In the eastern region, there are three kingdoms. Among them, the most powerful one—Burkhai.
Boasting the largest territory and population, Burkhai is the bulkiest kingdom in the alliance. Sharing the most borders with the Empire, Burkhai also boasts the strongest military among the trio.
Through its commanding influence, Burkhai has been vocal in leading the alliance. Recently, its prestige reached its peak after a triumphant battle against the Empire’s 7th Legion.
Sure, they took a hit too, but come on, a victory’s a victory!
The mighty Empire’s 7th Legion—renowned as an elite force—was fiercely repelled through sheer determination! The news of this victory swept through the kingdom’s citizens and its upper echelons alike, plunging them into ecstatic jubilation.
‘Alright! All we need now is a little more momentum, and we can hold out against the Empire!’
‘Caden with their lackluster contributions and Porland who ruined the Pavilion front—neither can challenge Burkhai’s authority now! After all, turning their backs on us would make them traitors to the alliance!’
‘If we win just one more time, the Empire will surely come to the negotiation table!’
Let’s be honest here—there isn’t much to gain from the Empire, maybe next to nothing. But Burkhai has this golden opportunity to secure something far more valuable: time, justification. The name Burkhai will no longer be just one of the three eastern kingdoms; it will be synonymous with the sole dominant power of the east!
For so long, the relationship between the three kingdoms remained murky and uncomfortable. They subtly held each other back, ensuring no single kingdom grew too powerful. After all, while the Empire is intimidating, nothing is scarier than a neighboring kingdom suddenly outgrowing you.
Truth be told, Burkhai didn’t start this way. But circumstances shifted. Seeing Porland’s weakness exposed at the Pavilion front, Burkhai pounced! Even Caden joined in on tearing away at Porland’s soft spots, because hey, opportunities like this, where you have all the moral high ground, don’t come around often.
And then, they delivered a decisive blow—albeit a judged win—against the Empire’s 7th Legion. With this triumph, Burkhai stepped beyond leading the alliance; they began dreaming of becoming the sole superpower of the eastern region, not just one of three.
“To take one step closer to our dream, we need one decisive victory.”
“One more victory against the Empire, one more showcase of Burkhai’s might!”
Just as they basked in these thoughts, a shocking update reached Burkhai’s leadership:
“There’s word the Empire’s princess is with the 7th Legion?!”
“Yes. Due to her presence, the previously deflated 7th Legion has been revitalized beyond belief.”
“Are you certain?”
“Reports from scouts confirm that merely approaching them is daunting—their renewed vigor and morale are palpable.”
Through gritted teeth and countless sacrifices, they had managed to subdue the 7th Legion… only for it to rise again. It wasn’t just reinforcements in form of supplies and men from the Empire’s secondary forces—they were resurgent in spirit. Their once-defeated aura transformed into a fiery thirst for vengeance and battle.
This development placed Burkhai in a peculiar position. A defeat at this point would completely dismantle their morale—not to mention the euphoric atmosphere at home, spurred by their prior victory, would crumble instantly. The cost of overpromising after one win was now looming.
From the king down to the lowest commander, everyone shared the same thought: ”We must win at all costs. By any means necessary!”
“The 7th Legion is advancing. Fortunately, the other Imperial Legions are still some distance away. This could very well be our last chance to secure victory!”
Amidst mounting anxieties, Burkhai received yet another unwelcome piece of intel:
”The 7th Legion includes a young strategist who brilliantly outmaneuvered our alliance’s forces at the Pavilion front!”
”The same strategist who, using only two tactics, crushed the Demon Race’s intimidating momentum in the conflict between the Empire and Nobogorod!”
”Apparently, this same strategist is responsible for turning the 7th Legion’s once-doomed situation into a volcanic resurgence!”
It wasn’t just the 7th Legion—it wasn’t merely the presence of the princess. A greater, graver threat was lurking behind the scenes: a young, brilliant strategist, whose reputation preceded him everywhere he went.
This revelation left the Burkhai forces on edge like never before.
”We need more troops. No strategy can outmatch this level of dominance!”
”We must throw all our resources into this one battle—it’s everything on the line!”
”A victory here will not just mean we’ve beaten the Empire’s Legion twice; we will secure fame for defeating forces led by the Empire’s princess and this genius strategist!”
