Year 2525 of the Empire Calendar, midsummer. Northern Empire, Ostermark Province, Fallen District.
The town that used to be an important port and used to sell high-quality wood, animal hides, and high-quality workhorses in Ostermark was now only rubble and ruins. The Northmen's bonfire was burning fiercely. Even in midsummer, the cold and lonely territory of Ostermark still sent chills down one's spine.
A few Northmen from Kurgan were sitting in the ruins of the town, lighting a fire and leaning on a pig's thigh. Around them, the corpses of the Empire's people had begun to dry after being hung there for months. The strong stench could not withstand the ravages of time. A long row of gallows and torture devices stretched along the road to the south. On each of them, there was a broken and twitching body of an Empire soldier. The Refsnet River was still red, although the disgusting gray moss and taut vines had intertwined with the mud-filled shore, suffocating the flow of the river.
The Northmen drank wine and ate meat in big mouthfuls. At the same time, they cursed the cowardly decision of the Chaos Lords. They did not notice that a man in a black cloak had appeared behind them. While they were still arguing about where they should go to try their luck today, a dazzling rune sword pierced through the chest of one of the unlucky men from behind.
The man was very strong. His footsteps were fast, and his swordsmanship was superb. In a flash, he pulled out the rune sword, held the hilt in his hand, and thrust it forward. The sword pierced through the chest armor of the Northman and pierced his heart.
"Argh!" The remaining Northman picked up a flying axe beside him. The blade of the axe, which was full of chipped edges, swung in the air. The man sidestepped and held the rune sword in his hand tightly. The sword guard smashed heavily on the head of the Northman through the helmet. The Northman fainted and fell to the ground.
The man immediately finished off the three Northerners with a sword. Just like that, the three Northerners died. All that was left was the crackling sound of the fire and the pig's thighs hanging above it. The man hesitated for a moment. He looked around as if he was weighing something.
A few seconds later, the man decided to sit down. He collected some leftover food from the Northerners and shook the glass bottle to find that there were still a few mouthfuls of barley wine in it. He couldn't help but raise his head and drink it all in one gulp. Although there wasn't much of a beer aroma, it was a great relief for the man's burning throat. He grilled the pork leg seriously. When he felt that it was almost done, he quickly put away the roasted pork leg and the two pork chops beside it that he hadn't had the time to prepare. He then sneaked out of the town.
The newcomer quickly arrived at the forest outside the town. A giant Gryphon was waiting for him in the forest. The Gryphon was in good spirits, but its wings were broken. When it saw the newcomer, the Gryphon stretched out its claws to signal him to hurry up.
"Old man, we're in luck. We can have a full meal today." The newcomer quickly trotted to the Gryphon's side. He took out the food he got from the Northerners from his backpack and under his cloak. Hiding in the trees and bushes, the newcomer greedily gnawed on the roasted pork leg while the Gryphon ate the raw pork chops.
The hood was taken off, revealing the newcomer's face. Now, his hair was messy and his beard was full of dirt. He ate like a wolf. Compared to his previous noble status, he looked more like a beggar.
Karl-franz, the Grand Duke of Brunswick, the Great Prince of Brunswick, the Kurfürst, the inheritor of Charlemagne's sacred heritage from the mountains to the sea, and the Emperor of the Empire.
He didn't die.
In the Battle of Huff Wind Root, he was defeated by Valazi Haken, the Great Commander of the Blood Dragon Knights, at a critical moment and fell in the middle of a large group of Warriors of Chaos.
At first, he thought he was going to die.
But fate didn't abandon Karl-franz. Charlemagne's blessing was still protecting the Emperor. A Champion of Chaos was eager to kill him and squeezed through the group of Warriors of Chaos to rush towards him. Schwarzhammer and Helberg tried to save the Emperor, but it worked. The Champion of Chaos was shot by a row of musketeers with silver bullets. One bullet hit the Champion of Chaos in the head. The Champion of Chaos fell and pressed the Emperor under his body, sinking into the mud together.
Karl-franz survived just like that. He woke up a day and a night after the Battle of Huff Wind Root. At this time, the Army of Chaos was either continuing south or collapsing because of the death of Eichahn's adjutant, Keron – the Conqueror.
The Emperor survived. He was the only one.
At first, he thought he was going to die because the poisonous air, the rotten moss and vines, and the fatal infection on his body would speed up the death of any mortal.
But the Silver Seal of the Empire's divine artifact proved its value. This divine artifact carried a huge and long-lasting magic power. In the dark and cold night, he could feel the power of the magic wind warming his chest and keeping out the most serious injuries that could threaten him. The infection on his wounds quickly subsided, the poisonous air was purified, and the toxins spewed out by the rotten moss and vines were expelled. The Emperor struggled to survive.
