Ansel: I Didn't Come to Terra to Follow All These Tedious Formalities / The Wendigo Legion Air-Drops into the Command Center; Kazimierz Falls...

An Xiu: I Didn't Come to Terra to Follow All These Pointless Formalities

Inside the conference room of the Ursus Imperial Palace.

An Xiu, Talulah, Mobius, Doctor, and the others sat around the table. Kal'tsit, who had just changed into a maid outfit, stood expressionlessly behind An Xiu.

With the coronation ceremony over, Talulah had truly ascended as Emperor of Ursus. This also declared that Ursus, Terra's largest war machine, had completely fallen under An Xiu and the others' control, both legally and in practice.

Naturally, it was time for them to discuss their next strategic objective.

Whether it was beating up Terra's natives for fun or changing the infected's circumstances so they would no longer suffer oppression, conquering Ursus alone was far from enough. More nations had to bow beneath Ursus's iron hooves.

The choice of which nation to strike first was particularly important. It could not be too strong or too weak. A nation that was too strong would damage Ursus's national strength, while one that was too weak would fail to demonstrate Ursus's current military prowess.

Taking into account the additional requirement that it had to border Ursus, An Xiu and the others were left with only two choices.

Kazimierz, or Leithanien.

Both nations directly bordered Ursus. Neither was a massive nation comparable in scale to Ursus, like Great Yan, and both Kazimierz and Leithanien possessed considerable martial strength. Their military forces ranked among the better ones on Terra.

If they absolutely had to choose between Kazimierz and Leithanien, anyone with even a basic understanding of the two countries could easily give an answer.

"Kazimierz."

"If we have to choose, I think it should be Kazimierz."

"Taking the actual circumstances into consideration, Kazimierz is the best choice."

Although Kazimierz's Silver Lance Pegasus were famous far and wide, Kazimierz was undoubtedly the softer target compared to Leithanien.

After all, no matter how formidable the formations formed by the Silver Lance Pegasus were, could they be stronger than the Wendigo Legion?

The same applied to Leithanien's army of casters. With the Shadow Troopers, if An Xiu wanted, he could airdrop thousands of Wendigos anywhere on the battlefield at any time. No matter how powerful Leithanien's caster legions were, could they stop thousands of Wendigos, each as strong as an Inner Guard, from teleporting directly into their faces?

"Mobilizing the army will probably take several weeks. Also, if we plan to wage war on Kazimierz, shouldn't we find a suitable reason?"

Doctor spoke up to ask.

In war, to ensure that they had justification and could stand on the side of righteousness, most nations would choose to establish a seemingly legitimate reason for war before fighting. This would boost their own morale and, to a certain extent, rationalize their actions.

If Kazimierz truly became their next strategic target, should they first come up with an appropriate reason before acting?

However, An Xiu merely waved his hand.

"A reason for war? We don't need that kind of thing. Once we're more or less prepared, we'll just start fighting."

What a joke. Had he come to Terra to abide by all those so-called pointless formalities?

Fight when they wanted to fight. Why waste time babbling about so much useless nonsense? With Ursus's own six Group Armies, the endlessly supplied Wendigo Army from Mobius, and Jibril, did they need excuses or reasons to start a war?

Was Kazimierz blocking the way not reason enough? Kazimierz stood between Ursus and Victoria, preventing Talulah, who had the legitimate right to inherit Victoria's throne, from returning to claim it immediately. Kazimierz's crimes were simply unforgivable!

Besides, if he remembered correctly, when they had dealt with those disobedient nobles some time ago, a small number of them had fled to Kazimierz with their assets. According to intelligence gathered by the Shadow Troopers, those former Ursus nobles who fled to Kazimierz had apparently lived rather comfortably after giving the Commercial Union's upper ranks quite a few benefits.

It seemed these Kazimierz capitalists were asking to be dealt with as well. They had to properly experience Ursus's strength and methods!

In the blink of an eye, three weeks passed.

Under Talulah's orders, large-scale mobilization began throughout Ursus.

