Chapter 851

【 THE WHITE KNIGHT 】

Southern Border of the Holy Maniya Empire.

Above the battlefield, thick clouds rolled continuously across the sky as lightning flashed and thunder roared, casting the land below in an ominous gloom.

The earth was shrouded in darkness. The soil was hardened and cracked, while the grass and trees had long since withered away, leaving behind a desolate landscape devoid of life.

In the distance, a group of ferocious demons gripped crude weapons as they roared and snarled, gathered tightly together in a desperate attempt to resist the encirclement.

Surrounding them were human cavalrymen, some clad in heavy armor, while others were dressed like hunters or mercenaries. Riding tall, powerful steeds, they continuously circled around the demons, never allowing them a moment to break free.

Each cavalryman wielded a spear or bow. As they maneuvered around the demons, they would thrust their spears or fire arrows whenever they passed, retreating immediately afterward before the demons could retaliate.

At a glance, there were at least several thousand demons trapped within the encirclement, and the human cavalrymen participating in the assault were no fewer in number.

The thunderous pounding of hooves and clouds of dust filled the battlefield. The demons were firmly held in place by the human cavalry, unable to break through the encirclement by even half a step.

Whenever a demon attempted to charge out, a knight would immediately drive it back with a spear or arrow. In the end, the demons had no choice but to stand back-to-back in a tight formation, letting out uneasy roars as they fought against the surrounding cavalry.

The clash of weapons and the sound of flying arrows intertwined, while the roars of the demons gradually mixed with the furious shouts of the knights.

At times fierce and at times intermittent, the battle continued to erupt between the demons and human cavalry, with neither side willing to give the other any opportunity to retreat.

Almost every moment, a demon would fall. Yet scarcely any time would pass before one of the cavalrymen surrounding the demons was dragged from his horse and torn apart by these ugly monsters.

Every fallen cavalryman would be dragged away by the frenzied demons and ripped to pieces amid screams, reduced to a pool of bloody remains. The battlefield gradually became stained with blood, while the relentless circling of the cavalry continued to wear down the demon army little by little.

However, anyone familiar with the Imperial Army would immediately notice that these cavalrymen surrounding the demons were completely different from the Empire’s noble cavalry.

Their discipline was exceptionally strict. Even as one comrade after another fell, not a single person panicked.

The deaths of their comrades did not diminish their morale. On the contrary, their eyes were filled with hatred and fighting spirit as they faced the demons, and their determination only grew stronger.

The cavalry continued circling the demon formation, constantly maneuvering around them. While preventing any demon from escaping, they continued inflicting damage upon them, bleeding them little by little.

That was, until…

A clear and resounding elven bagpipe melody suddenly drifted over from afar.

The sound seemed to be coming from farther south, much like the call of a horn, resounding across the heavens.

Upon hearing the elven melody, the human cavalrymen’s spirits visibly lifted, and their morale suddenly soared.

Among their ranks, a young knight clad in silver armor, which had been completely stained dark by demonic blood, suddenly looked delighted.

He raised his bloodstained longsword high into the air.

“The elven army has arrived! Brothers, hold these demons here and make sure they never leave this place!”

“For Seigües! For peace and justice!”

He shouted loudly.

Following his cry, the cavalrymen’s morale surged, and they too shouted in unison:

“For Seigües! For peace and justice!”

The cavalrymen raised their weapons and continued fighting the demons.

However, upon seeing the billowing clouds of dust in the distance, the demons also began to panic.

Especially when a series of dragon roars echoed through the sky. Dozens of enormous dragons appeared in the heavens, and behind them followed hundreds upon thousands of flying magical beasts of various kinds.

On the back of every dragon and magical beast stood an elf.

It was the elves’ aerial force.

Looking across the battlefield, they mostly filled the sky, complementing the increasingly distinct ranks of elven cavalry below, whose footsteps were perfectly synchronized.

The deafening sound of hooves soon rang out. It was the kind of overwhelming momentum that could only be produced by thousands upon thousands of cavalry charging together.

The elves rode dragon-scaled horses or other magical beasts, resembling a surging waterfall pouring down from north to south.

The moment the demons saw those tall figures, they were thrown into complete panic. Their faces filled with terror, they no longer cared about preserving their strength and desperately attempted to break through the encirclement.

Seeing this, the human cavalrymen burst into laughter. Under the silver-armored knight’s command, they continued pursuing and intercepting the demons, preventing them from escaping.

