Chapter 1023: Act 194 – Surrender
Duke Ambronner moved, and Brendel reacted instantly. The Sword of Earth was already drawn, its dark blade perfectly blocking the path of the Winter Wolf’s Bite. At the same time, the layers of temporal and spatial elements densely surrounded them, with lines of law weaving tightly into a mercury wall, displaying the power of high-level elements. The intensity of these elements left even Duke Ambronner astonished; this was the manifestation of top-tier elements. Throughout the long history of Vaunte, countless heroes spread like stars, and those who could comprehend such laws were undoubtedly the most brilliant stars shining in the sky.
He seemed to understand something, but this momentary hesitation couldn’t make an old soldier who had experienced brutal wars surrender. He perhaps saw failure ahead, a failure akin to the premonition of his own death he had felt decades ago on the battlefield of the Second Holy War. There are no immortal soldiers in this world, but there are certainly no soldiers who surrender with their swords still drawn.
Although Brendel had anticipated the tenacity and strength of this “Phantom Wolf,” he was still surprised to discover he had underestimated his opponent. The densely woven temporal and spatial elements redirected most of Duke Ambronner’s attacking energy into a distorted time-space, yet a small portion still broke through his defenses, striking the ridge of the Sword of Earth that he held horizontally.
A terrifying force surged through the Sword of Earth; before he could react, the scene before him blurred, and he found his back violently slammed against the wall.
“Lord!”
He vaguely heard Yutta and Mel’s cries of alarm, and the fierce momentum surged towards him once more, an icy breath spreading along the thick carpet on the floor, leaving a trail of an icebound forest in its wake. In an instant, it reached him. This force was truly terrifying; the gap between the peak of law and the side of truth was far greater than he had anticipated. In the game, due to level caps, players rarely experienced such a stark contrast between realms. Now Brendel felt as though he were facing a world boss in a one-on-one duel.
He had initially thought that after experiencing the black knight “Bai’s” baptism, he was prepared for the power beyond that realm, but this preparation proved insufficient.
Duke Ambronner was likewise stepping into the brink of ultimate reality, a veteran of the Holy War who had clawed his way back from hellish slaughter, and his resolute determination was unmatched by anyone.
Brendel couldn’t dwell on his thoughts and activated his Frenzy talent. A surge of power rushed within him, and his killing intent soared. He raised his sword again, blocking Duke Ambronner’s Winter Wolf’s Bite yet again. This time, he could clearly feel the opponent’s strength had diminished significantly, but that was merely an illusion generated by his own surge of power. Having had many experiences with the Frenzy talent, Brendel was confident in his judgments. Using Duke Ambronner’s strength, he smashed through the wall, emerging into the open air outside the Konwei Fortress amid a cloud of dust.
Duke Ambronner did not give up on his attack, chasing after him, ready to unleash a third Winter Wolf’s Bite.
The Konwei Fortress was built by the turquoise river, and Earl Brill’s study faced the river directly. At that moment, both combatants were effectively above the river’s surface. Duke Ambronner raised his skeletal staff, preparing to attack, but at that moment, something unexpected happened—dark light suddenly flashed from his hand, and the dark artifact abruptly shrank, then exploded in the center.
A torrent of violent dark power surged forth, catching the Duke off guard and exploding right into him. The river surface lit up with black light, and the shockwave from the explosion swept outwards, creating a semi-spherical depression in the river. After the shockwave passed, the water erupted, drizzling down like a light rain; the rain mixed with the surrounding dust, turning into mud that fell in thick clumps.
Duke Ambronner was left in a wretched state from the explosion, his skeletal staff shattered. Before he could comprehend what had happened, a shadow darted through the curtain of rain ahead, and he immediately felt a chill at his neck, recognizing the cold edge of the Sword of Earth.
He paused, opened his eyes, and discovered Brendel had somehow taken advantage of the explosion to sidle up beside him, placing the sword against his throat.
