Chapter 460 The final sacrifice!
The early morning sun shines on Campbell Barracks in Jingshuitan, casting a layer of holy light on the mist-shrouded camp.
Tens of thousands of soldiers have been assembled.
The soldiers of the Duchy of Campbell were lined up in neat square formations, and their polished flintlock rifles reflected a cold light in the morning light.
Citizen cavalry stood on their flanks, while on the other side, the dwarven allies from the mountain kingdom were ready to go.
They stroked the heavy battle axes and muskets in their hands, or carried huge war weapons, like bulls ready to charge at any time.
Everyone was ready for battle, and their eyes were burning with desire for victory, honor and land.
Beyond the Jingshuitan Territory is the territory of Dusk City!
It was foreseeable that it would be a brutal fight, but no one showed any fear or hesitation.
It's not just because the Holy Light always accompanies the devout Campbell people, but also because Her Highness Irene Campbell stands with them.
Under the gaze of tens of thousands of people, Irene, dressed in military uniform and with the Light of Legend slung around her waist, stepped firmly onto the platform made of temporary wooden boxes.
On her left was the loyal guard knight Theresa; and on her right was also an old acquaintance of the Campbell people - His Highness Colin, who came from a distant foreign country.
Looking at the familiar face that stepped onto the platform, a low whisper suddenly spread among the originally silent army.
"It's actually Prince Colin!?"
"Saint Sith, His Highness is really back!"
"Look! I wasn't lying to you, was I?! I saw him last night!"
"I was wondering, no wonder Her Royal Highness the Princess didn't show up at the banquet last night. Turns out she was with His Royal Highness the Prince!"
Colin's appearance not only injected a dose of strengthening potion into the expeditionary army, but also refuted the rumor that Princess Irene was missing in the battle.
The morale of the soldiers rose at a speed visible to the naked eye.
However, when their eyes were focused on Irene and they saw her snow-white hair, they couldn't help but feel a hint of regret and sadness in their eyes.
In the Principality of Campbell, the legend of the Light of Singing is well-known to everyone, and its side effects are also known to almost everyone.
The former Grand Duke Aaron Campbell passed away shortly after the war ended because he overused the power of the Legendary Light in the decisive battle with the Demon King of Thunder County and overdrew his life.
Now Her Highness Irene seems to be heading towards this tragic fate...
For the soldiers who revered His Majesty, this was undoubtedly a complex matter...
Standing on the high platform, Irene naturally noticed the soldiers' admiring gazes and the worries hidden behind the admiration.
Although she really wanted to tell everyone not to worry about her, as His Highness Colin had previously instructed her, it was better to let them worry about her.
The overall situation comes first.
Irene glanced at Quentin, who had a stern face, and then looked at the centurions and captains standing in front of each column.
Seeing that no one noticed anything unusual about her body, especially the dwarves with a keen sense of smell, she finally let go of her nervousness.
Suppressing all the thoughts in her mind, Irene took a deep breath and began the final war mobilization before heading to Dusk City in a clear and firm voice.
"Everyone!"
"Rolandar the Singer and his minions have been killed. We have successfully captured Stillwater Territory. Dusk City, the capital of Dusk Province, is right before us!"
"Now--"
"It's time to make a final stand against the forces of Chaos! Victory and glory will ultimately belong to us, illuminated by the Holy Light!"
"For the people of Saint Sith who are struggling under the corruption of Chaos—"
"For Campbell—!"
The sound of moving clouds echoed in the training ground!
Her speech was passionate and completely ignited the soldiers' emotions. Their thunderous shouts resounded through the sky.
"For Campbell—!"
"For the glory—!"
In the army formation, almost everyone was in high spirits, except for the "hunters" standing in the corner of the formation, who had confused expressions on their faces at the moment.
However, these disabled but strong-willed "big guys" usually look like this, so no one cares why they behave so differently from the people around them.
Players [Master Wang, the village hair perm master] and [Professional nuclear submarine repairman] rubbed their eyes vigorously and pinched each other's arms fiercely.
After confirming that what they saw was not an illusion, they both gasped in surprise and screamed in surprise.
"Fuck..."
"Demon King???"
The respected Demon King is actually standing next to the hero!
Did the dog planner make a mistake again?
Fortunately, not all the people standing here are "fools". There are also a few old players who came here to join in the fun because they were bored.
[The dirt-eating rich man] yawned and looked at the two newbies who were making a fuss in silence.
