I only wanted to retire, but I ended up becoming an extremely popular character.

At the same time that the "Imperial Blade" legion launched a surprise attack on the city of Sarlom.

Following the highest orders of the Imperial Military Headquarters, the entire western front of the Empire launched an unprecedented and fierce artillery bombardment against the opposing positions of the Holy Kingdom.

The core purpose of this artillery barrage, which covered the entire frontal battlefield, was primarily to cover up the Empire's true strategic intention in this operation: to concentrate its elite forces and capture the key city of Sarlöm.

Secondly, it uses powerful firepower to firmly contain the Holy Kingdom's troops deployed in other areas.

This makes it difficult for them to quickly mobilize enough mobile forces to reinforce Sarlom.

On the Empire's long western front, deafening cannon fire echoed in a continuous, chaotic roar, and the intense barrage of bullets turned the night sky a dark red.

This was a deliberate attempt by the Empire to create the impression that it was about to commit all its resources to a decisive, all-out offensive.

The Holy Kingdom's army's command system at all levels was inevitably disrupted by this sudden, all-out battle, and fell into a dilemma of assessing the situation and allocating resources.

This created and maintained a crucial window of opportunity for the Imperial Blades to capture and maintain the city of Sarlöm as undisturbed as possible.

……

……

As the sounds of gunfire gradually subsided, the night in Sarlöm once again fell into the calm before the storm.

The Holy Kingdom soldiers, hiding in their fortifications, cautiously peeked out, gazing at the still-smoke-filled wilderness outside the city.

Their gaze pierced through the thin smoke, and they saw the shadows in the distance begin to writhe.

At first, they were just some swaying black outlines on the horizon, blurry and indistinct.

As the smoke settled further, the outlines became clearer and more defined—dense ranks of soldiers in Imperial uniforms.

Under the cover of night, the imperial army's general offensive had already begun.

With the "Imperial Blade" Legion as the main offensive force, the Imperial 56th Legion and 39th Legion provided simultaneous support and assistance.

According to the established plan, the three corps launched a strong and coordinated offensive simultaneously from the three main directions of the city of Sarlom, including the front and flanks.

……

……

On the other hand, as required by the mission, Zod led his troops to a reverse slope on the outskirts of Tono Village.

The reverse slope faces Tono Village, which conveniently avoids the regular observation line of the Holy Kingdom's sentries, while providing a good angle for observing the village.

From their concealed position, the scattered lights of Tono Village could be faintly seen in the night.

You can see Holy Kingdom soldiers standing guard and patrolling around the village entrance and surrounding area.

Zod took out a map from his pocket and, using the compass to compare the directions, confirmed that the village ahead was indeed his target village—Tono Village.

"Lieutenant Zod, please let me lead the attack." It was Warrant Officer Cassius who spoke first.

It wasn't that Cassius was eager to make a name for himself, or that he had become a little arrogant after obtaining the rank of warrant officer.

On the contrary, it was precisely based on complete trust in Zod's abilities.

Even if Cassius is at the forefront, he will be safe and sound as long as Zod is there in case of an emergency.

"No, Lieutenant, I think it's more appropriate for me to lead the attack."

Hitis, who was standing nearby, also immediately expressed her opinion.

Not wanting to fall behind, she also felt a sense of competition after Cassius earned the rank of warrant officer.

"No need to argue!"

At this moment, Zod already had his own plan in mind.

If it weren't for his plan, he really would have liked to have a passionate shootout with the Holy Kingdom's garrison in Tono Village tonight.

Once the battle for Saallom is nearly over, he will rejoin the main force of the "Imperial Blade" legion.

Of course, Zod already knew the wording: "Our troops encountered fierce resistance from the Holy Kingdom's garrison in Tono Village. Although the enemy's firepower was fierce, through the concerted efforts of all our soldiers, who were not afraid of sacrifice or danger, we finally completely defeated the enemy..." and so on.

Zod could do it with ease.

But this time the situation is different.

Zod cannot afford to delay even a minute.

Because he had already decided to take this opportunity to leave the Holy Kingdom.

Following the plan that failed last time, he also intends to take a roundabout route through the Holy Kingdom and then travel to the Lombardy Trade Federation.

That peaceful commercial federation he had always dreamed of.

Unlike the last plan which was rushed, this plan was perfectly timed, well-positioned, and supported by all the right people.

Because the Oserwell Empire and the Holy Kingdom of Baines are at war, all the Holy Kingdom armies in the surrounding area are probably gathering in the city of Sallom at this moment.

They won't have the manpower to deal with a deserter.

Even if they encounter a small force from the Holy Kingdom, Zod could easily eliminate them silently with his current strength.

Therefore, taking advantage of this excellent opportunity and the cover of night, Zod was absolutely confident that he could escape the Holy Kingdom and complete his great plan.

Based on the above analysis, he cannot linger in Tono Village any longer.

Even saving just one minute would allow him to travel a longer distance within the Holy Kingdom under the cover of night.

This battle must be won quickly.

Winning this battle was partly to provide an excuse to extricate myself later.

After all, he hadn't even completed this urgent task, and he couldn't find an excuse to part ways with Hitis and Cassius.

You can't exactly say you need to take a dump halfway through and let them go first!

Furthermore, since Hitis and Cassius had followed Zod for a while, Zod couldn't bear to leave his problems to them.

This can be considered his last, insignificant act of care for his subordinates as a superior.

On the other hand, completing the mission can also be seen as a final repayment for Colonel Xavier's kindness in nurturing him.

According to intelligence from the "Imperial Blade" legion, Tono Village is garrisoned by a lieutenant from the Holy Kingdom.

Given Zod's current strength, dealing with this shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Of course, if the actual situation exceeds Zod's expectations and becomes as dangerous as in Clock Tower, then Zod will have to prioritize his own life and the lives of his soldiers.

Whether successful or not, this is Zod's last mission.

Unfortunately, his abilities couldn't change anything about the course of the battle.

Unfortunately, he was unable to carry out the second half of the mission, which was to rendezvous with the "Imperial Blade" legion, as legion-level operations were simply too dangerous.

He could only live on bravely and strongly for the sake of his precious life.

Immediately afterwards, a clear and highly targeted battle plan quickly took shape in Zod's mind.

He then turned to Hitis and gave the order: "Warrant Lieutenant Hitis, you will lead the main force to this reverse slope position and launch a frontal fire attack on the defenders of Tono Village in 20 minutes."

"The firepower must be as intense as possible, and we should try to expose the enemy's firing positions."

"Remember, troops must not leave the cover area of ​​the reverse slope."

He paused briefly, then added the most crucial point: "Pay special attention to guarding against enemy artillery. According to the corps' intelligence, Tonomura is equipped with artillery."

"Once Cassius's squad and I engage the enemy on the other side and successfully draw away and tie down some of their forces, you can then launch an attack and rendezvous with us."

Whether it was a misperception or not, Zod found that as long as his actions were aimed at desperately trying to survive, all aspects of his physical abilities, including his mind, would become unusually agile.

"Understood!" Hitis replied immediately.

Hitis had no idea that Zod already had a battle plan.

If they win in Tono Village, could she then incorporate the battle in Tono Village into the plot of her novel?

This made her very excited.