Absolute Violence

Cavalry is supposed to be the best tool for plains warfare. In cities, houses and narrow alleys are not really suitable for cavalry charges. After all, in such terrain, the cavalry's power cannot be fully utilized.

However, for Angela, this was merely an excuse. If interpreted in the little girl's style, it meant that "the true manifestation of power lies in being able to gain an advantage without relying on terrain."

Meanwhile, the Black Edge Knight led by Miu'erkasi are, in a way, practicing Angela's style.

Four thousand undead knights, forming ten square formations, stormed into the city with overwhelming force. Their massive lances easily shattered the walls. They didn't change their direction or trajectory; regardless of whether there was a path ahead, they charged relentlessly. Walls were smashed through, obstacles were overcome. Any defense seemed utterly powerless before such complete crushing power. Even the city's strongest defenses had been completely breached. What could possibly withstand their onslaught?

However, this also caused great distress to the troops defending the city.

They had already prepared at every key intersection, setting traps and obstacles to hinder the enemy's advance. However, Miu'erkasi's move completely exceeded everyone's expectations. Now, facing the Black Edge Knight rampaging through the city, those preparations were utterly useless; the Black Knights showed no intention of charging forward. Instead, every soldier had to worry that the walls around them would suddenly collapse and explode, followed by the undead hooves trampling over their bodies, turning them into heaps of mangled flesh. What should have been obstacles to the enemy's advance had now become the murderers of the soldiers themselves; they couldn't even escape, couldn't fight back, and died screaming in agony.

The civilians no longer hid in their homes; they surged into the streets, rushing frantically to the rear. If even their homes couldn't protect them, who else could they rely on?

Faced with the screaming, running crowd, the Black Edge Knight remained as precise and cold-blooded as machines. They maneuvered their horses, mercilessly trampling over the bodies of everyone who fell, continuing their advance without hesitation. Their massive lances remained straight ahead, blasting everything in their path into dust.

Standing atop the tower, gazing at the horrific scene below, the city lord and the mage could barely bear to watch. Just moments before, they had witnessed a mother and child fleeing in panic. The child, having lost his footing, had stumbled and fallen, only to have his head crushed by those terrifying iron hooves. The mother, devastated by the loss of her child, frantically turned to return to her side, but her small, fragile body was pierced through by a massive knight's lance and then blasted to pieces by magical power.

"This is what you all want to protect. How do you feel?"

Standing atop the tower, Angela smiled sweetly as she smugly admired the "human mixer" led by Miu'erkasi below.

"You all want to protect it? To guard it? Then let's see what you can do. Curse it? Rebel? Or submit?"

"...!!"

The gruesome sight was almost unbearable for the two of them to watch, but bound by Angela's golden eyes, they were unable to close their eyes at all. They couldn't even move their tongues. Clearly, in this state, they couldn't even commit suicide.

Keep enjoying the show, the best is yet to come.

As Angela spoke, the two involuntarily turned around. They looked back. There, many people had already fled the city, frantically running backward, trying to escape this city shrouded in death and destruction, whose disappearance was now imminent. Among them were commoners, nobles, and soldiers.

If being trampled to death by the Black Edge Knight's iron cavalry is one kind of Hell, then these fleeing people are experiencing another kind of Hell.

Everyone rushed forward recklessly. The nobles' carriages sped madly along the road, showing no sign of stopping even after knocking down dozens of people. But in the next moment, the coachmen were tackled and thrown off by those who had climbed onto the carriages. Then, these desperate men who had jumped onto the carriages forcefully cut the ropes connecting the horses and the carriages, whipping their horses and riding off, leaving the carriages standing alone, ignoring the cries and screams of the nobles. The commoners without horses also fled frantically, not even having time to care for those around them. People fell to the ground for various reasons, but their relatives couldn't help them in time, because at the very moment they fell, the fleeing crowd behind them had already arrived, completing the task that should have been done by the undead in place of the Black Edge Knight.

"What a beautiful scene."

Angela admired the scene before her and gently licked her lips.

