Two, long minutes have passed since the artillery bombardment. The candy base that was once thought to be impenetrable was now reduced in smoldering ruins. One-third of the armored vehicles remained along with the guard towers and bunkers. Remarkably, the main trench network remained intact.

Most of the soldiers who stayed in the trenches and foxholes survived with minor injuries. However, those who were elsewhere outside the narrow passageways were either dead or missing. The lush, green fields the defenders once settled upon was now charred with ash and scrap metal. A thick curtain of brown smoke obscured the morning sky along with a haze of embers. Men could be heard coughing and gagging as they tried to clear their lungs from the dusty air, while others covered their ears to stop the ringing sensation that lingered.

Two surviving guards were pulling Colonel Candy Corn out of a foxhole as the dust began to settle. Fortunately for the officer, he sustained only minor cuts and bruises when his security team quickly ushered him to safety. All four members that accompanied him were lost, however as they used their own bodies to shield the blast that occurred near the shelter's entrance. The colonel could only sigh in distraught as he recalled the morbid memory.

His vision was blurry. Everything he saw around him were silhouettes scrambling around the fields. As he placed a hand on his head, he blinked a couple times until his sight recovered.

"Colonel, are you alright," asked one of the two candy guards.

"Dazed, but still breathing," he gruffly replied.

"We lost the active protection generators," the guard reported urgently. "The enemy is prepping for another offensive!"

"I should have known the base was compromised," the colonel thought bitterly. Then he said, "Get me Peppermint Butler on the line for immediate support."

The subordinate could only shake his head with despair, "Negative, sir. Our communications array have been disabled."

Candy Corn grunted in disapproval and considered, "What about our defenses? How bad have we been hit?"

"Very bad," the guard replied grimly. "Most of our battle tanks have been destroyed along with the majority of our defense emplacements. Only the troops in the trenches are accounted for."

"It's the Grasslands all over again," Candy Corn thought. He knew his men wouldn't last long if they were to make another stand. He looked back towards the Candy Kingdom and then the base where there was a vehicle nearby.

"We'll just have to call for help the old-fashion way," the colonel resolved. He faced the grunt, "I want you to man that tank and signal our friendlies at the wall for reinforcements. In the meantime, the others and I will hold off the enemy as long as possible."

"Sir, shouldn't we reserve the tank for the frontlines?"

"Take a look around," Candy Corn snapped. "You think one measly, scout tank would change the tide of battle?! Now quit arguing with your superior officer and get moving, or we're all dead!"

"Yes, sir," the guard squeaked. He wasted no time and entered the vehicle. Moments later, the ignition went off as the treads rolled towards their set destination.

"Here's to hoping," Candy Corn said to the other guard. With the defenders being outnumbered ten to one, the prospect of survival was extremely daunting.


"Oh my Grod, they actually did it," the Supreme General exclaimed as he observed the aftermath with binoculars. Then he picked up his communicator and radioed, "Enemy fortifications have been minimized. All ground forces, advance!"

SG could only watch in awe as the Fire Army emerged from cover. Soon, he heard several whistles being blown, followed by the men uttering a great battle cry. It gave him goosebumps as he recalled the same feeling he had since the Grasslands Battle, and it was something he had sorely missed. However, his nerves began to upset his stomach as he also recalled the casualties from the previous battle.

"Dang it," SG muttered with tightened fists. "I'm still sending people to the grinder."

At the Candy defense lines, troops could be seen trembling with fear and desperation as they readied their automatic rifles. Despite possessing superior weaponry, everyone knew for a fact it would not be enough to repel the enemy's advance. Their chances of success to stop the fiery elementals was equivalent to stopping a tidal wave, none whatsoever.

As the Fire Army rapidly came closer to view, several of the defending officers rallied the men, "Fix bayonets!"

Hundreds of blades were fastened in unison as the men readied for close quarters combat. After that, some of them glanced at each other, fearing it would be the last time they would ever fight. It was already understood among everyone that people would inevitably perish. The problem with most of the company was the fact they were sorely dependent on ranged weaponry and nothing else. The odds were stacked against them as the fiery army had superior numbers and combat experience. All that mattered to the candy troops was to expel as much ammo as possible.

"Stand fast," Candy Corn exclaimed. He raised his right palm in place as he waited for the enemy to reach the killzone. He could hear them becoming louder as they quickly became closer in view. Finally, he threw his hand down to initiate the troops to engage.

A large volley of bullets flew towards the elementals as the guns discharged. Some of them struck the ground initially before trailing towards their intended targets. Immediately, the flame troops began dropping by the dozens as their shields and armor were ruptured from sustained fire. Blood stained the battlefield once more as they were shot everywhere from head to toe. Screams and shouts of pain were uttered as the guns fired relentlessly into the field. Despite being held back effectively, the Fire Army made its gradual advance as the defenders took small breaks to reload their weapons.

"Jeez, there's too many," a Candy trooper exclaimed.

"Shut up and just do your job," another barked whilst firing.

Colonel Candy Corn observed the enemy as he took cover with two soldiers behind a machine gun nest. "Keep firing," he ordered. "If you guys run out of time to reload, switch to your secondaries!"

