Chapter 850: Act 28 – The War Begins III
Carglis suppressed the tension in his heart and recounted everything he had seen. After the left flank of the Vieiro army collapsed, Earl Jack set up a defensive position in a grove, hoping to leverage the terrain to limit the effectiveness of the Madara skeleton cavalry and dreadlings. With the left flank lost, the width of the Vieiro defensive line became extremely narrow, trapped in a three-sided siege by the Undead Army. Madara dispatched skeleton swordsmen to launch an attack, but the elite crossbowmen of the Vieiro had almost no effect against the bone constructs. Only the crossbow bolts sanctified by the priests of the Temple of Fire had the desired effect, but the quantity was too small to significantly affect the battle. The strength of the skeleton swordsmen was slightly inferior to that of human soldiers, but they had the upper hand in numbers. The elite crossbowmen of Vieiro were ineffective, while the remaining over a thousand knights and heavily armored infantry fell into a bitter struggle.
Like all human armies that fought against the undead, the Vieiro’s resistance was fierce. The dark nobles of Madara were accustomed to this, and their response was simple: they traded casualties with the Vieiro at any cost. Brendel understood here that Earl Jack was in grave trouble; the skeletons were resistant to arrows, and the Vieiro had failed to bring enough priests with them, essentially walking a path to self-destruction. In contrast, the Madara forces were seasoned, and the undead army was tireless, unaffected by losses, while humans could not bear the despair of seeing comrade after comrade fall beside them. As expected, the Vieiro quickly descended into chaos.
“So the Vieiro are finished?” Brendel inquired.
“Almost finished, my lord, but now they are still entangled with Madara’s infantry. The elite heavy crossbowmen of the Vieiro pose a minor threat to the skeletons, but a major one to the dreadlings. The Bloodstaff has already claimed two dreadlings in this battle, apparently determined to take down this elite unit of the Vieiro. Moreover, the current exchanges are quite favorable for them, leaving no reason to let this opportunity slip by.”
“Did you see this with your own eyes?”
“I saw it with my own eyes, my lord.”
“Then what do you think of both sides?” Brendel asked, sitting atop his horse, his tone implying more.
“The retinue knights of Vieiro are a joke. They shouldn’t have even come. Those knight lords have caused Earl Jack great suffering, without them, the Vieiro wouldn’t be in such dire straits now.”
“The Duke of Vieiro couldn’t have stopped them from coming,” Brendel chuckled sarcastically.
The others around him couldn’t help but frown, especially someone like Carglis, who hailed from a noble family. It was only natural for vassals to serve their lord; this had been the tradition upheld by Erluin and Cruz for centuries. It seemed only reasonable, nothing to be concerned about, but how had it suddenly turned into a colossal flaw? Only Brendel understood that in the past, whether a lord won or lost a battle didn’t matter much—only some wealth was lost. That was noble warfare. However, from this era onward, wars expanded to encompass the annexation of nations and territories, and the outcome of such conflicts began to bear grave consequences for life and death. The inefficient military structure became a fatal weakness.
“What about the others?”
“They’re decent. The noble knights and heavy infantry of Lantonrand can match the strength of the Ampere Seale Port Guard and the Southern army, but their numbers are far too few. If the elite crossbowmen could perform as they should, there might still be a chance. Right now…” Carglis sighed. Lantonrand was Earl Jack’s given name, and Carglis generally held a cynical view; thus, he lacked the proper respect for noble lords other than Brendel and the Princess, referring to them by name rather than giving them nicknames as a form of respect for the Earl. His notion of being able to fight back only meant being able to directly contend with the army of four thousand skeletons, and the Bloodstaff had simply not committed its elite to the front lines.
“What about the Lantonrand people?”
“Aike has been intercepted by Madara’s skeleton cavalry right across from us. They’ve been trying to get through to support Lantonrand, but those bone constructs have not given him the chance. However, the Lantonrand people are impressive, not letting them gain a single advantage. I saw Aike and his knights circling around those skeleton cavalry, probably waiting for us to arrive on the battlefield.”
Brendel chuckled, thinking that Aike’s fiancée, Yula, must be commanding this army. The blind Jiufeng maiden was extraordinarily gifted and truly a chosen one. Had she not died so early in history alongside Aike, the history of Erluin might look quite different today. There had been several strong figures in the South, including Aike and Yula, as well as Kewen, who stood before him. If these three could cooperate, plus the Highland knights, Madara’s invasion would not have gone so smoothly. The Bloodstaff had also been ambushed in Duskwood Forest, where Yula played an important role.
“Speak about Madara,” he purposely raised his voice, and indeed, others perked up. Beyond Brendel, most were curious about that ‘formidable opponent’ whom their lord had always placed great emphasis on. They had heard that the bone constructs were insignificant. Besides Brendel and Freya, even the mercenaries who had fled from Buche did not view Madara as a significant threat to Erluin. These opinions influenced them to a degree, but what they witnessed today seemed to reveal another side of that Broamente rose.
