When Ryan picked up Egil's head, he felt a burst of wild and appreciative attention from the subspace.
A strong surge of blood-red chaotic energy swept across the battlefield.
Ryan unleashed his psychic energy in resistance. This force was enough to crush many frail mortals, but Ryan's soul strength was far superior, and he withstood the power.
In the void, a voice of praise emerged, sounding like the grating of brass, a noise intense enough to drive many mortals mad.
"I know who you are, I know where you come from, I will not believe a word you say." Ryan immediately guessed the identity of the speaker and scoffed, "Do you enjoy watching your chosen champion die?"
The entity was clearly surprised that its power was ineffective against Ryan, pausing briefly before responding without much change in tone, "I feel no regret for a champion who has died. He died because he was worthless. You have proven yourself stronger than Egil, and I admire you. Accept my challenge; lose and die, win, and I shall grant you an ultimate reward—ascend to demonhood, become my minion!"
"Ascend to demonhood? What trash is that? Don't tempt me with your tricks for mortals; they're useless against me," Ryan mocked. "You belong in an asylum, fool."
The entity was clearly displeased with Ryan's attitude. It tried to enter the mortal world and unleash a great demon. Its power was formidable, but the Lake Maiden's protection bound and blocked it. After several attempts, it discovered something alarming.
While it focused on the mortal duel, the Plague Demon Army of Nagauth was attacking its brass fortress. Thousands of Wrath Demons had been destroyed by Nagauth's forces, while to the south, the Lust Knights had launched a fierce assault on its territories.
It was facing a battle on two fronts. At this point, expending a vast amount of power to send a great demon to the mortal world was unwise. The eternal watcher, a cunning great demon, was stationed at the border, clearly also looking for an opportunity.
Thus, it had to interrupt its action to release a great demon. Facing the composed Ryan, it sneered, "Mortal, you will never understand what chaos is. You will fall. You merely need to fight, indulge in battle, and your head will eventually adorn the brass throne. I will reserve a good place for you."
"My throne will also have a good place for your head, be sure to honor us with your presence," Ryan retorted coldly.
The entity did not respond again, leaving only the scent of brass and blood in the void.
Ryan coughed a few times; he was exhausted.
"It's Tyranny," the voice of the Lake Maiden echoed in Ryan's mind. "It can only show off like this. The mortal realm is protected by the Great Maelstrom and the Great Guardians; it cannot enter, it can only bluster and tempt mortals. Don't be careless, Ryan, it will return."
"Indeed, my lady." Ryan wiped the blood from his hand; he was seriously injured, but not fatally. He would recover in about half a month: "Tyranny cares not for the lives of its followers. In its eyes, the weak and the defeated are not worthy of sympathy... it only needs to tempt the victors to serve it."
"Clearly, you are the victor that pleases it. Well done, my champion," the Lake Maiden's voice carried pleasure. "Wait for my reward!"
"I look forward to it." Ryan was out of breath, preferring not to talk further.
The encounter with Tyranny was brief, and to everyone on the battlefield, Ryan had just picked up Egil's head.
The Scarlet Guard issued agonized howls. They could not allow their king's head to be taken by others. These chosen warriors of chaos madly rushed towards the battlefield, intent on killing all living beings they faced to retrieve Egil's body and head.
However, the knights would not let them succeed. On Sulia's command, the remaining seven thousand knights charged at these barbarians, completely foiling the Scarlet Guard's plans. The severely wounded Ryan was protected by a large group of knights and soldiers. Despite this, the chaos chosen warriors still put up a stubborn resistance. It took the remaining army of knights two hours to completely annihilate them; the Scarlet Guard fought to the last man.
The barbarians had their pride.
As they died, they sang the songs of Skarlings, telling of a great warrior who would reunite their fractured tribes. Egil-Steilbjorn's story ended here, his life's final chapter at Leonnaise, the last place he conquered. Knowing they could not retrieve Egil's remains, the Scarlet Guard chose to die heroically. In their final encirclement, they embraced Egil's son, turning to ash in the
flames.
To avoid the disgrace of the king's bloodline falling into the hands of lowly southerners, the Scarlet Guard made this choice.
