CHAPTER 680

【 BOTTOMLESS ABYSS 】

—

When Count Mis arrived at the walls of Morningstar City with his personal guards, the rebel forces from Maple Leaf had already vanished beyond the horizon.

They appeared to have departed in great haste, to the extent that they even abandoned some of their supplies. These had simply been set ablaze, and traces of the fire still marked the deserted encampment.

Even the trebuchets that had not yet been assembled were destroyed one by one. Scattered piles of charred beams and snapped ropes were all that remained of them.

Count Mis even spotted several siege towers constructed by the rebels, the very ones that had troubled him for days, now toppled or reduced to broken frames as if the rebels had not wanted to leave anything useful behind.

More than thirty thousand soldiers had besieged Morningstar City, and among them were terrifying extraordinary individuals, including King Otto of Red Maple himself, who had already become a legendary-rank expert.

For Morningstar City, which had only a few thousand defenders and whose strongest experts were merely at the gold rank, such an enemy was an overwhelming force.

If not for the barrier protecting the city, it would have been breached long ago.

Besides, even with the barrier, Morningstar City had been on the verge of collapse under the constant rebel assault.

Without reinforcements, its fall would have been only a matter of time.

And even if the forces of Duke Berencia arrived, they would at best ease the situation slightly and buy the defenders enough time to evacuate.

After all, the rebels were supported by a terrifying evil god who might intervene again at any given moment.

The memory of the last catastrophic battle, in which an entire Corp had been wiped out in an instant, was still fresh in the minds of the empire’s commanders. Thus, the empire would never risk another total annihilation, and they would not engage the rebels in a decisive battle without absolute certainty

This situation had become an unsolvable dilemma.

Such was the nature of a world shaped by extraordinary powers. On ordinary days, mythical beings restrained one another, which allowed the mortal world to settle disputes through mortal means. However, once a mythical being who did not respect those rules directly acted against ordinary people, everyone would be reminded of a simple and cruel truth…

In the face of divinity, mortals were no different from ants.

Count Mis understood this, and he believed the rebels understood it as well.

With a deity supporting them, it had only been a matter of time before the rebels captured Morningstar City. All their preparations for the siege had long been completed, and every sign had pointed toward their sides inevitable downfall. Ꞧ𝐚ℕꝊＢΕṤ

Yet despite this, the rebels suddenly withdrew for reasons unknown.

“Maple Leaf Territory…. Something must have happened there.”

Count Mis made his assessment.

Recalling certain rumors he had heard earlier, a thought rose in his heart.

Could it be that those long ears from the Elven Forest had made their move?

He subconsciously lifted his gaze toward the southeast. A mix of anticipation, unease, and confusion flashed across his face.

If there was still a force capable of stopping the evil god behind Maple Leaf Territory, then the only possibility he could think of was that deity lurking within the Elven Forest.

“Quickly’ send out our scouts!. Follow the rebels and find out why they retreated.”

Count Mis ordered his personal guard.

༺⟐༻

By the time Count Mis learned the reason for the rebels’ retreat, it was already noon the next day.

Along with the returning scouts came the forces of Duke Berencia, who had arrived to provide support.

When the army entered the city, the anxious Count Mis finally met Duke Berencia himself. The duke was a middle aged gentleman with greying hair and also a formidable legendary-rank warrior.

In the temporary city lord’s hall of Morningstar City, Duke Berencia looked at the excited Count Mis with a faint frown.

“Where are those rebels? Count Mis, you said they were besieging this city. So why did they suddenly withdraw?”

“It was because of the elves, Your Lordship! The elves launched an attack on Maple Leaf Territory. According to our scouts, they captured Augsburg City yesterday, which forced the rebels to retreat.”

Count Mis answered with a mix of excitement and respectful restraint.

His excitement came naturally. The elves had finally intervened in the war, and their involvement meant the participation of the Goddess of Life.

If the Goddess of Life was involved, then by all estimates, their side would likely win this war.

As for his respectful demeanor, that was only natural.

Although the two nobles were not in a lord vassal relationship and both served the Empress directly, one was a count and the other was an elector.

Hence, their ranks were world’s apart.

Furthermore, Duke Berencia was a powerful legendary-rank expert, and having such strength commanded respect anywhere.

