He held his palms and meditated. The upcoming Xingyuu campaign would herald a new dawn of bloodshed and warfare. The dangers involved would be immense! This was the Second Great Kingdom War! Who did not know how perilous it was? King Harth died in the Battle of the Millennium. Lord Korogin died at the final battle with Emperor Lianghu. At this level, status and titles were irrelevant. Death was equal to all! If Elizabeth entered that battlefield as well, there was no telling what might happen. Perhaps the past would repeat itself again. She would be captured and then executed! Who could tell? To throw the heir apparent into the jaws of death, what was the point? What was Her Majesty's goal?
Lord Archibon might have a frightening grasp over intellectual pursuits, enough to be titled as the 'Artful Pen', but alas, he was not a wily old political snake. There was no way to divine Queen Bethnal's intentions with so few clues. However, he could tell that there were swirling undercurrents beneath the surface. A conspiracy was born with Elizabeth at the center! Naturally, Commander Christina was more sensitive to these matters. Although she did not inherit the Highguard surname, she was a central figure in the Highguard Household! She narrowed her eyes and frowned. She did not like the answer she thought of.
"Elizabeth…" Christina's gaze changed to a gentle one. "Did Her Majesty explain why she approved of your request?"
"Her Majesty wanted me to showcase my talents and prove my worth to the Grand Nobility Households," she explained.
"Showcase…"
"Worth…"
Both Lord Archibon and Lady Christina repeated this, falling into deep thought. The truth was… it was not entirely unreasonable. Just like Lord Fredrick, Elizabeth lacked substantial achievements. Considering her humble beginnings, feisty personality, and ambiguous ties to the Xingyuu Empire's Imperial Princesses, it made her foundation extremely feeble and fragile. Even Lord Fredrick had greater support than her, just on those terms alone. Without the Royal Family's support, Elizabeth's faction would not even qualify to compete for the throne! Therefore, if, and that was a big if, Elizabeth could resolve the five hundred years of conflict between the Alzar Kingdom and Xingyuu Empire… Her ascension would be guaranteed! Perhaps, this was one of the few ways Elizabeth could reverse all odds and become queen!
However, could anything ever be so simple? A lie in a truth, a truth in a lie… Who, besides Queen Bethnal, knew what was what?
***
Quickly, the news travelled like a storm across the Alzar Kingdom, and then the world! The Royal Assembly declared their intentions to attack the Xingyuu Empire! Different from Lord Korogin's previous strategy, the kingdom did not bother hiding anything. Anyone could tell from the massive mobilization of armies that a storm was approaching! It came as a surprise to no one. The Xingyuu Empire falling into a civil war was the best time to attack. People had a variety of reactions to the news. The older generation were sighing with emotion. The First and Second Great Kingdom War reaped too many, far too many lives from the world. It was a ruthless grindstone that threatened to destroy everyone! Meanwhile, the young were brimming with ambition! They were eager to carve out a piece of history!
"Mother, father, don't stop me. I'm going to join the army!" a person shouted.
"What is this nonsense! You're supposed to inherit the family business! I didn't raise you to lose your life over there!" the father returned ferociously. He grabbed his unfilial son and punched him to the ground.
"Stop it, darling!" a woman tearfully pulled back her husband. "Forgive him! He's just confused!"
"Confused, my ass! He wants to die like a fool!" the man roared. "I'll beat him silly until he gives up this stupid idea!"
The son ignored his parents' wailing and spoke with a burning passion. "You can't stop me, father. I'll join the army no matter what!"
The same scene could be seen across the realm. The hotblooded youth threw themselves into the war machine in hopes of honor, prestige, and glory! The wars generated too many heroes and legends of old that it was easy to be swept in it too. Thinking about how they might surpass Sir Winstin, Sir Sebastian, or Lady Valentina… Thinking about how they might become Great or Grand Nobles… On the glorious battlefield, they would prove their worth! Bath the world in blood, pave the path in bones, and march forward fearlessly! From all over the kingdom, people joined the army, and the numbers quickly swelled. It was not just the youth either. People with grievances, people with loses, people with nothing left to lose… All kinds of people came together for one cause: to defeat the Xingyuu Empire!
