Chapter 68

"... Why does it feel like there are more people now?"

The Cursecaster muttered to himself, then pursed his lips, sensing something was amiss. Why were there suddenly so many more Werewolf patrolling?

"Hey, Werewolf over there, whose henchman are you?"

"Um, I'm not Werewolf."

"What do you mean? Don't joke around. Release your Cursecraft and return to human form."

"I am--"

The Claws that attacked from directly in front were powerful enough to slice through the Cursecaster, who was protected by Od, piercing straight through his chest and tearing his heart out of his body.

"Werewolf."

However, the Cursecaster's colleagues around him felt no sense of danger, because they were all instantly killed by the Werewolf who attacked him.

"They were so lax, taking the City Gate so easily—first squad, quickly light the fire and report to the officers."

As the fires rose at night, at the same moment, in the Caucasus Mountains north of Pharsalus.

In one corner of the mountain range, on the rolling hills, the Huns nervously swallowed, awaiting their leader's command.

After all, this was an insurmountable natural barrier for them.

"... Has it finally arrived?"

The White-Haired Girl gazed into the distance, at the distant sky—filled with dense, blazing flames.

"That's right. After we take Pharsalus, you will lead the Werewolf, Gorynych, and Sinfjötli south to attack Armenia, while I will lead the Dead Apostle southeast to continue our attack on the Sasanian Empire."

The sharp blue light of the crescent moon illuminated Avia's profile.

Attila looked at him, frowned, and said:

"However, the pressure on your end is much greater than mine."

It should be noted that the Sasanian Empire's strongest army, the Holy Fallen Cavalry, was capable of inflicting heavy losses on the Rome army, which used the Tortoise Formation. Moreover, the Sasanian Empire was still at its peak and showed no signs of decline. Had it not been for the unexpected death of its king, it might have continued for hundreds more years.

"After all, I'm stronger than you."

"... That's true."

The girl turned her head and stared into the distance, her narrowed red eyes revealing a hint of coldness.

"So, it's time to move forward."

In the next instant, countless white shadows, darker than the night, cold and fierce, suddenly appeared beyond the horizon of Pharsalus.

Then, the entire edge of the endless horizon that stretched across the field of vision was tinged with white.

Like a tsunami crashing ashore, the waves collapsed, and countless white figures crossed the Caucasus Mountains, transforming into a sweeping tide that turned the dark blue mountains into a gray ocean in the blink of an eye.

The sound of countless people coming together spread like wildfire, forming layers upon layers of continuous waves. No matter how far the waves went, the next waves kept emerging from the other side of the mountain, just like the vast ocean.

As far as the eye can see, all that can be seen is a white silhouette.

The massive army of barbarians, without the Abhimanyu roar of warhorses, spread silently and ominously in white from one direction towards the other.

That is—death.

It was also an alarm bell—the collapse of the Caucasus defense line.

The Huns army marched across the long-standing natural barriers without any fear of being ambushed or blocked as before, and stormed into the unprotected Pharsalus, into the Sasanian Empire, which had thought it could enjoy eternal peace and tranquility but had even forgotten to defend its borders.

The Huns' response to the fact that Pharsalus had hindered their progress for many years was, of course, to ruthlessly destroy it.

The cries that reached his ears made Attila squint his eyes slightly.

Whether she groaned or screamed, she felt neither fear nor pity.

For her, enemies should be eliminated entirely.

Unconsciously holding his breath, his bloodshot eyes radiated a cold aura.

After naturally swinging down the Photon Ray, the facility in front of his line of sight was pierced by Od and destroyed instantly.

After an unknown amount of time, someone noticed that it was already daylight and that they could see their own hands holding weapons with the naked eye.

The sunlight, however, was red.

In the glow of dawn, taking advantage of a lull in the destruction, the Huns soldiers instinctively looked up at the sky.

The sky was dyed crimson; the sky, which should have escaped darkness, seemed to be encased in red, as if it were ablaze.

That scene was worse than Hell.

In the red and black Hell, some felt they had witnessed a white nightmare.

It was a fleeting, vivid vision, a white nightmare speeding through the Planet's past.

