Page 1
The camera pulls back.
A massive army rides hard. Armor gleaming. Dust rising.
Mabu in the middle of them, atop his horse. Eyes forward.
After some time—
The general's voice cuts through the noise:
"We're entering the tunnel. Everyone, prepare yourselves."
A close-up on the general's face as he approaches the entrance.
Real fear on his features. He doesn't hide it.
Page 2
Darkness swallows them all at once.
The sound of horses multiplies in the narrow space. Nothing can be seen at all.
Then the general ignites a light.
Directly on the wall in front of him — a spider the size of a grown man. Many eyes. It doesn't move.
A scream from the back: "What is that?!"
The general turns.
A massive insect seizes a soldier by the head and pulls him upward in terrible silence.
Page 3
Mabu enters the tunnel.
Blood on the left wall. No body. Just blood.
He keeps moving without stopping — eyes forward, face set with determination — following the army ahead of him.
The general raises his light: "Move faster, soldiers! Don't stop! Push through with everything you have!"
Then — a deep tremor. A vibration beneath them.
Mabu's horse stops and rears. The ceiling collapses in front of him — massive, successive boulders — sealing the road completely.
From beneath the rubble, a giant worm crawls toward him. Its teeth gleam in the darkness. Its jaws open and snap shut with force. Its face is something from a nightmare.
Mabu draws his sword and raises it — but the worm releases a strange sound and pulls back.
He looks left. A narrow side passage.
Page 4
"Yuzuha! Follow me!"
They move. Whatever soldiers find them follow without a word.
From the other side of the collapse, voices push through the rock:
"Mabu!"
"Yuzuha!"
Karki's voice. Then Totoki's.
No answer. The rock between them doesn't move.
Page 5
The general emerges from the other end of the tunnel. He stops.
He looks at those who came out with him. Starts counting with his eyes.
He stops.
Half of those who entered did not come out.
He looks at the ground for a long moment.
"We wait one minute. If they don't come — we move."
Page 6
Karki and Totoki emerge.
Tears on Karki's face — he doesn't wipe them. Totoki grips his shoulder in silence.
The general: "What happened back there?"
Karki, voice shaking: "We were moving normally. Then the tunnel collapsed behind us. Our people were at the back. The collapse was massive. We tried to go back in. No sound. Nothing."
The general goes quiet.
He looks toward what lies ahead.
Page 7
"We move."
Karki raises his head: "Move? We're leaving them there without help?"
The general turns to face him.
"There is nothing we can do now. If we stop, we lose the Wall — and we lose them with it. The only way to honor them is to arrive and win."
Silence.
The general turns to leave — then hesitates for one moment. He looks back at the tunnel one last time.
Then rides.
Page 8
The Northern Wall appears on the horizon.
Massive. Ancient stone. It stretches in both directions until it disappears.
The soldiers reach the gate. It opens. They enter.
The general climbs to the command room. He looks down at the scene from above.
The soldiers of Lutosh arrived before them — one hour after the fighting started. The main gate held, but with obvious difficulty.
Page 9
The Shalubi general shakes hands with the Lutosh general.
"Hello. My name is Kenneth. What's the situation?"
"My name is Liban. Good to meet you."
Liban pauses.
"They breached the first gate by force and attempted to storm the main gate — but we arrived just in time. We managed to push them back, even with their numbers greater than ours. They've retreated, but I believe they have reinforcements coming. They're still out there. Waiting."
Page 10
Kenneth: "Your losses?"
Liban: "Thirty percent of my men."
Kenneth places his hand on the wall.
"I lost 600 of my soldiers. In the tunnel. Without a real fight."
His face tightens with rage.
"600 soldiers in a tunnel full of insects."
He breathes.
"What do we do now?"
Liban: "We hold at the gate. If they come for us — we face them with everything we have left."
Page 11
Totoki stands alone on the Wall's rampart.
He looks to the other side. Archers on the horizon.
He's waiting for something.
Karki stands beside him. Doesn't speak.
Totoki scans the Wall:
"Where is Mabu's grandfather?"
He searches with his eyes along the full length of the Wall.
He finds no one yet.
Page 12
On the other side of the Wall.
The Tali army's command tent. A general stands before a map.
