Threatening Presence

Standing atop the city wall, he gazed into the distance at the rapidly approaching Yar Army.

Jem Woz gave a slight wave of his hand, signaling the troops behind him to prepare for battle.

Amid a cloud of rising dust, more than ten thousand knights on horseback arrived first before Mogbusburg. Close behind them came numerous metal war chariots and infantry advancing step by step in tight formations.

Unlike Earth, where wars fought with cold weapons still had the concept of temporarily conscripting serfs as cannon fodder, the armies of this world were far more professional and elite due to Supernatural Power!

Although this world's energy reactions were pitifully weak in Orsaga's eyes, they were already enough to steer civilization down an entirely different path. From the very beginning, the two sides had never stood on the same level in either vision or need.

In this world, all manner of enlistment compensation abounded. As long as one successfully enlisted, one automatically received various preferential benefits.

In return, every Soldier had to diligently train in the knightly system, spending most of his time strengthening himself. Whether in strength or endurance, they far surpassed ordinary people. Each of them could easily deal with more than a dozen ordinary adults barehanded, and even while wearing armor weighing dozens of pounds, they could still move freely.

Compared to these professional killing machines, armies made up of ordinary people were practically meaningless. The enormous disparity in physical ability meant that even if ordinary people outnumbered them by dozens of times, they could not withstand a single charge from these men.

The difference was simply that between cats and mice!

On Earth, perhaps they could be described as having a Rambo for every man.

Under such circumstances, a rule naturally took shape.

Unless one had reached the end of the road, ordinary people would not be sent onto the battlefield.

'Ordinary people should farm, trade, and have children, providing nourishment for the specialized fighting class. Going to war is simply seeking death!'

After thousands of years of accumulation, this belief had long since sunk deep into the hearts of the people!

Once the Yar Army had arranged its formation, a handsome middle-aged man rode a burly warhorse a few steps forward and came alone before the lines.

Looking up at Jem Woz on the wall, he laughed loudly. "Surrender, dear Crown Prince Jem. It wouldn't do if you got hurt!"

The Soldiers behind him immediately burst into uproarious laughter.

They were clearly trying to humiliate Jem Woz.

Watching those Soldiers mock him without restraint, Jem Woz's facial muscles twitched involuntarily. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Harry, I hope you can still laugh that happily in a while."

The other man mocked him without the slightest courtesy. "Naturally. Of course I'll laugh just as happily as I am now. Don't tell me you think you can defeat me with this handful of men? There are people who can win against greater numbers, but if you really had that ability, would I have made it all the way here?"

After saying that, he shook his head and added earnestly, "Jem, I have to admit that you do have some ability, but your father was too foolish. In barely more than a decade, he squandered over half of the Duchy of Maldon's foundation. If not for that, we of the Duchy of Yar would never have considered invading."

"Surrender. As long as you sign the agreement, we will withdraw immediately. Your cause is already lost. Any further sacrifice is meaningless. If you surrender now, you can at least preserve a shred of dignity."

If possible, Harry truly did not want to fight. Once battle began, people would inevitably die. They held an absolute advantage, but the other side was no mere decoration. Even victory would come at a tremendous cost, so settling things with words was naturally the best outcome.

A victory was still a victory. How could returning with grievous casualties compare to returning in perfect order?

These troops were all elites. He had no desire to lose them over unnecessary matters.

Hearing his words, Jem Woz sneered and asked disdainfully, "Surrender? So you can hang me from the pillar of shame and make your name?"

As a knight, and as a Prince.

As the face of a nation!

If he surrendered of his own accord, how would his subordinates and his people view him?

The mere thought of it was unbearable to Jem Woz.

The royal family's honor of over a thousand years would be smashed in his hands!

Thinking of this, Jem Woz exposed him as well. "And don't think I don't know that two of the people who bewitched my royal father back then were sent by the Duchy of Yar."

"So what? Don't you also send people to our country to do shameful things?"

Harry did not deny his accusation. He merely smiled disdainfully, then waved his hand carelessly. "The only difference is that you failed, while we succeeded. If you want to blame someone, blame your father for being too arrogant and too foolish!"

Jem Woz did not refute him. Whether it was the fact that they too sent people to other countries to stir up trouble, or the fact that his royal father had been too arrogant and foolish.

If not for his own status, he truly wanted to slap his old man a few times. Such a fine situation had been forcibly turned by him into a fallen household and a yesterday's flower.

