Fire of Star Sand

Night had fallen at the Mount Tai Paladin Order's camp in the Temple of Light's Radiant Jurisdiction.

Large numbers of troops returned to camp in succession, their armor stained with dust and undried blood, their steps heavy with exhaustion.

The force had been ordered to attack that morning. It had entered the Star Empire without trouble and quickly advanced dozens of kilometers into its territory.

Unexpectedly, after midday, the Stars defenders, who had been retreating in defeat all along, suddenly rallied and began resisting fiercely, refusing to yield an inch. At first, the Temple of Light's forces still held the advantage in numbers and battlefield position, but as more and more Stars troops appeared, the frontline commander had no choice but to order a retreat.

The Temple of Light's logistics and transport forces had fallen badly out of sync. The whole army had subsisted on dry rations at noon, and dinner was no different: the soldiers continued choking down the unpalatable rations. As for the transport of heavy equipment and arms, it had failed to keep pace throughout the entire operation.

The counterattack had been launched in such haste that, while the Star Empire's side had been in a sorry state, their own side had suffered terribly too,

with blunders at every turn.

During the fighting, their side had initially had an excellent window to attack. But for some reason, the command had suddenly descended into chaos, and it had taken a full three hours to restore order. By then, however, the Star Empire's army had finished constructing a new defensive line, and their side had completely lost its chance to secure victory.

The commander's first withdrawal order had only called for the army to fall back to the border and regroup. But their base, Mount Tai Camp, was not