He found his Rune Tooth, the Dragonfang Sword, under the stomach of a Northlander. In the following days, he had a close brush with death more than ten times. He was almost discovered by the patrols of the armed forces twice. His wounds festered in the damp air. He fainted more than once due to hunger and lack of water. He was forced to drink salt water even though it made him vomit. He wolfed down the food looted from the warehouse.
The poisonous water and food were not a problem. The power of the Silver Seal could purify the toxins. The continuous healing magic of the divine artifact gradually restored the Emperor's health.
The Emperor began to look for his companion. He found the Gryphon of Death's Claw in a Kurgan camp that had been tortured. Its wings were broken, and its body was covered with dozens of wounds. He carefully planned a night attack and killed more than 20 Northland guards to rescue Death's Claw. The Gryphon could not fly for the time being.
However, it was still very powerful. Relying on the power of the silver seal, Death Claw regained some of its strength. The golden duo slaughtered the entire camp and escaped from the Northmen's pursuit. Just like that, the emperor and his mount began a one-on-one guerrilla war against Chaos in the vast wilderness and forest of Ostmark.
At first, Karl-franz was a little optimistic about the current situation. The Emperor thought that maybe the situation was not so bad. He had imagined that he would encounter the warriors and towns who were still resisting in the guerrilla war and then unite them. As the days passed, the news would spread.
Soon, he would find a way to contact Helberg and Schwarzhammer. They must still be fighting somewhere. They would once again fight side by side against the invasion. The enemy may be very powerful, but this was his territory, and they were his people. The news that the Emperor was still alive would encourage all the people of the Empire to continue fighting. They would send troops to save him. Even if the Northern Empire's army was almost wiped out, the famous cities of Mildenheim, Aviheim, Brunswick, Nur, and Tara Beheim were still standing. The elves and dwarves would not leave the Empire alone. There was also his best friend, the Sun King of Brittany.
Over the past few months, reality had slapped Karl-franz again and again until he became numb.
There was no more resistance.
There were no remaining people of the Empire or army. The invaders had driven away every single one of them, killed them all, or turned them all into slaves.
In the past few months, the emperor had visited and emptied almost all the fallen villages and strongholds in Ostmark. Every hut was empty, and every row of houses was eerily silent. There were some remnants of food in some of the ruins, but he had not met a single living person of the empire. Not a single one.
There were only corpses, countless corpses, only ruins, broken tools, smashed looms, and broken manure forks.
After a few months, the Emperor cried. He found a safe place and cried out loud.
It was a kind of despair and powerlessness that could not be described with words.
Since he ascended the throne, Karl-franz had spent most of his life fighting to protect the Empire. He could not even count how many wars he had experienced and how many times he had fought in the battlefield. For thirty years, the Emperor of the Empire urged himself with an absolute sense of responsibility and mission. This was the country he would protect with his life, and there were people here who depended on him to protect.
Similarly, he spent his entire life teaching his people, planting food, clearing land for farming, harvesting crops, building shrines, and arming themselves. He used his entire life to make his people believe that as long as they persisted in resisting, the Emperor's army would come to save them.
Did he try his best?
Yes, Karl-franz swore that he tried his best, much more than his grandfather and father.
He had really given everything.
But his grandfather Leopold and his father Luitpold could enjoy peace and prosperity, while Karl-franz could only face the largest invasion of Chaos in history and the most tragic failure.
The Emperor could not find a solution to the problem. He did not know what else he could do.
This was the most desperate.
"Karl, Karl, can you hear me?" At this time, the Emperor faintly heard a mysterious voice. This voice was exactly the same as the one he heard at the most critical moment in the third Battle of Blackfire Pass.
"I can hear you! I can hear you! "
"Listen, we don't have much time, Karl. Tara Beheim has been destroyed, and most of the Empire has fallen, but … there is still hope. In Saul, Ivy, Wesson, Nur, Milden, and White Wolf City … there is still an organized army. Nur has defeated the siege of the Rat Men, and there is still a powerful army there … must … return, must defend … Mildenheim is surrounded …" The voice was intermittent, and then disappeared.
No matter how the Emperor called, the voice did not respond.
But this was enough for the Emperor.
There was still hope!
The Emperor clenched the Rune Tooth. The runes on the Dragon Tooth Sword were still bright after two thousand years.
Yes, that's right.
What we have been accumulating is not all in vain.
It will be the same in the future. As long as we don't stop, the road will continue to extend.
And I, Karl-franz, will resist, never stop …
… I am the section dividing line that will never stop …
At the same time, in the Empire, Ubetherik, a border city in the Reeker Territory.
A messenger of the Empire was crawling on the ground. There were two fatal wounds on his back and waist. The post horse had already fallen dead.
