v3c317The Holy War(1)

The Elemental Laws resonated with the divine artifact as four beams of light rose into the sky. The sky and seas reverberated and flocks of birds surrounded the beams, forming a grandiose scene which had never before been witnessed.

On that day, countless people, from Ampere Seale to Suale, from the Grey Harbor to Kanaki, saw that miracle.

However, not everyone was enraptured by this beautiful sight. Near the north side of Ampere Seale’s harbor, the knights from the Royal Cavalry Academy were orderly defeating the last defense line of the coast guards.

But the situation was silently changing…

As one of the rare first batch graduates from the Royal Cavalry Academy, Holland had led a few officer knights to break the temporary barricade formed by the coast guards. All he had to do now was to continue charging forward before the enemy could rebuild their defense line.

Right behind him were Canmel and Aiden, from the 13th and 14th squads respectively. Their roles were to get behind enemy lines and form a pincer attack at other areas of the enemy’s defenses. The Wind Spirit Spiders on their shoulders were relaying information from across the battlefield and giving them orders. Everything was extremely well coordinated, with each of the groups executing their roles to perfection.

Holland had never fought in battles like this, nor did he learn the tactics for them. But undoubtedly, this was what he always dreamed of. He could clearly see his opponents in a state of shock and panic as their defenses fell.

We only need to keep moving forward and victory will belong to us. Hmph! Piece of cake.

Holland had always thought that such strong commanding and execution was just a fantasy, but now that he was witnessing it personally, he could not help but gawk. The knights on the battlefield came together as a sharp sword, and the wielder of that sword could be none other than the greatest swordsman.

It’s incredible!

But all of a sudden, he saw the bodies of a few Wind Spirit Spiders around him and quickly realized they were the partners of the troops that went up ahead of him just now.

A problem has surfaced…

Brendel’s POV

“Kirrlutz’s forces have begun moving,” Brendel replied solemnly, as if he could see them with his own eyes. “There are at least three squads coming at us from the northeast and northwest directions at high speeds. They have already passed the Golden Wool Street, the Twelfth Street…”

He suddenly looked up, “Ah, I think I have recognized them, they should be the White Lion Legion. This pincer attack is one of their old tricks.”

Brendel was amused. So it really is them.

“They want to encroach on us,” Maynild replied coldly. “This is a trap.”

“The northern bastards sure have guts, drawing everyone’s attention to the Black Blade’s Squad but secretly mobilizing the White Lion Legion.” Brendel sneered and looked up, watching the strange resonance in the sky. “He’s doing all this just to satisfy the Kirrlutz… How can this not be saddening?”

Everyone’s face sunk. The situation was clear now. The eldest prince managed to get the Holy Cathedral of Fire on his side by promising them the Lionheart Sword. Otherwise, the White Lion Legion would never have been able to sneak into Ampere Seale.

Moreover, Duke Seifer had announced that Kirrlutz was going to make their appearance here. Seems like it doesn’t matter if the Lionheart Sword was in Ampere Seale or not, the Holy Cathedral of Fire would make sure to get their hands on it. With their influence, it would not be difficult to find the sword anyways.

Not to mention that the enemy had several other objects that could resonate with the Lionheart Sword as well. The only silver lining was that they did not realize Odefeiss was actually with the White Lion Legion all this time.

Then, all of a sudden, another resonation happened, alerting Brendel.

Wood…Brendel sighed. I seem to have been over reliant on the memories from my past life.Wood may have been a good friend of Tuman and a righteous person, but he forgot that, at Wood’s core, the ex-Archbishop was from Kirrlutz.

It did not matter how highly the Holy Cathedral of Fire regarded Oderfeiss, but rather how important the Holy War was to Brendel and Moros.

These northern bastards sure are sneaky.

Unfortunately for them, however, they gave Brendel an opportunity. Although the resonance exposed his position to his enemies, it also revealed their intentions. Brendel snickered once more, They really don’t know that I’m controlling everything that’s happening on the battlefield. The enemies are gonna regret this soon.