"Is this your first time playing this game?"
[Master Wang, the hair perm master at the village entrance] looked at him in confusion.
"What's the meaning……"
Canglang Lame: "That was several versions ago. At that time, our Majesty was jumping back and forth between Hell and the surface."
Jade-faced Hand-tired King: "+1, you'll be fine once you get used to it."
That was more than a year ago, maybe even two years ago. At that time, many players went to Thunder City to do business.
They were also newbies at the time, and they even set up an "Invincible Group" in the new industrial zone outside Thunder City and worked as contractors.
From that time on, the Demon King became active in Thunder City as "Prince Colin".
[Master Wang, the village hair perm] and [Professional nuclear submarine repairman] exchanged a glance, and finally exclaimed in admiration, "Awesome!"
That's really awesome, it even made all the brave warriors of Saint Sith walk away!
This wave is a way of defeating the enemy without fighting...
…
After Irene's mobilization, Campbell's army immediately broke camp and marched towards Dusk City in a mighty force.
In stark contrast to the high morale of the "Northern Rescue Army", the Green Forest Army camp outside the Dusk City was now shrouded in a dark cloud of deathly silence.
The siege has lasted for over a month, and the blood of the fallen soldiers has even dyed the moat red, but the walls of Dusk City still stand.
Not only that, the war outside Dusk City was also in a mess, and bad news could be heard from afar every now and then.
Everyone was whispering about how far away Campbell's army was from them, and the depressed voices were as if they were discussing the date of their death.
noon.
The noisy voices broke into the military meeting of the Green Forest Army’s top brass.
"Sir! Something terrible has happened!"
A scout, his body covered in blood, crawled into the big tent in the center of the military camp.
His expression was horrified, and his voice was completely changed by fear.
"Lord Sloane's army...something happened!"
The high-ranking members of the Green Forest Army who were discussing the next phase of the siege plan in front of the map were all shocked when they heard this.
Except for Silas, whose expression did not change much, everyone else had an expression of disbelief on their face.
Reese grabbed the scout's shoulder, looked him in the eyes and spoke calmly.
"Tell me slowly, what's going on!"
The scout was breathing heavily, his eyes filled with lingering fear, as if the pursuers were still chasing him closely.
"We...we were ambushed in the forest in the southern part of Quemu Territory! A mysterious army appeared out of nowhere and attacked us!"
Reese asked eagerly.
"Is it Brennan's people? Or Campbell's people?"
The scout continued with a look of despair.
"Neither, neither... The one leading the troops is a devilish woman. Her movements are so fast that it's almost impossible to see clearly! I heard from the brothers who ran out in front that she killed Lord Sloan and his guards in an instant!"
Everyone gasped when they heard this.
To be able to kill Sloan in an instant, that guy must be at least diamond level!
But where on earth could a Diamond-level expert come from in this desolate wilderness?!
and--
It was clear that she wasn't the only one who ambushed Sloane.
The scout swallowed and continued in a trembling voice.
"It's not just that devil-like woman; they also have countless undead and monsters! We didn't even see where their main force was or how many people there were before a large number of them were killed by the rain of arrows that fell from the sky..."
This heavy news was like a huge stone weighing thousands of pounds, hitting the hearts of every senior officer of the Green Forest Army.
But it's just the beginning.
Before they could digest the tragic news, more tragic news arrived from the direction of Griffin Cliff Territory...
"Alchemist" Gene died in battle!
The cause of death is unknown!
Three scouts were sent to the Griffin Cliff Territory to gather intelligence, but only the last one to set out brought back news from there alive.
The scout claimed with horror that he saw a huge fire falling from the sky, which seemed to be a forbidden magic released by the great sage!
When he heard this, Silas was finally stunned, but it was only for a moment, and the expression on his face quickly returned to normal.
The Great Sage is impossible, that guy won't get involved in things here.
It must be something else...
There was silence in the military tent.
The generals' faces were filled with disbelief.
Especially "Green Turban" Kailan.
He could not believe that most of the twelve leaders he was so proud of had been killed in just a few months!
Just when Kailan was still immersed in the sorrow of losing his left and right arms, "Longbowman" Reese was the first to react.
He walked to the sand table in the tent and looked at the flags representing various forces on it. The expression on his face became increasingly ugly.
To the south is the army of the Duchy of Campbell. Eileen Campbell, with the support of the dwarves, is advancing step by step towards Dusk City. It is hard to say how long Rolandal can hold on.
