MISS PAINTER, YOUR ART HAS COME ALIVE!-Chapter 24 : Chapter 24 - Desert Tyrant!

The battlefield situation seemed to shift in the blink of an eye.
Nearly twenty days of minor skirmishes had been accumulating, and finally tonight, like a temperature rising too high, it exploded!
The slaughter on the battlefield grew increasingly fierce. At this moment, it wasn't yet time for Ascenders and Warriors to enter, ordinary people were still frantically killing each other.
Perhaps for military merit, or perhaps simply to survive.
But Kaelis didn't care about any of that.
Leading her squad, Kaelis had secretly infiltrated into the city. Her hundred-person team gathered in a strange basement, and the scout sent ahead to gather intelligence had just returned.
“I've finished mapping the surrounding area.”
The scout looked weak, his trembling hands stained with fresh blood, as if he'd just survived a fight.
Kaelis took the map, glanced at it briefly, then nodded slightly.
“Good job... This is your credit. Stay alive...”
At this moment, Kaelis didn't have the authority to grant real rewards, so she simply had Seren record it beside her.
But for the others, that was enough.
As long as it was recorded, even if they died later, their money would still be sent to their families...
The sounds of battle were still somewhat distant, and the city felt eerily quiet.
The enemy's forces outside seemed to have no reinforcements incoming.
But upon reflection, that makes sense.
After all, the three nations had gathered so many troops, while Dias was already at the end of its strength. Their forces weren't numerous to begin with, the outer walls were merely a symbolic struggle. Holding out for over twenty days was already impressive; there was no way they could delay further.
Of course, this was Dias' perspective, not Kaelis's concern.
Rather, the enemy's lack of reinforcements to the outer walls was actually advantageous for Kaelis's group.
After a brief rest, Kaelis signaled Seren to distribute a wooden stick to each person.
Everyone, long prepared, immediately clenched them between their teeth.
This meant that no matter what happened next, they wouldn't make a sound beyond necessary actions.
With a nod of confirmation, Kaelis said nothing more, immediately leading her team to rush toward the city gate.
Fortunately, perhaps due to the darkness, or perhaps because of their actions, although a few Dias soldiers noticed Kaelis's group, none raised suspicion, some even actively stepped aside, allowing Kaelis's team to pass first.
This saved Kaelis a great deal of trouble.
Soon, she led her team to the foot of the city wall!
By now, their pretense could no longer continue...
The flickering torchlight illuminated their bodies, and their non-standard weapons instantly aroused suspicion among the gate guards.
But before they could shout a challenge, Kaelis had already flicked her wrist!
Ink from her fingertips instantly transformed into a ravenous wolf in midair, clamping down fiercely on the guard's throat.
The following soldier immediately thrust his spear for the killing blow.
The movements were smooth and fluid, the two guards didn't even have time to make a sound.
Then Kaelis continued forward. The prepared soldiers quickly swapped into the guards' uniforms and weapons, standing at the gate.
The others quickly dragged the corpses away.
But this wasn't a true disguise.
“Unit Nine and Unit Ten, stay at the stairwell entrance. If you can deceive the gate guards, do so. If not, immediately retreat back inside the tower, don't go outside. Use the internal structure for defense!”
The outer wall of Dias' capital had a spiral staircase structure, winding clockwise. Anyone trying to climb up from below would face extreme difficulty.
Kaelis clearly understood how disadvantageous her small numbers were. To change this situation, she had to make optimal use of the terrain.
Thus, the stairwell entrance had to be secured, so Kaelis deployed two full units there.
Continuing to run, it wasn't long before Kaelis reached the top of the wall.
Inside the signal tower stood a large mechanical device, and outside, she could see the armies locked in combat.
Although Kaelis had been on the battlefield several times before, this was her first time viewing it from such a bird's-eye perspective.
Bloody. Brutal. The madness below was almost indescribable.
Human beings had devolved into pure, primal violence...
Watching this scene, Kaelis's breath caught in her throat.
But she snapped back to awareness almost immediately.
Seeing the tangled battle below, Kaelis wasted no words. She quickly moved to the shouting platform, where a massive horn-shaped device was used to broadcast messages across the battlefield.
“Seren.”
Kaelis didn't waste words, handing her rolled-up military banner to Seren.
Seren was stunned.
