I play a Evil God in Otome Game

Sarden...

It is a city that can be considered the backbone of the Republic. Both economically and defensively, it is the strongest and largest city after the capital, Parlen.

Its population is close to 4 million, but what makes the city unique is that it is entirely a fortress city.

It had earned a reputation as a city even King Edward could not conquer. Despite this fame, the recent military defeats had begun to trouble the General. It wasn't fear, no—just a sense of unease about the Empire's growing power.

The news of the Zeppelin had already spread across the land. Once, people would laugh at the idea of a massive flying machine in the sky, but now? Now, they were utterly terrified.

The colossal Zeppelin, a monster visible from kilometers away, had easily destroyed the forward defense lines. The Empire's rapid victories over the Republic…

These were no longer things to be taken lightly. Only a month had passed since the war began, and the worst part was that never in history had the Aurelions been defeated so swiftly.

Even though the enemy was superior, the General and the mayors still believed in themselves. After all, they outnumbered the enemy. Despite the casualties rising to 300,000, recruitment rates for reserve soldiers continued to grow.

Yet, despite all this, the enemy remained undefeated—in fact, they advanced even faster than before. General Antonio frowned as he gazed at the arrayed Imperial army ahead, still not beginning their siege. Explore more at empire

"Why haven't they attacked yet?" the General muttered to himself. He turned to the master mage beside him. "Can you hear what's being said over there?"

The master mage stroked his beard, trying to maintain a calm appearance, but the trembling of his hands betrayed his fear.

"There are people over there far stronger than me," the mage said, his voice quivering despite his efforts to steady it.

General Antonio's expression briefly showed disappointment. "How strong are we talking about?"

The mage turned to the General with a worried look. "Strong enough to kill both you and me with ease."

"Damn it," the General cursed, unable to maintain his composure. His gaze returned to the Imperial army ahead. Still, he held on to hope. There were nearly 100,000 soldiers in the city, and an additional 300,000 reinforcements were on the way.

If Sarden could hold out a little longer, the Republic's rear army could catch up to the enemy and defeat them—or so the General thought.

Though Antonio was the cousin of the mayor, his rapid rise in rank was due to his talent and experience. While being close to the mayor had sped things up, Antonio believed he would have earned his position eventually and took pride in it—until he saw the Imperial army.

Unlike the Republic, the Imperial army was more disciplined, faster, and more skilled.

They all appeared like professionals, resembling King Arthur's knights.

The General's contemplative gaze shifted to the Paladins.

When the war began, the Paladins were initially dismissed as heretics wielding the power of a false god. But now, they had become the very force everyone feared.

Though there were only a few hundred of them, the combined strength of the Paladins had already struck fear across the land. Smashing through Republican infantry, routing the enemy in a single charge, and shattering the ground with their horses—their divine powers left enemies in unforgettable chaos.

Beyond all this, what shocked the General most was the Empire's Empress, Morgana. Thought to be merely a legend, the woman had returned, dethroned the King as if nothing had happened, and seized the throne.

The General could not hide his anger at the Church of Light's silence amidst all these events. He had heard of Morgana's massacre of the Church of Light.

Tens of thousands of priests and bishops had been executed en masse, yet the Church remained silent as if it were a joke.

"General, it seems they're about to attack," someone said.

"I see them," the General responded seriously, his eyes fixed on the enemy catapults. He raised his hand and issued a command: "Everyone leave the wall! Move away from the walls!"

Following the General's order, everyone except a few soldiers left the area. Since most of the population had been moved into the inner city, the soldiers had turned buildings into their bases.

The rest of the army blocked all roads leading to the town hall, where the mayor was located. If the mayor was captured, it would all be over.

When the catapults moved into action, the General was surprised not to hear the sound of cannon fire. After waiting a while, hundreds of heads fell upon the soldiers. Shocked, they immediately checked them.

"General! These belong to the Republican army!"

"Oh, Goddess..."

The General's eyes widened. He quickly inspected the heads on the ground, his face twisting in rage. The eyes had been gouged out, and the Imperial flag had been burned into their scalps.

The general, who had witnessed such horrors before, managed to remain calm despite the difficulty. However, the general's composure did not mean the other soldiers were equally calm.

The Republic Army did not consist of a disciplined and professional force. Most of the army was made up of farmers, youths, and elders who had undergone only brief training.

For soldiers who had never seen anything like this before, it was a terrifying tactic. Yet, the general did not let anger consume him and thought calmly.

As hundreds of heads were catapulted into the city every ten minutes, the soldiers' fear reached its peak. The general and the mage quickly intervened to bolster morale, but how long could it last?

The enemy could have dozens of corpses at their disposal. The general bit his lip and slowly looked up at the darkening sky. For two hours now, heads had been hurled into the city at regular intervals.

Even the general, who had remained cautious until then, found this disturbing.

"General! The enemy general wants to speak with you!"

"What?" General Antonio was startled by the soldier's words. Rising from his chair, he quickly left his position and made his way to the top of the walls.

