Black Edge Knights

Sunset Valley.

Beneath the once verdant and beautiful valley, an ominous shadow coalesced into a massive dark cloud, shrouding the earth. The sunlight in the azure sky appeared pale and weak; withered grass drooped listlessly to the ground; trees that should have sprouted tender buds remained barren, as if even nature itself sensed this pervasive death and destruction, hesitating to postpone its originally scheduled rebirth.

The jet-black warhorses stood silently on the slope of the valley, their eyes gleaming with a cold, bluish light. They neither flicked their tails, nor snorted, nor shook their heads. They were like statues, lifeless puppets, as were the people riding them.

Standing at the very back of the formation, Miu'erkasi remained silent. Her white unicorn, though dazzling like sunlight against the black clouds, was not a real creature, but a product of Magic Power. Unlike her sisters, Miu'erkasi lacked those uncanny magical abilities. She couldn't fire countless arrows like a meteor like Kalin, nor could she hide undetected like Anna. All she could do was command a powerful cavalry force and create her own mount using Magic Power.

The unicorn, formed from Magic Power, was neither dissatisfied nor angry at the aura of death emanating from these undead creatures. It simply faithfully carried out its master's orders, leading her to patrol back and forth on the hillside. Meanwhile, Miu'erkasi's gaze had already crossed the hillside and was fixed on the city not far away opposite her.

It's clear that Kudel has put in considerable effort to defend against the Magic Empire's attack. They've already cut down all the trees around the city, and the fallen trees have been laid out to form a new defensive line. Furthermore, Miu'erkasi understands that these trees can not only block the undead army's advance, but can also be used to launch fire arrows if necessary. Although spring is often damp, the trees have been exposed to the sun for so many days; if fired at them, they will create a devastating sea of fire.

Of course, such a defensive line could be considered the best they could do under the current circumstances. Miu'erkasi was not unaware of the deep pit behind the trees, but she remained confident in her plan and strategy. In fact, although Kudel's defenses seemed very troublesome, a spring rain would be enough to wipe out their efforts.

Li Lin was very angry.

On that day, when Li Lin spoke with Gabriel, the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys were also present. However, they did not take human form but instead hid beside Li Lin in the form of weapons. Therefore, they naturally heard what Henderson said. Although Li Lin appeared very indifferent on the surface, as if he did not mind such pointless nonsense, in the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, this was a very serious offense. He not only offended Li Lin but also desecrated the souls of countless victims of the Magic Empire.

Although Miu'erkasi also found the man's words infuriating, she didn't see any anger in Li Lin. However, her other sisters were remarkably certain that Li Lin was angry, and quite angry at that.

Its most prominent and obvious characteristic is that he specifically ordered Angela to serve as the commander-in-chief of this battle.

Strictly speaking, according to the military system of the Magic Empire, Angela, who currently controls the entire Federation and the Kudel frontline legion, should be considered a legion commander. In other words, the little one is currently in charge of the overall war strategy, not just a single battle. Since Li Lin specifically gave Angela this order, and Angela accepted it with unusual excitement, the Ring Spirit Envoy led by Nia can be certain that Li Lin is very angry.

Angela's bloodthirstiness is practically an open secret. She enjoys torturing her defeated enemies, cruelly slaughtering every foe, regardless of age or gender. Li Lin's attitude towards her behavior is one of neither approval nor disapproval, neither support nor condemnation. He occasionally assigns tasks to the little one, but Li Lin generally maintains a degree of restraint regarding Angela's methods and attitude. As for the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, the existence of enemies is solely for elimination. As weapons, they naturally lack the sentimentality of humans, so since they are destined to die anyway, how they die is not a concern for them.

However, the fact that Li Lin specifically appointed the young man as the head coach this time already shows that he unconditionally supports the young man's actions.

Of course, for Miu'erkasi and Beika, the thoughts of the other five were beyond their comprehension. They returned too late and had never witnessed Angela's brutal and cruel side. Although they also thought the little girl had a sharp tongue and a very bad personality, they did not know just how terrifying Angela was when she killed enemies.

A faint sound came from above. Miu'erkasi looked up at the sky and saw a flock of bats fly across the sky and land beside her. Then, a petite figure appeared from among them— Angela before her. She narrowed her signature bright red eyes and gazed at the city below on the other side.

How are the preparations going?

"Everything is ready; we're just waiting for the right opportunity."

Miu'erkasi answered, still harboring some skepticism towards the girl. While Angela's single-handed battle against the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys had impressed Miu'erkasi, military combat was a different matter entirely; group battles and individual combat were fundamentally different. Furthermore, Miu'erkasi had led the Black Edge Knights into battle under orders from Li Lin to "assist," but when she arrived at the designated location, she saw no allies. Apart from the valley, there was nothing else —Angela Miu'erkasi arrived alone, seemingly without her usual undead army. Was she really going to rely on her legion to "assist" her in this attack?

