Chapter 33

Once upon a time, a great war was fought on the Solviant Plain between the Zoan and the Holmea Kingdom's army.

The Holmea Kingdom began the development of the Solviant Plain about thirty years ago.

However, due to the fierce resistance of the Zoan, which was more intense than expected, the development made little progress over several years. The frustrated King of Holmea then ordered the army to suppress the Zoan.

In response, the Holmea Kingdom's army meticulously prepared and formed a force of fifteen thousand soldiers, advancing into the Solviant Plain.

First to suffer were the "Tail Clan" who lived in the southern part of the plain.

Suddenly attacked by the Holmea Kingdom's army, the "Tail Clan" had their homes burned and even the elderly and children were killed. The survivors fled north across the plain.

At the same time, they sent a call to the other clans on the plain, urging them to join in repelling the humans.

In response to this call, the Eye, Fang, Claw, and Mane Clans, who lived on the plain, immediately answered, and the first-ever Zoan All-Clan Alliance Army was formed on the Solviant Plain.

This alliance consisted of one thousand from the "Eye Clan," six thousand from the "Fang Clan," seven thousand from the "Claw Clan," eight thousand from the "Mane Clan," and two thousand from the "Tail Clan," totaling over twenty-four thousand.

The first clash between the All-Clan Alliance Army and the Holmea Kingdom's army took place in the central region of the plain as summer approached.

First, renowned warriors from each Zoan clan stepped forward, following Zoan battle etiquette, and challenged the Holmea Kingdom's army to duels by announcing their names.

However, the Holmea Kingdom's army responded with a volley from their archer units.

Enraged by the archers' killing of the warriors who had challenged them to duels, the Zoan launched a charge. However, since the charge was ordered by each clan's chieftain, the entire army's movements were not synchronized. Moreover, the warriors, eager for glory, competed with each other, leading to a complete lack of discipline.

As a result, many more Zoan fell to the archers. Despite this, the Zoan, leveraging their numbers and the mobility and physical strength that earned them the title of "masters of the plain," managed to close in on the Holmea Kingdom's army.

However, at this point, the heavy infantry, known as the "Black Wall of Holmea" to neighboring countries, moved to the front.

Wearing black armor, wielding large shields and long spears, the heavy infantry formed a dense formation, resembling a giant chestnut burr or sea urchin. For the Zoan, who were only equipped with chest armor woven from vines, charging into such a wall of spears was not just reckless but suicidal.

One by one, the charging Zoan were impaled by spears, resulting in a rapid increase in casualties.

Once the heavy infantry had completely halted the Zoan charge, the chariot units, deployed on the flanks, began to attack the Zoan's sides and rear, leading to a complete rout.

The Holmea Kingdom's army then formed a pursuit force centered around the chariots, relentlessly pursuing and thoroughly defeating the retreating Zoan.

In this battle, the Zoan All-Clan Alliance Army suffered over fifteen thousand casualties, losing more than half of their forces in a short time, while the Holmea Kingdom's army lost only a few hundred.

Afterward, the Holmea Kingdom's army spent several months burning down the Zoan villages on the plain and left behind only one battalion (later reduced to a company) at a fort they built at the foot of the northern hills, while the main force withdrew.

However, by then, the Zoan clans had been driven into the hills, divided and unable to mount a counterattack.

The Zoan's defeat in this great war was due to their reliance on traditional individual bravery in battle against the organized human forces and the fact that the All-Clan Alliance was merely a nominal alliance with no unified command or strategy.

Despite suffering such a devastating defeat, the Zoan did not learn from their mistakes. They continued to adhere to their traditional methods of warfare, leading to the unnecessary loss of many more warriors. Moreover, attempts to unify the command of the All-Clan Alliance only led to internal conflicts over who should lead.

This was due to the Zoan's proud and single-minded nature, which, in the face of new challenges, manifested as stubbornness.

Later, Kizaki Soma, who would go on to implement numerous reforms and changes, was followed by the Zoan, who were so loyal that they were mocked as "the livestock of the Destroyer's Child" by their enemies. However, initially, even they found it difficult to accept the reforms and changes brought by Soma.

Some have commented that Kizaki Soma's battles were not just against external enemies but also against the conservative elements within the Zoan who resisted his reforms.

In this sense, Soma's greatest battle on the Solviant Plain might have been against the conservative mindset of the Zoan.

◆◇◆◇◆

"Soma, are you listening?"

Soma, who had been lost in thought, was nudged by Shemul and snapped back to reality.

They were inside a tent hastily set up outside the fort.

The meeting was originally supposed to take place inside the fort, but the buildings were filled with injured soldiers, leaving no suitable space. Additionally, the fort, built with the construction techniques of the time, lacked a room large enough to accommodate the chieftains of the Zoan clans.

Thus, they had no choice but to set up a tent outside the fort for the meeting.

The first topic of discussion was Soma's status.

Currently, Soma was a guest of the "Fang Clan."

However, this arrangement made it inconvenient for Soma to share his opinions with the entire Zoan community or for other clans to seek his advice, as everything had to go through Garam, the chieftain of the "Fang Clan" who was hosting him.

While Garam saw advantages in keeping Soma exclusive to the "Fang Clan," such as increasing their influence, he respected Soma's desire to be fair to all clans and proposed that Soma become a guest of all the clans present.

The other clans readily agreed, both to prevent any one clan from gaining too much influence and to improve their standing with Soma before the upcoming territorial negotiations.

However, the discussion went smoothly only up to this point.

When the topic turned to the reclaimed plain, the conversation stalled.

Soma, who believed the Zoan needed to unite, had previously discussed with Garam and Shemul the decision to temporarily set aside the territorial boundaries, which could lead to conflicts between the clans.

