Brigadier General Jack, one of Major General Remnell's most trusted officers, was gritting his teeth as reports flooded in.

  "Sir! We're unable to approach the enemy!"

  "Sir, our mages can't cast Field Spells!"

  "Sir! We are—"

  "I KNOW!" Jack shouted shrilly, his front hair falling down to cover his face. Behind the veil of hair, tears streamed down his cheeks.

  Jack was supposed to be a farmer. But after catching Major General Remnell's eye, he had been appointed to an officer, despite having a massive problem. He was an introvert. A severe one. He got so scared of people that if there were more than three in a room, including himself, he would hide under a desk clutching his favorite teddy bear.

  But despite being only twenty years old, he was one of the greatest military tacticians in the Empire, possibly in the entire world. The problem was, he couldn't use it.

  "Who even brings siege weapons to an open battle..." Jack murmured, his teeth chattering audibly. "They're siege weapons... siege weapons... siege weapons... they're meant for sieges..."

  The enemy commander, Major General Claudius, was using siege weapons of all things. Catapults, ballistas and even trebuchets. Because of those long-range weapons, the Imperial mages and archers couldn't get close enough to fire effectively.

  "Major General Remnell is going to be so disappointed..." Jack whispered, shaking. "He'll be so disappointed I failed... I might even get executed..."

  The other problem was that the enemy wasn't moving at all. They showed no sign of aggression whatsoever, making the entire right wing’s effort useless despite having all the mages. The plan had been to quickly crush the right wing and reinforce the center, but as if the enemy had predicted this, they had gone completely defensive.

  "Why would they give me all the mages... I'm useless... I want to go home..."

  But the worst problem was that Jack was completely spent. He kept murmuring to himself, barely cooperative. The other officers could only sigh. They realized they were stuck here for a long time.

  [(0)]

  Major General Remnell stared in shock as the lone girl danced across the battlefield, cutting down countless soldiers all on her own. She dodged swords, spears, arrows, even fists, charging relentlessly toward the command center.

  "STOP HER!"

  "SOMEBODY HELP!"

  "A MONSTER! She's a monster!"

  The soldiers, who had already been reluctant to face her, saw their morale shatter completely at the sight of this new horror. Remnell couldn't really blame them, but they still had a job to do as soldiers.

  "Keep your distance!" Brigadier General Varian shouted. "She may be a Wild Magic user, but you have nothing to fear! Shields up, pikes ready! Archers, draw!"

  The girl was already closing in on their position. Remnell briefly considered retreating to the center where Major General Caelen might be able to deal with her, but that would leave the rest of the army in a vulnerable position. He decided against it.

  "Soldiers, we will fight. For the Empire!" Remnell drew his own sword, Windwhisper, an artifact blade passed down through generations, his household heirloom.

  His family was famous for providing swords to the 5th Knight Brigade, the Storm Crusaders. This particular blade was said to have been forged by the first head of his household.

  "For the Empire!" Seeing their general draw his weapon, the soldiers' morale lifted slightly as they gripped their weapons tighter.

  "System, Frenzy mode activated." The girl, murmuring something under her breath, looked at them with blood-red eyes. "Killing all enemies. Executing now."

  "Archers!" Varian shouted. "FIRE!"

  Hundreds of arrows shot into the sky and rained down on the girl. She simply danced through them, deflecting with her sword as she continued charging forward.

  "Keep firing!" Varian ordered.

  Another volley launched, and this time, a few arrows struck her arms.

  Soldiers cheered at the sight, but their cheers turned to shocked silence as the girl yanked the arrows out while still running toward them. Blood sprayed, but instead of slowing down, she seemed to move faster.

  "Is she even human..." someone murmured.

  Before Remnell could give another order, the girl crouched low, and then,

  BOOM.

  A crater erupted where she had been standing. She launched forward at a speed their eyes couldn't follow. One second she was at the front lines, the next, she was suddenly in the middle of the archers, her sword already swinging down. Three archers fell at once.

