The soldiers of the Fire Cloud Empire looked upon the charred corpses of their comrades scattered across the battlefield, their initial grief slowly giving way to seething hatred. Their eyes, blazing with fury, fixed upon the Aoyue Empire’s main camp ahead, and their pace quickened as they surged forward.

Though the entire plan had been meticulously laid out beforehand, managing the immense number of troops within the city proved a monumental task. Deploying the more than one hundred thousand Fire Cloud soldiers across the open ground outside Jite City was far from simple. The expanse was almost completely choked with the densely packed formations of Fire Cloud troops, yet the stream pouring out of the city showed no sign of slowing, relentlessly feeding the carnage around Jite.

The battle line stretched relentlessly outward, extending for miles in a vast semicircle, slowly but surely beginning to encircle the entire Aoyue Imperial camp.

On the Aoyue Empire’s side, under Gamage’s command, the soldiers made a judicious choice. Given the overwhelming disparity in strength between the two forces, falling back to defend behind the fortifications of the main camp was undoubtedly the wisest course of action.

The Aoyue soldiers who had been positioned outside the camp began a disciplined withdrawal into the safety of their fortifications, and the massive gates of the camp slammed shut behind them.

Inside the compound.

Every Aoyue soldier moved with practiced order, quickly repositioning their siege weaponry around the main gates. They knew implicitly that this battle was one that would determine the very survival of their faction; the consequences of failure were starkly clear to all. Thus, they galvanized their spirits, steeling themselves for the ferocious engagement to come.

The Fire Cloud Empire’s massive army of over a hundred thousand men halted when they approached within two thousand meters of the Aoyue Imperial camp.

They paused there, silently awaiting the order for the final assault. Across the entire battlefield, amidst the vast numbers, not a single sound could be heard; the battlefield seemed to have fallen into an absolute, deathly silence.

At that moment, a resonant voice boomed out from atop the city walls of Jite behind them: “Warriors of the Fire Cloud Empire, the time has come for you to offer your loyalty to the Empire.”

The speaker was none other than Wells, the Lord of Jite City. Aided by the amplification magic of the Jite City mages, every soul on the field could clearly hear Wells’ voice.

Wells pointed toward the inferno at the center of the field—the site where thousands of soldiers had met their end—and spoke with heavy gravity. “Do you see the sacrificed Imperial warriors in the center of the field? They were the pride of our Fire Cloud Empire. And what did our brave warriors sacrifice their precious lives for?…”

Wells paused, and the Fire Cloud soldiers grew utterly still, awaiting his next words. Then, Wells suddenly pointed toward the Aoyue Imperial camp ahead and roared: “These Imperial warriors sacrificed their lives for one singular purpose: to drive these invaders, who dare trespass upon our sovereign lands, out of the territory of the Fire Cloud Empire, and to safeguard the millions of our people!”

“And now.

“The duty of these warriors is complete. The unfinished task falls to us, to finish what those fallen warriors started. We absolutely cannot allow the deaths of those thousands of heroes to have been in vain. Even if we fight until the last man is fallen, we must never allow those invaders to set foot upon the soil of the Fire Cloud Empire. This is your responsibility as soldiers of the Fire Cloud Empire, and it is the very pride of being an Imperial soldier.”

Hearing Wells’ intensely inflammatory oration, a wave of fierce emotion swept through the Fire Cloud soldiers, causing their morale to soar instantly. They involuntarily gripped their weapons tighter, their gazes locked with unwavering determination upon the Aoyue Imperial camp before them.

Sensing the perfect moment, Wells did not hesitate, gesturing toward the Aoyue camp and demanding: “And now, these invaders stand openly on our soil, behaving as masters! As soldiers of the Empire, as warriors of the Empire, tell me—what must we do?” “Kill them all! Drive them out of our land!”

A thunderous roar erupted from the central formation of the Fire Cloud army, swiftly spreading across the entire battlefield. All one hundred thousand-plus soldiers of the Fire Cloud Empire shouted the same slogan in unison, their combined cry piercing the heavens, making the very earth beneath them tremble with the intensity of their voices.

