The next day, Ooo's forces lined up their catapult units at the outskirts of the Fire Kingdom. The bombardment commenced and soon the city wall was taking heavy fire.
"Report," Flame Princess said to one of her troops.
"The bombardment seems to be going according to plan with no interruptions. At this rate, we should be able to breach the outer wall in 4 months."
She was shocked, "4 months?! (sigh) Oh yeah, that's right. I ordered the wall to be constructed several miles wide to stall an invasion. I never would have suspected we would be the ones on the receiving end. Very well, proceed as planned."
"Yes, my liege. We're right on schedule," the artillery commander left.
FP inhaled deeply and thought to herself, "There's got to be a faster way into the city. Dang it, Finn! What would you do?"
Several hours later, Ooo's main forces were huddled in groups sitting down together. They passed the time by playing cards, sharing stories, and sometimes practicing their marksmanship skills with salvaged enemy helmets.
"So uh, how long do we have to wait to get our land back," one knight anxiously asked.
"According to our artillery units, they said around 4 months, give or take," another replied.
"Dang, really?"
"Yeah, and that's if this whole thing goes smoothly without any distractions."
"Anyone wondering why the enemy hasn't returned fire?"
"They're probably waiting us out. I just have this gut feeling that it's going to be a freakin' bloodbath once we make it to the city."
"Oh yeah? Then we better make sure it's the enemy's in that case."
"Darn straight."
The men raised their mugs and fists in the air.
"(sigh) It doesn't make me feel that much better playing the waiting game. Why can't we we just fight now?"
Suddenly, liberation troops were scrambling around the camp. Then, an officer announced, "Attention all units, we have a large enemy presence approaching the perimeter. Report to your battle stations immediately!"
The troopers glanced at the soldier who made the last remark. Then of them said, "Looks like it's your lucky day. Maybe you should wish for the lottery too while your at it."
Horns blared throughout the base as hundreds of thousands of Phoenix knights suddenly emerged from the city wall. Then, they headed straight towards the liberation forces in the open in what seemed like a reckless tactic.
"Catapults, open fire," Flame Princess ordered.
A great portion of enemies were quickly eliminated, but the main force continued their advance. Moments later, the Phoenix knights clashed with the liberation force like a tremendous ocean wave. The landscape was once again filled with the sounds of chaos. Men were shouting from both sides, some cursed at each other, and others threw their weapons down and used their fists to beat down their enemies. The battle was especially personal for the Fire Kingdom loyalists since it involved fighting their own people. Families were divided during combat as brothers fought against each other, sons fought against their own fathers, and uncles fought against their own nephews. It was tragic for most of them since they had conflicting beliefs about the best interests of their homeland.
On the other hand, Ooo's liberation troops who were non fire elementals continued to fight without any internal struggles against the Phoenix Brigade. However, some of the troops like from the Muscle and Jungle Kingdoms had better combat experience than the Wildberry and Emerald Kingdoms and were able to survive longer. Despite lacking such an important aspect, they were able to compensate with the strength of sheer numbers.
The main heroes of Ooo were able to maintain the tide of battle as they repelled countless waves of enemies. But just when they thought the battle would come to an end, another wave of enemy infantry joined the assault.
"They just keep on coming," Jake said breathlessly.
"Hang in there, Jake. Everyone, take an energy supplement!" Bubblegum handed her friends all of the essential substance.
"Thanks, Prubs."
"No problem, now get ready!"
Moments later, Ooo's forces clashed against the next wave of enemy reinforcements. With Flame Princess and the rest of her friends restored from a fresh supply of energy, they were able to survive the next attack with ease. But just when it seemed like the enemy would give out, Ooo's artillery units were being destroyed from a chain reaction of explosions.
Surprised at this, Bubblegum radioed her men, "Guys report, what's going on?"
One of the crew members replied, "We've got enemy calvary approaching from the west. We're trying to stop them, but nothing's working! Ahh-"
The rest of the transmission went static.
