### Chapter 185: The Curtain Falls (Part Two)
Under the morning light, the winds of change once again stirred.
A scavenging raven flew across the gray southern skies of the empire, skimming over the snowy mountain peaks.
Two days later, Duke Skarlij marched his army back to the west towards Baihao City. Among the thousands of troops from the Northern Army, some had only arrived the day after the battle in town, dumbfounded to discover that everything had already wrapped up. There were also those who came rushing in from farther east, ready to fend off the Church’s advance with several cities’ vanguard forces.
According to the general leading the troops, news had already reached the heart of the empire in Xiong Ying City. Before long, the Falcon Army led by Count Lafael would descend south to join his father in battling the Church Knights, standing united against a common enemy. The Northern men were fearless, even if their foes were the hegemons of this world. If anyone dared to encroach, they’d better be ready to shed some skin.
The “Northern Power” had long ceased to be just a few thousand troops huddled together in a handful of cold cities. Since the war’s onset, the Shanter Army’s hunters had pushed through with frightening speed, capturing all major cities in the North within a year. Their sheer military might and determination has prompted more than a few smaller towns to send in letters of allegiance. Xiong Ying City was so scared it was shaking like a maiden awaiting the butcher’s kn*fe. When the army arrived, the gates flew open, and they surrendered without a fight.
By the second year, the Shanter Castle had absorbed the armies of various lords and nobles who had surrendered. The elite troops were all incorporated into the Shanter Army, while those who couldn’t be assimilated were placed under the jurisdiction of New City of Kaliye and Erin Castle. The original divisions of the Shanter Army transformed into the Falcon, Lion, and Wolf Armies, summoning nearly a hundred thousand strong. Although the main force remained the workshop hunters from before, after a year of intense training, a good number of talented new hunters had emerged.
What a formidable force this was! If they could somehow transport half of this army, with ample supplies, gear, and high morale, the Fourth Knights would turn tail and run. Even the Queen of Ethanbel didn’t command such numbers!
However, war isn’t just about numbers. While the Shanter Army began its southern campaign last year, the Northern Army was not perfectly united. Those lords and nobles willing to pledge loyalty were mostly just opportunistic fence-sitters who didn’t want to d*e.
Under pressure, they feigned allegiance, each one waiting to see how the situation unfolded, and many were secretly looking to sabotage the efforts. The only ones willing to fight tooth and nail during this time were Erin Castle and the New City of Kaliye.
Moreover, even if they fancied sending troops, with the current food supplies, they’d be lucky to make it to the southern territories without half the army starving along the way.
In fact, since last year, with the disaster in the southern regions of Silgaya, the North’s shortage of supplies had become increasingly apparent. The common folks were enduring hardship, and fueled by rumors circulating in taverns, the Holy Church was gradually losing its credibility in the eyes of the people.
Thus, this year began to see frequent insurgencies in various places, and a handful of loyal private armies mutinied. The Northern Army had to expend more effort managing the incessant issues cropping up at their rear, which is why Lafael was in Xiong Ying City, rather than fighting alongside his father.
The clash with the Fourth Knights only added fuel to the fire of their troubles.
Fortunately, these awful tidings hadn’t spread too far yet, but it was only a matter of time before they reached the ears of the fence-sitters in the Northern region.
If they couldn’t defeat the Church forces swiftly, clear out the Cheryls City guard, and eliminate the palace influence, it wouldn’t take long before the Northern army, Winter City, Erin Castle, and New City of Kaliye would be in a dire situation, surrounded by enemies and starved of supplies.
—If I had not appeared, this would have been the inevitable outcome.
And this was the Fourth Knights’ confidence.
On the journey back to the city, my father told me just that.
Now, the Northern Army had no more worries behind them.
After the battle at Winter Wind Town, the enemy’s strongest forces were all but wiped out, the elite of the Fourth Knights decimated. Tarlasya had captured Captain Salamus, turning the demoralized man into a prisoner. Now only the remnants of the troops at Moon Mountain Gorge, lacking a commander and needing to contend with the Royal City’s army, remained nothing to be feared.
As for the city guards, who had already been beaten multiple times by the Northern Army—how many were left who would still pledge unwavering loyalty to defend the city?
Thus, the returning troops were high-spirited all the way; they couldn’t wait to storm the Emperor’s lair. My father was in a great mood, and after recovering from his injuries, he seemed to have a lot more to say. He first told me about the empire’s situation over the past two years, then attempted to chat with the Sword Demon, now that his arm was healed. But after a few sentences, he found communication quite difficult and dropped it.
Afterwards, he casually prompted me to share what had happened on my side.
I thought for a moment and chose to tell him.
My account was almost identical to the one I gave to my mother.
Father listened quietly, nodding in silence. In that moment, I saw sadness and pain in his eyes, feelings so complex that it seemed he had a thousand words to say to me, yet in the end, nothing managed to leave his lips.
On the third day, the troops grandly entered Baihao City.
In the distance, I saw my mother standing alongside some troops at the wall, their figures visible in the morning light. The banners had already been replaced, and upon their return, Duke Skarlij and I were present. Strongman Hoover and Pagos climbed atop the battlements, grabbed a confiscated Church flag, and yelled something while setting it ablaze, throwing it down the high wall to celebrate.
