Chapter 274
Haino was utterly astonished.
That's the Styx, the vessel that carries death... Has the God of Death been summoned? No, it can't be that simple, but even just a wisp of will is enough to demonstrate how powerful Magana's ritual was.
If the Hand of Darkness saw this, they'd probably go insane!
The will of death descended, and as Magana wished, it took away the souls of the sacrifices on the battlefield and then bestowed upon the Iron Blood Legion the power to imprint their Faith Path. Anyone who enters this legion will be affected by this power, allowing ordinary people to cross the gap between the extraordinary and the supernatural.
In fact, when it comes to extraordinary armies, whether it's the Moonlight Knight Order or the Watcher Legion, they can only be considered half of them, because the entire legion was built up by extraordinary professions. Although ordinary soldiers became stronger as a result, they were still essentially 'mortals'.
Only after the Holy Blood Army and the Iron Blood Legion undergo a ritual to elevate the entire legion do they become true extraordinary armies.
It's hard to say which model is better. The advantage of a half-superhuman legion is that it can reliably produce superhuman professions, and the recruitment and training of soldiers is relatively simple.
As for the Holy Blood Army and the Iron Blood Army, because they have to withstand the erosion of the Faith Path, the selection criteria for soldiers are quite strict, and once they fail, they will either die or go insane, with very serious consequences.
Therefore, those recruited into the Holy Blood Army have all signed a life-or-death waiver. Fortunately, even so, there are still plenty of people willing to join, after all, the Holy Blood Army offers really good benefits, and most of these people are doing it for their families.
This left Ryan with mixed feelings. The fact that he was willing to risk his life for a better life for his family showed that the people of the Augustus Empire needed to improve their living standards. It was like being a bandit; if one could survive, who would choose to become a bandit in the mountains?
Well, Ryan wouldn't waste his time internally. One must take things one step at a time, and the environment must be changed little by little. Grand Duke makes waste.
Knock knock knock!
Knock knock knock!
Knock knock knock!
War drums sounded from within the black mist.
Once the ceremony was completed and the Iron Blood Legion was upgraded, the situation immediately changed.
A group of exceptionally capable and strong-willed warriors instantly gained extraordinary powers, transcending the boundary between mortals and Supernatural Being, and easily crushed the Western Barbarian Army's attack with incredible strength.
As more and more soldiers gradually adapted to this change, the call to counterattack was sounded!
"For Grand Duke Magana!!"
"For the Grand Duke!!"
"The Predator can die, but the Grand Duke must win!!!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
One, ten, a hundred, a thousand— the Iron Blood Legion's attack formed an invisible momentum. Every soldier was shrouded in a terrifying Power of Death. A sense of fear originating from the soul enveloped the Western Barbarian soldiers. At this moment, even with an invincible hero leading them, they began to feel fear.
Once soldiers are afraid, defeat is inevitable in war.
"Damn it!" Realizing the situation was dire, Igula immediately ordered, "Everyone retreat! Supernatural Being, provide cover!"
"Igula, you have lost!"
Magana continued her attack.
Igula retaliated with a punch, each collision of her Tiger Claw and scythe unleashing Magic Power shockwave. Her eyes were bloodshot, and the power of her racial bloodline was released to its maximum, yet she still couldn't defeat Magana.
Race God are powerful, but because they are inherently inferior to the gods chosen through Faith Path, their Race God power is less than that of Path God.
However, as the only hope of the Western Barbarians, Igula's bloodline possessed the potential to make her a Race God. This power was far greater than that of ordinary Chosen of the Gods, which is why she was able to barely hold her own against Magana.
She has the potential to become the Race God of the Western Barbarians, but that's a matter for the future, and she's far from achieving that right now.
Moreover, Grand Duke Magana, who was also Chosen of the Gods, even sacrificed her long-desired height; the divine power she gained through this will was by no means ordinary.
Seeing that Igula was distracted, Magana seized the opportunity to pursue, gathering the Power of Death into a long spear and thrusting it out—her ultimate move, Death Pierce!
