On top of the mountain, the ashes of the dozens of bloodsucking beasts could not stop the knights.
"Is this path so unsafe?" Laing put away his warhammer and looked at the ashes on the ground. He was secretly shocked.
François was known as the "Enemy of the Undead". At first, Laing thought it was because he had won a great victory.
But now, it seemed that this was not the case at all. To Francois, "Enemy of the Undead" was not just an honorable title, but also the best description of his ability. The dazzling light he emitted was a lethal weapon against dark creatures.
This included the undead and the creatures of Chaos.
At first, Laing thought that with the imperial guards and the protection of his brother, Angelang, he could look down on the strong in this world.
In fact, this world was very special. Whether it was the strength of the Imperial Guard or Angelo, they were all suppressed to a certain extent. Even when the Imperial Guard arrived, he couldn't use his full strength to avoid attracting the attention of the Evil God.
The strength that Francois displayed was only slightly weaker than that of the Emperor's Royal Guards.
In the Knight Kingdom, there were only a handful of Holy Grail Knights who were as powerful as Francois. There were probably no more than five of them. However, this was still a warning to Clayon. Even though there was a huge gap between the low-end combat power in this world, there might not be too much of a difference in the high-level combat power.
For example, Akerhan, the Lich King who had rebuked the heavens and earth for thousands of years, was actually able to escape from the hands of the Emperor. Even if the Emperor wasn't willing to go all out, the Lich King being able to instantly cast spells to escape was still a problem.
François did not know that many thoughts were running through Laing's mind. The duke put away the unicorn sword and sighed. "As long as the Eternal's Dragonrock Castle in the depths of the Grey Lady's Path is not removed, these black creatures will always appear on the mountain path. Not everyone is as strong as us, so this path is still too dangerous."
"Does Lord Kasvann not have the ability to destroy the Eternal's Dragonrock?" Julius asked his father.
"No." François shook his head. The duke did not seem to want to continue on this topic. "Let's go quickly. Follow this path down the mountain and we will reach Ubetherik tomorrow."
"Yes!"
…
At the same time, in Grennell Town, Kasvann was also standing on the highest point of the mountain road. He gazed at the endless army below the mountain. The duke himself was full of pride. The news of his declaration of war against the Empire had spread from the mountains to the coast, from the highlands to the estuary. Hundreds of ranger knights had gathered under his command. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough.
The young knights had great expectations for this battle. They praised the Goddess of the Lake, and the enthusiasm for the expedition filled their young faces. Most of the knights opened their helmets, revealing their youthful faces. Their colorful robes and family coats of arms were like a huge scroll, rolling slowly on the mountain path.
With the addition of the new ranger knights, the number of knights had increased to more than two thousand. Adding in Casfern's own army, the Duke firmly believed that this army of fifteen thousand would be able to wipe out everything.
Casfern was almost fifty years old. Even though he was still young for a Legendary-level master, the duke's heart had long since aged. He had been quarreling with his wife all year round, and the annual deficit in his territory as well as the friction with the Empire had caused him great pain. Wrinkles had long been engraved on the corners of his eyes, and the white hair on his temples showed that he was already mentally and physically exhausted.
After the negotiations with the Empire broke down, Casfern finally gave up on his entanglement with the Empire. He decided to use force to resolve their differences.
Thunder rumbled on the horizon, and dark clouds covered the sky. This meant that it was going to snow again.
"My Duke, looking at the sky, it might snow in the next few days." The Duke's second-in-command, Count Carnell, rode up to him. "Isn't it too rushed to march at this time?"
"No, it's not rushed. We have to be quick." Casfern calmly shook his head and stated his judgment. "In this war against the Empire, we are the attacking side, and the Empire is the defending side. As long as we don't move, the Empire can wait patiently and actively defend. The longer this drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for us. We have to cross the Gray Mountains before Karl-franz and his Empire's army completely completes the defense of Helmgath. Otherwise, the Empire's cannons and sturdy military formations will give us a hard time."
"A wise decision, my Duke." The second-in-command was completely convinced by the Duke's judgment.
"Move faster. We have to reach Ubetherik before the end of January!"
"Yes, my Lord!"
"Also, I don't want to hear any news of robbing or killing our own people on the march. Our opponents this time are our fellow humans, not those hateful green-skinned and evil creatures of Chaos!"
