Meanwhile, it was frantic in the Alzar Kingdom's camp. Officers and messengers came flying through every second into the general's tent, where General Petra and her subordinates were. People were almost screaming over each other in a nonstop stream of updates, making it difficult for anyone to process what was happening. It was not just the main battlefield either, as there were many small battles taking place throughout the region, all of which added up to divide their attention and disperse their forces. It was clear what the Imperial Council intended to do, but they had no choice. How could sieging the empire's capital be easy? Regardless, General Petra and her subordinates remained calm and processed everything one at a time. Their speed, efficiency, and prioritization skills were incredible to witness!
"Report! A small enemy platoon has been spotted by our 23rd reconnaissance patrol!"
"Number and realm?" a general asked.
"Around fifty solders, all Fundamental Realms!"
"Dispatch the nearby 31st squadron! Have the 33rd and 34th squadrons guard their post until they return!"
"Understood!"
"Report! Enemies have been spotted by the 41st and 42nd reconnaissance!"
"How many and how strong?" another general replied.
"Twenty and some are Perception Realms!"
"The 45th and 46th squadrons will respond! The 47th and 48th squadrons will cover their position."
"Understood!"
"From now on, every report must include the enemy numbers and approximate realm!" General Petra quickly ordered, having noticed the small inefficiency. "Anyone missing that information must return to get it!" As soon as she said that, a decent fraction of the queue left, alleviating their workload.
"The Imperial Council aren't giving us any room to breath, are they?" Elizabeth noted. She realized quickly how complex the battlefield was growing. They were being attacked on all sides! Moreover, the margin for error was much smaller for them as opposed to their enemies. They had less soldiers for one, but also a bad position. To compensate, they needed a flawless performance. It was no wonder these generals were being run ragged.
"Yes, they're using the same tunnels we used to smuggle our forces in. There are too many passages that we don't control or don't know about. Counterattacking is impossible in this situation," General Petra clicked her tongue. "Since we haven't heard back from our forces inside Yongtein yet, I think it's fair to assume the Imperial Princesses failed."
Sighing, Elizabeth replied, "That… appears to be the case. I hoped they would succeed, so that we could resolve this peacefully, but it seems I was being too hopeful…"
"Urgent report! The 3rd and 4th vanguard brigades are losing ground, and the enemies are breaking through! Requesting immediate reinforcements and orders!" The word urgent brought General Petra's attention over. Any report labelled urgent came from the main battlefield, and any without came from outside that, which helped with prioritization in this busy situation.
"The 3rd and 4th brigades will fall back and rebuild the formation. Adopt the Four Stars formation with the adjacent 2nd and 5th brigades! The 11th and 12th reserve brigades will replace them!" General Petra shouted.
"Understood!"
Just when the officers wanted to take a break, another messenger charged in with bad news. "Priority report for the generals!" This time, everyone, including Elizabeth, dropped what they were doing and focused on the messenger's words. A priority report was the highest level of reporting, only to be used for developments that could affect the entire battlefield. It required everyone's utmost attention! "The Dragon and Tiger Divisions have been spotted entering the battlefield from the eastern gate! Requesting immediate orders!"
"They're moving their trump cards already?"
"What about the Imperial Court? Have they given up on defending it?"
"Are they really all Perception Realms?"
"Yes, we've confirmed it!"
Everyone naturally grew a little nervous hearing that. Aside from Elizabeth and a handful of others, no one had the experience of fighting a full Perception Realm army, much less one equipped with Martial Energy. It was practically a mythical army from legend! They were a nightmare for the kingdom! Of course, they were not without flaws. The information the Featherwind Sect provided was circulated to everyone here; however, those flaws could only be exploited through superior skill or strength, neither of which the kingdom had in abundance. Cardinal Hui and the others succeeded because Prime Minister Pon-Wai underestimated them, and those miracles would not happen again. Had the Sword King and his disciples been present, they could have dealt with the Dragon and Tiger Divisions, but they were nowhere to be found. As for the Featherwind Sect, they had another important role, so they could not be moved. This left General Petra with little options.
"Summon the Ten Dawns," she said.
"At your service," Ten Dawn Yvonne entered the tent with a bow, as did the others. With the addition of Ten Dawn Runenda and Lorth, there were now a total of five Ten Dawns present!
"Prepare the large-scale tactical spells Yin-Yang Arrow and Mirage Valley. The Arcanist platoons will support you. Target the enemy forces and annihilate them!"
"As you command."
"I should go too," Elizabeth said.
"Please refrain from doing that, Your Highness. Your Highness is the Royal Army General and a princess of the Alzar Kingdom. We cannot permit any harm to befall upon you. Please trust us. Your presence is necessary here."
"Ten Dawn Yvonne is right. Just as they have a role to fulfill, Your Highness has one too. Our soldiers won't be able to concentrate should Your Highness enter the battlefield. This is the best for everyone," General Petra added.
"…Very well. I wish you all good luck."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
The Dragon and Tiger Divisions had almost ten thousand Perception Realms in their ranks. When they arrived on the battlefield, they released a humongous, monstrous, almost ocean-like aura that slammed down on everyone! It was so suffocatingly powerful that soldiers began fainting from the sheer pressure. It could be felt as far as the general's camp where Elizabeth felt her fists clenching uncontrollably. The generals and officers felt scared too. To paralyze an entire army with their mere presence alone, they were indeed worthy of being the council's trump card! Elizabeth had to admit she had underestimated the Imperial Council since they could nurture another ten thousand Perception Realms this quickly. Even accounting for the remnants of the Qilin and Kun Divisions, this was very fast. On the Featherwind Sect's flying ship, Elder Argo peered down with a touch of amazement.
"They've modified the training method we gave them," he noted. "Perhaps, I should've given them more credit. They're more capable than we thought."
"It doesn't look like they've resolved the fatal flaws though because their vitalities are still damaged," Elder Terus said. "How much of an improvement do you think they've gained?"
"From what I can tell, this improvement… doesn't seem focused on improving quality," Elder Ludin remarked with a spell. "It's aimed towards increasing general suitability, to allow more people to benefit from it. They want quantity over quality."
"Well, it was originally meant to nurture Rank 2 Lord armies," Elder Crus added. "They might be incomplete Rank 2 Lords, but their power is more than enough to sweep through this primitive world. Given a hundred years, the Xingyuu Empire might really grow to become a true Rank 3 civilization."
"However, they're facing against the Alzar Kingdom and the Zino Kingdom, who each have their own Rank 3 Kings," Elder Unvo said. "We've already met the Sword King, and though his power wasn't as developed as the Early Rank 3 Kings we know, he's a Rank 3 King despite that. If the Zino Kingdom's Protector Avin Arcellius is anything like him, then the Xingyuu Empire is in for a bad time."
"I agree."
"Should we intervene then?" Elder Terus wondered.
"No, that won't be necessary," Elder Argo stated. "We were asked not to intervene until that happens. We'll continue to spectate from here… Let's see for ourselves how the kingdom aims to win."
Boom! The birds returned their gaze below to see the Dragon and Tiger Divisions rip through the kingdom's vanguard like a hot knife. When they first entered the battlefield, they had already suppressed the other side through their aura alone. Many had fallen unconscious, much less lost the will to fight. So, when they attacked with a storm of thousands of flying strikes, it was obvious what would happen next! Thousands of body parts went flying in a gruesome explosion of blood! It was a massacre! Their momentum propelled them deeper and deeper into the kingdom's lines as casualties mounted! They were unstoppable! With their formation broken, the commanders and generals began issuing orders to retreat. By the time the Ten Dawns and the Arcanist platoons arrived, it was pure chaos.