The Freedom Allianceâs 1 million troops gathered in Altein.
As the Allianceâs Commander in Chief, Rapuly picked three people to lead their troops.
His first pick was his close friend, Gheor. He was a general during the reign of the Altein Empire, and was called the Mad Tiger.
His second pick was the general of Krampal, Ould.
And his last pick was the Invincible Gladiator, Burkan.
Gheor was an extremely renowned general, and had the leadership skills to match. Plus, he was one of the continentâs Masters.
Burkan was much stronger than Gheor, and had assumed command of a large army against the Evil God Worshippers just a short while ago.
Ould wasnât on the same level as them; he wasnât a Master. However, he was much smarter than his peers, and was called the Tactical Genius.
âItâs time to organize the army.â
Rapuly put Gheor in charge of 400,000 troops, which was called the Tiger Corps after his own nickname.
Breaker and Storm were part of this army, and Han Seol was given an advisor post. It was also the allianceâs largest corps, as it included the large guilds.
It was clearly the Allianceâs main force.
Burkan was put in charge of the Eagle Corps. The eagle was a symbol of gladiators.
It included gladiators, Dion and the 100 Fighters, and two of the five great mercenary groups: Sword and Drak.
General Ould was given 300,000 troops, which was called the Elephant Corps. The elephant was the symbol of the large city, Krampal.
The players were spread amongst these three corps.
Once they had finished organizing their troops, Rapuly called Gheor, Burkan, and Ould to a meeting. Han Seol, as well as the other advisors, joined them.
âI need a plan to defeat the Arabas Empire,â Rapuly said.
An old man, who had clear eyes and a giant body more than 2 meters tall, stood up. Strangely, the manâs hair was white, but his eyebrows were black.
It was General Gheor, who was once called the Mad Tiger!
âOur best bet would be to guard Saw Rock Fortress, and make sure the Arabas Empire canât come out. However, itâs far too late for that⊠This is the next best thing!â
Gheor pointed his index finger at the spread out map.
The continentâs roads went through this major transportation point.
âWe have to protect this place no matter what. If they take it, then the Arabas Empire will be able to travel anywhere within the central region. Theyâll also get a safe supply route too.â
Everyone listened carefully.
âThe Golden Road Fortress is in the middle of five other fortresses. These fortresses are set up in a way that they protect each other. Thus, weâll be able to fight off our enemies with less troops. But if we want to adequately staff each of the fortresses, then weâll need to send one of our corps.â
Rapuly stroked his chin. It was a bad habit of his when he had some thinking to do.
He looked at Ould and Burkan one after another. ThenâŠ
Ould was a short man in his late thirties. However, no one looked down on him for his age or his height.
The Tactical Genius, Ould!
He was much smarter than his peers.
âGo to the Golden Road Fortress. Do whatever it takes to protect it!â Rapuly ordered.
âUnderstood!â Ould replied.
âYes, General Gheor.â
âProtecting the fortress isnât everything. You know what Iâm talking about, right?â
âOf course. Weâll protect the fortress, and attack the Imperial Armyâs rear and/or destroy their supplies if we get the opportunity. Then, the Empire will be forced to split their army to deal with us,â Ould said without hesitation.
Gheor smirked. âAs expected of Ould!â
âGather the Elephant Corps and go now. If I was the Arabas Empire, then Iâd be aiming for Golden Road Fortress right about now.â
âUnderstood. Please send me the details of the meeting separately.â
Ould left the conference room.
The Elephant Corps departed Altein and headed for Golden Road Fortress.
Those remaining continued with the meeting, which was primarily led by Rapuly and Gheor.
âIf Ould is successful, then the Arabas Empire will be forced to advance on Altein.â
Gheor marked two places on the map. It was the Nazrak Plain and the new Sunset River.
âA land route and a sea route,â Rapuly said.
âMy friend, I think theyâre going to come by land,â Gheor said.