Of course, the next piece of news caused an even bigger storm. Princess Elizabeth, heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom, would be personally leading the campaign effort as the Royal Army General! The most mysterious princess, who jumped from commoner to heir apparent and never entered the public spotlight, ignited many discussions! Despite the disdain from the Grand Nobility Households, her popularity was tremendous amongst the common citizens. Elizabeth showed that a commoner had the potential to challenge tradition and become queen! This caused everyone's passion to boil over many times over and the number of new army recruits to double, if not triple!
Meanwhile, in the south, near the Goron Wastelands, this was a deserted town. There were many places like this following the Etera Campaign. They were not directly touched by the flames of war, but being so close to the frontier made people lose hope, so they fled. No one came back after so long, painting the town in an eerie layer of dust. However, in the middle of the street stood a solitary figure. His appearance was as plain as could be. Anyone could pass him by and never think about him again. In his hands was a sheathed sword that could be ignored as trash. This was the epitome of 'average'.
But when he unsheathed his sword, his aura exploded to unimaginable heights! It materialized like a fire as it rampaged throughout the town before soaring into the skies like a heavenly pillar! Just bathing in his majestic power was enough for anyone to succumb to fear and despair. The earth trembled under his presence. Breaking free of the Perception Realm, it was the Instinct Realm, Sword King Sin Quelldown! His vast and boundless Martial Perception swept through the town, gaining him nigh-omniscience! In this place, he was the center of the world while his senses transcended! There was nothing that could escape his grasp! It was no wonder Rank 3s were heralded as Kings. They could truly reign this realm as monarch!
Before anyone could see, his slash had already arrived! It was a flying slash! As it hit the house, the attack cut through the walls like water. Crossing through its foundation in a fraction of a second, the building was effortlessly reduced to rubble. That was not all either. The strength behind the attack did not dissipate and continued with its unstoppable momentum, like the arrival of a tsunami! One house, two, three, and finally four! The Sword King did not move, but he destroyed four houses as easy as breathing. A moment later, two equally frightening auras pierced the sky from the debris as two figures propelled themselves high up. Their auras seemed feeble, in comparison to Sword King Sin's unfathomable aura, like a rocking boat in a vast ocean, but they were both Perception Realm Masters! It was Hidek and Lanar, the Sword King's first two disciples!
In the air, they exchanged a serious glance. Light shone underneath their feet as they executed a high-speed movement technique. Hidek and Lanar promptly disappeared with untraceable speed only to reappear near their master, one in front, and another behind! Lanar manipulated his Martial Energy to form a colossal water dragon. Despite being an apparition, a mere shape without life, its presence was terrifyingly real! It roared, as if signalling the arrival of a god. Every scale on its body was equivalent to a sword! Hidek pulled back his sword like a divine serpent, ready to strike. While its demure appearance was less than the water dragon, it concentrated all that power into a single explosive thrust! They did not hesitate to execute the Cloud Sea Style's secret techniques!
Lanar launched his water dragon, causing it to slice through the street and town with invincible momentum. Hidek's serpent lashed out at ungodly speeds, causing it to almost break the sound barrier. The two attacks had enough force to split the town in half and kill a thousand! Perception Realm Masters with full control over their Martial Energy were that formidable! It was leagues above what the kingdom's strongest knights could display. This was the true power behind Peak Rank 2s! But how could it enter the sight of Sword King Sin, a genuine Rank 3 King? The man smiled and channeled a monstrous quantity of Martial Energy into his sword, causing it to glow blue. His actions were smooth and relaxed as he thrusted it down into the earth. Before Lanar and Hidek's attacks could land, a huge shockwave emanated from the Sword King, rippling through the street like a tsunami!
Boom! The entire street exploded under his Martial Energy, sending a shower of rock, dirt, and bricks into the air. The shockwave was so potent that nearby houses were obliterated into dust. The two incoming attacks, as fearsome as they were, were wiped out without a trace. If not for Lanar and Hidek reinforcing their bodies with Martial Energy, then they would have been blown away all the same. In a flash, a towering dust cloud formed that was so tall it could be seen from far away. The rain of debris poured down from the heavens, almost like a volcanic detonation. A large portion of the town was destroyed by the Sword King's single attack!