As the knights of Brittany retreated in chaos and disarray, the Grail Knight Eisen led the remainder of his hundred knights and over two thousand infantrymen, covering the rear.
They were soon overwhelmed by a tide-like onslaught of barbarians, but Grail Knight Eisen paid it no heed; he continued to swing his sword, charging through the barbarian hordes.
Gradually, the number of knights around him dwindled. Surrounded by barbarians, Eisen fought valiantly. Outnumbered, he was protected from ordinary injuries by the blessing of the Lake Goddess, but a spear, blessed by the evil gods, stealthily struck him from behind. Eisen struggled to pull the spear out of his body, and more chosen warriors of chaos surrounded him, plunging their spears into him. The wrath of the Lake Goddess enabled the Grail Knight to swing his sword and decapitate several chosen warriors of chaos.
Now, Eisen was gasping for air, his consciousness beginning to blur as he aimlessly slashed alone among the barbarian army, recalling memories of his childhood.
He was born into a noble family in Lyonese, a devout lady's follower from childhood, vowing to become a glorious Grail Knight.
His life was spent in asceticism and hardship, finally earning the Lady's approval during a campaign that spanned twenty years and drinking from the Holy Grail.
"All was given by the Lady, and now I shall repay everything with my all."
An axe suddenly struck from the side, brutally interrupting Eisen's reminiscence. Despite multiple injuries, Grail Knight Eisen still appeared unstoppable. He gathered all his strength and, without hesitation, invoked the holy name of the Lady of the Lake, "For the Lady!"
His sword shone brilliantly as he broke through a chaos chosen warrior's defense, the blade deeply piercing the warrior's chest.
At the same time, an axe struck him from behind, delivering a fatal blow as Egil's cruel face appeared before him.
Thus, his consciousness faded until it was far removed.
The last resistance had vanished. Now only thousands of barbarians, shouting in triumph, occupied the camp of the knightly army, frantically scrambling for military supplies left behind in their haste. They sang loudly, extolling the dark gods, and thousands of heads were piled into a massive altar for a sacred sacrificial ritual.
Many chieftains of the barbarian tribes, enraged yet powerless against Egil's brutal actions, saw their people heavily casualties in today's grand battle. After this battle, the barbarian army, once numbering over thirty thousand, was reduced to just over twenty thousand. Although the knightly army of Brittany also had only about fifteen thousand men escape, nearly nine thousand of their heavy cavalry were Brittany's elite.
Egil's plan to utterly crush the main forces of the knightly army in the open field had not fully materialized.
But that was unimportant. What mattered was that the Blood God had watched the battle and bestowed his blessings and mutations on his chosen champion, Egil, who was evolving further.
That was cause enough for celebration.
Now, as the Britons had retreated, Egil was just a step away from achieving a legendary feat and unparalleled fame—that of completely taking over the castle of Lyonese. Egil noted that Hangest's belly had grown significantly large with the repeated blessings of the Blood God. Once the castle was taken, his son would be born.
He would then lead his army back to Scarlings.
...
The remaining knightly army fled day and night, finally returning to Lyonese Castle after two days. Now, only the high walls of the castle could offer the knights a sense of security.
In the great hall of the castle, Duke of Lyonese, Darlheid, was wrapped in bandages, his face pale, his left arm slung across his chest. The Lake Goddess's prophet, Anlara, and his court physician had just changed his dressings. The defeated knightly army had nearly emptied the duke's medical stores, with a large number of wounded awaiting treatment. Fortunately, the knights had managed to retreat without catastrophic losses.
"Ugh," seated on the ducal throne, Darlheid gasped for air. Egil's axe had caused him great harm, but had not hit any vital areas. He could still endure the pain, but commanding from horseback and issuing orders were now nearly impossible: "Eules, the city's defense over this period will depend on you."
"There are only two thousand sick and elderly left in the city, thankfully we managed to evacuate enough knights," Eules said solemnly, turning to Darlheid: "My duke, we must immediately request reinforcements!"
