Theresis: This time, it's a war to establish a Sarkaz nation!

"Now is the time for Victoria's survival; we must mobilize!"

The eight dukes realized that if they wanted to continue to survive, their only option was to fight to the end. Otherwise, under the influence of "Darkest Hour," if any of them dared to be the first to surrender or sue for peace, then what the third generation in the movie described would be their fate.

To be torn to pieces by one's own people and left with eternal infamy! Rather than that, it's better to risk everything and take a gamble!

As a result, within a few days, unrest broke out throughout Victoria, and not only in the rear, but the situation on the front lines was extremely fierce...

"Five days have passed, a full five days. We've cleared that area again and again, but those attackers, those resisting forces, still appear there mysteriously!"

"It's like we can't kill them all. No matter how many times our Originium Arts bombard that place, we can't wipe out those hiding soldiers!"

The front lines in Leithania were dominated by the weakest of the three nations that had invaded Victoria. This wasn't to say that the Leithania army was incompetent, but rather that most of their magic was indeed unsuitable for sieges, and even sorcerers could tire.

However, after Ursus captured the Mobile City, Leithania almost immediately followed suit, breaching the Mobile City gates and sending its army swarming in. They quickly gained control of half of the Mobile City.

However, Kung Fu Hustle just a few days, the soldiers of Leithania did indeed feel an oppressive sense of being haunted by a ghost.

Those buildings that were clearly occupied by their people would inexplicably fall back into enemy hands the next day.

Streets that should have been cleared were still attacked when soldiers patrolled, and when reinforcements arrived, nothing was left but bloodstains and signs of battle.

If the members of the Londinium Self-Rescue Army knew this, they would certainly know why—because, like Londinium, the sewer system of every Victoria Mobile City is connected to the lifeblood of every city.

And who knows the city's environment and topography better than the citizens of Victoria, who have lived there for half their lives?

Led by a few surviving Victoria soldiers, the civilians of the Mobile City, and even the Infected, regardless of age or gender, began to make full use of all the city's resources to wipe out their enemies.

The Leithania army was horrified to discover that while they controlled half of the Mobile City, they could not advance on the other half no matter what they did—no matter how their sorcerers razed those areas to the ground, their advance was fraught with difficulty at every step.

Even the "half" they claim to control is still being harassed, attacked, and ambushed every day in the same way.

"We're not fighting Victoria's soldiers! It's ghosts! It's those unseen things!"

"My Originium Arts can summon Catastrophe disasters! But I can't hit those invisible ghosts! This city is full of ghosts!"

--A Leithania sorcerer who drank a beverage "laced with something" suddenly broke down and screamed after drinking it. Perhaps the substance caused him to hallucinate, or perhaps the high intensity of Originium Arts he had been using for several days had caused him to break down.

And as that person truly roared like that, such rumors began to circulate within the Leithania army...

As for the conflict on Ursus' side, it was even more intense. The harassment and attacks on the Mobile City they occupied were more than a hundred times fiercer than those on Leithania's side.

If the civilians and remnants of the defeated army in Leithania were still able to harass them, then Ursus counterattacks by the Victoria army that they had defeated and the Victoria citizens that they had subjugated were practically suicidal!

They were not afraid of death, and even when the last one died, they refused to surrender. Their weapons were so rudimentary that they could hardly be called weapons, but they dared to resist them and the powerful Ursus Empire's army group!

An area they had 90% controlled was suddenly engulfed in fighting and raids almost overnight! The fighting continued from dawn till night, and then into the next morning...

"Every building has enemies, every place you think is safe can be attacked, you never know if your next step will lead to your death!"

"* Ursus profanity*! These Victoria —aren't they crazy?!"

Even the battle-hardened Ursus officer was exhausted under the intense pressure of the past few days. His nerves were constantly on edge, and he dared not fall asleep for a moment—because the sound of an explosion would wake him up the next moment he did.

Viscount Dunkel of the Third Army even began to have the Ursus mortar regiments continuously bombard the unoccupied 10% of the area—he firmly believed that once the entire Mobile City was occupied, these resisting forces would surrender or flee.

However, the Viscount found that his approach was largely ineffective... After each round of artillery fire, the vanguard of the army would advance again only to be routed by attacks that came from nowhere.

