The riots that broke out in the Andara Royal City directly affected the war on the northern front of the kingdom. Perhaps most people have forgotten about it, but the war has never left the Andara Kingdom.
Otis Brooks' arrival with the Imperial Army was successful, but with the news of the riots in the royal city, the war on the front lines was inevitably affected.
The kingdom's soldiers were in a state of panic, which caused problems with the transportation of War Supplies. When the Rhino Orcs attacked again, they discovered that their food reserves were insufficient.
"How so?"
Otis angrily questioned the logistics officer, who was also of noble blood.
"I... I don't know either. The Kingdom Army hasn't been sending supplies here for several days."
Otis pressed for answers one by one and discovered that the problem wasn't with the army's transportation, but rather that no supplies had been delivered from the capital for several days.
"What on earth is the Andara Royal Family doing? How could they allow a member of the royal family to be invaded by Evil God?"
He gritted his teeth. As an ancient and noble bloodline, even in their current state of decline, no nobles referred to them as Wandering Nobles. Moreover, Brooks was still quite powerful.
He knew a lot. He knew that the fact that members of the Andara Royal Family had turned into ghouls and monsters meant that the entire royal family had not become servants of Evil God. Otherwise, the Andara Kingdom would have been a living hell long ago.
However, Otis was shocked to find that the Andara Royal Family had not yet dealt with the ghoul monsters. Was this still the royal family of a kingdom?
"No wonder MacReynolds betrayed Andara; the royal family is utterly incompetent."
With supplies running low, the war could no longer continue, and they had to retreat back to their fortified positions. However, this place was too close to the nobles' territories.
The war, which seemed to have ended, suddenly began to weigh heavily on the nobles' nerves again, and one by one they panicked and spread the Orcs invasion throughout the kingdom.
The once peaceful kingdom is now gripped by fear, and the turmoil within the capital city leaves the nobles utterly disoriented and lost.
"The royal family has allowed Evil God to invade their bloodline! The legend is true; the royal family is cursed!"
"The great Deities punished them, and that's why Grand Duke McReynolds betrayed the royal family and the Andara Kingdom."
Suddenly, many people began to reflect on their past choices. When MacReynolds was still around, everyone condemned the traitor and started the war, but now, they are suddenly reflecting on who was right and who was wrong.
Such voices are naturally a disgrace to the Andara Royal Family, but the current chaos within the capital city leaves them no time to spare.
It was daytime, but they still couldn't find where the ghoul was hiding.
Daryl was in full charge of this matter, and naturally, he was overwhelmed with headaches and under immense pressure.
"With so many ghouls around, how could they all just vanish completely?"
"And what about the corpses?"
"Where did all the bodies go?"
Daryl's fear lay in this: he knew what the royal family had done, and who the object of that sacrifice was— the Hobii, the Great Being who created death, whose power could resurrect the dead and the rotten, turning them into terrifying, fearless monsters.
All corpses that die at the hands of ghouls have the potential to become new ghouls, and less than 10% of the human corpses that died in the royal city have been found after last night.
It's obvious what the remaining corpses will turn into at night.
In just a few days, the royal city will become a paradise for ghouls. This is where the royal family first worshipped Hobii. If He returns, the Andara Royal Family will be the first to perish, and the entire royal city, and even the entire empire, will be buried with the royal family.
"No, it won't take several days, just the same thing happening again tonight."
Daryl trembled all over. The power of the Saint Realm was already strong enough, like the power of a god in the eyes of mortals, but at this moment, the Saint Realm was as fragile as an ant. He had sensed the Legendary power among the ghouls, but he did not know where the ghouls were hiding, nor did he know if he could be their opponent if he found them.
The royal family's resources have been completely depleted by war after war.
Many in the royal family were unaware of the disaster that would unfold tonight.
"We must kill those ghouls as quickly as possible."
Daryl gritted his teeth and ordered the army to search all the houses indiscriminately.
The difficulty in this matter is not the slaves and commoners, but the fact that this is the royal city, where all the nobles have mansions and estates. The first hurdle to overcome in order to search is the nobles.
But there's no time to worry about that now, and the nobles don't actually live in the royal city.
"Search! Don't miss any corner!"
"Find those damned monsters for me!"
Daryl floated in the Sky-rank, his booming voice suppressing all dissent within the royal city. The army brutally tore open every dark crevice, causing countless wails, but still could not find any trace of the ghouls.
"Where are these damn monsters?!"
As the Sun gradually sank in the west, Daryl grew increasingly anxious. He even personally entered the Royal Palace, venturing deep into the dungeons and the King's palace, attempting to find traces of the ghouls. This caused resentment among many members of the royal family.
Do you believe my palace will be infested with ghouls?
King Adams roared at Daryl.
" Your Majesty, I simply want to know how the first ghouls were born, and what exactly happened during that ritual."
"If we don't find a way to deal with the ghouls, the Andara Royal Family is finished, and the Andara Kingdom is finished."
"When the royal city is destroyed and the people of the Empire and the Church arrive in this land, they will declare the Andara Royal Family heretical and then make another nobleman the new Monarch of this land."
