Such Power-What Could Possibly Stand in Its Way on This Land?! / Wei Yenwu: All I Saw in Talulah Was Hard Work and Sweat

Watching this nightmarish scene unfold, the soldiers atop the walls were already trembling in the legs. The fact that they could still stand there was no small feat.

"My lord, what should we do now?"

Faced with his subordinate's question, the lord's vacant eyes moved slightly, barely regaining a trace of clarity.

But he did not answer his subordinate's question.

What should he do? He wanted to know that too, but what could he possibly do against several hundred Wendigos?

Three Wendigos could destroy a small city. So the question was, could the walls of his territory—neither small, yet certainly not large—stop an attack by several hundred Wendigos?

There was no need to think about it, because the Wendigos below soon gave him the answer.

"Roar—!!!"

The leading Wendigo pulled the enormous spear from its back, drew it back with all its strength, then roared and hurled it toward the city wall.

The other Wendigos followed suit, and hundreds of long spears crackling with scarlet lightning rained down upon the walls.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The seemingly sturdy walls crumbled beneath the Wendigos' thrown spears. Countless soldiers stationed atop them wailed as they fell along with the collapsing masonry.

It had only been one volley of spears, yet the devastation was no less than a round of bombardment. When the dust settled, the formerly intact city wall was already riddled with holes.

"My lord!"

Because he had been positioned farther back, the lord had luckily survived the previous barrage. He staggered to his feet, covered in dirt, then ignored his subordinates' cries and ran into the territory without looking back.

Yes, he was preparing to flee.

The walls were already on the verge of collapse after a single volley. The enemy Wendigo Army's stats were so absurd they looked like they had been filled in with someone's foot. Was there any point in resisting? Anyone who could hold themselves back from running for even one second was insane.

Seeing this, the remaining soldiers looked at one another before scattering in all directions. Those who wanted to run ran, and those who wanted to surrender surrendered.

This did not happen only in this territory. Everywhere the Wendigo Army passed, nearly every territory surrendered at the mere sight of them. The few that chose to resist had their cities forcibly breached after a single volley of spears, and every resisting soldier was trampled to death like a stray dog by the roadside.

Every Cloned Wendigo possessed combat power equal to an Inner Guard. An army of two thousand Wendigos was equivalent to two thousand Inner Guards. What kind of city could withstand the ravages of two thousand Inner Guards?

Perhaps such a city existed, but it certainly was not something these Ursus nobles, useless sacks of wine and rice who indulged in drink and women every day, could manage.

Therefore, when they saw that terrifying army composed entirely of Wendigos from afar, fleeing or kneeling down to become dogs was no longer unacceptable to those once-proud Ursus nobles.

Thus, the Wendigo Army broke through cities all the way ahead, while the Third Army Group and the Infected Legion expanded from The Reunion followed behind to take over each city and clean up the aftermath. In only a few days, the army marching in Talulah's name had reached the gates of Holy Steed Castle.

They moved so quickly that the onlookers did not even have time to react.

Faced with their final objective so close at hand, the vanguard Wendigo Legion unusually did not attack the city immediately. Instead, they waited for a day and joined up with the Third Army Group arriving from behind.

Arriving at the front along with the army were An Xiu, Talulah, and the others.

As for Mobius, she had not come. She felt that rather than take part in a war whose outcome was already decided, she might as well spend her time researching new ideas and coming up with something new for Terra.

With An Xiu's current strength, the mobility granted by transforming into lightning and the system's world-traveling function, it was completely impossible for him to encounter any danger. He no longer needed clones to stay by his side and protect him at all times like before.

"Should we begin the final assault?"

Following the principle that delays bred complications, Talulah quietly asked An Xiu beside her after reaching the front lines and allowing the soldiers a brief rest.

"No rush. Drink this first."

Rather than immediately have Talulah issue the order to attack the city, An Xiu, standing beside her, took out a vial of golden liquid and handed it to the white-haired Dragonewt.

"What is this?"

"A Limit Break Potion. Good stuff that can increase your strength and enhance your potential. Drink it now."

"Alright."

Hearing An Xiu's words, Talulah did not show the slightest doubt or hesitation. She downed all of the golden liquid in one gulp.

At once, blazing flames burst forth and swirled around Talulah. Her aura began to climb steadily, just as it had in that village on the snowy plains.

If Talulah's previous strength had been equal to four Inner Guards, then she now slightly surpassed Patriot after he had consumed the Improved Monster Cell. In other words, she possessed combat power equal to six or seven Inner Guards.

Apart from a handful of beings such as Giant Beasts, that level of strength could be considered nearly unmatched in the current Arknights World.

"Not bad."

Seeing Talulah's improvement, An Xiu nodded in satisfaction.

"Phew... so, can we order the army to begin attacking the city now?"

