"Ah—!"
With a loud yawn, a drowsy Serris border guard leaned lazily against the tower railing, squinting into the blazing sunrise. The golden light forced him to avert his gaze—until something in the east caught his eye.
His pupils shrank.
"Hey! Wake up! Wake up!" He shielded his eyes with one hand and frantically kicked his companion with the other. "Mayne's soldiers! A whole army of them!"
"Ugh, why are you kicking me? Mayne's soldiers? Don't be ridiculous. Who practices drills at dawn—" The second soldier groaned and staggered upright, his armor clattering.
But when he rubbed his eyes and looked east, his words stuck in his throat.
"Damn it! Sound the alarm! Mayne is attacking!"
"Light the beacon! Quickly!" the first guard roared. He leaned over the tower wall, shouting to those below. "Get the fire going! Now!"
But it was already too late.
"Loose!"
A black storm of arrows hissed through the air, blotting out the morning sun. The sky rained death upon the watchtower. One guard was struck through the chest, his scream cut short as he toppled from the platform. Others scrambled, dousing dry wood with kerosene as shafts thudded into their shields.
"Shields up!" bellowed the officer in charge, brandishing his longsword. "Hold the line!"
Below, Mayne's cavalry surged forward like a tide of armored ants. In three years of garrison duty, the officer had never seen so many enemy soldiers gathered in one place.
A cold thought gripped him. It's over.
But even as despair loomed, the beacon fire roared to life, its thick smoke curling skyward—a final warning to Serris.
"Boom!" A massive log slammed against the tower gate, shuddering it on its hinges. Mayne's soldiers pressed the assault with ruthless efficiency.
"Can't let them extinguish the beacon!" the officer cried. "Long live Ailan Hill! Long live Serris!"
The few guards left raised their shields and formed a desperate wall on the narrow staircase. They braced for the inevitable.
"Boom!"
The door burst open in a shower of splinters. Mayne soldiers stormed in, only to be met with steel and shields. The clash of metal rang out as Serris defenders fought like cornered beasts, cutting down the first attackers before being overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
One by one, they fell. Yet the beacon fire raged, smoke spiraling high into the heavens.
When City Lord Ensel climbed the blood-soaked tower, the corpses of Serris soldiers still lay sprawled around the flames. He sneered, kicking aside the lifeless officer.
"Put out that fire! Quickly!"
Behind him, black smoke already stretched across the horizon, warning Serris of the invasion. Ensel's eyes darkened.
"March faster! Don't give the Ailan Hill family time to react!"
---
Far away, in Serris City—
Bang!
Chris shoved open the chamber doors so violently that they slammed against the walls with a thunderous crash. His black armor clinked with every step, the steel plates ringing like war bells.
"Mayne dares to deliver itself to death's door?" His furious voice echoed through the hall like thunder.
"Ensel's greed knows no bounds," Deans said bitterly. "He's launched a surprise invasion without declaring war. His troops crossed the border yesterday—they're likely near the eastern forest already."
Wagron's adjutant stepped forward, helmet under his arm. "General Wagron has prepared the army. Five hundred cavalry and five hundred new recruits await your command."
Chris strode to the map, eyes sharp. "Good. We'll intercept them at the forest's edge. There, our firepower can crush them."
He paused, then smiled coldly. "But Wagron won't be joining me. Order him to take three hundred cavalry, three hundred recruits, and ten cannons. He'll march through the mountain paths… and strike directly at Mayne Castle."
The chamber fell silent.
"My lord, splitting our forces now—it's too risky," the adjutant whispered.
Chris's eyes gleamed with cruel confidence. "Risk? Ten cannons against two thousand soldiers? The real risk is that they surrender before I've vented my anger!"
He drew a deep breath, then declared, "I'll lead five hundred men to crush Ensel in the eastern forest. Wagron will burn Mayne to the ground. There will be no Mayne Principality after this!"
"Long live Ailan Hill!" the adjutant saluted, fist to chest.
Chris turned to his other allies. "Deans, you'll remain in Serris to guard the city. Strider, you will personally escort one thousand gold coins to the Arante Empire. When Mayne falls, we'll present their tribute as our own. The empire will have no excuse to interfere."
He knew this conquest had to be packaged as loyalty. Expansion was meaningless if the empire turned its wrath on him.
---
A day later…
Chris led four hundred soldiers and gathered eighty survivors who had fled the border. Together, they fortified a position deep in the eastern forest, blocking Mayne's advance toward Serris.
By afternoon, Ensel's force appeared on the horizon: two hundred cavalry and eighteen hundred infantry, banners flying and drums thundering.
Neither side sought battle that evening. Chris sent a messenger condemning Ensel's treachery; Ensel replied with arrogant demands for surrender. Both sides sharpened their blades for the dawn.
At sunrise, the two armies faced each other.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The war drums shook the earth as Mayne's phalanx advanced, spearpoints glittering like a steel tide.
Chris sat astride his restless warhorse, his armor engraved with dark vines that gleamed coldly under the morning light. Though his heart pounded, he forced calm into his mind. This is only a battalion-level clash. Numbers may be against us, but firepower… firepower will decide everything.
His gaze swept his lines. Barely a hundred infantry formed his front. Behind them, two hundred cavalry waited in reserve, hooves pawing the dirt.
He tapped the hilt of his sword, thinking quickly. We can't let them engage in melee. Once their lines break through, we're finished. This must be decided with firepower.
Chris leaned toward his messenger. "Order the artillery: load grenades. Five rounds per gun. Prepare to fire—await my command."
As the runner galloped off, the Mayne army's formation surged forward, war drums pounding like thunder.
The forest trembled. The decisive battle had begun.