Volume 2 chapter 81
When the news of the fall of Picard's City arrived, panic spread through the Demon ranks.
"Picard's City has fallen! Commanders Marcus, Lucas, Gina, and Bella, along with all 450,000 defenders, have been killed in action!"
"What?" Clyris stood up in shock, staring at the communications officer in disbelief.
"The news is confirmed! It came from Bagus City behind Picard! The Alliance vanguard is already at their gates!"
"Damn it! How did this happen? How could Picard fall so quickly?" Clyris gritted her teeth and strode to the map.
Behind Picard's City, there were no cities capable of acting as fortresses. The Theban army would sweep through like splitting bamboo, directly threatening the supply line from the Dark City to Talisk Fortress!
"The Alliance deployed the mothballed War Behemoths! These weapons possess heavy defenses. Our Fortress Cannons, under normal charge, cannot penetrate them at twenty kilometers!"
"Damn it! I didn't expect the Alliance to still have such weapons!" Clyris looked at the map anxiously.
This was disastrous. Nearly all of the Demon Race's combat-capable troops were on the front lines. The rear cities had almost no garrison, were not fortified, and couldn't stop a single charge, let alone a combined assault of War Behemoths and Charge Formations.
It was foreseeable that those cities wouldn't last a day before being overrun by the Western Army Group!
"Your Majesty, the cities behind Picard are doomed to fall! But we must stop the Alliance at Goron City! Otherwise, the supply line to Talisk Fortress will be critical!" A Fifth-Rank Ice Demon said nervously.
Goron City was a key node on the route from the Dark City to Talisk Fortress. Nearly one-third of the supplies passed through here. If this city fell, Talisk wouldn't just lose a third of its supplies directly; the Alliance could use Goron as a hub to threaten other supply lines, causing Talisk's supplies to plummet!
"I know!" Clyris clenched her jaw. But the main force of the Western Army Group was coming—a full twenty Ninth-Rankers. What could she do?
"No! We must disperse them..." Clyris studied the map. More than half of the Eastern, Western, and Southwestern territories had fallen into Alliance hands. Only Talisk and Abbys Fortresses were holding on bitterly.
She had thought about guerrilla warfare, but the speed of the Alliance's Ninth-Rankers wasn't much slower than hers. Moreover, they protected their troops closely and wouldn't separate from the main army. She had to take the initiative, or the Demon Race couldn't stop them!
Should we give up?
The thought flashed through Clyris's mind. Should we preserve our living forces and retreat to defend the Dark City?
But she dismissed it instantly. It hadn't reached the point of no return yet!
However, the question remained: How to stop the Alliance's Ninth-Rankers?
Charging their formation alone was suicide. Pure and simple.
"The weakness of the Alliance..." Clyris stared at the map, trying to recall the war knowledge Charlo had taught her.
After both obtained Systems, besides trading, Charlo often taught her military theory. Combining his teachings with her own experience, her strategic acumen had improved by leaps and bounds.
"Got it!" Clyris slapped the map. Her hand landed on the rear of the Western Alliance Army—Hall Mountain Pass!
"Helms!" Clyris looked at a Fifth-Rank Winged Demon. "Lead the 4th Attack Wing. Spare no cost. Bypass the Western Alliance's offensive route and concentrate your attacks on their supply lines!"
"Yes!"
"Evans!" Clyris turned to a Fifth-Rank Blood Demon. "Take your troops to Bagus City. But do not enter the city; you cannot hold it! Gather the remnants retreating from Picard in the wasteland outside the city! Bypass the Alliance main force and raid their supply lines!"
"Yes!"
Finally, Clyris looked at Grayson. "Grayson, lead the Engineering Corps to Goron City immediately. Fortify it!"
"Yes!" The massive Stone Demon responded without hesitation.
"Don't worry. I will go too!" Clyris saw the look of sacrificial resolve in his eyes and comforted him. "I will defend the city with you! After all, I am your King... how can I hide behind you!?"
"Your Majesty! This..." The towering rock giant lowered his head, gazing at the Demon Lord who looked up at him with unwavering determination. He said nothing more.
It is so... Because she is such a King... no matter how desperate the situation, looking at her makes one want to follow her involuntarily!
Because the King has not given up! The King has not fallen! The King has not retreated!
Looking up at the King's back, fighting by her side... even death is a glory...
THUMP!
Grayson knelt on one knee, his voice deep and resonant. "Subordinate understands! I will not fail Your Majesty!"
"Alright, rise!" Clyris raised her hand gently, lifting his head with mana. "Go! I will arrange a few more things and will not be late!"
"Yes!"
After arranging the plan for the Western Front, Clyris contacted Talisk and Abbys Fortresses in succession.
Finally, she received the complete picture—The entire Alliance was moving!
In the South, the Alliance constantly sent small elite squads to infiltrate around the fortress, repeatedly destroying minefields, clearly paving the way for a large-scale offensive!
In the Southeast, Abbys Fortress also detected covert Alliance movements widening roads, obviously preparing for the passage of large war machines.
"Damn it... What is wrong with the Alliance? Did they suddenly regain their confidence?!" Clyris gritted her teeth. The return of the War Behemoths had given the Alliance hope, and they were launching a full offensive again!
"Then I will—crush your hope once more!" Clyris stared coldly at the map.
____________________
Seres Territory.
Green wore a yellowed short-sleeved shirt issued by the Road Construction Team. Holding the admission papers for the Seres Naval Academy, he walked through the wide, tall school gates.
He had promised Old John to join the army. After paying the three-dollar tuition fee, he successfully obtained the admission papers and entered under the guidance of a soldier.
But after guiding him in, the soldier returned to the registration area, leaving Green standing alone at the entrance, somewhat at a loss.
"Where... do I go next?" Green flipped through the admission papers. They outlined the enrollment process, but regrettably, Green wasn't very literate.
Although he had taken some lessons in the Road Team's literacy class, he hadn't finished the course; the time was too short.
Going from illiterate to recognizing common words and barely reading a newspaper in four months was already a huge effort.
But there were still many words on these papers he couldn't understand—terms he had never even seen before.
"Hey! You over there. Are you a new student for the Naval Academy too?"
A boy with short blond hair and an upright posture walked in. Seeing Green standing aside, flipping through a dictionary to decipher the papers, he asked.
"Ah! Y-Yes! I am a new student enrolled in this school!" Green heard someone greeting him and hurriedly looked up.
He saw a slender boy wearing a clean shirt made of a fabric Green couldn't identify. Subconsciously thinking this was some young lord, he spoke respectfully, "I'm not sure about the next steps, so I'm here! Is there something you need, sir?"
"No need to be so formal!" The boy walked over and patted his shoulder. "I'm a new student too! Everyone here is a future seed of the Seres Navy. Don't worry about past identities. Here, everyone is equal!"
"Y-Yes..." Green nodded.
"By the way, I'm Ben! You?"
"I'm Green!"
"Haha! Come, Green, follow me. I'll take you through the process!"
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