"Whew. Since Chining’s already burned most of their supplies, and with our preparations... we’ve got at least a thirty percent chance of winning."

"Thirty percent? I never imagined eight thousand against thirty thousand could ever have odds like that. Back then, I’d have said maybe one percent."

*[Sas is incredible.]*

Of course, I had no idea Alto was praising me in his thoughts.

Right now, I had no spare energy for distractions. This was my first battlefield—and it was a massive war. My head spun.

But Chining had done brilliantly.

When I’d ordered him to burn their grain, I hadn’t expected much.

*No wonder he’s Baha Balm’s top general—even if he’s the only one they have.*

Their thirty-thousand army, including five thousand cavalry, devoured supplies. If we could just hold off a few assaults, they’d be forced to retreat from starvation.

According to Chining, he’d burned at least eighty percent of their grain. Only their commander’s quick orders saved the rest.

At this rate, their food would last mere days. If Windward Fortress held, Leahdon’s morale would plummet.

Still, I worried. I was just theorizing—never having faced real combat.

Thankfully, Chining, a seasoned general, could guide me. I welcomed his advice; his experience filled gaps in my wild strategies.

My real fear? They might go all-in—ignoring supplies and charging straight through us. Then, instead of crumbling, their morale would soar.

If it came to that... Windward Fortress would fall.

"Whew. This is a hell-level battle," I muttered from the castle’s highest point.

Alto had handed me command. As leader, I needed this vantage point.

But it was dangerous. One stray arrow...

The thought sent a chill down my spine.

As I drifted in thought—

*Thud. Thud. THUD.*

The ground trembled slightly. *This is the might of thirty thousand men?*

"Here they come," I said, gazing at the distant horizon. Less than a kilometer away, Leahdon’s silver banners fluttered above a dust-choked tide of soldiers.

"Send Chining to meet them."

My order snapped out. Beside me, the signalman raised the Ulleer banner. It whipped violently in the wind.

I grimaced at the awkward-looking flag.

Chining led six thousand troops out to engage. The remaining two thousand stayed to guard the fortress—holding a city didn’t require many defenders. Once breached, numbers meant nothing.

*CLANG!*

As Windward Fortress’s gates swung open, Chining faced the oncoming flood. Five times his force. The sheer scale made him almost smell iron in the air.

"Form ranks!" he roared.

Behind him, six thousand men shifted instantly.

From above, his army looked like an arrowhead—sharp, relentless.

*The Arrowhead Formation!*

Forming a square against five times their number would be suicide. Chining had decided: fight with backs to the wall. Victory or death.

Within minutes, Leahdon’s vast army loomed before him.

Both sides stood an arrow’s flight apart.

*(An arrow’s flight: the distance a full-powered shot travels before hitting ground.)*

Leahdon’s forces radiated hunger, facing the fragile-looking city.

Five thousand armored cavalry sat astride snorting warhorses, lances ready to pierce enemy lines.

The rear troops watched their elite vanguard, morale surging.

*This city will fall!*

Baha Balm’s soldiers shrank back, intimidated. Their spirits dipped.

Chining’s brow furrowed.

*[They’re pressing us with sheer presence... This won’t do!]*

Without hesitation, he spurred his horse forward.

"Hah! I am Chining, general of Baha Balm! Does any Leahdon commander dare face me?"

A stallion’s roar answered. A man charged out.

"Hmph. I am Buno, commander of Leahdon!" He twirled his lance—a clear taunt.

Chining said nothing. He leveled his Crescent Moon Blade at Buno.

"Hah! Do you dare fight?!"

"Foolishness. We’ll settle this when armies clash!"

Buno wasn’t stupid. Dueling boosted morale, but with thirty thousand against eight thousand? His commander Kaine had ordered caution.

"Coward!"

Chining spat the word, but alarm bells rang in his head. *Too cautious. This will be hard.*

"FULL ASSAULT!"

Buno didn’t retreat. He attacked immediately—aiming to catch them off guard.

But strangely, the enemy didn’t countercharge. Unease prickled Buno’s neck.

"Ahhh!"

"What’s happening?!"

"Impossible?!"

Screams erupted from Leahdon’s front lines.

*[What?!]*

Buno’s face paled.

Nearly half of his five thousand cavalry had been thrown from their mounts!

"Hah! NOW! Full counterattack!"

Chining had waited for this moment.

Mounted on his red stallion, he pointed his blade at the stunned Buno. Behind him, six thousand throats roared as they charged.

When scouts reported Leahdon’s approach, I’d ordered pits dug outside the walls.

Shallow pits—just deep enough to trip horses.

Camouflaged. Lethal.

My goal? Cripple their elite.

Cavalry’s terror lay in their charge and hit-and-run tactics. Their speed and impact could shatter six thousand infantry.

But these pits stole their mobility. The faster they ran, the harder they fell.

*Leahdon cavalry?*

*Dismount first.*

Without that elite threat, it was up to Chining.

From the castle peak, I gripped the stone railing. My heart hammered.

Now came the true carnage...

Even without cavalry, Baha Balm faced overwhelming numbers.

The two armies crashed together.

Chining’s troops pierced Leahdon’s formation like an arrowhead, tearing a gap in their ranks.