"Reinforcements? Where are there any reinforcements left? Does the kingdom even have troops to spare?" Darlheid's eyes held a glint of hope as he looked at Eules, wondering if he had other forces to call upon.
"The southern dukes still have troops we can
call on. I've already made contact with them. As long as we request it, Count Ryan's forces will immediately come to our aid!" Eules showed Darlheid a letter from Ryan.
"...Ryan?" Hearing the name Ryan, Darlheid involuntarily frowned. He and Richard were allies, and he really did not hold Ryan in high regard.
Yet, considering how critical things had become, and his own severe injuries, Darlheid found himself hesitating.
Sitting beside Eules, Carad was secretly anxious, thinking, What is Duke Darlheid hesitating for?!
If Duke Darlheid of Lyonese did not allow it, then even if Ryan was willing to assist, he could not enter the duchy's territory without permission. This would be considered an illegal entry and could lead to severe diplomatic disputes.
"Well, there's no other way now," Darlheid finally nodded: "Eules, handle this matter, I allow Ryan and his troops to temporarily enter my territory."
The knights in the castle relaxed upon hearing this, Ryan's prestige was renowned throughout the kingdom, and his troops were exceptionally well-trained, also backed by several southern dukes. If he led his troops to their aid, the plight of Lyonese Castle would be greatly alleviated.
After a few exchanges, the conversation returned to the defense of the castle.
Lyonese Castle was a massive fortress by the sea, built of sturdy rock and even with the guidance of dwarves, enough to withstand trebuchets and imperial cannons. But having witnessed the power of the chaos hellcannon, the knights knew the castle could not withstand its assault.
More importantly, Lyonese Castle had not experienced war for nearly five hundred years.
"We can't just defend the castle; the firepower of the chaos hellcannon will overwhelm us. We must find a way to destroy the chaos hellcannon, otherwise the city too will fall," a Grail Knight said softly. The battle at Nanz had ended, two Grail Knights had fallen in battle, and the flag of Siriluf had been cut down, the city was in a state of panic.
"Indeed, the chaos hellcannon is a major threat to the walls," Eules's blue eyes blazed with divine wrath, his heart's fury like an undying dragon fire. He considered the defeat at Nanz a great disgrace: "We must find a way to destroy the chaos hellcannon."
"Destroy the chaos hellcannon? But how can we accomplish that?" Darlheid, severely injured and unable to act, felt confused, his mind muddled, he could only continue to rely on the Grand Knight.
"Anlara's magic will cover us, so... I have a plan," Eules turned to the others: "We need to select the twenty strongest knights within the castle..."
Eules laid out his plan.
"Hmm..."
...
After a brief celebration, the barbarians continued their journey southward, stopping only ten kilometers from Lyonese Castle after three days, where a grand feast was held in a devastated village. The barbarians brought out large quantities of captured food and wine stored by the Britons, indulging in gluttonous feasting.
Egil sat in the place of honor, his pale eyes emitting a blood-red light, mug after mug of barley wine disappearing into his stomach. The chaos champion, Kovindoff, presented him with a roasted ox leg, and Egil laughed loudly. The southerners might indeed have some strength, but now they had reached the gates of Lyonese Castle, the towering fortress completely exposed to the barbarians' view. Tomorrow, his army would attack Lyonese Castle, intending to completely raze this southern architectural pride to the ground.
As the barbarians carelessly lit bonfires and celebrated raucously under the pitch-black sky, a slight fog began to rise in the camp. The barbarians paid no mind, continuing their drinking and merry-making, even competing with each other. Many had taken enough heads during the war to evolve towards becoming chaos chosen warriors, their bodies starting to sprout black nodules which, given time, would grow into chaos armor. Thus, the barbarians never worried about their armor; it was all bestowed by the chaos gods.
When a chaos chosen warrior continued to receive the evil god's favor and progressed, they would become chaos champions.
