"Not good!" Constantine's expression changed drastically. Without any hesitation, he punched several Lyon soldiers who were charging at him, then turned and shouted, "Retreat! Retreat immediately!"
In that instant, he realized he had been too careless and underestimated his enemy, falling into Lyon's trap.
As a king, Constantine's personal strength could not compare with Sun Fei's, and his military strategy could not match Arshavin's. However, having followed these two Giant who had a great influence on the Zenit Empire, he had been influenced by them and at least in critical moments he did not lack the decisiveness that a king should have.
At this critical juncture, he did not attempt to thwart the Lyon ' conspiracy by chance, nor did he want to use the blood of his soldiers and civilians to prove his military merit. Instead, he immediately turned around and ordered the army to retreat.
This timely decision saved the fate of the Byzantium 2,000-strong contingent.
Before the powerful Lyon warriors, who had unleashed their formidable auras, emerged from the depths of the palace, the Byzantium, under the King's command, began a swift and orderly retreat.
Despite being in dire straits and having lost even the capital, these soldiers did not fall into disarray as the people of Lyon had expected. Instead, after a brief period of panic, they unleashed an extremely powerful fighting force, like a lion awakened and enraged. Every Byzantium soldier charged forward fearlessly, hoping to carve a path of life for their comrades and loved ones behind them with their own lives!
The Lyon army, which was well-equipped and had the advantage of being surrounded on all sides, did not gain any advantage against a group of routed soldiers.
"Don't change course! Return the way you came, get back to the ship, and travel by water!"
In the darkness of night, the young King Constantine rose into the sky, his body wreathed in emerald flames, displaying formidable fighting prowess.
He single-handedly held off thousands of Lyon soldiers pursuing from behind. The power of the Seven Injuries Fist was like an endless wave, and no enemy could get within a hundred meters of him. Warriors with their bodies flashing with Dou Qi aura rushed out from the Lyon army, trying to hold back the young King, but they were quickly sent flying back at an even faster speed by the waves of the Seven Injuries Fist!
Two Eight-Star Class Dou Qi experts who had chased after him from the palace had already fallen to Constantine's Seven Injuries Fist.
The King's invincible divine might boosted the morale of his subjects, and the Byzantium retreated in an orderly manner. More than two thousand men broke through the encirclement of more than six thousand Lyon in less than twenty minutes and returned to their warships.
The only problem at this moment was that the Lyon were surging up behind them like a tidal wave, with rockets flying everywhere. If no one covered their retreat, the warships would be unable to gain speed and would be set on fire or destroyed if they got close enough!
"Your Majesty, please retreat immediately! We will hold off the Lyon!"
At the crucial moment, those commoners of the royal city who had been supporting their King by wielding sickles, hoes, hammers, hunting knives, harpoons, and other farm tools during tonight's operation turned back without hesitation and charged towards Lyon's well-equipped, ruthless army, which was like a precisely operating killing machine.
These were all elderly civilians whose relatives had been killed or wounded in the previous massacre by the Lyon people. They had no will to live and if they could exchange their lives for the safe departure of the kingdom's elite soldiers and leave behind the seeds of Vengeance, they would have no regrets even if they died with blades piercing their bodies.
The young King Constantine, his eyes bloodshot with rage and grief, wanted to rush out to save his family and people, but suddenly his body stiffened. The internal injuries caused by the [ Seven Injuries Fist ] that he had been suppressing suddenly flared up again!
His personal guards, tears streaming down their faces, frantically seized the King and forced him onto a warship, which then set sail immediately.
The Byzantium soldiers, trembling and with tears streaming down their faces, watched through the firelight as their brothers and loved ones, left to cover the retreat on the shore, fell one by one to the swords of the Lyon. They gripped their weapons tightly, gritted their teeth, and bit their lips until they bled. The raging flames of war bore witness to this blood debt that would never be forgotten!
ashore.