The son of darkness, however, was not killed by the flames; he seemed unafraid of fire, crying in the midst of it until Count Calder, trembling, threw him to the ground and pierced his chest with a sword. Only then did Egil's long-desired son perish.
Skarlings' invasion of Brittany had finally failed, stopping just shy of victory. Even so, the barbarians' fierce resistance left a deep impact on the knightly army. The dwarf engineer Dugan Ironhand set down his smoking, hot blunderbuss and sighed, "These were brave men... they just followed the wrong leader."
"Ryan..." Sulia was unblemished by blood, having slain over twenty barbarian warriors in the earlier battle. The engagement ring on her left ring finger, adorned with a golden double-headed eagle, released a powerful energy field that protected her. Seeing the battle over, Sulia immediately dismounted and ran to Ryan, helping him up: "Are you alright?"
"It seems the battle is over," Ryan smiled at Sulia, noticing everyone gathering around him, including the still-shocked Veronica and Teresa, the knight commanders, his fellow kingdom knights, and Count Calder and Baron Alderdale, who had come from the Leonnaise castle to help.
"You never let me down, Ryan, my husband." Sulia, moved to tears, buried her fair face in his chest, her voice trembling: "I knew you could do it! I believed in you!"
"How could I let my fiancée down?" Ryan stood up, the Lake Maiden's Chosen Champion's face wearing a faint smile, his presence like the sun, warming everyone's hearts and drawing all eyes. His presence added luster to the way of the knight.
Becoming the Chosen Champion of the Lake Maiden meant Ryan had to prove himself worthy of the title time and again. His achievements were enough to make all the knights and people of Brittany proud, allowing the goddess's radiance to shine upon the land and spread his fame far and wide. His story would become a model learned by children from a young age, and traveling bards would sing of his epic deeds.
"Ryan! You did it! You defeated Egil! With your own strength, you defeated Egil, who had dominated the northern wastelands for centuries! You are worthy of the title of the Lady's Chosen Champion!" Sir Hulv, a Knight of the Sea God, excitedly approached Ryan, joyously shouting to everyone on the battlefield: "Victory! Victory! We have won!"
"Victory!"
"Victory!"
"In the Lady's name, we have won!"
The vast army of knights erupted in a thunderous cheer.
"We haven't won..." Ryan's gaze fell on Egil's body. He gently pushed Sulia away, signaling for the knights to make way.
Everyone's eyes followed him, filled with confusion and astonishment.
Only when Ryan removed Ulysses' head from Egil's armor did the crowd fall silent. Calder's eyes reddened as he forcefully wiped away tears.
"There are no victors in this war," Ryan said softly, holding Ulysses' head in his arms. "Look around, knights."
Thousands of knights looked around.
The battlefield was littered only with corpses—dead knights, dead infantry, and many dead barbarians. The stench of charred flesh and blood filled the air, covering the entire battlefield. The barbarian forces were annihilated except for a few small tribes that fled, but Ryan's army of knights also suffered nearly twenty percent losses.
Many young soldiers experiencing their first battle died in the cruel fight, their eyes still filled with dreams of the future and hatred for the barbarians, their young lives ended too soon.
In the distance, Leonnaise castle and countless nearby villages were in ruins, the once-thriving towns and densely populated coastlines now a thing of the past, leaving only destruction and scorched earth. Over 150,000 people had died in this chaos invasion, nearly one-fifth of Leonnaise's population.
Four Grail Knights had fallen in battle, including Grail Knight Commander Ulysses. Leonnaise and Corona together lost nearly three thousand knights, a staggering number. Ryan's force of five thousand knights also lost over six hundred men.
"The war is over, knights, clean up the battlefield. Enough people have died today; there are no victors," Ryan raised his fist. "Let us pay tribute to the heroes who died defending their homes!"
"Tribute!" The knights raised their fists in unison.
"To the people's heroes who sacrificed themselves defending their homeland! We must tell them that we have not failed their sacrifices. We have defeated the barbarians, and this land will return to peace. We may not be able to name each of them, but we
still owe them our thanks. Without their sacrifices, there would be no victory!" Ryan stepped out from the crowd, his hoarse voice piercing every heart: "Heroes are immortal!"
"Heroes! Immortal!"