"This is the Lady's teaching. The knights understand."
The knights who were marching did not notice that in the depths of the clouds as far as their eyes could see, there was a black dot moving slowly in the sky.
It was a huge griffin, possibly the largest griffin in the history of the Old World. The griffin was wearing bright armor, and on its chest hung the golden griffin coat of arms of the Franz Frey Drich family.
The Emperor of the Human Empire, Karl-franz, held the warhammer Gail Maraz in his hand and was scouting in the sky. His mount "Death Claw" broke through the clouds and soared in the cold wind. The Emperor was wearing the "Silver Seal" plate armor left behind by the Savior Ludwig. He held the symbol of the Human Emperor, Gail Maraz, and the Kurfürst sacred sword of the Rick Region at his waist as he shuttled through the clouds.
"Casfern's actions are quite fast. My staff originally estimated that he would only move in February," the Emperor muttered to himself. He held a monocular in his hand. This was the masterpiece of the master engineers of the Nur Gun Factory.
It was the Emperor's idea to personally investigate. Although the generals of the Empire and his courtiers strongly opposed the Emperor to personally investigate, Karl-franz still stood his ground and decided to personally investigate as the Emperor. His reasons were very good.
In such cold rainy and snowy weather, even a pegasus could not soar above the gray mountains. Only the Emperor's mount, Death Claw, could do so. There were no hippogryphs in Casfern's army, so the Emperor could investigate without worry.
"Let's go, Death Claw, let's go back." Karl-franz confirmed the size of the enemy and the approximate number of knights before turning back.
Passing through the peaks of the gray mountains, passing through the clouds above the mountains, passing through the sparse grasslands, passing through the pastures, passing through the countless villages and farms in the prosperous Rick territory, Karl-franz arrived at Helmgat.
Right here, tens of thousands of imperial soldiers were gathering. There were groups of Rick Guards, hundreds of Gryphon Knights, Brunswick's Musketeer Brigade and Nurr's Iron Armored Army, Cannon Company, Hell Storm Bazooka Brigade, the most elite Great Swordsman Legion from Karonburg, Griffin's Great Swordsman Legion from Brunswick, Rick's First Infantry Regiment, Second Infantry Regiment, Third Infantry Regiment, Brunswick's Halberd Company, Brunswick's First Infantry Regiment, Second Infantry Regiment, and Third Infantry Regiment.
The Empire's Royal Magus Legion led by the Empire's Great Alchemist, Bayershaz Galt, had also arrived at Helmgat to await orders, preparing to meet Duke Casfern's army.
The Rick Territory under the direct control of the Emperor always had the most elite troops and the best weapons and equipment in the entire Empire. In this dark age, only an orderly army, excellent firearms, and devout faith could bring hope to the people.
In addition, the Elector of Tuscany and the Grand Duke of Ivy, "Sun Lion" Umberto Corleone, had also led eight thousand troops to Helmgat. The Bull Knights and the Elector's most elite Golden Fleece Knights had all gone to the frontline, preparing to compete with the Brittany knights who were known as the strongest in the old world.
Umberto had also brought two regiments of Great Swordsmen and groups of Halberd Soldiers. In addition, the army of Ivy also had groups of flintlock riders and dwarf mercenaries. These dwarves from the mountains had long become citizens of the Empire. They did not care who their opponents were, as long as there was a sufficient supply of ale.
Now, tens of thousands of troops of the Empire were gathered in Helmgat, waiting for orders. The scattered tents crowded the vicinity of the city, like an ancient battle board that had been forgotten. The residents of the city scrambled to stick their heads out of the windows to see the glory of the Empire's army. They were eager to see the Elector and His Majesty in person.
A black spot appeared in the sky, which attracted the attention of the Empire's army. The Empire's general, Kurt Helberg, shouted to the Emperor's flag bearer, Ludwig Schwarzhammer, "It's His Majesty! He's back! "
"Prepare to welcome His Majesty!" The Emperor's flag bearer roared with his loud voice. The grey-haired Ludwig's voice almost covered the entire camp. In an instant, all the troops of the Empire stopped what they were doing and prepared to welcome their beloved Emperor.
Like a flash of lightning, the Claw of Death tore through the clouds and the air and landed in the camp of the Empire. Karl-franz jumped down from the Griffin and affectionately knocked the Griffin's neck with his fist. "Thank you for your hard work, old friend."
