A few hours later.
The Gurak City has completely fallen, and its walls have been captured by the counter-insurgency forces.
The army encountered almost no decent resistance, and most of the defenders seemed to have long since lost the will to fight.
Only a very few stubborn individuals remained, relying on the ruins to launch a counterattack.
Then, the chariots rolled through the city gates and entered the main road, followed closely by the main force which surged into the streets and alleys.
The sounds of gunfire gradually subsided and eventually ceased completely.
Kushana rode into the city in her chariot, her silver-white armor gleaming coldly in the firelight.
Her gaze swept across the street as she examined her "masterpiece."
Walls collapsed, streets were shattered, weapons were scattered everywhere, and corpses lay in the blood.
The doors and windows on both sides of the street were tightly closed, with only occasional glimpses of a terrified gaze peeking through the cracks.
"Not challenging at all."
Kushana muttered to herself.
Air and sea routes were completely blocked, along with intelligence operations and incitement tactics.
In just one week, this fortified city, originally built to defend against neighboring countries to the east and south, easily fell into her hands.
Apart from being larger in scale and having that little "surprise" a few days ago, the entire battle was no different from the dozen or so rebellions she had suppressed in the past.
"Report--!"
The assault captain, wearing the iconic white helmet, strode over and stood at attention in front of the vehicle, saluting.
"The governor's mansion has been occupied, and the rebel leader Brenna and her remaining 27 followers have all surrendered!"
Kushana nodded slightly. "Lead the way."
"Yes, sir!" The squad leader hesitated for a moment, "Furthermore, the remaining rebels are mixed in with civilians, and many have taken refuge in houses. We..."
"Slay any who resist. Before nightfall, I want every corner of this city under the control of the Empire."
"Yes, sir!"
The Governor's Office.
This building is less of an administrative center and more of a fortified fortress.
The three-story cylindrical structure, with exterior walls also made of reinforced concrete, features small windows that could even be used as firing ports.
Inside the hall, Imperial soldiers stood with their guns drawn, the muzzles pointed at the captured rebels.
A middle-aged woman with her hands bound knelt at the front, the wrinkles of time etched around her eyes.
The woman was wearing a dark blue Tolmekia uniform, but her epaulets had been torn off, and her blond hair was disheveled and draped behind her head.
Most strikingly, a large patch of dark red sores spread from the left side of the woman's neck to her face, with an uneven surface.
"Governor Brenna," Kushana began, "Or should I call you the rebel leader?"
By blood, she should actually call the woman in front of her "aunt".
But clearly, neither of them would mention this kinship in this setting.
Brenna suddenly raised her head, her eyes blazing with fury.
" Kushana... you traitor... witch!"
"Why did you help that usurper slaughter the subjects loyal to the late king? Have you forgotten how King of Torumekia killed your father?!"
Perhaps it's just the King of Torumekia's wicked sense of humor.
If a rebellion involves former court officials, then the one who suppresses it will inevitably be Kushana, a descendant of the former king.
But Kushana remained unmoved.
"How can I claim loyalty to someone I've never even met since birth?"
Brenna's eyes widened, as if she were seeing the young female commander before her for the first time.
"What grudges the remnants of the previous dynasty have is your business."
"But you, you needlessly caused the deaths of so many soldiers and even implicated the civilians of the entire city. What makes you think you can win?"
Kushana leaned down, meeting the other person's gaze directly into their anger.
"Just two or three industrial cities? Or those suicide soldiers infected with the fungus?"
What Kushana was talking about happened three days ago.
When the situation deteriorated rapidly and the defensive line was on the verge of collapse, Brenna sent out a suicide squad.
Those soldiers were covered in red fungal spots, moved with extraordinary speed, and could even charge through a hail of bullets.
After being killed, the corpse will explode, releasing a crimson spore-poisonous mist.
Initially, this did cause chaos and panic within the Imperial Army lines, with dozens of soldiers accidentally inhaling the toxic fumes and dying from organ failure.
But the medics soon discovered that wearing the special gas mask designed for exploring the Sea of Corruption would completely protect them from the poison gas.
Once this advantage was lost, the infected soldiers were swept down like chickens and dogs by the Storm Rifle.
"Or... do you prefer to believe that Dorok Emperor rather than wait for me to inherit the throne?"
The evil technology of turning living people into biological weapons could only have originated from the Dorok.
There's nothing that freakish old ghost, who extended his lifespan by over a hundred years using technology, can't do.
The Southeast Governor before me has probably already secretly defected to the enemy.
"You? Inherit the throne?"
Upon hearing Kushana's series of questions, Brenna burst into laughter, as if she had heard an extremely funny joke.
"Looks like you haven't figured it out yet, naive... um!"
As she laughed, a look of pain suddenly appeared on her face.
But she didn't stop laughing; instead, her shoulders trembled with laughter, and the red scars on her face became even brighter with her excitement.
"Time's up... Oh well... What a pity..."
She spoke incoherently, laughing as she spoke.
"I had intended to wait until that tyrant personally led his army into battle... to let him witness this divinely bestowed power firsthand... and avenge my insane sister..."
She abruptly stopped laughing and glared at Kushana.
"It seems like I can only waste my money on my sister's silly daughter!"
"Protect His Highness!" the captain of the guards shouted.
The soldiers immediately raised their guns and opened fire, Brenna's body convulsed and trembled violently amidst the hail of bullets.
Even though she was riddled with wounds, the woman did not fall; instead, large plumes of scarlet mist gushed out from her wounds.
When the mist touched the remnants of the party kneeling behind her, their bodies began to mutate.
The red fungal moss relentlessly erodes their skin, eliciting agonizing screams.
"Something's wrong. Everyone evacuate the Governor's Mansion immediately!"
Upon witnessing this bizarre scene, Kushana immediately signaled her subordinates to retreat.
"Too late! Let the whole city be buried with it!!!"
Before she could finish speaking, Brenna's body began to twist violently, and several huge, golden-red tentacles resembling mycelial aggregates burst forth from her back.
Those tendrils slowly converged, rotated, and closed into a spiral-shaped flower bud.
Then, it blossoms.
( Scarlet Aeonia, also known as the Rot Nuclear Explosion.)
The crimson light instantly engulfed the hall, the governor's mansion, and the entire street.
Wherever the light reached, bricks and stones softened, metals rusted, and living things turned into pus.
Blood-red mycelium and moss grew wildly from every crevice, turning everything scarlet.
The entire Gurak City, along with the vast wasteland surrounding it, was instantly swallowed by this crimson expanse, transforming into a constantly writhing, growing, and decaying wasteland...
Scarlet Kingdom.
Later historical records state:
In the autumn of 598 AD (Tolmekia), Gulak, a major town on the southeastern border of the empire, was destroyed by an unknown weapon.
The city was ravaged by the rebellion of the Imperial Army, the uprising rebels, and civilians, totaling more than 20,000 people, all of whom perished.
Only the commander of the rebellion, Princess Kushana herself, miraculously survived, the reason for which remains a mystery.
The city ruins were completely covered by a crimson Sea of Corruption decay, yet no spores were released to breed insect swarms.
Observations show that common Sea of Corruption worms actively avoid this area, seemingly out of fear.
This is the scarlet flower, blooming for the first time on earth.