They anchored the ship on the shores of Erteria at dawn of that day in the year 137.
It was a Wednesday.
The ship bore the banner of the Atlas Rhine.
When it anchored, the soldiers disembarked quietly, scanning the horizon along the vast coast.
There was no one.
The soldiers suspected it was a trap or something of the sort, so they signaled the flagship where the Rhine sat.
Atlas Rhine: "It seems something is amiss.
Bring the ships closer to Erteria and we'll see if anyone comes out."
The forces advanced toward Erteria.
They anchored along the coasts.
As soon as seven ships carrying a battalion of the Atlasians managed to dock at that port, Laok gave a signal with his hand to his soldiers.
A barrage of immense arrows fell upon the heads of the Atlasians.
The battalion commander shouted as he tried to regain control: "Shields! Raise your shields!"
The soldiers lifted their shields—
but suddenly, without any prior warning,
they found themselves surrounded from behind by massive numbers of rebels.
The rebels had been hiding beneath the sandy ground wearing white for camouflage.
They launched a powerful sweeping assault against the scattered battalions.
Many were slaughtered.
And as soon as the battalion retreated toward the middle of the coast, Laok gave the second signal.
The rebels pulled out spears from beneath the sand.
Others pushed the Atlasians with shields.
And once they were encircled, the rebels speared them down.
Then Laok gave the third signal.
The archers reloaded their arrows thanks to the surprise maneuver, and with that they annihilated the entire battalion.
The cavalry then dismounted, and their commander seized the ships.
They raised the flag of Erteria over them.
They quickly reloaded the cannons.
Meanwhile, Atlas Rhine ordered his forces to prepare for naval engagement.
But they were one step too late.
Laok had anticipated that the ten ships had prepared for immediate combat, so he had preloaded the cannons before the battle even began.
Laok gave the fourth signal, and the ships before him were shattered.
Atlasian soldiers fell into the sea while the Erterian cavalry shot arrows at whomever they could hit.
The cavalry then returned to shore at great speed.
Before the Atlas cannons could fire at them, the ships were already deserted.
Rhine was enraged but did not rush into folly.
He ordered the Atlas fleet to retreat toward Arsia.
Atlas Rhine:
"If the coast is the impenetrable gate of Erteria, then the cave passage from Arsia that we used last time will suffice for us to enter.
This is what I call the Munrach Effect.
For that old man knew beforehand that Laok—and likely Hyunkel—would lead a revolution in Arsia and Artia at the time of my departure.
And that upon returning I would meet the support fleet coming from Arshia, as indeed happened.
He planned it himself because he knew the conflict would erupt between Hyunkel and Laok upon Diogenes' death."
Twenty massive ships led by the Rhine sailed toward Arsia.
The journey to Arsia's coasts took about two days.
The voyage was neither peaceful nor pleasant.
They were attacked several times by arrows from Erteria.
The morale of the Atlas soldiers was already low.
Midway through the journey, half of Rhine's soldiers aboard the ships died due to a lack of food supplies.
Thus, when they finally reached shore—
Despite everything, Rhine and his men endured the hardship of the road.
Rhine was not ignorant; he knew the Munrach plan would succeed as soon as he reached Arsian land and clashed with the rebels of Erteria.
Upon reaching the passage, the Atlas soldiers shivered.
They carved their way through the cave passage, but at the end of the mountainous route they saw only blind Laok…
standing on a high hill overlooking the huge pit the passage led to.
He was playing his lyre loudly.
He was very far from the soldiers emerging from the mountain fissure, but his melodies allowed them to detect his position.
He stood directly in their path toward Arsia.
Rhine hesitated to advance with his soldiers.
Rhine: "Retreat to the ships! It is most likely a trap!"
A terrified soldier shouted from beneath the cave:
"Sir! The ships—the ships have disappeared!"
Rhine was shocked to hear that.
But he remembered Hyunkel once telling him about the floods that occur around the mountains and caves of Artia and Arsia.
Rhine looked up to the sky where Laok stood.
