Within the Sundari Royal Palace, massive instruments played a deep, weighty melody, like a horn calling warriors to war, or a slumbering beast awakening.
Amid an atmosphere of solemn grandeur, Pre-Vizsla wore heavy ancient Mandalorian Crusader armor. This armor was not made of modern alloys, but standard-issue armor forged by the Mandalorian Crusaders four thousand years ago. Its countless mottled marks and cracks bore witness to the trials of innumerable wars.
Step by step, he climbed onto the platform. It was a temporary altar, twenty meters high. At its front stood a statue of the God of War, Kad-Harangir. Kad-Harangir wore rough heavy armor and a helmet with a T-shaped visor, gripping a battle axe as he hacked at his enemy, Arasuum, God of Laziness and Stagnation.
Beneath this statue, Pre-Vizsla would complete his ritual.
Around the palace, many residents of Sundari City had been driven out by the military. Each held a small flag bearing the words "True Mandalor," waving them numbly.
At least three hundred thousand residents watched the ceremony directly. The square was packed wall to wall with people. Gal Saxon's troops maintained order around the area, while two hundred Death Watch warriors hovered in midair on jetpacks, their dark gun barrels aimed down at the crowd. Everyone fell silent, terrified out of their wits.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!! A barrage of explosions rang out from the battlefield beyond the city. Rebel Alliance soldiers set up large numbers of mortars and launched the first bombardment against the defending positions!
They had little ammunition and even less equipment, so even their mortars had to be carried on their shoulders. They would march for a while, stop to fire two rounds, then shoulder the weapons again and keep moving.
Twenty thousand Rebel Alliance soldiers spread out in skirmish