"Woooooo!!!"
The soldiers snapped out of their shock.
Excitement burned in their eyes as they surged forward, rushing toward the royal palace that now stood right before them.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Just then, a dense wave of hurried footsteps came from the western side of the plaza.
Fully armed Luss Kingdom soldiers poured in from the west.
But the moment they saw the plaza filled with countless Zephir soldiers—
They froze in shock.
"It's the army of Luss!!"
"Attack!!!"
The Zephir soldiers spotted them immediately.
Without hesitation, they launched a ferocious assault.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Rockets captured from the Gambino Family ignited one after another.
Trailing long streams of blazing flame, they shot toward the stunned Luss soldiers.
Inside the Royal Palace
Inside the magnificent royal hall, the nobles and high-ranking officials of Luss were gathered together.
However, instead of dignity, the hall was filled with loud arguments.
They shouted over one another, arguing fiercely like merchants in a marketplace.
Seated on the throne, King Gall watched them with a cold sneer.
A bunch of greedy fools…
Go ahead and argue.
Fight until you destroy yourselves.
Suddenly—
"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"
A soldier burst into the hall, panting heavily.
The nobles frowned angrily at the interruption.
But the soldier ignored them and looked directly at the king.
"Forty minutes ago, Commander Beleman—who was ordered to intercept the Zephir fleet—contacted us."
"But the call suddenly cut off before he could finish speaking."
"We've tried to reconnect many times since then, but… there has been no response!"
"What?!"
The nobles exploded in shock.
"That's impossible!"
"Our powerful fleet can't possibly lose to Zephir!"
"Don't talk nonsense!"
"Commander Beleman must simply be busy!"
"Yes, that must be it!"
They desperately tried to reassure themselves.
But the soldier's next words froze the entire hall.
"Before the call ended… we clearly heard screams and explosions coming through the line."
Silence.
Deathly silence.
The expressions of every noble changed instantly.
Even King Gall stiffened on his throne.
A terrifying thought appeared in everyone's mind—
Had they… underestimated Zephir?
BOOM! BOOM!
Suddenly, loud explosions echoed from outside the palace.
Gall's face darkened.
"What is happening?!"
"Where are those explosions coming from?!"
At that moment—
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Another soldier burst into the hall, completely ignoring formalities.
"Your Majesty! Disaster!"
"The army of Zephir has already reached the central plaza in front of the palace!"
"Our royal army is currently fighting them!"
"But Zephir's firepower is overwhelming! They have many heavy weapons!"
"Without support from our fleet, our forces are already at a disadvantage!"
"What?!"
Gall jumped to his feet.
"That's impossible!"
"Even if Beleman's fleet was defeated—"
"It's only been forty minutes!"
"How could they reach the palace so quickly?!"
"Why didn't we receive any warning?!"
The soldier swallowed nervously.
"Because…"
"The army of Zephir appeared as if out of thin air."
"They suddenly emerged in the central plaza!"
Gall froze.
It felt as if lightning had struck him.
Outside the Palace
BOOM!!!
BOOM!!!
"Fire!!!"
"Charge!!!"
"Victory belongs to the Kingdom of Zephir!!!"
In the central plaza, fierce combat had erupted between the armies of Zephir and Luss.
The Luss forces present were only a vanguard unit, numbering fewer than ten thousand.
Caught completely off guard by the sudden appearance of Zephir's army, they were forced onto the defensive.
Heavy shells exploded among their ranks, causing massive casualties.
Meanwhile—
Standing calmly at the center of the plaza, Arthur watched the battle unfold.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Our plan worked perfectly…"
Thanks to the coordination of 104 ANBU operatives, the Zephir army had been instantly summoned to the plaza near the palace.
As a result—
The Luss fleet and coastal artillery had become meaningless.
Their heavy firepower was completely neutralized.
Meanwhile, Zephir's army was fully equipped.
They also possessed large quantities of weapons seized from the Gambino Family—including portable rocket launchers.
The difference in firepower was obvious.
One side had lost its heavy weapons.
The other possessed overwhelming artillery.
The outcome was already becoming clear.
On the battlefield, the nearly 10,000 Luss soldiers were steadily collapsing under the relentless assault.
Casualties continued to rise.
But then—
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A new wave of synchronized footsteps echoed from the front of the plaza.
A massive Luss army appeared, marching forward in full formation.
Leading them was the kingdom's main military commander—
General Barto.
He looked at the battlefield where the vanguard forces were being completely overwhelmed.
His expression instantly turned dark.
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