Call out!
The Black Spear tore a long rift in the air, its dazzling black light illuminating the world and drawing the attention of almost everyone.
The White Tiger Beast behind Igula immediately surrounded her, forming an absolute defensive stance.
When the Death Spear shattered the bloodline power of the race, the Magic Power that erupted at that moment shocked even Haino. Even though the Holy Word Master was a hidden class, it was still far inferior to the Chosen of the Gods One.
She suddenly remembered a truth circulating among high-level Supernatural Being: only those chosen by God are qualified to enter the realm of God.
The Eighth Tier is a realm close to that of gods, but it is not the level of gods. Ordinary people can never become gods.
"The Western Barbarian Army has been defeated... Alas, such a powerful and Iron Blood Legion, coupled with Ryan's cunning, I wonder what the future holds for the empire," Haino said with some worry.
Previously, with the Holy Blood Army present, the possibility of a rebellion in the Western Territory was extremely slim.
The Iron Blood Army has now turned the tables and has an absolute advantage in numbers. Even if their individual soldiers are not as good as the Holy Blood Army, they can still be used as a trump card by Magana.
Add to that her Chosen of the Gods... and the fact that she promised Ryan she would help Magana if she wanted to fight for the throne, doesn't that put 'Vainay' at a disadvantage?
Forget it, the situation in the empire has nothing to do with me anyway, it's not like Caslathdi became emperor... Thinking about it this way, Haino was actually a little relieved. It's a good thing Caslathdi didn't become emperor, otherwise, given the situation in the empire, surrounded by wolves and tigers, how could he possibly sleep peacefully?
While pondering, Haino looked into the distance. The shot had been incredibly powerful. Although it hadn't killed Igula, it had wounded him, and more importantly, it had completely shattered the Western Barbarian Army's will to fight.
For the next hour, it was a relentless pursuit by the Iron Blood Legion. Countless Western Barbarian soldiers lay dead on the road, their bodies littering the grasslands and rivers of blood flowing through the air!
When Ryan received the news from Haino about the Western Territory, he was so happy he practically jumped up.
"I never expected the Grand Duke to actually succeed! Ten thousand Ironbloods have evolved! The Augustus Empire has gained another invincible legion."
Oh, it shouldn't be 100,000, but it's definitely at least 80,000.
Many died during this period, and many were sacrificed in that war, but 80,000 is enough. Compared to the Holy Blood Army, which is always struggling to raise numbers, the Iron Blood Legion is now the strongest fighting force in Augustus.
Thinking about it this way, Ryan felt that he would have to work harder in the future to make the Grand Duke completely give up his idea of seizing the throne.
Fortunately, the situation in the Western Territory will take a long time to resolve. Although the Western Barbarian Army was defeated, its main force remains intact. As long as that Race God Chosen is alive, the Western Barbarians will not perish.
Speaking of which, after learning about Igula, Ryan was considering how to use this information. If he could get Igula to obey, it would be equivalent to getting the entire Western Barbarian tribe to obey.
Even if some tribes don't listen, they're just a few isolated groups; wiping them out is enough.
Compared to instigating nation-building through merchant groups, this approach seems more suitable—simple and efficient, provided, of course, that we can capture Igula.
"That's definitely the butter-themed approach; they always manage to pinpoint the crucial points precisely."
Ryan couldn't help but complain. Needless to say, the key to solving the Western Barbarian problem in the game is definitely Igula. Characters like that are usually the ones who get brutally attacked by the protagonist until they foam at the mouth.
"I wonder how the Grand Duke is doing. Please check on him more often in the future, and then..."
Just then, the mirror used to contact the Grand Duke lit up.
Speak of the Grand Duke, Grand Duke arrives.
Ryan took out the mirror and activated it.
Soon, the white-haired scholar and the short Grand Duke appeared before Ryan.
"Grand Duke (Ryan), are you alright?!"*2
Ryan: "?"
What's going on?
Magana said coldly, "I've heard about it. Did the Empress of Arcadia assault you?"
Ryan: "?"
