### Chapter 3: Southern Line (6)
Even though the Imperial Capital was bustling with plans to send troops, long-range water can’t quench nearby thirst. In just half a day, the fortress line stretching nearly a hundred miles in the Southern Line fell under the powerful onslaught of the Beast Legion.
The moment Konglif and Edith arrived at the front lines, they were greeted by a wave of beast troops surging over the defenses like a high tide, rushing inland.
Edith, who had lived at the academy for years, was utterly shocked, her legs feeling like they were glued to the ground. If Konglif hadn’t yanked her, she might have been crushed by the beast tide before she could wrap her head around what was happening.
The beasts were busy slaughtering the fleeing soldiers, and every lunge was accompanied by a scream that echoed through the air. After a few chaotic moments, it was as if there were no living souls left in sight.
“Run!”
Konglif wasn’t a fool; this was about as smart as an egg trying to take on a rock… s*icide! Plus, with Edith by his side, he couldn’t risk any decisions that would put her in danger.
He yanked her up onto his horse and shouted, “Quick, buff the horse!”
Edith snapped out of her daze. Years of training had given her an impressive muscle memory—she hardly needed to think before her four-stringed harp burst into short, bouncy notes.
With a hasty buff on their horse, they charged forward, moving in synchrony with the tidal wave of beasts at their heels.
Konglif knew what would happen if the beast army caught up to them. He gripped the reins tightly and steered towards the second line of the Imperial border army.
While the second line of defense was as useless as a screen door on a submarine compared to the first, considering that for over a thousand years, beasts had never coordinated such an overpowering attack as they did today. The first line had been enough to fend them off before, but the second was essentially just a backup camp.
If he could link up with the border army, maybe they could brace themselves and wait for reinforcements.
“Can you slow them down some?”
“Sure, I’ll give it a shot!”
Edith recalled the time she had a friendly competition with the Messenger of the God of Harmony. The Lord Messenger had woven his incredible power into her harp sound, transporting all who listened into a vision of the Imperial Capital’s doom.
There were hundreds of thousands of people there, and she was in awe—harpists could wield such power? If used correctly, it could be a powerful weapon on the battlefield!
“Ting ting, dong dong!”
Her long fingers danced across the strings, and the notes flowed like water through the woods. The movements of the beasts slowed, as if they were suddenly stuck in slow-motion cinema for about ten seconds.
Meanwhile, Konglif put the pedal to the metal. The horse seemed to sense that if it lagged behind, it’d become beast chow, and bolted with all its might.
As the beasts resumed their normal speed, the duo disappeared into the jungle, leaving no trace behind.
“Well, this is interesting. I didn’t expect the Harpist Academy to produce a somewhat decent guy after all these hundred years.”
As this voice emerged, all the beasts bowed their upper bodies, as if welcoming their master.
A tall woman with blonde hair and blue eyes suddenly raised her hand and pointed in the direction where Konglif and Edith had vanished.
“Thinking you can hold the second line? Ha! Dream on!”
No sooner had she spoken than the beasts roared in unison. The terrifying sound reverberated through the air, causing countless fleeing sparrows to plummet from the sky, like a rain of birds.
The second line was already on high alert due to the message of the urgent situation shared by the messenger Konglif had saved earlier.
But just as the troops were gearing up, news spread that the commander had secretly fled!
Everyone was left dumbfounded. How on earth were they supposed to fight now? The cursed commander was obviously a noble just here for glory, never having been to the first line, lounging around in the second. Now that trouble came knocking, his first reaction was to run for the hills!
As chaos ensued in the camp and panic spread like wildfire, the infamous General Konglif of the Southern Line arrived. Instantly, everyone felt a surge of confidence and heaved a sigh of relief.
Following close behind, Edith saw the admiration of the soldiers for her beloved and couldn’t help but glance at his figure a few more times. Her heart swelled with pride, convinced she made the right choice.
Today, even if they ended up as beast fodder, it would all be worth it.
Konglif immediately ordered everyone to pull back and abandon the second line.
While some were puzzled, they followed orders without hesitation.
In just thirty minutes, when the beast army arrived at the second line, all they found was an empty camp.
They seemed dissatisfied at missing out on a prime opportunity for rampant slaughter, letting out roars that echoed through the forest like a symphony of disgruntled monsters.
At that moment, a flying beast, a “Pterodactyl,” spotted someone moving on a nearby mountain and screamed at the top of its lungs.
The entire beast army immediately surged upwards without a moment’s pause.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”
Countless flaming arrows rained down from above, most missing their targets and landing beside the beasts. This prompted the intelligent beasts to emit mocking screeches.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, a massive fire erupted at the foot of the mountain, engulfing the beasts within it.
It turned out the army had carelessly spread oil on the ground during their retreat.
Beasts, no matter how fierce, are still flesh and bl**d. Aside from a few flame-resistant creatures, most caught in the fire were charred and fleeing for their lives, adding to the chaos and igniting conflict among the beasts themselves.
These creatures were not of the same species and had only come together through that woman’s leadership.
Now, under the fire’s influence, the beasts seemed to lose their minds and started colliding into each other.
Chaos reigned; the beast legion appeared ready to implode due to a simple fire.
But unfortunately, this perfect opportunity evaporated with the appearance of that woman.
Even the two fiercest beasts from just moments ago whined and took two steps back, turning their heads as if nothing had happened.
“Ah, this is truly beyond my expectations.”
The woman gracefully strolled to a charred beast carcass.
“Well, I wasn’t really aiming for you anyway, so I’ll let you off the hook for now.”
She clapped her hands, and the beast army surged over the mountain like a tidal wave, charging straight toward the Imperial Capital.