On the other side of the walls, he saw that the artillerymen were ready to attack. His eyes widened. George was standing on a horse in front of the city walls, raising his head to speak.

"You must be General Antonio."

Though surprised that the enemy general knew his name, Antonio quickly composed himself and looked at George with the sternest expression he could muster. "If you're here to ask for our surrender, you're mistaken. We will not yield and will fight to the end."

George chuckled before narrowing his eyes. "I came to request your surrender. Your resistance is meaningless. Soon, a zeppelin will arrive and destroy the entire city. It's not too late to surrender, General."

Antonio took a deep breath. Hearing about the zeppelin shook his confidence, but he remained resolute. Even the mayor had stayed in the city. Surrendering would be treason against the Republic.

"No matter how much you talk, nothing will change. We will fight to our last drop of blood," Antonio said with determination. George smiled in admiration for a brief moment. "You are brave, but I cannot say the same for your mayor."

"What are you trying to imply?" Antonio looked at George suspiciously, unable to understand. George frowned and became serious. "Have you not realized it yet? I'm genuinely surprised."

Antonio growled, waiting for a response. George's words angered him, but he stayed silent, maintaining his discipline. "Stop beating around the bush. Say what you mean, or leave."

"Your mayor has already abandoned the city. Don't you understand? They realized from the beginning that this battle would be lost and fled the country," George said seriously.

General Antonio immediately denied it, shouting angrily with a furious expression. "Nonsense! Did you come all this way just to tell lies? Keep your lies to yourself."

George simply smiled. Antonio frowned, briefly overcome with doubt. There was no time to think further, so he shelved the matter for now.

"Is there anything else? If not, get out of here," Antonio said sharply. George grinned. "Remember, you have until noon tomorrow. If you do not surrender, we will kill not only your army but all the citizens of Sarden."

George's mana flared violently, his killing intent rising to support his words. For a moment, Antonio trembled, struggling to stay on his feet.

His eyes quivered, and he turned to look at the mage behind him. Though the mage had surrounded himself with a barrier spell, he was still shaking.

The general was horrified, furrowing his brows. Fortunately, it was short-lived, and George turned to leave. "Remember, if you do not want your city to be destroyed, surrender. I swear upon Creation that no harm will come to you."

Antonio and the mage remained silent. When George was far enough away, the general released the breath he had been holding and leaned against the wall, exhausted.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"This is terrifying..." The mage, too frightened to even stroke his beard, cast a spell to calm himself. He glanced at the general with slight concern. "What will you do, General?"

Antonio paused for a moment, staring off at the Imperial Army in the distance, deep in thought. "We will not surrender."

Ignoring the mage's sharp intake of breath, Antonio turned his head to look at the mayor's office. "First, go and find the mayor. Confirm if he's there."

"Understood, sir." The mage accepted the order seriously and left immediately. The general sighed and went to the area currently serving as the military command post.

The Imperial artillery continued to pound the walls. Though the walls sustained damage, this made it difficult for the entire city to rest or sleep, leaving everyone sleepless for the day.

As the morning sun illuminated the sky, the time granted by the Empire dwindled. The general and his officers quickly gathered in the command room.

Though each officer had a unique personality and appearance, fatigue was evident in everyone's eyes. The general was no exception.

He had aged overnight. As George had mentioned, the zeppelin had arrived and now hovered directly over the city. The massive machine, blocking out even the sun, heightened everyone's anxiety.

Knowing this machine could destroy the city extinguished their faith in the Light Goddess.

"Sit down," the general commanded. The officers took their seats, and a deathly silence filled the room. In truth, no one had the energy to speak.

"Sir! The mage has returned!"

"Let him in," the general said, straightening in his chair. The officers watched the mage enter with curiosity.

"What happened? Did you contact the mayor?" the general asked hopefully. Unfortunately, things were not as expected. The mage looked at the general with fear.

"General, the mayor—the mayor is gone. And he took the entire treasury with him..."

"Traitor! Scum! Money-grubbing dogs!" Antonio roared, slamming the table. Even his discipline had shattered. As the officers exchanged fearful glances, the general's anger subsided, and he slumped into his chair, exhausted.

"Under these circumstances, we can't even think about winning, let alone repelling the enemy..." Antonio said flatly. The officers panicked, the tension in the room reaching its peak.

"General! We can do it! You can save us!"

"With what? A terrified army of farmers? Or that damned Light Goddess?" Antonio said emotionlessly. The officer who had spoken fell silent, disheartened. There were no other options.

"Mage, send word that we surrender."

"But General—"

"Silence!" The general roared with fiery rage, his patience gone. "Do you want the city and its people to be destroyed? Enough! My final decision is to surrender!"

Even the most passionate officers fell into despair, casting pitiful glances at each other. As white flags were raised across the city, Sarden's fall was sealed.

The city once thought to be impregnable had been taken without further loss, leaving the Republic on its last legs.