As the preparations werepleted and the Magnus Line approached total copse, the Republic swiftly dered mobilization. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers were conscripted into the war effort, while the Empire wasted no time, rapidly expanding supply lines and constructing shelters for grain and materials brought from the Imperial hearnds.
The Imperial army reinforced its nks quickly, and the Pdins made the wings stronger than the center. Meanwhile, the cavalry bolstered the army from the rear of the Pdins in the center.
The elite infantry were kept back for the Turan tactic. The main n was for the cavalry and Pdins to crush the Republic''s army, while Simon, along with a few Pdins and the army''smander-in-chief, would assassinate the enemy general.
Unlike the old pincer tactic, this n was designed for mass destruction. Instead of "divide and conquer," it was built around "shatter everything quickly, create chaos, and annihte the enemy."
The Republic''s army, shattered by the Pdins and cavalry, would then be finished off by the elite infantry. Without a general, themand center would suffer devastating damage.
This n was simple but effective. To draw a parallel, it was akin to how Alexander the Great defeated the Persians, who numbered in the hundreds of thousands, with an army of only 40,000. A sound strategy could secure a decisive victory.
In summary, strategists always held the most critical positions. If the army was the body''s limbs, the strategist general was the brain controlling everything.
What happens if you destroy the brain? Simply put, the entire body bes non-functional.
The Turan tactic was a strategy aimed at targeting the general through rapid advancement. Confidence in this n was high. After all, they had already won the first Magnus battle and now possessed both the thrill of victory and superior technological powerpared to the enemy.
Just as the Germans crushed the French, the Empire believed it would obliterate the Republic, which clung to dreams of the old days. At least, Bernard and the others thought so.
Still, early celebrations of victory could lead to mishaps. Furthermore, although the Republic was simr to France, there was one significant difference: the Republic had no Paris.
That might sound foolish, but it wasn''t. After all, the French surrendered to the Germans partly out of fear thatndmarks like the Eiffel Tower in Paris would be destroyed. That fear was one of the greatest reasons for their capittion.
But here, the Republic harbored no such concerns. They could fight to the very end. As long as they had manpower, surrender was unlikely. Only the vision of an undeniable victory couldpel them to yield.
"Are we ready?" George calmly surveyed the armies and narrowed his eyes. Standing beside him, Simon and Bernard remained silent for a moment before smiles graced their lips.
"Yes, we will tear them apart. Victory will be ours," Bernard dered.
Hearing Bernard, Georgeughed, while Simon offered a modest grin. George then cleared his throat, preparing to address his troops.
He rode forward, and as all the soldiers fixed their attention on him, George began his speech.
"You''ve all heard about Lorenzo''s arrival here, haven''t you?" George began calmly. Then, raising his voice in anger, he lifted his fist.
"Backed by so-called allied forces, the bastard Aurelion army challenged us! They handed over our beautiful and sacrednds to the barbarian Wargan people they dared to call Nords! They ughtered the sacred Aryan people who denied their rule! They gave awaynds that weren''t theirs to barbarians without permission!"
An angry murmur spread through the soldiers. Sensing their growing rage, George smirked with satisfaction and pressed on, his eyes zing with fury.
"And what did those so-called nobles do?! They acted as if they were superior to us, treating us like worthless ves! They defiled our pure and innocent maidens! And do you know the worst of it? They stained our sacred blood!"
As murmurs grew among the soldiers, some began chanting for vengeance, even though their resolve was as hard as steel.
"They treated us as inferiors and ves in our ownnds! Until our Holy Saintess and the Sun of the Empire, Her Majesty Morgana, came to us! Her Majesty saved us! She eradicated the parasites whomitted unforgivable sins against us! After so long, the people of our beautiful nation finally saw prosperity again!"
"Long live the Empire! Long live Her Majesty Morgana, the Sun of the Empire!"
The soldiers'' chants resonated, shaking the earth like a united force. George, as excited as anyone else, resumed his fiery speech.
As the soldiers'' chants subsided, George raised his ceremonial sword, the War de, toward the sky.
"I believe that no power, no false divine god, can stand against our mighty army! We are the army of the one true God, the Creator! Tell me, who can stop us?"
"No one!"
The soldiers shouted with great fervor, their voices brimming with the thrill of battle and unyielding loyalty. Their chants were so fierce and unique that they seemed capable of shaking even the gods above.
"Tell me! Can the so-called allied Republic stop us? The so-called noble Nords? The so-called loyal traitors, the bastards?"
"No!"
"Whose army are we?!"
"The Creator''s!"
"Whose shadow are we on earth?!"
"The Creator''s!"
"Whose loyal subjects are we?!"
"Her Majesty Morgana''s!"
Seeing the excitement among the soldiers, George decided it was time to deliver the final blow to their morale.
"So, what will we do to those who try to stop us, to those who try to halt our prosperity, to those who hinder us from reiming our sacrednds, and to the so-called loyal traitors?!" George slightly moved his sword, letting his Mana amplify his voice across the realm as the soldiers chanted onest slogan.
"Wine from their blood! Fortresses from their bones! Thrones from their skulls!"
The soldiers'' chilling slogan echoed through the skies, as if it could pierce mountains. The heavens shimmered as if touched by Lucifer, with dark clouds highlighting the sun''s brilliance.