âIt makes sense. Desert soldiers would have a hard time moving through water.â
The Arabas Empire didnât have enough boats to move hundreds of thousands of troops across the water.
If thatâs the case, then they would have to build or steal them. Even if they managed that, they wouldnât be effective at fighting above water.
âBut they may surprise us and come by sea.â
Thatâs why he didnât unmark the Sunset River, and pointed at it.
âWhich means we have split our troops. Weâll have to read their movements and act accordingly.â
âThen the Tiger Corps will go to Nazrak Plain, and the Eagle Corps will head to the Sunset River.â
Gheor and Burkan replied simultaneously.
âHowever⊠Arabas has a powerful organization called Empire behind them. You know them well, right?â
Gheor stared at the advisors, or more specifically, a female advisor. He was looking at the Storm Guildâs vice-captain, Han Seol.
She was the Tiger Corpsâ advisor.
âYes. I have been watching them, studying them, and preparing for them for a long time.â
âThatâs why I chose you as my advisor. Tell me about Empire.â
Han Seol explained what sheâd learned in detail.
She went over the Empire Guildâs members, their power and troops, their ambitions and plans, and what she believed they did, and what they planned to do.
âEmpire, huh⊠I really want to fight them.â Gheor emitted a fierce, valorous energy from his body.
This phrase fits a man like Gheor quite well.
The Imperial Army was divided amongst Dukeram, Dalton, and Kantos.
As the Supreme Commander, Dukeram was in charge of the 1st Corps, which consisted of 300,000 troops. The Empire Guildâs troops, as well as their eight squads, were part of this corps.
It was clearly their main army!
Arabasâs Guardian Angel, Dalton, led the 2nd Corps of 200,000 troops. It consisted of natives of the Arabas Kingdom. It also included Insect/Sand Mages, as well as the desertâs mercenaries.
Lastly, Ghost Spear Kantos (a native of the conquered Baiyan Kingdom) was put in charge of the 3rd Corps, which possessed 200,000 troops. His origins may explain why his corps was made up of soldiers of the Baiyan and Dellas Kingdoms, as well as the players thatâd recently joined the Arabas Empireâs cause.
The 1st Corps conquered Saw Rock Fortress, and made the nearby free cities surrender.
The 2nd Corps crossed the Phamas Mountains, captured the port cities, and then returned.
The 3rd Corps went south, and subjugated anyone who didnât follow the Empireâs rule. Then, they conscripted 30,000 more Desert Warriors.
20,000 troops were added to the Arabas Empireâs reserve troops, bringing their number up to 250,000.
After that, a new order was given.
Jegal, the Imperial Armyâs Chief of Staff, ordered them to advance on the Golden Road Fortress!
Kantos led his troops across the border. It was supposed to be a dangerous journey due to the mountains, but the 3rd Corps wasnât weak. .
Along the way, they passed a few small towns thatâd surrendered to them, and would fight any enemies that they came across. In spite of that, they quickly advanced forward.
By the time they reached the Golden Road Fortress, however, elephant flags were fluttering from atop the fortressâs walls. Ould hadnât had any interruptions along the way, so he was able to make it there first.
Kantos knew how the Golden Road Fortress was designed, so he immediately ordered his subordinates to assess the other five fortresses.
âThey all had elephant flags, and a relatively large force was stationed at each one.â
âMm.â Kantos looked up at the Golden Road Fortress, and furrowed his brow.
The Golden Road Fortress was designed in such a way that each fortress could help each other.
If he attacked the fortress, then the other castlesâ troops would attack them from the side or the rear. Of course, the other castles would also help guard the fortress.
Thus, they had to simultaneously conquer the other castles before they could conquer the main fortress!
âWe wonât be able to do this in a single day or two.â
Ultimately, Kantosâ troops pulled back and set up camp. They needed to rest before they did anything.
After that, he contacted Jegal via a Communication Mage.
The Communication Mage created an oval mirror, which showed a reflection of Jegal.
