Boom—
Amid the sprawling mountains and forests, the roar of war echoed beneath the sky. Layer upon layer of firelight spread across the earth, illuminating the snow and trees in the mountains, as well as the two armies separated by dense defensive fortifications.
"Commander, the Mercenary Group's assault is getting stronger and stronger."
Inside a brightly lit defensive facility, a young soldier with the City of Stars Emblem on his chest hurried to the blond man's side and said quickly, "They outnumber us, and they're attacking our lines like they don't care about dying."
"Inform the entire regiment. Hold the line."
The blond man stared at the map before him and said quickly, "The situation isn't favorable enough for them, yet they're still attacking so desperately. That proves they're more anxious than we are. They likely have a time limit. As long as we hold through this period, once all hope is gone, their morale will collapse completely.
"That will be when we counterattack."
"Yes!"
The young soldier answered immediately, then turned and began operating the communications console beside him.
"Commander, our inner defensive line has been breached!"
Before he could send the message, another communicator nearby shouted, "A unit is rapidly attacking a weak point in our defenses. Their target is..."
He paused, then said quickly, "The Artillery Position in our rear!"
"Has the line been patched?"
Fiss asked at once.
"The First Brigade is moving in to patch the line."
The communicator immediately replied, "But there are suspected B-rank high-level transcendents among the forces that broke through. They can't stop them. They're too fast. They'll have to pass through our Command Post to reach the Artillery Position. We don't know whether they've pinpointed the Command Post's location, but the First Brigade commander hopes you can evacuate."
"Either they