"Good morning, Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, I salute you."
"Your Majesty, are the knights on the other side of the mountain here?"
The Emperor was loved by the army. Karl-franz's young and valiant face had a faint smile on it. Compared to the infighting with the nobles in the palace of the Empire, the Emperor preferred to stay in the camp. The army and soldiers always welcomed their Emperor, unlike the nobles who pretended to obey but secretly opposed him.
The great alchemist of the Empire, Galt, who was wearing a golden cloak, a golden mask, and a golden robe with a golden staff in his hand, stepped forward steadily. He wanted to say something to the Emperor, but the Empire's general, Kurt Helberg, beat him to it and said, "Your Majesty, you've returned?"
"Yes, I've returned. I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear?" Karl-franz's voice carried a hint of humor.
"I want to hear the bad news." A Rikian guard said loudly. His actions caused the knights of the Empire to burst into laughter.
"The bad news is that I've detected that Kasvane and his army are marching on the path of the Gray Lady." The Emperor let out a low laugh. He didn't seem worried at all. "This is earlier than we estimated."
"Then what about the good news?" A Rikian guard shouted.
"The good news is that we can go all out!" Karl-franz raised his hand. The Emperor let out his own cry. "My soldiers, are you ready to go all out against the knights on the other side of the mountain?!"
"Franz! Franz! Franz! " No one knew who started the shout, but everyone knew that it came from Griffin's army. Then, it gradually evolved from a trickle to a river, and from a river, it gradually evolved into a storm.
"Franz! Franz! Franz! "
The shouts of tens of thousands of Empire soldiers shook the entire city of Helmgard and the surrounding land. The city walls were shaking, and everyone was chanting the Emperor's name.
The Emperor's flag bearer Ludwig's face was full of pride. He was no longer young, but he was still willing to die for Karl-franz.
Ludwig was the eldest son of a blacksmith in Ivy Hill. He awakened his talent at the age of nine and chose to join the army. His powerful strength was quickly noticed by the late Emperor Luitpold. He was selected to join the Rikian guard and became a member of the Rikian guard. His fame continued to rise in countless duels and wars.
However, as his fame rose, Ludwig found himself having to attend all kinds of banquets and some indescribable noble activities. He couldn't help but see the corruption within the Empire and the arrogance of the nobles, as well as the painful struggles of hundreds of thousands of poor people. The nobles embezzled the land of the farmers, and many poor people worked hard but could only starve. Luitpold's indulgence made the lives of the people worse and worse, but Ludwig was powerless.
Therefore, he gradually became silent and did not change anything.
Everything changed when the young Emperor Karl inherited his father's position. He felt a leadership quality in Karl that was different from the others. He believed that Karl could change the Empire, so he volunteered to be the young Emperor's personal guard, accompanying him and becoming his sword and shield.
Under Karl-franz's efforts, a large amount of land was dug out from the corrupt nobles by the Emperor and returned to the farmers. Groups of corrupted nobles were executed en masse, and their land was either taken back by the Emperor or rewarded to the soldiers who performed meritorious deeds. The Rikian territory had a new look. Some of the corrupt nobles hated the young Emperor, but the countless assassination attempts against Karl-franz were stopped by Ludwig. Instead, they were replaced by the Emperor's revenge.
The Emperor's flag bearer firmly believed that as long as Karl-franz was still alive, there was still hope for mankind.
Kurfürst Umberto had the holy sword "Mother of Destruction" hanging on his waist. Seeing that the Emperor's reputation was so high, he had a complicated look on his face. However, the Kurfürst still stretched out his hand. "Please forgive me for interrupting you, Karl-franz."
"Of course, Your Excellency." Karl-franz was a little dissatisfied that someone interrupted him, but he still showed respect to Umberto. The Kurfürst in front of him was the only current Kurfürst who had experienced the great Holy War. He was more than two hundred years old this year. In terms of seniority, Karl-franz was old enough to call him great-grandfather.
"Scouts have reported that 'Devout' Laing Macado, 'Long Legs' François Antrel, 'Long Legs' Tancrede de Vanford, and several other knights have arrived in Ubetherik." Umberto coughed a few times.
"Your Majesty, what are you going to do?"
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