Chapter 322 -245: Before the Battle
On the vast, flat snowy plains, two wide rivers converged, flowing slowly and nourishing the fertile black soil.
It was now September. Though the weather had turned cold, the rivers had yet to freeze over, only carrying some drifting piles of ice.
These were the Inaki River and the Olvir River. After the ancestors of the Scania People migrated to the Anzeta Great Wilderness, they built cities along these two rivers, eventually forming the Northern United Kingdom. Therefore, these rivers were also regarded as the “Mother Rivers” of the entire Scania civilization.
A rather strange legend was still circulating. It was said that tens of thousands of years ago, the Winter Goddess Olvir mated with a giant Stone Giant named “Inaki,” and thus the Anzeta Great Wilderness, a “Land of Eternal Winter” shrouded year-round by cold winds and filled with rocky mountains, was born. This was how these two rivers came to be named and their names continue to this day.
However, this was merely the fantasy of ignorant mortals.
To the south of the Okaglar Plains, the entire area was filled with the fortifications of the Allied Forces and bustling soldiers, some of whom were even players.
...
As the soldiers busied themselves, a familiar voice once again rang out. The phantom of a man, with a noble aura and handsome face, appeared among the troops.
“In fact, you have no reason to fight for them, to give your lives for them…”
“And I, as King, in the name of King of Ashen, Cassius…”
As that voice echoed, the soldiers involuntarily put down their work and focused on that “speech.” This phantom and voice seemed to possess a kind of magic.
“Whoa, he’s really handsome——”
“I’m going to defect.”
“So this is what Cassius looks like in human form? Love it, love it. This face is a work of art. The developers really understand us.”
“Sorry, Duke Leo, you’re a good man, but His Majesty Cassius is simply too tempting.”
“I’ve decided! I’ll surrender later!”
“Ah, I’ve already become His Majesty Cassius’s prisoner.”
“The Kingdom faction’s players have it too good.”
The voices of female players, and even some male players, rang out without much discretion.
Hearing these treasonous words, the corners of Count Trischka’s mouth twitched, but he had grown used to treating the words of these “Starfallen” as mere wind.
After a massive influx of players, the power-hungry Boske Duchy certainly noticed these “unexpected factors.” Count Leo also began trying to absorb these undying “Starfallen.” Now, the Allied Forces had more than five thousand of these beings.
Despite the propaganda, nearly half of the players did not choose Northwind Castle as their birthplace.
Trischka strode forward and pierced the Magic Crystal with a sword, causing the beguiling phantom to dissipate entirely. This was just one of many times he had done so, as those Wyverns often dropped these things.
“Do not listen to the evil dragon’s seduction!”
“Anyone found with these crystals, death!”
Trischka ruthlessly crushed the fragments beneath his foot, shouting loudly.
“No! My Lord Cassius!!”
“Ah, no more eye candy.”
“Happy times are always short-lived.”
“This NPC is so annoying. Can’t he just go away?”
“Next time we see something like this, let’s pick it up and hide it in the base to watch secretly, hehe.”
The players’ disappointed voices rose one after another, still with no regard for Trischka standing right beside them.
Immediately, veins bulged on Trischka’s forehead as he exerted great effort to resist the urge to execute those few Starfallen.
“Never mind these rude individuals.”
“I should report to His Grace and discuss countermeasures.”
With a solemn expression, he thought this.
The Herald, who had fled the front lines in panic, arrived at full gallop with news that the eastern and western defense lines had completely collapsed. The Allied Forces, led by Roland, had been annihilated, and the situation was dire. They were the North’s last hope.
Fortunately, this time, their allies were unprecedentedly reliable.
…
Inside the tent, the deep voice of Duke Leo echoed, particularly somber.
“What?”
“The Holy Fadlan Federation is experiencing a large-scale rebellion? That Count Vabric left without a word?”
“My lord… it seems so.”
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“Their spellcasters opened a portal and likely left Anzeta directly for the Empire of Fadlan. They won’t return anytime soon.”
“Damn it! How could this happen!”
Duke Leo slammed the table in anger but was powerless against it.
It must be noted that the Divine Descendant Count himself was of Legendary Level strength. Added to the legion he brought from Fadlan, they were an indispensable force in the “Anti-Red Dragon Alliance.”
In his mind, their importance outweighed even the combined armies of the Northern Countries.
Yet, with this rebellion, the Count left with his legion without a word, and the Allied Forces lost a crucial strength.
Duke Leo stared intently at the parchment map on the table, clenched his fist, and said in a low voice.
“Fortunately…. we can still rely on the Silver Dragon Elder and Asmo from the Heavenly Mountain…”
“In the Battle of Stratholme Fortress, that Red Dragon will certainly come in person.”
“As long as we kill him, there will still be hope.”
“The millennia-old foundation of the North can be preserved.”
Once the Duke had fully calmed, Count Trischka finally spoke up, “Your Grace, I have intelligence to report.”
“Come in.”
Duke Leo looked at him and asked wearily.
“Tell me, what’s the situation at the front?”
Trischka observed the Duke’s expression, hesitated for a moment, and then replied softly. “The situation at the front… is very bad.”
But Duke Leo, to everyone’s surprise, did not become furious. He just continued to ask.
“How bad?”
“The Allied Forces led by Roland in the ‘First Defense Line’ were completely annihilated, and the defense lines of Carter Duchy and Fano Duchy were also entirely breached. This is all the information we know.”
Duke Leo, as if expecting this outcome, merely nodded slightly. He felt no grief for the death of his second son.
To him, offspring were just consumables.
This was Leo Boske, the male leader who had once led the revival of the Boske Duchy, who was also a hero against the monster invasion, and a purely political creature. These traits were not contradictory.
“What a bunch of useless fools.”
“But at least they served one purpose by holding back some of the Ashen Kingdom’s forces. All their sacrifices were worth it.”
Leo Boske looked down at the map on the table. He drew his sword from his waist and pointed at the Okaglar Plains in the center.
“The fate of the Northern United Kingdom, and even the entire Anzeta, hinges on the upcoming war.”
“You will achieve victory…”
“As always.”
Trischka, standing beside him, echoed softly.
But Duke Leo shook his head and said: “The outcome of this war won’t be determined by us but by those powerful beings.”
He lifted the tent flap, looking out at the sky. Within the thick clouds, a power seemed to be gathering…