"The light envelops us, today we shall gain eternal life. Death is the only key to open the door to the heavens. In this life, away from purgatory, the Light God rewards all who fight for him. Bathe in light, praise the light, spread the light, we are the apostles of light, let us purify everything! Let darkness exist no more!"
The priests of the Radiant Pontificate chanted their hymns of blessing, while the Radiant Knights, clad in exquisite armor, marched with resounding steps towards the Imperial City of Calon.
Their ranks had swelled to over a thousand, with fervent believers pouring in from various countries, eager to join the Pope's army. The Pope only needed to select the strongest and bravest among them to join his ranks.
In contrast, atop the walls of Calon, an anxious commander looked out. He was tasked with defending the imperial capital, but he only had 500 soldiers at his disposal. Among them, 300 were new recruits and militia, leaving only 200 as elite soldiers.
All he could do was position his warriors at key points along the city walls and pray to the God of Light to bless Calon—assuming the Light God was willing to protect them.
Soon enough, the Radiant Pontificate's army of over a thousand arrived at the Imperial Capital—Calon.
Gazing at the city with its tall walls and magnificent buildings, the Radiant Pope smiled faintly. Once he took this city, he would become the first pope in the history of the Radiant Pontificate to possess a papal state. He believed that in the future, his knightly order would conquer and rule, welcomed by the people wherever they went.
"You old relic, just about ready to be buried, I will dismantle all your churches!"
A furious shout interrupted the Pope's thoughts. He descended from his sedan chair and looked towards Queen Laya, who returned with a large army.
"She's here! That blasphemous woman! The God says, whoever kills her, will enter the divine realm after death, and gain the eternal godly position!" The Pope raised his scepter and shouted loudly in front of all the faithful.
Queen Laya did not back down either. She raised her long sword and pointed it at the Radiant Pope. "My most loyal warriors, whoever can take down the traitor's head, I will reward him with the highest title, vast territories, and countless wealth!"
In an instant, in front of the Imperial City of Calon, the two armies, fueled by rage, clashed together.
They mercilessly swung their long swords and spears, tearing apart the bodies of their enemies, listening to the cries of the enemy and plunging into madness.
In comparison to the brutal battles on the Empire's side, the fighting style within the borders of Barlow was much more civilized.
"Just you, weren't you calling out happily just now?" Alexander slapped the leader of the forest bandits on the forehead.
It was this guy who had just shouted, "Come on, try me. Your face is more attractive to my arrows than my target."
Alexander followed up with another kick. "Your face looks like my shoe-polishing cloth!"
This was a camp of forest bandits that had been wiped out by Alexander and his men. Next, they were heading to the last stronghold of the forest bandits. Once they cleared it, they could return to the village of Calyce early.
At this moment, the sun in the sky was shifting westward, and it was already afternoon. The time spent on eliminating the forest bandits wasn't much, but a considerable amount of time was wasted on the road.
Fortunately, the leader of the bandits had already mapped out all the forest bandit strongholds, saving them the trouble of searching.
The dense forests of Barlow were irritating. Marching here was extremely difficult, and the tall cavalrymen weren't as agile. They often accidentally collided with low branches.
"My lord, the situation is already considered favorable. But if it were summer, the lush leaves would obstruct our vision, the humidity would make it impossible to endure heavy armor, and mosquitoes would bring dreadful diseases upon us," the bandit said. It was clear he had done his homework thoroughly within Barlow's borders.
Alexander quite appreciated this bandit, but he couldn't remember his name, so he just called him Bandit Number One.
Bandit Number One didn't have any objections. On the contrary, he felt it was a great honor. Excitedly, he shared information about other bandits with Alexander:
"My lord, Fourteen and Fifteen formed an alliance. They kidnapped several villagers and obtained a substantial ransom, then recruited many underlings with it. I reckon they're planning something big soon."
"Unlucky Thirty-Three ran into the local lord and was executed on the spot!"
"If we're talking about unlucky, it has to be Forty. He was my best friend, but he wanted to make a name for himself. However, as soon as this guy set foot in Barlow's mountains, he encountered a hungry highland brown bear. Now, we can't even find his body. Truly pitiful."
...
Bandit Number One affectionately used code names to refer to his group of colleagues. In his view, his companions didn't deserve to be remembered by the lord. As long as they could be distinguished, it was enough for him.
Alexander listened quietly as Bandit Number One recounted their anecdotes. In reality, he was quite interested in the development of these bandits. After all, he was like an angel investor, having invested in fifty startups. Naturally, he hoped they would grow and thrive.
Just then, Alexander furrowed his brow, feeling profoundly uneasy amidst the surroundings. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was definitely amiss. Suddenly, it struck him.
Of course, it was the eerie silence. How could the dense forest be so eerily quiet, devoid even of the sounds of birds and animals?
"Turn around! Quickly!" Alexander ordered urgently.
As he hastily directed his troops to pivot, a deep voice resonated from within the dense woods.
"Thinking of leaving? It's too late!" Daniel emerged from behind a massive boulder, fixing Alexander with a smirk. "Young scion of the Lion Clan, you'd better surrender obediently. The arrows of Balo are unforgiving."
Behind him, more figures emerged, swiftly surrounding Alexander's forces from both sides.
At this moment, Alexander remained surprisingly composed.
With a half-smile, he looked at Daniel. "Are you sure about this? A lord attacking another country's lord—let's be serious, this could be considered a declaration of war. Are you certain the people of Balo are prepared for war? Even against the Kingdom of Saint Martin?" He emphasized the three words "Saint Martin."
Daniel vehemently retorted, "No, no, no. It's you who invaded us, Lord Alexander. Look around. This is the territory of Balo. This is my domain."
"Invaded? Where's the invasion? Did I attack your villages or your army? Look, I'm even helping you clear out the bandits from your territory. Instead of gratitude, you not only fail to thank me but also draw your sword against me. In this battle, you'll have no honor to speak of," Alexander continued to argue cunningly, buying time as his cavalry adjusted their positions.
"You're quite eloquent, Lord Alexander. Let's hope you'll be just as eloquent when begging for mercy!" Daniel drew his bow, pointing it at Alexander. "Let them witness the might of the people of Balo!"
"Nature endows us with resilient life!"
"The people of Balo will demonstrate life's resilience through battle!"