Chapter 36 - The War Begins.

On the eastern wall of Kynburgh…

a lady stood calmly, dressed in a white lining blouse, black pants, and black leather boots. Her red hair was tied gently in a bun, intensifying her natural charm.

On her hand was a sword, coated in a white sheet. It reached her waistline as she used the sword to support her weight.

She is the prime minister of Kynburgh, Rebecca—a female feared by many for her scheming mind and beauty.

She gently overlooked the mountains in the distance, awaiting the arrival of her prey. She believed Stiles had set up the path to an instantaneous victory.

"All air defense artillery should be set up with care. I don't want any mishaps," Rebecca commanded the fellows that stood along her on the wall of Kynburgh, a smile forming on her lips.

It was clear she preferred keeping a jovial expression at all times, adding to her enemies' plight—after all, the worst enemy to have are those who always put a smile on; it becomes hard to tell if your scheme is affecting them negatively, sending you in the wrong direction.

"Yes, Prime Minister!" They chorused, immediately starting their work.

There was evident fear and respect in their eyes for Rebecca.

The fortress wall on its own was like a large road, giving enough space for people to move about freely. There were also small houses within the wall, which contained long-range attack machinery.

A male dressed in a black and green checkered shirt and trousers ran up to Rebecca, respectively reporting the situation to her. "The sensors picked up intense movements within the mountain range. It's likely the forces of the Bura civilization."

The man didn't just report the state of the sensors. Instead, going further to talk about his conjectures.

"Are the land troops ready?" Rebecca inquired.

"Yes, ma'am."

"The Elementalists should be ready to rain down elemental attacks," Rebecca commanded, recalling all the instructions her Lord, Stiles, had given her.

"The individuals wielding guns should take the frontline of the land troops, archers closely behind them.

All close-range combatants should wait for my command to take the frontlines… if need be."

Immediately after she finished with the details she needed to share, Rebecca waved her arm, gesturing for the man to leave.

Digging deep into her pant pocket, Rebecca took out a stopwatch, observing it for some seconds before placing it back.

"Prepare to fire the artillery! There is no chance for slip-ups!" She yelled on top of her soothing voice, providing a sense of comfort and confidence to her underlings.

Slowly approaching from the mountain range was a spy drone. It had two wings protruding from its rectangular main body. Located at the center of this rectangular object, was a ball that rotated continuously, taking records of everything it could view.

"Fire!"

Rebecca raised an arm, aiming it in the direction of the approaching drone. Immediately, a flaming projectile was discharged from the muzzle, trajecting to the drone with great velocity.

Boom

The sound to indicate the beginning of the battle resounded, affecting the mountain range as birds and other creatures fled in the distance in an attempt to elude the upcoming event.

"Don't forget what we fight for—It's not just some piece of land but our home!"

Rebecca's words were like music in the ears of the fearful, making their eyes red in determination.

***

Within the mountain range…

A male clad in armor stood at the entrance of a well-lit cavern, his bushy beards complimenting his jumbled hair which was black.

He held a binocular to his eyes, getting a clear view as the projectile collided with the spy drone.

"Tsk… They can't even wait for a second," he complained, rubbing his palm against his dark facial skin.

From his physical characteristics, one could tell that he hailed from the Bura civilization to the east of Kynburgh—a place that believed in individual strength.

"Anyway, they can destroy as many aircraft as their ability provides. After all, we will be victorious at the end of this battle," he laughed hoarsely.

"Send the battle aircraft; and make sure to do some damage to their forces," He commanded, looking at the weak-looking individuals who the other communities sent to support the operation.

'The pilots of the aircraft are just like human sacrifices… tsk…'

He didn't dare to say that out loud; even though he was assured of their victory, he still felt 'moral' was an important factor in a situation like this.

After his command, the pilots activated the engines of their aircraft, preparing to fly off to their doom.

Though their commander did not point it out, they knew the chances of returning from this assault were nearly zero. Still, as soldiers, they were willing to take this chance.

As their aircraft lifted to the sky, they were met with a thunderclap sound, causing them to almost lose control of their aircraft.

"What the hell?!" The leader of the operation cursed, noticing the abnormalities within the mountain range.

It was like a divine being was descending, making the earth grumble at his arrival.

Howl…!!!

Growl…!!!

Shuush…!!!

Diverse sounds came from different locations. They were like the growling and howling of creatures that just awoke from their deep slumber.

The leader's skin crawled in dismay—he knew clearly what those sounds represented.

"The creatures of the mountain range have been awoken from their slumber… the dungeon monsters have been released!" He yelled out to his underlings.

"Prepare to defend our backs, and work on escaping to the other side."

He had no choice but to command his forces to escape to Kynburgh's side of the forest. After all, that was their only hope of survival.

***

Few minutes before the strange phenomenon…

Rebecca, after commanding the takedown of the spy drone, retreated to a small table with a holographic image displayed on its surface.

With this, she could easily pinpoint where all the bombs, landmines, and other explosive instruments Stiles had ordered to be utilized were placed.

Back at the gathering, Stiles had emphasized using the creatures of the forest and the sealed dungeons—a place that breeds creatures of unknown origins, to make the alliance forces exit the mountain range forcefully.

This way, they would be killing two birds with a stone: get rid of the alliance forces on the eastern side of Kynburgh, reduce the dangerous monsters in the mountain range, clear the monsters that exit the sealed dungeon, and get monster meat…

'Wait! There are more than "two birds"... This shows how many problems have been solved with just this one brilliant move…'

Rebecca chuckled, observing as the alliance infantry rushed out of the forest, either becoming prey to the hungry and angry creatures or the guns and long-ranged weapons of Kynburgh's military.

'It seems the battle aircraft are handling the creatures from a safe distance—no wonder they are not exiting in numbers. Anyway, their doom is certain.'