"From a certain perspective, isn't this a form of survival of the fittest? Only those who can run to the end survive. Those who don't have the strength to keep going will die along the way... Nature is always cruel, and we can't lag behind in learning the law of the jungle."

At this point, Angela chuckled softly, then looked at the city lord and the mage, whose expressions had turned to despair and fear.

"However, thank me, for I am fair. If those fast runners were allowed to survive here, wouldn't that be unfair to the poor masses who died at their feet?"

As she spoke, Angela stretched out her fingers and whistled again.

Upon hearing the whistle, Miu'erkasi, who was urging her horse forward and directing the undead knights to charge, raised an eyebrow slightly.

For others, however, these were notes that brought them despair.

The people who had been frantically fleeing suddenly stopped, staring ahead with unease, trembling fear. There, a thousand Black Edge Knight sat quietly on their warhorses, their lances reflecting the sunlight and gleaming with an insane coldness and despair. Before them, the refugees who had fled after stealing horses were now nothing but pulp, and even their horses had not escaped this brutal slaughter.

The crowd erupted in a frenzy, those in front screaming for retreat. They tried to escape, to escape the terrifying God of Death before them, but the refugees rushing from behind blocked their escape route. Those people didn't see the desperate obstacle ahead; to them, the burning city behind them only made it clearer that danger was imminent—and then they realized they were actually even closer to it.

Upon receiving Miu'erkasi's order, the thousand Black Edge Knight finally began to move. Like their comrades in front, the undead knights who surrounded them from behind formed a thin defensive net, charging ruthlessly at the enemy before them and reaping lives once again with their weapons and horses' hooves.

This time, despair finally manifested itself in the most terrifying way.

The fleeing soldiers and refugees were swept up in the massive meat grinder known as the Black Edge Knights; no one escaped. Those who refused to flee and bravely fought back met no better end. Freed from the city walls, the skeletal behemoths surged into the city. Their enormous limbs inflicted far more devastating damage than the undead knights; each stomp could crush a house. The black liquid flowed slowly alongside the behemoths, devouring the corpses on every inch of the land. Then, another skeletal behemoth rose from the black liquid, roaring as it continued its advance, destroying everything in its path.

All of this was like the most terrible nightmare in people's dreams, the most terrifying plague, from which no one could escape, not even the dead.

"See? I told you long ago, this city has plenty of troops to spare."

Angela stared defiantly at the pale-faced, trembling mage.

"You really think you can withstand my attack? Foolish, arrogant, and ignorant inferior human! Do you really think your paltry resistance can save anyone? Do you really think you can annihilate my army? Do you really believe you can inflict even one percent damage on me? Now you should understand... it's all meaningless. You can't save anyone, not even a single person."

"...!!...!!!"

Hearing Angela's words, the middle-aged mage's eyes turned bloodshot. If he could move, he might have acted even more drastically. But now, all he could do was utter incoherent sounds through his red eyes. The city lord, however, was already shedding tears. He had watched helplessly as his people, whom he was supposed to protect, were so ruthlessly annihilated. Even their remains were denied peace. At this moment, his heart was utterly broken; despair had completely enveloped him, leaving no glimmer of hope.

Although the sun was still high in the sky, its warm rays felt like a cold torrent to them instead of warming them.

"So..."

Angela's crimson eyes appeared before the two once more, but this time, in addition to cruelty, there was also a hint of undeniable excitement.

"I should prepare to welcome your reinforcements. I believe they will appreciate my gift."

Having learned from their previous raid on the Kudel Fortress, the Kudel improved their communication methods. Two hours after the fireworks were lit, surrounding troops quickly assembled and sped towards the city. However, by the time they arrived, it was too late.

The ground was littered with mangled corpses, covering the road and trampled beyond recognition by horses' hooves. Even the white bones were broken and mixed with flesh, creating a nauseating color. The stench and the heat from the burning flames wafted through the air. Even well-trained soldiers would find it quite difficult to remain calm in the face of this Hell.

We're late again!