AD 425 AD, the Huns Empire crossed the Caucasus Mountains of the Sasanian Empire and destroyed the defensive stronghold of Pharsalus, leaving no survivors and erasing it permanently from the map. The entire Sasanian Empire was shocked, but no amount of blaming the derelict nobles could change anything.

From then on, the gateway to Western Asia, having lost the Caucasus Mountains, was wide open, and the Huns and the Phantasmal Species army swept in, splitting into two routes and heading towards the heartland of Armenia and the Sasanian Empire.

138: The sound of the Evening Bell

Northern Sasanian Empire.

Under the attack of half of the Huns army led by Avia, the dynasty, which had just experienced the defeat and death of its king and a period of turmoil in all aspects of politics, society and religion, put up some resistance, but naturally suffered repeated defeats due to depleted supplies and low morale.

The controlled area in the north continued to shrink, villages were occupied one after another, and cities were captured. Whether it was a key node on a transportation route, a regional economic and cultural center, or a religious and cultural center, its land was stained with blood.

The Huns, having crossed the formidable Caucasus Mountains, swiftly destroyed this empire, tearing apart the former hegemon of West Western Asia along with the Hephthalites to the east.

"So many people have died."

The Black-Haired Girl spoke softly in a cold, aloof voice, as cold as the moon.

"Fu."

Altrouge Brunestud, who came with Avia, crossed the collapsed City Gate and the shattered city, the sound of rubble rolling down echoing among the empty buildings and streets.

As a princess of the Dead Apostle, she was used to this stench, and from beneath the rubble, thick, red blood seeped out, forming a puddle.

No one dies without war, so how many people have the Huns armies killed so far?

Countless, they walked over the bodies of the already killed humans, trampling on their blood and corpses as they continued onward.

The victor in war stands on the corpses of the vanquished.

The prosperity of a race is built on the sacrifice of certain things.

The foul, viscous blood, imbued with a thick, malevolent aura, is the voice of the dead, filled with hatred, envy, and resentment.

Death is often imminent; no one knows when they will die easily, readily, or as a matter of course.

It's just a matter of who gets killed; if you kill someone, you should be prepared to be killed yourself.

Death, for everyone, is fair, brutal, and sudden.

However, this made Ji Jun feel somewhat relieved, because there was no need to think during the battle and killing. Therefore, the entanglements, regrets, mourning, and lamentations that had been lingering since the incident with Van Fem were frozen and forgotten in the depths of her consciousness.

A corner of my frozen heart felt calmly at ease, finding this very relaxing.

During battle, you don't have to think about anything else; you can forget everything.

The black-haired girl felt that was the most relaxing way.

That's why she felt she could somewhat understand the madness of those creatures driven to madness by struggle and killing.

That's right, because if you become like that... you can be free.

"Oh right, I forgot to tell you, Princess, I've mobilized your Black-and-White Knights and the Royal Guard to deal with the Cursecaster."

The dominant religion of the Sasanian Empire was Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism most of the Cursecaster there Faith in it, thus putting them in opposition to the Roman Empire Holy Church.

"... Avia, why are the knights and guards so willingly manipulated by you?"

"Because, perhaps because of our alliance, everyone's been very cooperative, right, Fou?"

The reasonable question posed by the fourteen-year-old girl, Altrouge Brunestud, with a slight tilt of her head, received an extremely brief Answer.

"And that's what they all told me, 'This body is the master's sword and shield; to Protection to the end is the highest honor. Even if only a single hair on your body is damaged, it is the ultimate humiliation for us.' Kathy was quite enthusiastic about it back then."

"Fou, fufu, Fou, fu!"

The White Demon Hound following at Altrouge Brunestud's feet barked with apparent pride, but unfortunately, its owner didn't even glance at it.

"So, the one who should be commanding them isn't me, it's you... But since I'm nominally the highest-ranking officer... so..."

The silver-haired youth, already hailed as another King of the Huns, spoke calmly, as if it were no big deal, relying on his 'merciless yet loving' tone that had plunged this dynasty, which had lasted for centuries and commanded the submission of countless people, into crisis:

"Because this is my responsibility— Altrouge Brunestud, are you ready?"

