Chapter 222 : Chapter 222
Chapter 222. Vast Legions Stationed in the Land of Resilience
On the Blackrock Plains of the Orc Kingdom, after the Eight Great Clans finished assembling, a torrent formed by two million Orcs blotted out the sky.
The iron hooves of the Wolf Riders shattered the frozen earth. Ghostly-green flames flickered at the tips of the Bone Staffs held by the Troll Shamans. The auras of thirteen Domain-Level Powerhouses pressed down upon the air like dark clouds, and even the wind carried the sharp sound of grinding metal.
The war banners of the Eight Great Clans snapped fiercely in the wind. Beneath every banner were battle axes polished to a shine and armor embedded with Magic Crystals.
Those were spoils that had just been plundered from the annexed Dwarf Kingdom. Ore from the mines was still warm when it was forged into weapons of slaughter.
The neighboring Centaur Kingdom was so frightened that it directly relocated the entire nation. Their migration column was like a desperate serpent, with the old and weak centaurs carrying the young while the warriors guarded the rear with bows and arrows on their backs, trekking toward the saline wasteland in the east.
Behind them, forty Legions of the Warsong Clan followed like shadows. The whistles of the Wolf Riders sounded like curses urging death onward.
“We cannot let them escape.”
The Chief of the Warsong Clan waved his Enchanted Spear, lightning crackling at its tip.
“The centaurs’ speed makes them perfect Scouts, and their grazing lands are enough to feed us for three months.”
Meanwhile, at the other end of the continent, beacon fires were rising along the borders of the Three Great Empires.
Above the imperial palace of the Radiant Sun Empire, a golden pillar of light shot straight into the heavens.
It was the phenomenon that accompanied the advancement of a Demigod Powerhouse.
Once the news spread, the Paladin Legions of the Holy Light Empire broke camp overnight, while trebuchets piled up beneath the Obsidian City Walls of the Black Radiance Empire. Both kingdoms stationed millions of troops along their borders with the Radiant Sun Empire at the same time.
The scales that had once held the balance of power were completely overturned. On the royal desks of the three emperors, every document was a border deployment map marked in red. No one had any strength left to spare for the conflicts of the Eastern Continent.
On the Blackrock Plains, the Orc Shamans began chanting ancient war songs, and the muzzles of the Magic Crystal Cannons aimed in the direction of the Kadiya Kingdom.
The pursuing troops of the Warsong Clan had already bitten onto the tail of the Centaurs, and the screams of close combat drifted far away on the wind.
Along the borders of the Three Great Empires, the hoofbeats of patrols never ceased, and an atmosphere of drawn swords and bent bows spread across the wilderness.
The gears of the entire continent had begun turning toward an unknown direction because of this sudden imbalance.
At that moment, within the Kroll Royal Palace, William had taken control of a vast amount of resources during this period, and he used every last bit of it to rapidly expand the army.
Using his eyes, which could see through a person’s aptitude, he began recruiting commoners in great numbers.
On the plaza outside the Royal Capital, William stood on a Raised Platform, his gaze sweeping over the dense crowd of commoners below.
It was as if flowing light turned deep within his eyes. Whenever his gaze fell upon a person, he could tell the quality of their aptitude.
“High aptitude. Step forward.”
His voice was not loud, yet it spread clearly across the entire plaza.
Those who were called froze for a moment before walking toward the tents on the other side under the guidance of the Palace Knights.
More people revealed disappointment the moment he shook his head. Afterward, they accepted a Gold Coin from the guards and left with their heads lowered.
Day after day, the qualified candidates were sent in batches to hidden Secret Realms to cultivate, while Gold Coins flowed out of the treasury like running water. Yet no one dared question it.
After all, the commoners knew what the situation outside was like, and all of them wanted to establish military merit and win glory.
Inside Kroll II’s Royal Study, candlelight reflected off the tense faces of father and son.
Spread across the royal desk was the expansion plan for the Experimental Legion, the ink still wet.
“That thing possesses boundless power. It can make us the ruler of the continent.”
The old king’s finger tapped heavily on the pages, and unconcealed ambition burned in his eyes.
“Why are you opposing me? Back then, I could only guard this tiny patch of land. Now that I have the chance to tread across the continent, why should I wait?”
William clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.
“Royal Father, the polluted range of the Energy Spores is still expanding. Expanding them now is no different from walking forward while carrying a barrel of explosives!”
“Coward.”
Kroll II slammed his palm onto the table, making the seal bounce against the surface.
“By the time you control it, the enemy’s blade will already be pressed against your neck.”
The argument came to nothing, so William could only go to Ancestor Fenlilan.
Yet this old man, who had lived for several hundred years, began speaking ambiguously. He neither agreed nor opposed it.
