Ancient Imperial Calendar Year 1830
The Western Army, consisting of three and a half million men under the command of Marco Kislavein, had entered the Southern Lands, which consisted entirely of deserts.
Under the scorching sun, the lightly armored Western army, despite all their preparations, was struggling to advance.
Marco was sweltering from the heat.
"Hah, it's so hot."
Hearing Marco's complaints, Kisrael joined in.
"You're right, Supreme Commander. I have never seen such scorching heat in my life."
Jonas had finished all the water in his canteen. Even though he refilled it with water magic, he was about to go crazy from the heat.
"I'm losing my mind. How do people live in such a hot region?"
Edmund Rodwel could withstand the heat relatively well.
"You're right. Actually, these lands were the first to secede from the Ancient Empire. Even the last Ancient Emperor, VIII Harloumen, couldn't conquer these lands without heavy losses."
Jonas was panting, exhausted, and a bit irritable.
"Lord Edmund, believe me, I'm in no condition to hear anything."
Edmund, showing understanding for Jonas's condition, fell silent.
Marco had noticed that his army was exhausted from the heat even before fighting. He turned his head to a soldier beside him and gave an order.
"Quickly, go to Lord Kervin's side. Bring him and his children, Arlek and Lady Arnheid, to me."
A Kislavein soldier spurred his horse into a full gallop and went to the side of Payrist Dynasty Lord I Kervin.
"My Lord, the Supreme Commander summons you and your children to his side."
Kervin was unaffected by the heat; he hadn't even broken a sweat and was sitting straight on his horse.
"I can guess why he called us. Let's go, children."
Arlek and Arnheid said simultaneously.
"As you command, Father."
Kervin and his twins, Arlek and Arnheid, went to Supreme Commander Marco's side.
"We greet the Supreme Commander," they said at the same time.
"Welcome. I suppose you can guess why I called you. You are very powerful in ice magic. Would you be so kind as to cool our army a little?"
Kervin was a bit hesitant.
"We are obliged to obey your command. But are you sure about this, Supreme Commander? We planned to use our ice magic against the Arfas soldiers."
"I know. But if this continues, our army will give up before even fighting. The heat has overwhelmed everyone. If the Arfas army attacks now, this fatigue and exhaustion will ruin us."
Kervin nodded his head as if to say yes, turned to his children, and said.
"Come with me."
Kervin and his children rode their horses to the very front of the army. After placing the entire army before them, they began preparations.
They cast the weakest ice spell. The sole purpose of this spell was not to harm, but to relieve the army suffering from the heat.
Each of the Western soldiers relaxed as the cold winds hit their faces. Their sweat dried, their fatigue passed; it was as if their energy was replenished.
"This much should be sufficient. Let's save the rest of our Mana for after the battle."
Kervin, Arlek, and Arnheid went to Supreme Commander Marco's side.
"Is this enough, Supreme Commander?" Kervin asked.
Marco, relieved and cheerful, answered.
"Thank you for your efforts. Our spirits and energy are restored. Return to your positions and do not leave your unit until my next order."
All three bowed their heads.
"As you command, Supreme Commander," they said simultaneously.
When the three returned to their unit's side, the army continued to advance.
Kervin called Arlek to his side and began to speak.
"Arlek, it has been over thirty years since I became the head of the Payrist Dynasty. I have aged, and you have grown, developed, and become strong. You are now ready to take over the Payrist Dynasty."
Arlek wasn't expecting this. He thought his father would remain on the throne until his death.
"Are you sure, Dynasty Lord?"
Kervin took a deep breath.
"I am sure. Both you and your sister have surpassed me in power, talent, and intellect. If you wanted, you could have killed me and ascended the throne, just like the Kislavein Dynasty Lord."
Arlek objected angrily.
"I would never do such a thing, Father. I love you and my family. I wouldn't kill you just for a throne, to rule a city and a few villages."
Kervin was proud of his son. As a father, he was very happy.
"You have once again shown that you deserve my throne. When this war is over, I will abdicate, and you will ascend as Payrist Dynasty Lord IV Arlek Payrist, my son."
Arlek respected his father's decision.
"As you deem appropriate, Father."
One hour later
The Kislavein and Arfas armies faced each other in the Sahharaba Desert, one of the hottest and most dangerous regions of the desert.
Leading the Arfas army was the son of VI Hasan, Arfas Dynasty Lord II Behram Arfas.
"Those damned Western Lands people slaughtered our bloodline. Now they've come to extinguish it."
Behram II's son, Haydar Arfas, also carried his father's anger.
"You're right, Father. But here, it will be their bloodline that is extinguished."
Behram II gave the order to attack.
The Arfas army charged on camels and desert horses, experiencing no difficulty.
Marco watched the approaching enemy in astonishment.
"Look at this nonsense. They're not struggling at all."
