(Leo's POV, Terra Nova Online)
By the time Leo logged back into the world of Terra Nova, a full five days after the attack on Bernabeu City, the game world had shifted dramatically.
For one, ChaosBringer had successfully captured all the central territories leading up to StrongHaven City, with the once-proud bastions of the righteous faction having crumbled one after another to the mighty rebel army, allowing them to march unimpeded straight to the gates of StrongHaven City.
Inside, a couple of million loyalists—soldiers, mercenaries, and desperate citizens—stood ready to defend the capital city's towering walls, however, their chances to hold the rebel army for long seemed grim.
As per ChaosBringer's conservative yet confident assessment, all that stood between the uprising and the throne was the fall of StrongHaven City walls, as with a powerful and morally motivated army of 3.5 million strong, victory was all but assured for the rebels once the city gates opened for them.
As of this moment, the rebels had encircled the city entirely, choking off all supply and escape routes, making the fall of StrongHaven City no longer a question of if, but when.
The righteous faction players within no longer trusted one another, as there had been more than one attempts to betray the faction and open the gates, but unfortunately none were successful.
Nobody communicated with the other properly and the overall atmosphere was one of distrust and demoralization, with everyone constantly thinking about switching to the other side.
ChaosBringer's promise to reward all those who joined the rebel forces before the fall of StrongHaven City had compelled countless defenders to betray their own. Yet, despite the tide of deserters and opportunists, a handful of die-hard loyalists remained steadfast, refusing to abandon their posts, ensuring that even against all odds, the city still stood strong.
"What's going on here, ChaosBringer? What happened to your promise of welcoming me with a red carpet?" Leo typed as he logged into the game, his words laced with mild dissatisfaction.
There was no denying ChaosBringer's impressive success—or the fact that he had achieved feats few commanders could dream of.
However, with Leo's limited gaming days ticking away, mere success wasn't enough.
Leo had expected to log in and claim the throne, to see his victory already secured. Instead, the sight of StrongHaven's defiant walls still standing left him slightly displeased with ChaosBringer's inability to deliver on his implicit promise.
Naturally, on the other end of the text, ChaosBringer turned ghastly pale at being rebuked for the first time ever, as he felt like digging a hole and burying himself in it, for having disappointed Lord Boss.
************
(ChaosBringer's POV)
Even ChaosBringer felt a simmering frustration as the walls of StrongHaven City stood unyielding against him.
The march to the city gates had been almost effortless, a victorious procession through fallen territories. Yet now, those final gates seemed to mock him, defying every strategy he had employed.
Yet, despite his disappointment, there was a feeling within ChaosBringer that told him that there was little more he could do at this point, as without there being internal instigators to try and open the gates for the rebels, attacking the city walls in an open war was a reckless choice to make.
"Lord Boss expects more from me, but these damn righteous faction insects are making me look like a fool."
"This is the first time he's rebuked me. If I don't prove myself here, it'll leave a permanent stain on my reputation in his eyes."
"I'm sure if Lord Boss were leading this mission himself, StrongHaven would have already fallen. Perhaps… this is my limit," ChaosBringer muttered under his breath, gnawing nervously on his long nails.
The path to victory was clear—ChaosBringer could order hundreds of thousands of rebel troops to charge the gates, sacrificing lives in a desperate attempt to batter them down. But the cost in blood was a price he wasn't eager to pay if he could avoid it.
He had studied the WhiteSaber Guild's assault on Bernabeu City. They had possessed massive siege weapons, experienced engineers, and a highly coordinated team to break through fortified walls. The Uprising, however, had none of those advantages.
For ChaosBringer's forces to breach StrongHaven's gates, they would need to rely on the ancient and brutal strategy of battering rams—a direct, bloody confrontation that would claim countless lives, and hence it was a strategy he had long avoided.
But Leo's final message left him no choice:
"I'm on my way from the West to Center. It'll take me roughly 12 hours to reach StrongHaven City. You better capture it by then…."
The weight of that single message crushed any lingering hesitation. There was no longer room for caution, no space for hesitation.
"All men, prepare for war."
The order echoed through the internal group chat, carrying the weight of inevitability. Every rebel soldier received their battle roles, weapons were drawn, and the Uprising braced itself for a blood-soaked assault.
The time for hesitation had passed. Now, it was war.
************
The final battle for StrongHaven had been nothing short of bloody, dramatic, and brutal.
