Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 2027 1999. The Battle Formation of the Corrupt Monarch
“Actually, the power of the [Forge of a Hundred Elephants] has other manifestations,” Melina said to Lann, “but those are things that are no longer within the Forge Knight system. They are more of an individual’s innate talent, a power that was accidentally obtained from a primal reversion.”

“I understand.” Lan En replied without looking up, turning the five prayer parchments over and over. “A way of expressing something too unique will be difficult to integrate into the system.”

With a 'snap', the Witcher patted the stack of parchment in his hand, his tone light and cheerful.

“But that’s enough, Melina. As a blueprint, they’re enough to give me a direction. After all, I’m not going to copy them verbatim.”

The girl tilted her head in confusion, but remained silent.

Prayer...shouldn't it be something to be learned? What does 'as a blueprint' mean?
Melina didn't understand what Lann intended to do with the knowledge of the [Forge of a Hundred Elephants], since she had no idea what kind of magical ritual Lann planned to construct.

But she knew she had indeed helped the Witcher. This offered some comfort to the girl, who, though expressionless, always felt indebted deep down.

Time flies, and a few days have passed.

During this time, both Lan En and Rongbuqiu successfully obtained the enhanced equipment from Xiugu, and adapted well to the improved performance of the equipment.

On the other hand, the Witcher has spent almost all his mental energy these past few days on those five prayers for the Forge of a Hundred Elephants.

The prayers at the borderlands, in themselves, require a catalyst to be cast. Lann can cast those fire-based prayers at any time because he uses his own magical fire as a catalyst.

Other types of prayers do not recognize this.

So these prayers were a bit too much trouble for Lann's usual fast-paced and intense combat style.

Therefore, he did not intend to learn or practice these prayers, but rather to extract from the knowledge about the ancient golden tree [the furnace of life] contained within these five prayers.

Fortunately, the crucial step of systematizing knowledge has already been taken care of by the Forge Knights under Govere's command.

Their five prayers represent the most basic and universally applicable knowledge within the melting pot of phenomena.

In the past few days, Melina seems to have become less resistant to showing her figure in Rodel City.

She appeared around Lan En many times, but she didn't intend to do anything; she just appeared by his side.

The witcher subtly probed Melina's plans to rekindle the cauldron of fire on the giant snow mountain. She mentioned preparing a 'fire source,' but what exactly was this 'fire source'?
But Melina has never given a direct response.

However, it was precisely because she kept avoiding the topic that Lan En's doubts about the so-called 'fire seed' grew stronger. He just managed to control his emotions well and didn't let Melina find out.

In the past few days, the Knights of Rodel, who were on their way to conquer the Volcano Mansion, have been reporting a series of victories.

The wounded Raccard, along with the few remaining soldiers, couldn't even hold up the original defensive system of the Volcano Mansion.

It's just that the terrain around Mount Gemir is really treacherous; otherwise, it's said that on the first day of the attack, the Knights of Rodel could have directly pierced through the volcano's official residence.

The residents of Rodell, who had already seen hope for a better world after winning the Battle of Rodell, were now cheering and jumping for joy amidst the frequent reports of victory.

On this day, Lan En was leading the velvet ball and the Qilin out of the city.

Because Qilin heard that the sheep on the Asian Plateau actually have war ash on their bodies! They're called [Thunder and Lightning Sheep Balls].

It figured that sheep and horses weren't that different, so it nudged Lan En to find this war ash, to see what its quality was, and whether it could get one for itself.

But just as Lann and his companions were walking along Rodel Avenue, heading out of the city, a Rodel knight galloped down the avenue, stood on his stirrups and looked around. Finally, as if he had found his target, he walked straight toward the Witcher.

As if sensing something, Lan En's expression, which had been laughing and joking with the velvet ball, turned slightly serious.

The sound of horses' hooves clattering on the stone slabs was crisp. After arriving at Lann's side, the Rhodes Knight looked around first.

At this time, the population of Rodel City had already plummeted.

Despite the frequent good news from the expeditions to the volcano, small groups of people were still cheering and celebrating in the streets.

On the inner city walls, the inhuman oracle messengers continued to play their golden instruments, golden bubbles floating from the mouthpieces.

"Lord Lan En, we have something to report."

As he spoke, Knight Rodel looked around.

Lan En understood his obvious meaning and tilted his head towards the side of the street: "Let's talk over there."

They came to a gap in the buildings on the side of the street, just like the alley where Torisha had hidden with the hybrids and the children of ominous signs before.