“Excellent. Today, you fulfill that solemn vow,” Wells stated calmly. “The enemy is before you. Take up your weapons and drive these shameless invaders from the territory of the Fire Cloud Empire! I command it—All forces advance!”

As Wells concluded, the loud, clear call of the general assault horn blared from above Jite City, echoing across the entire field below. The vanguard of the Fire Cloud Empire's massive army moved immediately upon hearing the signal. Several infantry phalanxes in the center began marching with synchronized steps toward the opposing Aoyue camp. On the two flanks, two separate formations of light cavalry broke formation and began slowly advancing toward the Aoyue Imperial camp from the left and right sides.

Across the field, Gamage of the Aoyue Empire watched the spectacle with a look of deep concern. He glanced at the pale faces of the soldiers surrounding him, realizing the grave nature of the situation. If the enemy’s morale remained so high, he knew the Aoyue camp would likely fall within a short time.

With that realization, Gamage ceased all hesitation. He quickly instructed the accompanying battle mages to erect an amplification barrier so his voice could reach every corner of the camp, and he spoke with measured calm: “Warriors of the Aoyue Empire, I am your commanding officer, General Gamage.”

Hearing Gamage’s voice immediately focused the attention of the Aoyue soldiers. Gamage continued in a slow, steady tone: “You have all witnessed the situation before us. We face an enemy that vastly outnumbers us. But as soldiers of an Empire that brings pride to all its citizens, are you afraid?”

At Gamage’s words, the Aoyue soldiers, whose spirits had been flagging, straightened their ranks, their posture becoming noticeably sharper, and their morale visibly lifted.

Seeing this change, Gamage spoke with satisfaction: “We are the most elite troops in the Aoyue Empire. I will not waste time with pleasantries, but I must ask you this: Do you wish to win this war and return to the Empire adorned with the glory of victory to see your families again, or do you wish to be vanquished and lie forever on this foreign soil, bringing shame upon your kin? What choice do you make? Answer me!”

Gamage’s final three words were practically shouted. The despair in the eyes of the Aoyue soldiers slowly began to rekindle with hope. Someone shouted first: “We will not be defeated! The Empire will prevail!”

This cry was immediately echoed and embraced by the multitude. Every single Aoyue soldier erupted in a unified cheer.

Gamage watched this surge, and the worry lines on his face gradually receded. As long as the heart of the army remained strong, Gamage believed that with his command and the defense of the Aoyue camp’s fortifications, they had at least a chance to hold out until Imperial reinforcements arrived.

As the infantry closed to within a thousand meters of the Aoyue camp, they suddenly accelerated, breaking into a full sprint toward the fortifications, their battle cries shaking the air. At that precise moment, deep within the Aoyue camp, the waiting stone-throwing machines roared into action.

Dozens of colossal boulders soared into the air from the Aoyue camp, arcing toward the dense formations of the approaching Fire Cloud soldiers. They crashed down amidst the tightly packed infantry ranks with earth-shattering impact, eliciting shrieks of agony. In just that one volley, several hundred Fire Cloud soldiers lost their lives.

However, this initial barrage failed to halt the Fire Cloud advance. Even as the enemy struggled to reload the catapults, the soldiers pressed forward even faster toward the Aoyue camp. When the second wave of stone projectiles descended, it claimed hundreds more Fire Cloud lives, but the charging enemy was now less than five hundred meters from the Aoyue perimeter.

From the command platform overlooking the entire engagement, Gamage observed the scene with icy calm and gave the order: “Giant Crossbows, prepare—Free fire authorized.”

Because the perimeter of the Aoyue camp was now so densely packed with Fire Cloud infantry, an attack against any direction would yield similar results—hence the order for free firing.

Upon hearing the command, the massive bolt-throwers unleashed their power. No fewer than a hundred massive bolts screamed through the air, impacting the dense ranks of the Fire Cloud infantry.

Leaping into...