That evening, as the last of the ravens flew away, they began plotting the assault on Cheryls City.
…………
August 13, 1189.
The Northern Army, merging the Lion and Wolf armies totaling over thirteen thousand, allied with three thousand elite troops from Erin Castle, 500 Red Riders, and two thousand heavily armed cavalry from the New City of Kaliye, advanced west from Baihao City, attacking the camp knights stationed at Moon Mountain Gorge. That night, before the army arrived, the Fourth Knights quickly fled their camp. Thousands fled, while the Northern Army chased them for kilometers, slaying over a thousand and burning the encampment.
On August 14, the Northern Army’s Royal City forces converged at Moon Mountain Gorge to launch multi-pronged attacks against Cheryls Royal City. Over eight thousand city guards shattered under the pressure and, in several charges, left a landscape littered with corpses.
On the 15th, the Northern Army surrounded the city. The elite Royal Guards entrenched in the wall fortifications held their ground. Half a day later, led by Hoover and Bella, five hundred workshop hunters exploited a secret passage previously modified by Erin Castle’s craftsmen to wreak havoc on the royal defenses from within. That night, the Northern and Royal City armies launched a surprise assault.
Pagos and Duke Skarlij led the vanguard, breaking through the southern gate at the crack of dawn. The eastern barricades remained undisturbed when a waves of Wolf Army battering rams crashed against them. Little Reikmon made a snap decision, leading over a thousand Royal City troops to storm the walls. bl**d surged in waves, and amidst the tumult, many Royal Guards were pushed off the ramparts, the fighting continuing fiercely, more Northern troops pouring into the city.
By the morning of August 16, the mighty army closed in on the splendid royal palace.
At noon, one of the hunter squads responsible for clearing out the resistance inside captured the cowardly Emperor Keynes while he was trying to hide, along with his most beloved consort.
The hunters shamed them, laughing as they escorted the pair out of the palace, pushing and shoving towards the beast mounts ahead of the new king, standing before the two royals, one old and one new.
They forced them down to kneel before the new monarch’s steeds.
From that moment, the grand city of the century-old empire, plunged into howls and bloodshed, was left in ruins amidst the unthawing frost of this year.
And after that—
What remained was the black fortress of Shanter, standing proud in the extreme cold of the North, belonging to another lineage of “Winter Moon,” favored by the moonlight—a final stage for those living within.
Bong, bong, bong!
Do you hear it? Someone is ringing the great bell.
……
As for the customary conclusion at the end of the volume, to keep it short and sweet:
First off, I would like to state that Viki’s storyline cannot simply be brushed aside. Anyone could tell that. Don’t worry—there are many things I plan to address at the beginning of the next volume.
Viki, Lady, Duke, Pepé.
All of these must be mentioned at the start, since some events are intertwined.
Let’s summarize for a bit.
Essentially, it’s just the usual chit-chat.
The main theme is that writing this volume was truly tough for me.
Readers who have been following along might have felt the struggle. From the latter half of this volume, the frequency and timing of updates became wildly inconsistent. Breaking off became commonplace, with two days of break often occurring. It was painful for you to read, and for me to write. A two-day delay meant my writing flow was also interrupted; I had to spend ages getting back into the groove of the story.
Especially when I was swamped with other commitments, I was juggling writing while dodging phone calls, which definitely stretched things out.
And then, a short, feeble chapter would come out.
Only for everyone to complain about it.
I’d panic, but I typically couldn’t write more words quickly. Any attempt to speed up just meant cutting unnecessary plot points.
The biggest regret in this volume is that I cut way too much of what I wanted to express.
I deleted deeper metaphors concerning the Silgaya disaster, a whole lot of shady dealings surrounding the New Currency Exchange and the Second Knights, the details about the Silent Fortress and the Eye of Wisdom, the actions of those under Saint George, Margaret, Magipanny, and many others, along with preset inserted narratives about the Holy City, and so on—I cut so much that I can’t even remember all of what I axed.
Later on, when I reached the Valen Empire, I ended up cutting tons more of the war setups…
I believe these omissions wouldn’t affect the main storyline or the understanding of the conflicts between the various factions but still left me feeling a bit regretful.
Regretful, indeed.
But who could blame me for thinking too much while writing so little?
Perhaps I also let down many expectations…
Regardless, the next volume will be the final one of “Abyss.”
Hmm…
Maybe before the last one arrives, I’ll consider inserting a short volume for transition? I haven’t decided yet whether to insert it or meld everything into the last volume.
The next volume might be a bit longer.
I need to settle down and deliver a conclusion for everyone.
And also provide a conclusion for Pepé.
I have a day off tomorrow, but I’m unsure about the day after. I need to carefully review the final outline (I actually won’t have time tomorrow). The outline has gone through adjustments because of pacing issues… Well, let’s consider it two days off.
After two days, “Abyss” will march into its final volume.
The Young Woman and the Deity.
Thank you all for your support throughout this journey.
Really, thank you!!!
