"Break their formation!" Roy ordered in a calm but loud voice.
His eyes first focused on the two injured cadets.
The one wounded by an arrow to the shoulder raised his sword and lunged at Roy with an upward strike to the shoulder.
Roy raised his right sword, deflecting the blow with a flick of his wrist. At the same time, his other sword cleanly, though slightly, sliced through the man's waist. The cadet fell to the ground. He had the power to continue, but he knew it might result in serious injury.
The girl standing beside him was injured in the leg and was staggering heavily as she stood. When Roy got close to her, he recognized her. She was a skilled archer like Crimzo. He moved quickly, directing his kick toward her injured leg. She collapsed with a faint cry, disarmed and unable to continue. Then, a short, fast-moving cadet clashed with him.
Chaos reigned around them.
Bran struggled to continue fighting, but his back injury slowed him down. He moved hesitantly, and when he lowered his guard for a moment, a cadet punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground.
Crimzo fired arrows beside the cadets from above, trying to distract them. When his arrows were no longer effective, he climbed the wooden wall the enemy had built around their base.
As he crossed it, a cadet waited for him with a sword in hand and a shield full of arrows. Crimzo leapt forward, both axes ready. "So, you're the jerk who was stopping my arrows."
The cadet raised his sword and struck, but Crimzo smoothly turned to the right, spun, tightened his grip on both axes, and hit the cadet's shoulder. The cadet blocked the blow with his shield, closed in, and head-butted Crimzo. He lost his balance for a moment but quickly recovered and rammed his shoulder into the cadet's chest, pushing him back. He followed up by throwing an axe at the cadet's foot. The cadet blocked it. Crimzo then pushed the cadet's sword away with his axe and punched him in the head.
Meanwhile, Stephanie was fighting the girl with the bow. Although she was skilled in close combat, Stephanie had the advantage. Torin and Alice teamed up against a cadet and gained the upper hand. William fought the other cadet with the bow and was pushing him back.
Henry broke through the second row, heading straight for the enemy commander.
Their swords clashed violently, each blow met with force and determination. The commander fought with incredible skill, parrying and resisting, forcing Henry to retreat. After exchanging blows, Henry was wounded in the hand and then the foot, but he did not give up.
He lured the commander forward with a well-timed feint, pretending to be badly weakened. When the commander lunged and threw a punch at Henry's face, Henry blocked it. Using his weight and forward momentum, Henry slid under the commander's arm and struck him hard on the thigh. The man staggered, and Henry pulled the flag from him. Then he brought his sword down, cutting the flag in half.
The fight was over, and Roy's team had won.
Things began to calm down a little after that.
Alice stood holding her arm; blood ran down her wrist. She had been injured in the final clash. Nessa bent over to treat an arrow stuck in her thick armor on her left arm. She was breathing heavily but steadily. Bran had fainted from exhaustion, but his wounds weren't life-threatening. Henry, wounded in the leg and arm, was still standing.
Stephanie rushed toward Roy first, panic visible on her face. "You've been hit twice!"
"I'm fine," he said, grabbing her arm to stop her. "Check on Bran first."
Then, the enemy leader threw down his sword and raised one hand in salute.
"It was a good fight," he said calmly. "Help all the wounded. I'm glad no one is seriously injured."
Kylie ran toward Roy, her face grim. "We couldn't stop him," she said, pointing to the archer.
The cadet emerged from the trees with his crossbow slung over his back. He nodded respectfully to them.
"Well played," he said. "We had anticipated an attack, so we tightened our guard. In the end, it wasn't enough."
Roy nodded. "We did have more men, which helped us win."
The enemy commander looked around at his scattered team, then turned to Roy. "There were actually eighteen of us. Nine of us have already moved to attack the eastern area. If you want to stop them, head there now."
He pulled the torn flag from the ground and handed it to Roy.
"Show them this," he said. They'll stop as soon as they see it."
Roy took it and nodded. "Thanks," Then he turned to Henry.
"You've done well here. Defeating their leader on your own was no easy feat."
Henry smiled broadly, looking exhausted and weary. "It took all my strength."
The two stood in the middle of the battlefield, surrounded by fighters helping each other. Then Roy looked at the flag. "It's just the beginning. We actually didn't accomplish much."
Once things had calmed down and the wounds had been bandaged, Roy's team gathered the necessary pieces and materials from the enemy base. Then, they hurried to the area where the second enemy team had attacked earlier that morning.
When they arrived, the bruised cadets looked at Roy in confusion until he stepped forward and raised the flag he had taken earlier for all to see.
In a firm but calm voice, he said, "You lost, guys. Give up."
Some of the cadets laughed in surprise, while others cursed under their breath. Some nodded their heads in quiet agreement.
It didn't take long after that. Once the flag was raised, they surrendered and handed over the area without resistance.
Roy gave a quick signal. "Start searching for any remaining pieces. We'll need them."
The team spread out across the area, searching old boxes and containers for supplies. Meanwhile, Roy, Crimzo, and Nessa began carrying Bran back to their base. He was still unconscious, and his injuries slowed them down.