…
Three days later, at Leonnaise Castle.
A grand funeral was held, attended by thousands of knights and all the nobility of Leonnaise.
Ulysses and two other Grail Knights were laid in the great hall of Leonnaise Castle, their hands clasping swords across their chests, dressed neatly, surrounded by countless candles, with hundreds of knights guarding day and night, mourning and remembering the fallen heroes.
The ceremony was dignified and solemn. Under the Grail Knight Commander were strewn irises and golden silk. Many wept uncontrollably, including Count Calder and his sister Anala. For Calder, Ulysses was a vital mentor in his life, a figure akin to a teacher, father, and brother. After losing his father early, he drew strength from Ulysses, and together, they had completed countless epic deeds.
Now, Ulysses was gone, and Calder was left alone.
Anala, the Lake Maiden's prophetess, also cried uncontrollably. She had lost her lover, but she still had duties to fulfill. She took the sword Durandel from Ulysses' body and handed it to Calder: "From now on... this sword is yours, Calder."
"No! How can I!" Calder wiped away his tears forcefully.
"It was his wish, he instructed me before he left, if he... didn't make it back... then this sword was to be yours, Calder, take it, it was his wish," Anala said softly.
Calder then silently nodded, accepting the sword.
The sound of weeping filled the hall. On one side, Ryan stood solemnly, Sulia holding his hand: "Is this what war is? Ryan, will I also face such a day?"
"If we do not want to face such a day, we must fight to the death," Ryan shook his head. "The threat of chaos will never disappear just because we avoid it, there is no place in this world that is unaffected."
"Ah~" Teresa approached from behind, placing her hand on Ryan's shoulder. "Thank goodness you were unharmed, otherwise I don't think I could bear such a sight. Perhaps I would return to the Celestial Fortress and never come out again."
"Lord Ryan, please stand at the front." It was then that Duke Dalheid of Leonnaise found Ryan. His expression was sorrowful, tears glistening in his eyes: "Leonnaise will forever be grateful for your contributions, please come to the front."
"No, Your Grace, it's not my place..." Ryan began to refuse, but Dalheid did not give him a chance to decline. Dressed in black, the duke led his son, kneeling before Ulysses' body, weeping uncontrollably: "I'm sorry, it's all my fault, Ulysses, I'm sorry."
"Father." Aldereld also cried, trying to console his father: "Father, you are the Duke of Leonnaise, you cannot do this, pull yourself together, the duchy still needs your leadership after the war."
"It's your leadership, Aldereld," Dalheid turned his gaze to his eldest son.
"Father?"
"I've committed too many sins, I've made too many mistakes, including the failure at the Plains of Nance, including not being able to decide to execute that woman, including returning the Dark Child to Egil. I can't forgive myself for these mistakes," Dalheid's voice was as sharp as a knife, his head bowed. "Some choices are inevitable, but I still need to atone for my sins."
"Aldereld, once this funeral is over, you will be the new Duke of Leonnaise, and I will embark on a Grail Quest, to atone for my series of mistakes to the Lady, until she forgives my sins."
After speaking, Duke Dalheid did not give Aldereld a chance to respond. He barely stood up with the help of his attendants, then shouted to all the knights in the hall: "Sir Ulysses has left us, he is about to embark on his final journey! His soul will be guided by the Lady into a new realm! Along with countless glorious Grail Knights and ancestors, he will continue to fight to protect the Lady's land, but now, I firmly believe, he is still with us, always living in our hearts, and one day, we too will reunite with him in another world!"
Dalheid drew his longsword: "Heroes have died, but their spirit endures!"
At the same time, all the knights in the hall drew their swords, their tips pointing to the sky: "Their spirit endures!"
As the most honored guest, Ryan, dressed in a
count's attire, closed his eyes and bowed: "To Sir Ulysses and all the heroes who have sacrificed in the fight against chaos!"
"To the heroes!" Even the stern Hubald bowed.
"Doo-woo~ Doo-woo~ Doo-woo~~~" The robust and magnificent sound of horns echoed endlessly in the hall.
A powerful aura burst forth in the hall.
The Chosen Champion of the Lake Maiden, Earl Ryan Macado of Glamorgan, officially ascended to sainthood.
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