The Imperial troops should rout at any moment now. Their defensive lines are crushed, and the tanks are wreaking havoc.

So why are they still advancing? They are defending this place as their lives depended on it. What is this facility hiding? According to our intelligence, this place was supposed to be some sort of large storage facility. So it's definitely not something worth guarding with such a large amount of well-equipped soldiers considering the current situation.

The number of guards can only mean a few things. Either the Empire has management problems, which is unlikely if I think about our previous encounters, or this isn't really a storage facility.

If I had to guess, the second option is more than likely, which means that we need to capture this area no matter what. Discovering the dirty secrets of the Empire is of vital importance if we want to win this war.

However, this facility is more than well-defended. The sheer amount of soldiers which keeps pouring out of the fortress is already more than the total forces of the Order. We do have the upper hand for now, but I know more than anyone that a single second is all it takes to completely shift the flow of a battle.

My jaw drops when I see a tank being stopped by a row of armored soldiers. Cracks appear on their armored suits as the metal clashes against the tank's shield; both sides put all their power into this brief duel. But, despite the best efforts of the towering soldiers, the powerful engine makes short work of its opposition as the arms of the armored soldiers bend into unnatural angles before they are turned into a paste under the tracks of the vehicle.

The scene repeats over the battlefield in a desperate attempt to stop our attack, but the futility of their efforts must be obvious to even the most loyal Imperial soldier.

I can't help but be impressed by their determination, but from a leader's viewpoint, the zealotry of those men can be detrimental if it is not correctly curtailed.

I think I'm more than well-placed to know how tiring zealots who blindly follow orders can be to deal with, and their craziness can lead to some...unexpected results. The obliteration of the remaining opposing factions in the Shard comes to my mind. All those deaths will forever be a burden I'll have to bear thanks to my willingness to listen to the voice's whispers.

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Not that I can do anything about it, it's far too late to go back and fix all the mistakes I made. The Rewinder is not all-powerful, and my judgment can be cloudy at times.

But let's stop thinking about my failings. Otherwise, I'm going to mope for the next hour or two.

Instead, I focus on the current assault. It's going well as far as I can tell and despise the unexpected resistance from the Empire. Multiple tanks are already reaching the walls of the building while the Imperial defensive lines are thinning with each second that passes. The area already resembles something that looks like it came from the apocalypse, and each new shell impact somehow makes it even worse. Bodies are littering the zone; there are destroyed limbs everywhere. Crushed flesh mixes with remnants of metal while blood soaks into the soil and turns the area into a muddy mess.

And this ghastly scene is only the tip of the iceberg; there's an untold number of Imperial soldiers who were outright vaporized by our initial assault.

I can't help but sigh; this carnage is only going to repeat itself over and over again until there's no Empire left.

Progress on the assault distracts me from my darkening thoughts. Most of the tanks have reached the edge of the barrier protecting the facility, or rather what's left of it. From the looks of things, the Hammer bombardment destroyed the magical wall, but the occupants hastily raised another one.

Their move born out of desperation ultimately doesn't serve any purpose; our weapons easily took care of the original barrier, which was much stronger than this one. If I had to guess then I could probably destroy it with my shotgun, so twenty magically enhanced tanks should make short work of this magical construct.

And, surprisingly enough, the armored vehicles destroy the barrier with a single shot from one of them. I almost pity the row of mages who collapsed when the barrier exploded; Our screen even shows the trickle of blood coming out of their ears.

But these Imperial dogs are not worth my pity, so I focus back on the tanks which are trying to plow through the wall. Sadly, it looks like the material the building is made of is too strong, so the tanks slowly back up and-

A massive beam of energy suddenly surges through the wall. It vaporizes everything in its path. The tanks have no time to react, and most of them are outright vaporized; the few surviving ones look like someone erased half of the vehicle from existence.

My jaw drops at the sight, our shields were useless and did absolutely nothing to protect against the beam.

"What was that?" I shout, and nobody answers me.

This acts like a cold shower for everyone in the command room. The feeling of invincibility that must have been growing into everyone's heart was shattered in an instant.

The Empire just reminded us that they are still a powerhouse despite our earlier victories.

Imperial troops are cheering as they are pulling back. I can only watch and grit my teeth as a massive magical circle appears above the entire area, or at least it tries to. The gigantic spell which is several football fields large flickers for a brief moment before shattering into a million glowing pieces which soon turn back into mana.

I don't know about the others, but this is enough to take me out of my initial shock.

This assault was a complete failure. All our men are either dead or severely wounded.

But I can't let that happen. I can't let our soldiers die for nothing!

I grit my teeth as I move my hand in a motion that has been repeated so many times it comes as naturally as breathing.

It's time to Rewind and make the Empire pay!