The dark red of the sky was dispersed by the sun-like brilliance, and the dark clouds returned to pure white. In this white cloud layer that was rare in hell, the angelic host plucked the golden harp and played a magnificent melody. In the melody, it seemed that temples rose from the ground, and the gods in the center of the temples lowered their heads slightly, looking down on all living beings.

Countless angels flew down from the clouds and met the skeleton army that was also like a sea.

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The angels holding longbows shot arrows at the skeleton army on the ground from mid-air. And flocks of bone birds circled and flew up from the army of death, facing the angels’ sharp arrows without fear. In the army of death, groups of black priests covered from head to toe in black robes raised their staffs high, their chants gathered together, and chains of iron chains ran across the sky with black mist. The angels who did not dodge in time were imprisoned by iron chains, and the bone birds then tore them apart with their sharp claws.

Angels were constantly killed under the claws of bone birds, and clusters of white light were constantly blasting away at the army of skeletons on the ground, the skeletons and undead reduced to ashes in the holy light.

In the eyes of the blacksmiths in the iron smelting department of Legrand’s First Military Industry Department, the skeleton lizards, who were more “cute and well-behaved” than apprentices, no longer have the gentle appearance they had when breathing fire in front of the furnace.

Skeleton lizards hid in the lake of sulfurous fire everywhere in hell. When the angels who landed on the ground with swords passed by the lakes of fire, they would burst out of the lake with a fountain-like rain of sulfurous fire, spewing out big balls of raging fire, their long bone tail also sweeping out with deadly force. Compared this ferocious appearance to that when in front of the furnace, it was like a domestic hound turned into a giant wolf in the wilderness.

The angels swung their sword and split the skeleton knights from the skull to the mount. The holy flame carried by the sword was attached to the skeletons, and the bones were set on fire and burned. The army of hell shrouded in black mist and the army of angels covered in white light collided like two completely different worlds, light and dark.

Mela was also standing on the top of the tower of the castle. He maintained a state of half-human, half-crow ready for battle, looking up at the angels in armor in the clouds in the sky, who had neither happy nor sad countenance on their faces.

Right now, only ordinary holy spirit angels were participating in the battle. The higher-level Angelic Host was still standing above the clouds and had not yet entered the war. At the forefront of the clouds, the seraphs looked down at their old opponents who had not been seen for thousands of years, and centered on Blackstone Castle. The bloodkin who had been promoted some time ago also only held daggers made of moonlight and stood still. The bone wings of the flying buttresses of the Blackstone Royal City flapped, playing a deep and cold melody.

From a long distance away, Mela’s eyes collided with an angel holding a holy spear in front of the cloud.

He grinned slightly, revealing a bloody smile.

That was his mortal enemy. For a thousand years, he could only take the form of a little crow, and he couldn’t even set foot in hell before the King woke up. It was all thanks to him.

But now was not the time to fight his mortal enemy. The most powerful soldiers and generals of both sides have not yet entered the battlefield. Hell had been dead for a thousand years, gods had buried their bones, and angels had been dusted in the dilapidated Kingdom of God for thousands of years. The two sides were still testing each other’s current strength. This was a protracted war.

It would end with the death of the last angel, or the ashes of the last skeleton knight.

The hymn echoed layer by layer between the sky and the earth, and Mela saw the Devil suddenly pull out his sword.

“What are you going to do?”

Mela flapped his wings and flew near the Devil.

“Go and kill a guy.” The Devil said lightly.

“It’s not yet time, and you want to rush to the sky to fight a whole legion of Seraphim?” Mela asked, “His Majesty is not here right now.”

The Devil didn’t answer him. Endless black butterflies surged out and coiled upwards, and he flew high into the sky.

Mela spread his wings and landed on a tower. On the other half of the dark red sky, countless dark clouds churned and gathered, blending with the black butterflies.

“That lunatic.”

Mela cursed in a low voice.

Although the angelic host standing in the clouds had not yet joined the battlefield, this did not mean that they turned a blind eye to the enemies who actively flew up and approached. Dozens of angels at the front took off their bows from their backs together, one after another golden long arrows hit the bowstring, all aiming at the Devil who was approaching rapidly with the butterflies.

After those arrows left the string, they left long-lasting golden traces in the sky.

The arrow of judgment.

The space in front was filled with gold, and arrows of judgment were shot at the Devil’s body, forming an inescapable cage.

The Devil did not hide or retreat, and was still advancing.

The space in front of the Devil suddenly distorted, and the arrows seemed to fall into a weird vortex, and when they reappeared, they had already been teleported to a distant place. Seeing this scene, Mela heaved a sigh of relief. He knew that the King had given the bone scepter to the Devil before, but he did not expect that after the King’s banquet, His Majesty would still choose to put the scepter in the hands of the Devil and let him be in charge of hell and command its troops.

Vaguely, Mela recalled the familiar scene from a long time ago.

At that time, the silver-haired monarch sat on the throne, and the knight could always charge forward without any scruples. For his sovereign was watching him from behind.

The monarch bestowed glory, power, and life on the knight.

“A lunatic.”

Mela said.

A lunatic trusted by the monarch.

A lunatic who was entrusted with authority by the monarch, and entrusted to the whole of hell.

Just vaguely, he felt a little envious of the lunatic rushing up to the clouds to kill the enemy.

Trust, for the creatures in hell, was a word that was both feared and yearned for. 

It was something that all dark creatures could not obtain. Their nature destined them to have no connection to the goodwill of the world. They didn’t have these things, but it didn’t mean they really didn’t desire these things… Otherwise, those skeleton knights wouldn’t be hanging out with humans in the military industry department, or the skeleton lizards wouldn’t flick their tails and follow the orders of the mortal blacksmiths.

Just like, a long time ago, it was the great monarch who endowed them with goodwill for the first time.

In the chaotic hell, where one fights to the death and fights endlessly, there was no respect at all. The strong was the ruler and the weak died. It was the silver-haired monarch who ascended the throne of hell, bestowing upon all the dead creatures that the lords regarded as slaves the status of knights, granting them glory and equality, and granting them a dignity they never had in hell.

So after a thousand years, they were still willing to serve the King.

However, there was a difference between trust and trust.

Giving respect and trusting them to fight for themselves was different from giving life, authority, and all faith.

In the sky, the black butterflies whirled and danced, forming into a big dragon and flying through the air, colliding an angel directly at the front of the clouds. The angel raised his shield and blocked it. The moment the black butterflies approached the angel, it dispersed and surrounded him. The wings of the angel spread out, and the higher the rank of the angel, the greater the pride. This action of the Devil was equivalent to provoking him in front of all the angels and throwing down a gauntlet in a challenge for a duel.

Out of pride and arrogance, he flew away from the clouds.

The Devil had already slashed out with a sword.

After the angel flew out of the clouds alone, Mela lowered his head, stopped looking at the Devil, and continued to pay attention to the battle situation on the ground.

………………

When dawn was approaching, the sky and the earth became a hazy blue.

The three people climbed to a high ground, hid in the woods, and observed the distance with the special glasses provided by the witches. Among these three people, there was one wearing a dark red cloak, with silver hair blown by the night wind. He was obviously the King who should have been in the army.

“They are indeed here, Your Majesty.”

The knight on the King’s left whispered.

The reason why the King appeared here was because three days ago, the battle report of the “crows” had arrived at the main tent, and the spy under the Head of the Households reported that the vanguard army of the Holy Legion of the Holy Land had landed at Porto Port. Just like the prediction made by the King when he discussed with the generals before this, the goal of the Holy Army of the Holy Land was indeed the central part of Legrand.