One more step. Just one more step, and everything could be theirs—dominance over the east, recognition as a powerhouse so formidable even the Empire wouldn’t dare challenge them, and the complete submission of their neighboring kingdoms.
This was the future every citizen of Burkhai, from the king to the commoner, dreamed of. With stakes so high, looking back was simply not an option.
“Rally all our rear guard and reserves.”
“But doing so would leave our rear defenses vulnerable…”
“Frankly speaking, Caden’s main forces are nearby anyway, and Porland has been significantly weakened. They can’t possibly threaten us now. Besides, let’s focus on the more immediate matter—the advancing Imperial Legion!”
Even the reinforcements meant for the Pavilion front were redirected. After all, the current stalemate there was manageable. Every single available unit, except for those stationed along Caden and Porland’s borders, was to be mobilized.
The 7th Legion was coming, invigorated by the presence of the princess and the mastermind strategist, its morale soaring sky high. Behind them loomed two additional Legions of the Empire’s secondary forces in pursuit.
A heavy sense of pressure weighed down on Burkhai as they prepared for an all-out, desperate defense.
”Remember our previous victory! We defeated the Empire’s Legion then, and we can do it again now!”
”The might of the Empire’s forces? Nonsense! You’ve already dismantled their illusion, and you can do it once more!”
All signs pointed toward the Empire’s plan to spearhead an assault using the 7th Legion as the vanguard. With the princess and the strategist in tow, Burkhai was more confident than ever. They rallied the maximum force possible, prepared to defend and then swiftly counterattack, with the goal of annihilating the enemy completely.
Seizing this opportune moment could even allow them to capture the princess, tipping the scales of negotiations heavily in their favor.
“Report! The Empire’s 7th Legion has appeared!”
It was finally here. The moment that would decide their fate. But, just as Burkhai prepared to summon all their will for the final confrontation, an urgent messenger arrived.
“urgent news! An incident at the Pavilion front!”
Cue dramatic music
As it turns out, the culprit behind the disturbance at the Pavilion front wasn’t the Empire, but rather the so-called ally on that front: Caden.
“Empire forces! The Empire’s forces are advancing!”
“Huh?!”
“What the heck?! The Empire?! How did they manage to bypass everyone and suddenly advance like this?!”
At the Pavilion front, the alliance’s forces were the ones on the offensive while the Empire was playing defense, content with holding their ground. How could they have switched to full-scale offensive operations?
“Didn’t we receive any word from Porland? They were supposed to be the first to encounter the Empire’s forces if they advanced!”
Porland, the alliance’s main force stationed at the Pavilion front, was supposed to be the first to encounter the Empire’s advance should anything happen.
Yet here’s the twist—Porland hadn’t sent any warnings or updates whatsoever.
‘Could it be… Could they have actually switched sides?!’
Though it seemed unlikely, there were whispers of doubt. Surely Porland wouldn’t align with the Empire. Their territory was surrounded too well by Burkhai and Caden for that to even be feasible. And despite their naval routes being open, wouldn’t they still need to get past the two kingdoms’ fleets?
Such doubts kept them from taking any concrete action against Porland earlier, thinking provoking them would be counterproductive. It was sensible, Caden thought.
What they failed to consider was that from Porland’s perspective, being doubted wasn’t particularly rational either. Once the seeds of distrust were planted, darker scenarios naturally unfolded. In the end, nations, like individuals, tend to choose the path most advantageous to their survival.
‘Could they really have thought the Empire would value them more than the alliance?’
All these strategic analyses could wait—right now, the pressing issue was dealing with the rapidly approaching Imperial forces.
As the Caden commanders and soldiers braced themselves for battle, something strange happened.
The two forces simply glared at each other, unwilling to start the fight.
Far in the distance, the retreating Porland forces weren’t pursued by the Empire. The Empire made no further move against them, simply holding the line while advancing toward Burkhai’s territory.
It was then Caden realized the Empire’s true intentions.
”We shall let them pass.”
And just like that, they witnessed something shocking:
As expected, the Empire’s secondary forces—not behind the 7th Legion as presumed, but heading straight for the Pavilion front.
The front Caden thought was secure, the front thought to be unassailable, was indeed the stage destined to mark both the beginning and end of this war.