“Whether you can shed your officer status depends entirely on whether you seize this opportunity...”
Kaelis prepared herself, clenching her teeth. Even she couldn't help but feel tense at this moment.
After a moment of hesitation, Seren's hands suddenly tightened.
“I understand.” Her voice was complex, yet devoid of sentimentality.
She immediately ran off.
After confirming Seren had reached her position, Kaelis cracked a slight smile.
Seeing the increasingly desperate situation, she didn't hesitate.
She immediately shouted into the horn.
“Open the gates—!”
...
“The situation is breaking through. It won't be long before we breach the enemy's first line of defense...”
On the battlefield, several commanders in the central command post observed the situation solemnly.
Although their forces were steadily advancing now, everyone understood, this wasn't the final outcome.
Dias' extraordinary combatants hadn't deployed yet, and no one knew whether they would.
Thus, they couldn't push forward too quickly.
With all three allied armies advancing, the faster they moved, the heavier the potential counterattacks from Dias' forces.
That was still managed. The bigger issue was that all three armies had now offered valuable rewards as incentives for being first through the gates, rewards so tempting that even centurions commanding thousands couldn't resist.
Everyone wanted them, meaning they were now competing against each other.
And they weren't naive.
Some slowly slowed their pace, allowing Dias' troops space to go block other advancing forces.
This gave the commander endless headaches.
The elderly leader with white beard furrowed his brow, letting out a cold snort.
“A bunch of bastards who see petty gains and forget the greater cause!”
He also wanted the first-entry reward, but he wouldn't deliberately stall.
Completely destroying the Kingdom of Dias was the most important task.
Just this outer wall had already delayed them far too long.
And yet, holding such a mindset, the others' actions only enraged him further.
They were fighting hard outside, yet these others were pulling such petty tricks, making him even more disgusted at the thought of them claiming the first-entry reward.
But at that moment, two messengers arrived, saluted the elder, and immediately stated their purpose.
“Want us to intensify our attack?”
Hearing their request, the elder slammed the table hard, roaring in anger.
But the two envoys weren't afraid. They remain calm as they speak.
“For the greater good, sir. Our commanders greatly admire your tactical skill and unanimously believe only you have the ability to accomplish this... This is the best opportunity. We've already ed it to the Supreme Command Headquarters. If you can hold the line until this battle ends, the first merit will undoubtedly be yours!”
“Bullshit!”
This time, the other commanders present began to get angry.
They weren't fools, wasn't this clearly trying to draw enemy fire onto them?
And ing to the Supreme Command... Wasn't this obviously pressing them?
If they succeeded, the other two armies would get the tangible rewards while they'd only get empty praise. If they fail, the other two armies could shift the blame onto them!
Weren't they being set up?
They absolutely refused to accept this!
The elder was now so furious his face turned dark, and halos began to appear around him.
“Do you really think Kerkor is still as weak as it once was?!”
He growled, his eyes sharp as an eagle's!
Two glaring crimson halos clearly revealed his identity.
He was clearly a Second-Ring Warrior!
Facing the furious elder, the two messengers felt immense pressure, yet they still gritted their teeth and remained silent.
The slaughter outside continued, while inside the command post, the atmosphere grew exceptionally oppressive.
After a moment, the elder looked around at the commanders present, then clenched his teeth.
“Order: continue the advance!”
“Commander?!”
“Execute the order!”
“Yes!”
Although angry, the commanders still carried out the order with gritted teeth.
The two messengers finally escaped in relief.
And just as they thought the matter was settled, the elder suddenly ordered them detained.
“This matter isn't over yet. After we breach the outer wall, I'll personally pay a visit to your commanders!”
The elder's emotions had calmed, his voice now calm.
But these simple words sent chills down the two messengers' spines.
Soon, Kerkor's army began to push forward aggressively. Without any coordination, the other two armies immediately relaxed their offensive pressure, allowing more Dias troops to focus on attacking Kerkor's forces.
This instantly placed Kerkor's army in a three-sided pincer.
When Kerkor's troops became entangled with the enemy, the commanders of the other two armies simultaneously issued their orders.
“Full offensive!”
The front lines rapidly advanced, while the elder could only grit his teeth.
Truthfully, he also resented these people, but... there was nothing he could do.
Compared to the other two nations, Kerkor needed victory more desperately to restore its tarnished reputation.