Juliette, fully armored and seated in her saddle, felt quite unaccustomed to the weight of the heavy armor but was also infatuated with it. This beautifully adorned armor now represented her identity as a noblewoman and knight commander of her kingdom, a status she had long desired. If she had held such a status sooner, perhaps she could have protected her sister back then. She let out a silent sigh. Hearing Brendel’s words, Juliette rolled her eyes and turned to Vurn beside her, saying, “The lord is at it again.”
The knight commander from the Karasu looked at her coldly, offering no reply.
“Are those bone constructs really that formidable?”
“More formidable than you think, but not as outrageous as the lord claims,” Vurn answered.
“I figured as much; perhaps our lord was a bit shaken by them in Buche. Heh, our lord is impressive in ways that are unbelievable, both young and handsome, but after all, he’s just a kid,” Juliette laughed.
Vurn shot her a glance; that sounded a bit too disrespectful. The Bloodstaff bore a deep-seated grudge against every Karasu, and he was no different. The lord had honored his promise to bring him here, and he could only feel grateful. Just thinking about the possibility of killing the Bloodstaff himself made the mercenary commander’s blood boil with excitement. Of course, perhaps he agreed with Juliette’s sentiments to some extent, but he would never use those words to describe their lord.
At this moment, Carglis was silent for a while before saying, “If I had a choice, I really wouldn’t want to be their enemy. To deal with them, one must kill them completely; just thinking about it feels exhausting.”
“Is that all?”
“And they’re a bit strong.”
“Strong?”
“The one that routed Lantonrand—a skeleton swordsman. Its attire is unlike anything I have seen before—it’s far stronger than regular skeletons, but strangely, we never heard rumors of such skeleton swordsmen before. I suspect Madara has many other high-order military units we have never known about, which have never appeared in past wars.” Carglis answered cautiously.
“Describe it.”
“That skeleton swordsman differs from ordinary skeletons; it wielded a broad two-handed sword.”
“Two-handed swordsman.”
“Yes, two-handed swordsman.” Carglis nodded. “They also wore half-armor that differs from regular skeletons; they wore black half-plate but no helmets, and it seemed they had iron shin guards.”
“Does the half-plate armor have a spider relief on it?”
Carglis looked up in surprise to meet Brendel’s gaze: “My lord, have you seen them?”
Brendel smiled; the spider swordsmen had indeed appeared. He looked at Carglis and continued, “And then?”
“Their strength is quite strong,” Carglis said with uncertainty. He had understood his mission before heading to Silman, so aside from the knowledge Brendel had given him about Madara, he had specifically borrowed books on that dark kingdom from Antinna, which had not mentioned those peculiar two-handed swordsmen, making him feel increasingly that his lord was exceptional. He answered cautiously, “Regular knights aren’t their opponents; they possess at least the strength of a tier-three army.”
“Tier three, organized army?” Vurn finally couldn’t help but speak up: “That’s impossible!”
Madara indeed had many high-level undead, including bone dragons, which were tier-nine creatures. In the army of Instalung, there had been three bone dragons, but they were like commanding officers on the battlefield, often apparent targets. Erluin also had experts capable of elemental transformations, so these high-level beings rarely inflicted substantial damage to a typical army.
In Vaunte’s military theory, only organized high-level beings could be termed as high-level armies.
However, Madara, like Erluin, lacked high-level armies. Its fundamental forces were skeletons and zombies, even inferior to human soldiers. Black knights and ghosts were slightly higher level but scarce. Without the unique attributes of the undead, Madara’s military power had historically struggled against even the small nation of Erluin, and thus, it could trade victories and losses back and forth for over a thousand years.
So, Carglis’s words struck Vurn, who had fought the most with skeletons, as unbelievable.
“But if Madara has these armies, why have they been hiding them? If they wanted to catch us off guard, now does not seem to be the time,” Juliette couldn’t help but question.
Brendel shook his head. This was the common mindset of the Erluin people in this era; even those around him had yet to realize what had transpired in the lands to the east. But only he understood that Carglis was not lying; Madara had never hidden its army. It had no reason to, given Erluin’s current weakness. The spider swordsmen had indeed never appeared in wars against Erluin before—they were only just now joining Madara’s military ranks.
Dreadlings, skeleton cavalry, and now the spider swordsmen—today’s Madara, although lacking the historical figures like Tam, still possessed these new troops. One person’s gains and losses could not alter history. The sheer power resulting from Madara’s vast territories in all four directions was terrifying. More awaited in the future; this was merely the beginning. Brendel smiled, pondering what the others would think if he told them that the spider swordsmen would become the foundational infantry of Madara.
After the Third Black Rose War, Madara no longer bothered to create skeleton warriors; it was merely wasting soul energy. From that time on, Madara’s lowest-tier troops had evolved into the tier-four vengeful spider swordsmen.
“So you all heard,” Brendel finally spoke up, “The opponents you will face ahead may comprise a tier-three army and a tier-four air force of the undead. This is an army unlike the Cruz, lionmen, or even demons; you will soon witness their prowess.”
