The mont the post commander confird the brigade’s advance, he imdiately reported it to the battalion commander stationed at the warehouse district.
But Daniel Steiner’s brigade did not grant the defense battalion commander ti to react.
BOOM—!
The roar of a tank’s main gun split the air.
In an instant, the warehouse buildings and hastily dug trenches exploded into rubble, spewing debris in every direction.
Crushed beneath those fragnts before they could even scream, the defending soldiers lost their will to fight long before they lost their lives.
“How the hell are we supposed to beat this...?”
The tanks erging through the fog looked like iron beasts, monstrous and unstoppable.
The machine gun nests opened fire, but their bullets bounced harmlessly off the armor of the Imperial tanks.
As if annoyed, one tank casually rotated its turret and aid directly at the nearest nest.
The gunner inside scread—half rage, half panic—as he squeezed the trigger. But it was hopeless.
BOOM!
A shell struck the nest dead-on, reducing it to scorched wreckage.
Dust and soot burst from the sandbags, and thick black smoke writhed upward like flas.
Through that hellish haze, figures in black Imperial uniforms began to erge one by one.
They raised their weapons toward the remnants of the defense force—no exception made for those buried under debris.
“Aah...”
One soldier, pinned beneath a broken beam, looked up at the approaching Imperial trooper and scoffed bitterly.
There was never a chance. Not for us. Not against the Empire’s devil...
There was no defeating the army led by Daniel Steiner.
****
The battalion commander of the warehouse district raised the white flag less than ten minutes after the assault began.
It was obvious that resisting any longer would only lead to senseless deaths, and so he surrendered to preserve what remained of his n.
Accepting the surrender, Daniel ordered a ceasefire and claid the warehouse district.
Victory had co with ease.
—“We won again! Those Allied Nation bastards can’t do a damn thing against us!”
—“Long live the Brigadier General! He led us to victory again!”
—“Hah! Look at these piss-stained Allied cowards! They wet themselves and ran!”
As the soldiers celebrated in a frenzy of triumph, Phelp approached Daniel, who was surveying the captured district.
“Brigadier General. The operation was a complete success, just as you predicted.”
Daniel nodded at Phelp’s words.
“Casualties?”
“None, sir. The enemy battalion commander surrendered before a proper battle even broke out. I must say, sir—having observed it now several tis—your strategy and tactical foresight are nothing short of astonishing.”
Daniel blinked, unsure what the man was even talking about.
Phelp continued enthusiastically.
“You delayed the advance, waiting for a foggy day to strike! I’d assud you were simply preserving troop stamina, but clearly, I was too shortsighted.”
Excitent lit Phelp’s face.
“You recognized how humid the weather had been and used it to your advantage! Thanks to the fog, the enemy outposts didn’t spot our forces in ti—we gained a massive edge! I can’t even begin to fathom how far ahead you’re thinking!”
That wasn’t it at all.
Daniel had given the attack order without the slightest thought. The fog had just been dumb luck.
Even if I tell him he’s wrong...
No one would believe him. They’d just assu he was being modest.
Better to let it go.
“Intelligence Officer. If your report is finished, go have the enemy battalion commander give us the Fenbark defense HQ’s comms frequencies. I’d like to have a word with their commander.”
“Yes, sir!”
Phelp saluted and turned to leave.
Daniel let out a quiet breath as he watched him go.
We’ve broken the defense line. That ans the next step is a push into the city...
Capturing Fenbark would all but guarantee he gained the Chief of Staff’s total favor.
And with that would co another assignnt. God knew what kind.
Resting his chin on one hand, Daniel furrowed his brow.
There has to be another way...
Maybe there was one opportunity left.
If I provoke the Fenbark Defense Commander over comms...
They might dig in and demand a last stand, turning the battle into a protracted urban engagent.
If the civilians got involved too, Daniel might have the excuse he needed to argue the resistance was too severe and recomnd withdrawal.
He was seriously weighing the idea when—
“I don’t understand... Why...”
A low murmur broke his train of thought.
Looking up, Daniel spotted Lucy not far away, standing still, her eyes locked on Fenbark.
They were now close enough to see the city with the naked eye.
Daniel approached her in silence.
“Lieutenant.”
Startled, Lucy flinched and turned around.
“...Brigadier General.”
She dipped her head. There was sothing in her expression Daniel didn’t often see—an unfamiliar fear.
It’s not fear of ...
It was more likely the city itself. Whatever she felt toward Fenbark was surfacing now.
Unsure what to say, Daniel finally asked, choosing his words with care.
“Have you been here before? Or do you know anything about that city?”
Testing the waters, but Lucy shook her head.
“This is my first ti. I’ve never seen that city before.”
“Doesn’t look like it.”
“I’m not lying to you, sir. I truly don’t know this place. But...”
