191: marching into the capital

Morning light pierced the horizon east of Haige City, painting the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of the temporary command center a golden hue. Linn's backlit figure cast a long shadow across the floor.

"My Lord, all units have completed their final assembly," Yilman's voice broke the silence. "We await only your command."

Linn did not turn around. His gaze was fixed firmly on the center of the sand table. That was the heart of the Aolai Kingdom for thousands of years, and the crown he had to seize in his plan.

"Karl."

The voice was not loud, yet it echoed through the empty command room.

"Your general is here!"

Linn finally turned around. His gaze fell upon Karl; those deep gray eyes held no emotional fluctuation, yet they made this battle-hardened veteran's back tighten slightly.

"Sixty thousand Light Armored Horse Archers, march west immediately." The command baton in Linn's hand traced an arc in the air, finally pointing to a series of nodes marked with castles and fortresses on the map. "From Haige City to Holy Radiance City."

He paused for a moment, his voice dropping slightly: "I give you five days. Within five days, no armed forces loyal to the royal family can remain on this road."

"Yes, My Lord!" Karl looked up, his eyes resolute as he strode away.

Linn's gaze shifted to the next general: "Yilman."

The army commander stepped forward. This Legendary Expert's aura was as steady as a mountain; even at such a moment, not a hint of nervousness could be seen on his face.

"Your general is here."

"After Karl clears the way, you will lead all remaining land and sea forces." Linn's command baton swept across the sand table. "The land and sea forces, along with the Guard Army, totaling three hundred and twenty thousand troops, will march west at full speed along the route Karl carves out."

"There is only one objective," Linn's voice was decisive. "Join Karl in besieging the capital."

"Sebastian."

"My Lord." The air force commander rose.

"Withdraw all concealment arrays," Linn ordered. "There is no longer any need to hide the movements of the floating fleet. I want all the soldiers and civilians of Holy Radiance City to see the power of my Star Sea Territory."

"At dawn tomorrow, the fleet departs." Linn's voice rang out clearly in the wind. "Thirty airships, twenty thousand air force, and five thousand Magic Corps! Accompany me on this personal expedition."

"If we win this battle," his voice suddenly rose, "several provinces in the northern Aolai border and over ten million civilians will all belong to the Star Sea Territory!"

"Star Sea will prevail!" the generals roared in unison, the wave of sound nearly lifting the roof.

At the same time, in the southern part of Bandel Province.

Inside the canyon, the smoke had not yet dissipated. The lingering flames of magic flickered in the crevices of the rocks, and the air was thick with the burnt smell of blood and the pungent scent of sulfur. Corpses were piled in the narrow valley path; some were crushed into pulp by falling rocks, some were charred by fire, and even more were pierced by arrows and magic, lying in pools of blood with their eyes staring blankly at the Sky.

The battle had ended three hours ago.

"General Clay." Ocean walked to Clay's side and reported in a low voice, "The count is complete. Approximately sixty thousand enemy dead, about ten thousand heavily wounded and unable to move, and eighty thousand prisoners. Our casualties... are less than three thousand."

Clay nodded without speaking. His gaze crossed the canyon, looking toward the northern entrance.

There, Ocean and Batu were standing on a protruding rock. Before them, a blood-soaked figure knelt on one knee, long hair disheveled and armor shattered—it was the Southern Army commander, Usachi.

"It is not easy to become a Legend," Ocean's voice was calm and steady, yet it sounded exceptionally clear in this deathly silent canyon. "The Duke of Star Sea values talent and gives you two choices."

Usachi looked up with difficulty. This Legendary Expert's face was covered in blood and dust, his left eye was so swollen he could barely open it, and his right hand was twisted unnaturally, clearly broken. But in those dark brown eyes, a final trace of sharpness remained.

"Death," Clay held up one finger, "or take your remaining troops and join the Star Sea Territory."

Usachi grinned, revealing blood-stained teeth. "Join the Star Sea Territory? And then what? Wag my tail like a dog and beg for mercy while helping you fight the sovereign I once served?"

"Your sovereign has already abandoned you." Batu spoke in a muffled voice, the deep tone characteristic of Orcs echoing through the canyon. "The Second Prince sent you and Marquis Golden Peacock to the Eastern Front specifically to send you to your deaths. He assembled an army of six hundred thousand on the Red River Plain, yet gave you only one hundred and fifty thousand remnants to retake Bandel Province—do you really not understand what that means?"

Usachi's pupils contracted slightly.

"He needed you to stall the main force of the Star Sea Territory," Clay took over, his voice still calm, "to buy him time. If you won, he would take the credit; if you lost, he would have one less burden. No matter the outcome, there was no loss for him."

"As for Marquis Golden Peacock..." Clay glanced at the corpse lying in a pool of blood not far away, "he was merely a discarded pawn. The Second Prince needed the Golden Peacock Family's money and soldiers, but he didn't need an old Marquis whose achievements overshadowed his own. In this war, win or lose, the Golden Peacock Family was destined to be destroyed."

Usachi fell silent.

"Master Gordon..." he asked hoarsely, his voice as dry as rubbing withered leaves, "did he... join the Star Sea Territory long ago?"

After this question was asked, the canyon fell into a brief silence.

Clay and Ocean exchanged a look. The latter stepped down slowly from the high ground and came before Usachi.

"Master Gordon made a wise choice." Clay didn't answer directly, but the sentence explained everything. "He saw the direction of the future and realized who is truly capable of ending this chaotic world."

Usachi closed his eyes. In that instant, all the pieces clicked together in his mind! Gordon's vague hints, the Second Prince's increasingly paranoid decisions, that bizarre and crushing defeat beneath Holy Radiance City, and this terrifyingly perfect ambush... none of it was an accident.

"How many... of my subordinates are still alive?" he asked in a low voice.

"Eighty thousand surrendered," Ocean replied. "Ten thousand are heavily wounded, and the rest... are all here."

"I surrender." Usachi's voice was hoarse but exceptionally clear. "But on one condition."

"Speak," said Clay.

"Among the soldiers under my command, those willing to surrender must not be killed indiscriminately and must be treated equally. Those unwilling to surrender... let them return to their hometowns without hindrance."

"Agreed." Clay nodded. "The Star Sea Territory never mistreats prisoners. Those willing to surrender will be incorporated into the New Army, and those unwilling will be given travel expenses and sent home."

Usachi let out a long breath. That breath seemed to take all his strength with it, causing this Legendary Expert's back to hunch slightly. He struggled to stand up; despite the intense pain in his right wrist and his body being covered in wounds, he still made an effort to straighten his back.

Then, he placed his hand over his chest and knelt on one knee! This time, it was a formal gesture of submission.

"Usachi Santana," his voice echoed in the canyon, clearly reaching everyone's ears, "is willing to serve the Duke of Star Sea."

On the cliffs, the soldiers of the Star Sea Territory raised their weapons. In the valley, the surrendered Southern Army prisoners knelt one after another. At that moment, eighty thousand surrendered troops and thirty thousand Star Sea soldiers in Blackstone Canyon all witnessed this! The changing of sides by the Southern Army commander also witnessed the complete collapse of the Aolai Kingdom's old order.

Ocean stepped forward and helped Usachi up. "Welcome to the Star Sea Territory, General Usachi."

"Recover well," Clay said softly. "The true war has only just begun."