Chapter 49: Chapter 40: The Pacification Mission, The Start of a Major Event (Part 2)

Although the climate here was cold, it was nowhere near as frigid as the Northern Icefield.

Today, it was Reinhardt and Maxim’s turn to stand watch on the low walls of the small town. In the distant plains, a great river flowed ceaselessly, like a white silk ribbon.

Maxim ran a hand through his unruly, flaxen curls. He leaned against the wall, his eyes fixed on the giant steel axe strapped to Reinhardt’s back.

"An axe that big... can you even swing it? Besides, without any enhancements from Imperial Technology, aren’t you worried it’ll just shatter on impact with Knight Power?"

Reinhardt’s giant axe had been custom-made for him by a swordsmith in Infinitis. It was worth one hundred Radiant Gold Coins; adding Imperial Technology would have at least tripled the cost.

’If I had the money, would I even need him to tell me that?’

Reinhardt couldn’t be bothered to respond to the chatterbox.

Ever since they’d arrived in Baihe Town, Maxim had been as excited as a schoolboy on a field trip, chattering away and constantly flaunting his status as a "veteran" of the Iron Blood Battle Group in front of Reinhardt.

He was immensely proud of it.

The sky over the Northern Lands was a clear, piercing blue, and the sun was blinding.

As a group of knights galloping at full speed appeared on the horizon, Reinhardt’s pupils contracted. At that very moment, ethereal blue text from the system began to scroll across his vision.

[Current Heart Steel Layers: 858.]

[Activating major event processing module.] 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

[Reminder: After your Heart Steel Layers reach 1000, your innate trait will complete its final evolution, activating the Goliath Giant characteristic.]

[Weapon module loading...]

[Matching handheld weapon...]

[Weapon: Nameless Steel Axe.]

[Activating Imperial Technology prerequisite enhancements: Armor Piercing, Solid, Anti-Magic.]

[Armor Piercing: Accumulate 30 Slaughter Points.]

[Solid: Accumulate 60 Slaughter Points.]

[Anti-Magic: Accumulate 90 Slaughter Points.]

[Adrian’s once ambiguous answer lingers in your mind. You still do not understand the deeper meaning hidden within his words. But you know that this time, the rebels are certain to be more than what the outside world imagines.]

[Knights once knelt before the Radiant Holy Image and swore eternal loyalty to the Empire. But after experiencing so much, you have come to understand that it is not the Empire that has abandoned the former glory of this Human Realm, but someone who has taken that loyalty and trampled it underfoot.]

[War is coming, young man. Grip your weapon, face your enemy, for victory shall be the greatest badge of honor for the brave!]

The system had been dormant in Reinhardt’s body for so long that he sometimes forgot it even existed. Its return felt like an opening address heralding some grand, historic saga.

It was as if the curtain was rising on a great drama, whispering to Reinhardt that the chosen path lay at his feet. One path led to a glorious, magnificent future: becoming a hero, a monument in the grand history of human struggle. People would remember his great deeds, and even as time passed, his story would still be sung.

The other path led to the dark Abyss of depravity. Desire and rage would blind his eyes, the Empire would burn at his feet, rivers of blood would flow endlessly, and the corpses of humanity would pile up like mountains beneath his throne.

There is no such thing as fate in this world.

Your choice is fate itself.

...

Just as Reinhardt shouted a warning to his comrades in the Iron Blood Battle Group that the rebels had appeared, the Battle Group Knights stationed on the northern wall also began to yell, "Scaya Dragonfolk! It’s the Scaya Dragonfolk!"

A knight who heard the warning rang the Copper Bell.

In an instant, the deep, tolling sound reverberated through the entire town!

Battle Group Commander Fei Ning and the squad captains were still discussing defense strategies when the copper bell warning of an enemy attack began to ring. His heart seized, and a terrible premonition washed over him.

According to the operational plan from Corps Headquarters, the Seventh Corps Death Squad was supposed to move into Baihe Town after nightfall. But the rebels had appeared far too early, giving them no time to react.

The Iron Blood Battle Group’s strength was such that they would struggle to even deal with the supporting Scaya Dragonfolk forces, let alone halt three rebel armies!

But such is war—the situation can change in the blink of an eye.