âI apologize. The Golden Road Fortress has already been occupied by our enemies. Considering the fact that there are elephant flags all over the place, it must be Ouldâs forces.â
âIt canât be helped. We already had a backup plan in case you couldnât conquer the fortress, so it wonât be a problem.â
âConstruct a fortress nearby, and make sure the Elephant Corps canât leave and get in the Imperial Armyâs way.â
If they could keep Ould and the Elephant Corps trapped within the fortress, then it wouldnât be a losing deal for them.
âPlease keep your supply route safe.â
âIâll keep that in mind.â
As Jegal ordered, Kantos began constructing a new fortress on a nearby mountain.
However, Ould wouldnât let this pass. He formed a detached force of 50,000 troops, and ambushed them at night.
âEnemies have appeared!â
Intense screams and cries, as well as the sound of weapons crashing against each other, resounded throughout the battlefield in the shadow of night.
Ould led his troops from the front. Their weapons easily killed the 3rd Corpâs troops.
A short while later, their tents ignited with flames, illuminating the dark night.
Kantosâ leadership was nowhere near as great as his ability as a warrior. He hadnât been expecting an ambush, and had been completely blindsided.
He was called the Ghost Spear. His individual power was tremendous.
âYou bastards!â Kantos quickly thrust his 3 meter long spear several times.
His spear pierced through his enemies before it even made a sound. He was ridiculously fast.
âIâll kill you all!â
The tip of his spear was like the reaperâs finger. Whoever he pointed his spear at would die without exception.
âMm.â Ould witnessed Kantosâ rampage and bit his lip.
âHeâs an Elite Master.â
The Elephant Corps had two Masters of their own. However, he would need both of them to keep Kantos at bay.
Moreover, the 3rd Corps was filled with powerful troops. At first, they panicked from the sudden ambush, but they quickly got a hold of themselves and fought back.
On the other hand, the Elephant Corps lacked battle experience. That was a problem most of the free citiesâ troops possessed.
Ultimately, the ambush was only effective at the beginning.
Thus, retreating was their best option right now. That decision allowed them to escape before the 3rd Corps could construct a perimeter around them.
Kantos struck the ground with his spear shaft, leaving a deep, long scar on the ground.
âShit!â Kantos gritted his teeth. Ould had got him good. Luckily, they hadnât taken as much damage as heâd expected.
Following that, Kantos kept his guard up, and prepared for ambushes.
âWeâre ready for you anytime!â
However, Ould never came out again.
Ould had 300,000 troops, while Kantos had 250,000. However, that number was split amongst six fortresses.
On the other hand, the 3rd Corpsâ fortress wasnât divided into smaller fortresses, so all of his troops were stationed in one place. Moreover, Kantosâ troops were more skilled than Ouldâs.
A head-on battle would be risky.
Ultimately, Ould couldnât discard his defensive advantage, and Kantos, who had less troops than Ould, couldnât afford to siege the fortress.
This boring, conflictless confrontation continued.
While the Elephant Corps and the 3rd Corps were in a stalemateâŠ
Daltonâs 2nd Corps passed Saw Rock Fortress and entered the central region.
The 2nd Corps was to subjugate the eastern part of the central region, and take it over for the Empire!
It definitely wasnât a difficult assignment.
Most of the eastern free cities had surrendered to them, after all.
Dalton divided his troops into eight separate brigades, and advanced. He wanted to take control of as much territory as possible.
The Freedom Alliance didnât just twiddle their thumbs and watch.
Burkanâs Eagle Corps, which was guarding the Sunset River, advanced from the south and engaged them in small battles.
The owner of the mountains and plains changed day after day. In the morning, the Eagle Corps would plant their flags in the city, and at night, the 2nd Corpsâ shield flags would flutter atop the castle walls.
The battle continued over and over again.
The residents took up arms and attacked them. It was, however, common for them to lose their lives, come back to burning buildings, and lose their homes.
This resulted in countless orphans and refugees. The ground was filled with countless corpses.