The young members of the White Lion Guard fell silent when they heard their lord speak thus. Brendel glanced over everyone at the forest’s edge and gently waved his hand.
“But none of this is important.”
Suddenly he smiled, revealing his white teeth.
“What matters is that today we will crush them here and tell the world that Madara’s enemy today—will be a kingdom filled with the ancient glory, returning to this world from the long scroll of history.”
“It is the white lion, the golden sword, the vow of guardianship, and the ancient belief.”
“Yes,” the lord earl mounted on his horse paused, as though to exhale the last breath from his chest, “Our motherland, Erluin—”
His voice was not loud, almost drifting in the rain, yet it stirred a rush of blood in everyone’s chests, seemingly filling them with infinite courage, making them feel as if they couldn’t help but let out a loud long cry and march forward wielding their swords. Brendel raised his hand; above the river valley, the banners began to flutter, the Saintly White flags billowed in the wind, each appearing in the mist, snapping sharply. They bore the kingdom’s crescent moon against the background of the pine-clad mountains, fallen pine needles, and the northern snows, seeming to carry the history of a kingdom that now re-emerged upon this land.
At the top is the emblem of the white lion.
The herald raised his long horn to his lips, puffed his cheeks, and blew forcefully.
The sound of the horn resonated throughout the valley.
“Who is before us?” Brendel suddenly asked.
“It’s two regiments from the Sea of the Undying Moon. I’ve figured it out; the commanders are ‘Death Whisper’ Morgin and Sir Silence Viskag. The composition fundamentally consists of spider swordsmen, with a scarce number of skeleton cavalry, presumably the elite forces of the Bloodstaff.”
“It has nothing to do with the Bloodstaff; it’s the elite selection regiment.” Brendel smiled.
“The elite selection regiment?”
“Not a big deal; we’ll crush over them first, consider it a greeting to the Bloodstaff.”
The melodious long horn echoed through the entire valley. The first to react were the Lantonrand people. Upon hearing that heavy, deep dragon horn, Aike’s eyes lit up. He tightened the reins, turning while at a gallop, shouting back, “Quick, listen, where is the sound of the horn coming from?” The knights of Lantonrand turned back in unison, and after a moment, someone shouted, “It’s from the west, directly from the west!”
“Haha, the Toniger are here!” Aike drew his sword, turned his horse, and shouted, “The earl is greeting the Bloodstaff! We Lantonrand cannot let them look down on us. Onward, let’s sound the horn! Prepare to turn around, it’s time to teach those half-baked bone constructs a lesson!”
Being pursued by a group of far inferior foes had left the knights feeling stifled; now, they could not help but cheer, and the valley echoed with a resounding roar.
The mournful horn sounded in response, carried through the valley by the gentle wind and drizzling rain.
The blood-soaked Earl Jack lifted his head, listening keenly to the sound of the horn. “The Toniger are here, and they and the Lantonrand are notifying us…” This stalwart soldier could not help but shed tears at that moment as warm blood washed down his grimy face. He lamented, “But what use is it that they have come? I have let them down; I have let them down! Retreat, we are beyond saving! At least let’s not all die here. Go tell the princess, tell the duke, that Madara is no longer the Madara it once was! Herald, quickly tell them to retreat—hurry, retreat, before the undead have set their sights on them—”
The herald stood there, stunned next to his lord, and everyone couldn’t help but exchange glances.
Should they sound the horn?
If they did, they would be doomed, and no one would come to save them. They were trapped, with only death ahead. But if they didn’t sound the horn? As the earl said, what was the point? The undead army before them had long since become something beyond the past; even the Lantonrand could not break through their defenses. What could the Toniger do? That place was nothing but a remote and poor land. Perhaps the current lord might one day become a powerful figure in the kingdom, possibly even the only new Sword Saint of Erluin in decades, but so what?
No single individual could alter the course of war.
Yet, to sit idly and wait for death was inconceivable for nobles. Rationality told them they should sound the horn, but emotionally, these timid kingdom nobles could not accept being abandoned by their allies. They gazed at the herald, frantic, shaking their heads.
“Friends,” Earl Jack certainly noticed the subtle movements of his peers—was it not until now they could not let go of their petty thoughts? He sighed inwardly, feeling a bit powerless as he said, “You all have children; would you wish for them to face today’s predicament like us, waiting in despair and sorrow for death? You are soldiers; the word duty may perhaps be too distant for you, but protecting your wives and daughters is the instinct of being human. I have said all I can; will you still stand in opposition?”
The Earl of Zilin, who had been shaking his head vigorously, suddenly froze.
Children and descendants were the hope of noble succession. Even if they were cold as iron, they couldn’t help but waver at this moment—
Under the same sky, the Bloodstaff silently observed the murky heavens, as if able to hear the sound of the long horn resonating in the air. After a while, he lowered his head and asked softly, “Whose army is this?”
“Those surviving human soldiers say it seems to be from the Toniger,” came the reply.
“The Toniger?” The Bloodstaff was momentarily taken aback, “Where is that?”
“Apologies, my lord, I haven’t heard of it either.”