She turned her head again, eyes fixed on the distant skyline.
“The closer we get to that city, the more... unexplainably nauseous I feel...”
She clenched her fists tightly, as though unwilling to say more.
Daniel followed her gaze to the city beyond.
“I won’t pry further. But if you don’t want to enter that city, you can be honest about it. I have enough authority to indulge a little insubordination.”
It was a veiled suggestion—that perhaps the two of them might work together to avoid the city entirely.
But Lucy, interpreting it as kindness, shook her head gently.
“I appreciate your concern, but I’ll decline. I still don’t understand why I feel this way, but...”
She turned to him with a faint smile.
“I think I’ll be all right. As long as I’m with you, Brigadier General.”
It was a fragile smile, one that looked as if it might vanish at the slightest gust of wind—but a beautiful one, born of compassion nonetheless.
Daniel didn’t respond right away.
Lucy blinked, puzzled by his silence.
“...Brigadier General?”
Only then did Daniel snap out of it, clearing his throat and shaking his head.
“It’s nothing.”
Lucy nodded quietly, returning her gaze to the city.
A cool breeze stirred, brushing across their faces.
And in that silence, Lucy beca keenly aware of Daniel’s presence beside her.
Perhaps because soone was there—soone who seed to understand her pain—
For so reason...
Even as she stared out at that city, she didn’t feel that sa dreadful unease anymore.
****
anwhile, inside the Command and Control Room of the Fenbark Defense Headquarters—
“Commander! Reports say the enemy brigade bypassed our main force and attacked the southeastern warehouse district! The defense line has been broken!”
An officer in charge of communications burst through the doors mid-operations eting, delivering the ergency report.
The news froze the entire command room in stunned silence—until the operations officer finally managed to speak.
“...They attacked the southeastern warehouse district? That wasn’t one of the expected approaches.”
“It appears the battalion we dispatched for the ambush was captured by the enemy. It seems they extracted information from Lieutenant Colonel Bental.”
“What? Are you saying Bental spilled all our secrets barely a day after capture?”
For a man of such reputed resolve—how?
The command room devolved into confusion. Shock and disbelief clouded every officer’s face.
The most shaken among them was, of course, the Defense Commander himself—Dorbaf.
How...?
How had Daniel Steiner anticipated every move and responded so flawlessly?
Even after sacrificing the bridge and setting up their defense lines accordingly, Steiner had thodically picked them apart, as if he were watching from above.
With despair creeping in, Dorbaf pressed a heavy palm against his forehead—just as one of the staff officers shouted:
“Commander! If Steiner’s occupied the warehouse district, then it’s only a matter of ti before he pushes into the city! We must order our main forces to pull back—!”
“And what good will that do?! The terrain between the warehouse district and the city is flat! Steiner will reach it before we can even regroup!”
“So we just do nothing!?”
“If this report is accurate, then over 800 of our troops have either died or been captured! With what remaining force do you expect us to stop a full Imperial brigade?!”
“He’s right! And that’s not even considering that the enemy will get to the city first!”
The officers erupted into shouts, accusations flying across the room. Chaos descended.
Everyone insisted their take was the right one—until Dorbaf clenched his jaw and slamd his thick fist down on the operations table with a BANG.
Only then did the room fall silent again, all eyes turning toward their commander.
“Everyone shut your mouths. The report isn’t even finished. Signals Officer.”
The signals officer flinched under Dorbaf’s gaze but stepped forward.
“Y-yes, Commander!”
“When is the reinforcents from Central Command arriving?”
“...They’ve issued orders to hold for another week, sir.”
A groan passed through the room.
A week—plenty of ti for Daniel Steiner to trample Fenbark to dust.
Dorbaf forced himself to breathe calmly before speaking again.
“What about Daniel Steiner himself? Has he sent any communication? What does he want from us?”
He was asking if Steiner had contacted them directly.
The signals officer hesitated before responding.
“Daniel Steiner said...”
His face went pale with despair.
“...‘If you refuse to surrender, I will lead every last one of you to death.’ He added that any citizen who sides with the Defense Force will be regarded as an enemy combatant and executed. He... he said to steel ourselves if we plan to resist the Empire. And that this would be his first and final offer.”
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Everyone knew Daniel Steiner wasn’t bluffing.
He was the Empire’s devil—and he always delivered on his threats.
“He... he ans to attack even our civilians...”
The fear in the room beca suffocating.
Dorbaf could almost hear their screams already.
“The Defense Force must not use civilians as shields. We can’t...”
His voice broke. In front of his staff, Dorbaf bowed his head.
He couldn’t lift his face. Couldn’t look his officers in the eye.
“...Tell Daniel Steiner... the Defense Commander acknowledges defeat and surrenders.”
He gritted his teeth and spat the words out as if they poisoned him.
“Tell him... Fenbark ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) is his now...!”
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