The pink monarch bowed her head momentarily then radioed the remaining artillery units, "All fire support teams pull back. I repeat pull back."
"What's going on? I thought we were winning," Marceline asked.
"Emphasis on 'were'. It seems like Flame King wants to cripple us until we have no more resources left to fight," Bubblegum replied.
"That's not going to happen," Flame Princess said with a determined expression. "Ok, our first priority is to protect the catapults. If we lose too many of them, we won't have enough support to breach the walls in time and we will be forced to withdraw back into the Grasslands."
Ramirez and his squad members of the Crimson Gauntlet rode on a pack of fire wolves as they destroyed each catapult efficiently in succession. During the last assault, they charged alongside their comrades and used them as cover. Once they reached the enemy's blind spot, they used their alchemy to enhance their lances and skidded them across each catapult structure. The end result would be a spontaneous combustion and not a single squad member was either injured or killed from the whole event. It wasn't surprising for Ramirez or his men since they've done this before, not to mention that they rode on the fastest wolves in the kingdom.
As they approached the last catapult for the day, Ramirez motioned his men to stand back and cover him. Once he reached the last artillery structure, he skidded his lance across the surface in one swift motion. He turned his back moments later and raised his weapon victoriously as the trebuchet exploded behind him.
"Well, done Ramirez. The enemy is withdrawing. Soon, Ooo's forces will have nothing left to defend themselves and this world will be ours for the taking. Now, take your team and report back to the palace," Flame King said through the communicator.
The leader nodded and motioned his squad to follow.
The battle came to a close as the liberators retreated. Once everyone safely returned to base, Flame Princess and her friends went straight towards the command post tent.
"Flame Princess, I bring you good news and bad news," a general said.
"What's the bad news," she said wearily.
"We have lost a substantial portion of our artillery. As a result, we won't be able to breach that wall for at least 8 months. Casualty reports are roughly estimated around 200,000."
She drooped her head in depression, "What about the good news?"
"We'll be receiving additional reinforcements from the Candy Kingdom, including artillery units within 2 weeks. That means we can still retake the city in 4 months."
FP sighed, "Well, that's good I suppose. Anything else?"
The general nodded, "Yes, my liege. The prisoner we've detained has stabilized and regained consciousness. We have tried to interrogate him without using torture by your command, but he has made it clear that he will only talk if he speaks with you."
She immediately lifted her head with renewed energy, "Thank you, general. I will be on my way. Keep me posted if anything happens later."
The general bowed.
Quickly, the fire monarch approached the interrogation tent. There were 4 guards stationed at the front entrance and another 4 stationed inside each corner. The guards outside immediately stepped aside once they saw their ruler.
Flame Princess walked inside and sat on the chair opposite to the prisoner. She noticed that he was bent over in front of the table, taking a nap. Once she took her seat, the prisoner jolted awake, looking around frantically.
"Take it easy," FP said. "You have my word that you won't be harmed. The guards have told me you would only talk if you saw me. If you tell us what we need, I'll be sure to not press charges for your rebellious act."
The prisoner's breathing slowed and he took a few breaths. Then he looked back at the fire elemental and said, "I feel like I can barely breathe with this helmet on. If you can help me remove it first, I'll be able to explain everything."
Suddenly, the guards inside became tense and stood beside their ruler, "My liege, he could be trying to escape or be plotting an assassination attempt!"
FP eased her men with a calm gesture, "Very well, if it makes you feel better, then I order you to remove his helmet."
"Yes, my liege."
She sternly looked back at the prisoner, "Be warned though, I do not tolerate liars in my presence. Even without the complete honesty rule, I expect you to be truthful at this exact moment, understand?"
He gave a firm nod.
One of the guards approached the prisoner and struggled to remove the helmet, "This thing's been jammed a little, hold on." A few seconds later, the obstructed hat was finally pried loose. As it was pulled away completely, Flame Princess got a good look at the man's face. She noticed he had short blond hair with peachy colored skin. He was clearly not a fire elemental and from that instant, FP's heart stopped and her eyes widened, "It can't be..."