  "So her Wild Magic is something related to speed," Remnell murmured as the ranks descended into pure chaos.

  The Imperial soldiers were in total disarray. Archers tried to retreat, only to crash into charging foot soldiers. Using the chaos, the girl kept slashing forward. Even though she moved slowly, she was steadily making her way toward Remnell's position.

  "Sir!" Varian shouted, drawing his sword. "It's too dangerous! Please fall back!"

  "I'm afraid I can't." Remnell didn't move. Instead, he gripped his sword tighter. "Even if I retreat, I doubt she can be stopped."

  "Bu—" Just as Varian was about to argue, a pale messenger burst through, shouting.

  "LORD REMNELL! The 6,000 force sent to take out the enemy commander has been annihilated!"

  "WHAT?!" Both Remnell and Varian looked shocked at the news.

  They had sent 6,000 troops to circle around and hit the enemy rear, knowing well the enemy only had 4,000 there, some of them noncombatants. The enemy's main 6,000 were here, facing their 9,000.

  "The enemy dug a massive sinkhole!" The messenger shook. "Most of our soldiers fell in, and the rest couldn’t retreat as they launched their attacks!"

  "How is that even possible?!" Varian shouted. "They'd need at least a 5th Order mage, or a Wild Magic user, to create something like that in such a short tim—"

  Then Varian remembered. The 9th Corps had arrived early in the Plain or Imoras. They had plenty of time to dig traps. But that still didn't explain how they would predict the flanking maneuver.

  "The enemy commander, Brigadier General Lily, is advancing on our position with 3,000 troops!" the messenger continued. "Sir, it won't be long before they arrive!"

  "Tell our forces to fall back to the center!" Remnell shouted. "We're retreating!"

  It would have been manageable if it had just been that monster girl. But knowing their 6,000 troops had been slaughtered for nothing, it was a disaster.

  However, as if reading their movements, the girl suddenly accelerated, moving faster and faster as she cut down dozens of Imperials in seconds. Being at the front line, Remnell had nowhere to retreat.

  "If you want my head," Remnell shouted, "then you'll have to take it yourself!"

  Remnell swung Windwhisper at the girl, who easily blocked it with a random sword she had picked up. Remnell was shocked. After all, Windwhisper carried a special enchantment that significantly strengthened the wielder's power. To block it like it was nothing, even Remnell was surprised.

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  The girl wasn't finished. She immediately threw a punch, which Remnell blocked with his sword, but he could still feel immense force behind it. He grunted and staggered back several steps.

  "Sir!" Varian stepped forward, swinging his sword. The girl blocked it effortlessly. "Please retreat while we—"

  The girl kicked Varian in the stomach. He coughed and doubled over, his reflexes raising his sword for the incoming attack—

  Thunk.

  An arrow suddenly pierced his head. His eyes stayed wide, as if he had no idea what had happened. Then slowly, his body crumpled. But the girl didn't let it fall, she kicked the corpse toward Remnell.

  Seeing his dead aide, Remnell gasped audibly as he caught the body.

  "Varian?!" Remnell shouted, but he had no time to process it. A second arrow streaked toward him. He swatted it down with Windwhisper.

  Remnell turned briefly to see a gray-haired woman in a ponytail, her bow drawn. She had one eye, the other was scarred over. Brigadier General Lily had arrived.

  "Damn it," Remnell cursed.

  That was the last thing he said before the girl appeared in front of him.

  Remnell tried to swing his sword, but the girl was too fast. Those blood-red eyes locked onto him. The world slowed as Remnell saw the iron blade coming toward his neck.

  So this is it, Remnell thought as thousands of memories flashed through his mind. I guess it was bad luck—

  Splat.

  A single head fell to the ground. The commander of the Second Division of the Eleventh Legion, Major General Remnell, fell alongside his aide, Varian.

  The Imperial soldiers around him gasped, refusing to believe what they had just witnessed. Then all of them roared in fury and surged forward. Or tried to.

  "Fire everything you have!"

