The Author's POV

[Demon Domain, Kuzma City]

"Attack!"

"Charge forward!"

"Raise your shields and charge!"

The orcs charged forward, their roars echoing through the air as they attempted to breach the demon city.

Rumble! Rumble!

The sound of their footsteps reverberated across the ground as they ran toward the towering walls. The walls themselves were fortified with layers of thick stone, with towers and battlements dotting the top, bristling with weapons and soldiers.

The orcs brandished their weapons - crude axes, spears, and swords - and began pounding against the walls with all their might.

Clank! Clank!

The sound of metal on stone rang out as they smashed their weapons against the unyielding surface, hoping to make a crack in the demon's defenses.

The demons atop the wall retaliated with volleys of different spells and arrows, raining down on the orcs like a deadly hailstorm. The twang of bowstrings mixed with the screams of dying orcs as they fell to the ground below, their bodies broken and lifeless.

"Argh!"

"Akh!"

"Continue to charge!"

But the orcs were undeterred, their sheer numbers giving them unrelenting momentum as they continued to throw themselves against the walls, stepping over their fallen comrades.

"Charge!"

They had no regard for their own safety, only a fierce determination to break through the defenses and conquer the city.

As the battle raged on, the orcs tried everything in their power to breach the city's walls.

They brought forward battering rams, hoping to smash through the gates, but the demons were ready for them.

The rams were met with a rain of flaming arrows, igniting the wooden frames and sending them crashing to the ground.

Boom―! Boom―! The walls of the city shook every time the orcs rammed against them, but as if they were made out of the sturdiest of materials, they didn't budge an inch.

"Continu-ahgh!"

The orcs continued to ram the walls, but it proved to be a futile endeavor.

Not only were they unable to break through the walls, but with each passing second, they suffered an increasing number of casualties as well.

"Khhh…khhh… This is not good."

Brutus muttered, overlooking the entire battlefield from afar.

He wielded a massive war axe in the palm of his hand. Because it was so heavy, the ground beneath the axe began to slope downward.

Brutus took his time as he brought the axe up to rest on his shoulders, all the while keeping his eyes fixed on the walls off in the distance.

"Commander…"

then, a voice rang next to his ears. When he turned his head, his eyes focused on a lanky Orcen

"What is it… strategist."

"About that…"

hands and glanced at the

he turned his attention

you do something about

"That's impossible."

chance to state the nature of his request. The face of the strategist turned pale, and just as he was about to

"But why!? If you-"

"I said that's impossible."

head once more, his

the

that he was

want to stand here and do

of a sudden, and the strategist raised his

"Yes?"

really think

"N,no."

strategist shook his head, processing those words extremely

you should know that if I'm not acting, it's not because I don't want to, but because something is preventing me

"Preventing you?"

strategist at last gave off the impression of having comprehended something, and he

that's preventing you

thought occurred to the strategist, and his expression

"That's correct."

smiled to himself as he nodded his head, content that the strategist had finally grasped the

were to happen, and the

Kuzma… not only would the after effects of their battle reach the entire battlefield, but the losses that would be sustained because of it would be

didn't think of

strategist hung his

represented the other races.

like this… he should've seen through it

failed as

"It's alright."

the shoulder. Although he maintained a fierce expression, the

not impossible for us

"You mean…"

strategist lit up with excitement, and he quickly raised his head. He was met with Brutus's

us to win the war. It's

by Brutus stoked the fire that was already present in the mind of the strategist, and he immediately

he raised his head in

was also a noticeable shock and unwillingness to

"Commander!"

If you did, go ahead and

him with a knowing look, the strategist's

end, he let out a

"…I understand."

spun around with his shoulders hunched and walked briskly in the direction of one of the tents that they had erected

a change immediately after the strategist turned around and

inhaled deeply before murmuring something

the only