In the wake of the battle of Fort Lungpierce, the entire Delair Dukedom army of over 70,000 troops had perished, as had their two generals, Kevin and Cooper.

The City of Freedom had also suffered heavy losses, with only less than 4,000 soldiers remaining.

Thankfully, they had managed to defend Fort Lungpierce, barring the enemy from access to Newfando.

Sherry, Shiba, and the other commanders were cheering excitedly with the surviving troops to celebrate their victory, but the celebrations quickly died down under a somber atmosphere as they took into account just how many of their comrades had fallen. As Shiba went to examine Bracken's wounds, he discovered that Bracken had already passed away, unable to survive the excessive blood loss. Looking at the faint smile on Bracken's face even in death, Shiba closed his eyes with a pained expression. Sherry made his way over to him upon seeing this, then patted him on the shoulder in consolation.

"I'm sure he saw us win before he passed," he consoled.

Shiba heaved a long sigh in response.

Erwin's face was completely devoid of color, and he was well past the point of exhaustion. Despite the victory, there wasn't any hint of joy in his eyes. He looked at the grey and murky sky up above,...