Holding a narrow-edged knife in his hand, Second Lieutenant Sulijah stood tall in the center of the south wall of Caven Fort. Beside him was a young, hunchback apprentice. In front of him was a battlement of smooth-surfaced poles made from pine wood. Tied on it was a Hoillander officer who failed in his attempt to sneak into the fortress.
Behind Second Lieutenant Sulijah, or more specifically, under the city wall, the last 5,000 soldiers of Titan Imperial Guards of the Twelfth Region lined up in two phalanxes. A number of commissioned officers positioned themselves at ease at the front of the phalanxes. Among them was a general of the Imperial Guards and several other officers whose ranks were hard to be identified by eyes. In this instant, the officers and the soldiers looked exactly the same; their armors dilapidated, cold light reflecting on those 5,000 swords and spears.
