Ancient Imperial Calendar Year 1805
A year had passed since the massacre of the 1,000-strong Kislavein Dynasty delegation, and both Dynasties had completed their war preparations.
The Kislavein Dynasty had gathered a total of 3,700,000 soldiers from the Western Lands, while the Ashbrum Dynasty had gathered a force of approximately 3,500,000.
This war would continue until one side's armies were completely destroyed.
The first clashes began on the border.
The Great Dynasties loyal to the Ashbrum Dynasty crossed the borders by ships, attacking the towns in the Eastern Regions of the Kislavein Dynasty and destroying some minor Dynasties.
Herlman II, Lord of the Great House Rodwel, a vassal of the Kislaveins, marched against the Ashbrum invaders with a force of 50,000.
At the Battle of Balmurg, he put the Ashbrum Lords to the sword. To take revenge, he boarded ships, crossed the borders, and plundered and massacred Ashbrum villages.
Finally, two Great Dynasties affiliated with the Ashbrums, the Quentin and Quizzah Dynasties, combined their forces and marched against Herlman with 45,000 soldiers.
The two sides met on the Çubuk Plain. Herlman II surveyed his army, reined in his horse, and decided to give a speech to boost his army's morale before the battle.
Before beginning his speech, Herlman II transferred his mana to his vocal cords to amplify his voice so that even the soldiers in the farthest ranks could hear him.
"Today, we will show the Ashbrums the might of the Kislaveins. We will build towers from their heads and palaces from their gold. For the Dynasty! For our Lord! For our kinsmen who were treacherously slaughtered! My kinsmen, fight with me. The spirits of our ancestors will grant us victory, glory, and fame. They will be with us."
The soldiers began to shout in unison:
"LONG LIVE THE KISLAVEIN! LONG LIVE LORD HERLMAN! DOWN WITH THE ASHBRUM!"
The other side was relatively calmer. They were not a war- and blood-loving community like the Kislaveins.
Their religious belief was Tao Kristava, which kept them calm even on the battlefield, while the Kislaveins' Ancestor Cult belief was based on not disgracing the spirits of their ancestors.
Therefore, the Kislaveins would fight on the battlefield until their last drop of blood, while the Ashbrums had to remain calm in all situations.
These opposing views would always create advantages and disadvantages on the battlefield.
Arnould Ashbrum, the commander of the Ashbrum forces, was aware that he too had to give a speech.
He turned to his soldiers, straightened up in his light armor, and instilled courage in his soldiers in a manner befitting a noble person.
"Faithful warriors of Ashbrum, never forget that these heathens believe that when they die, they will become Spirits and that their descendants will worship them as gods. It is time to end this perversion. When we die in this war, our souls will be purified, and the Guide of the Sacred Path will take our souls to the Garden of Eternal Light. There, we will become one with our God Sihao. The cycle of reincarnation and our eternal suffering will end. The Guide of the Sacred Path is with us. Are you with me against these perverts?"
The soldiers, their chests swelling with faith, felt that the day had come when they would become one with their God Sihao. With a great outburst of courage, they shouted:
"WE ARE WITH YOU! FOR OUR GOD SIHAO! FOR ASHBRUM!"
Now both sides had reached the boiling point. They wanted to engage in hand-to-hand combat and shed blood as soon as possible. The commanders of both armies gave the order simultaneously:
"ATTACK!"
The two armies that received the attack order launched their assault.
Until the two armies came into close contact, the mages tried to wear down the opposing side's ranks with their most violent attack spells until the mana in their hearts ran out.
Giant fireballs and lightning rained down on the brave warriors.
Ice spells that caused the soldiers of both sides to freeze down to their bodily fluids resulted in the deaths of soldiers before they could even swing their swords.
By the time the two sides came into close contact, the Kislaveins had lost 23,000 soldiers and the Ashbrums had lost 28,000.
The soldiers who engaged in close combat expressed all the hatred, anger, and courage within them.
Swords clashed against each other; heads and limbs were torn from bodies.
As screams of pain and anger flew through the air, soldiers who fell to the ground lost their breath from the unbearable pain of their sword wounds and the soldiers trampling over them, taking their last breaths in agony.
With each swing of his two-meter-long massive axe, Herlman sent at least ten Ashbrum warriors to the other side.
With each swing of his short, thin sword, Arnould killed two to three Kislavein warriors, yet he still managed to command his troops successfully.
As the battle continued, the numbers on both sides began to even out.
This showed that Herlman was a strong warrior but a poor commander, while Arnould was a good warrior and a good commander.
If the battle had continued this way, an Ashbrum victory would have been inevitable, unless the two commanders came face to face.
Herlman and Arnould came face to face.
The huge grin on Herlman's face made it obvious that he was enjoying the war immensely.
In this battle alone, he had killed hundreds of Ashbrums with his own hands.
When Herlman saw the enemy army's commander in front of him, he was overjoyed.
With his deep, booming voice:
"Look who's here, Arnould Ashbrum. Now I'll make you regret the milk you sucked from your mother's breast."
Arnould felt fear deep in his bones, but he tried to hide his fear so as not to demoralize his soldiers.
"I'm not happy to see you either, you damned bastard—"
Before Arnould could finish his words, Herlman raised his giant axe into the air with incredible speed and swung it hard from top to bottom to cut Arnould in half.
Arnould tried to fend off the attack with his sword, but both his sword and his body were cut in two.
Seeing this, the Ashbrum warriors were horrified. They lost their will to fight and began to retreat.
Seeing this, Herlman shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Attack! This is the opportunity! Kill as many as you can!"
The Kislavein warriors who received the order began to chase the fleeing Ashbrum warriors and killed as many as they could.
The Ashbrums retreated to their camp and formed a defensive line.
By evening, this line could not withstand Herlman's powerful attack for even a minute. The Kislaveins broke through the line and began a massacre.
Towards midnight, all the Ashbrums were killed.
Herlman raised his axe and declared victory.
"Soldiers, there is no sleep tonight! Let's all eat and drink together and enjoy our victory!"
The entire army filled their cups with wine, champagne, and beer.
The tables were laden with cows, sheep, and chickens. That night, the Kislaveins celebrated the first great victory of the war.
But this was only the first of the war, and there would be more until one of the two armies was destroyed.