The Port of Porto was the territory of the Mason family who conspired with Earl Pligney to rebel.

Unlike Earl Pligney, who was killed by Kriyan archers in the Battle of Putton County, the patriarch of the Mason family was very cautious. He did not join the rebel army and marched all the way, but stayed in Porto Port, and seemed to have made preparations for either outcome. If the rebels were victorious, he would claim to be stabilizing the rear, and if things went wrong, he would sail out to sea and flee.

But in the end, although the rebellion failed, the head of the Inquisition Bureau led his troops back to Herrid, and the huge numbers of the Holy Legion also gathered on the other side of the Abyss Strait. Patriarch Mason believed that it was still profitable to stand on the side of the Holy Court, so under the protection of Herrid City, he still stayed in Porto County.

This time, the Holy Army of the Holy Land abandoned Swan Harbor in Herrid City and chose Porto Harbor as their landing point.

The vanguard of the main force of this second Holy Legion was the Holy Court’s Eternal Knights, an elite force second only to the Knights Templar. After the Eternal Knights landed, they marched towards central Legrand. The city they attacked had previously encountered a dragon that destroyed the fortifications, and the repairs in a short period of time were obviously much worse than the original ones.

Therefore, the Eternal Knights successfully attacked cities and land all the way, making extremely fast progress.

As the vanguard of the Holy Army of the Holy Land, the Eternal Knights did not stay in the captured cities for too long like the Holy Legion of the Sea in the southeast of Legrand, but moved forward quickly after leaving follow-up troops to hold the captured cities.

And on the day the Eternal Knights landed, the King led an army, broke away from the bloated and slow main army troops, and marched lightly and at full speed just like in the last Northland campaign.

After the Eternal Knights captured the first castle, the King led his selected army to march overnight, and took a shortcut to the front of Yoringshire County in the night——a canyon that he had to pass through to go to Yoringshire County.

He was Moore, an old subordinate of the Duke of Buckingham. He was almost provoked back then to become a knife used to assassinate the King.

The King did not actually punish them for their assassination plan. After the Battle of Truu, Moore offered to resign from the army, and was thrown into the Iron Rose Cavalry by the King to assist General Sheehan in training soldiers. Later, he made a lot of military exploits in the Northland rebellion. General Sheehan didn’t know what happened before, so he asked the King for a reward for him.

And the King, as if he had forgotten what happened before, bestowed him with a title and transferred him to lead an army alone.

This time, when the King led the vanguard to rush forward, most of the soldiers selected were Moore’s subordinates. This was the first time Moore had seen the King up close since the Battle of Truu City. Compared with the King in his impression, His Majesty seemed to have changed a lot. Back then, Moore was able to hold grievances and speak radically in front of the King, but now he dared not.

The majesty of a true monarch had enveloped the King.

It would be great if the Duke could see His Majesty now.

Moore thought.

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The King didn’t know what his subordinates were thinking. He saw the army appearing on the horizon, and after confirming that the number was about the same as his estumation, he put down his witch glasses.

“Get ready for battle.”

He ordered.

The soldiers led by the King laid in ambush on both sides of the valley. What was peculiar however, was that what they held was not a sword, nor a longbow, nor any traditional weapon.

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The sky was dark.

Eleanor led the Alchemist Knights over the last hill under the cover of the night. They stood on the hillside, looking at the city of Herrid in the distance.

The head of the Inquisition Bureau set up guard posts on the way to Herrid City and set up a garrison point. However, the Queen Mother Eleanor did not lead the Alchemist Knights through this route, but trudged through swamps, wilderness and forests in the dark night. After waking up these Alchemist Knights from Bomari Castle, she used this method to take them unobtrusively across half of Legrand, and then appeared on the battlefield outside Putton City at the very deciding moment.

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Now, she led this army to Herrid City.

After experiencing the burning of the city by the black dragon, nine out of ten of the adult men in Herrid City died in battle. The entire city was dark under the night, as silent as death. Only the direction of Swan Harbor was faintly illuminated by the lighthouse.

“Teacher.”

Among the group of people who arrived in Herrid City, only Eleanor and the Kriyan astrologer were considered alive. The astrologer also looked at the castle on the distant coast, thinking.

“The pier of the Throne of God that could summon a complete ‘Holy Ark can’t be constructed in such a short period of time. However, if a special method is used, a lower-level ‘Throne of God’ could be built. The power of the heavenly ship cannot be compared with the complete ‘Holy Ark’, but it is also…”

He paused for a moment. The Holy Ark was too far away from the current era. It was difficult to accurately judge what it looked like and what kind of destructive power it had.

However, in some fragments left over from the legendary era, it was described as “the warship carrying the sun and the moon, with the host of angels standing on it, when the holy ark moves across the sky, the earth will usher in the judgment of fire and arrows”. No need to think about it, once the Holy Ark really descended on Legrand, it would be a devastating force.

Even enough to influence the war.

“If we can destroy the first ‘Throne of God’, we can destroy the second one.”

The Queen Mother Eleanor said coldly. She squinted her eyes slightly and stared coldly at the lighthouse in Swan Harbor.

“The Blessed Ones should be mainly concentrated here, Your Majesty.” The astrologer said, “Besides, I worry about one thing… Now that the Millennium Kingdom has begun, the Code is almost completely gone. During the Holy Court’s ‘holy miracle’ before the establishment of the Holy Empire, the figures of the Host of Angels appeared above the clouds, although at that time they were only phantoms summoned by the Blessed Ones. But with the disappearance of the Code, the Angelic Host may break free from the half-dusted kingdom of the gods at any time.”

“With our Alchemist Knights alone, it may be difficult to resist the huge number of angels.”

The astrologer’s worries were not unreasonable. Through the medium of the Blessed One, a single angel descending from the world could easily change the situation of the battle by appearing on the battlefield. Then, as the holy book said, “a host of tens of thousands of angels” descending on the world… He was afraid that Legrand would be reduced to ashes in an instant.

“No, they have to win another war before setting foot in the world.”

Eleanor said.

“Win another war first?”

The astrologer reacted quickly, and he suddenly thought of another legend related to the Rose family.

The Rose family.

A mortal family once allied with hell.

………………

The Devil sat on the top of the tower of the Blackstone Royal City, pouring cups of “Night Rose” for himself. From this angle, he could see the Dragon Wing Battleship resting on the Royal City Wharf, and he could also see Legrand’s first military industrial base. There was no one on the Dragon Wing Battleship, nor was there anyone in the military industrial base.

The army of the dead numbering in the millions was neatly lined on the scorched ground. The magma was boiling, and all the corpses hanging from the Thousand Knives Peak climbed down, holding sickles in their hands.

The whole of hell was filled with a murderous aura, as if war was about to start.

It was indeed going to war.

The opponents were still the familiar old enemies of hell, those guys with white wings.

With the end of the Millennium Kingdom and the recovery of hell from its dead state, the imprisoned Angelic Host would naturally be able to leave the broken kingdom of the gods.

The Devil once told the King that in the age of legends, there was no “Kingdom of God” as mentioned in the holy book, only the “Kingdom of Gods”. The so-called “Kingdom of the Gods” was the mirror image of this world and the idea of “Hell”. Hell symbolized darkness, and the Kingdom of the Gods symbolized light. The two were diametrically opposed but mirror images of each other.

They were born to be sworn enemies.

In the last millennium, the boundaries between the kingdom of the gods, hell and the world were not so clear. The gods have a large number of agents in the human world, and the demons also have a large number of familiars in the human world. The two sides spared no effort to strive for influence and dominance over the human world. Whether it was the gods or the demons, they all regard human beings as ants and slaves who would submit to them. They were fighting each other, vying for the only and supreme throne.