  The 1,000 troops directly under Brigadier General Lily loosed their arrows from atop their Sakys. Arrows rained down from all sides. The soldiers cried out in pain and shock, trying to fight back, but with no commander, they were falling apart rapidly.

  And the girl who caused this entire mass, Aria, suddenly collapsed to the ground, her body going limp. The blood-red glow faded from her eyes. Instead, they returned to their normal orange as she gasped for breath. Then her eyes closed, and she fell unconscious.

  The Imperial soldiers tried to take the chance, of course, but Lily sniped them down with her bow until the Royal soldiers carried Aria to the medic tent.

  By the end of the third day of battle, the Imperials had lost over 9,000 troops. The 9th Corps had lost 2,500.

  [(0)]

  All the officers from the 9th Corps in the main commander tent cheered when the news arrived that Major General Remnell, along with his aide, had been killed in battle.

  "I knew she could do it!" Colonel Cameron shouted in joy, laughing. "I told you there was something special about her!"

  "Of course," General Cedric smiled and chuckled. "She is special."

  "My lord." Devon, who was the only one not celebrating the news, frowned as he read through the reports. "I would advise celebrating later. Right now, Major General Claudius and Brigadier General Lily have both recommended we no longer hold positions against the Imperials. Instead, they advise falling back to the Forest of Jade."

  "Of course, of course." Cedric nodded, though the smile remained on his face. "We'll retreat, naturally."

  Cedric had already half-suspected that the real tactical mind was Remnell, not Major General Caelen. After all, Caelen was a hot-blooded brute who knew nothing but charging into battle. Though there had been significant damage because he was a Wild Magic user, compared to what Aria had achieved, it was nothing.

  "We'll fall back to the Forest of Jade until further notice," Cedric ordered. "Tell Brigadier General Lily to reinforce Major General Claudius."

  "Yes, sir!" The officers hurried off to carry out their orders.

  "My lord?" Devon leaned in and whispered into Cedric's ear. "While it may not be wise to bring this up now... First Lieutenant Aria disobeyed a direct order from Brigadier General Lily. As a result, her Independent Cavalry Regiment was nearly annihilated."

  "...I see." Cedric nodded at the news, his expression troubled. Sadly, this meant they would need to hold a trial for Aria regarding her insubordination.

  Even though she had managed to slain an enemy commander in the process, it was still a breach in military regulation. Trying to hide it, or worse, ignoring it will lead to chain effects such as other soldiers not following the orders due to lack of punishment or negative impacts toward the citizens.

  "We'll deal with that later," Cedric decided. “Currently, let First Lieutenant Aria rest as we retreat.”

  “Yes my lord.” Devon saluted as they carried out the orders.

  On the fourth day of the battle, both sides had significant losses ever since the battle started. After the fourth day however, 9th Corps went into retreat and they lost 6,000 troops in total.

  The Imperials, however, lost over 10,000, and adding from the mine accident, they had lost over 15,000 troops over a single week.

  [(0)]

  "THAT FOOL!" Caelen roared as he smashed the desk, shattering it into countless tiny fragments.

  The left and right wings of the Imperial army had been forced to merge back into the center, and the reason was simple: Major General Remnell, their supreme commander, was dead.

  "Please calm down, sir." Colonel Aylsia tried her best to settle him, but he was only half-listening as he kept ranting about the battle.

  The current highest-ranking officer for the Second Division was, unfortunately, Brigadier General Jack, who was shaking in his boots, fidgeting with his long dark hair and murmuring, "We're doomed, we're doomed, we're doomed..."

  The entire command tent was in chaos as they tried to think of any solution.

  "Sir, the enemy is retreating to the Forest of Jade," an officer slowly suggested. "Perhaps we could use this opportunity to regroup at Fort Estonal before strik—"

  "SILENCE!" Caelen's bloodlust exploded outward. The officer collapsed, foam bubbling at his mouth from the sheer pressure of Caelen's presence. "If we ask for help from that stupid Ayas, our reputation as the Unbreakable Division will be ruined!"

