Battle of Diama

The Battle of Diama took place in the year 300 of the Old Calendar between the ancient nation-states Rumoa and Kurtoga.

History
Diama was said to be a clash between "two famous generals deeply connected by fate".

Rumoa's general attempted to lure his opposite number into a trap, but Kurtoga countered this by placing a force of swordrhinos at the front of their army. The Rumoans foiled the attempt by opening gaps in their lines for the swordrhinos to harmlessly pass through.

Rumoan infantry broke through the first line of Kurtogans but the second, composed of Kurtoga's best troops, held firm and began to push the enemy footmen back. At the same time, Kurtoga withdrew their cavalry to lure the Rumoans' away to the sides. Unfortunately, the Kurtogan cavalry were caught and defeated, and the Rumoans returned to the field and devastated the Kurtogan infantry with a flanking charge.

The Battle of Hell's Armies
At some point, the second layer of the labyrinth under Kimberly Magic Academy became host to the Battle of Hell's Armies, which eternally recreates the Battle of Diama and is used to test would-be entrants to the third layer. Pete Reston, a habitual bookworm, learned about the battle while doing research and told it to Oliver Horn, who was able to use it to come up with a plan for himself, Michela McFarlane, and Nanao Hibiya to defeat the Rumoan cavalry charge and win the battle.

Trivia

 * The Battle of Diama is based on the historical Battle of Zama, fought in 202 BCE in modern-day northern Tunisia between Generals Hannibal Barca and Scipio Africanus, which decided the Second Punic War in favor of the Roman Republic. The "swordrhinos" of the novel are stand-ins for the war elephants commonly used by Carthaginian armies.