her tails stretched out and a small ball of fire appeared on the tip of each tail.
"Master has always told us, if a problem can't be dealt with by going straight at it, then going above, under or even around it is also an option," She giggled.
I was about to question what she meant when all her tails pierced into the ground, creating cracks all around her.
One of the cracks stretched towards the charging group, widening almost instantly to create a gaping hole that swallowed several of the riders.
Their Practitioner quickly weaved a counter Technique that halted the hole from widening further, but that would also mean his shield is no longer at full power.
I took the chance to throw another ice spear at it, the projectile easily shattering the shield to fly towards the Practitioner in the middle of their formation.
Unfortunately for me, another soldier saw my attack and leapt into the path of the ice spear, letting it impale him instead.
I clucked my tongue in annoyance at the missed chance.
It was obvious their Practitioner was at least at an Elder or Master level from how quickly he was manipulating his Quarks. He had already redeployed the shield before I had a chance to throw in a second spear at him.
At this point, the horsemen had all but halted in their advance, a few of them still stuck in the crevices that my sister had made in the ground.
It was obvious from this distance that they were quite pissed at having their charge fail twice consecutively and were determined not to fail a third time.
My sister would not give them that third opportunity though.
The holes she had created started shining red, emanating a warm glow that illuminated the area around it.
The little pieces of trash only had time to wonder what was producing the light before lava erupted from the gaps, incinerating all that had been near the holes.
Their Practitioner released his shield in a panic, shrinking it down such that it only covered himself and his own personal guards from the lava.
That was the cue for our own men to charge.
The horsemen at the front never saw them coming until the first few were impaled by spears that my sister had enchanted with fire, their armours useless against the high heat of the weapons.
Being trained soldiers, they were quick to react to the new threat, all of them pulling out their swords while tossing their now useless lances aside.
As a group of more trained and better armoured soldiers, the Dong army's heavy cavalry should not have any problems dealing with a group of peasants, right?
If any of those insects had that thought in their minds, it would have been quickly tossed aside since the 'peasants' quickly dispatched the knight they were facing with practiced ease.
Having been trained by Eris who had been trained by Master himself, our followers were definitely no pushovers.
And for the hammer on the nail, both Manami and I had followed behind them, unleashing our own Techniques on the gathered horsemen.
Without their Practitioner's aid, who was still busy protecting himself from the lava centered around him, the horsemen easily fell to our assault with only a handful left that stayed near their Practitioner as guards.
Their Practitioner finally managed to counter Manami's lava by sealing up the cracks before lowering the shield, a look of utter rage evident on his face.
"You… Who are you two? I do not remember Beiyang's Royal Family having youkais working for them," The insect asked.
My sister chuckled, "Ufufufu~ Did you think that we youkais would stay silent if a pack of rabid dogs were to show up on our doorstep?"
"Whatever they are paying you, we can double, no… Triple it. We just need you all to step aside."
I laughed mirthlessly, "Our price is not something you can pay."
"I assure you, we can."
My tails stretched out, letting a layer of mist gather around me, "We want the death of every single infidel who participated or approved of this invasion."
It took the little insect a few moments to comprehend my words.
"Don't be ridiculous! Do you even know who you are talking to?!"
"Ufufufu~ A group of dead men of course," My sister giggled, making a show of creating a few balls of fire that circled around her.
"You really think your little city state can stand up to us? Your tiny Beiyang country is nothing more than a frog in a well! Have you been disillusioned thinking you were the big ones just because your country was named after the continent?"
"Ara? Not at all, I am just stating facts."
"Our Dong country is several times the size of yours! We are an Empire that has conquered every other country behind these mountains that you hide behind! Once we take over your pathetic little place, we would have united the entire continent under our banner!"
I lifted my chin at him, "Huhuhu… You talk quite a lot for someone who won't leave this battlefield alive."
"Tch! You will regret this! Everyone, fall back for now and regroup!"
The Practitioner reared his horse and retreated back to the main force, the rest of the heavy cavalry following after him.
"Shall we give chase, High Priestess?" One of our followers asked.
My sister shook her head, "No, it will be meaningless to do so. Continue with the guarding of this side of the town. We just need to hold until Elaria comes in with her reinforcements. The front should at least hold for the next few–"
A loud explosion shook the ground beneath us, interrupting my sister.
We turned back to see a plume of smoke rising up into the sky from where the front line should be.
I shared a look with my sister before rushing back into the town, already expecting the worst.
If the front were to collapse now… Even we might not be able to turn things around.
