Ancient Imperial Calendar Year 1814
Just one hour after the Second Battle of Corpse Valley, the battle of the 3rd Armies began.
The commander of the Arfas Dynasty's 3rd Army, Halit Farsan, had set up camp on the banks of the Indepher River. While everyone saw victory as certain, Halit Farsan was looking at the cities he would attack on the map.
"The conquest route is like this. Do any of you have anything to say?" said Halit, turning to the Generals.
"No, sir. The plan is absolutely flawless."
"Haha,the time has come to overthrow the thousand-year-old Kislavein Dynasty."
"And who knows,after this, we might even conquer the North, the East, and the Central Territories."
"Exactly,they're all exhausted from wars anyway."
The Legion Generals' morale was high. They were sipping their drinks, viewing victory as certain. But just then, they heard shouts from outside the tent.
"Aahhhhhh!" "Haaaaa ha ha haa!" "What's happening?"said one commander.
A guard from outside the camp entered. His face was white with fear. "Sir,the soldiers have gone mad! They're attacking each other!"
Halit and the other Legion Generals in the camp couldn't understand what was happening at first. They drew their swords and exited the tent, where they experienced a great shock.
The Arfas soldiers were attacking each other like rabid bulls.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS NONSENSE?!" said Halit in an angry voice.
Halit and the Generals beside him rushed forward.
Halit used magic to stop his soldiers. Chains made of earth and stone emerged from the ground, restraining the hundreds of thousands of crazed soldiers. The other Legion Generals also supported Halit with their own magic.
But even these chains couldn't hold the crazed soldiers.
Those who broke free from the chains attacked again, cutting down everyone in their path.
"DAMN IT! LISTEN TO ME! STOP THEM IF YOU CAN! IF YOU CAN'T, KILL THEM ALL!"
Upon Halit's order, a civil war broke out within the Arfas army. After hours of fighting, only about twenty of the hundred Legions of the Arfas Dynasty's 3rd Army remained.
That night, while Halit and the surviving soldiers buried their dead, they also investigated what had caused the soldiers to go mad.
"Did you find anything?" Halit asked a General who approached him. "Yes,sir. Our investigation revealed that the soldiers who drank water from the river went mad after a while."
Halit asked in astonishment: "The river?Are you mocking me? How can ordinary river water drive hundreds of thousands of soldiers mad?"
Halit angrily went to the riverbank. He dipped his finger into the river, then brought the few drops of river water on his finger to his mouth and swirled it on his tongue. "Pah!"
Halit spat out the water he had taken into his mouth. "Are you alright,Commander-in-Chief?" asked the Legion General. "Dark Magic has been performed on this water,"said Halit, trying to control his anger.
The General panicked. "Dark Magic?What's that?"
Halit stood up, taking deep breaths. "This isn't widely known,and there's no proof, but I've heard the Kislavein Dynasty has a dangerous hereditary trait called Dark Magic."
Those around Halit were shocked. "A hereditary trait?So only those with Kislavein blood can use it?"
Halit nodded his head as if to say yes.
Another commander asked curiously: "What exactly is this Dark Magic,Commander-in-Chief?" "We don't know what it is.The Kislaveins have guarded the secret of this magic so well that for hundreds of years, we haven't been able to gather even the slightest information about it."
Halit and those around him were driven mad with anger.
They continued burying the dead late into the night.
Halit and the Legion Generals were discussing what to do. "Should we continue the campaign,Commander-in-Chief?"
Halit replied with an uncertain expression: "I don't know.We've suffered too many casualties, and the army's morale has collapsed."
A General asked worriedly: "Sir,what if the other armies have faced a similar situation?" "That would be the worst-case scenario.After all those civil wars, we could never build this massive army again with such difficulty."
Halit and all the Legion Generals were overcome with despair. "Let's rest for now.We'll make the final decision tomorrow."
All the Legion Generals dispersed to their rooms. In the late hours of the night, when everyone was tired and exhausted, a massive white light appeared, illuminating the dark night.
"What is this now?"
The soldiers' astonished gazes were cut short as the freezing cold touched their bodies. Suddenly, their bodies froze, as if turned into ice statues.
"Impossible!"
Halit and the remaining few thousand soldiers looked at their comrades, now turned into ice statues.
"DAMN ITTTTT!"
Halit, who had fallen to the depths of the pit of despair, fell to his knees. He was exhausted both physically and mentally.
"THE KISLAVEINS ARE COMING!"
The soldiers of the Kislavein Dynasty appeared with their Dark Blood-Red Armor and Banners. They looked down mockingly at the Arfas Dynasty soldiers, who were kneeling in fear and exhaustion.
At the forefront of the Kislavein Army soldiers, whose Dark Blood-Red Hair and Eyes made them resemble demons in the pitch darkness of the night, were the 3rd Army Commander-in-Chief Adolf Fraus and his son Heinricht Fraus.
"So it was you," said Halit, kneeling and exhausted.
Adolf was known as someone always angry, harsh, and authoritative; he never broke his seriousness. But he was filled with great excitement and euphoria due to this victory achieved without losing a single soldier.
"Yes, it was me, Halit. It's been a long time, hasn't it? During our last encounter, you almost killed me. But look how fair fate is; now you kneel before me."
Halit ignored these insults. His eyes looked dead. There were only two things he was curious about: "How did you poison the river?What kind of Dark Magic did you use, Adolf?"
Adolf Fraus returned to his usual serious self. "Simple.I predicted you would stop by this river. We went to the river's source. The entire army worked together and performed a powerful Dark Magic. The river water... your soldiers drank it, and after a while, they went mad under the influence of the Dark Magic."
Halit bowed his head. "And what was that magic that turned my soldiers into ice statues?"
Adolf stepped aside, raised a hand, and pointed at two people. "Those twins did it."
Halit raised his head. Amidst tens of thousands of Dark Blood-Red Hair and Eyes, two siblings with Silver Hair and Eyes stood out easily. They were Arlek and Arnheid, the Twins of the Payrist Dynasty.
"How are they so powerful at this age?" asked Halit.
Arlek stepped forward, proudly puffing out his chest. "We are this powerful thanks to our Dynasty Heir,Commander-in-Chief Halit."
"The Heir? Is that the one they call Ricardo Kislavein?"
Arlek crossed his arms, acting as if he himself had been praised. "Yes,thanks to Dynasty Heir Ricardo Kislavein, we have become this strong."
Adolf and his son Heinricht drew their swords. Along with them, the entire Kislavein army stood ready to attack.
"Any last words, Halit? Not that they matter much anyway."
"No. Finish your job, my rival."
"Farewell, Halit bin Hüseyin el Farsani, my greatest rival."
With a single move, Adolf beheaded Halit. Then the entire army attacked. The last remaining few thousand Arfas soldiers were also put to the sword by the Kislavein soldiers.
"The battle is over, father," said Heinricht.
"You're right, son. I wonder what the situation is with the other armies."