The heart and life of a battle is the center of the combat line. A dark, throbbing, and terrifying place. A place where death prowls between enemy shields, waiting for sharp blades to carve out an advantage. Welcome to 262 B.C. A single Legion is rushed into combat to stop a fortified army. The clash between Empire and Republic thrusts thousands of Legionaries into a nasty epicenter of conflict. In the slaughter yard of a failing shield wall, Alerio Sisera and his infantrymen are cut-off and outnumbered. They will need sacrifice, discipline, and deceptive valor to survive the final assault.