Chapter 1183: Bugle of a.s.sault
Rhode was always swift and decisive in his decisions. As a matter of fact, when he announced the alliance agreement solemnly to the twin dragons, his army had already arrived at the border for battle preparations. If Rhode had a choice, he wouldn’t have wanted to start a war just days after his return to this world. But he knew how dangerous this mutant of Chaos was—it was like a lethal and highly-contagious plague that currently had no effective control and treatment. If they didn’t eliminate the plague in the shortest time possible, the consequences would be disastrous.
What made matters worse was that this ‘plague’ wasn’t only spreading ‘pa.s.sively’, but was capable of launching dangerous attacks ‘actively’. Facing such an enemy, one had to eradicate it resolutely using overwhelming strength. But it was a pity that apart from the few top fighters on his side, the rest couldn’t be considered to be advantageous against the undead army of the Country of Darkness.
“Are the preparations ready, Lapis?”
Standing at the top of the city wall, Rhode gazed at the country enveloped in eternal darkness in the distance. Upon hearing his question, Lapis, who stood beside him, nodded hurriedly.
“Even though it was a little rushed, the preparations are still complete, Sir Rhode. But… as manufacturing the cavalrymen’s equipment requires special materials that need refinement, it took up a lot of time. Although we tried our best to hasten the process, we only managed to create enough for three armies…
“Three is enough for now. Order the production team to go all-out. We can forgo the mounts, and it will also be fine even if they go on foot as infantries. I want to see at least five armies fully equipped with magic armor in 20 days,” Rhode said, overlooking the rows of soldiers by the foot of the tower. They were elites of the Void Territory. Most of them were mercenaries who opened up the land of Chaos and went through fire and water with him in the past. The soldiers under them came from the Land of Atonement and were experienced in battling against undead creatures. They were seasoned warriors, but despite that, it still wasn’t enough.
The most eye-catching thing about them was their standardized suit of pitch-black armor that protected every part of their body. At a glance, the magic armor looked like some kind of oval beetle with a glossy appearance. Engraved on them were runes that emanated faint magical lights, which guaranteed their excellent quality. As a matter of fact, the magic armor was more complicated than it appeared. Although it was almost 220 pounds, the ‘light-weight’ rune ensured it was as light as a feather. The ‘mega-power’ rune allowed the wearer to unleash strength as powerful as a giant’s. In addition to the ‘hardening’ and ‘defensive enchanted field’ runes, it was enough to guarantee that the soldiers could march ahead fearlessly even under the double oppression from an arrow storm and magica; bombardment. However, good horses matched good saddles, after all. The production of armors cost a whole lot of resources and it could also be said that their value in gold coins was enough to support a group of 10 heavy cavalrymen! Even with the prowesses of Lapis and Marlene, they weren’t able to reduce the materials consumption. Putting aside the effort and cost required to create high-end magic runes, the number of magic crystals needed to maintain the flow of magic in the armor was also high. Moreover, refining of the armors demanded ores and metals, where the total cost of everything would be enough to purchase an entire city.
Of course, the armors weren’t made immediately after Rhode’s return. In fact, the upgrading of armor for the Void Territory’s armies was already in progress before Rhode left the Dragon Soul Continent. Back then, Rhode had already made preparations to go to war with the Country of Darkness. Even though he had the support of revival spells now, it didn’t mean that he could act rashly. The reason why Rhode created these magic armors was to resist the insidious and cunning tricks of the Country of Darkness and drastically strengthen the soldiers’ offense and defense. After all, he clearly knew that apart from undead spells, the Country of Darkness was also adept in plagues and curses. Although these ‘debuffs’ weren’t strong enough to seize lives, it was enough to lower the soldiers’ battle strength. That was why Rhode needed an army of bold elites who were fearless against the ‘debuffs’ to take on the Country of Darkness head-on. And now, it seemed like their preparations were enough to take on Chaos.
“What about the device placements for the Order-strengthening enchanted fields?”
“It is still on-going and everything should be fine. But Sir Rhode, they are only experimental products, so we need Miss Marlene and the rest to provide the output…”
“It doesn’t matter, since it is only for the time being.”
Upon hearing Lapis’s concerned reminder, Rhode waved her aside with airy gesture. Then, he turned around and caressed her hair.
“I’ll leave the production to you then. It is manageable for you, right?”
“Ah… Yes! Sir Rhode, please leave it to me!”
