Across the boundless, flat snowfields, two broad rivers converged, their sluggish waters nourishing the fertile black earth.
It was September. Though the weather was turning cold, the rivers had not yet frozen over; only drifting floes of accumulated ice floated on the surface.
These were the Inaki River and the Auril River. After the ancestors of the Scanians migrated to the Great Anzetta Waste, it was along these two great waterways that they had built city after city, eventually forming the Northern United Kingdom. Thus, they were revered as the "mother rivers" of the entire Scanian civilization.
A rather bizarre legend was told about them: tens of thousands of years ago, Auril, the Goddess of Winter, was said to have coupled with an enormous stone giant named Inaki. From this union was born the Great Anzetta Waste—this "Springless Land" perpetually shrouded in bitter cold winds and dominated by rugged rocky mountains. The two rivers took their names from the pair, names that had endured to this day.
Yet that was merely the fancy of ignorant mortals.
Across the southern expanse of the Okagral Plain, coalition fortifications and bustling soldiers were everywhere, among whom were even a fair number of players.
While the soldiers were hard at work, a familiar voice echoed once more, and the phantasmal projection of a noble-bearing, handsome man appeared within the battle ranks.
"In truth, you have no reason whatsoever to fight for them, nor to lay down your lives for them..."
"And in my capacity as king, in the name of Cassius, the Lord of Cinders..."
As the voice resonated, the soldiers could not help setting down their work, their attention drawn to the "speech." The phantasm and the voice seemed to carry a strange enchantment.
"Holy crap, he is ridiculously handsome—"
"I'm defecting."
"Is this our neighbor Cassius's human form? I'm totally in love. That face is a genuine work of art—the devs really know what they're doing."
"Sorry, Duke Leo, you're a good man, but His Majesty Cassius is just too irresistible."
"I've made up my mind! I'm surrendering as soon as the fighting starts!"
"Aaaah, I'm already His Majesty Cassius's captive!"
"The kingdom faction players are eating so damn well."
Chatter erupted among the female players and even some of the males, and they barely bothered to lower their voices.
Hearing such treasonous talk, Count Trischka, overseeing the troops, twitched at the corners of his mouth. However, he had grown accustomed to treating whatever these "Starfallen" spewed as pure nonsense.
After the Starfallen descended in great numbers, the Principality of Bosque, desperately in need of military strength, had naturally taken note of these "unforeseen factors." Duke Leo had also begun attempting to recruit these immortal and indestructible "Starfallen." By now, there were more than five thousand such beings within the coalition army.
After all, even with all the propaganda, nearly half of the players had not chosen Northwind Keep as their spawn point.
Trischka strode forward and pierced the magic crystal with a swift thrust of his sword, causing the bewitching phantasm to dissolve into nothing. He had lost count of how many times he had done this; those wyverns were constantly dropping these damned trinkets.
"Do not listen to the evil dragon's demagoguery!"
"Anyone caught hoarding crystals will be executed!"
Trischka stamped savagely on the crystal shards underfoot, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"No! My Lord Cassius!!"
"Sigh, no more eye candy."
"Good times are always so fleeting."
"This NPC is so obnoxious. Can someone tell him to get lost?"
"Next time we spot something this good, let's snatch it first and stash it in our base to watch in secret, hehe."
Disappointed groans rose and fell among the players, showing not the slightest deference to Trischka standing right beside them.
Veins instantly bulged on Trischka's forehead as he fought back the urge to execute those Starfallen on the spot.
*Ignore these insolent wretches for now.*
*I must report to the duke first and discuss how to counter this.*
With a grave expression, he turned his thoughts back to the crisis at hand.
Dispatch riders fleeing frantically from the front lines had ridden at full gallop to deliver their news: both the eastern and western defensive lines had completely collapsed, and the coalition forces led by Loren had been wiped out to the last man. The situation was grim in the extreme; they were now the Northlands' final hope.
Fortunately, however, their allies this time were unprecedentedly reliable.
***
Inside the command tent, Grand Duke Leo's voice sounded exceptionally grim.
"What?"
"A massive rebellion broke out in the Holy Fadlan Empire? And Count Fabrique departed without a word?"
"My lord... that seems to be the case."
"Their spellcasters opened a portal, likely departing Anzeta directly for the Fadlan Empire's territory. They will not be returning anytime soon."
"Damn it! How could this happen!"
Grand Duke Leo slammed his hand onto the table in fury, yet he was powerless to change it.
That god-blooded count possessed legendary-tier might himself, and together with the legions he had brought from Fadlan, he had been an indispensable pillar of the Anti-Red Dragon Alliance.
In Leo's mind, the count's importance had surpassed that of all the Northland nations' armies combined.
Yet following this rebellion, the count had taken his legions and departed without saying farewell, stripping the coalition of a vital force.
Grand Duke Leo stared fixedly at the parchment map on the table, clenched his fists, and murmured in a low voice, "At least... we can still rely on that silver dragon elder, as well as the aasimar from Mount Celestia..."
"For the Battle of Stravburg, that red dragon is certain to come in person."
"As long as he is slain, hope remains for everything."
"The thousand-year foundation of the Northlands can still be preserved."
Only after the grand duke's emotions had fully settled did Count Trischka speak up from the entrance: "Grand Duke, I have come to deliver my report."
"Come in."
Grand Duke Leo looked at him and asked with a weary expression, "Speak. How is the situation at the front?"
Trischka studied the grand duke's countenance and hesitated for a moment before answering in a low voice, "The situation at the front... is exceedingly dire."
Yet, unexpectedly, Grand Duke Leo did not erupt in anger. He merely pressed on, "How dire?"
"The coalition forces of the 'First Defense Line' led by Loren have been wiped out entirely. The two flank lines held by the Principality of Carter and the Principality of Fano have also been breached across the board. That is the extent of all the intelligence we have received."
Grand Duke Leo seemed to have anticipated this long ago. He merely gave a slight nod, showing not the faintest hint of sorrow over the death of his second son.
To him, so-called offspring were merely consumables.
Such was Leo Bosque. He was the ambitious ruler who had once led the Principality of Bosque to revival, a hero who had resisted monstrous invasions, and an utterly pure political animal. There was no contradiction among any of these roles.
"A useless bunch of trash, the lot of them."
"Still, they served at least some purpose—they tied down a portion of the Kingdom of Cinders' troops for us. All those sacrifices were worthwhile."
Leo Bosque looked down at the map. Drawing the longsword at his waist, he pointed toward the Okagral Plain in the center.
"Next, the fate of the Northern United Kingdom—indeed, the fate of all Anzeta—will rest upon this impending battle."
"You will be victorious, Grand Duke..."
"As you have always been."
Trischka stood beside him and chimed in softly.
Yet Duke Leo shook his head. "I fear it is not we who will decide victory in this war, but those mighty beings."
He pulled back the tent flap and looked out into the sky, where some terrifying power seemed to be gathering within the dense blanket of clouds...
Chapter 312