Jem Woz adjusted the national emblem on his chest and said solemnly, "Harry, there is no use talking further. You and I both know that today is the crucial day that will decide victory or defeat between the Duchy of Maldon and the Duchy of Yar. Neither of us can simply await death, so let us settle victory and defeat now!"

After speaking, he added in his heart, 'Though I'll be cheating...'

Unaware that there was a hidden meaning in his words, and that he intended to play dirty, Harry laughed twice and answered boldly.

"Fine! I'll crush your army head-on and make you concede defeat wholeheartedly!"

Drawing the longsword at his waist from its sheath, he gave the order, "Siege engines advance first! Infantry, press forward with them! Cavalry, prepare to break the gates!"

At once, the army behind him moved, all closing in on Mogbusburg!

Seeing this from the city wall, Jem Woz remained expressionless. He lightly raised a hand and told the generals behind him, "Tell the archers and cannon crews to follow orders. Do not attack until they are one hundred paces from the fortress."

"Understood."

After the man received the order and left, Jem Woz took a ruby the size of a pigeon egg from his pocket. Stroking its smooth surface, he asked Baron Duke, the only person remaining behind him, "How useful do you think this thing really is?"

As the only person here besides Jem Woz who knew of Orsaga's existence, Duke knew full well that this magnificent gemstone was the trump card Jem Woz had gained through his deal with Orsaga. Though he did not understand why Jem Woz would ask him such a question, after thinking for a moment, he answered honestly, "Your subordinate cannot estimate it. In my eyes, it is merely a ruby..."

Jem smiled.

"Yes, a ruby. To the naked eye, it is merely a ruby.

"But when I obtained it and held it in my palm, I automatically understood its purpose.

"It was a very strange feeling, as though something had appeared in my mind, yet I could not explain it. Through an indescribable kind of sight, I could see the effects this gemstone would produce once it was used..."

Tilting his head slightly to evade a stray arrow, Jem Woz continued, "Through this gemstone, I can vaguely sense that Demon's power. It truly is not something mortals can contend with.

"Do you know? Though he seems very peaceful now, and scarcely even leaves his residence, as if he is unlike the Demons recorded in history and will not bring danger to the kingdom, I still cannot make myself ignore the threat he contains.

"Because from the first day onward, his eyes have never changed. They are still as cold and cruel as ever. In his gaze, we have always been nothing but dust. He has never cared about our thoughts, nor has he deliberately placed any restraints upon us. Apart from occasionally issuing a few inconsequential commands and leaving some punitive spells upon us, he has taken no other measures. He simply has not taken us to heart at all, as if it would not matter even if we betrayed him at any time.

"I do not understand what he is plotting, but I do understand that he is becoming more and more dangerous as time passes. He craves slaughter and souls, yet he has never made any major move. It is as unreasonable as a Hungry Wolf entering a sheepfold and refusing to eat. He must be wary of something. Otherwise, no wolf would ever live peacefully alongside sheep..."

Duke lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, I fear that only the people of the Church can give us an answer in this world."

Jem Woz gently shook his head and slowly sighed.

"That is right. They understand Demons best, so they are indeed the most likely to give us answers. But compared to that man-eating Demon, the Church is also a colossal beast that devours people without even spitting out their bones. They have always sought to place divine authority above royal authority once more. The moment they find an opportunity, the Duchy of Maldon's situation will immediately become dire..."

Those who stood at different heights thought about different things. The relatively simple relationships in Baron Duke's eyes were, to Jem Woz, an intricate tangle. Every step had to be considered clearly before it was taken.

Walking to the edge of the wall, he watched the enemy troops below rush forward one after another, trying to scale it. He could even clearly see the excitement and fanaticism in their eyes—the joy of those about to claim victory.

Perhaps they had already decided how they would plunder and how gloriously they would return home.

Jem Woz shook his head and murmured, "I hope a few more of you survive. Otherwise, it will not be easy to make up the shortfall in sacrifices..."

Then he crushed the gemstone in his hand.

A burst of Scarlet radiance flashed over Mogbusburg.

The Soldiers of both sides, locked in fierce combat, all looked up at the sky with some confusion, unable to understand the sight before them.

They were given no time to think. As Jem Woz marked out the target area in his mind, every member of the Yar Army whose strength had not reached the level of a Great Knight involuntarily revealed an uncontrollable savagery in his eyes.

The slaughter began again.

Only this time, their targets had changed from the Duchy of Maldon's army to everyone around them!

No longer distinguishing friend from foe, anyone still alive became their enemy. In that instant, the battle fell completely into madness...