February 21, Year One of the New Calendar
Fifteen days had passed since the battle for the Royal City began.
At the Lost Royal City, the Sunrise Expedition Army had become embroiled in a bitter struggle against the ancient Iron Constructs, and its advance had ground to a halt.
"No, wouldn't it be more accurate to call it a complete rout?"
A Recorder from the Glow Clan stopped his work. As a Recorder accompanying the army, his job was to document everything that happened during the expedition in as much detail as possible.
Every battle, every victory, and every defeat.
These records would become important historical documents for future chroniclers, so he should not have made subjective revisions.
But even he understood that they probably could not win this battle. The crumpled papers scattered around his desk testified to his conflicted feelings.
Defeating the first two powerful enemies had already left the expedition's only two generals gravely injured, yet the enemy had deployed another five.
"But 'a crushing rout' sounds far too awful. Hmm... how about calling it a strategic withdrawal?"
The firefly weighed his wording, the wings behind him trembling along with his thoughts.
Whatever his reasons, the Recorder had already begun considering how to make this passage look better in the eyes of posterity.
Fifteen days earlier, the Expedition Army had barely managed to clear out the roaming machines in the Inner City and was about to begin reclaiming it.
Then those five distinct Iron Constructs appeared, and the moment they did, the defensive line collapsed completely.
Already exhausted from their previous battle, the warriors barely managed to withdraw.
The remaining five powerful machines pursued them relentlessly, forcing the army to retreat all the way to the wall separating the Outer City from the Inner City.
Fortunately, they