At Sun Fei's current speed, the thousand-mile journey from Chambord City to the capital St. Saint Petersburg would only take a little over ten minutes.
However, Sun Fei did not rush forward, but instead observed carefully along the way.
His Spiritual Power spread like a tide, and His Majesty the King, like a human radar, scanned in all directions, basically taking in every little thing that happened from Chambord City to Saint Petersburg.
As His Majesty the King had initially predicted, the closer they got to the imperial capital, Saint Petersburg, the stronger the allied forces became, setting up layer upon layer of obstacles to prevent the army from Zenit from coming to the Emperor's aid.
Within a radius of a hundred miles from the imperial capital, Saint Petersburg, the entire area was under the control of the multinational coalition forces of Dortmund and Lyon. Small-scale garrisons and cavalry were scattered throughout the area, and the land was a scene of chaos and devastation, with flames, piles of corpses, and a Hell. Ordinary imperial troops from Zenit's major military towns and vassal states that had traveled thousands of miles to reach the capital were immediately discovered and subjected to Bloody encirclement before they even approached within a hundred miles of the capital.
The allied forces seem to be planning a siege and attack, intending to use this tactic to defeat the Zenit Empire's elite troops piecemeal before they can unite.
To Sun Fei's slight relief, he did not encounter Dortmund troops heading to Chambord City along the way. It seemed that Dortmund's retaliation had been delayed for some reason and they had not yet taken notice of Chambord City.
Throughout the journey, His Majesty the King showed no mercy. Whenever he encountered any experts of Four-Star Class or above from either of the two armies, he would eliminate them without hesitation.
When two countries are at war, there is no room for mercy.
He was in the air, invisible and traceless, his Spiritual Power surging like ocean waves. He didn't even need to make a move. Once he encountered an enemy expert, a wisp of Spiritual Power would condense into a needle and instantly invade the opponent's mind, killing them instantly. Along the way, at least thirty or forty allied experts fell silently to their deaths, but the enemy was unable to find out the cause of death and fell into chaos.
This delay slowed Sun Fei down considerably.
About an hour later, they entered an area about sixty miles from the capital, Saint Petersburg.
By this time, the number of coalition forces on the ground had increased dramatically, resembling a dense swarm of ants.
Sun Fei could even sense terrifying magical and Dou Qi fluctuations emanating from the direction of the distant capital, Saint Petersburg. Clearly, there were Dou Qi and magic masters fighting, and the terrifying momentum had spread for dozens of miles.
Moreover, one could faintly hear the earth-shattering shouts of battle, with tens of thousands of people clashing together. In the distance, plumes of blood-red clouds rose into the sky like pillars reaching the heavens. This was the aura of blood and steel generated by the battle, which even blocked out the sunlight. Thick blood-red clouds gathered between heaven and earth, as if it were the end of the world in the era of Demon God.
This is a spectacle that only occurs in large-scale battles during the era of cold weapons.
A day and a night have passed since the [ Letters and Visits Office ] reported the shocking changes in the empire. By now, the area near the capital must be a scene of carnage, with rivers of blood and mountains of corpses. It's hard to imagine what a horrific sight it must be.
Just as Sun Fei was about to speed up and rush over, a thought suddenly struck him. He looked down and discovered something.
"Hmm? It's the Second Prince and the others... So they haven't made it into the capital yet; it seems they've encountered some difficulties."
From a hill below, shouts of battle filled the air.
The Zenit marriage mission ultimately failed to break through the allied blockade and was now in dire straits, compressed to the top of a hill. Using the terrain, they painstakingly constructed a defensive perimeter riddled with corpses. Of the original three hundred or so, less than a hundred remained, and at least tens of thousands of allied troops were besieging them.
From a high altitude, it looks like endless waves crashing against the reef, threatening to engulf any adversary.
"Kill!"
[ Red Beard ] Granero roared, and the longsword in his hand gleamed, a wisp of golden, sharp metal-type Dou Qi aura shooting out.