The war between hell and the gods started from the day the two parties were born, and continued throughout the entire age of the gods. For a long period of time, human beings have never been able to enter the arena of war, and only the gods and demons dominate the smoke of gunpowder. The hatred between them surpassed any hatred in the world.

Because they were destined not to coexist and blend.

If the world hadn’t played a huge joke on the gods and demons, then history should have been written and dominated by them.

No one expected that the most powerful authority being contested would be born in the humblest race. No one expected that a devil who was deprived of his name and banished to the end of the world would sign a contract with a king who had nothing.

That contract changed everything.

History reached an unusual turning point at the moment when the contract was signed and the dragon slayer made an alliance with hell.

In the thousand-year war, the ending was tragic. Hell was dead, the kingdom of the gods was covered with dust, the alchemists were destroyed, the king fell… But if one had to name the ones who had gained the most, it was the human rebels. They successfully ended the era when the gods ruled the earth. Since then, although the shadow of the Holy Court and darkness still hung over human beings, it was much better than the situation of being like ants in the legendary era.

——Human beings who were regarded as ants had become the key point of this global war situation.

Before the Devil returned to hell, he had a conversation with the King about this war.

The two stood side by side on the high tower, watching the torrential rain at the end of midsummer. In that heavy rain, the streets of the city flowed like rivers, and everything beyond the towers was blurred.

The world suddenly became small.

They seemed to be in another space that was not connected to the sky or the ground. It was as if, no matter what they said, only each other would know.

“The Pope will not let hell’s army of death directly set foot on Legrand’s battlefield. The host of angels is an overwhelming force for Legrand, but the army of death is also overwhelming for the Holy Legion other than the core forces of the Holy Court. Once the Angelic Host is able to leave the kingdom of the gods, their first goal will be hell.”

“Hell has just been revived, and the Angelic Host has just left the kingdom of the gods. You two are evenly matched, and the war on this side will be protracted.” The King stood on the high tower, overlooking the city of Metzl in the heavy rain, “The final fate will be determined in the war on Legrand.”

“A thousand years ago, the participation of mortals influenced the direction of the war. This time, as long as Legrand can resist, the outcome of this war will still be determined by the battlefield of mortals.”

The King’s voice was neither high nor low, and his tone was steady, as if he was talking about an ordinary matter.

“Before you die, no Angelic Host will come to the world, and no Angelic Host will set foot on the land of Legrand.”

The Devil replied.

He was a devil, he had no sympathy for mortals, let alone doing his best for the fate of mortals. 

If you die, then I have no obligation to provide any more help to Legrand.

So, please be sure to win.

All the unspoken words were sealed in the kiss under the moon that night.

Before the Devil left, the Devil heard the King behind him casually say:

“Another thing, I don’t have a second bone scepter.”

This time, he had no way to use the scepter to save him.

Hearing the King’s words, the Devil looked back at him.

It was raining heavily, and on the high tower, it seemed to be isolated from the world, only the two of them were left. The King didn’t look at him, but looked sideways at the heavy rain curtain. The rain slid down the window lattice, and the rain seemed to start from the beginning of the world, and then fall to the end of the world.

The same goes for you, don’t break the contract again.

The Devil thought.

He slowly drank the last sip of wine.

………………

A group of crows hovered, the smell of sulfur in the air became more and more pungent, and the magma on the ground flowed. Looking down from a high altitude, it looked like a continuously unfolding spider web. In the dark red sky, a crack appeared, and the white light that disgusted the creatures of hell spread down.

Like a round of sun tearing through the thick black mist and descending into hell.

But hell didn’t need sunlight at all. This was a place where darkness and evil breed. All sunlight falling here would either burn the darkness or be swallowed by it.

Majestic and holy hymns echoed between the heavens and the earth. Tens of thousands of angelic hosts tore apart the sky of hell and descended with spears in their hands and armor on their bodies. In contrast, the strong wind of hell blew more and more fiercely, passing through the Thousand Knives Peak, the sound of the wind was shrill and desolate, and in the sound of the wind, hundreds of millions of departed souls were crying and screeching.

The top of the Blackstone Royal City Tower.

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The Devil threw away the cup in his hand. He stood up, and the wind above the castle rolled the tail of his black suit jacket, making a sound of flapping banners. There was no smile on his pale face.

The magma was flowing, and there was no mortal in hell at this time.

The war that failed to come to an end a thousand years ago finally started again.

The kingdom of the gods, hell.

Angels, demons.

In this war, only one side could survive!

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As if with the help of God, the first batch of Holy Legion gathered from all the countries on the east coast of the Abyss Strait passed through the storm smoothly and arrived at Koszoya.

“Why did you choose Koszoya as the first target?”

Sisian, who had the best personal relationship with Pope Theolde, asked.

They were on a white warship protected by many ships, sailing on the surface of the Abyss Strait. The Pope decided to personally serve as the commander of the Holy Legion movement, but he himself did not appear in the army vanguard heading for Koszoya.

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The Holy Legion that was convened this time was divided into three branches. The first was mainly composed of people from the Alliance of the Hopeless Inland Sea and the Abyss Strait countries. This Holy Legion was the nearest to Legrand, and it was also the earliest to be prepared, known as the “Holy Legion of the Sea”. The main force of the second Holy Legion branch was the Holy Empire. This Holy Legion included the most elite troops of the Holy Court. The Knights Templar and the Eternal Knights were in it. Because of the large number of people and more preparations, it was the second batch to sail towards Legrand. This was the army under the highest control of the Pope, known as the “Holy Legion of the Holy Land”. The last Holy Legion was composed of the “Holy Legion of the North” and the “Holy Frontier Army” of the Lowland Alliance.

The last Holy Legion would not officially join the battlefield until mid-July.

The three holy armies formed an unprecedentedly large army, totaling more than 200,000.

The Pope unhurriedly planted small white flags on the sand table, with the flag symbolizing the Holy Sea Corps directly under the Holy See at the front, with a golden cross on it: “The Golden Land of Legrand, Koszoya. If we did not encourage the Five Ports Alliance to monopolize Legrand’s southeast business, who do you think would win in the business competition from the Abyss Strait to the Hopeless Inland Sea, the Lowland Alliance or the Legrand southeast chambers of commerce?”

Sisian was not familiar with shipping and commerce. He frowned and thought for a while: “I heard that the ship technology of the Lowland Alliance is better than that of Legrand. Even without our help, it should be the Lowland Alliance.”

“Wrong, it’s Legrand.” The Pope said, “You only see the ships of the Lowland Alliance, but you don’t see their internal disputes. They consist of dozens of small city-states and small countries, and they are a group of lambs gathered together. When a flock of sheep gathers, they can protect themselves, but they cannot compete for supremacy in the world. But Legrand is different.”

The Pope closed his eyes slightly, as if recalling something.

“In the eleventh century, Legrand’s William I began to relax export restrictions and formulated the first tariff support regulations. Although this regulation was opposed by the nobles in the later period. So William I turned to help the establishment of the Five Port Alliance. The original purpose of the Five Port Alliance was to help the newly emerging commercial cities in the southeast of Legrand to resist the oppression of the monastery and the old aristocracy.” The Pope opened his eyes, “Commerce is an industry that was opposed by the church teachings, and it is also a social class that naturally stands on the opposite side of us. From that time, Legrand saw where they could borrow swords against us.”

“When the Five Port Alliance developed most powerfully under the influence of the royal family, it repelled Bressi’s expeditionary force many times. If the Five Port Alliance continued to develop in accordance with the original wishes of the Legrand royal family, it would form an unprecedented Southeast Chamber of Commerce Alliance that would weave a net touching every port in the world with Koszoya Port as the heart, and gold would flow into Legrand through this net.”