William’s fingers turned pale as he gripped the expansion order. In the end, he still issued the command in a low voice.
“Follow His Majesty’s order. Expand and establish five Experimental Legions.”
But as soon as he turned, he whispered to his trusted aide.
“Set the new Legions’ encampment in Windcleaver Canyon. It is a hundred li from the Royal Capital, with dangerous terrain that is easy to defend and difficult to attack.”
Three days later, transport teams streamed endlessly out of the Royal Capital. Experimental Equipment, Magic Crystals, and weapons infused with forbidden energy were transported to the canyon in batches.
The Laboratory’s Core Formation was dismantled into dozens of pieces and escorted by the most elite Combat Engineers. Every component was engraved with Tracking Runes personally drawn by William.
Before long, pale-blue magical films lit up along the cliffs of Windcleaver Canyon.
Three layers of Protective Barriers overlapped one another. The outermost layer could withstand Dragon Breath, the middle layer could purify Energy Shockwaves, and the innermost layer was covered in Self-Destruction Runes.
William stood at the top of the canyon, watching the silver armor of three Sky Knight Orders weave through the clouds on patrol. Only then did he finally relax slightly.
“Your Highness, with this… will His Majesty become suspicious?” the Adjutant asked in a low voice.
William looked toward the Royal Capital, a trace of coldness hidden in his eyes.
“Let him be suspicious if he wants. If the day truly comes when this goes out of control, at least we can keep the fire contained within the canyon.”
The wind swept up his cloak, making it snap fiercely.
“Tell the Knight Orders that only the Knight Order Commanders and I can activate the core keys of the Protective Barriers.”
Deep inside the canyon, the newly assembled Experimental Furnace began to operate. Its ghostly-green light illuminated the rock walls like a dormant giant beast.
What William did not know was that from the gaps between the Runes of the innermost Protective Barrier, a faint wisp of green vapor was silently seeping into the soil.
A short figure and a tall figure silently watched all of this.
After the Orc Legions completed their assembly, the beast tide on the Blackrock Plains surged like an ink-black flood. The rumble of one million six hundred thousand Orcs trampling over the frozen earth could be heard even a hundred li away in Kadiya’s Western Frontier.
The watchmen of the Land of Resilience Fortress stared at the rolling smoke and dust on the horizon, their faces deathly pale.
That was not a dark cloud. It was the light reflected by the Orcs’ fur and battle axes, so dense that it could block out the sun.
After William received Xilan’s transmission and learned the number of troops in the Orc Kingdom’s army, he immediately left the Throne Hall and charged into Kroll II’s palace.
“Royal Father, the Orcs have deployed more than one million troops. The Land of Resilience is about to fail.”
He slammed the urgent report onto the desk, shaking the ink until it blurred.
Kroll II drained the wine in his cup in one gulp, then hurled the cup to the floor.
“Good. Troops are raised for years to be used for one decisive moment. It is time for those nobles to expand the kingdom’s territory.”
He rose, stepping across the shattered pieces. Behind the throne, the enormous map of the realm gleamed under the candlelight.
“Pass down my order. Within three days, all nobles are to gather their Knight Orders and Private Troops and march toward the Land of Resilience.”
The Inner Attendant was just about to raise his brush when the old king added, “Tell them that after the war, all lands, Mineral Veins, and manors in the Kadiya Kingdom, apart from the Royal Territory, will be distributed according to military merit.”
He paused, and his voice suddenly rose.
“In addition, establish five new Duke titles, twenty Marquis titles, and one hundred Count titles.”
“Whether they are armored nobles or commoners carrying swords, as long as they can cut off Orc heads and earn enough military merit, I will grant them noble titles.”
The moment the command spread, the Royal Capital erupted into a frenzy.
Urgent horns sounded from the castles of the nobles. Long-sealed armories were opened, and knights polished their ancestral armor.
In the slums, men carrying hoes gripped rusted long blades tightly. A Count title? That was an honor they would not have dared dream of.
Three days later, along the Relay Road leading to Kadiya’s Western Frontier, banners of every color converged into a torrent.
There were the griffin banners of old noble families, the wolf-fang banners of newly risen knights, and even self-organized groups of commoners holding crude wooden signs that read, “Military Merit for Noble Titles.”
William stood atop the city wall, watching this motley yet fanatical army, his brows tightly furrowed.
He knew his royal father’s calculations. He was using land and noble titles as bait to drive the entire kingdom mad for this war.
But William also understood more clearly that when the blood of commoners dyed the military merit register red, those newly granted noble titles would eventually become sharp blades thrust toward the Old Order.
In the distance, faint War Drums could already be heard from the direction of the Land of Resilience Fortress.