"What's that?!"
Amidst the rumbling sounds of hooves, Levi heard the doubts of his comrades. Then, Levi, who was at the forefront of the team, looked into the distance and saw a large black shadow moving on the horizon.
The speed at which the Crusaders took over the Velun Kingdom was shockingly fast. In just a month's time, they had taken over more than half of the Lambas Church's territory. At this rate, the war would be over before winter arrived!
But today, Wail encountered a very strange problem. According to his orders, the cavalry he led continued to advance towards the north. The natives of Velun along the way had basically been subdued by the Crusaders. Wail was ordered to rush to the city closest to the previous supply point and try his best to occupy it before nightfall.
The so-called city was just a stronghold. Wy was clear that the Velun Kingdom's natives were too scattered and didn't have a strong leader to gather them together. Therefore, none of the Hunters could defend against the attacks of the Velun Kingdom's cavalry. They didn't have city walls either. The so-called 'city walls' were even more unreliable than the wooden walls around the Empire of Saint Reims Town. The Velun Kingdom's cavalry only needed to charge through the walls with their lances to destroy them.
Although Wy didn't like such bullying battles, an order was still an order. He quickly led his five hundred Knights forward. However, his comrade's question made him realize a problem in the distance.
That's a black mass of … an army?
Wy had never seen the Velun Kingdom's Hunters organize a formal counterattack. He wasn't sure of the situation, but the cautious Wy decided to observe for a while first.
Soon, the scouts ran back from afar. However, their faces were filled with fear. "Oh God of Light!
That's a disaster!
It's a hound from hell! "
Needless to say, the first batch of the Abyss Tribe's army had come into direct contact with the Luminous Church.
Wail listened to the scout's incoherent description of the horrifying fellows in the distance and immediately made a decision. "Retreat!"
He wasn't a brainless fool. The number of creatures in the distance was incalculable. However, Wy was certain that they were like an undead army. Once they surrounded him, they would definitely drown the entire Velun Kingdom's cavalry!
In terms of quantity, those things were hundreds of times more than the cavalry before them!
The troops that were supposed to be heading north immediately turned around and headed back the way they came. The terrifying army in the distance seemed to have discovered Waid's troops and changed their direction at the same time, charging straight for Waid!
An oppressive aura immediately enveloped Wale's body!
The speed of that army was incredibly fast. Cavalry was known for their mobility, and Wale's team was a pure cavalry team without any infantry or logisticians. This was because they could choose to collect rations on the spot or return to the previous supply depot after conquering a city. Their powerful strength made them the epitome of fearlessness. But at this moment, what terrified Wale was that the army behind them seemed to be even faster than them!
That was an army of more than 100,000 soldiers!
Although they were described as strange dogs by the scouts, the books of the Holy Church had records of similar creatures … And these creatures were called 'Hellhounds' in the books. They originated from these vicious dogs during the invasion of the Abyss!
Thanks to the records in the books of light, the cavalry didn't make any decisions and immediately chose to retreat. Although the Hellhounds in the books weren't strong individually, when these disgusting creatures appeared in groups, the consequences would be the same as locusts passing through a crop field.
The sound of hooves reverberated in Wale's ears like thunder. His warhorse was already foaming at the mouth. If this continued, the entire cavalry would probably slow down … And Wale didn't need to look back to know that some of the cavalry had fallen behind!
But as if the God of Light was watching over Wale, the hounds that made strange noises as they ran gradually stopped chasing after them. Then, they changed direction and gave up on Wale's team.
The cavalry slowly came to a stop. At this time, they had almost returned to the place where they set off today … All the soldiers turned around to look at the terrifying holy object that retreated like a tide on the horizon. They silently wiped off their cold sweat and prayed to the God of Light in a low voice.
"Why … are there Hellhounds here?"
Wale's forehead was full of sweat, but his heart was cold.
