Chapter 592 Marching
Windshire Fort is a massive Fortress with sturdy walls spanning a few kilometers wide. This particular Fortress is the Heart kingdom's first line of defense against the Nergal Kingdom. Over the years, the massive Fortress withstood many attacks from the Nergal.
On this day, the whole place becomes quite chaotic under the shiny blood sun. Many people run around, yet still in an orderly manner. *BOOOO* a loud warhorn and war drum keep ringing across the Fortress.
At the same time, all the massive gates located at the wall slowly open, revealing hundreds of soldiers. The soldiers came out slowly, following the war drum. Such a scene and power could be felt from hundreds of meters away.
On top of the Windshire Fort, a red-skinned man stands straight like a spear toward the sky. The imposing and strong aura permeated from his body that subconsciously made anyone cower. This man is none other than Jade Victory, the Meteor.
"Father, is it alright to march at this time?" asked a woman wielding a great axe from the side. bed𝚗ov𝚎𝚕.𝚌𝚘𝚖
"What's wrong, Jane?" replied Jade warmly.
"Well, I am not sure what happened. But, I don't think it is a good idea to start marching." said Jane while looking at the Blood Sun in the sky.
"It's just a bloody sun. Don't tell me you believe that stupid superstition, Jane." replied Jade.
"They say it is bad luck to do anything during the Blood Sun." said Jane.
"Hmph!! There is no such thing as bad luck. Besides, it is just the death of stupid God." replied Jade casually.
"Death of God?!! I know in this dimension there is this religious group everywhere. But, are they real?" asked Jane.
"No need to be worried about them. Just think of them as strong people living in another dimension. So, is there news about Nergal?" asked Jade.
"Nothing new. It seems they hear our troops advance and plan to do a defensive fight. We also didn't hear any news about King Andvari moving from Archdale Hold since your last attack." reported Jane.
"Good. Any news from Duchess Amberblaze's team?" asked Jade.
"According to their speed, they will arrive here in a day or so. I heard they got ambushed by a religious group before. Duke Olven and his team have already left his post to escort the Duchess' team." said Jane.
"Hmm… It seems the old Blue is now trying to gain His Majesty's favor. Well, no matter. Proceed the march carefully. I don't want any mistake that could be exploited by those Nergals." replied Jade.
Meanwhile, chaos happens worldwide, especially in the higher plane where God lives. Unlike during Anna's incident, all the Gods are awakened from their meditation or slumber. They notice one of their kind is no longer with them.
There is not even a single trace of its divinity left behind. Something that has never happened for a long time.
"It's Bliasm. He is dead." said one of the Gods.
"Dead?!! Are you sure? Isn't he just fallen or slumbering?" said another God.
"It's true. Bliasm is dead." said God Ive, the oldest God.
This single statement gives many reactions to other Gods, especially the young one.
"How did that happen? Who could do such a thing?" asked another God.
"Isn't Bliasm one of the high-ranking Gods?" said another God.
"I didn't detect any huge fight or intruder recently." said another God.
"Is it her, right?" asked Merus, God of Wisdom.
"Yes, it is." replied God Ive while ignoring the other Gods.
"Haa… Guess it is already his fate. I know when she is awake, some of us will die." replied God Merus.
"Hold on. What are you two talking about? Who is she and how could she kill one of us?" asked Gumos, God of strength.
God Ive and God Merus only shake their heads without replying before returning to their mediation. Seeing one of their oldest and most powerful Gods ignoring the matter like usual, the other God couldn't help but feel helpless.
In the end, they decide to do their own investigation through their followers in Firuman. Most of them couldn't stay silent after knowing they could die like ordinary mortals, especially the young Gods. For the first time, the Gods of the higher realm feel threatened.
Meanwhile, Angus and the others relax inside the carriage with the escort of the knights. Since they are in the vast land, Angus could easily notice any intruder from kilometers away. He didn't need to worry about getting a large ambush again like before.