His timing was impeccable, as if he had been unharmed by the previous explosion, almost as if he had anticipated it. Otherwise, with his abilities, he should not have been caught off guard.
He remained silent for a moment, glanced at his broken staff, then let it drop into the turquoise river, lifting his head to say, “It seems the Undead Army has been finished. This was clearly in your calculations. The undead artifact that the Madarans worked so hard to find turned out to be so fragile in your hands. Not only that, but you also lured me into making a move. I must be foolish enough to fall for it.”
Brendel smiled, thinking it was all luck. The White Army’s plans were far from inadequate; had he not fortuitously encountered the black knight “Bai” and learned the entire scheme from his mouth, along with acquiring shards of order, even with foreknowledge of the Queen’s alliance with Madara’s skeletons, holding onto Fatan Port would have been very difficult.
But he just happened to run into them, thanks to his sensitivity and vigilance, and once the offensive and defensive positions reversed, it was Duke Ambronner who remained oblivious.
The Phantom Wolf was certainly not a name undeserved, and the power of the White Army should not be underestimated; it was just that he had not given them any opportunities. Before the battle had even begun, it had already been declared over.
“Duke,” Brendel said, “you should understand that resisting to the end will not change anything.”
Duke Ambronner remained silent. In fact, the moment he chased out of the Konwei Fortress, he had sensed that he was locked onto by several sharp perceptions coming from the fleet above. One of them was quite familiar to him; it belonged to an old friend from the Crusian people. When he recognized that perception, he knew he had no chance left.
Among the four legion leaders of the Empire, Veronika, who had returned from the Loop of Trade Winds, was the most powerful, and since even she was no match for that person, how could Duke Ambronner hope to succeed?
With that person present, Duke Ambronner understood that he had been outmatched from the start, regardless of whether Brendel had plotted against him.
He looked up at a battleship floating in the sky and calmly said, “Please give me a dignified end.”
“Duke, why must you insist on this?”
Duke Ambronner cast a sideways glance at Brendel. “There has never been a precedent in the Empire’s history for an entire legion to surrender. I cannot set this precedent. After my death, they will fight until the last moment. Each member of the White Army will never tarnish their honor.”
“No one will dishonor the White Army, and I am not suggesting that you surrender to the Crown Prince.”
“What do you mean?” Duke Ambronner frowned.
“Since you admit defeat, I shall allow you to leave this place.” Brendel replied in a calm tone.
“What? Is that true?”
“I have no benefit in deceiving you, Duke.”
Duke Ambronner furrowed his brow deeply, as this sounded like the practices of ancient nobility. Back then, nobles viewed warfare as a means of gaining glory, and victors often allowed the defeated to depart honorably. Except for warriors dying on the battlefield, unarmed people would never be harmed.
Wars in that era concerned neither plunder nor profit but rather were seen as a matter of integrity. However, since the Holy Oath gradually fell into disrepair, even the infights within nations became increasingly ruthless.
But he could not comprehend the reasons behind Brendel’s actions.
“Do you guarantee my subordinates will not be harmed and that they can leave East Metz intact?” he asked, furrowing his brow.
“I cannot guarantee they will leave East Metz entirely intact, but I can assure that anyone wishing to leave will do so without obstruction, provided they do not linger in the Metz area. They should head to the imperial capital within the time I set. As for whether they join the Queen’s army or pursue other plans, I make no interference,” Brendel said after some thought.
At that moment, he saw Yutta and Mel rushing out from where Brendel had smashed a hole in the Konwei Fortress; he immediately signaled them not to approach.
Seeing the scene outside, Yutta and Mel clearly sighed in relief. They had heard what Brendel said earlier, but the three of them, including Mel, did not believe that Brendel could genuinely persuade Duke Ambronner—though he had indeed made such a proposal initially; to persuade an entire elite legion of the Empire to disarm was simply too unimaginable.
