The south marched at last.

War banners rose across the southern roads while nobles called their levies beneath the symbols of House Valcriox and its allies.

The kingdom watched nervously as rumors spread from city to city.

A grand coalition army was moving north.

And its target was Elarion.

Columns of soldiers stretched across frozen roads for miles.

Mana cavalry rode beneath enchanted banners shimmering faintly through the winter air. Heavy mana-armored infantry marched in disciplined formations while mage detachments traveled beneath guarded escorts.

Behind them came:

siege engines,

supply caravans,

artillery beasts,

noble retainers,

and endless infantry levies.

It looked overwhelming.

Southern nobles watching the mobilization felt increasingly reassured by the sheer scale of the force gathering beneath their alliance.

Lord Berengar of House Valcriox stood atop a snowy ridge overlooking part of the advancing host while several allied nobles accompanied him.

Nearly sixty thousand infantry alone marched beneath the southern banners now.

More forces continued joining daily.

One noble laughed quietly.

"Elarion actually refused surrender."

Another snorted.

"arrogance."

A third noble watched the marching mana cavalry proudly.

"No northern territory can survive this."

The confidence spreading through the southern alliance became almost absolute.

Because in their eyes:

Elarion possessed only one city,

limited population,

experimental weapons,

and a few rifle regiments.

Meanwhile the south possessed:

elite knights,

mages,

overwhelming manpower,

and centuries of military tradition.

To them—

The outcome already seemed decided

Farther behind the main army, Kassian Valcriox rode silently beside the command convoy while studying the newest frontier reports.

Unlike the other nobles—

He was not smiling.

Because he noticed details others ignored.

Reports describing:

trenches,

artillery fortifications,

industrial logistics,

ammunition stockpiles,

and layered defensive systems.

Lucien was not preparing for heroic warfare.

One allied noble approached afterward.

"Lord Kassian."

"What?"

"The coalition commanders believe Elarion may collapse before full engagement."

Kassian looked genuinely unimpressed.

"They thought that months ago too."

Silence followed.

Because again—

He was correct.

Underestimating Elarion had become a repeated southern habit.

And every mistake only strengthened Lucien further.

Kassian slowly looked northward toward the distant mountains.

Then quietly muttered:

"This war will not resemble what they expect."

Meanwhile—

Far to the north, Elarion continued preparing.

The factories no longer slowed even at night.

Steel poured endlessly from the furnaces. Ammunition lines operated continuously. Workers moved through the industrial districts carrying coal, shells, rifles, and supplies toward the western frontier.

The entire city now functioned like a machine built solely for war.

And beneath Fortress Elarion—

That machine finally delivered its newest weapons.

Inside the underground engineering halls, workers rushed between massive steel platforms while steam filled the chamber ceilings.

Today the atmosphere felt different.

Excited,too excited.

Cedric entered beside Lucien while another distant explosion echoed through the facility.

"...Please tell me that wasn’t important."

An engineer answered casually:

"Only partially."

Cedric sighed deeply.

"Of course."

Then the enormous steel doors ahead slowly opened.

And for the first time—

Lucien saw the completed prototypes.

The first machine gun stood mounted atop a reinforced steel frame overlooking the underground firing range.

Unlike earlier unstable designs, this version appeared far more refined:

water-cooled barrel system,

reinforced ammunition feed,

stabilized mounting assembly.

Dozens of ammunition belts rested nearby.

Ironbreaker proudly stood beside it with grease covering nearly half his beard.

"It works now."

Cedric immediately narrowed his eyes.

"Define works."

The dwarf crossed his arms proudly.

"It only explodes sometimes."

"...That does NOT improve confidence!"

Lucien approached the weapon calmly.

"How many rounds?"

Ironbreaker grinned.

"Hundreds continuously if the cooling system holds."

Cedric stared blankly.

"...Hundreds."

The dwarf proudly slapped the steel frame.

"Turns infantry formations into meat."

One nearby engineer quietly whispered:

"We tested livestock first."

Cedric looked horrified.

"You WHAT?"

Lucien ignored the argument entirely.

"Mass production capability?"

Ironbreaker’s grin widened further.

"With enough steel?" "Yes."

That answer alone changed the atmosphere completely.

Because everyone present understood immediately.

Rifles already transformed warfare.

