The north wind howled, whipping up endless yellow sand.
Among all the cities in Lightning Country, the one with the strongest defenses was undoubtedly Thunderclap City, the capital and political heart of the entire nation.
Beyond that, Lightning Country's second-largest city was another border city—Thundercloud City.
Due to its geography, Lightning Country bordered the sea on two sides and shared borders with only two nations. Thus, it had only two border cities: Thunderlight City, which guarded against the Land of Frost, and Thundercloud City, which held the line against the Land of Earth.
Over the past thousand years, countless wars had broken out between Lightning Country and the Land of Earth. As two of the Five Great Nations, their strengths were evenly matched. Therefore, as the first and most important line of defense against the Land of Earth, Thundercloud City's defenses were several levels stronger than Thunderlight City's!
On the city walls, nearly a thousand armored soldiers stood in solemn formation, their sharp eyes fixed on the vast wilderness ahead.
Though there was no war at the moment, Thundercloud City still maintained a degree of vigilance in case the Land of Earth suddenly launched an attack one day.
But today, the ravaging flames of war shattered this patch of tranquility!
When the city's commanding general, Funai Naoki, arrived atop the walls with a grave expression, he saw a black tide slowly advancing toward them. It was not moving quickly, but its oppressive presence was overwhelming!
"What is going on? Has the Land of Earth sent troops to attack us?"
"I don't know. We received no prior news." The guard at his side was equally baffled, with a hint of confusion on his face. "And why do I feel like this force is different from the ones before?"
"Hm?"
Hearing this,