...
“Hah... An old man's still an old man. His mind just can't turn fast enough.”
Just outside Kerkor's army, the two allied forces gradually converged, approaching the city gates.
Unbeknownst to the elder, these two armies had already secretly allied.
They were already instructing attendants to prepare the victory banquet.
Everyone can see it clearly, Dias' capital wall defenses were now severely weakened.
Instead of immediately reinforcing Kerkor, they were now racing to claim the first-entry reward.
As for Kerkor... from the very beginning, they never intended to cooperate.
After all, if you really thought about it, the fall of Dias was already inevitable. Although it was the final battle for their subordinates, for them, it was merely about dividing the spoils.
And those spoils couldn't possibly satisfy the appetites of three nations. Kerkor was the first to be eliminated.
The weakest nation among the three, what right did it have to sit at the table?
As for the elder's anger, they'd expected that. But even if he was angry, what could he do?
Could he really kill them on the spot, risking military law?
So in their eyes, this victory was already guaranteed.
The next competition... was between themselves.
Taking a wine cup from an attendant, the commander of Candis Kingdom smiled at the man beside him, raising his cup.
The other man also smiled, raising his cup in return.
Many commanders raised their cups, laughing as they spoke.
"Big-"
Before they could finish, a loud female voice suddenly sounded across the entire battlefield.
“Open the gates, !”
Almost instantly, everyone froze.
The Candis commander looked at the Gallon commander, both faces blank with shock.
The Kerkor commander wore an expression of utter fury.
But after a moment, someone looked up, staring at the eagle banner standing at the top of the wall.
Emerald green...
Not the flame banner of the iron-rich Kingdom of Gallon.
Nor the yellow banner of the vast-plains Candis Kingdom.
It was...
Kerkor's banner!
“That's Kerkor's banner!”
In an instant, all armies erupted in chaos.
The Dias Empire couldn't comprehend when Kerkor had infiltrated. Kerkor's army erupted in wild joy, while the other two nations' faces turned as bitter as if they'd eaten shit!
“This is impossible!”
In just a single sentence, the armies of four nations were thrown into brief paralysis.
And in that daze, Kaelis slowly stepped forward.
The wind whipped her slightly inappropriate clothing.
She stood atop the watchtower, overlooking everything before her.
Kaelis had no idea her single shout had drawn the attention of so many high-ranking figures.
At this moment, she simply surveyed the surroundings.
The recovering Dias forces were rapidly closing in, trying to stop Kaelis's team from opening the gate!
And at the front, the man clearly bore a single halo.
No color yet, that meant he was a Stage Three Ascender!
“I'll tear you to pieces!!!”
The man roared, leading troops rushing from another section of the wall!
But Kaelis merely stared coldly at him and spoke.
“All units... Listen!”
“Yes!”
At this critical moment, they had achieved all objectives. All that remained was to break out, and they'd obtain everything they desired!
For this, they could unleash boundless combat power!
But just as they expected Kaelis to order them to fight the enemy to the death and escape...
Kaelis suddenly spoke.
“Regroup forces. Make the watchtower the core, no one is to leave this spot! Defend this position at all costs!”
“Huh?!”
Everyone froze. Even Seren, who was just raising the flag nearby, looked utterly bewildered.
Kaelis took a deep breath.
A Stage Three Ascender was no longer an ordinary human.
Running now, on one hand, meant the enemy could reseal the gate and lower the banner, rendering their initial efforts completely wasted... Who knew if the allied armies would even recognize it.
On the other hand, they likely couldn't escape anyway.
“But we can't just wait here to die?!”
Seren couldn't understand Kaelis's logic, her expression panicked.
Kaelis was a Stage Two Ascender, she was Stage One, against a Stage Three, they had absolutely no chance of defense!
But Kaelis, feeling the increasingly agitated object in her hand, slowly curved her lips into a smile.
Since just now, she'd been preparing. And now, finally, she'd received a response.
“Die? Not a chance!”
The girl smiled. Under everyone's gaze, she suddenly threw out a piece of cloth.
As they stared in confusion, Kaelis suddenly shouted!
“You're the one I choose!”
Blinding light surged forth. The pigments on the canvas instantly burst into the air, forming a ferocious beast over ten meters tall in the sky!
Desert Tyrant!
Horned Wyvern-Diablos, enter!