( Max's POV )
The Bloodfall Clan had erupted into a frenzy of euphoria. A palpable wave of victory washed over each warrior, the taste of triumph still fresh on their tongues.
Tables, strewn with the finest of wines and meats, groaned under the weight of indulgence, the merry cacophony of victory reverberating throughout the camp.
Clansmen, of varying degrees of seniority, were caught in the throes of celebration, recounting tales of their heroics with raucous laughter, mimicking sword strikes and parries with boisterous cheer. There was something invigorating about their stories, each anecdote punctuated by applause, whistles and cheers of approval.
A newly inducted soldier, a part of the few who were left near the fort as a last line of defense, stood near a group of veterans, his gaze full of awe and respect as he listened to their tales of valor and courage.
The stories of war were mesmerising, weaving a tapestry of honour and bravery. The young soldier listened, his eyes wide with excitement, his heart pounding with admiration. He yearned for such glory, such recognition. The tales of victory, of overcoming odds, had planted a seed in his heart - a seed that promised him his own tale of heroism.
At the heart of the grand hall, atop a makeshift stage, sat the various commanders of their respective legions. The men of the hour, the objects of fervent respect and absolute obedience.
Today each commander had earned their position in the hearts of the troops.
Whether it was Sebastian, DarkSorrow or Anna all three of them had proved themselves as capable warriors and leaders on the battlefield who had fought shoulder to shoulder with the troops at ground 0.
However, there were two men who were missing from all the celebrations. The two men who had probably contributed the most to the Bloodfall victory.
Their leader Ravan Bloodfall and their first legion commander Max Rajput.
Instead of feasting with the alive, their Lord Ravan had chosen to spend the night mourning the dead as instead of resting after the intense battle like he deserved to, he joined the clean-up crew and helped bury the dead with his own hands.
The tears in his eyes were genuine as he buried the brave warriors of the now obliterated fourth legion. His heart heavy as he realised the price his clansmen had to pay for this victory.
270,000 Bloodfall soldiers died in this war, 150,000 of them belonging to the fourth legion as the Bloodfall clan lost close to 40% of their total forces just like the old man had predicted before the start of the war.
Max understood that the victory he had gained today was significant, however, he could never bring himself to celebrate it, not when it was achieved over the corpse of 270,000 Bloodfall clansmen.
***********
( Meanwhile Regus Aurelius )
There was rarely ever an occasion where Regus truly felt like a report he received was too good to even be true.
The report in his hands was so good that the first thing that came to his mind was that the enemy must have colluded with the Bloodfall clan to set this victory up, because otherwise it made no sense for such a large force to fall short against one single clan.
Regus had given up on the Bloodfall clan when he had received Ravan's letter stating his intention to stay back and fight thinking that his vain pride had got him to undertake a suicidal mission.
But the results had pleasantly proved the Vampire King wrong as he had to re-evaluate his understanding of the boy who had far exceeded his expectations.
" Ravan Bloodfall -
Kills secured - Tier6 Matumba, Tier6 Thalion, Tier6 Donatella
Max Rajput -
Kills secured - Tier6 Trailblazer Tweety
Guildmaster Neatwit -
Kills secured - Tier6 Gurdan, Tier6 Vas
Elder Master Of Chaos-
Kills secured - Tier6 Natasha "
Regus read the report and which warrior killed which god's and hummed.
Ravan had secured 3 kills overall, and even ignoring Matumba which was done in a previous fight, his kills in this battle were the same number as Neatwits which clearly meant that his strength was nothing to scoff at.
However, the most interesting part of the report was not that the Bloodfall clan had won or that Ravan was able to go toe to toe with several god's at once. The interesting part for Regus was the fact that the Bloodfall clan only lost 270,000 soldiers while managing to annihilate a Mercenary force of 1.2 million.
This showed strategic competency on their part that was beyond genius.
What Regus was interested in was this strategic ability. Whoever was the mastermind behind this war plan needed to be brought over to the Aurelius clan and counselled on before making major decisions.
" Make the news about the Bloodfall victory public. Make it the headlines of all outlets across the monarchy tomorrow. Let the people on the outside have hope, let them be inspired by Ravan's victory and feel like if they join the war effort they can have such glory too.
Send a force to replace the Bloodfall clan on the orb they are protecting and make them fall back towards the disc.
From this moment forward, The Bloodfall will serve the role of disc protectors alongside us " Regus commanded as a servant bowed and immediately left the room to execute his command.
" Ravan Bloodfall..... you have earned my respect today " Regus said in a soft murmur as with today's victory his evaluation of Ravan changed completely.
He did not like the kid, just like he did not like Vega, but today he had recognised his worth as a man who was essential for the growth and security of the vampire society.
From today onwards he would no longer try to suppress the kid through petty schemes. He was a hero and although Regus would never say it to his face, he appreciated his contributions to this war and for the vampires.
Today with his unusual victory against all odds it was probably the biggest win for the light faction overall as they managed to destroy a total of 8 orbs in a single day.
The dark faction had now destroyed 92 orbs while the light faction were close behind at 87.
A disc raid could be activated at any moment and every Monarch needed to be prepared for both attack and defence duties.
—-----
/// A/N - Chapter 13/20, a new day ///