That was the Arrowhead Formation’s power. When soldiers fought with death-or-glory resolve, its strength multiplied.

For a moment, Leahdon faltered.

But Baha Balm’s flanks buckled under pressure. Only Windward Fortress at their backs prevented encirclement.

"HRAH!"

Chining spun, cleaving a soldier sneaking up behind him.

Every soldier infused with Inner Energy was formidable. Chining had lost count of his kills. His blade couldn’t stop. Each enemy felled eased the burden on his men. Six thousand against thirty thousand still chilled the blood.

As time bled away, Leahdon’s numbers told. Baha Balm’s soldiers grew weary.

Dusk deepened. The setting sun gilded armor already soaked crimson. The sight stole breath.

Armor only slowed agile fighters like Chining. His Inner Energy deflected ordinary arrows.

But even unarmored, after slaying over a thousand men, exhaustion clawed at him.

Then—through blood-blurred eyes—he spotted Buno in the chaos.

*The key to victory!*

"HAAAAH! BUNO!!!"

Chining spurred his horse straight toward the commander, surrounded by dozens of guards. He had to break this stalemate!

"Fool! One thousand gold coins for the enemy general’s head!"

Buno sneered. An A-Rank General himself, shielded by Inner Energy-infused soldiers—Chining’s solo charge was suicide.

But in the next heartbeat, Buno panicked. His guards’ Inner Energy flickered... and vanished!

*[Impossible! Inner Energy nullification... A Talent?!]*

A terrifying thought struck him.

Talented generals were monstrously strong. If this was a Talent, Chining wasn’t just peak A-Rank—he might be S-Rank. Buno, a standard A-Rank, had never awakened one.

He was right.

Chining didn’t know his exact rank. But he trusted his 【Army Breaker】 absolutely.

【Army Breaker】 erased all enemy Inner Energy within a radius around him. The fiercer his spirit, the wider the range.

Usually refined, Chining rarely fought with blazing fury—so his range stayed small.

But now... he felt it. This surging power.

It had shattered the front lines, carving his path to Buno.

He felt his army’s death-defying resolve. As their general, he couldn’t falter—not even a trace.

"I *will* behead you!"

"Hmph. Skilled—but this ends now!"

Buno acknowledged Chining’s strength. But he saw the fatigue. Against a worn-down foe, he couldn’t lose.

Buno gave a formal knight’s salute. Such an enemy deserved honor.

Chining, though Eastern, understood local customs. He returned the respect. This man was a true warrior.

"I am Chining."

His voice was solemn.

"I am Buno. Let us fight!"

"Hah! Very well!"

Buno’s lance flashed as he charged.

Chining met him blade-first.

Their clashing Inner Energies carved a silent circle in the chaos.

Ordinary soldiers couldn’t approach.

Each collision sent dust billowing. Buno’s guards fled after the first clash, wounded by the shockwaves.

Dusk deepened.

Chining fought on, body screaming.

*Monstrous strength,* Buno thought. *How can he match me like this?*

*Cough. Cough.*

Blood sprayed from Chining’s lips. Buno’s heavy lance pierced his Inner Energy shield. Only superior agility had dodged a dozen killing thrusts. Without it, he’d be riddled with holes.

Buno fared no better. He’d dodged Chining’s strikes—but his horse hadn’t.

The white stallion collapsed beneath him.

Dismounted meant death.

Battle showed no mercy. Respect wouldn’t stay blades.

Enemies like them often died by each other’s hands.

Their dueling ground, bathed in dying light, felt like a sacred arena. Around them, the battlefield’s roars became a crowd’s roar—cheering the final act.

Both Chining and Bruno felt an inexplicable sense...

Next clash would be the end. One would fall.

"Let’s settle this..."

They spoke in unison. Soft voices, yet clear amid the battlefield’s roar.

Both turned away at once. No sneak attacks.

Their horses drew apart again.

Whoosh.

Wind swept through, arriving as if to witness what came next.

"Dragon Song."

"For our families’ glory!"

In an instant, the riders met. No explosive clash—just an ordinary strike, quieter than any before.

The wind blew once more.

Bruno’s spear slipped from his grasp. He couldn’t hold it. Chining’s blade force had pierced clean through his back.

Blood seeped beneath his armor, staining his undershirt unseen.

"A... terrifying strike. Quite... quite a fitting name. An Eastern... technique?"

Ignoring blood at his lips, he spoke calmly to Chining.

"Yes, Mr. Bruno."

Chining used "Mr." despite his own pierced shoulder—each breath a stab of pain. He endured it, answering solemnly.

"Oh... ho ho. Then... what name... for my spear thrust?"

"A Song of Dusk."

"Hmm... dusk? Hahaha... fitting!"

That "Dragon Song" strike focused Chining’s entire will. It unleashed 200% of his power, zero wasted. All condensed into one blade flash. As it struck, Bruno heard a dragon’s roar. Blocking, the force grew heavier. His Inner Energy defense tore like paper. Blade force burst through his body.

"Ha... ha..."

Bruno’s weak laughter faded fast... into utter silence.

On his white horse, his skyward-laughing pose froze.

Chining stiffly gave the knight’s salute Bruno had once shown—now to a corpse.

"Bruno, the 'Song of Dusk'!!! Defeated by me!!!"

His voice echoed across the battlefield.