Chapter 242: Canvas Stronghold (II)
The contrast between the forces of Canvas Stronghold and those of Trigun City was stark. While the troops of Trigun City led by the 19 Bloodline Soldiers were fierce, battle-hardened warriors driven by raw aggression and the thrill of combat, whose sole purpose was to kill demons and grow stronger, those in Canvas City were disciplined, efficient, and structured, all of them working as a single mind.
Stating which force was better was a pointless task. It was true that the 19 Bloodline Soldiers’ Battalion in Trigun City had generated more Champions, as their soldiers had actively sought out and engaged in combat with demonic hordes, gaining strength and Origin Force through their victories.
However, Anglius’s forces focused on rescuing civilians and securing territory, often facing human adversaries that did not provide the same opportunities for growth. They were no less formidable than the soldiers of Trigun City, and their lower levels were a result of their focus on expanding the kingdom’s reach and securing strategic locations instead of focusing on their own personal power.
Vlad noted these distinctions as the A.I. Chip fed him data on the soldiers’ capabilities. There were only 37 Champions among the Canvas Stronghold forces, but Vlad knew this battalion’s value lay not only in individual strength but in their ability to work as a cohesive unit.
One cannot expand a kingdom by simply killing enemies and taking land. You must secure the new territories and bring order to them. Grand Marshal Anglius and these hundreds of soldiers were the backbone of the Xaos Kingdom’s expansion efforts—a stabilizing force.
It did not take long for Grand Marshal Anglius and his soldiers to adopt a military stance outside the Canvas Stronghold. They all gazed at the massive dark crow in the sky, their eyes burning with awe and admiration, as they had been informed by Overlord about the arrival of their King.
As the dark crow descended, Vlad chose not to display a grandiose show of brute power, as he had in Trigun City by diving into the ground from hundreds of meters in the sky. Instead, he exuded an aura of calm authority, projecting a kingly presence that commanded respect. The soldiers, well-versed in discipline and protocol, remained steady and focused as the demon summon landed, their eyes fixed on Vlad with a mixture of awe and reverence.
"Hail King Vlad!" Grand Marshal Anglius’s voice boomed across the field, and the soldiers echoed his words in unison, their voices resonating like a powerful wave that seemed to ripple through the air. The sheer force of their collective shout was enough to make the ground tremble, showing just how intense and powerful the emotion behind those words was.
The civilians within the base, caught off guard by the sudden assembly of troops, turned their attention toward the entrance as they heard that shout. While these people from Canvas City had never seen the Xaos King, many had heard stories of the enigmatic leader, with the tales spun by soldiers that painted him as a figure of almost mythical proportions.