Duke Valen slowly looked around at the destroyed surroundings before clicking his tongue.
"Tsk."
"We have caused a huge mess."
He rubbed his forehead with a tired expression before continuing.
"The cleanup will take some time."
"And during that time, we need to stay alert for Arcadia's retaliation."
"Hmm."
Several commanders nodded in agreement.
"News of this battle will spread sooner or later."
"We should immediately strengthen the camp's defenses."
Another commander spoke with a serious face.
"Double the patrols."
"And send scouts to watch Arcadia's movements."
"If they launch a counterattack now, we cannot afford to be careless."
Everyone nodded while discussing the next steps. Orders were quickly passed to nearby officers while several soldiers hurried away to carry out the commands. Although the battle had seemingly ended, nobody lowered their guard.
Just then...
BANG!
A loud impact suddenly echoed from deep inside the crater.