The loyal messenger of the Empire looked at the document on his chest with the seal of the Empire's cabinet.
He knew that the Northerners did not find this letter.
Yes, the Empire's cabinet had sent five messengers to deliver a letter at the same time. Five identical letters were handed to them. Four of the messengers were intercepted and killed while crossing the extremely dangerous Reekvard Forest. Only he managed to cross the fungus blanket, the Black Forest, the interception of several Northerner tribes, and the pursuit of the Skaven Ratmen to reach the vicinity of Ubetherik.
Unfortunately, when he approached the town, he was also discovered by a few Northerners of the Bell Pine Forest tribe. The post horse fell dead, and he could only escape on his feet. The Northerners used throwing axes and javelins to leave fatal wounds on his body.
In the end, the messenger shook off his pursuers and escaped into the city.
The scene in front of him made him despair. Ubetherik had obviously been attacked by the Chaos Tribe. Part of the city had been destroyed, but fortunately, the other part was still there.
I have to send the message. I have to send the message for help!
The messenger crawled on the ground, his blood staining the flagstones of the block, until he came to the door of a building called the Red Moon Tavern. He knocked on the door of the tavern with all his strength, and then he lay on the steps of the door.
Darkness gradually fell in sight. The messenger slowly closed his eyes. Before he died, the sincere smile of Emperor Karl-franz appeared in his mind.
The Evil Moon hung high in the sky, and the storm of Chaos swept across the land.
The door of the tavern opened, and the owner of the tavern, Lonar Franz, ran out. "You are? From Brunswick? "
The messenger said the last words of his life. He handed the blood-stained letter to Lonar. "For the Empire …"
The people in the tavern came out and carried the messenger inside.
The captain of the Empire, Marcus Kluber, shook his head. "By Charlemagne, he's dead."
Charlemagne's Paladin, Viktor Salzpiel, screamed in a hoarse voice. "Another warrior has fallen! I swear, the Northerners and the God of Darkness will pay for this! "
Ranger Kerilaine played with the arrow behind her. "So what if he's a short-lived ghost?"
Dwarf Ranger Bardeen Garrek was very sad. "This is a good guy, good guy."
Fire Wizard Sienna Fergenassas sighed. "I'm really thinking about returning to Brunswick after this is over."
"Okay, everyone, you have a new mission." The owner of the tavern took out the letter and looked at it. His expression changed drastically. "This concerns the survival of the old world. Since we've run into it, it's our duty!"
"Understood!" the five heroes shouted in unison.
A few hours later, in the tower of Ludovic the Savior, Ubetherik, amidst the corpses of the Allied Rat Army, the Five Unyielding Heroes rushed into the tower and blew the giant horn.
Beep beep beep beep!
Beep beep beep beep beep!
Beep beep beep beep beep!
The sound of a bugle horn resounded.
"It's the horn! The horn of the Savior's Tower has been blown!"
"Ignite the beacon! Ignite the beacon now! " In a hidden Empire outpost on the Grey Mountains, a few border guards heard the horn of Ubetherick. Without hesitation, they took out torches and lit the firewood.
Pillars of fire shot into the sky.
The owner of the Red Moon Tavern, Lonar, stood by the window on the third floor and stared into the distance. "Tarr above!"
"There's still hope."
The fire at Talhov Outpost was the first to ignite.
Through the mountains and the sea of clouds.
Through the storm and the stars.
The star-like pillars of fire burned fiercely on the majestic peaks of the Grey Mountains!
The flames of hope lit up the last hope on the snow-capped peaks.
Dalaro Double Peak Outpost.
Heart of Eternity Outpost.
Monrefort Outpost.
Mount Doom Outpost.
Heart of Ice Outpost.
Beacons lit up. Even in the haze of the storm, the light of the beacon tower was still so bright. It crossed the night, the sky, the stars, and the peaks.
From Helmgat to Montfort, from Gisoleiox to the Pale Lady Mountains, from Hartmont Castle to the capital, Kurona!
Marshal Kalad was having lunch in a manor near the capital. He was holding a large beef bone in his hand and gnawing on it when he looked up. He saw the beacon fire burning on Hartmont Castle!
Kalad was stunned for a moment. He immediately realized something. He took two deep breaths and immediately mounted his horse and rushed straight to the Kurona Palace.
At this time, the Brittany High Command was having an informal meeting. Laing, Morgiana, Suria, Berchemund, François, Berliat, and Katarín were present. They were discussing the possibility of supporting Mildenheim.
"Boom!" The door of the hall was slammed open by brute force. Kalad rushed out. The marshal shouted to everyone present, "The Grey Mountains! It's the Grey Mountains! The beacon fire of the Grey Mountains has been ignited! Your Majesty, everyone! "
"The Empire has asked for our help. Brunswick has asked for our help!"
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