"Whoever it is, it has nothing to do with the Andara Royal Family."
"We must deal with these damned ghouls, and quickly, before the Imperials arrive."
Since the Andara Kingdom has submitted to the Empire, it is inevitable that this matter will attract the Empire's attention, and the ambitious Emperor Flor will send people to resolve it, so as not to let the affairs of the Andara Kingdom affect his war with the Church.
In fact, Daryl underestimated the emperor of Flor.
Winged Gorge.
Commander Farrell punched into the void, and the shockwave caused trees on the mountain peak a hundred meters away to break and fall. After a long time, the two figures in the sky finally landed.
"Hahaha, Farrell, you have indeed not disappointed the Emperor. The power of the ancient Rampaging Elephant has actually appeared on you. That war back then was indeed the right thing to do."
A white-bearded, long-haired Mages descended like a feather into the Winged Gorge Fortress. His features were exquisite, like those of Deities among mortals.
" Aven, your magic has become even more powerful."
Farrell's eyes were somewhat forlorn. The combination of Mages and a knight was very common. The knight would protect the Mages, while the Mages would chant terrifying spells. The victory in battle depended on the seamless cooperation between the two.
He and Aven, who was standing in front of him, used to be such a pair.
The reason for their current separation is twofold: firstly, Farrell has different pursuits, and secondly, and more realistically, his knightly skills are no match for Aven's magic.
The enemy they faced was one that Farrell could no longer protect Aven from.
After the Legendary, Farrell thought the gap between the two had been closed, but now it seems the gap has widened even further.
Legendary can be more different than people Legendary dogs.
Farrell thought helplessly.
"And what about His Highness Nyx Columbus?"
Farrell asked, Aven casually replied:
"He went to visit his uncle, who is your Commander here. You're really frustrated. You're the Commander here, but in name you're still under the control of Columbus."
"He is, after all, a member of the royal family, while I do not yet hold Noble Title."
Farrell said this, though he didn't really feel anything about it, as that was the rule for nobles. However, he felt much more at ease after hearing Aven's answer.
It seems that this Nyx Columbus isn't as elite as Ryan thought.
Aven looked at Farrell; no one knew his old friend better than him.
"Why did you leave us here?"
Aven asked, but Farrell hesitated and then shook his head.
"It's been so many years since I've seen you, I just wanted to see if you've changed."
"You've changed a lot."
Aven said that Mages are always mysterious, and even in the current empire, not just Mages can come into contact with them; their mystery remains.
The Mages Aven didn't continue speaking; he had already seen through the truth of the matter.
Farrell did not answer him. This was the first time in their lives that they had done so, which also meant that their interests had actually been different from the moment they separated, but they only realized this today.
"The Emperor has ordered us to deal with the ghouls of the Andara Kingdom as soon as possible. The appearance of the ghoul Hobii, the Evil God god, has affected the Emperor's prestige in the South lands. The Church is using this matter to undermine the Empire's legitimacy, claiming that the occurrence of this problem in the Andara Kingdom is due to the Empire."
"If the Andara Kingdom still served the Dawn, the ghouls would never have appeared."
"Anyway, that Pope on the Holy Mountain is acting really high right now, I really want to go and kill him."
Aven said with some hope that Mages the Pope was not part of their training, but Aven found it very interesting.
"However, the arrival of the awakened Evil God is a serious matter. When we can continue our journey depends on what that royal member thinks. He is the first Archbishop of the Imperial Church of Light in the Andara Kingdom."
"I heard that the Church of Light there is not yet finished."
"By the way, if I set off from here with their words, it will only take me two hours at most to reach the Andara Royal City."
Farrell did not respond. The two hours were not the key point; the key point was when that member of the royal family would decide to leave Winged Gorge.
Andara Royal City.
As night fell, Daryl and his army stood ready. The moment the last rays of the setting sun disappeared below the horizon, the royal city echoed with the roars of wild beasts.
"Monster, monster!!!"
Terrified screams echoed from all directions of the royal city; the ghouls had appeared.
"Kill them!"
Daryl roared angrily, and the army charged out. However, he overestimated this royal army; their military skills were too poor, and in addition, their combat strength was no match for the ever-increasing number of wights.
Especially in the latter half of the night, the commotion coming from the direction of the Royal Palace forced Daryl to return to the Royal Palace to protect the King's safety.
"Monster! The monster has broken in!"
King Adams huddled in his palace, trembling with fear. Within the Royal Palace, ghouls appeared, some of whom still retained some human consciousness.
"My nephew, join me in serving the great Hobii. There is a place for us in the realm of the dead. We are the first servants of the great Hobii."
"We will gain the power of immortality."
Daryl heard the ghoul's hoarse cry and it took him a long time to realize that it was an old man from the royal family, who was his uncle according to seniority.
"You were able to leave the dungeon because you still remember who you were?"
Daryl said coldly, raising his longsword with both hands. A brilliant light burst forth in the darkness, and the next moment, terrifying power surged toward the ghouls, tearing dozens of ghouls apart. But in front of his former uncle, they were blocked by the other's grayish-white flesh and blood.