Aside from the two Group Armies guarding the borders, a full four Group Armies began advancing toward Kazimierz from different directions.

Such a huge movement naturally could not be concealed from the investigations of neighboring nations and forces. For a time, countless eyes once again focused on Ursus.

The Emperor Talulah, who had only held her coronation ceremony a few weeks ago, was actually so eager to start another war after such a short interval?

Kazimierz, the obvious target of this invasion, immediately bristled like a startled Hakimi and unhesitatingly entered Spinosaurus Form. Every Conquest Knight in the country was dispatched to the border shared with Ursus, standing ready in strict formation.

Thus, after the four Group Armies successively arrived at the border, the armies of both sides began their standoff, which continued for several days.

"Something's wrong."

Within the Grand Knight's Territory, Iolete Russell, current president of Kazimierz's Supervisory Council and Grand Knight of the Conquest Knight Order, frowned as she analyzed the current situation. She felt that something was very, very wrong.

The Ursus Empress, who had only recently ascended the throne, had been so eager to begin a war and had sent four entire Group Armies to fight Kazimierz. Was it really just so both sides could waste away meaninglessly at the border?

Over the past few days, aside from several small-scale clashes, the four Ursus Group Armies gathered at the border had not launched a single large-scale assault.

For the first two or three days, it could still be explained as conserving strength. But a week had already passed, and the four Group Armies were still sitting as steady as fishermen, simply dragging things out with the Conquest Knights at the border. Did that make any sense?

Based on the Grand Knight's understanding of the Ursus military, this nation's army would never be so laid-back. Their current behavior could only mean that they had another objective.

However, as the defending side, the Grand Knight did not dare order the Conquest Knights to launch a proactive attack. She could only wait and see.

After all, against four entire Group Armies, Kazimierz was already at a disadvantage. Not to mention that the new Emperor of Ursus, Talulah, also commanded a powerful Wendigo Legion. Taking the initiative would be no different from suicide.

Wait, the Wendigo Legion. In all the days since the war began, it seemed that no Conquest Knight had seen any sign of the Wendigo Legion among the Ursus Group Armies attacking Kazimierz.

Would Emperor Talulah really launch such a grand attack on Kazimierz without using such a powerful force? Obviously, that was impossible.

At that thought, Grand Knight Russell grew even more uneasy. But before she could think any further, a tremendous sound suddenly came from outside.

A Conquest Knight rushed in, looking disheveled, and spoke urgently.

"Grand Knight, the Wendigos have appeared!"

"Where?"

"Right here!"

Boom!!!

Under the Grand Knight's constricted gaze, several towering figures smashed through the wall of the staff room and swaggered into view before her.

Wendigo Legion Airdrops into Headquarters, Kazimierz Falls

"That's impossible!"

When she had just heard a subordinate knight report that Wendigos had appeared within the Grand Knight's Territory, Russell, as Grand Knight, had wanted to respond with exactly those words.

As the command center of the Conquest Knights, the Grand Knight's Territory was defended like an iron fortress. No matter how powerful Emperor Talulah's Wendigo Legion was, it could not possibly break in here without causing even the slightest disturbance.

But now, the Wendigos that had smashed through the wall shattered every ounce of the Grand Knight's wishful thinking. Faced with the enemies before her, she had wanted to draw her weapon and fight, only for the other side to strike first and send her flying with a single blow.

The Conquest Knight who had rushed over to report the situation also failed to escape disaster. Like the Grand Knight, he was sent flying, crashing through a wall and out of the building.

"Cough, cough... What the hell is going on?!"

Forcing herself to stand from the ground, the Grand Knight, who had been knocked outside the building, turned to look around. What she saw made her pupils quake.

Wendigos. Wendigos were everywhere throughout the Grand Knight's Territory, numbering roughly several hundred at a glance.

Although the knights fought desperately, ordinary Conquest Knights were as helpless as infants before these Wendigos and were easily killed in an instant. A small number of Silver Lance Pegasus could barely resist individual Wendigos by relying on their battle formations, but there were simply too many Wendigos inside the territory!