As for the north, the "Savior Army" led by the traitor Brennan is also pressing forward step by step, and has already captured the northwest gates of Griffin Cliff and Dusk City.
These two forces were like a pair of pliers, tightly clamping the Green Forest Army's most vulnerable front teeth. If they were not careful, they would fall into a situation of total defeat!
What was particularly chilling was that Reese suddenly realized that he and his people had not yet seen through all of their opponent's cards.
They are fighting the Campbells, the Salvation Army, the Kingdom's regular army, and the mysterious forces in the forest... yet it seems like they are fighting the same people.
The various forces besieging them seem to be independent of each other, but it seems as if there is an invisible hand controlling everything behind the scenes.
Who is it?
Saint Sis?
Or... a demon? !
But why!
Reese couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried.
However, there are obviously more urgent things to do right now than figuring out who is behind the incident.
"We are surrounded."
He raised his head, looked at Kailan, who had an equally solemn expression, and continued in a hoarse voice.
"We must abandon the siege! Gather all our forces immediately and retreat eastward, or we will all die here!"
The only way out is to the Gray Marsh Territory in the east.
The earl had fled long ago, and now only homeless refugees and murderous bandits roamed the area. As for the earl's castle, it was firmly controlled by their people.
After crossing the Grey Swamp Territory, they can disperse part of their forces into the forest to continue fighting the kingdom's army. At the same time, they can let Silas lead a team into the Wanren Mountains to join the Carrion Clan and re-arm them with the help of the ratmen.
Although Silas never mentioned it, most of the Green Army leaders knew that guy had a close relationship with the ratmen.
Just like they were tacitly aware of Urgos's existence.
The uprising may fail, but as long as people are still there, the flame will always be rekindled!
However, Kailan, the spiritual leader of the Green Army, fell into a painful struggle after hearing Reese's words.
Twilight City is right before their eyes!
He could even hear the wailing in the city, the desperate cries of the citizens oppressed by the nobles!
He promised—
He is going to save those people in purgatory!
"But what about those people in the city? We promised them!"
"We can't worry about that now!" Seeing Kailan still unable to make up his mind to retreat, Reese clenched his fists and couldn't help but raise his voice, almost shouting, "We've lost too many brothers! Fighting any further will lead to no results! All of us will become medals on their chests!"
The two argued fiercely.
Just when the atmosphere in the military tent was becoming extremely depressing, the "quartermaster" Silas, who had been silent all this time, suddenly coughed lightly.
There was no trace of fear on that fat face that always had a kind smile on it. Instead, there was a sunny smile on it.
He changed his usual "peacemaker" look and spoke clearly.
"I support Kailan. Dusk City is right before us. We are only one step away from passing through the city gate. We must not retreat at this time!"
Both Kellan and Reese looked at him in surprise.
Reese didn't expect that this guy would actually speak at the military meeting, while Kailan didn't expect that Silas, who was usually "okay with everything", would stand on his side this time.
To be honest, although he seemed reluctant to let go of the citizens of Twilight City, he actually agreed with Reese's suggestion in his heart.
Given the current situation, fighting head-on is indeed not a solution. Even if we capture Dusk City, it will be an isolated city and may not be able to be defended.
He just didn't want to back down so quickly.
After Reese persuaded him twice more, he was about to make that difficult decision.
That was why Silas's words completely confused him. He didn't know what this guy wanted to do by suddenly interrupting.
Silas didn't leave the two confused for long.
Facing the pairs of surprised eyes falling on him, he walked to Reese's side and pressed his fat index finger heavily on the military flag representing Dusk City in the sand table.
"Sloan and Gene paved the way for our victory with their blood, not for us to run away with our tails between our legs! And Rolandal is still fighting the Campbell army. How can we just give up like this!"
His voice became increasingly louder, as if filled with the power to bewitch people.
Looking back at the pairs of eyes falling on him, he opened his arms, clenched his fists, and spoke in an unprecedentedly passionate voice.
"Twilight City is right before our eyes! We can even smell its breath!"
"As long as we capture it, the entire Dusk Province will be ours! We will be able to attack or defend! This is the best consolation for our fallen brothers!"
"I therefore propose—"
"Launch a final offensive at all costs. Capture the capital of Twilight Province before the Campbells reach the city!"