Although Lann and the Knights of Rodel won the Battle of Rodel, at least the Perfumers were spared the fate of going to the battlefield.

But Torisha, the soft-hearted perfumer, still couldn't let go of the mixed-race and son of evil who had grown accustomed to following her and adored her like a mother.

In Rodel City, neither continued fighting nor a return to peace was a good outcome for these people. Over the past few days, Torisha led them outside the city, saying to Lann that they would find a hidden garden belonging to perfumers to temporarily settle down.

"Lord Lan En?"

Knight Rodel removed his helmet and called to the Witcher, drawing his attention back.

Lan En blinked and asked directly, "What happened?"

Knight Rodel was always a stable and efficient warrior, but now, with his helmet removed, he pursed his lips tightly, his golden, blessed pupils flickering erratically, clearly showing his unease.

The dignified Knight of Rodel was on high alert, yet the two groups of people cheering on Rodel Avenue just a few steps away seemed worlds apart, as if they lived in completely different worlds.

"【Valkyrie】Marinia!" The knight tucked his helmet under his arm and spoke with difficulty and in a low voice, "She... is leading the Order of the Corrupted Knights, arrayed at the city gate!"

The Witcher's brow furrowed sharply.

On the walls of Rodel.

The city walls, which had just enjoyed a few days of leisure, suddenly returned to their usual hustle and bustle this morning, just like they had been for the past few months. The smell of gunpowder and blood seemed to have returned in an instant.

The expedition to Mount Gemir resulted in a reduction in the number of troops guarding the city walls.

However, the knights marched with a powerful stride, and with the assistance of the soldiers, they formed an archer formation. The huge perfume crossbows were also pulled back with the sound of mechanical winches, adjusted in angle, and aimed at the not-so-large formation below the city.

Beneath Marlenia's winged helmet, her long, fiery red hair fluttered in the wind of the Altai Plateau.

She didn't bring the entire Holy Tree Legion, but only the Venerable Knights, who stood beneath the city walls.

The entire knightly order was afflicted with a putrid disease, and red smoke, resembling fungal spores, drifted from the gaps in their armor.

It wasn't particularly noticeable when it was alone, but when a group of noble knights gathered together to form a battle formation, the red mist became as conspicuous as smoke rising from the battle formation.

Just looking at this group of noble knights standing on the obsidian ground, the Roldiers on the towering walls of Roldier instinctively held their breath.

It was as if they were afraid that the red mist could enter their respiratory tracts from such a great distance.

Marleneia brought a legion of less than ten thousand men from the sacred tree.

It would be even better if we only counted the Venerable Corrupt Knight.

But now, the city walls of Rodel are poised with bows drawn and arrows ready, facing her with even greater tension than they had been in the past few months of tug-of-war with the demigod coalition that had two demigods.

"Nobody is allowed to move!"

Gideon Fnir paced quickly along the city wall, shouting as he went, trying to make sure that all the soldiers he passed understood what he was saying.

"Nobody is allowed to move! Don't draw the bowstring! Don't put your fingers on the crossbow! You can only aim at them! But nobody is allowed to move! Understand?! Nobody is allowed to move!"

Not only ordinary soldiers and knights, but even a faded figure like Sir Hundred Wisdom, his words revealed a level of caution and vigilance he hadn't shown during the previous months of siege warfare.

He repeatedly emphasized this to the soldiers, fearing that they might inadvertently escalate the situation.

From soldiers to the faded ones, this caution and fear stemmed from their understanding of the Valkyrie.

This is a demigod who is completely different from Gevya and Lakad in the previous demigod alliance!
Just like how the Faded Ones could have parachuted down to Raccard's side that night with their Perfumery Ballistae, getting close enough to counter his signature wide-area coverage magic.

There is a counter relationship between combat styles.

When a group of Faded Ones got close to Raccard, his large-area magic was rendered useless, and he was forced to engage in close combat with the Faded Ones.

In their desperation, they unleashed their power recklessly, only to have it spill over onto their own demigod alliance.

But the Valkyrie's fighting style...

Even someone like Lan En, who had only briefly clashed with her, could clearly sense that this demigod was the type who relied on her lightning-fast agility and sharp slashing power to engage in fast-paced close combat.

And these soldiers, who had been on duty in Rodríguez for who knows how many years, knew this even better.

These towering, sacred walls could withstand countless powerful spells and prayers, but even they struggled against the ancient dragons that flew in from the sky.

Not to mention targets like Marlene, which are smaller, more flexible, and faster.

Against this type of powerful opponent, Rodel's advantage of having strong walls was greatly diminished.

(End of this chapter)