Strange Occurrence.

Alexander stood on Kynburgh's western wall, observing the forest in the distance with a solemn expression.

Despite analyzing Stiles' orders for hours, Alexander could not come up with a single conjecture that proved it harmful for Kynburgh and its subject.

Standing there, he slowly recalled the orders.

Stiles—rather, King Stiles had ordered that they set explosives within the forest—for the eastern side, within the mountain range.

These explosives were placed close to the monster's horde nest and built around the sealed dungeons to enable the seal breakage, leading to the influx of monsters in the forest.

According to King Stiles' reasoning, the monsters would likely fight amongst themselves, but due to the presence of humans, their focus would be redirected. After all, monsters had a seethed prejudice against humans.

This reaction from the monsters, in turn, would make the alliance forces choose between exiting the forest while approaching Kynburgh or dealing with the horde and returning due to their injuries and casualties. A well-thought-out plan, indeed.

The work of Kynburgh military was to keep any deserter away and deal with the battle aircraft.

With this in play, their chances of victory were almost 100%. But he couldn't help but reconsider things.

The Locuria dynasty would surely be the leader of the attack on this front, due to the fact that they governed the community to the west of Kynburgh. And their leading family, the Edwards, who built their foundation around money, would surely have a lot of good material resources and knowledge. After all, money can buy a considerable amount of knowledge.

'If things play out well, their forces would be dealt a serious blow, giving us time to prepare—"time is what we are bidding for"...'

Alexander recalled his new King's statement as he observed the dense forest solemnly.

The sensors had already picked movements of a large group in the forest. It was left for them to surface themselves on this side for the taking down.

Like a cue, a rectangular object with wings appeared from the dense forest, slowly approaching Kynburgh.

"Take it down."

Immediately, the turret released a string of bullets that made the spy drone explode on contact.

"Set off the explosives, they are close," Alexander commanded solemnly, praying deep down that everything turned for the better.

After a while of setting off the explosives, Alexander witnessed battle aircraft fly above the dense forest, heading for Kynburgh at a high speed.

'No, the flying monsters are supposed to deal some damage to the battle aircraft…' Alexander thought, surprised by the turn of events.

Following the aircraft, were the infantry as they exited the forest, aiming their weapons at the walls of Kynburgh.

There were clearly long-range weapons to target the individuals above Kynburgh's wall.

"Take cover! And land troops, prepare for attack!" Alexander commanded at the top of his voice.

He was a General, so he knew to prepare to the fullest, keeping all possibilities in mind.

As the military General, he had made sure to investigate all matters relating to the neighboring communities' military might.

The Locuria dynasty had a money-based mindset, but they never neglected the supernatural, investing their wealth in mythical items, unlike the Xadora kingdom which focused on technology.

'It's going to be messy… I won't blame the new King, though—he is still young, inexperienced, and didn't have accurate information on his enemies. I just hope the other sides are doing well.'

***

The alliance had agreed on using the drone as a signature entry for their forces. They wanted it to be a memory that remains in Kynburgh's inhabitants' heads.

'Hahaha, I guess those bunch of losers didn't expect me to have such a convenient item in hand… '

A male dressed in casual clothing— a green linen shirt, brown pants, and a shoe to match, rested his head on a huge tree in the forest, fidgeting with a dark-red, cone-shaped substance. It resembled the organ of a living being—yes, it is an organ of a living being.

'I hate taking unnecessary risks, so I brought along this relic—something suitable for a place filled with monsters…'

He thought, an overwhelming sense of pride enveloping his being.

As a general from the Locuria dynasty, he had prided himself on his wealth and always utilized it to collect exotic treasures.

'I, Harald Progoni, would accomplish this task and receive the grand prize from the Family head…' Harald, the commanding officer of the operation, was determined to return home victorious.

'Though this relic is strong, I can't tell how long it would last… heh heh, my main mission was to distract the Western forces, but I can do more damage, elevating my status…'

Harald chuckled.

I'll just let the infantry and battle aircraft do more damage before retreating… easy and effective… they won't see this coming…'

Harald charted out his supposedly perfect plan in his head, using the communication device by his side to send instructions and receive updates on the development on the battlefield.

Suddenly, his hair stood erect, indicating that danger was coming his way—a deadly one at that.

Without wasting a second, Harald dived from his location to the right in a fit to escape the danger.

As he rolled in the distance, he noticed the tree he wedged on sliced at where his head was placed moments ago.

'What the hell…?!' Observing the dark, intangible substance that seemed to diffuse slowly in the surrounding, Harald's pupils dilated in horror.

There was no way he wouldn't know of the Dark General, the one that wielded the unknown, dark substance.

"Your reaction speed is not bad for a money monger," The attacker commented, his body materializing from the shadows.

He was dressed in a black cloak that covered the shirt he wore, his pants and boots being of similar color to the cloak.

His face was rather handsome, with a hint of darkness that attracted rather than chase people away—ladies in particular.

"You are as the rumors say, dark hair, eyes, clothes… in short, everything about you is dark," Harald winced, not daring to let his guard down before the male that observed him carefreely.

Alexander did not delve into Harald's comment, observing the dark-red, cone-shaped object in his hand. "Is that the reason behind the horde's disappearance?—no, fear?"

Harald gave a deprecating laugh, silently cursing his stupidity. He could have hidden the object—not like he could guess the Dark General would leave the battlefield and journey this deep into enemy lines.

'There is no need to dwell on such matters for now. This guy smells danger, so concentrate…'

Harald Progoni prepared himself for the unavoidable match-up against the Dark General. He was not willing to give up on the price, after all.

Swuush