As soon as Laok finished his loud playing—which had prevented them from hearing the floods rising beneath the caves—
he gave the signal and unleashed massive boulders upon them, crushing half of Rhine's soldiers and burying them within the cave tunnels.
Rhine survived by sheer luck thanks to his men.
Rhine:
"Circle around the passage to reach the edge!
Follow me once you reach it!"
Rhine and his soldiers circled the passage,
many falling to blazing arrows along the way.
They climbed the ridge with difficulty.
As soon as they set foot upon Arsian soil, a cavalry battalion of rebels emerged around them.
The rebels began cutting off the Atlasians' heads mercilessly.
Many were slaughtered and thrown into the pit of the passage, their corpses soon burning under the flames.
The rebels then withdrew toward the Arena of Arsia.
Rhine and what remained of his forces followed in fury.
Upon reaching Arsia Square—the colosseum—Laok stood on the stands and gave his soldiers the signal.
Rhine and his men rushed into the arena; the gates shut behind them, while the rebels entered through the underground doors.
Barrels filled with sulfur dropped upon them, and the archers shot flaming arrows, causing a massive explosion that made the dark sky of Arsia blaze with infernal fire.
The flames did not stop; the ground was covered in burning coal that seared the Atlasians and made them scream in agony.
Laok stood there watching the awe-inspiring scene.
He closed his eyes in quiet as he listened.
Hyunkel climbed up to him, panting, his sword drenched in blood.
He looked at Laok—
and found him crying.
For the blind warrior no longer needed his lyre.
The screams of the burning Atlasians were the perfect melody to his ears.
Laok: "Hyunkel, did the Atlas soldiers split before reaching here?"
Hyunkel: "Yes. The rebels below are still fighting the rest in the outskirts of the city.
Their numbers are huge despite their weakness.
The battle is difficult, Laok."
Laok: "How many do we have left, Hyunkel?"
Hyunkel hesitated, then spoke.
Hyunkel: "Three thousand soldiers, Laok."
Laok: "And how many are they?"
Hyunkel: "We estimated ten thousand fighters."
Laok donned his helmet and descended with Hyunkel from the grand stands toward Arsia to support the troops.
The fighting in Arsia's outskirts grew so fierce that the ground in every corner was stained red.
The air of Arsia reeked of blood.
Metal clashed against metal every second of that long night.
The rebel army under Hyunkel's leadership fought bravely and crushed many Atlasians due to morale differences.
1,500 Arsian fighters died, while 5,000 Atlasians fell.
Hyunkel fought so relentlessly that his sword shattered upon the necks of the Atlasians, and he did not rest for a moment.
Those who survived later called him The Bloodied Gazelle,
for any warrior who saw him—or his gazelle—on the battlefield died immediately after.
Elsewhere, atop the great colosseum stands—
A half-burnt man stood.
It was Atlas Rhine.
A gray phantom burning with imperial rage.
He climbed from the stands of death to rekindle the fighting spirit of his comrades.
Rhine roared, shaking the sky of Arsia:
Rhine:
"O men of Atlas!
You are the ones who own this land and rule it with your iron grip!
Will you submit so easily to this pack of rats?!"
He rode down from the stands into the battlefield:
"If this is our end, then follow me to it, men!
Let the people of Erteria know who I, Atlas Rhine, truly am in the field of battle!"
The Atlasians roared with renewed ferocity, and the fighting grew more severe on the Erterian side.
Many men fell dead as morale surged among the Atlasians.
But Hyunkel continued fighting in the midst of soldiers like an unstoppable storm.
The night winds swept the moonlight across his right side,
and behind him droplets of blood and heads flew as though born from the unveiling of his sword.
Horses carried bodies swiftly on his left, and bodies lost their heads.
Before him blades awaited their meeting, and death circled the warriors.
Cries trembled in brave throats.
Swords clashed so intensely that many shattered like fragile glass.
Hyunkel fell from his gazelle.
The burning emperor tumbled before both armies.
The rebels surrounded Hyunkel with all their strength.
He stood to continue the fight, but his sword was broken.