“That’s why we secretly helped the head family of the Five Port Alliance for so many years.”

Sisian suddenly realized, but at the same time, he was faintly startled.

He did not expect that Theolde had such a deep understanding of these matters, or that the Holy Court would attach so much importance to Legrand. Being able to discover this kind of development trajectory in advance meant that the Holy Court had been paying close attention to Legrand’s every move. Vaguely, Sisian seemed to understand what other sanctuaries among the Twelve Sanctuaries of the Holy Court have been doing over the years.

“Anything can become a double-edged sword, and so is the Five Port Alliance. It can expand outwards and become a net covering both sides of the Abyss Strait, or it can turn itself into a net that imprisons Legrand itself. The Pope said, “They are not stupid, and they have been trying to change its direction over the years. In fact, war has always existed, invisible and tangible. For so many years, Legrand and us have been repeatedly pulling strings under the surface. And the establishment of the Free Chamber of Commerce meant they won in the end.”

“But it doesn’t matter. Now that Koszoya is still destroyed, we are the ones who will win in the end.”

Sisian said with respect from the bottom of his heart.

“Under our efforts of suppression, the fact that Legrand’s southeast business could still develop to this point, means we have already lost. There is nothing to be happy about, it is a humiliation.” The Pope shook his head, “Besides, there is another reason… Even if I come here in person, do you think that all the Holy Legion of the Sea will really obey my orders 100%?”

“…They…” Sisian hesitated for a moment, knowing that Theolde obviously didn’t need his compliments, so he chose to tell the truth, “I don’t think so. The guys from the Abyss Strait Alliance and the Hopeless Inner Sea Alliance are a group of profiteers. The only thing that could drive them is profit.”

“Correct, we can’t control them.”

The Pope said.

He stretched out his hand and pulled up all the small flags planted in Koszoya Port except the golden cross flag, and held them in his hand.

“Then don’t control them.” The Pope raised his hand, and the flags scattered in the southeast abdomen of Legrand, “Indulge them and stir up their ferocity. These are a group of greedy wolves. We don’t need to tame the wolves. We just need to give them a target to tear Legrand’s southeast trade route to pieces before they turn their jaws and their fangs on us.”

Sisian was slightly taken aback.

“We are here to destroy this country, not to conquer it.”

The Pope raised his head and glanced at Sisian. There was a certain kind of extreme chill hidden in his eyes.

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

Sisian was solemn, this time he naturally called Theolde “Your Majesty”.

“If you want to destroy this country, why not let the angels descend directly on Legrand?”

“Do you think that the appearance of the Dragon Wing Battleship at the Throne of God Wharf was just a coincidence?” The Pope asked back, “The Angelic Host has their own enemies. In this war, the outcome of this war is neither dependent on the kingdom of God nor hell.” 

The Pope looked down at the entire sand tray.

He planted the second flag with a golden cross near Herrid City.

“It is dependent on the Holy Empire and the Legrand Empire.”

“It’s in our hands.”

………………

If there were people who couldn’t understand the significance of the King’s summoning “adult men over the age of sixteen and under the age of sixty across the country to fight for Legrand”, now they understood. Whether it was nobles or commoners, they all understood. The fall of Koszoya and the massacre of Koszoya and its nearby towns have already explained everything.

There was only one meaning of picking up a sword——

Guard Legrand.

The neighing of war horses continued all through the night, and the tents camped in the valley were neat and orderly, and the rose royal banners, which symbolized the Legrand royal family, fluttered in the slightly cold night wind. After a day and a night of galloping, the army led by the King himself finally settled down to rest.

Most of the soldiers had already fallen asleep with their swords on their pillows, but the lights in the King’s tent were still brightly lit.

The King, General Johan, and several other noble officers stood around the map laid out on the table. The candlelight shone on everyone’s faces, and they all looked equally solemn.

There were more than 200,000 enemy troops. This was a huge and terrifying army.

Any country facing such an army, other than surrendering, would only end in destruction. The heavy pressure was on everyone’s shoulders, making them almost unable to breathe. Even the Legrandians would not have optimistic hopes for this war. And as for the rest of the countries, they had regarded Legrand as future ruins very early on.

However, no one in Legrand was willing to let the tragedy of Koszoya happen to the entire land of Legrand.

Now, all the pressure was on these people who led the army, as they were bearing the fate of this country on their shoulders.

The Alchemist Knights marched the fastest, led by Queen Eleanor herself, and had already headed off to Herrid City. During the rebellion some time ago, the head of the Inquisition Bureau was stationed in Herrid City for a long time and did not retreat. The “crows” spy network under the Head of the Households worked hard to infiltrate and sent back some extremely important news.

The Holy See carried out a large-scale renovation of Swan Harbor in Herrid City.

It was very likely that they wanted to use other methods to prepare for the “Holy Ark”.

Charles wrote a letter to the King during his recuperation, and described in detail how he felt when the Holy Ark appeared at that time. Even if the temporarily built Throne of God could not summon the complete Holy Ark, it was enough to have a subversive impact on the entire mortal battle situation.

Therefore, the Queen Mother Eleanor led the Alchemist Knights to go first, and once relevant fluctuations occurred, the attack would be launched immediately.

In addition, the first batch of troops of the Holy Legion arrived in the southeast of Legrand, but this was only the first batch of troops from the Abyss Strait and Hopeless Inland Sea countries as the vanguard.

Among all the Holy Legion, the Holy Legion of the Holy Land was the one that threatened Legrand the most.

“The goal of the Holy Legion of the Holy Land is in central Legrand.”

The King surveyed the entire battle situation, his voice was steady and powerful.

The fall of Koszoya and the plundering carried out by the Holy Legion of the Sea made many people panic. At this time, the majesty and calmness displayed by the King made everyone calm down. Along the way, thanks to the King always riding in front of the army, the soldiers could always see the presence of the royal flag with them, so the cohesion of the army had not decreased but increased.

“Who will command this army?”

General Johan frowned and looked at the map.

“The Pope, Theolde.”

The King said.

Everyone in the main tent showed expressions of disbelief, but the King didn’t intend to explain. He marked several castles on the map.

“With our strength level, we must avoid large-scale frontal conflicts with the Holy Legion at the beginning of the war as much as possible. These castles must be firmly defended and must not be occupied by the enemy.” The King made the most important decision soberly, “The 200,000 troops will all arrive in Legrand within a month. We cannot and will not face the opponent head-on.”

“From Lacey Port in the northeast to the Kriya Mountains in the south, we must build an impenetrable line of defense, and under the impact of 200,000 troops, maintain this line of defense for at least four months until the end of summer, autumn passes, and winter arrives.”

“At least four months.”

The King looked up and at everyone.

“Even if you must fill it with bones and pile it high with skulls, you must support this line of defense for me.”

………………

Gulundi Grassland.

As the wind blew across the land, a chilling cavalry set off in the direction of Holy Spirit Bay, holding high the golden battle flag. The horses galloped past, and both horse and man had a fierce appearance.

At the front of the line, the emperor of the barbarian empire and the former leader of the Gulf do heavy cavalry, Hermóðr’, stared at the horizon with gray eyes like a goshawk.

His son Hamond caught up with him: “Father, Legrand has been cut off from us.”

He showed a little worry.

“Holy Legion, the Holy Court is approaching menacingly. Do you think Legrand could resist it? Compared with Theolde, Pureland is too young. Could he resist it?”

Could he?

Hermóðr’ squinted his eyes and turned to look to the other side of the Abyss Strait.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

In front of his eyes floated the image of the young king who was facing him far away across half of the battlefield. His silver hair was stained with blood, and his ice-blue eyes held a familiar cold light.

