Dawn came cold and gray over the western frontier.

Snow drifted slowly across the valleys while freezing winds howled through the mountain passes separating the southern coalition from the trenches of Elarion.

And across those valleys—

The first true assault began.

The coilation army camps erupted into movement before sunrise.

Trumpets echoed across the frozen plains while officers rode between infantry formations shouting final orders.

Thousands of soldiers assembled beneath fluttering noble banners:

shield infantry,

spear formations,

sword detachments,

mana-supported heavy troops.

The ground itself seemed to move as lines upon lines of soldiers formed across the valleys below the northern trenches.

Behind them stood cavalry reserves and battlefield mages while siege crews prepared another bombardment.

But today—

The infantry would advance first.

At the command ridge overlooking the battlefield, southern nobles observed confidently through polished spyglasses while servants poured heated wine beside roaring braziers.

Most still appeared relaxed.

Yesterday’s bombardment and artillery exchanges had reassured them.

Elarion’s cannons seemed slow. Their trenches defensive. Their rifles unimpressive from long range.

One younger noble smirked while watching the infantry lines form below.

"Once the trenches are breached, the northerners collapse."

Another nodded confidently.

"They hid underground yesterday because they feared open combat."

A cavalry commander laughed openly.

"And today we drag them out."

Several nearby officers chuckled.

Even now—

None of them truly understood what waited ahead.

Only Kassian Valcriox remained silent.

The ducal heir stood near the edge of the ridge studying the northern trenches carefully.

Again—

The silence bothered him,something just doesn’t felt right.

The trenches looked calm.

That feeling returned once more.

The feeling that Lucien was not reacting to the battle—

He was controlling it.

Far across the battlefield inside the underground command bunker, Lucien calmly studied the advancing coalition formations alongside Malen and Cedric.

"Enemy infantry assault confirmed." "Estimated strength twenty thousand." "Mana cavalry remains in reserve."

Cedric folded his arms.

"They still think this is only a probing attack."

"Yes."

Lucien’s gaze remained fixed on the battlefield map.

"They believe our rifles are inaccurate." "They believe our artillery lacks discipline."

A faint coldness entered his voice.

"Let them keep believing it,some illusions are best kept illusions"

Orders spread quickly through the trenches afterward.

"Hold fire." "Wait for command." "No premature volleys."

The instructions confused several younger soldiers.

The enemy army already filled the valleys below.

One nervous rifleman whispered while gripping his weapon tightly:

"They’re getting closer..."

Beside him, an older veteran calmly adjusted ammunition pouches.

"Good."

The younger soldier swallowed nervously.

"They outnumber us ten to one."

The veteran looked toward the advancing coalition formations.

"That only means more targets."

Then the southern army began advancing.

Trumpets roared across the valleys.

Thousands of infantry marched forward beneath raised banners while shield formations tightened into organized assault lines.

Snow crunched beneath boots. Officers shouted commands. War drums echoed through the mountain air.

The advance looked overwhelming.

Rows upon rows of soldiers moved steadily toward the trenches like a dark tide spreading across the white snowfields.

From the southern ridge, nobles watched proudly.

One commander smiled while observing the silent northern trenches.

"No rifle fire."

Another laughed softly.

"They hesitate again."

The coalition infantry continued advancing.

Two hundred meters.

Still no shots came.

One hundred fifty.

Still silence.

The southern formations visibly relaxed.

Officers began shouting more aggressively now.

"Forward!" "They fear engagement!"

The infantry accelerated.

Some soldiers even started cheering as they marched.

They truly believed the northerners lacked courage.

Inside the trenches, Elarion riflemen waited motionlessly.

Many breathed heavily now.

The enemy looked terrifying at this distance.

Faces became visible. Armor details. Banners. Officers shouting commands.

Still Lucien did not give the order.

Malen finally glanced toward him inside the command bunker.

"They’re close."

"Yes."

Cedric slowly grinned.

Because now he understood completely.

Lucien wanted maximum devastation.

At seventy meters—

The southern infantry broke into full assault pace.

Shield walls lowered. Officers drew swords. War cries echoed across the battlefield.

Many genuinely believed victory was seconds away.

Then—

Lucien spoke calmly.

"Fire."

The trenches exploded.

Thousands of rifles thundered together in one perfectly timed volley.

The sound slammed across the battlefield like the sky itself had cracked apart.

The front coalition lines vanished instantly.

Men dropped across the snow so suddenly that soldiers behind them kept running forward for several steps before realizing entire sections of the formation had collapsed.

A shield bearer near the center line spun violently as bullets shattered through wood and steel together before he crashed face-first into the snow.

Another soldier lost nearly half his jaw in a spray of blood before collapsing backward into the men behind him.

A coalition officer raising his sword to shout another order suddenly jerked violently as multiple shots tore through his chest.

He fell without even finishing the sentence.

Then came the second volley.

BOOM.