Not paying much attention to the increase in her own strength, Talulah briefly adjusted to her newfound power after consuming the Limit Break Potion, then asked An Xiu again.

Right now, she only wanted to overthrow Emperor of Ursus's rule as quickly as possible, then establish a new country where the Infected and ordinary people could coexist peacefully. She was only one final step away from her goal, yet she was stuck here unable to move. The impatient Talulah felt like she had been stopped right at the edge.

And the switch that would release her was in An Xiu's hands. Without his permission, no matter how anxious she was, she could only hold herself back obediently.

"Of course we can attack the city, but if we simply have the soldiers attack in the usual way, it would lack a certain sense of impact."

Hearing Talulah's words, An Xiu smiled and pointed toward the distant city wall.

"So, to achieve the greatest possible deterrent effect and make your name resound across all of Terra, do you see that wall over there?"

"Talulah, next, use your earth-shattering power to blast it apart completely."

"Talulah, do you see the wall before you? Use your earth-shattering power to blast it apart completely."

"Ah, me?"

Talulah pointed at herself with a bewildered expression, repeatedly seeking confirmation from An Xiu.

To be honest, Talulah did not have a very clear understanding of her current strength. She only knew that she was far stronger than before, to the point where even multiple Ursus Inner Guards were no match for her.

But aside from the Ursus Inner Guards, Talulah could no longer find a better reference point with her current breadth of knowledge. Therefore, she was actually quite vague about what level her strength now stood at on this land.

Could she really shatter the city wall?

Clearly, Talulah had little confidence in that, but An Xiu was completely confident.

"Relax. It will not just be you. I'll also strike alongside you in secret, so we can create the most shocking effect possible. A mere city wall cannot stop our combined attack."

Only after hearing An Xiu's words did Talulah gain enough confidence. She nodded at once.

"Alright, then let us join forces and shatter the obstacle before us!"

A black Western-style sword in hand, the white-haired Dragonewt took a deep breath, slowly drew her blade, and walked to the front of the formation.

At the same time, the Wendigo Legion at the very front of the battle line split apart to either side, opening a path and retreating behind Talulah together.

"What is Lady Talulah planning to do?"

Some Reunion Soldiers nearby looked confused, but they soon widened their eyes in shock.

Endless flames gathered upon the blade, and the temperature across the entire battlefield rose sharply.

The earth melted into magma. The soldiers' protective suits became scorching hot. Even the bricks and stones of the distant city wall began to burn out of thin air.

The towering flames transformed into a surging torrent. Talulah, who controlled this power, opened her eyes and swung this strike containing all her strength at the walls of Holy Steed Castle before her.

Rumble—!!!

Flames capable of incinerating the land erupted as though endless, smashing into the city wall. At the same time, thick bolts of lightning descended from the sky, which had somehow become covered in dark clouds, and converged with the flames below.

The violent flames and lightning, two distinct powers, reacted with one another and ultimately triggered a deafening explosion that resounded across the entire battlefield!

Even though they were far from the city wall, apart from the Wendigo Legion behind Talulah, many ordinary soldiers were nearly blown away by the aftershock of that strike. They could only cling tightly to their companions beside them, lest they fail to die in battle against the enemy and instead be injured merely from witnessing the terrifying power Talulah had displayed.

After a long while, when the aftershock finally dissipated, the soldiers on the battlefield raised their heads. Beneath the slowly dispersing smoke and dust, the towering, thick walls of Holy Steed Castle had long vanished. All that remained was scorched earth and burning ruins.

With only one strike, she had crushed with absolute force the final line of defense that had stood around a nation's capital for who knew how many years. Such overwhelming power made countless members of The Reunion and soldiers of the Third Army Group, seeing their leader's true strength for the first time, erupt into fanatical cheers.

"Th-this is Lady Talulah's power?!"

"Unbelievable! What kind of power is this?!"

"We won! Lady Talulah has won this war!"

"So damn strong! With power like this, even if Lady Talulah were alone, she could easily storm the imperial palace and humiliate Emperor of Ursus!"

"With this kind of power, what the fuck on this land could possibly stop her!!!"

"Her Majesty Talulah is invincible! Invincible!!!"

"Her Majesty Talulah is invincible!!!"

Listening to the cheers of the soldiers beneath her across the battlefield, Talulah stared blankly at the scene created by her full-powered strike. Only after a long time did she take a deep breath, point her sword at Holy Steed Castle, now wide open before them, and give the order to advance.

Although they had successfully breached the city, she knew the battle was not over.

The Inner Guard, the most terrifying military force held by Emperor of Ursus, had not appeared again since they had first attempted to ambush her in Koschei's Domain.

Furthermore, the Third Army Group responsible for surrounding the imperial capital was nowhere to be seen outside the city. They had likely been lying in ambush within the walls. In other words, unless something unexpected happened, a hard battle still awaited them.

