The Seven Stars were at the forefront of the expeditionary force, as always. Leaving Shalyh, Chi-Woo suddenly turned back after walking for a long time. Beyond the end of the long procession, he stared at the city, which had now become as small as his palm. Chi-Woo turned back forward and then put his hand near the left side of his chest. He didn’t know why, but his heart was pounding.0

* * *0

The expeditionary force began its march after their departure from Shalyh. They were all quiet. Considering that they were about to embark on the final war that would determine Liber’s fate, one would expect them to be rowdy or full of energy, but everyone had their mouths shut as if they had agreed to do so beforehand. Compared to a few days ago, the atmosphere was 180 degrees different. There were two dominating emotions among them—shock and fear. The annihilation of the main forces at the Cassiubia Mountain range had been beyond shocking. Their formidable ally, whom they had been fighting together with and who they had no doubt would do the same again this time, had been wiped out without a trace overnight. It was only natural that they would feel fear.0

Nevertheless, there were two reasons they were still heading toward where their allies had met the fate of annihilation only after half a day of preparation. First, even if they wanted to run away, there was no place for them to retreat to. But above all, Chi-Woo was with them. The...0