More men dropped.

Bodies slammed into the snow while shattered formations stumbled into confusion almost immediately.

Screams erupted across the valley.

"Shields up!" "Keep moving!" "Forward!"

But the rifles did not stop.

Reload. Fire. Reload. Fire.

The trenches moved like one machine.

The southern assault faltered almost instantly.

Entire front sections collapsed beneath concentrated volleys while surviving soldiers struggled desperately to maintain formation.

One infantry banner disappeared completely after nearly every nearby soldier fell within seconds.

A spear formation advancing along the western flank suddenly broke apart when a coordinated volley ripped through three rows of men together.

Blood sprayed across the snow. Bodies crashed into one another. Wounded soldiers screamed while clutching shattered limbs.

And still—

The firing continued.

One coalition soldier managed reaching the razor wire zone ahead of the trenches before suddenly becoming entangled.

He screamed desperately while trying to pull free—

Then three rifle shots struck him almost simultaneously.

His body went still hanging against the frozen steel wire.

Another group attempted pushing through beside him.

A volley tore through them at nearly point-blank range.

One man’s shield exploded apart as bullets punched through the wood and into his torso.

Another soldier stumbled several steps with half his face missing before collapsing into the snow beside the trenches.

The killing became horrifyingly fast.

From the southern command ridge, the nobles stared in disbelief.

One officer lowered his spyglass slowly.

"...What in the gods..."

Another noble’s face had gone pale.

"That rate of fire..."

More volleys thundered across the battlefield.

The infantry formations below were no longer advancing properly.

They were collapsing.

One battlefield mage stared toward the trenches in visible confusion.

"That isn’t possible..."

Kassian’s expression darkened immediately.

Because now—

He understood.

The silence earlier had never been fear.

Lucien intentionally waited until the enemy entered killing distance.

Panic began spreading through the assault formations.

Officers screamed desperately trying to restore discipline.

"Forward!" "Advance!" "Do not stop!"

But men kept dying too quickly.

Some soldiers attempted charging faster toward the trenches.

Others instinctively slowed beneath the relentless fire.

Both reactions proved disastrous.

Faster troops reached razor wire kill zones sooner. Slower troops became stationary targets.

One coalition captain tried rallying his men personally near the center advance.

"Push through them!"

A rifle volley struck seconds later.

The captain’s body jerked violently as bullets tore through his throat and chest.

He collapsed backward into the snow while blood spread rapidly beneath him.

His soldiers broke almost immediately afterward.

Inside the trenches, Elarion riflemen continued firing methodically.

At first many younger soldiers had trembled with fear.

Now—

Some stared almost numbly at the devastation ahead of them.

One young rifleman fired into an advancing shield wall and watched two men collapse instantly.

The soldier blinked in stunned silence.

Beside him, the older veteran calmly reloaded again.

"Don’t stop firing."

Another volley crashed outward.

More bodies fell.

The battlefield became chaos.

Wounded coalition soldiers crawled desperately across blood-covered snow while retreating infantry crashed into advancing formations still trying to push forward.

Officers shouted conflicting orders. Banners disappeared. Shield walls shattered apart.

And every few seconds—

Another coordinated volley tore through them.

Finally panic reached the southern command ridge itself.

One noble stared horrified toward the battlefield.

"The casualties are too high!"

Another snapped back angrily:

"They’re only riflemen!" "Push through!"

But even he no longer sounded confident.

Because this no longer resembled ordinary battlefield losses.

Entire formations were being erased before even reaching the trenches.

Several commanders began arguing openly now.

"Retreat the infantry!" "No!" "Continue pressure!" "They’re close to breaking!"

Kassian suddenly snapped toward them:

"Look at the battlefield!"

The ridge fell silent afterward.

Because the battlefield answered clearly enough.

Bodies covered the snow between the coalition army and the northern trenches.

Broken formations stumbled backward in panic while wounded men screamed across the frozen ground.

And every time survivors attempted regrouping—

Another rifle volley ripped through them.

Finally—

Retreat horns sounded.

Long desperate calls echoed across the valleys while surviving coalition infantry began withdrawing chaotically toward southern lines.

The retreat itself nearly became another massacre.

Because Elarion riflemen continued firing steadily into the retreating formations until officers finally ordered ammunition conservation.

Only then did the trenches gradually fall silent.

Smoke drifted slowly across the battlefield afterward.

The valley between the armies had transformed into a field of corpses.

Broken banners lay half-buried in red snow. Wounded soldiers cried out weakly across the frozen ground. Abandoned shields and weapons covered the battlefield everywhere.

And from the northern trenches—

The soldiers of Elarion watched silently.

Back at the southern ridge—

Th atmosphere was grim.

One noble stared blankly toward the battlefield.

"...Those are not normal rifles."

Nobody answered him.

Because every commander present had finally realized the same thing.

The war they came expecting—

Did not exist anymore.