The Imperial Guards meet once again; Joe and Agatha, having recovered, have joined us.

"Our numbers are about equal," I begin. "We'll definitely fail if we were to launch a direct assault."

"Well, they're not budging," Aelita grumbles. "They've been in Trest for weeks because they know they're safe there."

"And they're right," Remi says.

"We can have Mr Arctus' fleet bombard them," John suggests.

"Ships don't have sufficient range," Remi corrects him. "Best they can do is force Lady Clarisse and her army to evacuate to the western parts. Also, it's only arriving next morning."

"We can infiltrate Trest and disable the shield and sabotage them," Agatha voices her opinion. 

"Too risky," I say. "By now, she'd expect us to do exactly that."

"No, wait. It could work," Remi says. "But we need a distraction; something else to keep her attention away."

We are all silent for a while. "Some of us could distract her," Joe says. 

"We'd be smashed instantly. She's too powerful," Remi says.

"I thought she was captured rather easily?" Agatha mutters.

"When the captors are the Great Five, everyone gets captured rather easily," Lita grumbles.

"We have to draw her away from Trest," I conclude.

"That's it!" Remi, in her excitement, slams the table. "As long as Lady Clarisse's not there, it's an easy win!"

"Okay, okay, calm down," John says, clenching his shook chest. 

"Half of us will lure Lady Clarisse out of Trest; then the rest of us can storm it."

"Conveniently forgetting the 200,000 men she has," Aelita teases. 

"Oh, right," Remi says. "And at least a few Argentum Sentinels, too."

"Remi, if I remember correctly, your army doesn't have heavy weapons," I say.

"They don't."

"Remi, you and your army will bait Lady Clarisse into chasing you alongside Joe and Agatha. John, Aelita, you will sneak into the port city. Simultaneously, Lita and I will attack."

"Agreed."

In absence of Aelita's Eagle Eye (and the Sun, since it's night), a pair of binoculars become my best friend. Remi and her squad have drawn away Lady Clarisse and a part of her army. John and Aelita have infiltrated Trest. "There, the shield's down!" I gasp. "Lita, order the artillery to fire."

"Right up."

A galore of cannonade rains down hell upon Trest's ancient walls. The enemy fires back, but, under the guise of the night, they barely manage to hit anything. "Let's go," I say after minutes of bombardment. "Order forward the First Armored Corps and the Third Infantry corps to plow through."

I watch the battle from safety; I thought I would have to intervene at some point, but my troops are so motivated that they simply crush the opposition. Thirty minutes pass and Trest falls. "Whelps, that's easier than I expected," I say as I enter the (surprisingly) rather intact city.

An hour later, Remi returns with her army. "Remi!" I greet her. "You've succeeded?"

"Heh, Vio. She chased me like a dog–only for her army to be stuck in the woods. I would kill to look at her face when she realized she was chasing nothing! Hahahah!" Remi lets out an ominous laughter.

"Marvelous. Now help us refortify."

Us Imperial Guards reactivate the barrier, placing snipers and artillery pieces in strategic points and sending scouts. "Any signs of Lady Clarisse, Aelita?" I ask. Aelita's Eagle Eye is active, guarding the borders of the port.

"Nope," she answers. "Which is worrying. You'd think she's counterattacking immediately."

"These are experienced opponents," I say. "She must have a plan. Keep your guard up, Aelita."

"Gotcha."

The shadows of night fade into nothingness. The attack that we await for has not appeared and probably will not. Mr Arctus' fleet has arrived. 

"I have a really bad feeling about this," John, accompanying me in the edges of the city while the rest of us greet the fleet, says. "I'm not doubting Aelita's Eagle Eye, but it's just so strange."

Suddenly, Mr Arctus appears from behind us. "Hello, Mr Arctus," I greet him.

"Hello," he says before hurriedly leaving.

"Where are you going, Sir?" John asks. His question falls into deaf ears.

Lita, Aelita, Remi, Joe, and Agatha join us in the outskirts. "What's he doing?"

"Lord Luke launched another offensive," Lita explains. "Mr Arctus is in a hurry to help defend."

"Oh, I see. What do we do now?" I ask.

"We can rest for now."

The rest is far from leisurely. I am nominated leader of a combined army of more than 300,000 men. I dispatch scouting squads everyday while the Imperial Guards and the mermaids protect the seas. Before long, Trest is fully rebuilt, alongside a military headquarters. 

"It's been a week," Remi says in our meeting room. "What on earth is happening? Why are we here?"

"We have to be patient," I say. 

"Vio, you have three hundred thousand under your command!" Remi barks. "That's a lot!"

"Yeah, at this rate you probably have almost as many men than there are in the Old Fortress," John comments.

"Why are you all so eager to be involved in the battlefield?" Aelita sighs. 

"After what those bastards did to Mirakarta, I'd say it's normal to be eager," Remi comments.

Suddenly, communication arrives from High Command. "Madam Felicia!" I greet the elderly woman. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"Yes. We just found out what 'Case Yellow' is."

"What is it?" I ask, my heart pounding. 

"They have punched a hole through the Central Confederacy and encircled Erwing's armies while the vampires landed on their eastern coasts. Much of Sir Surya's army has been decimated."

I fall to the chair. Damn it! Didn't High Command plan to rely on Erwing's armies for manpower? 

"So Lord Luke's attack is a facade to draw our own armies away!" Remi barks. 

"Exactly. We need you to march to the north. It'd seem that Lady Clarisse's army has retreated there."

"Roger."