"Sir, when we arrived at Balanli, we happened to meet Ryman coming out of Balanli with a lot of Lion Knight. I saw with my own eyes that he was holding the code in his hand... He seemed to be planning to enter Lion City. Captain Risadiran is currently blocking him at the bridge, but we are short of manpower..."
Noldo Elves, who was sent by Risadiran to ask for help, quickly described the situation they encountered.
Li Ang did not rush to help rashly, but took a look at the ring on his hand and put it to his mouth.
"Your Majesty Kavala, I really didn't expect that you would actually use Lion Knight to deal with me? But do you think Ryman can deal with me?"
Li Ang's voice was very small, still like a whisper.
This time, Kavala did not respond.
But Li Ang can be sure that the appearance of Ryman is definitely not a coincidence.
Since Ulrich passed away, Ryman has been staying with Ibian.
At that time, a group of Lion Knight followed him and guarded Ibian closely.
After that, no matter what happened to Lion City or Cliff Bay, Ryman and these Lion Knight never left Ibian--Ryman was neither loyal to Amy nor defected to Brennus.
He is a die-hard Ulrich and only accepts orders from King Ulrich.
At that time, Lionheart Kingdom had many lords who remained neutral. Ryman stayed in the family territory and did not go out. Of course, Amy would not attack him. At that time, no one would find trouble to make enemies for themselves.
As Ryman is the deputy commander of Lion Knight Order, Cliff Bay's troops will naturally not cause trouble for him.
As a result, Ryman, who had been staying with Ibian, actually avoided several battles, even completely saved Ibian, and also sheltered many Lion Knight.
But now, Ryman suddenly left Ibian with all the Lion Knight who followed him, went to Baranli Town, and fished out Abyssal Gate?
This guy came sooner or later, but he just happened to show up when he sent people to salvage Abyssal Gate - Li Ang could tell it was a trap just by feeling.
It is normal for Kavala to design such a trap. Li Ang has been wearing the ring, and Kavala will definitely know his general movements.
However, Li Ang doesn't care if Kavala knows his location...
How could Kavala leave the city without using himself as bait?
Li Ang feels that Kavala must have been paying attention to Abyssal Gate.
Li Ang has seen with his own eyes how Media uses Abyssal Gate - if the code is nearby, they can directly leave the body and parasitize on Abyssal Gate, and can also rely on the code to expel other people's souls into the abyss.
For Three Prophets, the codes are not only their shelter, but also their soul power amplifier - after all, these codes were originally the 'qualification certificates' and 'passes' given by Creator God to other gods.
If you replace it with Kavala, the logic should be similar.
If nothing else, Kavala should have used the Codex as an aid when he took over Ulrich's body - Anna was probably forcibly expelled into Abyssal Gate with the help of the Codex.
He was using the remains of Aigrem that were burned like bacon. Without the existence of the code, it would have been difficult to defeat Anna.
Kavala will definitely not always use the body of Ulrich. However, as far as the body currently available to him is concerned, the most suitable one for him is Ulrich.
This is not because Ulrich is a king, but because Ulrich drank the medicine made by Dragon Tear.
Just like Kavala tried to trick Li Ang into giving him control of his body, Li Ang's body also has the magic power brought by Dragon Tear, which may be more suitable for Kavala than other people's bodies.
Because Kavala himself is a mixture of elf and human.
However, there are some rules that Kavala must also follow - just like Three Prophets, the body must die first before Spirit Body can leave the physical body and occupy another body again.
At the same time, judging from Elano's experience, if this person's soul power is very strong or his will is very determined, Kavala may not be able to control it.
For example, Maltis is the real Sindar Elves.
Li Ang has never met Maltis, but judging from the situation at the Bacchus Empire Siyuan City two years ago, Maltis should still retain a certain degree of self-awareness.
This should be a characteristic of the undead. After becoming undead, part of the soul may be retained.
Maybe this is also a basic rule - if you completely lose your life soul, you will be completely dead. If you completely lose Spirit Body, you will lose all consciousness and become Fallen One. Neither of these two can create undead.
Li Ang feels that the undead are probably always in the state when the soul is about to leave the body - the body functions are indeed dead, but the spirit and soul have not left the body, but are forcibly locked in the corpse by something Divine Art that can bring people back to life.