When the Arfas soldiers entered a certain range, Kervin, Arlek, and Arnheid spent all their mana to cast a massive ice spell.
The attacking Arfas soldiers stopped and went on the defensive, but when the icy wind descended upon them, they couldn't see a thing.
When the cloud lifted, a frightening scene revealed itself.
Not only Behram II and his army, but even the Kislavein army couldn't believe what they saw.
"Impossible."
Half a million soldiers had turned into ice statues. A few seconds later, they shattered into pieces.
The Kislavein army's morale soared with this success in the first phase of the battle.
A great fear gripped the Arfas soldiers.
The instinct for survival was taking over their bodies.
Behram tried to bring the situation under control.
"DO NOT FLEE! OR I WILL KILL YOU ALL WITH MY OWN HANDS! STAY AND FIGHT!"
But the situation hadn't changed. Those gripped by fear began to flee; half the army had deserted the battlefield.
While Behram fought the Kislavein soldiers on one hand, he cursed his fleeing soldiers on the other.
"COWARDLY BASTARDS! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"
Marco was certain he had won the battle.
"ATTACK! SLAUGHTER THEM ALL!"
The Kislavein army launched an all-out attack, slaughtering anyone who stood in their way.
The main target of the Kislavein soldiers was Arfas Dynasty Lord Behram.
"If I kill him, I'll get a priceless reward."
"I can establish my own dynasty."
"I'll have hundreds of wives."
"I'll live comfortably until I die."
"I MUST KILL HIM!"
The same thought was running through every soldier's mind.
Each attacked Behram greedily.
Behram had slaughtered thousands of Kislavein soldiers, but new ones kept coming.
Not just ordinary soldiers, but also the commanders of the army were after Behram.
Kisrael faced Behram with all his courage.
The moment the two made eye contact, they clashed in battle.
Their duel was fierce; the speed at which they swung their swords and cast their spells was incredible.
However, although Kisrael was the Head Master of the Blood Academy, he was no match for an Ancient Dynasty Lord.
Behram spent a large amount of his Aura and broke Kisrael's sword and arm with a single blow.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
Kisrael let out a great scream from the pain of his broken arm.
"Don't cry, Westerner. I'll put an end to your pain."
Behram cut off Kisrael's head.
The severed head rolled on the ground for a while before falling.
Kisrael Kislavein, the Head Master of the Blood Academy, was dead.
"FATHER!"
The ones shouting were Behram's sons, Haydar and Keyhüsrev.
The two princes had gathered with the remaining brave warriors and mages around them, having slaughtered Western soldiers to protect their Dynasty Lord.
"Father, are you alright?" Keyhüsrev asked in a worried voice.
"I'm fine, my son. But time is working against us. The Kislavein soldiers have surrounded us. It's only a matter of time before we are slaughtered in less than an hour."
"At least I didn't bring some of my sons with me. If I had come to this war with all my sons, the Arfas Dynasty would have been wiped out with this battle," thought Behram.
"Father, we can still win the battle. We must kill the supreme commander of this army," said Haydar.
Behram thought for a short while.
"No, that won't work. The Kislaveins are not the kind of men to abandon the battlefield just because their commander is killed. Instead, we must kill the core members of this army."
"Which ones?" asked Keyhüsrev.
Behram frowned and answered irritably.
"We must kill those damned ice mages."
Haydar objected.
"NO, FATHER! They have placed those who cast that spell under heavy guard. Instead, let's kill their supreme commander. Even if we can't escape, we'll worsen their situation in future battles."
Keyhüsrev found his brother's plan unreasonable and protested.
"No, Brother. Father is right. We can't escape. Killing the enemy's Supreme Commander won't change anything. We must kill the Ice Mages who caused us to lose this battle."
An Arfas soldier interrupted the father and sons' argument anxiously.
"Master, decide quickly. Most of our army has been slaughtered."
Behram looked around. Far more Arfas corpses than Kislavein corpses lay on the sands.
He pointed his sword towards the location of Kervin, Arlek, and Arnheid.
"MY SOLDIERS! EVEN IF WE DIE HERE, OUR DEATHS MUST BE MEANINGFUL. WE WILL LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE VICTORIES WITH OUR CORPSES. FOLLOW ME! I GIFT YOU THE MOST HONORABLE DEATH! ATTACK!"
The Southern soldiers, freed from the fear of death, fearlessly broke into the Kislavein lines under the leadership of Dynasty Lord Behram and Princes Haydar and Keyhüsrev.
They advanced relentlessly, slaughtering tens of thousands of Kislavein soldiers.
"STOP THEM! DON'T LET THEM REACH THE PAYRISTS!"
Constantinos Dynasty Lord XIII Boran formed a defense with his own unit.
Behram was curious about the commander forming a defense in front of him because his appearance was different from the others.