At that moment, the heavily pregnant woman Hangest, holding a golden cup filled with clear liquor, swayed onto the scene and presented the drink to Egil: "My champion, the greatest king of Scarlings, let us drink this cup to the health and longevity of you and our child."
Egil, at the height of his triumph, had no reason to refuse the toast from Hangest, a woman he scorned, but the timing was perfect. He cheerfully accepted the cup and swallowed it in one gulp: "To the health and longevity of our child! Ha ha ha ha!"
Seeing Egil drink, a glint passed through Hangest
's eyes. She drank another with him and then pretended to be overwhelmed by the alcohol, retreating and vanishing into the fog.
Egil, unconcerned, gestured for the barbarians to continue their feast, grabbing an ox leg and tearing into it with abandon.
The barbarians sang the ballad of the Blood Berserker, a barbarian berserker named Gnoot who had offered enough heads over the ages to the Brass Throne of the Blood God and ultimately ascended to become a terrifying demon prince.
Becoming a demon prince was the dream of all barbarians, signifying a true transformation from "mortal" to "deity," thereafter gaining great power and true immortality. Although it was uncertain whether one would retain their mortal memories and self-awareness after becoming a demon prince, without a doubt, ascending to demon prince was the highest honor the dark gods could bestow on their followers. The lowly southerners could never understand such a reward.
Gnoot's story continued, but the chaos sorcerer Chakoy felt something unusual about the fog in the camp. He turned his head, speaking to Egil: "Father, the fog is thick, it seems strange."
Egil, holding his cup, remained motionless.
"Father?!" Chakoy suddenly realized something was wrong with Egil and quickly shook his arm: "Father! What's wrong?"
"Ugh~" Egil struggled in pain, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth: "The wine... the wine is poisoned!"
"Poisoned?!" Chakoy, after quick thought, his face paled. It was Hangest, the wine she presented to Egil was poisoned!
"People! Protect the king!" Chakoy shouted, gesturing for the Crimson Guard to come and shield the king: "The king has been poisoned!"
The entire barbarian camp was thrown into chaos, the Crimson Guard killing any barbarians between them and the king, then securing the king. Chakoy examined the wine cup Hangest had toasted with, the chaos sorcerer grinding his teeth: "It's spiral root! That woman, she added enough spiral root to poison our entire tribe!"
"Father, hang on, I'll prepare an antidote immediately!" Chakoy, without turning back, rushed towards the grand tent.
Egil nodded painfully, the chosen champion of the Blood God extremely resilient, the blessings from the Blood God ensuring he wasn't easily defeated by the toxin.
Meanwhile, not far from the barbarian camp, Hangest, the woman, let out a mocking laugh.
Barbarians, Egil, Britons, they were all merely pawns in her hands, the child in her womb belonged only to her.
The great evil god, the Prince of Pleasure, had already struck a deal with her. The dark child in her womb would be sacrificed to the Prince of Pleasure in exchange for eternal youth.
This was the oracle she had received, the foolish Egil still thinking they shared the same oracle. In reality, it was completely different, a typical trick of the chaos gods, who cared nothing for the lives of their followers, enjoying the process.
Yet, she had not gone far when she realized she was surrounded.
Grail Knight Commander Eules led fifty knights under the invisibility magic and dense fog created by Lake Goddess Prophet Anlara, easily infiltrating the barbarian camp and destroying two chaos hellcannons.
Things had gone unexpectedly smoothly. Eules didn't know why the barbarians were in such disarray and offered no real resistance, but he knew that once the barbarians realized what had happened, they would launch a furious counterattack. Thus, he quickly retreated.
Hangest's figure caught the eyes of Eules and his fifty knights. They immediately realized how vile she was, what kind of monster she was carrying in her womb.
A Grail Knight wanted to kill her on the spot.
But when Lake Goddess Prophet Anlara and her brother, Count Carad, saw Hangest's face, the siblings let out an incredulous scream.
"Elizabeth?! Is that you???"
Updated! Didn't expect that, did you? Does anyone remember the relationship between this Elizabeth and the siblings?
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