“They don’t need us to worry for them, our battlefield is coming soon!”

Hermóðr’ said.

“Ride!”

That was the monarch who was single-handedly trained by the imperial lion.

That was a free country where dragons were buried.

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The sound of the horns echoed over Koszoya Harbor, all the horns sounded at the same time. The peace and tranquility were shattered by the harsh and sharp sound of the horns, and an ominous omen hung over the city. Blacksmiths, sailors, carpenters, men, women, elderly and children…all of them were unsettled by the sound of the horns.

“What is it?”

The woman who managed to put away the clothes to dry before the rainstorm asked her husband in panic.

“Something happened.”

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

The husband, who was a member of the City Self-Defense Force, suddenly got up. He grabbed the sword hanging on the wall and was about to walk out the door.

“Russ!”

The woman shouted.

“Close the door! Hide!”

The rumbling noise was like the thunder before the rainstorm, covering the sky and covering the earth. Among these loud noises, there was the sound of a roof being smashed by a huge boulder somewhere. The window was flickering, and arrows with long tails of fire roared past.

“Mom! Mom, I’m scared!”

The little boy with an apple face grabbed his mother’s clothes with a crying voice.

“Anthony, don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.”

The little girl who was a few years older than her brother already understood the meaning of the horns sounding. Her eyes were red, and she hugged her younger brother tightly, pressing his head into her chest, preventing him from seeing the raining fire outside the window.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid…”

A fire cannon thrown into the city by a trebuchet crashed down. Amidst the screams of her mother, the girl raised her head, the roof was broken, and the burning stone had fallen among dust and debris.

“Sally!!”

“Resist! Resist! No one is f**king allowed to retreat!”

Patriarch Dawson was running around on the city wall, hissing and shouting.

He watched in horror at the countless fleets that appeared on the sea, so densely packed that it was impossible to count how many there were. The white cross flag was hoisted on the front warship which was visible for all to see. He was one of the former leaders of the Five Port Alliance, and now the leader of the Free Chamber of Commerce. He knew the ships as well as a woman knew her own face.

The tonnage of each of the warships at the forefront was more than 600 tons, and the three main ships at the forefront were likely to reach 1,000 tons.

That was the legendary Holy Court warship.

Except for a behemoth like the Holy Court, which had a millenium of savings, no country had the ability to build such a big warship!

A warship with three masts and multiple sails broke through the waves on the sea, full of heavily armed soldiers.

“What the hell is that?”

Patriarch Dawson couldn’t help cursing after seeing the device on the warship clearly.

On the Holy Court warships at the front, there were huge machine crossbows, and those mechanisms were shining coldly in the sun. A dozen soldiers turned it, and a fiery arrow that was almost equivalent to city-breaking siege machine roared out, with a range far beyond human imagination. The solid city walls collapsed one by one under such huge iron spears, me alone the ordinary merchant ships whose tonnage was much smaller than the Holy Court warships!

“We can’t hold on!”

Madam Venomous Spider’s face was scratched by a fire arrow, and she found Patriarch Dawson who was directing the soldiers to fight back.

“We can’t hold on!! We… let’s surrender!”

Outside the pier, the Walway pirates in the harbor rushed over with their warships, and large-tonnage merchant ships rushed out after them. The difference in the numbers of the two sides was almost by a hundred times. The flames continued, one after another, and the warships burned. The agility of the Walway pirates lost its meaning at this time.

The entire surface of the sea was densely packed with enemy warships, as if ships from the entire world except Legrand had gathered here.

This was an overwhelming comparison in terms of numbers.

The first three Holy Court warships with a tonnage of over a thousand were like tiger sharks rushing into a school of fish. Wherever they passed, all Koszoya’s merchant ships were easily overturned by them. The sea water swallowed these merchant ships little by little, and the Legrand sailors on the ship struggled and shouted on the sea, some waved flags, and surrendered in tears for help.

What greeted them was a rain of arrows.

The Walway pirates jumped up from the sea, climbed onto the enemy’s warship, and roared their fight with the hundreds of thousands of enemies. On the deck, the heavily armed knights raised their bows and arrows.

Corpses were thrown from the ships one after another. The ships burned, and the sea turned red. It was hard to tell whether it was fire or blood.

“Surrender! If we don’t surrender, the entire Koszoya will die!”

Madam Venomous Spider yelled at Dawson and the mayor.

According to the war practice of this era, if the side defending the city surrendered without resistance, the victor would not be allowed to plunder. If the side defending the city desperately resisted, the victor would plunder and even… massacre the city after the city was broken!

A fireball flew over their heads and hit the tower on the city wall.

Patriarch Dawson pulled Madam Venomous Spider over, raised his shield with one hand, and blocked the stones that fell from overhead.

“Surrender?! Damn it, these bastards have no intention of letting us surrender!”

He dragged Madam Venomous Spider to a safer place, shouted at the top of his voice, and pointed to the warship in the harbor.

“They’re here to plunder! They don’t accept surrender at all!”

The mayor’s face was pale.

After realizing that it was absolutely impossible to resist the attack of such a huge army, he hoisted a white flag on the tower. 

Only for a huge boulder to knock it down the tower.

They didn’t accept surrender at all!

………………

“Koszoya, the city of gold in Legrand.”

On the sea, behind many battleships, Earl Verduin on a command ship looked at the city of Koszoya in the flames, and saw the tower with the white flag falling down.

Verduin was the person in charge of the countries of the Abyss Strait Alliance that was responsible for transporting the Holy Legion by sea. He was well aware of why the alliance of small countries along the Abyss Strait was so enthusiastically participating in this Holy Legion Movement. Talk about “recovering the glory of the Lord” and “purging heresy” were nothing but high-sounding excuses.

The reason why the Abyss Strait Alliance was willing to contribute so much to the transportation of the Holy Legion was because Legrand merchants have always been strong competitors of the Abyss Strait Alliance in the trade around the Abyss Strait and Hopeless Inner Sea areas. When the Five Port Alliance was yet to be replaced by the Free Chamber of Commerce, the Five Port Alliance relied on the secret support of the Holy Court and almost pushed the Abyss Strait Alliance out of the trade in the area.

For such a purpose, Verduin was of course not willing to accept Koszoya’s surrender.

However, he was still slightly taken aback when he saw that Koszoya’s lowered flag was shot down.

He was not qualified to make this order.

After thinking about it, Verduin quickly understood why——none of the troops who arrived here wanted to accept Koszoya’s surrender.

Fanatics would come here because of the instigation of the Holy Court and the so-called will of the Holy Lord, but more people came here for profit. The Abyss Strait Alliance was eager to fight against its competitors, and other countries also wanted to tear a piece of flesh and blood from the Legrand Empire. Landless knights and poor peasants and serfs sought to enrich themselves through plunder.

No one would accept Koszoya’s surrender.

The three main battleships of the Holy Court sailed into the harbor, followed by more ships. The city gate was smashed open, and the soldiers scrambled to get off the ships, flooding into the city of Koszoya, which had been opened by the flames of war.

“Charge! Kill!”

It was a carnival for murderers and villains.

………………

“Sally!”

The boy Anthony curled up in the cabinet of the room, his eyes tightly closed.

The mother hid the boy in the cabinet, and stared at the floor of the room through the crack of the cabinet door. The blood flowed little by little, staining a pair of small gray shoes red. That was her Sally, her Sally subconsciously pushed her brother away the moment the fire cannon fell.

“Sally!”

The boy called his sister’s name in a sob, and his mother covered his mouth with her hand.