Just like what Li Ang himself experienced, when he was possessed by Kavala in the temple of Creator God, he was in a state where his soul was half out of his body - at that time, his consciousness could no longer control his body. It was his instinct that drove his body to struggle and move.
In other words, it was his subconscious mind that played a role at that time.
The undead are probably the same.
Python Knights among the Fear Legion that we met at the beach before, the way they fight can also prove this - they maintain the appearance of an army, but they never dodge during confrontation.
This is probably because their bodies are broken and their souls are incomplete, but the subconsciousness brought about by rigorous training as an elite unit during their lifetimes is still retained.
Therefore, even if no one is commanding them, they can still form formations and fight on their own.
The Desha warriors that Ramon saw who were transformed into undead actually spontaneously returned to Xingar. This was probably the reason - Ramon expelled all Tahir's men from Xingar last year. These people came back to attack the city even after they died. It is probably because they had deep resentment, and even after they died, they still retained the desire to go home...
The undead should have a certain degree of consciousness, unlike the fallen, who are specifically designed to occupy and are pure empty shells.
What Kavala wants is Valtis's body, so Kavala needs to keep Abyssal Gate for the time being. Without the help of the Code, he may not be able to fully control Maltis.
At the same time, keeping Abyssal Gate can also lead Li Ang out - since Kavala believes that Li Ang is an evil spirit from another world, then in his eyes, there is probably no difference between Li Ang and Aigrem.
Since it is an evil spirit, Li Ang will definitely come to get this code.
But Kavala must also be worried - he must be worried that Li Ang, the 'evil spirit from another world', will use Abyssal Gate to summon more 'evil spirits from other worlds'...
So he didn't take Abyssal Gate to Lion City, but stayed at the bottom of Deerheart Lake to avoid any accidents.
Anyway, Deerheart Lake is not far away, so he can react immediately if there is any movement.
Just like now, Li Ang sent Noldo Elves to get Abyssal Gate, and someone immediately took Abyssal Gate away.
It's just that this guy Ryman...
He is a die-hard confidant of Ulrich, and he is only loyal to Ulrich. He is indeed loyal to Ulrich, but this kind of loyalty... is a pity.
Is it to pursue the knight concept of 'consistency to the end'?
You know that there is something wrong with Ulrich in Lion City, but you still have to be loyal to your oath?
Maybe, but this kind of foolish loyalty is a disease that is difficult to cure.
Li Ang thought for a while, took off the ring on his hand, and pulled Dalion for a while to give instructions.
As a result, Griffin Knights, with all cavalry members, received a fateful mission.
The current Griffin Knights has been expanded to more than a thousand people - as Amy announced her abdication, all her "Griffin Claws" members joined Griffin Knights, and more than 60 of them successfully passed the examination and became female Griffin Knight.
These female knights originally recruited personnel in a similar way to Griffin Knights, so it seemed fitting to integrate them at this time.
Amy herself became the deputy captain of Griffin Knights - she really passed the knight assessment with her real skills, but the weapon she used to assess her martial arts was a musket... Dalion, who was in charge of the battle assessment at the time, wisely chose to admit defeat...
Being able to 'defeat' Dalion, coupled with the reputation of being Queen, and the unanimous support of the female knights, Amy is certainly enough to serve as the deputy leader.
This can be regarded as taking advantage of a loophole in the rules, but after all, it was never said before that the use of new weapons was not allowed...
In order not to let others take advantage of this loophole, Sir Azriel resigned from the position of Knight Commander and changed his position to become the chief bachelor of the Knights, that is, the person in charge of recording history, inheriting and optimizing the culture of the Knights.
However, Amy did not participate in this battle - she knew how much she weighed and did not intend to cause any trouble to Li Ang.
Amy is helping Baudess form another female soldier unit.
When Dalion led all the members of Griffin Knights to the bridge west of Lion City, Risadiran was leading the guards to confront Ryman across the river.
The members of the guard were all on standby with bows and arrows, and several rangers were injured.
In the middle of the bridge were several corpses of Lion Retainers, with shining Noldo arrows stuck on their bodies.
Apparently, Ryman tried to charge with force, but failed.
But this situation is not quite in line with the current situation - if Ryman was really anxious to send Abyssal Gate to Lion City, there would not be a confrontation now.
It's more like what are you waiting for...
Dalion and Risadiran nodded, whispered something, then rode their horses directly onto the bridge and walked to the other side of the river - that is, Ryman.
