False Absolute Divine Domain

As the Mana Cannon was being readied, more than six thousand fully armed soldiers stood in orderly ranks on the vast parade ground of Achia Military Camp, on the other side of Faerun City.

Colonel Ronak, Major General Gaddafi's adjutant, was in charge of assembling the troops. He gave no long-winded speech. With a wave of his hand, he led them into the city to impose martial law and establish the Second Defensive Line near the edge of the Factory District.

The soldiers had already heard rumors. They knew the situation was serious, and they could not help feeling nervous.

But Major General Gaddafi knew how to run an army. Despite their nerves, the soldiers of Achia Military Camp showed the results of their training. Once assembled, they advanced at a run, built defensive positions, and sealed off their assigned areas.

Ordinary soldiers were unlikely to pose a lethal threat to Transcendents, so Major General Gaddafi had ordered all the artillery brought out: two heavy artillery battalions and four field artillery battalions.

Those guns were not meant to break through the Absolute Divine Domain. They were there for whatever might emerge when it collapsed—such as the army of Transcendent creatures drawn from the Mist World by the Nature God Tree's seeds. By then, no one could count on the trapped 45th Division or the Knights Orders under Grand Knight Commander Frederick.

Lucien was a platoon leader in Achia Military Camp's independent regiment.

At twenty-seven, Lucien was already an experienced veteran. He had fought in four colonial wars and faced the Rune Federation's renowned Black Armor Knights Order.

After receiving his orders, Lucien led his platoon to a crossroads to establish a firing position. All twenty-five men were present, hauling sandbags and preparing to dig trenches.

At first, everyone, Lucien included,