The shot was heard throughout the town. The British guards and Captain were all killed on orders from the Asphodel commander, Yuuka.

The soldiers nearby rushed to see the condition. They saw Britannia's guards, captain, and leaders murdered while their commander and captain stood there with blood on their clothes.

The caption Levi was present right there, unable to move to look at the disastrous turn of events. Yuuka had crossed all the lines in his eyes.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?!" Levi grabbed Yuuka's collar, bound by the rage. He had no sense of respect or duty in his mind.

"Okay, listen to me. Levi, control your anger. You don't know what is going on."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!"

"If the general falls, the entire army falls. You heard that one right; we can easily take control of the Britannian forces with them gone."

"No, we can't. The British soldiers will open fire on us. Why would they pledge loyalty to us? When we killed their generals."

"Who will tell them that, you?"

"..."

"Their army is not even a proper one. Most of its people are not their citizens; they hired soldiers from other countries to fight for them. Look around yourself."

The grip of Levi's became loose for a moment, but he didn't remove his hand. Yuuka continued,

"The captains were so stupid and incompetent to let us cover for them. Also, sending their troops to the outskirts instead of keeping them inside the boundary was terrible. Such idiots do not mend a single bond with their men; convincing their armies is possible."

'But what if they don't? It is always possible they'll find out none of our men died. That will show them, then? We can't call the entire situation a coincidence."

"Well, I have already prepared for this situation. There was a reason I called you to my camp two nights ago. The purpose of that meeting was to counter this situation. You couldn't comply with it, but Vincent did."

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The moment Captain Vincent rose, multiple soldiers carried the bodies of dead soldiers in Lynx and Asphodel uniforms. Then Levi understood Yuuka's plan; he was already planning for this moment from when they met Britannia's forces for the first time.

Levi let Yukka's collar go and came to his senses, and he had to acknowledge why Yuuka was their commander. He calculated the risks and prepared for the events of the moment long ago.

"Captain Levi, we have to take risks to win this war; if we can't risk anything, we can't win anything. Sacrifices are needed for the greater good. We make them right now, or people will pay for them in the future."

"Yes, Sir." Levi was ashamed of his actions and had his head bowed.

"Mix the corpses and out on fire on the west part of the city; also, ask a squadron to cover the fighting Brittain soldier to avoid any suspicion."

"We need to negotiate with them; I will tell them their generals could not lead such a vast and well-trained army. It would be better for them to come to our side, and the rest is for the future."

All the preparation was done, a squadron was sent as a decoy, Asphodel's rest forces were brought together, and a fire was left behind, leaving each country's soldiers as their bodies burned.

'After death, everybody is seen as equal by nature."

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The soldier moved on horses and foot, leaving behind the burning city. Yuuka, Captain Rose, and Captain Levi rode ahead, leading the forces.

"Where are we going? What's our plan?"

"Well, we will wait until Lynx forces push down the Brittanian troops, and then we will flank the enemy from behind. This will earn their trust, and it will be easier to negotiate."

Levi nodded at the plan, and Vincent rose to keep his face straight, listening to the project carefully.

In the current battle, acting as a decoy, they reached a nearby small forest from the city and took cover so as not to be caught by enemy onlookers.

Yuuka gave a thought to his mind as he looked at the tree and then looked across the area with his Bincocluar to spot any river tributaries. As he spotted one, he gave another command.

"Burn this forest down."

"Commander, it would make no sense to burn down such a natural beauty for no purpose."

Vincent was the one to put up his proposition now; Levi didn't interject as he was ashamed of earlier actions.

"This small forest is connected to another important forest, and if the flames reach it, they will be distracted enough to extinguish the fire."

"Why would they do that? Won't they come for us first?"

"No, from the map, I saw these small forests linked to the Forest of Argonne; Lynx greatly depends on this for their largest production of wood and fruits, and the mines inside these areas are very important to the Lynx Kingdom. Any damage will lead to a strategic advance."

'He remembered the entire map.' In a few hours, Levi was astonished by Yuuka's skills and all the development; he finally felt how distant he and the person he considered Rival were.

"Asina, I have won every match; this one will be mine too. You can't beat me."

Yuuka smirked as the match of fire fell from his hand into the trees, and the smoke started coming out.

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