* * *
On the third day, the headquarters of the Holy Church of Light, which was also the holy land in the hearts of all believers, received an urgent letter from Merkel. At the same time, the Count's residence in Oditore Castle also received a letter with a similar content.
Wale's letter allowed many people to understand the specific attack of the Abyss Race. His information was extremely crucial. With the help of this letter, many people immediately understood the first location of the Abyss Race's invasion on this continent. At the same time, the unfamiliar defenses of the entire territory also gave them a clear target.
More importantly, this news meant more to the entire Empire of Saint Reims.
When many people returned to their territory and looked for Flora who was in Sith's Court for the first time, they didn't dare to look up at her resentful eyes.
Many people had mixed feelings, but they still put on a business-like attitude in front of Flora. It was impossible to tell that the two were actually married.
Husband and wife … Until now, many people still didn't understand the concept of the word. In fact, most of the time, he didn't even realize that he was married.
"The Abyss Race's invasion is not good news for the Empire of Saint Reims. Of course, it's not good news for any people on this continent," Flora tacitly said.
Flora did not say anything more. After that night, Flora seemed to have returned to being the Empress who kept a certain distance from many people. She looked at the letter in her hand and said with a serious tone, "The people of Sirius City might not choose to compromise or give up because of this. However, personally, I still hope to let go of the current conflicts and fight against the common enemy of this continent together."
"I can't guess what Barton is thinking, but I don't think the rebels will give up their power."
"You're talking nonsense. No one will spit out the duck in their mouth."
Flora's face was slightly tense. She pointed at the map beside her. "From Velun to Saint-Rames, the shortest route in a straight line is Oditore. But with the Azura Forest as a barrier and the Luminous Church there, there shouldn't be any threat here for the time being. But that's only in theory. As for how powerful the Abyss Race is, I don't think Lady Vasaki can estimate it."
"But Lady Vasaki can provide us with valuable information. This is probably our only advantage."
"We have a lot of advantages." Flora was an excellent politician. At the same time, her military knowledge was also worthy of respect. "But every war doesn't need advantages and disadvantages. Instead, it needs accurate judgment and the right strategy. Right now, we still don't have enough information."
"Roland Thorns can't expand their information network to that barren land. Do you want me to go there myself?"
"Bullshit!"
Flora abruptly raised her head. She immediately realized that she was being toyed with. She wanted to laugh, but she couldn't. She seemed to have thought of something. She lowered her head sadly. After staying silent for a while, she suddenly said, "She's back, but I haven't gone to greet her yet."
Many looked down at the foot of the table, not knowing what to say.
"Let's call it a day. We'll talk about it when we have new information."
Flora lowered her head and silently ordered her guest to leave.
Many sighed and turned around with complicated feelings. But immediately, they felt Flora suddenly hugged their waist from behind.
Flora didn't even understand why she did that. She just hugged the person in front of her as tightly as she could and took a deep breath. She greedily wanted to make this familiar scent stay in her mind. Then, she quietly let go and wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes. She turned around and said, "If there's any news, tell me as soon as possible."
"Understood."
Many's voice was barely audible. They walked out of the room with heavy footsteps.
"Kada."
The door was closed. Only Flora was left in the room.
Flora, who was wearing a purple formal suit, took a few steps back and sat down on the oversized armchair. The silent atmosphere in the room was oppressive. Flora looked at the many letters on the table in front of her. She felt the scene in front of her slowly becoming blurry.
Drip.
Her tears fell on the marble floor. Flora didn't lift her hand to wipe them. She leaned back and quietly curled up her body. Her lonely look was extremely pitiful.
"Why …"
* * *
"Interesting."
Many suddenly opened his eyes and broke away from his messy thoughts. He looked at the desk in front of him. He didn't seem to understand what he just heard.
He looked around. Yes, this is the study room of Count's mansion. It can't be any other place. It can't be a dream. It can't be a memory. It can't be some strange barrier. Many was sure that he wasn't hallucinating. Nairíos' words appeared in his mind. Those were the second words he said after returning to Oditore!