Billowing clouds of dust obscured the battlefield, but the human cavalrymen remained imposing and orderly as they pursued the retreating demons.

At the same time, the elven army also charged into the battlefield.

The fully armed elves, both beautiful and imposing, resembled a divine army descending from the heavens. Brilliant magical radiance flashed around them, and their auras were overwhelmingly powerful.

They quickly plunged into the midst of the demons, completely scattering the already crumbling formation of the demons.

A fierce battle erupted almost immediately. Yet in the next moment, it transformed into an overwhelming slaughter.

The demons abandoned their weapons and armor and collapsed almost instantly, cut down by the high-spirited and fearless elves as easily as chopping vegetables…

Watching the demon army being torn apart with ease, as though it were made of paper, beneath the elves’ charge, the silver-armored knight’s eyes shone brightly. His pupils were filled with admiration and longing.

“So… so strong!”

“No wonder they are the famed elven Chosen One army! No wonder they are such a powerful force that even demons tremble at the sight of them!”

His fighting spirit surged. He raised his longsword once again and ordered the human cavalry under his command:

“Brothers! Follow the elves! Destroy these evil demons! Charge!”

“Charge!”

The cavalrymen roared.

They gradually merged with the charging elven cavalry, and the overwhelming tide completely swallowed the demon army.

Afterward, the great army continued southward, charging toward the open battlefield farther south…

The rolling clouds gradually darkened as night slowly descended.

The sounds of battle had already ceased, leaving only occasional scattered noises in the distance.

In a city that had just been conquered in the southern part of the battlefield, the elves’ flag had already been raised atop the city walls.

Looking at the scepter banner fluttering continuously in the wind, the silver-armored warrior’s expression became somewhat complicated.

The battle was over. The elves had already entered the city to rest, while his cavalry unit had also been assigned a section of the city as their camp.

Every so often, songs and laughter could be heard coming from the camp. Apparently, some elves had brought various delicious foods and entertaining games and were celebrating the victory with the knights.

“Are you the White Knight, Frank?”

A pleasant voice came from behind him, calm and mature, with a faintly magnetic quality that immediately caught the silver-armored knight’s attention.

He slowly turned around and saw a valiant red-haired elven female warrior standing behind him.

Beside her stood a majestic giant dragon.

Seeing the female elf’s ornate battle armor and the famous weapon in her hand, the “Blade of Repentance,” the silver-armored knight’s heart stirred.

“Are you perhaps the Valkyrie, Jasmine Under the Moon?”

Hearing the silver-armored knight’s words, the female warrior’s expression became somewhat helpless.

“You can leave out the Valkyrie. You can just call me Jasmine, like the other elves do.”

The silver-armored knight nodded lightly and smiled amiably.

“Alright then, Miss Jasmine, greetings. I am Frank.”

“And please don’t call me the White Knight or anything like that… Just call me Frank.”

Hearing this, Jasmine raised an eyebrow and nodded as well.

“I understand.”

“Mr. Frank, Lord Kelez is currently waiting for you in the city temple. He would like to meet you and thank you for your cooperation and assistance during our battles these past few days.”

Hearing the name, Frank’s heart skipped a beat.

“Lord Kelez…”

He knew that name.

Undoubtedly, it was the newly ascended demigod of the elves, and the supreme commander of the elven army in charge of attacking the demons.

It was because of him leading the elven army into the battle that the demons entrenched in the southern region of the Empire had begun suffering defeat after defeat.

And now, with this city conquered, the road ahead was wide open. Only the demon army’s final stronghold remained, the Demon City of Morudo.

Once Morudo was eliminated, this year-long war against the demons could finally come to an end.

Following Jasmine, Frank walked toward the city’s temple.

After being ravaged by the demons, the city had been completely devastated. Cities like this could be found everywhere throughout the southern territory.

However, Frank believed that once the demons were driven back and the corruption purified, all this destruction would gradually heal.

As they passed by the camp where his cavalry was stationed, Frank indeed saw his soldiers getting along with the elves as though they were old friends.

It was rather amusing.

When he had first arrived and begun cooperating with the elves, he had been worried that, given their resounding reputation, these elves might be difficult to deal with.

But as it turned out, although these elves were formidable and ruthless on the battlefield, once the fighting ended, they seemed to become completely different people. They were friendly, enthusiastic, knew how to have fun, and knew how to enjoy life…

“Young Master Frank!”

Upon seeing Frank and Jasmine, a knight dressed as a personal guard put away the playing cards in his hand and hurried over.