Some of the sounds were the firing of Victoria's army, some were Originium Arts, and some were even visible civilians rushing out with crude weapons... But no matter how they fought, the enemies rushing out from all directions would devour them—even if they were crippled and ragged from the artillery fire.

The viscount made an astonishing discovery: let alone 10% of the area, he couldn't even safely pass through the building in front of him! Even if there were only a dozen or so people hiding inside!

"At this rate... not only will supplies be cut off, but even artillery shells for logistical support will be unavailable."

Viscount Dunkel wiped the cold sweat from his brow, but just then, an intelligence officer from Ursus brought him the latest information.

"Your Excellency! Our intelligence service has sent a message!"

"Speak quickly, things can't get any worse than we are now." The Viscount forced himself to calmly consider a solution, but the intelligence officer, with a grim face and trembling with fear, reported:

"Our intelligence in Victoria — that the Duke of Wellington, whom we previously defeated and forced to abandon the city and flee, has allied with the Duke Caster."

"And it's not just these two grand dukes; the other six dukes seem to be forming an alliance. Clearly, they've begun to unite against a common enemy, wanting to temporarily end their internal strife and turn their attention to us."

"... That's not surprising, after all, there's that damned movie!" The Viscount was certainly well-informed. When he was solving the problem of the Mobile City, he obtained the videotape of "Darkest Hour" from the corpses of dead Victoria soldiers. It was because of this that he knew that it would be even more difficult to dismantle the Victoria resistance now.

Any further news?

"... Furthermore, the Duke of Wellington, whom we defeated, seems to be regrouping his forces with the [Deep Pool] organization, along with the Victoria army that we previously defeated, and intends to retake the city."

The intelligence officer's expression grew increasingly grim as he spoke, and he continued, "Our intelligence officers say that a secret team has already quietly infiltrated our Mobile City."

"What?!" The viscount was taken aback, but quickly regained his composure and immediately asked, "What is the organization of the infiltrated team, and what is their military intelligence?"

"The 7th Frontline Infantry Battalion!" the intelligence officer replied immediately. "And some soldiers from the Victoria Second Army, the troops we previously routed."

"They are few in number, only a little over a thousand, but it is rumored that they are all elites. The leader is the acting battalion commander, a Victoria soldier codenamed 'Horn,' and the acting deputy battalion commander is a soldier from the Second Army, codenamed 'Bagpipe.'"

"... In addition, we have also investigated and found that the commander of the remaining 10% of the area is a flag bearer in the Victoria Guard of Honor who served in the Little Hill County Local Forces. He went to the battlefield as a flag bearer because of this war and is still resisting us."

"Her codename is 'Saileach,' which refers to the civilians and remnants of the last 10% of the area she organized, and even the rest of the areas we occupied, who resisted us."

"Now, with the support of the infantry battalion, their resistance will likely be even fiercer... and once the Duke of Wellington's army arrives, the Mobile City will probably slip out of our control."

"The Saileach, the Bagpipe, the Horn..."

The viscount pondered these code names repeatedly as he paced through the military camp. As if possessed, he looked up at the intelligence officer and asked, "--How old are they?"

"... no older than 25, Your Excellency."

The intelligence officer's words plunged the military camp into a deathly silence. The viscount's expression, initially grim, gradually calmed, then turned somewhat helpless...

"... I'm afraid we're going to lose this war."

"That movie... awakened a sleeping and sick old lion, an old lion that still had a few teeth, and around this old lion were many cubs that, though not yet grown, already had fangs."

"... But without orders, we cannot retreat. Command the troops to capture the city walls at all costs and activate the city's defensive artillery! With the artillery, we will have an advantage in our defense!"

The viscount immediately gave the order, but the intelligence officer hadn't left yet. The viscount found this strange and frowned slightly as he asked, "Is there any more bad news?"

"... It's a message that just arrived." The intelligence officer nodded, swallowed hard under the Viscount's death stare, and answered with a forced smile:

"Information from the other side, Your Excellency... Kazimierz has withdrawn his troops."

"--What?!"

However, the viscount's pupils dilated for a moment, almost causing his eyeballs to pop out, and he felt a buzzing in his brain.

Defeat... Now, the illustrious viscount has drawn a conclusion to this war from this signal—the tide has turned, and one of the three kingdoms has already withdrawn from this doomed contest.

And after that... it will be like a domino effect, one falls, and the next one will fall in turn.

How exhilarating would this be for Victoria's resistance forces? What would be the effects?

