Back to the eastern region once again, bringing the spotlight back onto Khaled.
At the entrance of the giant valley stood the gate of the mighty fortress—Arkenthia's strongest military base and source of its power, a citadel that no enemy had ever breached in the past hundred years.
"Bringing down this fortress will be our most important operation so far," I declared.
Lucy asked me, "So how do you plan to bring it down?"
"I have a plan… but it isn't complete."
"What do you mean it isn't complete?"
"I always improvise my plans in the middle of battle."
Lucy recalculated her thoughts, surprise flashing across her face.
I tried to clear up the misunderstanding. "I prefer responding to the enemy's moves rather than guessing them."
Even with those words, she wasn't reassured—but she chose to trust me. "…"
I continued, "We need to start the raid quickly."
The valley wasn't sealed shut; there was an opening on the right side… maybe we could use it for retreat if we delved too deep.
For now, I had to leave some men behind to watch in case the enemy tried to encircle us from there.
At that moment I overheard some of the soldiers whispering,
"How can we bring down something that hasn't fallen in 100 years?"
"This is madness."
I answered, trying to dispel their doubts.
"Argaya was a great kingdom under Tiran's rule for more than a thousand years, yet it fell to a girl of just one hundred years old."
The soldiers were startled by my words, but I pressed on.
"If Sikaero had remained bound by fear, she would've never done what no one else had before."
"B-but… what we're doing is madness."
"History is written by madmen."
After I finished, the soldiers looked down, lost in thought. I hadn't expected a battle from ten thousand years ago to help me today.
Lucy then asked, "Has anyone ever tried to bring down Arkenthia before?"
Her question reshaped all of our calculations.
"…I heard it took part in twenty wars over the past century."
"And they always put their allies in front of the fortress as defenders."
That was the moment the threads connected. The intel from Zervin's prisoners indicated they were headed here—but we had stopped them.
I smiled slyly.
"The Arkenthian fortress we're facing isn't the legendary citadel we've heard about."
The soldiers' morale began to rise, soaring sky-high. Good… but what they didn't know was that no matter how much we sugarcoated the truth, at least half of our force would die.
And maybe we'd be in that half.
I glanced toward Lucy.
No. The two of us must live… even if it means stepping on the lives of others.
Lucy noticed my gaze. "What are you thinking, Khaled?"
"…Nothing." I moved to the front of the army and shouted, "Defenders, take position!"
Immediately, several huge men surrounded our formation like a shield.
"Prepare yourselves! We're entering the valley now!"
The hooves of our horses thundered past the valley entrance. Towering walls rose on both sides—and then, countless hidden chambers revealed themselves, each bristling with massive laser cannons that opened fire at once.
Our defenders' shields stood against the blasts, but not everything could be blocked. The cheap armor of mercenaries melted, and inexperienced knights collapsed from the shockwaves of the laser strikes.
I reached for my sword, intending to cut down the turrets—but then a flash of light burst from the center of our army, climbing the walls and frying many of the weapons.
It was one of the mercenaries who'd joined us late, a man with a feline hybrid body—catlike limbs on a human frame, his glowing blue fur patterned with white spots.
Lucy leapt into the fray as well, followed by a few others—but my focus went back to her, watching her bare hands bend and crush steel as if it were nothing.
I turned my gaze forward—and luckily, I did.
From the mountain-carved fortress emerged colossal cannons. Their thunderous launch roared like storms. Massive projectiles shot toward us at terrifying speed.
I wasted no time, leaping high to face the torrent head-on.
In a flash, the sky over the valley blazed. Above everyone's heads, a massive slash stretched across both edges of the valley, over 80 meters long. It cut through all the incoming shells, continuing until it cleaved the fortress's peak.
On the right cliff of the valley, the feline man—Rashid—clung to the edge.
As I fell back down, he shouted, "Thank you, commander… I won't forget this favor."
"Don't thank me. Focus on the mission."
"Understood." He leapt again, striking down the last of the laser cannons.
I landed on my feet unharmed.
Arkenthia had no other defenses left—now they would fight us face-to-face.
And that was the most dangerous part.
Red liquid trickled from my nose, staining my beard.
I watched the army charge past me and decided to fall back temporarily to the rear.