Machine guns would transform slaughter itself.

Then came the second delivery.

The massive steel curtains at the far end of the chamber slowly lifted upward while heavy steam escaped across the floor.

The landship emerged.

Not fast

But terrifying.

The steam-powered armored vehicle rolled forward heavily across reinforced tracks while its engine thundered through the underground hall.

Thick armor plating covered the machine almost entirely while black smoke poured from exhaust vents near the rear.

But what stood out most—

Were the machine guns.

Three of them.

One mounted at the front. Two mounted along both armored sides.

Rotating firing mounts reinforced with steel shielding.

The original cannon design had been abandoned completely.

For good reason.

Cedric stared upward at the moving steel monster.

"...Where’s the cannon?"

Gandalf the wizard looked personally offended by reality itself.

"It was removed."

Ironbreaker burst into laughter from nearby.

"Because every time it fired the entire front armor cracked apart!"

One engineer immediately added:

"And it couldn’t hit anything!"

Another nodded seriously.

"The recoil nearly flipped the landship during the second test."

Cedric slowly covered his face.

"You tried mounting artillery onto a steam wagon."

"Yes," Gandalf answered proudly.

"It was magnificent."

"...It sounds suicidal."

"Magnificently suicidal."

Lucien studied the redesigned vehicle carefully.

Without the cannon, the landship looked more practical now:

armored troop breaker,

mobile suppression platform,

rolling machine gun fortress.

Far deadlier against infantry.

And much less likely to destroy itself.

Probably.

Gandalf climbed proudly onto the upper hull afterward.

"The triple gun system works beautifully."

As if summoned by those words—

One side machine gun suddenly discharged three accidental rounds into the ceiling.

Everyone froze.

Silence followed.

Then Ironbreaker shouted:

"THAT COUNTS AS IMPROVEMENT!"

Lucien ignored the chaos entirely.

"Armor effectiveness?"

Gandalf immediately regained composure.

"Excellent against rifles and arrows." "Mana-enhanced blades still dangerous at close range." "But against normal infantry?"

The wizard grinned slowly.

"It becomes a moving fortress."

That answer alone made several nearby officers uneasy.

Because suddenly they imagined:

machine guns firing from armored steel walls,

infantry advancing behind moving armor,

cavalry unable to stop it.

The battlefield itself was changing.

Again.

Finally came the shoulder-fired explosive launchers.

Rows of reinforced tubes rested along weapon racks while specialized ammunition sat nearby under heavy guard.

Lucien lifted one carefully afterward.

Heavier than a rifle. Compact compared to artillery.

Yet devastating.

One engineer nervously pointed toward the distant testing range.

"We reinforced the walls after the last test."

Good sign honestly.

Very reassuring(Cedric feeling cold all over)

A reinforced steel target was positioned nearly two hundred meters away.

Knight-grade armor plating.

Normally capable of resisting most battlefield attacks.

Gandalf gestured proudly.

"Observe."

One soldier carefully loaded the launcher before aiming downrange.

Then fired.

The rocket screamed forward trailing smoke—

BOOM.

The entire steel target vanished in a violent explosion.

Fragments slammed against the reinforced stone walls while smoke filled the chamber.

Complete silence.

Cedric stared at the crater afterward.

"...Mana knights are going to hate this city."

Lucien calmly lowered the launcher afterward.

"Production capacity?"

Ironbreaker answered immediately.

"Limited for now." "But expanding."

Lucien nodded once.

"Good."

Hours later inside the fortress command chamber, reports arrived confirming the southern coalition army had officially begun advancing northward.

The war had started.

The officers gathered around the strategy maps quietly while snowstorms battered the fortress walls outside.

Malen studied the newest reports.

"The first coalition advance groups may reach the western frontier within weeks."

Cedric folded his arms.

"They’re still confident?"

Lucas gave a dry laugh.

"They think overwhelming numbers guarantee victory."

Far below the fortress, factory whistles echoed endlessly through the night.

Lucien looked toward the frontier maps silently.

Then toward the reports detailing:

machine gun deployment,

landship readiness,

artillery reserves,

and anti-armor launcher production.

Finally he spoke.

"Then let them come."

And far to the south—

The old world marched proudly toward the north.

Completely unaware that Elarion had already begun building the next one.