That is, the victory on the other side will inspire even greater morale among their resistance forces! Now, the once invincible and powerful Ursus Legion is inevitably sliding into the abyss of defeat!

Chapter 95: Theresis: This is the war for the founding of the Sarkaz nation!

"Call..."

"I should say... thankfully, Director Chen Qi sent someone to inform us not to rush to play this videotape in Londinium, right?"

"And my sister, even though she's only a manifestation of the Sarkaz's will, advised me against sending troops at this time... It seems my judgment of the situation is still far from accurate."

Theresis watched "Darkest Hour" in Londinium, and even after the film ended, Theresis was still somewhat shaken... She rarely felt fear or trepidation, but after watching "Darkest Hour," the thought of the serious consequences if such a film were shown in Londinium made Theresis a little scared.

He was fully aware of the enormous impact that would have been if "Darkest Hour" had ignored Director Chen Qi's advice and instead screened the film in Londinium.

After all... in an attempt to boost the morale of the people of Victoria, it used a lot of very sharp lines directed at the residents of Londinium... If this were played for the residents of Londinium, the shock to these residents Londinium had just begun to settle down would probably be terrifying, wouldn't it?

Theresis could imagine that if "Darkest Hour" were shown in Londinium, then... Londinium would become another battlefield, just like the front lines of Kazimierz, Leithania, and Ursus, mired in a war that was impossible to win.

This is different from the previous situation with the Londinium Self-Rescue Army —the number of the Self-Rescue Army was ultimately a minority. They could cause trouble and organize riots and strikes behind the scenes, but most residents remained bystanders.

But this film... can awaken the spirit in the hearts of the Victoria people, transforming their repression and humiliation into an outpouring of anger!

Theresis knew very well that this would have such serious consequences that even with the Sarkaz Legion and two powerful warriors from the Royal Court stationed in Londinium, they couldn't withstand a Mobile City filled with rebellious, angry, and determined civilians who were determined to fight them to the end.

They could certainly go on a killing spree, but the consequence would be that Londinium would be left without anyone to use, and the Sarkaz would only end up with a meaningless dead city and an even more infamous fate.

At that point, even Chen Qi wouldn't stand by their side, and the Sarkaz's despised status would only become more unchangeable.

"But relying solely on Londinium is not enough now. Information blackouts are not a long-term solution. Moreover, Victoria is now united, and the defeat of the Tripartite Alliance is becoming increasingly clear. Once the Grand Dukes take advantage of Victoria's rising public support, they can turn against Londinium..."

"We cannot sit idly by and wait to die; we must take action."

Theresis also slowly rose from his seat, but for a moment, he couldn't think of a way to turn the Sarkaz from a passive to an active position.

"--How about we try to help the people of Victoria fight a war that we are destined to win?"

At that very moment, Theresia, who had also finished watching "Darkest Hour" and had been pretending not to have been resurrected, spoke up at just the right time:

"Currently, to most of the Dukes of Victoria, we are still considered 'invited guests' to Londinium, and therefore they know very little about what we are doing Londinium."

"So, at this time, would it be a good choice for us to help Victoria fight a war that we are bound to win, and take this opportunity to form a Victoria and cooperate with them?"

"After all... Victoria is now united. Even if three countries were to take advantage of the situation, Victoria would still turn the tide. If our people were to fight against Victoria, the outcome would probably be no different."

Theresia's eloquent speech quickly attracted Theresis's attention. Noticing her brother's thoughtful expression, Theresia suppressed her slight joy and continued:

"The Grand Dukes of Victoria will not cede Londinium to us, and the Sarkaz need sufficient resources to rebuild their homeland."

"Once the Shard and the Aerial Fleet are completed, we just need to transfer these achievements. Sooner or later, we will build our own 'Londinium' belonging to the Sarkaz."

"Taking this opportunity, we can extend a helping hand to Victoria during her difficult time. Now that Victoria is temporarily without a monarch, having another ally to lend a helping hand in times of crisis may be exactly what they need."

" --Theresia?"

However, Theresia was somewhat surprised by how much Theresis said all at once. After all, Theresia, who was just a "shell," rarely spoke on her own initiative. Most of the time, she would only answer when he spoke, like a machine.

But now, Theresia's reaction was unexpected, and For the first time, Theresis's tone even carried a hint of joy... But when he looked into Theresia's still dull and lifeless eyes, he was quickly disappointed.