The wooden door was kicked open, and soldiers in armor and holding swords rushed in. Pots and pans were thrown on the ground and smashed, and all valuables were taken away and scraped clean.

A soldier stepped on the girl’s blood on the ground, walked towards the cabinet, and pulled it open.

Blood.

There was blood everywhere.

In order to protect his wife, a blacksmith pulled out a red iron bar from the stove and plunged it into the enemy’s lower abdomen. Another Holy Legion knight from the Abyss Strait Alliance stabbed him in the chest with a knife. A half-grown boy clumsily lifted a plank to protect his younger sister, and an old blind man hugged his granddaughter tightly…

The war horses trampled past, and the sky and the earth were colored in blood.

Crazy, crazy, this world was crazy.

The elegant and handsome Patriarch Dawson wore an ill-fitting armor and fought hard on the streets with a sword in both hands. He walked through the streets and called all the men of the city at the top of his voice:

“Guard Koszoya! Guard our brothers and sisters! Guard our wives, children, and parents!”

“Guard Legrand!”

People were fighting on the streets, and enemies poured into the city like sand and sea.

All the merchant ships on the pier had already been ignited, and the fire burned from the sea into the city wall. For thousands of years, Koszoya, a city where merchant ships used to come and go, and gold flowed in the merchant ship’s net, was burning in flames.

On a street full of corpses, a child stood in the center of the street holding a doll in her arms.

Dawson passed by covered in blood. He reined in his horse and yelled at the child, “Hide! Hide!”

The sound of a bowstring being pulled was heard.

The child looked up and saw the arrow protruding from the throat of the man in armor talking to her, and she began to howl. The man fell off the horse, and blood gushed from his throat. He looked at the child and said vaguely: “…Hide…hide…”

In the distance, there were still people shouting loudly:

“Guard Legrand!”

“Guarding Koszoya…”

“Here’s what they say: Let those who have recently been hired for meager wages, receive their eternal rewards. Let those who are worn out, work for their eternal rewards. What can I say? The misfortune on one side will turn into joy on the other, poverty on this side will turn into wealth on the other…

So tens of thousands of people armed themselves and flocked here, to Koszoya.

…and here I am now, with the dead covering up to my ankles.

What else can I say?

They don’t even spare women and children!”

The last Koszoya poet wrote his last words on the wall with blood and grief.

This world had gone crazy.

……………

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

In Koszoya Bay, on the command ship of the Holy Legion of the Sea.

The captain’s reception room was magnificently decorated, and the candles on the silver candlesticks were misty like clouds. Senior military officers and nobles who participated in the war sat down on both sides of the long table, and musicians played music amidst the sound of rumbling cannons.

The storm just passed, everything went well, it was a fine weather.

Everyone on both sides of the long table raised their glasses:

“To the Holy Lord, cheers!”

“For the glory, cheers!”

Cheers! ! !

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At the end of June 1433, the midsummer.

The weather had become very hot. The sun shone on the city of Metzl, and every tower seemed to be gilded with iron. On the streets, in such a hot weather, there were many cavalry in full armor, and the castle seemed to have suddenly changed from a graceful lady to a chilling Valkyrie.

In this tense atmosphere, the city was full of soldiers.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

The King stood on the tallest tower of the royal palace, overlooking the city at the heart of the empire from a height.

The “Wartime Emergency Act of Legrand” was passed half a month ago. The nobles finally had to give up their original ideas and give in to the King before the waves of anger from the civilians. The parliament had given the King the highest power in an unprecedented manner, and the whole country would be driven into war.

On the first day the bill was passed, the King issued the first order:

Within the Legrand Empire, all men over the age of 16 and under the age of 60 were to prepare their weapons and rush to the designated conscription point according to the arrangements of the county lords.

The whole country was at war.

“Aren’t you going to prepare for your wedding?” The King was looking in the direction of the Abyss Strait, and did not look back while speaking to General Johan behind him.

“I’ll go later, the time hasn’t come yet.”

General Johan replied.

After he led the Iron Rose Cavalry to Putton City, he hurriedly handed the Iron Rose Cavalry to the Queen Mother Eleanor, and immediately set off to return to the city of Metzl. His marriage was settled half a month ago, and the bride was the daughter of the King of Ingres State, a red-haired beauty.

This marriage meant that the alliance between the Legrand royal family and the western states had become closer. With the Holy Legion approaching, the King of the Ingres State still married his daughter to General Johan, which was equivalent to tying himself to Legrand’s warship.

In the words that King Ingres asked someone to send, he had already bet on Legrand twice, and this time he would still place his bet on Legrand.

Of course, for King Ingres, the best marriage candidate in his mind was King Legrand, Pureland. However, compared to the status of both parties, no matter whether it was Legrand’s nobles or commoners, they would not agree to let an Ingresian be the queen of Legrand.

Therefore, King Ingres set his sights on General Johan, who was also unmarried.

For Ingres State, this marriage was a big gamble. As for Legrand, the choice of Ingres State undoubtedly helped them reduce the pressure on their backs.

Through the efforts of generations of Legrand kings since Mad King Henry, the many small states formed by the split of the Legrand Empire have been continuously recovered and weakened. During the period of William III, there were only the last thirty-six states in Legrand, seven of which were in the north. Because they were the farthest from the Legrand royal family, these seven states rebelled most often and had the strongest military strength. However, after the rebellion in the Northern Lands was put down, the three most powerful of the seven northern kingdoms had been split up and completely merged into Legrand’s territory. The west was the place with the largest number of Legrand states, but except for Ingres state, most of the other countries were small in size, and their economy was highly dependent on the central and eastern Legrand. Other than the nominal status as a vassal state of the royal family still existing, they were not much different from any other county in Legrand.

There were only two states in the southwest that have the strength and were likely to rebel.

At this time, the royal family of Ingres and the royal family of Legrand were married in alliance. In the coming war, as Legrand’s most reliable ally, once any state in the west or southwest rebelled, it would be met with the State of Ingres first.

“The Gulundi’s reply has arrived.” General Johan said, “They agree to form an alliance with us.”

“How is the recovery of the urban defense construction in the central lands?”

The King asked.

During the recent rebellion, all the towers and walls of the cities captured by the rebels along the way were destroyed. The people of the Holy Court seemed to have already prepared for their operation failing soon, so before failing, they tried their best to strive for the greatest result.

Destroying a city’s towers, walls, and bunkers was equivalent to pulling out the teeth of the city’s armed forces.

Be it towers or city walls, they could all be rebuilt. But patching them also took manpower and money.

“Your military designers have also joined in the reconstruction. They destroyed it in a hurry, some foundations are not completely destroyed, and the speed of reconstruction is faster than expected. The eastern cities that have the most concentrated efforts of the reconstruction are generally almost done. But the central lands will not be fully repaired until at least the end of July.”

“They won’t give us that long.”

The King shook his head, and he stared in the direction of the Holy Empire’s palace.

“Theolde is not like our nobles. His army is almost assembled and may launch an attack at any time.”

“The Holy Legion of the North, the Holy Legion of the Sea, the Holy Legion of the Border, the Holy Legion of the Holy Land…” General Johan read out one name after another in a low voice, “They really can’t wait to serve as lackeys of the Holy Court.”

“Our enemy is the Holy Court,” said the King. “It is the Holy Empire, the Alliance of the Lowlands, the Alliance of Small Countries along the Abyss Strait, and the Alliance of the city-states in the Hopeless Inland Sea… All countries that believe in the Holy Lord are picking up their swords and weapons, joining the Holy Legion, participating In the war against Legrand. What reason do they have for not joining the Holy Legion? Theolde offered enough attractive conditions. In their eyes, Legrand is now a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. Everyone wants to share a bite of this delicious offering.”

