Clatter
In that moment, Caesar slowly drew out his halberd— a high-tier epic weapon of tremendous prestige that he had recently won in a fierce auction — and planted it into the ground beside him with a heavy, echoing thud.
His left hand tightened around the haft with unwavering strength… his entire posture signaling that he was fully prepared to join the ground battle himself the very instant the situation demanded it.
Ever since he had issued that fateful decision all those long years ago — the decision to abandon several planets temporarily until a real solution could be found — many worlds had gradually slipped away from their control one after another. The loss was especially severe among the distant planets they had attempted to conquer outside the Still Pulse Starfield, where their influence weakened rapidly with each passing year.