His swordsmanship was superb, like drifting raindrops, piercing the throats of three Lyon masters who had crossed the outer defensive perimeter in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, due to excessive force, a wound on his waist that was just beginning to heal, about twenty centimeters long, burst open, and blood gushed out, staining the cloak wrapped around his waist red. The intense pain made him kneel on the ground, his longsword supporting his body so that he did not fall. Like a fish out of water, he opened his mouth wide and breathed in the Bloody air rapidly.
At this moment, Granero was a far cry from the imposing and awe-inspiring figure he once was when he controlled the Imperial Capital Public Security Office appeared utterly disheveled.
He had more than twenty wounds of varying sizes all over his body. Although he had carefully avoided vital areas, the wounds were still open, exposing the bone, and were in a semi-healed state. His magical chainmail armor, made of fine iron, was also cut in several places and was draped loosely over his body...
Blood stained his body, he was exhausted, his lips were black, and his Red Beard, which he cherished as his life, had been cut in half. The One Sword not only cut off his beard, but also left a deep wound on his neck that exposed the bone. If he hadn't Avoid in time, one can imagine that the One Sword would have been enough to cut off his head.
Granero used his longsword to support himself and struggled to his feet.
His vision blurred, and he swayed a few times before managing to steady himself. Looking around, he discovered that more than two-thirds of the elite soldiers who had accompanied the Second Prince were dead, and the remaining men were almost all wounded, their weapons broken and curled...
Paris, the Alluring Witch who once looked like a fairy detached from the world, was now covered in blood. Her white dress had turned red, and her beautiful bare arms and legs each bore a long, bloody gash. She was struggling to hold on, but it seemed she was at her limit. Surrounded by such a sea of people, even the Witch's wisdom and resourcefulness were useless.
At the very center of the defensive perimeter, the Second Prince Doming, was in no better shape.
The disabled puppy, Oka, lay obediently at his feet, while he had three thumb-sized bloody holes in his body, wounds inflicted by the terrible Demon-Slaying Arrow. The arrow fletchings had been severed by Dominguez's sword, but the barbed tips remained embedded in his body, impossible to remove immediately. Any slight movement was like having his flesh ripped out with Daozi, the intense pain unbearable for most.
Even in such a dire situation, Dominguez maintained his handsome and elegant demeanor. With a smile on his face, he directed the soldiers on all sides to repel the enemy's offensive. The three shocking bloody holes in his body seemed to grow on someone else's body. The intense pain could not make his handsome, almost demonic face show the slightest pain.
His Highness the Prince's calm and composed demeanor greatly boosted the courage and confidence of the surviving soldiers.
The weary soldiers looked at the prince with eyes burning with worship and madness, fearlessly blocking the enemy's advance. Even if their weapons were broken, even if they had to use their own flesh and blood, they would still hold off the enemy. As long as they had a breath left, they would protect His Highness the prince.
"Your Highness, the brothers are about to be overwhelmed. We should retreat to the outer perimeter. Our strength is simply insufficient to break into the capital." Granero had already rushed to the front of the defensive line, using the terrain and the previously piled-up boulders with the surviving soldiers to hold off the Lyon attack. He beheaded six Lyon soldiers with One Sword stroke and roared.
The more than three hundred soldiers were all elite soldiers he had drawn from the Imperial Capital Public Security Office. They were all masters of Dou Qi, loyal and powerful. However, in this endless sea of people surrounding and in the chaotic battle, they could not give full play to their individual combat advantages. More than two hundred of them were lost along the way. Just thinking about it made Granero's heart ache.
First update.
Thank you to the following individuals for their support: Flame Flying City, youdaing, Immortal Legend, Seven Little Lovers, Maple Leaf Fluttering, Flame Non-City, Seeds Across the Sky, Mountain Smoke Leaf, Cute Soy Sauce Bottle, sam dragon, sugar f, Thousand Years of Memory, ddli, and Li Dahai.