Upon sensing his gentle touch, Lapis blushed. She extended her hand to pull down the hood, took two steps back, and responded softly. The corners of Rhode’s lips perked up upon seeing her reaction. He picked up a magic crystal and tossed it into the air. Shortly after, that magic crystal emanated a dazzling brilliance as it hovered in midair. Rhode gazed at it, let out a cough to clear his throat, and lowered his gaze to the soldiers.
“Everyone, I’m sure you’re aware that we’re about to head into an unprecedented war.”
Rhode said. Even though his voice wasn’t resounding, it reverberated in every soldiers’ ears clearly. Upon hearing his voice, the soldiers lifted their heads one after another, turning to the figure standing at the top of the city wall. He didn’t seem muscular at all, and looked even somewhat thin.
“The undead creatures have not stopped attacking us. Many of you have experienced fighting against them. Not long ago, they attempted to invade our territory. Many of our people were forced to leave their homes under death threats. You’ve personally witnessed houses peris.h.i.+ng in flames and the slaughtering of your loved ones, which eventually turned them into puppets of the undead. But it is apparent now that the enemies aren’t satisfied and will never be.”
Rhode said, lowering his voice. Upon hearing his words, the soldiers lowered their heads, clenched their fists in wrath, and their eyes burned in unprecedented rage. Indeed, just as Rhode mentioned, attacks from the undead creatures infuriated the soldiers. Even though the soldiers repelled the undead creatures again and again, their indignation didn’t fade away as a result. They knew what the undead creatures were up to and it was apparent that the undead creatures had no intention of giving up. If it was possible, the soldiers wished to end this once and for all. But it was a pity that they were only soldiers and not army generals.
“But now… everything will change!”
Rhode raised his voice abruptly.
“We have had enough of their invasions. And now, it is time for our retaliation. We shall penetrate the Country of Darkness, destroy the Darkness Capital, and eradicate that Dark Dragon who has sunken into madness! He went against his duty as a ruler of Order and fell into the abyss of Chaos. He is attempting to spread Chaos to every part of this world and is essentially destroying the entire continent. As people of Order, we need to stop his foolish acts…”
Rhode declared and went silent all of a sudden. The soldiers below exchanged looks with one another, unsure of the cause of that sudden silence from the Void Dragon. However, as they were doubtful, Rhode’s voice sounded once again.
“Despite all this that I have said, I’ve to say that it is all bullsh*t! What’s most important for us is revenge! We need to annihilate the shameless undead creatures and teach those brainless bast*rds that the graveyard is their resting place! Tooth for tooth, and blood for blood! However they treated us in the past, we will make them pay tenfold! The era of weeping and fleeing in trembling fear when facing undead creatures is long gone. Now is the era for the undead creatures to s.h.i.+ver and beg for mercy under our iron hooves, and we shall trample them to death like worthless weeds! There is only one command: kill on sight! We will dig those bast*rds out from their graves and burn their corpses into ashes without sparing any single one of them! Get ready to move out———! Our target: the Country of Darkness. This is our retaliation! Our invasion! We shall conquer the territories of the Country of Darkness! Drive the lackeys of Chaos away to the other side of destruction! And put them to their demise!”
“…”
Along with Rhode’s snarls, the place was in a strange silence with no one speaking. They stood on the spot without moving an inch. Looking at this scene, Lapis couldn’t help but gaze at Rhode worriedly. But when she was about to break the silence, cheers and screams as loud as a volcano eruption exploded, rising from the ground and bursting into the clouds.
“Your Majesty Void Dragon! Your Majesty Void Dragon!”
“Revenge! We want revenge!”
“Kill those undead creatures! It’s payback time!”
The sky was filled with clamors and bellows and screams consisting of joy, anger, and excitement. The soldiers raised their arms, wielded their weapons, and vented their frustrations. Looking at this view, the corners of Rhode’s lips perked up into a smile as he raised his right arm high. Along with this action, a dazzling radiance rushed into the sky and the starry sky trembled shortly after.
The everlasting night sky warped like deformed mud being smashed. In the blink of an eye, the dark sky connecting the Void Territory and Country of Darkness shattered into fragments. But before the fragments disappeared into thin air, they were mercilessly devoured by the surreal sea of stars.
At the next moment, the warm, gentle, and dazzling rays of the sun rose from the other side of the horizon, bringing light to the land that was originally enfolded in eternal darkness. Like a stage play, the deep, dark curtains withdrew, suggesting the commencement of a brand new show.
It also represented the beginning of an all-out war.