Tongbu City's plight was a reflection of the Sunset Plains.
None of the Towns could defeat the Blade of Freedom, which had gathered surrendered troops all along its route. Unless a Legendary stepped in, they had no way to deal with the army in the Outskirts.
The Council Chairman still hadn't returned. The Royal Palace remained lifeless, with no government orders coming out of it. Only "Little Council Chairman" Young Miss Olmedo was there, shouting that the Blade of Freedom was just a band of ordinary people and that any general who couldn't stop them was useless.
The nobles were delighted to have someone take charge. With the King and Council Chairman absent, the Minister of War and the Minister of the Interior each considered himself the one in charge. After conferring, they placed the Mammoth Knights' Order and the Royal Mage Corps, both part of the Kingdom's Guard, under Annan's command and sent them to drive off the Blade of Freedom.
But not long after Young Miss Olmedo set out with the troops to cheers from the whole city, she vanished without a trace. Nothing more was heard from her.
The nobles sensed something was wrong and holed up in the city.
The New Royal Capital had a Barrier, ample supplies, a Mage Tower, and four Legendaries.
As long as they stayed inside, the Blade of Freedom could do nothing to them.
That was exactly what Annan wanted. If the New Royal Capital refused to act, they would take every satellite Town on the Sunset Plains, then capture the New Royal Capital with help from within.
To that end, Annan had even concealed Vitalig's existence, saving that bombshell for last.
At first, the New Royal Capital reacted as expected. Only the hot-tempered Agawar seemed ready to act, his old