Gazing at the road paved with blood and flesh before him, the leading officer clenched his fists in anguish. Since the Undead Legion's invasion of Kudel, every time these reinforcements received a plea for help from a nearby city and rushed there, they were met only with the corpses of their compatriots and cities reduced to ruins. They saw no enemy, and found no one to vent their anger on. This filled the soldiers with immense indignation and sorrow. They had joined the army to protect their country, and now, with the Federation destroyed, the Five-Nation Alliance disintegrated, and Xialuo and Dideyasi unable to provide assistance, the responsibility weighed ever heavier. But since breaking through the defenses and entering... Once inside Kudel's territory, Angela seemed to be toying with the soldiers. She would launch attacks in the shortest time possible, only to leave immediately afterward, abandoning cities, supplies, food, and even leaving only half-dead corpses behind. Each time, the soldiers charged in furiously, but everything they faced only fueled their rage. They had no outlet for their anger; they couldn't find an undead army, nor any enemy. Many soldiers even returned to their camps and slept on the parade ground, hoping to assemble quickly and simultaneously aid the attacked cities. But they never succeeded.

Not even once.

"... Search the surrounding area immediately! They can't have gone far!"

At this moment, gazing upon the trampled and unrecognizable corpses before them, the soldiers' anger flared once more. They rushed towards the city at top speed, desperately trying to find an enemy—or at least a living comrade. Otherwise, they truly doubted whether the flames of hatred would burn their brains and drive them completely insane.

However, when the reinforcements arrived at the city gate, they did not immediately begin the search as usual, because what they saw was something no one had expected.

Thousands of corpses hung from the city walls like flags, swaying in the hot winds brought by the flames. And in the tower atop the city gate, a petite figure stood watching them. Her long silver hair stood out starkly against the firelight, but her crimson eyes were impossible to ignore.

Finally, the first reinforcements did not come up empty-handed; instead, someone who shouldn't have been there appeared before them.

"Welcome, you mice."

Angela looked down at the soldiers and let out a clear, sweet laugh.

"How is it? Are you satisfied with the welcome ceremony I prepared for you? This road of blood and flesh, this banner of corpses, is not something that can be enjoyed by just anyone, anytime?"

"Who are you!!?"

Although he had a vague idea of the other party's identity, the leading general still shouted a question, while behind him, the soldiers clenched their fists, their eyes burning with anger.

You are not worthy to know my name, you inferior beings.

Angela narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Now, all I want you to know is what kind of etiquette you should learn."

As she spoke, she lightly snapped her fingers.

Soon, the soldiers saw a man dressed in fine clothes slowly walk out of the tower. He was pale and had lifeless eyes. He walked to Angela's side and then—humbly knelt down in front of her, like a dog.

"This is the etiquette you should be paying, you worthless trash."

Angela spoke with a cold laugh.

"Now, kneel before me, you lowly creatures! Only then will I allow you to live a little longer!"

"Release the arrows!!"

At the commander's command, arrows shot out from the longbows that had been prepared, raining down on the girl standing on the tower. Angela simply sneered at the rain of arrows.

"Useless resistance... utterly pointless."

A gigantic skeletal hand suddenly appeared out of thin air. With its flapping motion, a powerful gust of wind blew away the arrows, causing them to lose their bearings and become disoriented.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, behind Angela, hundreds of enormous skeletal monsters straightened up. At the same time, the Knights of Death appeared beneath the city gates, their lifeless eyes flashing with a blinding red light, filled with cold and frenzied resentment, ready to vent, enjoy, and slaughter.

However, even so, the soldiers did not retreat. Instead, they gripped their weapons tightly, their indomitable fighting spirit burning brightly. The enemy they had been searching for and waiting for had finally appeared before them. Not a single soldier felt fear at the sight before them; anger had completely replaced all other emotions, becoming the only thing they felt in their minds.

It was her! She killed our compatriots!

It was her! She destroyed our city!

It's her! The enemy we must eliminate!

This is the enemy they've been searching for, the killer they've been looking for!!

At this moment, she finally appeared!

"I'm giving you one last choice: kneel down."

Facing the soldiers' murderous gazes, Angela spoke again with a cold laugh, then snapped open her fan to cover her mouth.

"Otherwise, just die."