Several hundred Wendigos. Even the Silver Lance Pegasus in formation were unable to resist them. The Grand Knight's Territory, the command center of the Conquest Knights, had reached the brink of collapse in only moments.

So the question returned to the beginning: how had these Wendigos appeared here?!

Still filled with confusion, the Grand Knight was surrounded by several Wendigos. A few attacks later, she completely lost her ability to resist.

Meanwhile, within unnoticed shadows, several pairs of scarlet eyes watched the scene and transmitted it to An Xiu, who was observing from afar.

The Wendigos' ability to break into the enemy headquarters was naturally An Xiu's work. After spending several days using the Shadow Troopers' unparalleled scouting ability to determine the locations of the enemy commanders and upper ranks, he had used the Shadow Kingdom's teleportation ability to directly airdrop the Wendigo Army into the enemy headquarters.

Several hundred Wendigos, each as strong as an Inner Guard, had appeared directly in the enemy command center. Did the outcome even need to be explained?

In only a few minutes, Kazimierz's frontline command center had completely fallen. All the knights instantly found themselves leaderless.

The four Group Armies, which had been waiting for this moment, immediately sounded the horn for the attack. Artillery fire thundered across the entire border, followed by massive numbers of group army soldiers tearing through the defenses. The chaotic Kazimierz forces could not organize any effective resistance at all.

And that was not all. In an open area deliberately left vacant by the Group Armies, a full three thousand five hundred Wendigos howled toward the sky. Scarlet energy gathered and transformed into a torrent that spread across the entire battlefield.

Every Kazimierz soldier covered by the scarlet energy felt their body grow heavy. Their life force and strength seemed to be viciously devoured by an invisible maw, rapidly plunging them into weakness. Correspondingly, the aura of the Wendigo Legion radiating scarlet energy grew increasingly stronger.

This was an Originium Art commonly possessed by the Wendigo race, capable of remotely devouring the enemy's life force across a vast area. It was also an incomparably terrifying superweapon on the battlefield.

Realizing the situation, the remaining Silver Lance Pegasus gathered together to form a battle formation. They wanted to rely on their combined strength to scatter the Wendigo Legion before them and halt the enemy's Originium Arts.

However, such an action was no different from a mantis trying to stop a chariot or a mayfly trying to shake a tree in the eyes of the Wendigo Legion.

After all, the total number of Silver Lance Pegasus across the entire frontline might not even have exceeded one hundred. The number that could gather in a short time was even lower, at only around forty.

A battle formation of forty Silver Lance Pegasus charged at a legion formed by three thousand five hundred Wendigos.

Would they win?

No one could give an answer, because the Pegasi had already launched their charge with unstoppable momentum.

How could one describe that sight? It was like medieval cavalry charging headfirst into an army of modern tanks. The strength they had once been so proud of seemed to become a joke at this moment.

At the instant of collision, the Silver Lance Pegasus's battle formation quietly shattered.

Kazimierz's proudest warriors, the Silver Lance Pegasus who had destroyed countless city walls in ancient times and made innumerable enemies flee in terror, fell. They fell before the Wendigo Legion, which utterly crushed them in both numbers and quality.

With their strongest resistance eliminated, the Wendigo Legion began sweeping through the battlefield without restraint. Faced with such an offensive, Kazimierz's forces finally collapsed completely.

Kazimierz had fallen.

After the border defenses completely crumbled, Ursus's four Group Armies drove straight in and took control of every city and village within Kazimierz.

Countless civilians hid in their homes, too afraid to come out. Fortunately, the Group Armies merely took over the cities and had no intention of looting.

And now, only half a month had passed since Ursus and Kazimierz officially went to war.

In half a month, they had conquered and taken control of a nation. Ursus, this war machine, had revealed its fangs for the first time after its new emperor ascended the throne and remade it from the ground up. Its results chilled countless nations to the bone and spread Talulah's fearsome reputation throughout the land.

Yet neither Talulah, whom countless nations and forces regarded as the instigator of the war, nor An Xiu, the true culprit, cared much about that.

