Suddenly, a thunderous crash erupted from the other side, shaking the scorched ground beneath them and echoing through the smoky air like a drum of war.
Hina's eyes snapped toward the source, and what she saw made her chest tighten.
Another wave of soldiers, armored and relentless, was steadily pushing forward, flooding the battlefield like a rising tide of iron and death.
"This is…?" she whispered under her breath.
The banners they carried, dark against the burning sky, bore the unmistakable crest of the Great House of Sarushima.
And that could only mean one thing and that was Yuuna's father—Sarushima Kazuhiro himself—had unleashed his army onto the field, tightening his iron grip around the chaos like it was nothing more than a game.
She could sense it, clear as day that these weren't just fresh soldiers thrown into the fray. No, these were hardened warriors, seasoned by countless battles, each one carrying the sharp, invisible weight of experience on their shoulders.