Laok lifted Hyunkel onto the gazelle and withdrew from the direct clash.
In the vast outskirts of Arsia—
Laok ran at full speed toward the main camp.
He sought to give the final signal and complete the plan.
But both he and Hyunkel were shocked to see Atlas soldiers trying to kill an injured Arsian girl.
The blind man and the sage dismounted immediately.
Laok took a strong sword blow to the shoulder and cheek as he shielded the girl.
Meanwhile, Hyunkel grabbed a soldier's sword from the ground and fought the large group of Atlasians.
After the girl escaped, Laok drew his sword and fought, protecting Hyunkel's back.
The two fought bravely without pause until sunrise over Arsia.
Hyunkel was stabbed in the stomach and collapsed.
Laok covered him alone and fought off the remaining Atlasians one by one until his sword broke and the group was defeated.
Laok removed his helmet, struggling to breathe.
Laok: "I didn't expect this. That damned Rhine. The Munrach effect, huh? What a funny story."
He turned toward the injured Hyunkel, panting yet smiling.
Laok: "I'm sorry, my friend. I think we need to move to the backup plan."
Hyunkel looked at him in shock.
Hyunkel: "What backup plan?"
Laok struck Hyunkel hard on the head, knocking him unconscious.
He lifted him onto the gazelle and rode straight to the camp.
When he arrived, Beatrice was tending the wounded.
Soldiers carried Hyunkel to the tents.
Beatrice was horrified at the sight and rushed to examine him.
Laok sat on the side of his uninjured body so she wouldn't see he was wounded—
but truly he was exhausted.
Beatrice stormed toward him:
Beatrice: "What happened to Hyunkel?!
What did you do to him?!
Where did they take him?!"
The blind man smiled calmly.
Laok: "They took Hyunkel to the first tent."
Beatrice hurried to the tent, while Laok sat in the commander's chair.
The soldiers of the Burning Emperor arrived.
The blind man stood firm, leaning on his sword, facing Atlas Rhine.
The emperor walked into the camp, staring at Laok.
His wounds were so many that his shroud had turned red on the left side.
He stared for a moment—
and the wind announced a new dawn.
Atlas Rhine:
"Thirty ships.
With one hundred thousand fighters.
Against eight thousand exhausted, wounded rebels.
And in the end, all my ships destroyed, and only two thousand wounded soldiers remain.
You did all this alone, without Hyunkel—
and thus the Munrach Effect is defeated.
But truth be told…
numbers prevail."
The emperor's burning cloak shimmered proudly under the sunlight.
Atlas:
"In honor and respect, before I execute you, I will grant you one final wish."
Laok's calm eyes did not waver.
Laok: "How many rebels remain?"
Atlas Rhine: "Three hundred men from Arsia."
Laok: "I will surrender myself on the condition that you spare them."
The Burning Emperor looked at Laok with pride and bowed his head.
Atlas Rhine:
"Laok of Arshia…
I shall grant your wish."
The prisoners were released.
No one knew the whereabouts of the unconscious Hyunkel.
The rebels and the people of Arsia looked with pride at their wounded, shackled leader.
Laok stood upon Apollo Hill; the townspeople followed to witness the execution.
The executioner asked:
"Any final words?"
Laok turned toward the people of Arsia.
Laok:
"O people of Erteria, from the outskirts of Arsia to the eastern coast of Artia—
I am Laok of Arshia.
I lived among you the most honorable of lives.
I never regretted learning at your hands.
I learned dignity, knowledge, and courage from you.
I never knew you as cowards or traitors.
You were filled with pride.
So I remind you of what you were before these five years.
You are the people of Erteria—
the empire that did not fall easily.
Let your revolution be one of dignity and hope.
Do not despair again nor bow your heads to the corrupt.
Thank you… for everything."
The people around him wept.
The wounded soldiers stood in respect for their leader, bleeding as tears rained from their eyes.
The townsfolk of Arsia wept as well.
And Laok of Arshia fell that day—
his head severed—
marking the end of the revolution.