With that in mind, Talulah commanded the Reunion Soldiers and the Third Army Group to pour into Holy Steed Castle and begin taking control of the various districts within the city.

However, unexpectedly, until they reached the gates of the imperial palace, the members of the Third Army Group and The Reunion did not encounter any meaningful resistance.

They found no Central Army Group ambushes, suffered no attacks from the Inner Guard, and even the gates of the imperial palace stood open, as if welcoming Talulah and the others.

"What exactly happened?"

Faced with this abnormal situation, Talulah frowned and decided to send people into the imperial palace to find someone and get an explanation.

Very soon, an answer emerged that left people unsure what expression they should make.

"You're saying that the night before the army arrived—that is, on the very night the Wendigo Legion reached the gates of Holy Steed Castle—Emperor of Ursus Fyodor announced his abdication and then vanished?"

Yes, Emperor of Ursus had fled. The day before Talulah reached Holy Steed Castle, Fyodor had seen the Wendigo Legion made up of a full two thousand Wendigos and immediately run without the slightest hesitation.

At first, Fyodor had wanted to gather the Central Army Group and put up some resistance. But after seeing the Wendigo Legion outside Holy Steed Castle, especially after learning from the Inner Guard that every Wendigo outside possessed strength comparable to theirs, Fyodor did not have a single additional thought.

What a joke. Two thousand Wendigos, each with the strength of an Inner Guard—even a Giant Beast would not escape getting beaten to death. Anyone who could resist running was this? Rather than stay and wait to die, he might as well leave with some dignity.

Fyodor fled decisively and discreetly. It was not until the next morning that anyone discovered His Majesty the Emperor had vanished overnight, leaving behind only an abdication document, the crown, and the scepter. He himself had disappeared without a trace.

It just so happened that Talulah began attacking the city at that time, so the people in the imperial palace did not even have time to go out and open the gates to surrender, ultimately leading to this situation.

"So, Grand Duke Talulah, the Emperor's throne is now vacant. We believe no one is more suited to such an honorable position than you. Will you ascend the throne in Holy Steed Castle?"

Some officials in the imperial palace asked in trembling voices. Some even directly brought over Emperor of Ursus's coronation robes.

Holy Steed Castle had fallen.

Because a certain Emperor had fled at the first sign of trouble, Talulah's soldiers occupied this control center of Ursus without expending any effort. They even incorporated the Central Army Group. Not only did they suffer no losses throughout the process, their army had even doubled in size.

At this point, less than ten days had passed since Talulah had formally given the order to send out troops.

Such an outrageous achievement caused Talulah's illustrious name to spread across all of Ursus in a short time, and it was still spreading beyond Ursus's borders.

At the same time, after spending a week stabilizing the situation, a piece of news spread from Holy Steed Castle.

Talulah, current Duke of Ursus and commander of the Third Army Group and Central Army Group, would ascend the throne in Holy Steed Castle half a month later, formally assuming the position of Emperor of Ursus. A Military Parade would also be held in Holy Steed Castle.

As soon as this news spread, it swept through most nations across Terra like the wind.

(With the exception of a very few countries that were not connected to the internet.)

Unlike Talulah's previous rebellion, for the Ursus of that time, one of their Dukes rebelling against the Emperor was a scandal capable of causing national unrest and even shaking the foundations of the country. Naturally, they could not publicize it everywhere.

Therefore, even now, aside from the cities along the route from Koschei's Domain to Holy Steed Castle, many civilians within Ursus itself did not know that such a major event had occurred in their country. As for civilians in other nations, there was even less reason for them to know.

But now, the news of Talulah's ascension was being spread through official channels in Holy Steed Castle and many Ursus cities, so naturally it spread at an extremely fast pace.

For a time, nearly everyone in Ursus knew that Talulah was about to ascend the throne. They discussed the Empress who would take the throne half a month later.

As for nations neighboring Ursus, Mobile Cities with especially developed channels of information like Lungmen in Great Yan had already begun carrying related news.

"Talulah... that child really succeeded..."

Inside the Lungmen Governor's office, Wei Yanwu took a deep drag from his smoking pipe. Only after a long while did he exhale, speaking as though in reflection.

At present, most ordinary people only knew that Talulah was about to ascend the throne of Emperor of Ursus. They did not know the detailed course of events, much less the dangers involved.

Only people like him, who held high positions and possessed more channels of information, who had known the entire story from the beginning, could truly appreciate how unbelievable it was that Talulah had gone from first sending out troops to capturing Holy Steed Castle in less than ten days, then stabilizing the situation and publicly announcing her upcoming ascension.

From the little girl he could only watch helplessly as she was taken away back then, to the woman now about to ascend the throne of Emperor of Ursus, even without seeing it with his own eyes, Wei Yanwu could see Talulah's effort and sweat behind it all.

"Sir Wei."