Of course, while she thought about it, Miu'erkasi didn't voice it or show it on her face. The code of chivalry is humility, caution, and loyalty. As a knight, Miu'erkasi naturally abided by these principles, although justice and kindness were not included in her creed. Although Miu'erkasi had doubts in her heart, they were on the battlefield, and even with her doubts, she had to carry out her mission and complete her orders thoroughly.

"The right time?"

Angela gave a sarcastic smile.

What is the right time?

It's springtime now.

Miu'erkasi did not react to Angela's provocative tone.

"Although the Kudel region is dry and has little rain in the early part of spring, it will receive a lot of rainfall after the middle of the month. Judging from the timing, there will be a heavy rain in the next few days. I think we should take advantage of the rain to launch an attack, so as to maximize our combat effectiveness and eliminate the enemy."

As a knight and general, it is essential to have knowledge of astronomy and geography.

That makes a lot of sense.

Upon hearing this, Angela an eyebrow.

"However, I have no need for such logic. Prepare immediately and launch the attack!"

"Miss Angela, I think you should have noticed their precautions."

Miu'erkasi frowned slightly.

"Please be aware, they..."

"Are you saying that their obstacles will hinder me and could potentially cause me great harm? With these things? These deep trenches and tree barriers?"

Hearing this, Miu'erkasi was slightly taken aback. Angela had only just arrived from Ringwraith City, yet she had seen through the other's defenses at a glance? Or perhaps, she was merely...

"And the city walls."

Miu'erkasi offered a kind reminder.

"We don't have siege weapons. And this time, neither Nia nor Yi Aier will be participating in the battle..."

"If you need siege weapons, you should have some, right?"

Angela glanced at the Death Knights behind Miu'erkasi. Although they were still wearing the armor they wore when they died, their weapons had changed. The Ringwraith City didn't have enough metal to make armor for them, but fortunately, the dead and their horses didn't need such superficial defenses. So, after squeezing out enough resources, Yi Aier designed a new cavalry weapon specifically for them.

This knight's lance looks about half again as big as a regular lance. It would be absolutely impossible for an ordinary human or horse to lift such a huge thing. In fact, it looks no different from a miniature siege hammer.

The destructive power of cavalry is not a single point, but an area. Charging and trampling are their greatest killing moves. Like medieval cavalry, fighting hand-to-hand on horseback is not a true skill of a cavalryman. In fact, cavalrymen should avoid close combat as much as possible and adopt a hit-and-run approach, launching repeated charging attacks.

Taking this into account, and given that the entire knightly order is currently composed of the dead, Yi Aier simply reduced the undead knights' melee attack power to zero. Aside from their massive lances, they possessed no other weapons or equipment. When these massive lances struck the city wall, the magic on them would activate, unleashing a force powerful enough to shatter boulders. To put it simply, it was like someone holding a rocket launcher against a wall and firing it directly.

Of course, all of this is based on the premise of undead creatures; otherwise, any living being would probably be killed by the enormous reaction force even if it didn't die at the hands of an enemy.

However, even with such a weapon, Miu'erkasi was unwilling to take the risk.

"I am leading the cavalry, Miss Angela."

She didn't say a word more, but Angela seemed to have completely understood what she meant.

"Of course I know that you are leading cavalry, not marines, armored infantry, or a rapid mechanized reaction force, so what?"

What was she talking about?

Miu'erkasi paused for a rare moment.

"The deep pit below..."

Miu'erkasi's concerns weren't entirely unfounded; the pits were dug in very convenient locations, just a step or so behind the tree barrier. Now, the problem arose. Even undead creatures don't have wings, and her knights weren't riding winged horses, so they couldn't fly. If they charged over the tree barrier, they would inevitably fall into the pits. Even if the undead survived, they would be at a disadvantage; at the very least, the cavalry's mobility would be completely destroyed.

Of course, their true intention was probably not to deal with these cavalrymen. Kudel was not capable of planting spies in the Empire, and this was Miu'erkasi's first time fighting. Judging from the depth and width of the trench, they clearly intended to fill it with those undead creatures.

Of course, in an emergency, Miu'erkasi wouldn't mind using humans to fill the gaps; after all, undead aren't human, and they wouldn't complain about being trampled. However, unlike the Ghoul commanded by Angela who acted on instinct and killing intent, these Black Edge Knights had put in a lot of effort to train themselves. Even if they were willing to sacrifice, dead men are easy to find, but dead horses are hard to come by—where would they find so many dead horses to use?

So what?

Angela looked down at the trap below with disdain, a sneer on her face, and clenched her fist tightly.

"Miu'erkasi, you are indeed a knight, and I understand your meaning, but... I do not wish to do so, nor would my master wish to do so."