Someone enters: "Sir. The reinforcements have arrived."
The general steps out of the tent. He looks at the one who came.
"Give me a full report of everything that has happened so far."
Page 13
Flashback. Two days ago.
The palace of the Tali Kingdom. The King sits alone in his chair.
A soldier enters: "My King. An envoy has arrived from the North. From the Kingdom of Hashi."
The King is surprised. He takes the letter. Opens it. Begins reading.
Page 14
"Greetings, King of Tali. Let us get straight to the point. Forty-two hours from now, I will send an envoy from my kingdom to the Kingdom of Shalubi, claiming I am under grave attack and requesting that they send their soldiers to help defend my realm."
Page 15
"According to my knowledge, they will send at least one or two divisions — as we pay them tribute in exchange for protection. For reasons I will not detail here, I can no longer endure living at the mercy of that man, King Bumer. Therefore, I want to help you breach the Wall and advance North."
Page 16
"The Pure Gold soldiers in my kingdom will be occupied with a false alarm. During this time, breach the Wall. There is a small chance the Kingdom of Lutosh will defend with some soldiers, but not many. After you breach the Northern Wall, I will dedicate all my strength to supporting you in crushing every kingdom in the North. In exchange, I ask only for the Kingdom of Karkin and a powerful position in the North. Nothing else."
Page 17
King Tali sets the paper on the table.
He looks at it. Thinks.
He calls toward the door: "Bobby."
A massive blind man enters carrying a long axe.
"Yes?"
"Call a meeting of the war ministers. Quickly."
"As you wish, sire."
He bows and closes the door.
The King rises and walks toward the council chamber.
Page 18
Three elderly ministers sit around the table.
"What is the news, our King?"
King Tali throws the paper onto the table.
"A letter reached me today from the North."
"The North?"
"The Kingdom of Hashi. The letter states that in forty-two hours, they will help us reduce Shalubi's forces by seventy-five percent. Because of this, we can breach the Northern Wall and invade the North without resistance."
Page 19
The first minister speaks: "I don't believe this. It looks like an obvious trap to me."
The second cuts in: "I don't see it that way. I see a powerful opportunity to seize the Wall. Controlling the Wall means controlling the North's greatest weapon."
The first says: "The opportunity is real — but it carries enormous risk. We in the South don't have agreements with every kingdom. The moment we send our divisions to the Wall, others may strike us from behind."
Page 20
The second minister recoils in disgust: "Be quiet. Don't speak."
The first minister stands: "What is the meaning of—"
The second ignores him and continues, looking at the King: "Your Majesty. This is a massive opportunity. It may be a risk — but it is a chance that has not come in many years. You must not let it pass."
The King is silent. He places his hands behind his back and walks slowly around the table.
Everyone waits.
Page 21
The King strikes the table and stands.
"I have decided."
He raises his head.
"In forty-two hours, I will send Battalion Number One — five hundred soldiers, three percent of whom possess Extra Circuits — toward the Wall. Their mission is to breach only. If resistance is great, they fall back. If it is light, they hold and call for reinforcements."
Page 22
"Battalion Two waits for the signal and moves out in support. This way — if they can destroy the Wall, they destroy it. If they cannot, they retreat. I will not sacrifice too many soldiers for this."
One of the ministers drops to his knees in frustration.
Another grips the King's shoulder with pride: "Well done, Your Majesty. This is a very sound decision."
Page 23
The King removes the man's hand calmly.
"Now go. Hold a meeting with the First and Second Battalions and brief them on the plan. Have them ready for what is coming."
Everyone leaves.
The King remains alone in the room for a moment.
He looks at the paper on the table.
He folds it slowly. Puts it in his pocket.
Page 24
The same day. Night.
A narrow alley outside the palace. Faint light.
One of the supporting ministers stands with two men in the shadows.
He speaks in a low voice:
"I'm certain. I was there. Both battalions move tomorrow."
"And the King will be in the palace — but with less protection than usual."
He smiles. Cold.
"This is your chance to strike him from behind."
A shot of the two men's faces in the dim night light.
The King of the Suoo Kingdom.
And the King of the Kinji Kingdom.
Both of them are smiling.
Continued in Chapter Sixteen