There was no more time to discuss battle plans. If they refused to fight and allowed the rebels to cross the border into Scaya territory unimpeded, the harshest punishment from the Arbitration Court would await them!

Fei Ning set down his quill. His gaze swept across the fourteen captains. Like him, these veterans of ten years, all at least Three-star Military Rank Knights, realized they might not make it out of Baihe Town alive.

Battle Group Commander Fei Ning took a deep breath, his expression still calm, and spoke in a heavy voice, "Everyone, as per the original battle plan. Dietlinde, you are the frontline field commander. You are responsible for riding out to halt the rebels’ advance.

I don’t care what methods you use. You have to delay them. Delay them until nightfall, understand?"

Dietlinde’s brow furrowed. Without a word, she quickly left with the captains of squads eight through fourteen. On the way, she instructed, "After we engage the rebels, no one is to use Knight Power without my command, understand?"

The other captains understood her meaning.

The enemy was strong and they were weak. She intended to use dialogue to stall for as much time as she could buy.

It was at least two hours until nightfall. If they held on until the Death Battle Group arrived, their mission would be complete. They didn’t need to worry too much about the Scaya Dragonfolk; they wouldn’t dare cross the border so easily.

Once they crossed the Empire Border, the act of supporting the rebels would instantly escalate into an active declaration of war.

They wouldn’t take such a huge risk.

Reinhardt and Maxim scrambled down the wall and mounted their horses. Dietlinde had no time to explain anything to them. The company of thirty-five knights swept out of the small town, galloping south to meet the rebels head-on.

Lanshi Province was vast. The climate of the Northern Lands was completely different from Infinitis. Calf-high, yellow-green wild grass rippled like ocean waves in the howling wind.

The three combined, third-echelon main force Knight Orders didn’t even have to activate their Knight Power. The sheer aura of their combined Power, like a roaring, stampeding war machine of steel, was so overwhelming that it made it hard to breathe before they even clashed.

Maxim’s earlier attitude—strolling on the wall as if on an outing—had vanished completely. A bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

’There’s always a huge gap between imagination and reality.’ He cursed inwardly. ’Did Corps Headquarters lose their minds? Sending *us* to suppress a Knight Order of this magnitude? Are you kidding me?!’

Now he was starting to believe Captain Dietlinde’s warning.

The strength of a main force Knight Order was far beyond what a Mercenary Corps like them could compare to.

After all, the biggest missions they ever took on were suppressing local rebellions. The main legions, on the other hand, spent their days in the meat grinders of grand battlefields!

Fighting Abyssal Demons in the death vortex of the Pisces Sand World!

Fighting the Scaya Dragonfolk in the Tomb of the Giant Dragon in Grillers World!

If they were thrown onto one of those meat-grinder frontlines, they’d be lucky to survive five minutes.

The fast-galloping rebels saw a squad of knights from Baihe Town charging straight at them. The lead knight raised his right hand, signaling for the men behind him to stop.

His helmet, like a giant dragon’s skull and glinting with dark gold, and the Imperial Golden Sun Ring held high on his back—every detail spoke of this knight’s extraordinary power and status.

Seeing Dietlinde’s group pull their horses to a stop, his brow furrowed, and he questioned them loudly, "We are knights under the Dragon Hunter Battle Group. Who are you?!"

Dietlinde was silent for a moment. Her intuition told her that these knights didn’t look like the blood-crazed rebels she had seen before, but orders were orders.

In order to stall for time, she didn’t state her purpose directly. Instead, she said, "We are the Iron Blood Battle Group, stationed here under orders and awaiting summons, subordinate to the Imperial Bloody Corps.

This is the Empire Border. State your purpose!"

The opposing knight’s brow furrowed. He knew perfectly well how the Empire’s corps operated. To appear here meant they were either suppressing a rebellion or providing backup for comrades who had secretly infiltrated the Scaya Kingdom.

But none of that mattered.

The knight turned his head, exchanging a look with the commanders of the other two Knight Orders. He thought to himself, ’Could our objective have been exposed? But only we and the Battle Group Commander know of this. No one else could possibly be aware.’

For a moment, a murderous atmosphere spread mercilessly between the two sides.