  Since when did the Third Division have that kind of reputation? everyone thought, but they kept their mouths shut as they listened to Caelen's ranting, especially after seeing what had happened to the poor officer.

  "We'll chase them down and hunt them!" Caelen ordered.

  The other officers couldn't help but swallow nervously at the thought.

  "Please reconsider, sir." Aylsia, to everyone's relief, stepped forward. "According to the reports, 6,000 troops fell into a trap. There's no telling how many more traps they've prepared."

  "Y-yeah..." Jack murmured from the corner. "They used siege weapons, so they might have something else prepar—"

  "I AM NOT ASKING FOR SUGGESTIONS!" Caelen shouted, his face turning completely red. "THIS IS AN ORDER!"

  Everyone stayed silent as Caelen slowly calmed down. After a minute, his face returned to normal and he coughed. Then he began issuing orders.

  "Begin preparations to hunt down the 9th Corps."

  "...Yes, sir," everyone replied after a slight pause.

  Caelen stormed off, muttering something about Remnell being a weakling. Meanwhile, Aylsia and Jack remained behind with the other officers.

  "How much supplies do we have left?" Aylsia asked.

  The officer's face turned grim. "Only about another week's worth of food, ma'am. That's it."

  "Send a Wind Bird to Fort Estonal," Aylsia ordered. "Do it secretly. Request supplies, reinforcements, and most importantly, something to boost morale."

  "B-b-b-b-b-b-u-u-u—" Jack stammered, his teeth chattering. "W-wouldn't that make Major General Caelen furious...?"

  "It's better to apologize while we're still alive," Aylsia answered simply. "Now go!"

  "Yes, ma'am!" The soldiers shouted, this time more loudly, before hurrying off.

  [(0)]

  I woke up—wait, let me guess: in an unfamiliar setting!

  Seriously, what was up with me always waking up in strange places? Just once, I would like to wake up somewhere familiar after passing out because of someone else's fault, thank you very much.

  I slowly opened my eyes, feeling surprisingly refreshed as I sat up from a comfortable white bed. The first thing I noticed was the sharp sting of herbs, medicine, probably, filling the entire tent. The next thing I noticed was the groaning. Men and women lying on white beds just like mine, scattered throughout the space.

  Then I realized I was in a medic tent.

  Why was I in a medic tent? I tried to remember. First, I was with the Independent Cavalry Regiment, taking down small outposts so the main army could march. Then we arrived at the Plain of Imoras, and then the batt—

  Memories hit me like ice water. Everything came flooding back. The mistake I had made. The screams I had heard. The burnt smell of bodies. My body trembled as I remembered. Remembered that I—

  "You're awake."

  I was too lost in the memories to even be startled. I slowly turned to see Deryk standing there. He looked worried. Sad, even. Maybe frustrated. In his hands, he held a metal box that clinked with every movement.

  “D-Deryk.” My throat felt dry as I forced the words out. “W-where is everybody…?”

  “Warrant Officer Elion.” Deryk didn’t look at me. Instead, he closed his eyes and continued. “Sergeant Austin. Private Rowen. Private Patrik…”

  The names kept coming.

  I knew them. Every one of them belonged to my cavalry unit. Faces surfaced in my mind as I thought about soldiers I had spoken to only days ago. People who had ridden behind me when we charged. The longer Deryk spoke, the heavier my chest felt.

  "And finally, Corporal Windson."

  Deryk finished and opened the metal box. Inside were identification tags, the same metal tags the military issued to every soldier. Dozens of them. Hundreds of them. All scorched black.

  "They had died honorably on the battlefield, following their commander in battle. Their services to the kingdom will never be forgotten."

  My vision turned white. Out of 1,000 soldiers, 987 names had been called. Nine hundred and eighty-seven. Dead. Because of me.

  At some point, I found myself staring at the ceiling above my bed, unable to remember when I had stopped listening, or when the room had grown so quiet. I just stared at the ceiling, hoping this was all a dream.