"... It's probably just the influence of a lingering soul, but it's a good sign. Even if it's just the resurrection of the body, Theresia's soul is slowly being formed over time."

"But, Theresia, even the suggestion made by your remaining soul may now be the best solution for the Sarkaz."

Theresis quickly understood that Theresia's method was the best way for the Sarkaz, now deep in the heart of Victoria, to preserve themselves until they gained the power to rebuild their homeland.

However, he didn't immediately do as Theresia said, but instead muttered to himself:

"But, Sister Wang, your actions are undoubtedly a sign of weakness. We Sarkaz need to negotiate with Victoria on an equal footing. We can't let them think that the Sarkaz are people they can manipulate at will."

"--Perfect timing. The Bloodborne Archon has been saying lately that he's incredibly thirsty, and right now... the army in Kazimierz is withdrawing, and Leithania and Ursus aren't too far from us."

"Let the Blood Lord and the King of Carrion lead our armies, as 'Duke-certified mercenaries stationed in Lontinim Sakaz,' to these two battlefields!"

"On these two battlefields, let us demonstrate the power of the Sarkaz! Let those dukes be forced to negotiate with us on equal footing at the negotiating table, and ideally, let us strike until the enemy trembles in fear!"

"If the Sarkaz want to establish themselves on this land, and if our race wants to continue, we must have two weapons—'strength' and 'policy.' Neither can be lacking."

"Now, even the Royal Court of Kazdel have no reason to object to our actions. This is the best way for the Sarkaz race to continue. If they don't want to contribute, then they'd better not interfere with us."

Theresis spoke with such conviction, and this time, Theresia did not answer her brother, but where no one could see, the slight gleam in her eyes revealed undisguised joy.

She felt that her thoughts and those of her brother were slowly converging—although they still had disagreements and their paths were different, they were both on the path of ensuring the continuation of the Sarkaz race.

Now, their initial misunderstandings and inability to achieve mutual prosperity are slowly merging and becoming one.

Such a thing would have been impossible before. But now Theresia realizes that her and her brother's previous ideas were too extreme. However, after calming down, she believes that the convergence of their paths is the most suitable way for the Sarkaz race to continue.

"And all of this... Director Chen Qi, if it weren't for you making Brother Wang realize this, if you hadn't appeared... I'm afraid even if I were resurrected, the final outcome would still be the same: my brother and I would fight each other like blood relatives."

"You are truly a benefactor to the Sarkaz clan... forever."

Theresia thought to herself, and as she watched her brother, who was already busy making arrangements for participating in the war, the smile on Theresia's face couldn't help but widen a little.

"However, now that my brother has entrusted such a sacred relic as the [Royal Court Covenant] to Director Chen Qi, if the Sarkaz can truly rebuild their homeland in the future, how should we thank him?"

What gratitude could the Sarkaz possibly offer him?

Theresia thought to herself, considering many possibilities, such as asking Chen Qi to become the Sarkaz's imperial tutor, or using his position as a vassal lord. However, when she thought that Chen Qi didn't seem like the kind of person who would be bound by rules, she felt a little troubled.

As for the other option... she had no objection, but as the Empress of Sarkaz, it wasn't right for her to be away from Kazdel for most of the year. Her brother would be exhausted from managing both military and domestic affairs all by himself.

Or perhaps, in the future, we should seize the opportunity to cultivate a new regent? Sarkaz's growth period is rapid; from birth to becoming capable of handling things independently, it shouldn't take too long. His elder brother only needs to manage for a decade or so...

She and director Chen Qi first taught the child for over ten years, and then let the child train with Brother Wang for another ten years, so that the child would be able to stand on his own.

But the Demon King's legacy is now inside Amiya's body, and I can't just pull it out myself... It's really a dilemma.

"--However, after this film, the most pressing concern should be the safety of director Chen Qi."

"The consequences of 'Darkest Hour' will definitely make some people hostile towards Director Chen Qi. I should remind Director Chen Qi first to strengthen the vigilance around him."

After thinking it over, Theresia decided to wait until she was alone before sending Chen Qi a message, asking him to ensure her personal safety first.

Director Chen Qi and the others should still be with everyone on Rhodes Island, right? I'm sure Kal'tsit and Amiya will protect Director Chen Qi, and Ascalon and Logos will do their best to protect him too.