He is more worried about Anna. The girl looks cheerful as usual while playing with her new fluffy ball doll from Mira. Seeing Angus' frowning expression, Jayna contacts him through their bond.
"Are you worried?" asked Jayna.
"I am not sure if she tried to hide her sadness or not. Anna also never liked dolls before." said Angus.
Since Anna behaves like a child, Jayna and Angus often give her dolls to play with. Unfortunately, she didn't like it. She always said dolls are for babies and Anna is not a baby.
Now, she just received the ball-like doll from Mira and has never separated from it, even during her bath time.
In fact, Angus knows the ball-like dolls are not ordinary. Unfortunately, he didn't don't know much about it besides the fluffy ball shape, even after using [Analyze] at full power.
He at least needs to open or put it inside special equipment to [Analyze] it better, which is something impossible with how much Anna is attached to it.
"I guess it is fine. At least she didn't cry in a mess and try to follow Mira." said Angus.
"You are right." replied Jayna while hugging Anna in her lap.
"Hmm… Aunt Extalia, we got company." replied Angus as he noticed a group of people approaching them.
"Another ambush?" asked Aunt Extalia in warry.
"No, it is one of our own. I believe Duke Blue and some of his men." replied Angus.
"Good. Let's stop first." replied the Duchess before ordering the whole group.
After waiting a few minutes, they finally see a group of people flying in the sky wearing blue armor. Angus could feel intense fire elemental in the group, especially in the old Duke.
'They must be the famous Fire Squad of the Blue Family. It is quite strange for a family related to fire but has a Blue name.' thought Angus inwardly.
His thought gets interrupted as the old Duke arrives in front of their group.
"Duchess Amberblaze, we are here to escort your team until we reach Windshire Fort." said the old Duke Blue straightforwardly with respect.
"Sure. I leave everything to you." replied the Duchess casually.
"Alright, prepare to move. The fire Squad keeps standby in the air and surveys the surrounding area. I don't want any of you to miss a single rat." ordered Duke Blue sternly.
After giving a series of orders, Angus and the others return inside the carriage without saying much. Since it was not an official event, they didn't need to greet Duke Blue formally, especially with their status as high noble.
The old Duke entered a different carriage since their carriage already had too many people. Angus knew the old Duke didn't want to get near Anna and him. It is not a secret that Blue and the Victory family have a bad rivalry.
Unfortunately, this rivalry breaks as soon as Jade Victory and his family return from the Endless Battlefield dimension. Not only did the Blue family lose combat power, but they also lost military strength.
Compared to Sur knights, Fire Squad is many times weaker despite their long history. Moreover, there are also explosion squads that start making their own name through the war. Hence, Duke Blue didn't have a favorable opinion of Angus.
After a few hours of moving, they stop and set up camp to rest. During this time, the old Duke approached their group aggressively, followed by a few young nobles.
"Is there a problem, Duke Blue?" asked Duchess Amberblaze.
"Duchess, what's the meaning of this?!! Why did you imprison and chain the crown prince?!!" asked Duke Blue.
"Tch… It's a long story. Basically, he tried to disrupt the chain of command during the emergency situation. Then, he gets aggressive after finding himself restrained."
"We don't have any choice but to keep him like that and put him to sleep to prevent any reckless movement." said Duchess Amberblaze.
"How long did you plan to chain him like a criminal?! He is a crown prince, for god sake." said Duke Blue.
"And?" asked Duchess Amberblaze back.
"And you should release him now!! What do you think will happen if other people know our crown prince is being treated like that?!" retorted Duke Blue.
"The brat stayed chained until we returned back. Besides, If he doesn't like getting humiliated, he should get stronger and shut up everyone that ridicules him. If I am not wrong, that should be the family tradition in the Heart Royal Family." replied the Duchess sternly.
"T-This.. This is ridiculous. His Majesty will never agree to this." said Duke Blue.
"His Majesty King Leon already knows about this. Besides, the leader of this party is still me. So, unless you want to be punished for insubordination, you should keep your mouth shut." said Duchess Amberblaze with her piercing glare.