"They've ensnared us! What a blunder on our part!" Jason slammed his hand on the map of the surrounding area. The entire Bolonik Battalion was ambushed in different areas as they didn't expect a battalion's worth of men waiting for them. Only Adam's band was able to escape relatively unharmed because Adam was able to scout ahead of the unit.

"General, Cap. Josef has just returned and urgently asks for a meeting." said the guard.

"Let him in." The moment Jason saw Adam, he spoke "The entire Bolonik Battalion was ambushed and suffered serious losses. I still have no word of Lt. Col. Bolonik. Only your band was able to escape-"

"Sir, it's more than just a few ambushes. I circled past two battalions worth of men to return to my unit. I fear they have a massive trap ahead of us."

"What did you say? Two battalions?" Jason looked at the map before asking his adjutant for the battle reports from the northwestern army, which the adjutant stated they still have not received. "A change of strategy? Interesting, very interesting. It seems we're the target of this force. Now we just need to figure out their intention." Jason wrote some words on a piece of paper before instructing his subordinates to rush to Marquis Mansk. "If we still don't have a battle report regarding the northwestern army, I fear the first prince's real target is us, the weakest force. I will give the order to form a fortified camp and have scouts monitor the surrounding areas. Return to your band and wait for further orders."

....

After a week of waiting, Marquis Mansk finally confirmed the disappearance of the 600,000 troops of the first prince from the northwestern border. Together with the appearance of a large force that ambushed the vanguard legion, he connected the dots and sent word to the third prince at once. The Marquis then adopted Jason's suggestion of having the main force of the central army stationed behind the fortified position of the vanguard. That way, when the vanguard forces retreat, the main force is already there waiting in ambush.

....

"Hold our positions, try to preserve arrows. If they want to occupy our position, they will have to send over half their men to be turned into corpses!" Jason inspired his troops who were being assailed by bodies of enemy soldiers. They must have been promised an extraordinary reward because they were fighting like rabid dogs. "Send a unit to the right side!"

"I've already sent on! Fighting two entire legions, this is crazy, we'll lose too many men, Jason!" Erich voiced his opinion as he parried a sword aimed at Jason's back.

"Fighting in a melee like this sure brings back memories. Though these guys are much tougher than mountain folk. I'm glad you always have my back!"

"Saying such things in the heat of battle, don't distract me like that! HAHAHA" Erich laughed. He also reminisced his days of youth with Jason. As the two retreated to the back of the fortification, they noticed an area where the soldiers were actively avoiding. After they decided to approach the area, they were flabbergasted to see one of the only two-tier 6 warriors in the kingdom, Floyd Star.

Floyd Star happened to see the two of them and approached without another word. He attacked Jason first as Jason's high-tier 5 energy posed threat to him. Jason had just newly advanced into the tier before the war so he hasn't fully mastered utilizing his excess energy. He could only fight on the level of a mid-tier 5 warrior. Erich has also been in the mid-tier 5 energy for a few years now. Paired with the fact that he focuses on his administrative tasks, he hasn't been training as much after his retirement from the army.

Floyd's sudden appearance was already reported to Marquis Mansk. He soon sent out his best fighters to challenge the tier 6 kingdom guardian. Erich and Jason were barely able to hold on until reinforcements arrived before being extracted from the fight and issuing the retreat order. As Floyd was busy being attacked by five different tier 5 warriors, he wasn't able to notice the changes on the battlefield.

As the Ice Army retreated, the enemy troops, gaining confidence pursued. Little did they expect to fall in an ambush. The ambushed troops panicked and tried to retreat which caused the entire enemy army to retreat. The tier 6 swordsman was able to kill two of the tier 5 swordsman before retreating with the troops. Marquis Mansk then sent word to the third prince that they were able to fight off the first wave and that all they could do was hold their position. They couldn't pursue the enemy due to fatigue and the sudden appearance of one of the Kingdom Guardian.

Adam, who was out on a mission, heard the news of his father and uncle's injuries and rushed back with Suya. He was relieved to see both of them with cuts and bruises instead of maimed limbs. Suya was distressed and asked for a temporary transfer to the medical unit to monitor his father and future father-in-law. Adam then was able to regain control of his Band.

With Lt. Col. Bolonik missing, Adam took it upon himself to get the scouting battalion of the Ice Army back in order. He doubled the scouting patrols to ensure another attack will be prepared for in time. He also put his trusted subordinates in dominant temporary positions for the battalion to effectively incorporate the different bands.

....

"Your Highness, that fortified position was not a position that could be thought of on a whim. It seems they were prepared for our sudden attack. The fact that they were able to ambush the pursuing troops proves that. It seems our scouts encountering a fierce resistance wasn't a fluke. I suggest you change strategies at once. Unless you want to lose the northern region and be trapped in this border area." Floyd Star suggested. He joined this faction because, unlike the other guardian, he only worked for power. He didn't, however, expect the sudden appearance of the third prince. With everything falling apart, he knows that the first prince's time is limited.