“Maynild, call everyone to fall back. This is our last chance.”.

Maynild lifted her head to look at him and nodded.

Howls began to ring across the battlefield.

Holland POV

Holland was startled by the howls. This is not a sign to attack, but a retreat signal. But he did not have the liberty to do disengage and do as he wished, as soldiers in white armor began to pour from both directions of the alley.

It was the White Lion Legion!

Holland panicked for a moment, but he quickly reacted. “It’s a trap! Get inside that alley!” Himself included, five knights displayed marvelous coordination, quickly turning into the alley next to the one they were in.

“Faster! Faster! Don’t stop!” But then, Holland saw another group of White Lion Legion soldiers pouring into the alley opposite of them as well. They were heavy footmen, walking in two rows of ten per row. He immediately yelled again, “Those are infantrymen. Accelerate and push them aside!”

But the White Lion Legion soldiers quickly reacted and lifted their spears and shields. Their spears were special in that they were modified from the Wind Elves’ Dragon Slaying Spears and were best used in dealing with knights. Pale white in color, it was one of the White Lion Legion’s specialty equipment.

Holland’s heart sunk, The enemy’s tactics are too good. How I wish I were riding one of those Kirrlutz Battle Dragons. Only those beasts, with their thick armor, can defend against these spears…

He turned around and saw the White Lion Legion troops behind him starting to advance, led by a soldier wielding a strong shield and a battleaxe. The allies behind him raised their bows, and that was when Holland realized that the rain had already stopped, meaning long-ranged weapons could be used now.

Why are such unfortunate events happening one after another?

He turned back and squinted his eyes. The first row of footmen were creeping in, and the carvings on their spears were different compared to the last time he saw them.

Did they upgrade their weapons and armors? Holland wondered.

They are truly the elite of the Kingdom. But, we’re not that much worse off ourselves, anyway. It’s just that our conditions were too bad to begin with.

Time for one last brawl.

Gripping the sword in his hands tightly, he heard the White Lion Legion firing off their arrows. As the sharp whistling sounds died off somewhere behind him, he could feel the back of his armor getting struck.

But fortunately, the arrows didn’t penetrate through his body. Thankfully, the enemies’ marksmanship is bad.

Although he was always disappointed in the fact that they were weak in that field before, now that he was standing against them, he was glad that they were miserable shots.

But the spears were still inching closer.

“Brothers! It’s time for one last strike!” Holland lifted up his sword and screamed.

“For Aouine!” The warriors screamed along.

It was then that he heard the soft echo of someone yelling, “Open Up! Make way!”

Open what up?! He wondered.

But before he could understand what was happening, the White Lion Legion’s footmen stepped aside, forming a crevice among their ranks.

Now’s the chance!

To Holland, it was like an opportunity of a lifetime, and he scrambled forward like the knights rushing at enemy camps back in Trentheim did. “Rush forward! GO! GO! GO!”

Everyone fears death, and knights like him were no exception. Although he did not understand the intentions of his enemies’ actions, this was his only choice.

Five horses passed through the tiny space that the White Lion Legion had opened up for them, and Holland looked behind him to see their group merging back into their original formation.

And then he saw it.

On the other side of the alley, the White Lion Legion soldiers pulled back their bowstrings once more. As the arrows flew, he came to a realization.

It was not due to their lack of skill. They were not targeting him in the first place!

What’s going on? Did the White Lion Legion split up?

His mind was a mess, but then he heard someone calling his name. “Holland!” He looked forward, seeing the group of Royal Cavalry Academy students gathering in the space in front of him as they moved together in a torrent.

A female rider glared at him and yelled, “Holland, fall back! There’s not much time now. We’re going to break this encirclement from the south!!”

“Bessie? What’s going on?”

Behind him, the two parties of the White Lion Legion soldiers were still locked in combat. But he was surprised to see that the group that had helped him just now was easily suppressing the opposition.

