Chapter 009: Breaking the Deadlock

Ferei was now rushing toward the citadel in the north of the capital. He returned to Duke Green’s residence and did not encounter Du Fan, but he still reported everything he knew to Old Mark right away. Soon, the duchess came out to see him, and her orders still rang in his ears:
“Ferei, the situation is extremely dangerous. Our Green family’s northern army must advance toward the capital as quickly as possible. Remember! As quickly as possible! Because right now, both the duke and Young Master Du Fan are inside the imperial palace. If what you reported is true… that means chaos has already broken out in the palace! And our ten thousand troops are fresh forces. Once the northern army appears, not to mention your so-called Bauhinia Dynasty, even if the people of the Lanni Empire reach the outskirts of the capital, they will have to reconsider their plans!”
Ferei had initially wanted to refuse, but the duchess’s words made him decide to go through with it.
The duchess said, “Ferei, I know you’re Du Fan’s man… As a member of the Green family, Du Fan will eventually have to take control of part of the northern army, whether he likes it or not. And the northern army isn’t as easy to manage as one might think… By deploying troops under Du Fan’s name this time, if it succeeds, it will be equivalent to establishing his authority within the northern army… As a subordinate, I think it’s not too much for you to do this, right?”
Ferei had nothing to say and could only accept the order and leave.
Hmph, all these schemes and intrigues… I’m not good at that… But leading troops in battle? I’m from the Temple Knights, so I’m not that bad at it…
……
“Faith and blind obedience?”
Prince Fischer looked into Du Fan’s eyes and suddenly smiled softly. “Du Fan, you truly are not an ordinary person… You’re right. These two things are indeed the best to exploit. In a sense, they’re the same thing. With these two, although I can’t guarantee victory in this battle, our chances of winning definitely increase.”
Du Fan smiled slightly and said, “Your Highness is truly wise… Then what are you waiting for? Let me pave the way for you!”
With that, Du Fan gently pulled out the wand from his storage ring, waved it slowly in the air a few times, and after reciting a series of quick and brief magic spells, a wind-based amplification spell was cast on Prince Fischer.

Prince Fischer nodded slightly before stepping forward, hands behind his back, and said calmly, “Gentlemen… this battle today was unnecessary from the start… yet now we must stand together against a common enemy. I know confusion and doubt linger in your hearts—why should enemies who were fighting each other just now become the closest comrades? In truth… that doesn’t matter! What matters is that you are all followers of the God of Light… God loves all people… and He says that you must work together now!”
As Prince Fischer spoke calmly, Bishop Aaron on the side immediately understood his meaning.
Without waiting for his orders, he quietly cast several holy light spells with his hands behind his back.
Suddenly, the clouds in the sky were blown aside, and a pure white light enveloped Prince Fischer. White feathers seemed to drift down from the sky, and countless little angels appeared to surround him.
The Holy Church had stood on the Roland Continent for many years, and such techniques were used with unparalleled mastery. Under such a scene, Prince Fischer almost resembled an angel descended from heaven. Every believer felt profound reverence in their hearts—a reverence that came entirely from the heart, without any pretense, which was truly astonishing.
The army, which should have been utterly exhausted, now seemed to regain its vitality. Nearly ten thousand soldiers raised their weapons in unison and shouted, “Who dares disobey?”
An astonishing killing intent emanated from these ten thousand soldiers—it was truly unimaginable.
“Prince Fischer… I really underestimated you!” Oscar said coldly. With a major battle looming, a faint killing intent also appeared around him. “Send orders—there’s no need to wait any longer. Except for the ten thousand troops guarding the rear, everyone else should engage in cavalry and infantry battles. Give them a surprise now…”
Duke Belinger on the side was shocked and said, “Young master, if we attack now, our losses will likely be several times higher than expected.”
Oscar shook his head. “If we don’t act now, once they regroup, the trouble will be huge… I thought Prince Fischer couldn’t control his army, but unexpectedly, he treats them all as believers. Your Highness, you should understand what kind of fighting power a person can unleash with the support of faith!”

After hearing these words, Duke Belinger merely raised his eyebrows slightly and said nothing more. Soon, the messenger delivered the orders, and the cavalry quickly abandoned their horses, carrying their weapons and rushing toward the training ground.

On the high platform, the faint holy light surrounding Prince Fischer had disappeared. Seeing the movement of the opposing army, he immediately understood what was going on.

With a cold laugh, he said calmly, “Du Fan, it seems that just as we wanted to give them a surprise, they also want to give us one! It seems I really ought to send them something more as a gift, otherwise it would be unfair to them!”

After saying that, Prince Fischer glanced up at Abraham and said lightly, “Master Abraham, take all the court mages on the high platform with you. Let them see the power of court magic first!”

Abraham bowed slightly in midair and replied, “Yes, my prince!”

Then, with a gentle wave of his hand, all the court mages who had been standing around the platform flew into the air. They dispersed in all directions, and in the blink of an eye, flashes of magic appeared in the sky.

A murderous aura spread instantly, freezing the hearts of many.

Seeing the magic approaching, Oscar narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly, “Our mages should go too… And don’t forget the warriors—kill as many as you can!”

The messenger beside him quickly passed on the orders, and soon hundreds of figures rose from the army, charging toward the court mages in the sky.

All of Oscar’s warriors had gathered around him. Brandon bowed slightly and said, “Young master, let this humble servant take part in this first battle.”

Oscar didn’t say much, only nodding gently.

Brandon stepped forward to the front of the formation. Suddenly, he threw his head back and let out a fierce roar. His eyes turned blood red, his body swelled rapidly, and his armor was torn to shreds in an instant. No one could have imagined that this seemingly gentle governor was actually a berserker!

Then, he grabbed the giant axe hanging behind him, roared loudly, and charged forward.

The cavalry, who had already dismounted, rushed toward the high platform at his command.

At this moment, there was no need for Prince Fischer’s orders—those devout soldiers spontaneously raised their weapons and charged at the advancing enemy.

And the one who met Brandon was none other than Joshua!

Joshua rushed forward on his horse, swinging his sword at Brandon. Although Brandon was a berserker, he still suffered significant damage from that strike. Yet after letting out a fierce shout, he continued to engage in combat.

Hundreds of Templar knights passed by the site of their battle without even glancing at it, instead forming a formation and charging among the cavalry who had dismounted. The Templar Knights were already extremely powerful, and their charges caused chaos everywhere.

This brief victory inspired the troops behind them. Under the leadership of their generals, they launched a counterattack against Oscar’s army.

Oscar frowned as he watched this unfold. He realized that those generals were like sharp knives, constantly trying to break through his army. Though his troops were strong warriors from the north, they were no match for martial artists who could wield qi. With that thought, he pointed at those generals and said calmly, “You too, go down. One of you should hold off one of them. You don’t necessarily have to win—just wait until we’ve defeated all of their troops.”

Dozens of generals obeyed and rushed toward their targets.

Oscar frowned again as he watched the Templar Knights and Black Armored Army charging through his ranks. After a moment, he nodded slightly in a certain direction and said, “Have the cavalry behind us surround and encircle those two groups…”

The only general left beside him said, “Young master, but if we do that… our rear will be vulnerable…”

Oscar shook his head. “If we can’t deal with them, we’re just wasting time. The more time we waste, the slimmer our chances of victory… Go now!”

The last general didn’t dare say anything further. He bowed briefly, stepped back, and soon saw that, as orders were given, the infantry surrounding the Templar Knights and Black Armored Army quickly dispersed, while the cavalry, who had been at the back, suddenly rushed into the battlefield and surrounded them.