The Sea Dragon Empire had overwhelming numbers; surrounding the Heavenly Dragon Empire's soldiers was easy. But even though the defenders were few, their ferocity was unmatched—some had gone completely mad.
Even after losing an arm, some kept wildly swinging their weapons, as if the blood pouring out wasn't even blood. They ignored pain and death, fighting as if possessed.
Only when they were finally killed did they stop moving. Some Heavenly Dragon soldiers, even as they lay dying on the ground, would suddenly erupt with a last burst of strength, grabbing the Sea Dragon Empire soldier's legs and locking them in place.
Those Sea Dragon Empire soldiers who got grabbed were quickly hacked down by Heavenly Dragon fighters whose eyes had gone blood-red from killing.
For a time, the whole battlefield was like a living hell—blood hung so thick in the air it seemed to dye the sky red, spreading madness everywhere.
Corpses littered the ground, rivers of blood flowing everywhere—a scene so gruesome it shocked all who witnessed it.
The Heavenly Dragon Empire's soldiers fought like madmen, hacking at every Sea Dragon Empire soldier they saw. Some, when their stellar power (the internal energy cultivated by martial artists in this world) was spent, simply hurled themselves into the enemy ranks.
They let the enemy's swords and sabers pierce their bodies, but in their dying moments, they'd lock their arms around the enemy's neck so their comrades could finish them off.
Minute by minute, time passed. Both sides watched their own men fall—grief and rage filled the air. The Sea Dragon Empire's generals, especially, were furious beyond words.
Judging by the current battle, the Heavenly Dragon Empire had lost fifty thousand, but the Sea Dragon Empire had lost nearly a hundred thousand. Such a result was a humiliating disgrace, making Victor Yun so angry he wanted to charge onto the field himself and start killing.
The Skyshaker Bombs they'd poured so much manpower and resources into had done nothing—instead, they'd only boosted the enemy's morale. How could he possibly accept that?
Sure, they could wipe out all two hundred thousand of the enemy, but it would cost them at least three hundred thousand casualties. By those numbers, the Heavenly Dragon Empire had actually won the first battle.
"Transmit my orders—sound the retreat!" Victor Yun barked, making a snap decision.
A moment later, the great horns blared across the battlefield. Hearing them, the Sea Dragon Empire's soldiers bolted like startled deer—facing these crazed Heavenly Dragon troops was worse than death itself.
Seeing the Sea Dragon Empire retreat, the Heavenly Dragon Empire's soldiers finally glimpsed hope. No one expected that fighting to the death would actually force the enemy to withdraw. Their morale soared—some fought so hard it was as if they wanted to burn up all their stellar power in one move.
Once the Sea Dragon Empire sounded the retreat, General Roland immediately ordered the horns blown on their side too. No one had expected such a miracle to happen.
Everyone thought those two hundred thousand would be sacrificed waiting for Evan Chu to return, but in the end, fewer than sixty thousand had died. Of course, the wounded were many—almost everyone was injured, and over ten thousand were crippled, missing arms or legs. But they were alive.
The Heavenly Dragon Empire's soldiers quickly withdrew toward the city walls. Those unable to walk were carried away by several comrades.
General Roland ordered the city gates opened to let the heroes inside. Finally, everyone could breathe again. Instantly, the entire garrison erupted in thunderous roars—praise and admiration for the returning heroes.
Once everyone was inside, the gates slammed shut. The General had the army medics bring out piles of healing pills from the stores, distributing them to the wounded. Every soldier also received a high-grade Starstone to help restore their stellar power.
Everyone on the Heavenly Dragon Empire's side was jubilant. No one had expected casualties to be so low.
Meanwhile, the Sea Dragon Empire's camp was shrouded in gloom; everyone looked shell-shocked, too afraid to even speak.
Victor Yun's face was ashen as he glared at several generals in the camp. "Useless! You're all useless! You couldn't even wipe out a mere two hundred thousand—how do you even command troops?" he roared.
"We even had the Skyshaker Bomb, that heaven-defying siege weapon, and still lost over a hundred thousand men. What use are you people? Might as well just kill you all myself."
"Marshal, please calm down. You can't blame our soldiers for everything. The real problem was those Heavenly Dragon Empire bastards—they weren't afraid to die. They fought only to attack, never to defend, trading injury for injury and life for life. Their morale was higher than ours. Beating them was no easy task," one general replied.
"Nonsense! Of course I saw it. If this keeps up, even if we kill all two hundred thousand, our losses will be even greater—at least three hundred thousand casualties!"
"And the enemy still has eight hundred thousand troops resting inside the city. If they suddenly open the gates, the consequences would be unimaginable. That's why I ordered the retreat," Victor Yun said.
"Marshal, I think we need to reconsider our strategy. The Skyshaker Bomb may be powerful, but it boosted enemy morale. Besides, it's like they already knew about our bomb."
"Everyone kept their distance. As soon as the Skyshaker Bombs were fired, they dodged. Many even carried water skins to cool off. All this proves they knew about our weapon."
"Those two hundred thousand must have been trapped outside the city with no time to retreat, so they'd already decided to die for their country. That's why things turned out this way," the general concluded.
Victor Yun thought the general had a point, so he asked, "Does anyone have a way to boost our soldiers' morale?"
The generals bowed their heads in thought. After a moment, one spoke up: "Marshal, we could launch a night raid and catch them off guard."
"Describe this night raid. If it's reasonable, we'll adopt it immediately—and I'll make sure you're well rewarded," Victor Yun said.
"Right now, the Heavenly Dragon Empire's troops are all inside the city, but our Skyshaker Bombs have a range of three hundred meters, while their arrows only reach two hundred. We could bombard the city walls directly."
There must be at least a hundred thousand guards on the walls, and the Skyshaker Bombs' range far exceeds the city walls. We could even hit the troops inside the city. I'm certain we could kill at least a hundred thousand of them," the general said.
Victor Yun considered for a moment, then asked, "Do you all think this plan will work?"
"It'll work. The enemy will be trapped like fish in a barrel. We could even move our war carts a hundred meters closer—yes, we'd be in range of their arrows, but if we can sacrifice a few thousand men to kill tens of thousands of theirs, it's worth it," another general said.
"Good! We'll attack their camp tonight. Send two hundred thousand troops to assist, and five thousand to fire the Skyshaker Bombs. I refuse to believe five thousand men can't launch fifteen bombs..."