"Understood," one of them replied.

Meanwhile, as the battle progressed, the defenders stationed at the Candy Kingdom border spotted an incoming tank.

"Peppermint Butler," called a candy guard. "We're being hailed from one of our friendlies!"

"Patch me through immediately," he instructed.

After a few moments, the line was transferred. "This is Peppermint Butler. Identify yourself!"

"This is Private Alden of the 44th Regiment, sir!"

Peppermint nodded then asked, "Care to explain why you're not fighting with the rest of your unit?"

"Our base has been hit and we have lost our long-range communications," Alden replied. "Colonel Candy Corn sent me to tell you we need reinforcements!"

The mint lifted his brows, "That so? Very well, I'll save the questions for later. Now get back to the battle at once! Support will be underway in just a few moments."

"Yes sir!"

The tank veered to the left until faced the opposite direction. Then, it sped off into the distance.

After the first transmission, Peppermint used his phone to contact Princess Bubblegum.

"Peppermint Butler," PB greeted. "What news do you have for me?"

"Reports from the front indicate we are losing our hold with the outskirts," the mint replied. "I'm about to send additional units for reinforcements."

"You may proceed," she said casually. "And on that note, I'm deploying Rattleballs to the field. I trust the situation would be under control until then?"

Peppermint nodded quickly, "Of course, your highness!"

"Good, we'll be in touch."


Candy Corn started to sweat as the Fire Army sent armored golems to the field. Unlike the grunts, they were able to withstand hundreds of bullets before finally collapsing.

"All tank crews," the colonel ordered. "Focus the main cannons on the golems, and the coaxial on infantry!"

"Roger that," replied a tank commander. "Engaging targets."

Progress was made initially as the targets were picked off in the distance. But as the fight continued, the elementals were close enough to return fire. Volleys of arrows flew towards the candy troops as they paused to reload their weapons.

Both armies were sustaining high casualties as the battle progressed. In time, one candy solder asked, "Shouldn't we fall back?"

Candy Corn shook his head, "Enemy artillery has us trapped. You're not safer out there than you are in here! Now hold the line and give it everything you got!" He grabbed a nearby rifle and began firing while yelling. To his surprise, his men have managed to halt the enemy's advance thanks to the boost of morale. It was short-lived however as most of the guns clicked empty one minute later. By the time the tanks and nest emplacements ran out ammo, the men attempted to reload one last time out of desperation.

It was too late. The Fire Army was too close for the defenders to engage from a safe distance. Colonel Candy Corn dropped his rifle in acceptance and quickly switched to a sword on his right hand and a pistol on the other. He clenched his weapons and grit his teeth muttering, "Here they come..."

The sounds of battle were replaced from gunfire to metal clanging as the armies collided in close quarters. Limbs were severed, heads were crushed, and bodies were stabbed. It was a brutal and graphic experience as the elementals lost themselves in a crazed blood lust. Some of them could be seen withdrawing their weapons intentionally as they switched to fists and nearby stones without remorse. From a distance, a lone Candy trooper could be seen sitting down on the field, traumatized. The atrocities he witnessed caused him to stare in horrid fascination. No matter hard he tried, he just couldn't bring himself to fight anymore despite being in the line of fire.

As for the defenders, many of them fell and screamed in agony as they found themselves being pummeled and stabbed to death. They knew from that moment the outskirts would be lost quickly since they suffered five casualties for each elemental that fell. One soldier who fought beside Candy Corn asked, "Help's not coming for us are they, sir?"

The colonel looked back briefly and discovered there was a large tank column approaching. "They're on the way," Candy Corn shouted with renewed hope. "Just hold out for a little longer!" He continued to fight as he fired all seven rounds from his pistol in quick succession as the enemy converged on his position. Three troops fell from the attack, followed by another when the colonel threw his pistol. Being at an elderly age, the officer was still active to fight even after his battle with Darren. Candy Corn ducked as a fire knight lunged forward with a sword in hand. When the elemental missed, he suddenly found himself flipped over with his own weight being used against him. Moments later, the colonel descended his blade upon the man's chest and switched to another enemy.

He blocked and parried systematically as more knights rushed him. In time, the colonel was wounded on the side as the enemy exploited an opening he left from exhaustion. He gritted his teeth in pain as he tried to fight nonetheless, but was wounded again shortly after. The next moment, his sword was flung out of his hand and was kicked off his feet. He tried crawling backwards but stopped instantly when he saw three men pointing spears at him with murderous intent. He raised a right hand defensively as he propped himself on his left elbow. "I tried everything, princess," he thought to himself. "I tried to ensure the welfare of our kingdom, and I have failed..."

Candy Corn lost all the air in his lungs as he saw himself pierced swiftly in the chest and stomach. He tried to pull one of the spears out from his body with both hands, only to have his strength fail him with each fleeting second. His hands dropped moments later with his palms spread out in defeat. As his life diminished, the noise of battle faded until there was nothing but absolute silence.

"The colonel's dead," radioed a fire trooper. "The outskirts are ours!"

"Well done," SG replied. "Now repel the counter attack to secure our hold!"