"Of course, since you and I are allies, it can be done anytime."

Altrouge Brunestud, her blood-red eyes fixed on Avia, gave this reply.

At this very moment, the northern part of the Sasanian Empire, which extended into the Caucasus region, was completely breached and destroyed by the Huns army brought by Avia.

In the original historical account, Attila, who attacked the Sasanian Empire, would have been retaliated against and defeated in Armenia, thus abandoning his plan to conquer Persia and continuing his march toward the Eastern and Western Rome.

But now, Attila's other army is also making rapid progress in Armenia, almost unstoppable, and the Eastern Roman Empire has even taken advantage of the situation by seizing several important towns...

Before parting ways with Attila, Avia specifically instructed her not to completely eliminate the Sasanian Empire's forces in Armenia, but to leave them a way out.

Otherwise, allowing the Eastern Rome to completely conquer Armenia would ultimately be detrimental to the Huns Empire.

After all, he had no plans to occupy the conquered territories. He could wait for the Sasanian Empire, beset by internal and external troubles, to agree to his demands before driving the Hephthalites out.

These actions were taken both to strengthen the Huns Empire's power and economic strength, and to have the Sasanian Empire contain the Eastern Rome Empire during their attack on the Western Rome.

The Sasanian Empire's current failure to provide support to the north is entirely due to the Hephthalites' relentless attack on Fars Province, the Sasanian Empire's birthplace and its first Fars Province. More than two thousand years ago, the Persia ancestors took a crucial step onto the historical stage from here.

They successively established the Achaemenid and Sasanian dynasties, becoming a superpower capable of dominating the course of Western Asia history. Even during the Greece and Parthia periods under foreign rule, the local indigenous cultural foundation remained unaffected.

Therefore, the major powers of the Sasanian Empire would never easily give up Fars Province, and naturally they would fight the Hephthalites with them for the murder of their king, to the death.

However, before Avia continued south, he had one more thing to do: deal with the strange events that had recently become prevalent among the Huns army, the 'masks' and sounds that brought death at night.

The silver-haired youth knew it couldn't be Hassan, after all, his organization was founded in the 11th century, and it was only the 5th century now, so many years apart.

But the person who could be considered the 'founder' was not born in the 11th century; he was probably a figure who came from the Age of Gods.

After making inquiries from various sources, he discovered that there was indeed a Holy Temple located deep in the mountains nearby.

Although the locals have never seen or entered it, they all call it the Bell-Striking Hall where blessings are given at the end of life, or the 'entrance' to the Underworld.

139: Light of Salvation

Is this really the place where the so-called Holy Temple is located?

In a remote mountain in Western Asia, in Valley of Shadows where the arid region was still shrouded in mist, two figures moved forward, swaying like steam.

"Really... it's not some kind of 'Hell' reappearance' or something?"

Altrouge Brunestud couldn't help but say to Avia that, in her opinion, this place was no different from 'Hell,' filled with the aura of death. Compared to the battlefields where blood flowed like rivers, this place was a death zone still existing in the Age of Gods.

"In this Valley of Shadows, life and death are blurred; you could think of us as experiencing death while simultaneously continuing to live."

"... I'm a little curious, why do you know so much? It's as if you've been here before."

"I only heard it from others."

Avia and Altrouge Brunestud are indeed living beings, in theory. They walk on the border between the Present World and the Underworld, their bodies merging with the aura of both, simply moving forward.

The paths to the Holy Temple may differ, but if you look back at the end, you will find that they are all the same road.

It is the concrete image of a concept that all living beings must pass through, a place that can only be reached by crossing countless perilous Valley of Shadows.

Before long, the two arrived at the entrance of the Holy Temple.

"What... what's going on...?"

In that instant, Ji Jun froze instinctively. To stop her body from trembling, she used almost all her Divine Power. What happened suddenly was beyond her imagination.

Clearly different from black smoke and mist, and not emerging, it was as if the image was absorbing all the surrounding light into a single point and seeping outwards from her.

It robbed me of everything in sight; even the sensation of the wind caressing my skin vanished without a trace.