Strictly speaking, conquering Kazimierz was merely a preliminary plan. Victoria was the real objective.

As a Drac with Red Dragon blood, Talulah naturally possessed the right to inherit Victoria's throne. As long as she could successfully reach Londinium, Victoria's capital, Talulah could rightfully inherit Victoria's vacant throne. No one had the qualifications to object.

Of course, Victoria's remaining Dukes would definitely not be pleased. If Talulah truly showed the intention of going to Londinium to inherit the throne, those Dukes would certainly do everything in their power to stop her. Moreover, Victoria's capital was currently controlled by the Sarkaz led by Theresis and the Blood Demon Great Lord. With both factions combined, a direct war would still cause enormous trouble.

Of course, that was assuming An Xiu and Jibril did not intervene. If they were included—no, Jibril alone would be enough to literally flatten all of Victoria.

Therefore, An Xiu and the others were not worried at all that taking Kazimierz would make Victoria wary. If anything, the more wary they became, the better.

It would be best if they gathered every last soldier together and fought them to the death. That way, he could let little Jibril give these Terra natives a small taste of Winged Ones shock and awe.

PS: I didn't have time to write this morning, so the update came late.

Platinum: Why Is Emperor Talulah of Ursus Here?!

After the war, Kazimierz's capital.

Some time had passed since the war ended. Since the Ursus Group Armies had neither burned, killed, nor looted, the streets of Kazimierz's cities had gradually begun to regain their former prosperity.

The smoke of war at the border had not completely dispersed, but the cities seemed almost unchanged from before the war. The only differences were perhaps the Ursus soldiers patrolling the streets from time to time, as well as the disappearance of the Commercial Union, which had once been an important component of Kazimierz, the nation of coins and knights, alongside Pegasi and knights.

After all, anyone who understood anything knew what merchants who dared meddle in politics were like. That was especially true for a cancer like the Commercial Union, which openly controlled the nation's economic lifelines.

The Supervisory Council's knights of Kazimierz had been unable to deal with these merchants before, but the Ursus army that had conquered Kazimierz would not bother with such concerns.

A bunch of capitalists who only knew how to play underhanded tricks and could not even stand in the open dared control a nation's economy? They must have eaten too many red beans and become lovesick.

Thus, the Commercial Union's merchants suffered utter misfortune. Those willing to obediently hand over all their wealth and submit to arrangements were allowed to live by Ursus, then thrown into prison for labor reform. As for those who not only refused to cooperate but dared resist, their entire families were sent straight to the execution ground to be hanged.

The assets left behind by the Commercial Union's merchants were all confiscated by the state. Thanks to that, Ursus's treasury had grown considerably fuller during this period.

Under these circumstances, inside a secluded restaurant.

An Xiu sat inside a reserved private room, while Jibril silently floated behind him.

To demonstrate the importance Ursus placed on Kazimierz and calm the unease in the hearts of the people of this nation that had only recently emerged from war as much as possible, Talulah had decided not long ago to personally visit Kazimierz and inspect matters concerning livelihoods, work, society, and more.

However, traveling from Holy Steed Castle in Ursus to Kazimierz's capital required considerable time. After all, Talulah was now emperor. When conducting an inspection, especially one concerning the people's livelihoods in Kazimierz, a nation that Ursus had just occupied, the scale of her entourage naturally could not be small.

That further increased the time cost. Fortunately, under such circumstances, An Xiu suddenly proposed using the Shadow Troopers' Shadow Kingdom to send Talulah directly there in a single step. As for the accompanying troops, attendants, honor guard, and the like, they could slowly travel to Kazimierz by the normal route, creating the illusion that Talulah was still on the road.

The time opened up in between would count as a vacation An Xiu had given Talulah, allowing the white-haired dragon girl to temporarily escape government affairs and rest for a while instead of remaining in the palace, working herself like a beast of burden and handling affairs day and night.

"By my estimate, Talulah should be about ready to depart, right?"

"Then I should be about ready to have the dishes served here."