What the hell? How did the Grand Duke find out about this?
Wait... Elvian!!!
That woman must have done something terrible.
He had previously thoroughly reprimanded Elvian. Given that woman's personality, it was quite normal for her to secretly tell the Grand Duke about it. After all, in some ways, Magana and Elvian, who were also fiancées, were considered 'allies'.
"Your Grand Duke, you know everything." Ryan's expression instantly turned sorrowful, and he said in utter grief, "Your Grand Duke, I am no longer pure! My chastity is gone!"
"It really is true!"
"Yes, it was that woman named Kachina. She was tricked by the God of Desire, and then she ran into me, so... I wanted to fight back, but how could my strength be a match for hers?" Ryan tilted his head back at a 45-degree angle, his expression numb. "If it weren't for the fact that you, Grand Duke, are still waiting for me in the Western Territory, I would have wanted to die."
"Ryan! I, the Grand Duke, will not allow you to die! That wretched Empress Arcadia, is it? Activate the Janus Ritual now, and I'll go and chop her down!"
"Ah no... that won't do, Your Grand Duke." Ryan said solemnly, "Kachina is now captured by us, and the Arcadia Empire is too afraid to act recklessly. Now is the time for various parties to secretly compete, so for the future of the empire, my sacrifice is nothing!"
Magana pouted, "Ryan, you're just too focused on the big picture. The Augustus Empire has lost, so be it. With the strength of our Western Territory now, we can easily establish our own country!"
"Ahem~ Your Grand Duke, please listen to me, this is absolutely unacceptable. The situation in the Northern Continent is stable right now. Augustus has allied with the Northern Federation, and the Gate of Janus is mediating between them. Putting aside everything else, the Gate of Janus certainly doesn't want the Northern Continent to descend into chaos again. If we start an uprising now, we'll be facing threats from both Augustus and the Gate of Janus, as well as the Northern Federation and the Western Barbarians. It's too risky."
"Um... I was just saying."
Magana, of course, had no intention of rebelling. In fact, she was currently focused on dealing with the Western Barbarians. After fighting those barbarians for so many years, she finally saw hope of defeating them.
"Anyway, don't worry, Your Grand Duke, I can do it. I will make myself strong." Ryan changed the subject. "Let's not talk about that. You still need to proceed cautiously with the Western Barbarians. After we win this war, the Western Barbarians will be in dire straits, but the more desperate the situation, the more incredible power they can unleash."
"The previous plan can continue. Let Hainuo take charge of the Gilded Merchant Group for now. Your Grand Duke, you should lead the Iron Blood Army to continue deeper into the region. There's no rush. Put enough pressure on the Western Barbarians, but don't push them to the brink."
"I understand," Magana nodded. "It's about letting them die little by little."
"Your Grand Duke is truly remarkable; you grasped it so easily," Ryan said with a thumbs-up.
"Hmph~ Of course I thought of Grand Duke long ago." Magana raised her head smugly, then, thinking of Ryan's matter, she snorted rather unhappily, "Once we deal with those barbarians, I'll hang that woman Kachina up and strip her naked to dry in the sun sooner or Grand Duke!"
Ryan thought to himself, "Are you just trying to sell something cheap?"
"My Grand Duke... I miss you so much," Ryan sighed. "It's a pity this place is too far from the Western Territory, and I can't go back for the time being. It's been so long since I've had a chance to talk to you, my Grand Duke."
Magana's delicate face flushed slightly. "The important things come first, don't keep thinking about Sese!"
"It's a very deep affection."
"Ugh... No, I can't talk to you anymore. This Grand Duke has other matters to attend to. That's all. Take care of yourself."
The rookie Grand Duke hung up the phone in a hurry.
After teasing the Grand Duke, Ryan was in a good mood. He then opened the game to check on 'Shally's' status. According to the schedule, the Holy Blood Army would arrive in Arcadia the day after tomorrow to mess with them.