Even if the White Army were wiped out here, it could not be compared to bowing to the Erluin people; the repercussions of the latter would be utterly devastating. The imperial people could not possibly tolerate such a thing.
Yet they could not help but feel a mix of doubt seeing Brendel exude such confidence.
“However, I demand that the White Army must surrender on the spot, lay down their weapons, and I require the takeover of Owesen. Before allowing everyone to leave this place, I need to treat you as temporary captives to prevent any chaos; these demands are reasonable, and I believe you can understand, Duke.”
“Disarming?” Duke Ambronner frowned. “How can I trust that you will keep your promise?”
“You may not trust my word, Duke,” Brendel answered, “but I can give you a royal promise.”
“A royal promise?”
“Prince Haruze is a member of the delegation sent to the Empire, and if he makes a promise to you, I believe you would not doubt it anymore. It is common knowledge that the Crown Prince will become the king of Erluin in the future; thus, this is effectively a king’s promise,” Brendel replied.
“If that is the case, I believe I can accept it.” Duke Ambronner nodded.
Brendel had prepared for this, taking a communication crystal from his pocket; he activated it, causing images of several members of the White Lion Guard to appear on the crystal. Once they saw him, the soldiers exclaimed with excitement, “Lord! You arrived just in time! After the complete annihilation of the Undead Army, the counterattack of the White Army was fiercer than expected. Thanks to the Princess rallying the troops on the front lines, otherwise they might have already breached the harbor!”
“What!? The Princess!” Brendel was taken aback. “How could the Princess be on the front lines?”
“Yes, Lord! The Princess is right here. Would you like to speak with her?”
Brendel looked uncertainly at the crystal, watching as the image shifted to that of Princess Grifian. However, he immediately sensed something was off; she did not appear as steadfast as a typical princess; instead, she seemed evasive; after all, the princess would never blush in front of him like a shy little girl.
Moreover, he had a strong sense of déjà vu about her face.
Until the “Princess” finally awkwardly opened her mouth, “Teacher, I…”
Brendel gasped.
“What are you doing?” He quickly realized who this “Princess” was, unable to help but ask.
“I, I…” Haruze looked as if he was about to cry. “Teacher, I was wrong…”
Brendel immediately closed his mouth. He understood this was not the time to question what the young prince was doing; the paramount task now was to win Duke Ambronner’s trust. The White Army, evidently attacking Fatan Port without Duke Ambronner’s command, he knew well how weak the harbor’s defensive capabilities were; he could not afford any delays at this moment.
Thinking of this, he turned back to Duke Ambronner.
At that moment, Duke Ambronner, hearing their conversation, felt a heaviness in his heart; he hadn’t expected that Fatan Port was still not breached. Concerning the White Army’s situation, he unwittingly considered it even less optimistic, nodding, “If it is the Princess, then I have no objections.”
It was common knowledge that in the current climate, the one who truly spoke in Erluin was in fact Prince Haruze’s sister; even if the young prince was said to be the future king, who could predict such matters? Duke Ambronner clearly did not recognize that the figure on the other side of the crystal was an impostor.
Brendel immediately gave Haruze a glance, signaling him to compose himself as he explained the current situation to him. Though Haruze was not very confident, he was not foolish either, promptly promising Duke Ambronner in the name of the Erluin royal family that they would not go back on their word.
Upon receiving this promise, Duke Ambronner’s expression clearly darkened.
“I want to know,” he said, “how long my men will be prisoners, and when Lord intends to arrange for their departure from Metz.”
“Rest assured, Duke; we will not make any fuss over this,” Brendel reassured him. “I need a few days to take over Owesen, but at the latest within a week, I will arrange for the White Army to leave.”
Duke Ambronner stared blankly for a moment before silently nodding.
Seeing him set an example, Brendel felt a wave of relief wash over him.
Meanwhile, Yutta and the others within the Konwei Fortress were already in a state of disbelief.