"Who is this? Unlike the other Western soldiers, he doesn't have Dark Blood Red hair and eyes. He looks more like someone from the Central Lands. Is he perhaps XIII Boran, the Kislavein Dynasty Lord's first father-in-law?"
Shortly after, the Arfas soldiers broke through the Kislavein defense. Boran was knocked off his horse by a sword strike from Arfas Prince Keyhüsrev.
As the Arfas cavalry trampled his corpse, blood streamed from his wound.
As death slowly approached, his life flashed before his eyes.
He thought one last time before dying.
Was my life satisfying? In a way, yes. I was born as the heir to a tiny village, a village no one even knew the name of.
A place not even found on maps, like a region hidden within the mountains. But we were always loyal to the Kislavein Dynasty and the Great Dynasties we were vassals to.
We always paid our taxes on time. When war broke out, we went, even if we were only a hundred people. But we were always treated as if we didn't exist.
Traveling merchants, even those looking for a new home, never came to our village. They didn't care.
I became the Dynasty Lord at a young age, though of course, no one except the villagers cared.
Like my ancestors, I also married a woman from my village—without boasting, she was the most beautiful girl in the village.
We had two children. We said we didn't need more, and years later, something I never expected happened.
A marriage proposal came to the Constantinos Dynasty, which even neighboring villages ignored and even smaller dynasties didn't want to marry into, from the world's most powerful and feared dynasty.
The Kislavein Dynasty.
They wanted to marry my daughter to their Heir. More precisely, as a Concubine. Daughters from small dynasties like ours could never enter the Harem as Wives.
We were all surprised and happy. With the ten thousand chests of gold sent as gifts, we developed and expanded our village. Within a few years, we built a city and became a Great Dynasty that no one could ignore anymore.
Of course, above all, I reached the peak of happiness with the births of my grandchildren.
When I learned my daughter could no longer get pregnant, I was both sad and relieved because if she gave birth to a son, she wouldn't become a target for the other women in the harem.
Yes, it was a satisfying life. It's fitting for it to end here.
XIII Boran Constantinos had died. While his death caused some loss of morale among his soldiers, they continued to fight.
Keyhüsrev, tired and wounded, called out to his father.
"Father, we can't reach the ice mages. Most of our soldiers are dead."
Their surroundings were tightly encircled. The Arfas soldiers were killed one by one. Only Behram and his sons remained.
"Hah hah... Our end has come, my sons. I shouldn't have brought you here. I'm sorry."
Haydar leaned his back against his father and prepared for the approaching death.
"Don't apologize, Father. This is our fate."
Keyhüsrev, disregarding death, mentally prepared himself for his final battle.
"Exactly. Let's die fighting to the end, Father, Brother."
Just as Behram, Haydar, and Keyhüsrev were about to launch a full attack, they saw the Kislavein Army Supreme Commander, Marco Kislavein, whom they had initially thought of killing, standing before them.
"I don't want to talk much with you three. Attack together so we can finish this battle."
Behram, Haydar, and Keyhüsrev were so shocked they couldn't move for the first few seconds, but then attacked to kill Marco.
"Let me finish this battle already."
Marco attacked. He sent Behram flying meters back with a powerful blow.
Haydar and his brother Keyhüsrev were killed with a single sword strike.
When Behram saw the lifeless bodies of his sons, he lost control.
He attacked like an angry bull.
"He finally lost control. He has so many openings, but the bad thing is, despite all these openings, he doesn't give me a chance to strike. Then I'll fight with all my strength too."
Marco attacked with all his might. Behram, already tired and wounded, couldn't withstand more than twenty rounds of Marco's all-out attacks and finally fell on his back.
"If you have any last words, be quick. I have more cities to conquer."
Behram strained to speak.
"Enjoy it, my son. My vengeance will come."
Marco adopted a mocking tone.
"Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll send him to join you soon."
Marco thrust his sword into Behram's heart and took his life. Then, he raised his sword and declared his victory.
"I, SUPREME COMMANDER MARCO KISLAVEIN, HAVE KILLED THE ARFAS DYNASTY LORD AND HIS SONS!"
The Kislavein army shouted victory cries. It was a decisive, overwhelming victory, yet the losses were great.
The Arfas army had lost two million soldiers. In contrast, the Kislavein army's loss was only around three hundred thousand.
The fleeing Arfas soldiers were stopped by Behram's fifth son, Jamshid Arfas.
When Jamshid learned of the deaths of his father and brothers, he went mad with rage and swore vows of vengeance.
Jamshid Arfas entered the capital, Mah-Ehrem, with the two million soldiers under his command.
With the support he received from this army, he declared himself Arfas Dynasty Lord III Jamshid.
On the same day, without any ceremony or feast, he set out on a campaign with his army to fight the Kislavein army.
A new battle was approaching. Behram's third and fourth sons were also fighting Ashterah soldiers in the eastern region.