"So next, we need to figure out how to make Kachina completely submit. How should we do it? Force her to sign a contract? I'm afraid that won't work. A large part of the reason Kachina compromised with Elvian is because of me. If I were to betray her like that, she would have to take me down with her."
"Wait... I am Prince of the Arcadia Empire. What kind of rebellion would I be committing? I am loyal to the Empire!"
I am still the Chosen of the Earth God.
They are the real traitors.
Ryan's thoughts raced, and he decided to continue communicating with Kachina. This Mark of Desire seemed to still be somewhat useful; perhaps he could capture Kachina before the Holy Blood Army turned Arcadia upside down.
Then, the twin Kachia will be enjoying the empathy service with a look of utter disgust on their faces~
Hmph hmph hmph~ I haven't been updating as much lately, but not by too much. I've been sick and on IV drips for two months straight, so I really need to exercise more and take care of my health. But I'll still make sure to update every day!
Chapter 165 The Empress 'Sympathy:' Morse Code '
Kachina had been trying to decipher the relic that sealed the Magic Power, but unfortunately, this thing was obviously of a very high level, far superior to those common items.
After two days of trying, Kachina had no success, so she changed her strategy and tried to convey the current situation back to Kachia. Unfortunately, under the Magic Power seal, the empathy could not establish a power synchronization between the two. In other words, Kachia could only judge from her current physical sensations that Kachina had not suffered any tragic treatment in the Veldya military camp.
However, there is a kind of 'body language' between Kachina and Kachia that only the two of them can understand. It was something that Kachina designed specifically for 'fun' before, and the two of them even tried it out. Basically, whenever Kachina wanted to find Kachia but didn't want to move, she would use body language to communicate.
Over time, the two developed a unique language that seemed simple but was actually complex.
If this is how it's conveyed, Kachia is confident she can inform Kachia of her situation. Even more extreme, she could act as bait to scout out the camp and then coordinate an attack with Kachia from the inside.
But!
Kachina looked up at the girl who had been guarding her inside the tent. This beautiful and charming woman, whom she herself felt somewhat inferior to, was actually the acting Queen of Wildea. Was she truly a Divine Path, or rather, a descendant of desire?
Because someone was guarding the area, Kachina couldn't type the password for Kachia, which made her very frustrated.
"I said," Kachina leaned back lazily in her chair, "You Wildea also lost to Augustus, so strictly speaking, you're enemies, right? Is it necessary to fight so desperately for an enemy? Although you managed to destroy Arcadia's attack this time, you won't fall for the same trick twice. Even if Arcadia loses its ability to conquer the Northern Continent, it will still be easy for them to wipe out Wildea."
"This war will probably end with a ceasefire between the two sides. Do you think Augustus would send troops to help you if Arcadia were to deal with you afterwards? After all, Empress Augustus still has to be wary of the Northern Federation, and the so-called alliance of the Northern Continent may not be that solid. Why would a small kingdom like Veldria, caught in the middle, risk its life for Augustus?"
"Even a small country like Wildea easily wiped out the Arcadia Empire's 100,000-strong army, didn't it?" 'Avril' glanced at her indifferently. "And she even captured an Empress along the way. Instead of worrying about us, you should think about how Arcadia can extricate itself from this war."
"Heh~ The Arcadia Empire isn't as fragile as you seem." Despite the mockery, Kachina showed no anger. She suddenly laughed, "How about we make a deal? I'll help you deal with Elvian and seize the throne of Veldria completely. In return, you release me. From now on, the Arcadia Empire will be your safety net. If the Augustus Empire attacks you, we'll definitely help you too. What do you say?"
'Avril' tilted her head: 'How did you become emperor? You don't even have a brain? Why would I go against Her Your Majesty Elvian? The situation in Wildea is stable now. We're staying in the Northern Continent. You want me to believe the benefits promised by an invading nation from the Eastern Continent? Am I stupid or are you stupid?'
Kachina's smile froze.
Damn it, I can't fool him at all. This guy looks young, but I didn't expect him to be so shrewd.
She was about to say something when she heard footsteps outside the tent.
Not long after, Ryan entered, escorted by two guards.