After a bloody battle, the remaining fifty-odd Byzantium soldiers and civilians were compressed into a small circle by Lyon's army, which outnumbered them by many times. The soldiers were surrounded by menacing swords and spears, their blades gleaming coldly.
Outside the encirclement.
A young and handsome Lyon, clad in gleaming silver armor, rode atop a tall white steed. His face still bore the faint traces of boyish naiveté and baby fat, like that of a young boy inexperienced in the ways of the world. Yet, looking at the fearless Byzantium surrounding him, his eyes held a coldness beyond his years. He calmly declared, "Kill them all. Leave no survivors. Display their heads as a warning!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several powerful martial artists flew out from beside him.
The blade flashed, and the sword energy was like a rainbow.
Slaughter!
Fifty-one valiant Byzantium warriors were all beheaded.
Blood gushed into the sky like a fountain of blood. Headless corpses, still clutching their weapons, leaned on each other, refusing to fall. With their lifeless bodies, they stood on the shore, forming a wall of flesh and blood, blocking the path of the Lyon people's pursuit!
The young and handsome Lyon wiped the blood splattered on his hands with a white handkerchief. His handsome face, flickering in the light of the battle, looked unusually ferocious. He smiled, revealing sharp, white teeth, and said to the messenger beside him, "I originally thought that we could wipe out at least 60% in the land battle. I didn't expect the Byzantium to have a King who's not worth mentioning. Interesting. Issue the order for the Imperial Navy to prepare. This time, we must completely annihilate the Zenit forces at sea!"
A bright red magical pattern bloomed evilly in the sky, like a drop of blood.
The sky was just beginning to lighten.
maritime.
Constantine looked at the dwindling number of warships around him, at the planks, broken oars, wrecked ships, and floating corpses of both friend and foe on the sea, and then at the Lyon warships drawing ever closer through the dissipating sea fog in the distance. A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"How can there be so many Lyon ships? Has the Empire's fleet at Storm Cape Bay been completely wiped out?"
They originally thought that once they reached the sea, they could escape the pursuit of the Lyon. However, the Lyon warships miraculously appeared in this sea area and were already waiting for them. The last Byzantium army suffered another blow. More than 40 warships of various sizes were now half destroyed. If it weren't for their familiarity with the surrounding waters and their ability to lead the Lyon in circles, they would have been completely wiped out long ago.
But now, there's no escaping it.
Another Lyon fleet blocked the Byzantium ' last escape route.
"Prepare the soldiers for battle!" Constantine drew his sword and stood ready.
At this moment, thanks to the teasing techniques taught to him by Professor Sun Fei, he had temporarily suppressed the backlash from the Seven Injuries Fist within his body. Being in dire straits, he cast aside all distractions, and his fighting spirit soared.
The order was quickly relayed, and the desperate Byzantium deployed their forces for a fierce battle at sea.
Just then, a sound amplified by a magical megaphone came from afar—
" King Constantine, I, King of Buckingham Hugo Lloris of Buckingham of the Lyon Empire, you are completely surrounded and have no way to escape. Furthermore, let me make it clear that the entire navy of the Zenit Azure Wind Province has been annihilated. You have nowhere to go. However, I admire your talent and am willing to grant you one last chance. If you are willing to surrender now and serve my Lyon Empire from this day forward, not only will you be spared a certain death in this battle, but from this day forward, the Kingdom of Byzantium will still be under your rule!"
The sound pierced through the thick fog, traveling far and low, yet reaching clearly the ears of every Byzantium soldier.
Constantine's face flashed with a disdainful smile. He didn't even bother to reply. His flagship signaled for battle, and the Byzantium raised their swords and spears. More than twenty warships of varying sizes charged towards the hundreds of black, monstrous Lyon fleet opposite them. They gave their best answer with their actions.
The repeated killings had long sown the seeds of deep-seated hatred between the Byzantium and the Lyon.
Even if the last Byzantium dies in battle, no one will surrender.