Miu'erkasi didn't argue; she waited for Angela to speak.

"Tree barriers? Deep trenches? Even the Federation's moat couldn't withstand my Scourge Legion. How could these petty tricks possibly work? Listen carefully, Miu'erkasi. The simplest and most convenient way to destroy humanity's will is to crush all their tricks with sheer power! Absolute power!"

As she spoke, Angela stretched her arms forward and looked up at the sky.

"Have you finished preparing everything?"

"Like here, it's finished, and we can set off anytime."

"Then, let me begin."

As she spoke, Angela stretched out her hand and clenched it, then gently snapped her fingers.

"There won't be a single living person left here before nightfall."

The earth began to tremble slightly, then cracks appeared in the ground, clods of earth gathered together, and then, a terrifying, unimaginable figure emerged from them.

If Miu'erkasi had previously wondered why she couldn't see a single undead creature other than her own, despite her orders to lead the Black Edge Knights in "assisting" the siege, she now finally understood where all the undead had gone.

They were always at my feet.

One thousand, two thousand, three thousand.

Countless undead creatures churned up the earth, their lifeless eyes gazing at the city below. They saw nothing, but they didn't need to see anything. The life force carried by the wind was enough to stir the deepest, most malevolent hatred within these undead creatures.

"If there are trees blocking the way, just step over them; if there are ditches, just fill them in. What's so difficult about that? Human tricks are useless in the face of absolute power."

The other side had clearly noticed the anomaly; the city gates were closing at top speed, and billowing black smoke rose from the city towers, shooting straight into the sky. The city walls were teeming with people, a dense mass of figures running back and forth. Faced with this scene, Angela merely licked her tongue lightly. While her action was pleasing to the eye, Miu'erkasi felt a chill run down her spine—she had never encountered such blatant brutality.

"Go! You pigs on the front lines, this is war!"

As she spoke, Angela out her hand, gripped the folding fan she had closed, and swung it downwards forcefully.

The tide began to flow.

Hundreds upon hundreds of undead roared in anger, charging downwards haphazardly under Angela's command. This sight caused Miu'erkasi to frown. In her view, charging forward without formation, preparation, or any preemptive measures was not the behavior of an army. Even if Angela proud of her sheer numbers, such a disorganized and uncontrolled advance made them vulnerable to being picked off one by one. Moreover, the inability to form a powerful charging formation would also lead to a stalemate in the battle.

Sure enough, the battle began as Miu'erkasi had predicted.

The Ghoul crossed the tree barrier, but then they fell into the deep ravine. Although it wasn't Abyss, burying sharp wooden stakes at the bottom of the pit would have achieved the same effect.

One by one, the undead creatures tumbled into the ditch, their bodies pierced, dying, or struggling. Their companions behind them, however, did not stop despite the carnage ahead; they continued their relentless charge downwards, leaping over the tree branches, only to plunge into the ditch once more. Those undead creatures that did not fall into the ditch would continue forward, repeating the same scene.

This scene lasted for about ten minutes. The undead, with their numerical advantage, filled the deep trench in front of them with their bodies (or corpses). Just then, the soldiers of Kudel, who had been holding back on the city wall, began to fight back.

Flaming arrows flew down from the city walls, striking many undead creatures and igniting the trees in front of and behind them. The flames began to spread at an unimaginable speed; clearly, humans had previously coated these tree trunks with some kind of flammable oil or similar substance.

Black smoke billowed, and the flames began to devour everything that approached. Although the undead creatures remained brave and resolute, their actions at this moment were as reckless as moths drawn to a flame.

"This will result in significant military losses."

Miu'erkasi frowned and said in a low voice.

"Soldiers are everywhere."

A flash of murderous intent crossed Angela's eyes.

"As long as this city is destroyed, I can have as many armies as I want. Everyone here will submit to me and my master, becoming pawns who don't need to think."

As she spoke, she glanced meaningfully at Miu'erkasi.

"Moreover, I might be able to replenish your military strength."

As they spoke, the flames began to weaken, while the black smoke grew thicker and thicker. At this moment, Miu'erkasi could no longer see the scene on the opposite city wall, but presumably it was the same there.

"Using blood to put out a fire will also be effective, as long as there is enough blood."

Angela glanced at the few remaining undead creatures.

"Then, it is up to you, King of Knights. Pull the sword from the stone and accept your destiny."

Although she didn't understand what Angela was talking about, Miu'erkasi still raised her longsword. Just as she was about to give the order to attack, suddenly, the flames on the trees, which should have been extinguished, turned into a raging fire again.

What happened?!

"It's a mage!"

Angela immediately sensed the magical fluctuations coming from the other side and even heard the faint chanting.

"How dare a mage stand in my way?!"