The weather in midsummer changed quickly.

The sky was still clear just now, but while speaking, a wind suddenly picked up on the ground, and dark clouds piled up layer by layer. Thick clouds piled up, and the light and shadow of lightning in the clouds could be clearly seen standing on the tower. Torrential rain could fall at any time.

The attendant came up to remind General Johan that it was time to go down and prepare for the wedding.

Even though this was a wedding for the sake of the alliance, and the procedures were streamlined to the point where it couldn’t be more streamlined, out of respect for the allies, there were still many things that had to be handled by General Johan himself.

After General Johan went downstairs, heavy rain fell.

The wind blew the rain and washed the ground vigorously, and the whole world was shrouded in heavy rain curtains in an instant. Soldiers and pedestrians on the street hurriedly sought shelter from the rain.

Click.

There was a crisp sound.

A black umbrella was opened in front of the King, blocking the rain that was blown by the wind and was about to hit the tower. The black umbrella was lifted up slowly. After it was lifted, it opened like an invisible barrier, so the wind blew the rain but it could no longer fall into the tower.

Holding the umbrella handle in a pale, bony hand, the Devil stood beside the King.

“The legion of angels will descend to hell.” The Devil said, “It’s going to storm, Your Majesty.”

“It may storm at any time.”

The King said.

Seen from the tower, the pouring rain washed over every eaves and every long street, as if the water of the whole world gathered above their heads, and then the sky was torn apart by invisible hands, allowing the water to fall just like that, with a majestic momentum that drowned everything. In the face of such a mighty power of nature, human beings appear extremely small.

The castle was submerged in water.

Neither the King nor the Devil spoke again.

Side by side, they watched the endless rain flood the world.

………………

Koszoya.

The order of martial law was spread to Koszoya Port as early as the fall of Herrid City. The Citizens’ Self-Defense Forces organized because of the Black Death gathered again during this time. Except for the two Dragon Wing Battleships that had to go to hell for repairs and restoration because they were damaged in the battle with the angels, other merchant ships that participated in the raid on the Lowland Alliance were moored here.

It could also be called heavy defense.

Taylor, the current mayor of Koszoya, climbed up the observation tower, looking in the direction of the sea horizon as he had often done during this period of time.

Other city officials felt that there was no need to go to the trouble these days, because it was the end of June.

The end of June was the time when storms were most frequent near Koszoya Bay. The ocean currents became very strong at this time, and the monsoon on the sea often created huge waves tens of meters high. The chambers of commerce reduced sailing during this period, and even the royal navy had to berth into the harbor. Unless it was someone who was familiar with the weather in the sea area, no one would dare to risk his life to make light of it at this time.

But Taylor saw with his own eyes how Koszoya’s Five Port Alliance came to naught overnight. He felt that since he was the mayor appointed by the King, he should scrupulously implement His Majesty’s orders.

Just now, there was a heavy rain in broad daylight in Koszoya, and the top floor of the observation tower was very windy, making everyone feel terribly cold in summer.

Mayor Taylor looked out the window while thinking about the old affairs of the Five Port Alliance.

The waves of the torrentially rainy sea were undulating, and the ships of the chambera of commerce were moored quietly in the harbor. With the help of the binoculars made by the witches, he could see some things floating on the sea. Seeing those things, the mayor felt a headache. That was when they spent a lot of effort to pull up a line of defense to block the ships at sea.

But now, a storm tore them up every which way.

The mayor noted down the places where the sea fence needed to be rearranged, and then turned his sight away for a casual sweep.

With this sweep, he suddenly froze.

In the distance, some sails seemed to appear on the horizon.

Whose chamber of commerce’s ship was so lucky not to be smashed into pieces in this kind of storm?

The mayor thought, holding the binoculars, trying to take a closer look at the marks on the sail. Soon, one sail after another appeared in his eyes, and his expression changed suddenly. On the white sail, there was a golden cross.

“Blow the horn! Blow the horn!”

The mayor held the binoculars in one hand and waved vigorously with the other, shouting loudly at the soldiers on the observation tower.

The desolate sound of tbe horn was blown forcefully, and the sound echoed mournfully over the entire bay. In the sound of the horn, the soldiers who were hiding from the rain and looking rather lazy woke up in unison. They jumped on the city wall and looked at the sea in the distance together.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

On the observation tower, the mayor’s hand trembled, and the binoculars fell from over the tower.

There was no need for binoculars anymore.

Countless sails were raised on the sea, and the frontmost warship braved the wind and waves. Giant crossbows were hoisted on those warships, the ropes twisted. The next moment, spear-like arrows came towards Koszoya Harbor trailing flames in their wake.

Like an unreal rain of fire.

It ignited the sky and the sea.

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The Holy Empire, Athari Cathedral.

A week ago, except for Legrand, all countries that believe in the Holy Lord sent representatives, and the senior bishops of the Holy See gathered here. The religious meeting in 1433 changed the previous regulations and moved the host site from Holy Spirit Bay to the heart of the capital of the Holy Empire.

Cardinal Deacon Segney hurried towards the church with the secret letter of the barbarians gathering.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

All the representatives and senior priests who participated in this religious meeting knew what their purpose was——to discuss the specific plan for the Holy Legion’s expedition, to elect the six-member committee responsible for the campaign affairs, and the supreme leader of the Holy Legion.

The Holy Legion started recruiting a few months ago.

On the third day after the news of the raid on many important harbors of the Lowland Alliance reached the Holy Empire, the Pope gave an unprecedented speech to everyone on the open-air balcony of the Holy Empire Palace facing the public.

That speech was the clarion call of the Western Expedition of the Holy Legion. In that speech, Pope Theolde, the Holy Emperor of the Holy Empire and the highest spiritual leader of the Holy See, severely condemned the Kingdom of Legrand for ignoring morality and violating chivalry, committing the crime of attacking the cities of the Lowland Alliance, who were also believers, and announced the excommunication of the Legrand royal family.

It was extremely rare in history for an entire royal family to be excommunicated. The only precedent was in the 11th century A.D., the city-state of Atani, a city-state in the western strait of the Hopeless Inner Sea. After the senate of Atani city-state was excommunicated, the surrounding city-states jointly sent troops together with the Holy Court’s Knights Templar to destroy it in the flames of war.

If the “Battle of God’s Punishment” against Legrand allowed the warships of the Holy Court to shock the world, then the destruction of Atani gave the Holy Legion and the Knights Templar Temple fame all over the world.

After announcing the excommunication of the Legrand royal family and judging that it had become a “heretical country”, in this public speech, the Pope called on all believers and knights of the Holy Lord in the world to cross the Abyss Strait , to help the believers in Legrand to achieve liberation.

After the public speech a few months ago ended, the fourth large-scale expedition of the Holy Legion since the birth of the Holy See officially launched.

The secular city-states and kings might be astonished at the speed of this Holy Legion’s movement, but only the high-level officials of the Holy Court know how much preparation they have made for this Holy Legion expedition.

Collecting thousand year old sacred relics, sparing no effort to preach “doomsday theory” and “purgatory theory”, religious nation building…

This was a long-prepared war. 

After the Pope’s call to action ended, countless evangelists scattered around the world began to preach like crows.

They fiercely criticized the Legrand people on the other side of the Abyss Strait, how they blasphemed the Holy Lord, how they did not pray for human souls, how they protected heretics, and how they danced with witches.

“They allow themselves to fall into purgatory, but it will make the Holy Lord think that all human beings are hopeless. They are rotten tumors on the entire human race. Only by digging them out can all of us survive in the doomsday and be redeemed.”