He was shocked to see the way they fought. White Raven Sword Art? Are they one of the Royal Family’s Secret Armies?

“I don’t know either!” Bessie shook her head. “But they’re here to help us. Even I don’t know what’s going on!”

She tilted her head, “Maybe you should try asking the commander?”

“Commander?”

Holland turned his head[T/L: for the how-many-times-he-did-that-today]. In his line of sight, there was a slender person on a warhorse, “Those were the commander’s men?”

“Most likely, yes,” Bessie replied.

“Just how is he commanding the White Lion Legion?”  Holland was so confused.

“No, Holland. They aren’t the White Lion Legion. They are..”

“Huh?”

“The White Lion Battalion!”

Gryphine’s POV

The Half-Elf princess stood frozen, watching the White Lion Battalion pass by her army and onto the frontlines.

Her fingertips were pale and devoid of blood, and she was trembling too.

Countless times had she heard her father narrate bedtime stories about such a group. They wore shining white armor and battled alongside King Erik in the plains, valleys, and forests for Aouine. They defeated countless enemies and had conquered the land to make up what was now Aouine. Accounting their morals and valor, they were no doubt the strongest army in the kingdom.

The White Lion Battalion.

Countless times had she dreamt of that shining flag inching closer towards her under the guidance of her knights. That dream seemed to have finally become reality: the legendary army had returned to Aouine.

Countless times had she believed that her father would still be alive in this world to witness this scene with her.

Countless times had she believed that she would succeed.

And she had held onto that belief until now, even after the passing of her father, even after going on separate paths from the Royal Faction. And finally, it had become reality.

The flag was right in front of her.

In front of it, Brendel stood tall.

And beneath that flag stood the White Lion Battalion, their shining white armor riddled with runes. When they easily defeated the White Lion Legion, she could not help but look at the sky.

At that moment, she seemed to have seen a wise gaze that transcended time.

Brendel had never thought that the army he built would have had that much of an impact on Princess Gryphine. But didn’t I feel the same back then? It was one of my dreams to rebuild this army. And when I saw its rebirth, I knew it had been the right choice for me to do so.

The ancient army had returned, and it felt like it was being handed down by King Erik. And the weight of the meaning behind that was something no one besides the Aouine people could understand.

But Brendel knew that it was not the time to be amazed. The White Lion Legion was still surrounding them, and he only had one chance to break through.

Bring everyone to break through one single point.

He turned around and saw the knights from the Royal Cavalry Academy gathering. They didn’t seem to have suffered any damage when fighting the coast guards. But after the White Lion Legion was sent out, not even one-tenth of the people were left amongst their ranks.

They were still too naive, Brendel cried in his heart.

Thankfully, the geniuses from history did not suffer any major damage. Only a few of them were injured. Funnily enough, Enrique had jumped down from his horse to stomp on a White Lion Legion member. If it was not for his teammates saving him in a hurry, then there was no doubt that he would have become a hostage.

That was truly fortunate.

Brendel gave Carglise a look. The newbie immediately understood what he meant  and nodded.

Brendel wanted the White Lion Battalion flanking the Academy students, on both sides, to protect them. He did not think that he was sending them out to their deaths, nor did he even consider the possibility of them getting hurt.

No doubt the White Lion Battalion and the knights from the Academy were the most impressive soldiers around, and within seconds, they had managed to chop off the heads of a few enemies.

Brendel lifted up his sword.

He looked with confidence afar to the White Lion Battalion. Finally, I can execute the battle tactic that I have always fantasized of. White Lion Legion… Why don’t you become my lab rat!

It may not have been a complete strategy, but it was enough for many people to tremble in fear.

Everyone’s eyes were drawn to  Halran Gaia, its tip pointing at the skies. Then, a golden ring began to spread around Brendel.

Colliding Halo.

He lowered his sword and pointed forward.

“Charge!!”

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