"Who are you?"

The voice of the Iron Duke was somewhat mechanical, a consequence of being the host for the "Iron Duke," sacrificing some personal will and nearly becoming assimilated by this Divine Artifact.

Jeanne shrugged her shoulders, "It seems I have mistaken you for someone else."

Duke Wellington was an old relic from the Napoleon Wars, a legendary figure with illustrious military achievements.

He was also considered the gravedigger of Emperor Napoleon, an old acquaintance of Jeanne’s. At that time, he often fought clad in steel armor, and during the Battle of Waterloo, he personally led a charge that shattered Emperor Napoleon’s old guard.

Now, it appears the armor on this Iron Duke, although bearing a similar aura to the set worn by Duke Wellington, was likely modified from the latter, but the person inside was no longer the same.

This was normal; regular people weren’t like her, a heroic spirit created by miracles. Even extraordinary individuals, unless they reached a high tier, had limited lifespans.

"You are a Knight of Radiance."

Seemingly discerning her identity from Jeanne’s attire, the mechanical voice of the Iron Duke showed some wavering.

For the French Saintess Jeanne d’Arc, British opinions were complex; some admired her feats, while others loathed her for shattering Britain’s early attempts at supremacy, and some viewed her as a religious fanatic, a heretic witch...

But, although the Knight of Radiance was Jeanne d’Arc’s continuation, British views towards her were predominantly positive.

After her resurrection and joining the Holy Church, she battled at the forefront against darkness and evil for centuries without engaging in worldly wars. Such a figure was admired even within the British Army.

Before the Iron Duke donned this armor, inheriting Duke Wellington’s "mantle," he was also among the admirers of the Knight of Radiance.

"Why are you here?"

The Iron Duke was quite puzzled; the Knight of Radiance was an enemy of darkness, even if Military Intelligence Six had speculated about this, he couldn’t comprehend why she would be here fighting for the Texans.

Someone like her couldn’t be forced by the King of France to act against her beliefs.

Moreover, if she wished, with a mere rallying cry, even the King’s position would be threatened, given the Orleans, Napoleon, and Republican factions were all watching closely.

"No point in wasting words, let’s fight and talk later."

The chainsaw sword in the Iron Duke’s hand hummed as he spoke sternly, "Perhaps a demon has possessed you; I will help you find your original will."

"This is my will."

Jeanne sneered, "Dark creatures kill fewer than a hundred thousand humans annually, but your country’s wars, resulting famines, and colonial exploitation kill no less than a million humans annually, conservatively estimated."

Since Europe entered the industrial era, events like whole villages or cities being slaughtered by demons, common during the Middle Ages, have decreased in frequency, and the Holy Knight Order’s deployments to eradicate evil have become increasingly rare.

"In terms of harm, your country is far more evil than the most terrifying demon."

"Perversion and evil sayings."

The Iron Duke snorted coldly, striding forward, the scorching steam enveloping the entire street.

Clang—

Holding the Holy Spear, Jeanne was blasted out like a cannonball, but she quickly unfolded her fiery wings and flew out of the rubble.

...

"This guy is quite fierce."

Losa frowned, observing Jeanne and the Iron Duke’s clash. Though it seemed evenly matched, Losa knew this guy hadn’t exerted his full strength, or rather, even if he did, he could wear Jeanne down until she was utterly exhausted without weakening at all.

Moreover, who could tell what other explosive capabilities the opponent might have hidden?

This was clearly an opponent Jeanne had to take seriously, even at her peak, for he was not restrained by holy light, nor could decree make up for the gap between Tier One peak and Tier Two peak.

Losa did not rashly intervene in the battle; tonight’s objective was never to surround and kill the Iron Duke—keeping him occupied was enough. With Lavinia’s decree supporting her, Jeanne would not burn out her life quickly.

Texas had to win, and win beautifully. The repeatedly weakened British Expeditionary Force needed another blow in New Naples, for the gap in resources was too vast between the two.

The entire population of Texas totaled only around a million, and this was after Juliano absorbed some friendly indigenous tribes.

The crux of Texas’s dilemma was its poor reputation, making it difficult to attract enough immigrants from Europe. Even at this time, the vast British Canada had only over two million people, highlighting the challenging path of population expansion through immigration.

Those who had been deceived many times by British colonizers and held deep prejudice against white people weren’t easily convinced. Moreover, after multiple genocides and the terrifying westward movement, North America’s indigenous population had dwindled to under a million, mostly relocated to distant inland "reservations" far from Texas.

Without a sufficient population, Texas’s vast territory and abundant resources couldn’t be converted into national power.

Should tens of thousands of able-bodied youths be lost, even if the Brits were defeated, the country would have no future worth speaking of.

Thus, tonight, New Naples had to become a bloodletting basin for the British Expeditionary Force; merely consuming a few scout teams, totaling around a thousand, was negligible. Losa’s appetite was much grander.

Regarding how Texas could acquire population in the future, Losa had a plan, but it depended on whether its southern neighbor, Mexico, observing Texas with covetous eyes amid the fragmented landscape of Caudillo regimes, would cooperate.

...

The news of the scout team being attacked was already transmitted at the first gunshot.

As squads relayed the information back, Admiral George aboard the Sea Monarchy tightened his brow, "Even the Iron Duke couldn’t deal with those demons hiding in the alleys and sewers?"

He hesitated to continue deploying reinforcements into the town, fearing it was stepping into a trap set by the enemy.

But if they used naval artillery to level New Naples, nearby French ships were watching closely, and he doubted the French would declare war on Great Britain for Texas.

However, it was night, and Texas’s ambushes, those Werewolves were all top-notch experts; the firepower washing would hardly yield the desired effect, with risks outweighing benefits.

Additionally, if naval shells were used to bombard the town, it would mean abandoning the thousand-plus soldiers from the scout teams.

Ordinary soldiers weren’t the concern, but among them were many elite armored infantry and nearly ten King’s Blades, hailing from military officer families or nobles, not the lower-class soldiers whose lives were deemed worthless.

"Relay my command, have the Iron Duke and King’s Blades withdraw from the town."

After a moment of hesitation, Admiral George issued this harsh command. Without the Iron Duke and King’s Blades covering them, the armored and regular soldiers were bound to perish in the cunning traps the Texans had set.

Not long after the command was issued, Colonel Scott’s voice came through: "Admiral, the Iron Duke refuses to accept your command and requests you send King’s Shield and King’s Blades into town for support, to capture the attackers in one fell swoop."

Admiral George was momentarily stunned; not only him, but the surrounding officers and staff showed expressions of astonishment.

This generation’s Iron Duke, being closely related to the Hanover Royal Family, held esteemed status within the Expeditionary Force, yet he was usually taciturn, fulfilling assignments diligently, never refusing to accept orders until now.

Admiral George hesitated but still said, "The situation on the battlefield changes rapidly. I trust the Iron Duke’s decisions as the frontline commander. Since he is confident in leading King’s Blade and King’s Shield to annihilate the enemy, why not embrace an impending great victory?"

With over thirty tall steam knights charging into the town, the intensity of the battle escalated dramatically.