Looking at Silas's crazy look, Reese was stunned at first, but after coming to his senses, he was immediately amused by his "high-sounding remarks".
What the hell is this?
The chicken blood is for cannon fodder. It is crazy to bring this up at a military meeting!
Pointing at the two flags that had formed a pincer attack on the sand table, Reese looked at the crazy guy as if he were a madman.
"Full-scale attack? Are you kidding? How are you going to take down their walls? Haven't we tried for the past month?"
Facing Reese's ridicule, Silas remained calm and spoke calmly.
"This time is different."
"It's okay if it's different this time, haha..."
Reese laughed and continued.
"Even if you manage to capture Dusk City by chance, what then? How are you going to defend this isolated city? There are the Saviors to the north and Campbell's army to the south. Tell me! How are we going to defend it?"
Facing Reese's aggressive questioning, Silas just smiled slightly, as if everything was under control.
No more covering up.
He said it in a showdown tone.
"The great true god Urgos has taught me the secret method of breaking the city in a dream. Just give me 50,000 people, and I can save the citizens of Dusk City from the oppression of the nobles!"
"Urgos's secret method..."
Kailan looked at Silas in astonishment, his heart sinking.
He was not completely ignorant of Chaos. He had even vaguely guessed that some of his subordinates were using certain taboos to gain power.
However, he knew very well that his own strength was not enough to fight against the king and the nobles, so he turned a blind eye to his subordinates' behavior of "showing off their magical powers".
There's nothing we can do about it.
Neither supernatural powers nor weapons will fall from the sky out of thin air. They can only rely on the only power they can rely on.
However, having said that, this was the first time that the name "Urgos" was brought up so bluntly at a military meeting.
What he didn't expect was that the person who said this name was actually the most peaceful "quartermaster" Silas.
He had always thought that the chosen person was "Longbowman" Reese.
In fact, everyone who has dealt with Chaos knows that guessing is meaningless because they are obviously the chosen ones.
Moreover, he was the lucky one who made it to the final round.
The difference is simply pretending to be ignorant while knowing the truth, or knowing the truth and enjoying it.
Looking at Kailan who was staring at him, Silas' smile widened and he spoke in a tone that sounded both helpless and mocking.
"My dear 'Your Majesty,' we've come this far, are you still playing dumb? That extraordinary power you possess, if it wasn't given by Urgos, could it be from Saint Sith?"
Kailan was speechless.
Under normal circumstances, he would have scolded Silas not to call him His Majesty, but now he didn't even have the energy to do that.
Reese stared at Silas and spoke word by word.
"You haven't answered my question yet. How are we going to defend Twilight City after we capture it? And what's the point of defending it?"
It was impossible for them to fight two forces at the same time in Twilight City.
Especially until now, the king of the Kingdom of Ryan was still watching the excitement below his feet and had not even sat down at the card table.
Silas smiled slightly and spoke softly.
"Don't worry about that. As long as we capture Dusk City, we'll be able to enter the final stage of the ceremony very quickly."
"When that time comes, you will naturally understand how I plan to defend it, and what the point of defending it is..."
Reese stopped arguing with the madman and placed his last hope on Kailan.
Kailan was struggling painfully inside.
Reason told him that Reese was right, and retreat was the only way out at the moment, even if they would lose a certain amount of manpower and prestige.
However, Silas's declaration of victory at all costs ignited the flame of idealism in his heart.
What if?
Just as Silas pointed out, standing behind them is the god of the void - Urgos from behind the sea of stars!
That is a name that even the Emperor would turn pale in fear. No matter whether it is Saint Sith or the Demon God, they can never be that guy's opponent!
Strictly speaking, the cards they hold are bigger than anyone else's!
After a long time, Kailan finally made up his mind, and a hint of determination flashed in his eyes.
"Fifty thousand is too little... I'll give you a hundred thousand!"
He looked at Silas and spoke word by word.
"We must capture Dusk City within three days... Otherwise, as Reese said, we will temporarily retreat into the forests of Twilight Province and make further plans."
Silas showed a hint of surprise on his face. He didn't expect Kailan to be so generous and give him 100,000 people at once.
After all, none of the people he wanted to take away would come back.
"One hundred thousand people... that would certainly be better."
The surprise on his face turned into a respectful smile, and he bowed deeply to those faces that were either skeptical or trusting.
"Within three days, I will have the flag of the Green Forest Army flying high above the walls of Dusk City!"
(End of this chapter)
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