Valos Bastion.
"They can't hold out much longer. They're on full defense, unable to counterattack. As long as we keep surrounding them, they'll have no choice but to collapse. Captain James was too careless—his forces were destroyed in a single ambush. If we remain cautious and avoid his mistakes, victory will be ours." The commander of the united coalition forces observed the battlefield blazing before him, surrounded by elite guards at all times.
He had arranged his forces in tight interlocking formations, determined not to repeat James's downfall.
"Agreed. Valos Bastion has been far too soft. If they had slaughtered those city builders and vagrants mercilessly, we would never have broken through their walls so many times." A general nodded. Although their previous advances had been repelled, those were only probes. Now that the enemy's weaknesses were revealed, once the full assault began, victory seemed inevitable.
In war, mercy and compassion were useless. The outcome already seemed decided.
"Princess Xia, if we continue letting the enemy destroy our walls without fighting back, Valos Bastion won't last long," Vic said anxiously as he looked at the sections of wall that had been breached again and again.
"It's true," said an old man beside Spark, now the deputy executor of Valos Bastion. "I was once a vagrant myself, but in war, mercy has no place."
"It's not mercy," Xia replied calmly. "It's timing. Wait a little longer."
He told her to hold on for a while longer—so she would. Even if the walls were to fall, she would still believe in him.
Child Bastion.
"Why haven't we been ordered to attack the city builders? The outer city has fallen! Everyone's retreated to the inner city. If this continues, we'll have to fall back to the upper citadel and abandon this bastion entirely!" the original commander shouted in frustration.
If not for the twenty deadly Lantis soldiers standing beside him, he might have fled or given the attack order himself.
"Orders are orders," one of the Lantis said coldly. His weapon never left his hand. If the commander disobeyed, they would cut his head off on the spot.
Blois Bastion.
"Can we still hold?" Blois asked Lisa.
"No problem," Lisa replied. "The enemy's numbers are high, but the time is almost right."
At Abyss Bastion, Spark had already infiltrated the city builders' ranks. As the sun began to set, he suddenly raised his arm and shouted, "Kill the nobles! Free the city builders! I am Spark of Valos! Those who seek freedom—follow me! Take Abyss Bastion!"
A wild, bestial roar erupted. Hidden weapons buried underground or beneath stone were unearthed by vengeful, frenzied city builders.
Spark led a crazed army charging toward the inner and upper cities.
"What's happening out there? Why all this noise? Don't they know I'm entertaining guests? Do they want to die?" the ruling earl of Abyss Bastion shouted angrily.
"Lord Earl! It's bad! The vagrants are revolting! They've gone mad—they're already attacking the upper city! The gates weren't closed in time!" a guard cried as he burst in with the news.
Panic spread among the nobles.
"How can this be?! What about the city guard? The inner defenses?" the earl demanded. His loyal dogs—why had they suddenly turned rabid?
"The guards and inner troops have traitors among them! They believe in Princess Xia's doctrine of equality. We don't know when they were turned, but there are too many rebels! We can't hold them back!"
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Kill them all! Slaughter every last filthy wretch! Wait—no! Forget that! Protect me first! You worthless trash—gather the guards, protect me!" the earl screamed.
Two hours later, drenched in blood, Spark crushed the earl's manor beneath his boots. Then, raising his voice to the people, he shouted, "Now—you are free!"
Over a hundred thousand city builders roared in unison. The news spread instantly across the Andia Kingdom. It was the signal.
After Abyss Bastion fell, uprisings broke out in four more bastions under Rosen's planned coordination.
Not all succeeded—one failed, and tens of thousands of builders were massacred as a warning. The noble responsible believed his brutality would intimidate the rest.
But he was wrong. Enraged, Spark rallied forces from two neighboring bastions. After a bloody battle, they captured the entire stronghold, executing every noble involved in the slaughter.
"Send out the recordings and photographs. Make sure the entire royal army sees them," Rosen said to Alice and Robin.
"Yes. Some were broadcast live through Den Den Mushi. The troops outside the cities have seen everything," Robin confirmed. Using her Hana Hana ability, she had planted communication snails throughout the builders' settlements, linking their signals together.
The royal forces had no way to counter such an ability.
Broadcasting the uprising was Rosen's idea—mercy had served its purpose. Now it was time to turn compassion into power.
"Spread the message. If even one builder within the enemy's ranks dares to rise up, the three main bastions will respond at once—full attack. Crush the king's army," Rosen ordered.
The command spread rapidly. Soon after, Rosen and his group stood atop Valos Bastion's wall, where more than fifty thousand troops were assembled at the gates.
"By order of Princess Xia! To all enslaved people—five bastions have already been liberated! If even one of you rises up, we will welcome you and launch a full-scale assault on the royal army! For freedom!" Vic shouted.
Not far from the walls, the royal coalition army—having seen the live images—was already uneasy.
Before they could act, the proclamation went out, and panic struck the commander. He immediately ordered all builders restrained.
But it was too late. Everyone knew the truth—those "builders" were like barrels of gunpowder. A single spark would blow everything apart.
"To hell with this! I won't be treated like an animal sent to die! Even without weapons, I'll bite their throats out!" a builder roared. Chains still on his limbs, he lunged and bit into a royal soldier's neck.
The soldier's blade pierced him halfway, but he was already dead before he could finish the strike.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The war drums atop Valos Bastion thundered—the signal to attack.
The gates burst open. The sand-walls crumbled. Every soldier charged forth.
Seeing this, the builders enslaved by the royal army erupted in fury, turning on their captors.
The royal troops panicked. The more the builders fell, the more ferociously the survivors fought. Valos Bastion's forces stormed out in full strength, catching the enemy completely off guard.
The commander froze in shock. His soldiers trembled. In an instant, half the kingdom's bastions had fallen under Princess Xia's control. Her armies were unstoppable—driven by fury and faith.
The royal army broke. Casualties mounted by the second. The outcome was already decided.
At Child Bastion and Blois Bastion, the same scene unfolded.
In a single moment, the royal army collapsed on every front.
(End of Chapter)