Columns of light converged in the sky. Amid the soldiers'' chants, doves, eagles, vultures, crows, and countless other birds added even greater grandeur to the already magnificent scene.
"This—"
Simon, George, and Bernard observed the sky in awe, excitement, and admiration. Meanwhile, chaos erupted within the Republic''s armies.
As thunder roared and lightning struck, the soldiers trembled in fear. The only source of light was the Imperial position. Even from afar, the divine splendor both captivated and terrified.
Already bloodthirsty, the Imperial army advanced swiftly toward the battle, while the Republic''s soldiers hesitated as they reluctantly moved to the front lines.
After half an hour of marching, the two armies finally faced each other. It was as if even the air froze. The only sounds were the crackling thunder and howling winds.
George closed his eyes, a victorious smile forming on his lips as if he had already won the battle. Then, sharpening his gaze, he raised his battle axe.
"Charge!!!"
"Do not retreat, no matter what happens!" Both George and the enemy general barked their orders. The crescent-shaped cavalry charge sent shivers through the Republic''s forces.
The spear-wielding soldiers immediately knelt down, raising their spears. It might have worked if they were facing ordinary cavalry, but in front of them were soldiers who were specially trained, empowered by sanctity, and possessed the power of Darkness.
"I know that Creation is always watching over me and obliterating all obstacles in my path!" The pdins chanted a shared hymn to invoke Lucifer''s power.
The divine Mana surged like a wild flood, and the Dark Mana materialized ominously. The horses'' bodies were cloaked in Darkness, and their once white armor turned ck, giving the pdins a terrifying appearance.
The varied colors of the horses turned pitch ck like the void, and wherever their hooves struck the ground, it cracked and shattered.
The spearmen took a tense breath. As the Republic''s archers fired their arrows, Simon immediately manipted the wind, deflecting the arrows back.
The arrows, instead of harming the Empire''s soldiers, struck back at the Republic''s troops, prompting the General to swiftlymand the archers to halt.
"Stop! Cease fire!"
The archers hesitated nervously but obeyed, while the pdins'' powerful mounts crushed and obliterated the spearmen. Since the Empire''s right and left nks were ahead of the center, all three sides of the enemy took heavy damage.
Simon steeled himself and cut down every enemy in his path. His sword was stained with blood, and the cavalry behind the pdins split apart, changing direction slightly to divide the enemy into three sections.
Now the enemy had been divided into six groups. The Empire''s elite forces quickly attacked the divided enemy, and the sounds of battle echoed everywhere. Casualties on both sides rapidly increased.
Unlike the 1st Battle of Magnun, the General stood far back with the archers during this war. Thus, even if Simon managed to break through the Republic''s forces, he could still be shot by the archers.
"Simon! Leave it to me!"
Simon turned his head and was surprised to discover Bernard grinning slyly at him, but he didn''t refuse. Trusting Bernard, Simon quickly redirected the pdins toward the strongest nk of the Republic.
"Feel the power, feel the ease, and most importantly, be as swift as the wind..."
Bernard narrowed his eyes, taking a deep breath despite being in the midst of battle. His body became surrounded by winds as he knelt seriously to the ground. Stay tuned to empire
He exhaled once and then moved. In an instant, he darted forward like a gust of dust, moving at superhuman speed. The archers aimed at him, releasing arrows in his direction.
Bernard smiled calmly. His eyes, sharp like an eagle''s, perceived everything in slow motion. With exceptional agility, he cut down the arrows one by one with his sword.
As the sound of the sword shing with arrows echoed, Bernard evaded effortlessly, his speed not decreasing but rather increasing. His target was the enemy General.
"This damned beast!"
The General roared angrily, turning to the archers. "What are you standing around for? Draw your swords and attack!"
"But we—"
An archer hesitated, but the General silenced him with a sharp re. Reluctantly, the archers drew their simple daggers and rushed toward Bernard.
Meanwhile, the General quickly mounted his horse, cursing under his breath. "Damn bastards! Idiots! Once I escape, I''ll return with arger army and destroy all of you!"
As the General fled, Bernard frowned. Ignoring the archers now rushing toward him, he swiftly cut them down and killed them all.
Unfortunately, this gave the General enough time to gain some distance. Still, Bernard pushed his body to its limits and began chasing after the General, ignoring the remaining archers.
Bernard''s speed increased to an incredible level. Finally, he leapt onto the General, knocking him off his horse. The General let out a cry of pain and rage.
"This is the end, General. Your time to die hase." Bernard smiled tiredly, grabbing the General by the throat. His sword plunged mercilessly into the General''s abdomen.
"You—"
The General''sst word was a curse. Bernard, despite his exhaustion, wasted no time. He swiftly decapitated the General, raised his head on a spear he found on the ground, and let out a victorious cry for all to hear.
"The enemy General is dead! The Republic is defenseless now! Kill them all!"N?v(el)B\\jnn
As this cry spread across the battlefield, the battle entered its final stage. The desperate Republic soldiers fled, while the Imperial Army fearlessly and swiftly pursued them.
Led by George, the relentless Imperial Army advanced toward the now-leaderless Republic forces without hesitation.
Once again, the Empire had emerged victorious, and the oue of the war was sealed. The triumph belonged to the Empire...