No one could withstand a single blow from the Five-Colored Masked Man Five-Colored Masked Man, nor could anyone recognize where he came from. He was like an unsolvable riddle, a ghost that seemed to exist but never truly existed. Anyone who stood in the way of the [ Letters and Visits Office ] could not escape the Five-Colored Masked Man's Summon.
While the southern battlefield of the empire was teetering on the brink of collapse and the Martial Combat Competition among 244 vassal states was in full swing, few knew that the underground forces near the capital were also undergoing a new round of reshuffling. A contest that was silent to some but thunderous to others had begun, setting the stage for a bloody battle.
This silent yet thunderous contest came and went quickly.
In a short period of time, this mysterious organization, the " Letters and Visits Office," which quietly emerged like a bamboo shoot, relied on the formidable strength of the Five-Colored Masked Man and the money constantly being spent by the old man and the young man. With lightning speed, it successfully absorbed several small mercenary groups and some other organizations, establishing a foothold among the many underground forces in the capital. Although its scale is still small, it is like an invisible, colorless, and odorless poison, silently infiltrating into various regions and forces throughout the empire.
Over the course of these two days, the regional ranking competition of the Imperial Martial Combat Competition finally came to an end.
After four days of fierce fighting, the top ten experts and the top five teams from each of the five major war zones (East, South, West, North, and Central) were determined. Most of the vassal states that had finished their battles began to prepare for the upcoming war in the Southern War Zone, while those countries and experts who were selected as the top ten in their respective war zones took a day off to recuperate for the upcoming Empire Ranking Competition.
The results of the Empire Ranking Competition will determine control of the new legion, which will be composed of 244 vassal states. According to the Imperial Military Department, all commanders and legions of the new legion, including the legion commander, will be selected from the final entrants of the Empire Ranking Competition. This is a huge piece of meat with a deadly allure. In the more than 20 years since the founding of the Zenit Empire, the vassal states have never had such an opportunity. Therefore, the countries and experts who are qualified to compete for the leadership of the new legion have gone crazy.
Chambord City was invincible in the Northern War Zone, sweeping away all its opponents, including two powerful first-class vassal states and three top-tier second-class vassal states.
Among the top ten masters in the Northern War Zone, King of Chambord and his subordinates occupied an incredible eight seats. Meanwhile, the fifty Saint of Chambord City swept away all opponents with a mythical record of 24 wins and 24 losses with zero casualties, seizing the crown of the number one team in the Northern War Zone.
The small sixth-rank vassal state has suddenly become the most dazzling jewel of the empire. It is the only one among the 244 vassal states in the five major war zones 'Martial Combat Competition to advance to the Empire Ranking Competition with zero casualties. This has caused a sensation. The deeds of the young King of Chambord and his young warriors have become the most attractive poems among the millions of imperial bards. They are passed down by word of mouth and are known to almost everyone.
In the other four battle zones, many skilled fighters also emerged.
King of Byzantium Constantine of the Southern Theater, ultimately ranked ninth in the theater, making it into the top ten fighters of the Southern Theater. However, the Kingdom of Byzantium failed to reach the top five in team battles, thus losing its qualification for further advancement. In the Eastern Theater, the Barbarian [ Twin Supremes of Wind and Fire ] Kanute and Hulk from the Kingdom of Gudong, along with [ Bloody Twin Blades ] who swiftly reduced six opponents to skeletons in fluid combat, all made it into the top ten. [ Silver-Armored Mad Sword ] took first place among the top ten fighters of the Eastern Theater. Xindi, the Magic Princess Bulan Kingdom, ranked second only to [ One Sword ] in the Western Theater...
Five major war zones, fifty top experts, and twenty-five elite combat squads of fifty men each will begin their final killing spree on the second day.
The previously concluded regional ranking competition resulted in the deaths of 600 samurai, the injuries of 1,000 samurai, and over 2,000 ordinary soldiers. This number is relatively low compared to previous Martial Combat Competition, as many nations opted to hold back and avoid casualties due to the upcoming southern battlefield. However, the upcoming Empire Ranking Competition will be different. The final results of this competition will affect control over future new legions, making the battles all the more brutal.
On the same day that the Imperial Martial Combat Competition was suspended, His Highness Andrei Arshavin, the " God of War," led a force of 50,000 elite Imperial troops— the Iron-Blooded Camp, the Thunder God's Whip, and the Fire God's Wrath —to swear an oath before the main gate of the capital and set off to reinforce the three southern provinces against the Spartak invaders. God of War Arshavin's army were not only the three major legions, but also over one hundred mages from the Imperial Royal Court Mage Corps, as well as four of the ten Judgment Knight of the Imperial Knights' Hall: the White Cloud Knight, the Punishment Knight, the Bloody Knight, and the Shadow Knight Judgment Knight, along with their four well-equipped and luxurious Judgment Cavalry regiments.