Duke Berencia could easily guess the reason for Count Mis’ excitement.

“The elves? Did those fools in the Council finally persuade the Church to form an alliance with the Elves? Why was I not informed?”

The duke was momentarily taken aback.

Count Mis was also stunned.

Then he asked in confusion, “My Lord, you were not aware that the elves had intervened in the war?”

“How would I know!? If I knew, would I still be asking you like this?”

Duke Berencia replied with frustration.

After speaking, he walked toward the map displayed in the hall as he studied the border between the Western Region and Maple Leaf Territory, and his brows gradually tightened.

“Impossible… If the elves truly did captured Augsburg City yesterday, then they must have begun their campaign much earlier. Augsburg City is protected by Forzel Fortress. So even if information spread slowly, we should not have received absolutely nothing about it.”

He then turned back toward Count Mis.

“Count, did you learn any further details?”

Count Mis spoke with renewed excitement.

“That is exactly the next piece of news I wanted to report! It is said that the elves took less than a day to break Forzel Fortress’s defense and capture Augsburg City. That is why the rebels were forced to retreat.”

“My Lord, I believe the elves must have sent at least one legendary-rank expert, and possibly even a demigod. There were rumors that the envoys sent by the Eternal Church encountered a demigod in the Elven Forest. Without such powerhouse, the fortress could never have fallen so quickly.”

Duke Berencia let out a slow breath, then nodded.

“It is possible. The God of Dusk and Twilight is said to be a recently revived evil deity whose faith is still in complete disarray. He likely cannot activate a barrier in Augsburg city. Plus, they also lacks a legendary-rank mage, so they were already at a disadvantage in defense.”

“If Otto brought all his elite forces with him to attack this city, then being taken by surprise is not unusual.”

With the duke’s acknowledgment, Count Mis grew even more enthusiastic.

“Exactly! That is what I thought as well.”

Then he added eagerly, “My Lord, this is our chance! Since the elves have joined in the war, we should launch a counterattack immediately. With the elves advancing and our forces cooperating, we could reclaim the lands we lost quickly and eventually defeat the forces of that evil god.”

Count Mis spoke with great anticipation.

However, after hearing him, Duke Berencia responded with noticeable indifference, as if the proposal held no interest for him.

“…My Lord?”

Count Mis called out again.

Duke Berencia glanced at him and gave a faint, dry smile.

“Why are you in such a hurry? All the territory we lost will be reclaimed sooner or later. Since the elves have joined the war, we must be even more cautious in our involvement more than ever.”

“Why? My Lord, will you simply watch as the empire’s people continue to suffer under the oppression of an evil god?”

Count Mis spoke with growing urgency.

The rebels had invaded the Western Territory, and one third of his lands had already fallen. Now that a chance for recovery had appeared, Count Mis naturally wanted to seize it as quickly as possible.

However, Duke Berencia only cast him a brief sideways glance.

“Why panic? Most of your vassal nobles have already withdrawn. As for the rest, they are nothing more than ignorant commoners. Even if someone dies, it is inconsequential on the grand scale of things. If they suffer oppression, that may even be beneficial for us. Once the lost territories are reclaimed, the commoners will better appreciate our benevolence. You will even have a convenient excuse to strip those cowardly nobles who fled of their titles.”

“Rest assured. What belongs to you shall remain yours. I have no interest in the impoverished Western Territory after all.”

Hearing this, Count Mis opened his mouth but could not find any words to refute.

“Then… when do you intend to launch the counterattack, My Lord?”

He asked again.

Duke Berencia narrowed his eyes slightly. He looked at the location of the Elven Forest on the map, then let out a quiet chuckle.

“There is no rush. Let the elves and the rebels fight for a while. This will also allow us to gauge the elves’ strength.”

“The Elves has developed far too quickly in recent years. Even though my fief is far from the west, we have heard much about it. Some of the novel trinkets produced by the elves have already become fashionable in the capital. They are not to be underestimated.”

“This is an opportunity. We can observe the elves’ capabilities while allowing the rebels to weaken them. After all, they are still foreigners.”

“Once the rebels and the elves have worn each other down, and once that evil god and the Goddess of Life have settled their disputes, we can reclaim the territory with perfect timing.”