Before leaving, Roy pulled Torin aside. "Stay here with the soldiers. Hold this area and keep it secure. We'll regroup after the next move."
Torin nodded firmly. "You can count on me."
By the time they returned to their base, Bran had woken up. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. Roy noticed him and got close to him.
"You held your ground," Roy said. "Thank you."
Bran smiled slightly. "I wasn't planning on giving up so easily," he said, then laughed softly.
Roy recounted everything to Andrew and the others—how the battle had unfolded, which commander they had taken out, and which area they had captured.
Andrew folded his arms, a sarcastic smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Nice work. Looks like things went better than we expected."
"Yeah," Roy replied. "But we're not done yet."
He turned to Crimzo and Nessa. "We're going back to the new territory. I want to move quickly and capture the next area before anyone else gets there."
Then he looked at Andrew's group. "Once we secure it, we'll start preparing to move the base. We'll send word when it's safe to move."
Andrew nodded in agreement. "Understood."
When they returned to the captured area, Roy's team was already assembled. Their search had yielded more tokens than expected—enough to trade for powerful equipment and resources at the camp. Morale was high, but Roy remained focused.
He addressed the group. "We'll rest for an hour, then move on. Our next target won't be easy. But we'll face it. Stay alert and be ready."
Everyone nodded in agreement and finally took an hour-long break. Roy's stomach hurt where the arrow had struck him. Even after Stephanie cleaned and bandaged the wound, the pain persisted. He could still move, just not as easily as before. It would take days for the wound to heal completely.
When their break ended, the team regrouped and headed for the area they had planned to attack from the beginning. Before setting off, Roy sent Andrew a message, asking him to be ready to transport the base once it was secured. By sunset, the battle was over. After a fierce, hand-to-hand battle with the soldiers, the base was theirs.
Andrew and his team arrived shortly after and had already begun setting up the new base in the captured area. The defending soldiers stood guard, armed with the swords Roy's team had taken from the defeated military academy cadets earlier.
And so, the first day ended. Roy's team had defeated an entire squad of enemies and captured two areas in a single day—an achievement none of them took lightly.
That night, they gathered around the fire and sat in a circle. Sweat still covered their faces, and bandages covered their wounds. Exhaustion weighed heavily on their bodies. Yet despite the pain, everyone seemed satisfied. They talked about the battles they had fought, recounted moments from the clashes, laughed at small details, and recalled the day's intensity.
Roy glanced at Crimzo. "Tomorrow, I want you to go with Alice's team to the camp and check the news. I'm pretty sure the other teams didn't stop at one area in a day. Let's see what they did."
Alice and Crimzo both nodded. Alice tilted her head. "You want us to escort him the whole way?"
Roy shook his head. "No, just halfway. That way you can help him if something happens."
But Crimzo suddenly threw up his hands. "Wait, wait—why am I agreeing to this? I can go alone, trust me. No need for babysitters."
Roy frowned and tilted his head. "You sure? It's dangerous."
Crimzo crossed his arms, lowering his head dramatically. "Then you still don't trust me… Sad…"
Some of the group chuckled, and Roy sighed. "It's not about trust, but fine. Go alone then—just don't get yourself killed."
"See? Finally, some faith in me," Crimzo grinned, puffing his chest out.
The laughter spread, and William spoke up next. "Red scarf, I gotta say it—you're a good leader. Crazy as hell, but good. I had fun today."
A few more chuckles went around. Stephanie leaned forward. "For real. Running straight in and taking two arrows like that? Absolutely insane."
She paused, her eyes glinting. "But… let's be honest—it got my blood pumping. I was terrified at first, but once the fight started, I couldn't stop feeling excited."
Roy's expression softened, and for once, a small smile touched his lips. "That's nothing. You should see Andrew in battle."
Andrew, mid-drink, choked and coughed into his cup.
Loyd leaned back, smirking. "I've heard plenty about your fighting days, Roy… and you too, Andrew."
Kylie added, "Yeah, especially the Battle of Valkar… and Eldorath's Pass."
At that, Sophia, who was sitting right beside Andrew, slowly turned her head. Her eyes narrowed as a sharp memory came to her, and she opened her mouth. "Yō," she said, giving his shoulder a small punch. "You promised you'd tell me that story."
Andrew rubbed his shoulder, laughing. "Oh, I didn't forget. We just never had the time. And trust me—it's a big story."
Torin leaned forward. "Well, everyone's here now, resting. I think we all want to hear it."
Henry said, chuckling. "Yeah, tell us about you two fighting hundreds of soldiers."
Andrew put his hand on his face. "It wasn't just the two of us fighting; we had a giant army on our side."
Everyone turned their gaze toward him when he said that. He looked at Roy, who gave him a small nod of approval.
Andrew exhaled slowly, then rested his hands on his knees. "Alright then… I'll tell it."
Sophia rested her hand on her head and her elbow on her knee. She looked at him, excited to finally hear about this battle. The battle where everything changed. Where the names of two brothers first spread through the empire. The day the war itself shifted course…
The group fell silent, the fire crackling between them as Andrew began to recall... The Battle of Valkar.