“…The blatant blasphemy of heresy is the punishment of the Holy Lord for all believers. Put on the cross, I beseech you. Only by becoming a warrior of the Holy Lord, crossing the Abyss Strait, and cleaning the corrupted heresy and saving the true believers who are controlled can one attain salvation during judgment.”

In addition, after the public preaching, the Pope gave a definite promise:

All those who participated in this Holy Legion Movement, no matter what mistakes they committed in the past, the Holy Lord would forgive all their sins. He who fought for justice, justice would bestow honor and wealth on him.

From that day on, the Holy Legion’s Western Expedition began vigorously.

It seemed that everyone’s heart was on fire. As long as they set foot on Legrand on the other side of the Abyss Strait, they would ascend to the Kingdom of God.

For a long time, once the religious beliefs that provide human beings with spiritual comfort intervene in wars, both sides would give their all, and thus cause the war to be extraordinarily tragic. 

Cardinal Deacon Segney’s grandfather once participated in the Third Holy Legion Movement, and it was because of that movement that he transformed from a bankrupt poor boy into the famous Earl Segney. Therefore, Segney could actually understand why the Holy Legion Movement was so attractive to most poor people who were eager to change their destiny.

“In the Holy Legion, as long as you are lucky enough to live and come back alive, even if you were a slave, you could transform into a nobleman with fiefs and servants.” These were words left by the grandfather of Segney, and it still applied today.

“Good day, Segney.”

When Senior Priest Peter came out from the corner of the corridor, he met Segney and greeted him.

“How’s the situation inside?”

Segney stopped in his tracks and asked Peter who had apparently just left the meeting. He left the Holy Empire two weeks ago, so he didn’t know how the religious meeting had processed to now.

“The issue of the Holy Legion’s sea transportation was resolved on the second.” Peter glanced at him, “The Alliance of Abyss Strait Nations will be responsible.”

“Why? Isn’t the fleet of the Hopeless Inner Sea Alliance stronger than the countries along the Abyss Strait?” Segney was taken aback. His family territory was in the Hopeless Inner Sea, and his family controled a large fleet. They had originally planned to take the opportunity to make a fortune during the sea transportation of the Holy Legion.

“It’s the decision made by the Holy See.” Peter was very clear about what Segney cared about, and he shook his head in exasperation, “The Lowland Alliance was originally decided on, but the Lowland Alliance suffered heavy losses in the previous raids and can not support the cost. As for why choose the countries along the Abyss Strait… I guess it is because it is closer to the southeast coast of Legrand.”

“What about the rest?”

“The members of the meeting has elected a six-member committee, who will be in charge of the operations of this expedition. The selection of candidates has almost been made. But the position of the supreme commander has not been able to be decided on. The meeting has been interrupted several times because of this.”

“What’s wrong?”

Peter shrugged his shoulders, showing an incomprehensible puzzled expression: “Because the His Holiness intends for himself to be the leader of this expedition.”

“What?!”

Segney was taken aback.

“His Holiness——he——”

“Who knows.”

Peter sighed deeply.

………………

The Pope’s lounge where the meeting waa taking place.

In the lounge, there were only the Pope and a few cardinals.

“Your Holi…Your Majesty.” Cardinal Furlan said, “In your capacity, you should not step on the battlefield in person.”

“I know what you all think,” Theolde said gently. “If I get injured on the battlefield, or worse, get captured and die accidentally, it would deal a huge blow to the Holy Empire, won’t it?”

“That would be a tragic nightmare for all devout.”

The cardinals replied.

“I know your concerns.” The Pope smiled and shook his head, “but don’t forget, this is a life-and-death battle. If we lose this war, then what’s the use of me being alive? As for the result, don’t you have any confidence in the Holy Court’s millennium of preparations?”

“Having said that, it’s too dangerous. We have pious people who are loyal enough to you, the empire, and the Holy Court. You don’t actually need to take this risk yourself.” Even the closest personal friend of Pope Theolde, Sisian shook his head in disapproval.

“This is the battle of then thousand armies, my old friend.” Theolde slowly shook his head, “If in such a fateful war, I am far away from the battlefield. Then how should I command this war? ? Of course we have sophisticated enough ‘messengers’ to make our message delivery punctual enough. But how can I ensure that our soldiers will still obey my orders tens of thousands of miles away across the Abyss Strait?”

“The Holy Legion fights for the Holy Lord, and all actions will follow your will.”

Cardinal Furlan replied.

“In such a conversation, don’t use these words.” The Pope shook his head. “What is the reason for the interruption of the Second Holy Legion Movement? Others have forgotten it. Have you forgotten it too?”

The room fell silent. The several cardinals looked at each other, and no one was the first to answer this question.

Among the Holy Court’s several Holy Legion campaigns, the most failed one was the second one. The leader of the Holy Legion movement was generally a person of high status, who obeyed the orders of the Pope. However, in the second Holy Legion Movement, the Holy Legion did not reach the conquest target of Lower El, but clashed with a city-state along the Hopeless Inner Sea, which was also a follower of the Holy Lord, on the way.

The Holy Legion violated the purpose of “justice” and attacked the city-state of the Holy Lord’s believers. After the incident was reported to the Holy Court, the Pope at that time was furious and issued an order of excommunication for the Holy Legion who participated in the battle.

However, it was useless. The Pope was far away, and it was difficult to control the huge and complicated army.

After the spread of the Holy Legion’s behavior, it caused a lot of condemnation and blame. At that time, the sea barbarians made a comeback again. Therefore, the second Holy Legion Movement had to be forcibly terminated in order to deal with a new round of Hopeless Inner Sea turmoil.

In any case, the failure of the Second Holy Legion Movement brought profound lessons to the Holy See and the Pope at that time.

“Even the most brilliant military strategist cannot always guarantee that his orders will be carried out meticulously, unless he is in the army and takes the lead.” The Pope picked up the chess pieces on the table and held it in his hand, “A real commander, the significance of his existence does not lie in his profound martial power and rich combat experience, but in his ability to condense a tray of loose sand into a blade or a sword, making it invincible.”

“Sometimes, I envy Legrand.”

The Pope sighed with emotion.

“It is so fortunate, there were always a few people who could unite the whole country in almost every generation. The Duke of Buckingham was like this, and Queen Eleanor was like this. Today’s Pureland is also not inferior to his elders and ancestors. I often wonder, is it a cursed land or a blessed land?”

Only a few people knew that the death of the Duke of Buckingham was not an accident.

In the secret hit list of the Holy Court, the Duke of Buckingham was specially marked.

A very prestigious knight who could be called the spirit of the empire. To Legrand, what was lost was not only an excellent and outstanding general, but also a very influential battle flag. The Duke of Buckingham’s position in the hearts of Legrand’s knights was too lofty, it was the glory and trust accumulated over the years, and his existence was too great a threat to the Holy Court’s plan.

Even if he didn’t fall at the hands of Saint Val, he would fall at the hands of others.

One of the main purposes of the Holy Court instigating the massive Legrand Northland Rebellion was to kill the Duke of Buckingham.

He alone was as important as an entire army.

You c an fi nd t he la te st cha pte rs at ( th e bl mu se . c o m )

“It’s a pity, Eleanor hid herself too well before.” The Pope said with some regret, “Otherwise, if we could have gotten rid of her before the war began, the Holy Legion would lose a huge roadblock in its westward march.”

“So, where do we launch this western expedition? Herrid City’s Swan Harbor?” Sisian asked.

The Pope opened his hand and placed the chess piece he was holding on to a point on the map on the table.

“Here.”

He said.

The chess piece was placed on the southeast coast of Legrand.

Koszoya.

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