Seeing him, Frank smiled faintly and shook his head.

“Roland, how many times have I told you? Just call me Frank. I have already abandoned my noble title.”

“No. Young Master Frank will always be Young Master Frank, and I, Roland will always be your personal guard!”

The guard replied.

After saying that, he thought for a moment before continuing:

“If you really don’t like it, then I’ll just call you Lord Frank like everyone else from now on! Or would you prefer to be called as… Lord Commander?”

“You…”

Frank could not help but laugh.

“Hehe, you’re our leader, after all! At the very least, we can be considered a large mercenary group now.”

Roland scratched his head.

After saying this, he looked at Frank, then curiously glanced at the female elf beside him.

“Lord Frank, this is…”

“I’m going to the temple to meet His Excellency Lord Kelez of the elves.”

Frank replied.

“K… Kelez…”

Roland’s eyes widened.

“That’s right. I’ll be back soon. Keep an eye on the troops for me. Don’t let everyone have too much fun tonight. The elves’ stamina isn’t something we can compare with. We still have to continue marching tomorrow.”

Roland nodded firmly.

“Understood. Don’t worry!”

After bidding farewell to his personal guard, Frank followed Jasmine toward the temple.

Like the other buildings, the temple had also fallen into ruin. In fact, rather than a temple, it was more like a church.

No, it should be said that this had originally been a church. Before the demons arrived, this area had belonged to the Eternal Church, and the building before them had been an Eternal Church.

Of course, it now bore the emblem of the Church of Life.

“The Church of Life…”

Looking at the brand-new scepter emblem, Frank recalled the shocking news he had heard a few days earlier…

The Goddess of Life, Evé… was actually the World Tree!

As a former noble of the Empire, Frank had read quite a few books from his family’s collection during his childhood. Therefore, he had some understanding of the Empire’s founding war a thousand years ago.

Thus, after learning the true identity of the Goddess of Life, he immediately understood why he had always felt that the Eternal Church was targeting the Church of Life at every turn.

However, the elves who worshiped the Goddess of Life were also different from the elves described in the legends. Therefore… Frank had no idea which parts of the books he had read were true and which were false.

History was a maiden that could be dressed up however one pleased.

As a well-read man, Frank understood very well that many things in history were written by the victors.

Therefore, when it came to many matters in this world, he preferred to see them and experience them for himself rather than merely relying on what others had taught him…

After coming south, witnessing the devastation throughout the Empire, and participating in the war to exterminate the demons, this bastard son of a noble family had also grown increasingly mature.

Gradually, he had figured out many questions that he had failed to understand in the past. At the same time, however, even more doubts began to emerge in his mind.

Along the way, he had become increasingly certain that the Empire was sick, and so was the Eternal Church.

And both needed to change…

Vaguely, he also felt that he had touched upon something. Yet he remained somewhat hesitant and uncertain.

He faintly felt that there was something he needed to do, but he kept hesitating…

—Or perhaps, deep down, he still wanted to save something.

“Mr. Frank, we’ve arrived.”

Amid his wandering thoughts, Frank followed Jasmine into the temple.

Inside stood a tall elf. He had black hair and black eyes, a dignified presence, and a long scar running across his cheek.

However, the scar was not ugly. Instead, it gave him an even more solemn and imposing appearance.

He did not seem to exert any pressure at all. At first glance, he even looked like an ordinary person.

However, Frank knew that this elven man was anything but ordinary.

Because he recognized him.

This was none other than one of the elven demigods, Kelez!

Jasmine drew the symbol of a scepter over her chest and spoke.

“Your Excellency Kelez, Mr. Frank has arrived.”

Kelez nodded slowly.

“Thank you for your efforts.”

After giving a respectful salute, Jasmine promptly took her leave, leaving only Kelez and Frank inside the temple.

“Your Excellency Lord Kelez, I am Frank.”

Frank bowed respectfully.

His expression was somewhat stiff, and his heart was filled with nervousness.

A demigod!

This was the first time he had ever seen a demigod!

And at such close range, no less!

Kelez looked Frank up and down before giving a slight nod.

“I know you. A member of the Lawson House, the White Knight Frank who formed a mercenary group to fight against the demons.”

As he spoke, he smiled faintly.

“Frank, you’re quite impressive. I heard that your family abandoned you and that the Imperial Noble Council even stripped you of your surname. Have you considered joining the Maple Moon Free State?”

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