However, this was misinterpreted by the other clans as the "Fang Clan" trying to monopolize the plain.

Garam tried to clear up the misunderstanding, but the "Mane Clan" interfered.

They understood that the plain had been reclaimed by Soma and the "Fang Clan" and that the decision on what to do with it rested with them. However, they feared that if the issue was left unresolved, the "Fang Clan" would effectively control the plain, leaving them with nothing.

This urgency was heightened by the "Eye Clan," which had early on declared support for the "Fang Clan" and was now confused by the decision to set aside the territorial boundaries. Moreover, the "Claw Clan" and its chieftain, Zugg, who were expected to react more strongly, were silently expressing their dissatisfaction.

Thus, the "Mane Clan" had to argue more forcefully to claim a share of the plain from Garam.

An elderly Zoan, assigned to assist the young Banuka, began by recounting the legend of the twelve brothers, the ancestors of the Zoan, and their lineage, praising their ancestors' achievements and arguing why they deserved a larger share of the plain.

Initially, Soma listened with interest to the Zoan's history, but as it became clear that it was just a boast about past glories, his interest waned. He grew increasingly frustrated, knowing that they needed to move on to the next action quickly.

Eventually, Soma began to consider how to persuade them while half-listening to the "Mane Clan's" arguments.

However, even Soma could not ignore the next statement.

"We have not fully reclaimed the plain!"

The Zoan from the "Mane Clan," with streaks of white in his hair, confidently stood up.

"There are still human villages on the plain! We can only say we have truly reclaimed it when all humans are driven out!"

Indeed, despite the fall of the fort, many human settlements remained on the plain, continuing to farm and live there.

"The 'Fang Clan' has lost many warriors, I hear. Could we, the 'Mane Clan,' be entrusted with this task?"

In essence, they wanted to claim a victory before the territories were defined.

However, this victory would mean the slaughter of the human settlers.

Soma's demeanor changed.

"! What's wrong, Soma?!"

Shemul exclaimed as Soma suddenly stood up in silence.

The quiet anger emanating from Soma's back was familiar.

It was the same as the night he stood before Garam and the others to protect Soma in a moment of crisis.

"I'm leaving! Do what you want!"

Before Shemul could stop him, Soma shouted in anger.

"Did we say something to offend you...?"

The Zoan were alarmed.

The fall of the fort was undoubtedly Soma's achievement. If he left without any reward for such a significant accomplishment, they would be seen as petty.

However, Soma was not concerned with this.

He had overcome the trauma of the battle at Hogunare Hills because young Zoan like Jeta and Shepoma had been saved and expressed their gratitude.

He could not stand by and let the Zoan, whom he had helped, now do the same to humans.

"Always talking about clan territories! To me, it's like drifters on a small piece of wood in the ocean arguing over the size of the surface they're holding onto! Fools arguing over a piece of wood that could be overturned by a single wave!"

Despite understanding the magnitude of Soma's contributions, the Zoan were angered by his blunt criticism and started to rise from their seats.

Soma pointed at them sharply.

"Do you think driving humans off the plain is the end? They will come back! This time, to destroy the Zoan completely, mercilessly, and thoroughly!"

Soma's words were like a cold shower on the Zoan, who were basking in their victory.

"Do you think winning once is the end? No, it's just the beginning! The start of a war that will continue until one side gives up! The only way for the Zoan to survive is to keep winning, keep winning, and keep winning!"

The Zoan saw the specter of the human army advancing, the sound of drums, the clatter of boots, the clash of armor and weapons, and the cries of soldiers calling for the Zoan's death, ringing in their ears.

"Such...!"

"See, he is the Child of the Goddess of Death and Destruction, Aura! He has come to bring death and destruction to us!"

Banuka pointed at Soma and screamed.

This cry rekindled the fear of the Child of Aura, which had been suppressed by the support of the Child, Shemul, and the priestesses of the "Eye Clan."

"What of it?!"

But Soma spoke defiantly.

"You were already doomed to extinction, weren't you?!"

This statement struck the Zoan like a lightning bolt.

It was a known fact, but one that proud Zoan could never admit and had always avoided. Soma, however, refused to let them avoid it and confronted them with the harsh reality.

Unable to deny it but unwilling to admit it, the Zoan growled in frustration.

Among them, Garam acknowledged Soma's words.

"Soma is right. We, the 'Fang Clan,' were on the brink of extinction. No, we still are."

Among the clans gathered here, the "Fang Clan" was the one most at risk of extinction. Garam was not about to pretend otherwise or turn a blind eye to the Zoan's current situation.

"We understand that we will perish if we do not fight. But even the best warriors cannot fight forever. What do you intend to do, Soma?"

By engaging Soma in this dialogue, Garam was trying to make the other Zoan understand their situation.

"I understand. We need to find a resolution and end this. But not now."

Soma, having understood Garam's intent, regained some composure.

"I've heard that humans once attacked with an army of tens of thousands. Compared to that, this time we only defeated a few hundred. To them, it's like being lightly hit from behind when they were off guard. That's not enough! We need to make them think twice about fighting the Zoan!"

"Then what do you propose we do?"

In response to Garam's question, Soma spread out the map he had entrusted to Shemul on the cloth.

"This is the fort we're in now. If you go all the way down, there's a town."

Pointing to the map, Soma looked around at the Zoan.

"There's only one thing to do. We attack and capture this town!"

Incidentally, women in Zoan society can also become warriors, and many women lost their lives in the great war. This led to a rapid population decline, which is one of the reasons for the Zoan's decline.

2014/6/15 Typo corrections