"Your choice truly disappoints me." The cold, arrogant voice sighed, but without a trace of disappointment, its tone instantly sharpening. " Byzantium soldiers, whichever among you can slay Constantine will henceforth be crowned King of Byzantium by the Lyon Empire, enjoying all the luxuries of royalty!"
They were actually using psychological warfare before the battle to demoralize the Byzantium.
This elusive enemy commander, capable of turning the tide of battle with a flick of his wrist, was cunning and treacherous to the extreme.
Time flies by in this process of being consumed.
The two ships continued to approach each other.
Looking down from the sky, the scene resembled a group of grass carp launching a suicidal attack on a school of great sharks—tragic yet laughable.
Constantine stood high at the bow of the ship, leaning on his sword, his long hair flying. He was worried about his wife Isabella, who was hiding with a small number of Byzantium warriors in a secret pirate camp. He was worried that he would not be able to see his pregnant wife one last time before he died in battle. This was his greatest regret at the moment. As for life and death... in this cold and chaotic world, countless King had died in battle. He was not the first, and he would certainly not be the last.
This battle fulfilled my duty as a subject of the empire!
This battle will bring solace to the spirits of our loved ones who lie buried in the earth!
This battle showed the Imperial Martial Saint of Chambord City that he had not made the wrong choice in releasing him!
This battle proved the bravery of the Byzantium kings and the courage of countless Byzantium.
Even in death, I will have no regrets!
As the ships drew closer, they could even see the ferocious faces of the Lyon soldiers on the opposite giant ship, and the calm, cold face of the Lyon commander beneath the bright yellow noble and royal banner at the prow of the central giant ship.
The arrows were already whistling through the air.
Soldiers on both sides were constantly being hit by arrows, falling off the bow of their ships and splashing up waves of crimson blood.
The Lyon fleet, arriving from all directions, had already surrounded the Byzantium fleet of less than thirty old boats, like dumplings being wrapped in a pot. It was as if a giant shark had devoured a shrimp – it all happened in the blink of an eye.
Constantine, resigned to his fate, smiled slightly at his comrades behind him, and was about to leap into action...
Just then, in the narrow gap of less than a hundred meters between the two fleets ahead, a strange change suddenly occurred on the surface of the water—as if some enormous water beast was about to emerge from beneath the surface, a huge whirlpool appeared on the calm sea, followed by a noticeable rise in the seawater, spewing out columns of water...
Both sides quickly noticed the unexpected change and instinctively slowed down their boats.
A vast black shadow rose from the seabed, gradually emerging to the surface. Sky-blue magical flames, rows of menacing mechanical structures draped with seaweed, a deck overflowing with water, a slightly bulging central command tower, crossbow cannons lining the ship's perimeter, and a menacing unicorn ram at the front... all of this indicated that the black monster rising from the seabed was a ship!
A giant ship that can sail underwater.
This was an incredibly shocking scene.
"A giant Sea Clan warship?" Almost everyone on both sides had this thought. Only the Sea Clan, who had not appeared on the continent for hundreds of years, would possess such a magical stealth warship.
But who said that Sea Clan generally don't appear within 100 kilometers of the coastline?
The atmosphere suddenly became eerie.
If they are truly the Sea Clan who claim to be the overlords of the sea, then even the combined warships of the Byzantium and Lyon would be no match for them, and would only suffer a brutal massacre.
Both sides became vigilant and completely stopped the boats.
Just then, a banner shaped like a two-headed dog with axe and dagger slowly rose from the strange warship that had suddenly appeared.
Constantine trembled, a look of wild joy spreading across his face. He could hardly believe his eyes. He looked at his personal guards incredulously and stammered, "Did you see that? That's... that's the royal banner of Chambord City! Could it be that His Alexander has arrived?"
Da Zhang, my thoughts have been a bit scattered these past few days, let me sort them out.
Thanks for your support, brothers.