The marching troops made their way to the capital but slowed down the fatigue they encountered last night; the armies marched to the capital. They had the courage of the previous two victories in their minds.
Yuuka, to keep the soldiers going, began motivating them with words.
"We have nearly reached the capital. We shall take this city and win this battle."
"YES, SIR!."
The troop's enthusiasm was all lost as they saw a big cloud of smoke in the air. The smoke came from a bit far away and caught everyone's attention.
"So, big of a smoke cloud. Is there a big forest fire or something?"
"We don't know, but we should move towards it—the smoke from the direction of the capital itself."
The armies began advancing towards the smoke, and soon enough, they reached their destination.
The place burning was a large-looking building. It was tall and silver in colour, but the flames that rose from it were even bigger; things were only evident once they reached near the buildings.
"THE CAPITAL IS ON FIRE?!"
As they were within a few hundred metres of the building, they saw the actual size of the marvel. It was the capital of Horizon to Captain Clarke's eyes.
"..."
Yuuka kept quiet about the situation, spoke nothing, readily agreed to Clarke's words, and looked startled.
"What is happening?"
They thought they might find supplies at the capital, but it was now in flames. The soldiers, who were fatigued from moving, were even more dissatisfied.
"If this place is burning, then... it's a trap!"
Yuuka immediately understood the purpose of burning the building was to lure them in. Small hills surrounded the area, and they were on the lower grounds.
"We can easily be surrounded and pushed back to the burning castle. Lynx has cornered us; we cannot run if they attack at our back."
Yuuka rushed to Clarke and told him about his theory, who looked around and immediately agreed.
"EVERYONE RETREAT OUT OF THE CITY AND GET BACK TO THE OLD FORTRESS!"
Fearing an attack, they retreated quickly, avoiding a direct attack. In doing so, they gave the enemy what they wanted: a panicked and overworked enemy force.
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Not having enough energy to return to the old stronghold, the forces settled in an abandoned town. Filled with painted houses and clean streets.
The soldiers searched the entire area looking for any aid that would bring them more life, but it was a wish too large.
"All the wells in the towns are already cut off from any water, and not a single soul is present. We are trapped in a deeply woven web."
Their condition was the dream scenario for any attacking force.
The forces and captain were now on the run in enemy territory, surrounded and low on supplies.
The captains and commander of Brittania were planning their actions to safeguard themselves, but Yukka was already scheming something.
"We should cover the edges of the town. The enemy forces might be coming for us any second."
Yuuka gave Alexander Aurby a suggestion.
"I think you are right. We need to be prepared for an assault at any moment. Ask Clarke about this. He'll have better plans about this."
"I think you are commander of Brittania forces, Alexander Aurby, not Edith Clarke. I want to honour your rank here by taking orders from you. It is much more respected to be independent of your captains than to rely on them so much."
"Don't try to play your mind games with me, Yuuka. I've heard enough about you to know your games."
Yuuka smiled in return for Aurby's response. He realised it was effortless to get what he wanted.
"I have a name for myself because I lead my forces by myself. I don't rely on my captain to bring me glory. For a second, winning a legacy in warfare is not easy, but it comes to those who try to earn it."
Alexander's expression dulled for the first time, and Yuuka realised it was the moment when he had won everything.
"So, Alexander, does this give you enough guts to issue your soldiers to station at the battlefield, or should I have Clarke do it?"
"Tch... You should talk to me with more respect next time. Set the soldiers to cover for us on the edges of the town."
"Very well, I will follow your command."
The troops were moved, not known to Edith's knowledge, as he sat in the middle of the town with his three men, discussing the current situation alongside Levi.
Yuuka and Alexander slowly joined the group and began discussing their subsequent actions.
"What is our escape plan now? They've probably captured the port and stolen the ships. We have only one option: kill the queen and take control of the country to subdue the troops."
Yuuka placed the only idea he had on the table.
"I don't believe that will happen. The soldiers and people will be behind us anyway."
"A war is all about the general. They sacrifice and leave the soldiers all for the sake of victory. If the general falls, it is over for the army."
"Your great wisdom cannot save us from this situation."
"It can. It is effortless to win this situation."
"How?"
"Let me think about our current environment for a second. You should do it too. You'll notice something very interesting."
The Brittanian soldiers were placed in front while the Asphodel soldiers guarded the leading commander's and captain's offices.
"Now, tell us about your way to our victory here."
Yuuka didn't say a single word and just smiled, pointing guns at Brittania's captain and commander.
"Hey, what do you think you are doing?"
"All I need is for the general to fall. I can control the rest."
A shot was heard all through the defence formation at that very moment. A storm of 5,000 of the 10,000 troops attacked the place.
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