This relief force mobilized almost one-fifth of the Empire's military strength, making it a formidable force. Moreover, it was personally led by the undefeated " God of War " Arshavin, leading most people to regain optimism about the Southern Theater.
Before the army set off, Sun Fei met Princess Tanasha, whom he had not seen since their parting at Hot Springs Pass, in the twenty-mile-long state-run area.
This time, it was Sun Fei who took the initiative to contact the princess through Grand Knight Commander Roman Pavlyuchenko.
Before the Chambord City renovation plan was truly completed and before Chambord City was strong enough to stand on its own, Sun Fei's strategy had always been "it's good to take shelter under a big tree," so he absolutely could not allow the Zenit Empire, this "big tree," to fall for the time being.
Although many people have great confidence in [ God of War ] Arshavin, believing that he can definitely turn the tide in the southern war zone of the empire, Sun Fei, who has lived a second life and has seen too many historical stories from his previous life, clearly knows that there is never an army that is always victorious, nor is there a general who is always victorious. Therefore, when necessary, he still has to lend a helping hand to the empire.
Sun Fei's chosen assistance was to provide a batch of healing potions from the Diablo World.
[ Life Restoration Elixir ] can save the lives of elite soldiers and restore the army's combat effectiveness at critical moments; [ Stamina Potion ] can give soldiers endless energy; and [ Mana Restoration Potion ] can quickly restore the magic power of royal grand mages. In critical moments, court mages with abundant magic power can even directly turn the tide of battle.
The only thing that slightly frustrated Sun Fei was that when the thirty bottles of [ Life Healing Potion ], forty bottles of [ Stamina Potion ], and forty bottles of [ Mana Restoration Potion ] were handed to Princess Tanasha, the empire's [ Female Literary Sage ] showed no surprise whatsoever on her delicate, thin face, as if all of this had been expected.
In that instant, Sun Fei felt as if he were being seen through by the woman before him, a woman of noble beauty who also possessed a slightly frail and sickly appearance.
Perhaps it was the [ Full Rejuvenation Potion ] that Sun Fei had secretly given her that had taken effect. The princess no longer looked as critically ill as when Sun Fei first met her. He remembered that even the priests of the Church had determined that she only had six months to live. But now, almost three months had passed, and the princess's complexion was much better than before.
" Alexander, the two potion recipes you provided are indeed remarkable. Lelouch, the Royal Court's Chief Archmage, and some other mages have successfully concocted similar potions based on these recipes. The only drawback is that the success rate of the recipes is too low, and the potions obtained are not stable in efficacy. The effects do not seem to be as obvious as the potions you concocted. After a series of experiments, the conclusion is that the potions concocted according to those two recipes can only barely make up for the cost of the money and resources spent."
The eldest princess smiled slightly, her words carrying a hidden meaning.
In fact, someone as intelligent as the Eldest Princess would naturally have guessed long ago that Sun Fei might have a trick up his sleeve, and her words just now might have been a test.
But Sun Fei remained silent with a smile.
The two formulas that Sun Fei gave to the princess when he left Hot Springs Pass were the result of joint research and customization by the two scientific strategists behind him, the nun Akara and the sage Cain. Indeed, as the princess said, in addition to the fact that the effect of the medicine was far inferior, the raw materials consumed were also greatly increased. Sun Fei deliberately tried to maintain a balance.
Both recipes were indeed tampered with, and Sun Fei possessed the real recipe. However, regardless of the circumstances, Sun Fei would never hand over the real recipe.
Even the batch of medicines just given to the princess had been diluted with water to some extent, and its effect was only slightly better than the medicine made from the modified formula. Naturally, no problem would be detected, and everything could be attributed to the instability of the formula.
"However, with the outbreak of this war, the formula you provided has become extremely crucial, and with this batch of medicine, you have made a great contribution!" Seeing that Sun Fei smiled without saying anything, the princess could only change the subject and promise him benefits.
"Then I thank Your Highness." Sun Fei simply smiled.
His Majesty the King understood that speaking too much to someone like the Princess would only lead to more speculation, so it was best to say less. This wise and resourceful Female Literary Sage had clearly sided with the eldest prince, Arshavin, while Sun Fei did not want to join the camp of this " God of War," so a rift inevitably arose between the two sides.
First update, thank you everyone for your support.
Happy New Year.