“By then, the remaining nobles of Maple Leaf Territory will likely have been purged. Those who fled to your lands will have lost their foundations. Would that not be an ideal chance for us, the participating nobles, to claim more land through meritorious service?”

“Heh. Maple Leaf Territory is very wealthy.”

Count Mis froze for a moment, then nodded with delight.

“My Lord, you have indeed thought of everything.”

༺⟐༻

While the two imperial nobles discussed the division of Maple Leaf Territory, elsewhere, Otto, the former Borderlord and now King of Red Maple Kingdom, had also returned to the border of the Western Territory with his army after a hastily forced march.

At the foot of Augsburg City, where the Western Territory meets Maple Leaf Territory, Otto von Cappadocia stood on a hill, narrowing his eyes as he examined a sheet of paper covered in proclamations written in the common tongue.

In front of him, a scout was reporting respectfully.

“Your Majesty, according to a reliable information, the elves have organized an army of two hundred thousand. After capturing Augsburg City, they split into three groups and are now advancing on the three nearest cities.”

Otto’s expression did not change, but a tall, thin nobleman standing behind him suddenly paled.

“The nearby cities? Wait, what about Zelouan?”

The scout hesitated, then answered.

“Zelouan is one of their targets, and it is said to be the direction their main force is heading.”

The nobleman’s face turned ashen.

He looked at King Otto anxiously.

“Y-Your Majesty! we cannot allow the elves to take Zelouan! Its terrain is extremely advantageous. If it falls, Maple Leaf Territory will be finished…”

Otto cast him a cold glance.

“If Zelouan is that important, was Augsburg City any less important?”

The nobleman was momentarily stunned.

Otto ignored him and tossed the sheet of paper onto the ground with a hint of disdain.

“Karl, take a look. You are far inferior to your half sister.”

The tall nobleman stiffened. He instinctively picked up the paper and when he finished reading the proclamation, his expression twisted with rage.

“Sophia! That wretched woman. She is the one who brought the elven army here.”

Otto did not respond to him.

He looked toward Augsburg City, where red banners had been raised on the walls. A trace of wariness flickered in his eyes.

“So they’ve used a mysterious floating fortress to capture the city? These long ears from the Elven Forest do indeed have a talent for creating new tricks.”

He then looked back to the scout.

“What is the situation inside Augsburg City?”

The scout answered respectfully.

“Your Majesty, there are about five thousand elves stationed there. Their average strength appears to be higher than that of our soldiers, but there seem to be no high ranking experts.”

“Is this information credible?”

“Yes. We captured several people who had left the city and questioned them separately.”

Hearing the answer, King Otto showed no reaction. But Karl, the tall nobleman, brightened at once.

“Your Majesty! Their side only have five thousand, and no high ranking experts. Does that not mean we can retake the city with ease?”

Otto shot him a cold look and said a single word.

“Fool.”

The nobleman shut his mouth immediately, his face turning pale.

Otto snorted and continued questioning the scout.

“What about the temple in Augsburg City? Any news of Church of Life’s priests?”

The scout replied.

“Yes. It is said that the elves have installed a statue of the Goddess of Life and have begun spreading her faith throughout the city. While preaching, they have also been distributing supplies. They even seized the property of Augsburg City’s nobles and gave it to the poor. Reports suggest that many citizens have already been converted.”

Hearing this, Otto took a deep breath.

“Then they must have already restored the holy barrier and completed the teleportation array.”

He let out a cold laugh.

“With the ability to resurrect, a restored barrier, and possibly of teleportation, heh, an army of five thousand, you say? That is no mere five thousand force. That is practically a bottomless abyss.”

“They say Lord Anos acts without restraint, but in my view, that deity in the Elven Forest is not much different.”

He turned to the trembling nobleman.

“Bring the Pope here.”

At Otto’s command, a middle aged man in gray robes was soon brought before him. Although he was the highest ranking cleric currently within the Church of Dusk and Twilight, he stood before Otto in fear and obedience, nothing like the head of a religious order.

Otto gave him a casual glance.

“Pope, prepare the sacrifice. Contact our Divine Lord Anos and ask for His intervention.”

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