The fortress gates opened, and swarms of soldiers poured out like ants, marking the start of the hardest phase of the operation.
Lucy grabbed the radio, trying to locate me.
"Khaled, where are you?!"
"I fell back to the medical unit."
"What about the battle?"
"I'll command from here. Just follow my instructions."
She looked at the enemy with fear in her eyes. "…A-alright."
Lucy jumped ahead of the army, exhaling toxic fumes that scorched the faces of everyone in the vanguard.
The enemy countered with violent winds, trying to blow the poison back—but our own wind-users clashed with theirs, scattering the toxins into the sky.
Archers raised their bows. In a heartbeat, the heavens darkened under volleys of arrows from both sides.
Lucy ducked behind a defender's body for cover, but the arrows pierced straight through the shield-bearer, killing him and pinning his corpse over her.
Over the radio, I commanded, "Lucy, attack again! Don't give them time to breathe!"
Meanwhile, enemy soldiers tried to flank us through the valley's right opening.
Lucy shouted, "We have to retreat before they trap us!"
I replied calmly, "Don't worry, I left support there."
Outside the valley, Arkenthian soldiers advanced toward the opening—only to find a lone man standing in their path, fearless.
That man was Basel, Rashid's brother, of the so-called Storm Mercenaries. Unlike his brother, his body was normal—but he wore heavy soundproof headphones.
The Arkenthian force rushed him down. Basel only drew a deep breath—then unleashed a roar like thunder.
Flesh tore from bone in the front ranks, and shards of rock blasted outward like shrapnel, shredding those behind.
The blend of thunder and agonized screams declared one truth: escaping the valley was impossible except through Lucy's army.
Back at the front, Lucy was still trapped behind the fallen defender, looking for a chance to strike. Suddenly, flames erupted from the fortress, blinding us and deafening our ears as the citadel exploded, obliterating the archers.
"What's happening?" Lucy asked.
"The resistance," I answered.
"You mean the one Ryan founded?"
"Yes… they must've used our battle as cover for their operation."
From the rubble, a man emerged, holding a flag that refused to burn.
"Let us reclaim Arkenthia's former glory!"
Behind him, fifty others charged fearlessly into the fight.
Lucy didn't hesitate—she transformed into a poisonous serpent-shaped mist and surged into the enemy army, with Rashid following.
He flashed like lightning, burning everyone in his path.
"Rashid, stay back!" Lucy warned. Unlike us, who had built immunity to her toxins, the resistance fighters did not. He quickly withdrew to a safer distance.
With the advantage in hand, Lucy noticed the truth: most Arkenthian soldiers weren't skilled at combat.
One recruit stood before her with two swords crossed in an "X."
He tried to rush her, but reality wasn't like the stories. The swords clashed awkwardly, jolting him off balance. Lucy's dagger flew into his forehead, dropping him instantly.
That was the point. Most were just farmers or commoners, not warriors—only a handful of knights among them. They had always relied on sheer numbers, not skill.
And that's why they lost.
When the battlefield was finally cleared of Arkenthian soldiers, our army stood face-to-face with the resistance.
Lucy spoke first. "Thank you for your help."
But their leader scoffed.
"No need for thanks. And forgive the rudeness, but would you kindly leave? We need to regroup and prepare for the next battles."
In that moment, Lucy understood exactly what kind of people she was dealing with.
"Withdraw," she ordered.
Our army slowly made its way toward the valley exit.
Just as Ryan had said—resistances built without true goals like freedom or justice always turn corrupt, and must be eliminated.
Lucy had hoped I'd understand her plan. And I did.
From the valley opening, my recovered support squad entered, surrounding the resistance from behind.
"What?!" their leader shouted.
As soon as Lucy saw me, she yelled, "Attack again!"
Our blades tore into the resistance ranks.
"You traito—" he tried to shout, but my sword pierced his heart and Lucy's dagger slit his throat. His corpse hit the ground lifeless.
"That was easier than expected," Lucy said.
"No, Lucy. We only caught them off guard. Face-to-face, it would've been harder."
I fell silent, trying to catch my breath. I looked over the corpses littering the ground. Our army had shrunk from three hundred to barely one hundred.
"Let's hurry to the hero's location," I said at last. "I just got a message from Mary—he's in danger."