"Sir Rayman? I am Griffin Knight Dalion."
Dalion didn't raise the white flag or take off his sword. He just walked to the other side of the bridge and said, "Furious Lion Knight, who are you loyal to now?"
Li Ang has not declared himself king yet, and Dalion has not called him His Majesty at this time.
"Griffin Knight... How interesting... Of course I am loyal to King Ulrich! I was before and I am now!"
Ryman had a bitter smile on his face.
"Ulrich is dead... it's not like you don't know!"
Dalion shook his head.
"He is still alive! He is at Lion City! Dalion. I still regard Li Ang as Grand Duke of Long River Town of the Lionheart Kingdom... Since you are Li Ang's subordinate, you shouldn't block me here! Where is Li Ang? Where is he?"
Ryman's attitude is very firm, and it is certain that he is conscious, not under human control, and is not an undead spirit.
"Well, in that case, Lord Li Ang asked me to ask you a question..."
Dalion nodded and looked at the code book in Ryman's hand. "Lord Godric once taught you, the first article of Lion Knight's oath, do you still remember it?"
After saying that, he turned around and prepared to return to the other side of the bridge.
"Dalion! I am a knight! I am just doing what a knight should do! Loyalty is also the highest oath you Griffin Knights!"
Ryman shouted behind him.
"Loyalty... Yes, Lord Li Ang's judgment is right... As a knight, maybe you have done nothing wrong - you have always protected your colleagues, never fought for power, never favored anyone, never lied or cheated, and now you are only doing things according to the orders of the king you swore allegiance to... Loyalty, justice, honesty, loyalty, you have it all!"
Dalion turned around and said calmly, "But there is only one thing, the most important one, and the first one of Lion Knight's oath, but you forgot..."
"Lion Knight swore to maintain national tranquility... But now, do you think that guy in Lion City, who is neither human nor ghost, can still maintain national tranquility?"
"Ryman, look at the Heretic Codex in your hand, you should know what that thing is! You have to be loyal to your oath of allegiance, why don't you abide by the oath of Lion Knight? In order to be loyal to the king, you would rather associate with the heretic... Is this the knightly honor you pursue?"
"And... do you know why Lord Li Ang didn't come here?"
"Because he knows what you are going to do..."
"Heretics! Your ambush is in the river, right? Come out! I've seen you!"
Dalion returned to the other end of the bridge, pulled out his sword, and habitually turned the ring on his hand, turning the gryphon ring to the inside of his finger.
This is Ring of the Supreme King, but now it's on Dalion again.
There is indeed an ambush in the river.
In the Sava River, a large group of undead appeared in response and silently walked onto the shore step by step.
"Why is my ring on your hand? Where is Li Ang?"
'Ulrich' himself emerged from the water and looked at Dalion in surprise.
"Lord Li Ang said he was too timid to fight the undead..."
Dalion smiled, "Besides, I am also timid. Brothers, retreat!"
Where is Li Ang?
Of course in Lion City...
Risadiran was sent to retrieve Abyssal Gate. The original intention was to use Abyssal Gate to lure out Kavala.
In fact, Li Ang does not need Abyssal Gate, and he cannot use this thing. As for whether to save Anna or not, it is purely to get Three Prophets to cooperate. Li Ang does not have much sympathy for Anna.
Of course it would be better to be able to fulfill Ulrich's wish, but if it can't be fulfilled, it doesn't matter - Three Prophets can't die anyway, so they can go to Ulrich's place anytime...
But since Kavala used Abyssal Gate to design a trap, Li Ang naturally changed the method temporarily.
Anyway, no matter what trap Kavala wants to set, Li Ang will not directly accept the trap.
Isn't it just for times like this that you purposely keep wearing your ring without taking it off?
Who seduced whom? Who ambushed whom?
Even if Kavala knows the location of the ring, who can tell the difference between the real and the fake?
Since Kavala wants to set up an ambush, let Dalion wear the ring and swing it around. There is a high probability that Kavala can be lured out to Lion City...
Griffin Knights and Noldo Guard are both pure cavalry units with top-notch riding skills. Although they may not be able to defeat Kavala because of their small number of troops, they can definitely run away and even lure the enemy into Li Ang's ambush circle.
But Li Ang did not plan to ambush Kavala by the river, because that was the battlefield chosen by the enemy, and there was no time.
He wants to make a time difference and choose the battlefield by himself - just outside Lion City.