When ChaosBringer gave the command to charge, the rebel army surged forward like an unstoppable tide, crashing against the towering walls of StrongHaven City with pride and gusto.
War horns blared across the battlefield, a sound both triumphant and ominous, as millions of rebels pressed forward in unison.
The defenders of StrongHaven fought back with disciplined attack patterns and unyielding resolve.
From behind reinforced walls and firing slits, volleys of arrows and mana projectiles rained down upon the advancing rebel forces. Spells of fire and lightning lit up the night sky, striking devastating blows into the densely packed rebel formations below.
Yet, despite the relentless counter attacks, ChaosBringer remained unwavering in his resolve.
His commands, constant within the guild chat, reminded all captains and military leaders to keep the intensity high and the press on.
"All forces, continue to push. No matter the losses, push with everything you have!"
The strategy was clear: breach one of the city walls at any cost, create chaos within the city walls, and force the defenders to split their focus across multiple fronts.
However, this was easier said than done.
Wave after wave of rebel forces charged at the heavily fortified City Gates, carrying makeshift battering rams reinforced with whatever enchanted steel they could salvage.
Archers and mages provided covering fire, pinning down defenders perched atop the walls, while explosive spells targeted the gate's hinges and structural weak points.
Yet despite the best efforts of the rebels, the city walls held strong for the first hour of the assault, until the first signs of structural weakness began to appear on the East Gate of the city. Where the city gate began to creak and weaken.
After an hour of relentless assault, with the bodies of thousands piling at the gate's base, the wood and steel of the East finally seemed to buckle, as with an ear splitting crack, the East Gate splintered and fell inward.
"The east gate is down! All units, charge!" ChaosBringer typed furiously, as he directed all forces on the Eastern Gate to swarm the city.
And as per his command, Rebel forces poured into the city through the broken East Gate, flooding the narrow streets and alleyways.
Chaos erupted as the rebels clashed with the defenders in brutal close-quarters combat, but the defenders, now overwhelmed and disoriented, struggled to reform their lines as rebels swept through residential districts and strategic choke points.
But ChaosBringer's plan went further than just clearing the streets.
The rebel forces that breached the East Gate didn't just aim to conquer—they aimed to dismantle the defenders' cohesion entirely.
Swift-moving squads fanned out, striking at key defensive positions near the North and South Gates, slaughtering the commanders holding those gates strong, as they sowed panic and confusion amongst defender ranks.
Panic spread among the defenders at the North Gate as rebel forces approached from behind, as with the defenders now fighting on two fronts, their resistance began to crumble.
The heavy iron gates groaned as rebel squads worked in unison to force them open.
As eventually, with one final coordinated push, the North Gate gave way.
With the south gate also following suit shortly after.
With three gates now breached, the entirety of StrongHaven City was laid bare to the rebel army and the remaining defenders, realizing the futility of resistance, began to scatter.
Some surrendered outright, others fled into the depths of the city, hoping to escape the slaughter, but none were allowed to go too far, as the rebels hunted each and every single righteous faction player down without exception.
By late afternoon,ChaosBringer stood at the breached East Gate, his face pristine and his make-up untouched, as he strolled into StrongHaven City with a big smile on his face.
"It's over," he whispered, as the final coordinated assault saw the rebel army spread across the city like wildfire, consuming every district, every barricade, and every defender that dared to resist.
The defenders had fought bravely, but the weight of ChaosBringer's relentless strategy had proved too much.
By the evening, the red banners of the Uprising flew high above StrongHaven City's tallest towers as a system notification flashed across ChaosBringer's vision:
[System Notification: StrongHaven City has fallen. The Uprising has claimed victory!]
[All participating members are awarded with 5,000 MP.]
5000 MP was an astronomical sum for most players, a sum they could not imagine earning in their entire lifetimes, but ChaosBringer didn't celebrate. His focus was already elsewhere—on the one person whose opinion truly mattered.
[Lord Boss: Well done, ChaosBringer. I'll arrive shortly. Prepare the throne room for my arrival.]
ChaosBringer let out a deep, shaky breath, the weight of the past 10 hours finally sinking into his exhausted bones.
"At least I didn't fail him…" he muttered under his breath, as without wasting another moment, he turned and began making his way toward the city's central fortress.
Lord Boss was going to arrive in StrongHaven City shortly and he needed to roll out the red carpet for him and welcome him properly as promised.
Tomorrow was going to be a historic day for the uprising, when Lord Boss assumed the throne, and he needed to ensure that everything for that day was perfect.