"Look, we have purified the curse in our bloodline. We are the true Andara. Nephew, come with me. Your power will be favored by the master, and you will become stronger than me."
"Would I become a monster like you?"
Are you really still yourselves?
Daryl asked angrily. The frenzied attack finally drove the ghoul on the other side into a rage. It no longer concealed its true form, its flesh twisted and turned into a ghoul monster. Limbs? The ferocious monster with fifteen limbs brought infinite visual terror. Its roar seemed to come from the dark, gloomy, and rotten depths of the earth. It was no longer a member of the royal family. After its attempt to deceive with its past memories failed, it was finally exposed.
"Kill, kill, kill you all! Hobii will plunge this world into Eternity decay."
Black liquid flowed from the ghoul's body as it looked down at the stones beneath its feet. Two terrifying forces clashed repeatedly within the Royal Palace, but Daryl was forced to retreat time and again.
The next day, the royal city was filled with the smoke of gunpowder, and the cries of countless people added even more despair to the tragic scene.
The next day, the people of the capital finally realized that what had happened the night before was not an isolated incident, and that it was not just the people and families who died on the first day who were suffering from the disaster.
The same applies to the royal family. Last night, some members of the royal family were once again lured by those wights, killed, and transformed into the Hobii's servants. Their bloodline is noble, but that doesn't change the fact that they have become wights; they are now just monsters who are already dead.
"Let, let Grand Duke Leta provide support."
In dire straits, the royal family could no longer concern themselves with matters of prestige and dignity. Adams had witnessed Daryl's battle the previous night; he was no match for that wight and ultimately only managed to hold out until dawn thanks to the extraordinary trump cards that the royal family had painstakingly pulled out.
But what about tonight? What should we do?
Those damned wights will not let the Andara Royal Family go, for they are the very culprits who awakened the Hobii. They helped the Hobii, and in return, the Hobii will lead them to their deaths.
Winter was gradually passing, but the royal family members were growing colder and colder, fearing that after today they would turn into those ghouls with their grayish-white, icy skin.
The kingdom is now only left with Grand Duke Leta who has the strength to fight against these ghoul monsters, and some members of the royal family are even calling for the troops from the the North castle defense line to come back and protect their safety.
In fact, a batch has already returned.
Compared to their lives, the threat of the Northern Orcs was nothing.
Time passed slowly, and the Sun passed its zenith. Today, no one in the entire royal city will be able to sleep.
However, to everyone's surprise, the ghouls no longer only appeared at night.
As Twilight fell, the ghouls appeared silently in the royal city. The moment the screams rang out, Daryl, inside the Royal Palace, turned pale.
The wounds on his body were emitting black energy, and his flesh was rotting. Even his powerful vitality could not stop the power of the ghoul from corroding him.
"Come on, come on, let's see who comes out on top!!!"
Daryl let out a roar of utter defiance, tearing open the magical seal on his chest where his heart was located. In an instant, two great forces collided.
They all belong to a Great Being, but they have long since undergone a mutation.
Around his heart, an inexplicable power surged violently. It was the Deities curse that had weakened Daryl from the peak of the Saint Realm and isolated the entire Andara Royal Family from the extraordinary. It was a consequence of the Old King's interdimensional war.
After that incident, Daryl was one of the few royal knights who managed to preserve his Seed of Life using extraordinary means, and he was also the most powerful among them.
Apart from him, even the Legendary royals were cursed and helplessly turned into mortals, vanishing into Ash overnight.
The curse was ever-present, and the Sanctuary Knight Daryl Andara felt it particularly strongly. This curse constantly eroded his soul and body, and even continued to linger in his bloodline.
But now Hobii's power has also appeared, and he doesn't know how to stop a Great Being from watching him, so let them fight it out.
Their power is of the same origin, and perhaps they should all be called Hobii.
The two Deities used Daryl's body as a battlefield, where he endured unimaginable pain, but also regained the power of the Saint Realm peak by breaking the seal.
Daryl was emanating a dark aura, and his current state instilled fear in the surrounding royal members, who instinctively retreated when he approached.
"I am a knight of the King of Andara, and I will defend Andara's honor and dignity to the death."
A knight's honor lies beyond the blade and the armor; Daryl charged into the army of ghouls with his peak power.
"Ant—become me!"
The Legendary ghoul roared at Daryl once more. In the instant the two were about to clash, in the higher sky, between the Twilight Cloud Sea, wings that blotted out the sky plunged the royal city into a brief darkness. Then, the Dragons's roar caused countless people in the royal city to collapse to the ground with their legs giving way.
roar--
The Dragons roared, and under its Dragon's Might, the ghouls looked up and saw the icy white dragon breath descending. In an instant, hundreds of ghouls were frozen by Arryris's power.
"Forget about these cannon fodder, kill that monster."
Ryan's voice came from above the Dragons's head, and the next moment, the flames bathing the Legendary longsword were already slashing towards the monster with dozens of arms and legs.
"Try out the new Knight Combat Technique you've learned."