Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 2060-2032. Sudden Rebellion?

The smell inside the city was not pleasant.

Or perhaps it's that these warriors and soldiers under Messermo don't smell very good.

Even the three black knights who were silently following behind Lan En and his group reeked of decay.

It's unclear whether the bloodstains accumulated due to the prolonged killing and fighting, or because their wills and souls had been distorted in the process.

Messermo's army called itself the Holy War Army.

Because shortly after they arrived in the Shadowlands, Queen Marika severed and sealed the Shadowlands outside the Borderlands.

As people of the Golden Tree, they had even forgotten how long it had been since they had seen the radiant Golden Tree with their own eyes.

With everyone devoutly believing in the Golden Tree yet unable to satisfy their faith needs, only by taking the faith to an even more extreme level can the expeditionary force, which is already in grave danger due to being sealed together in the Shadowlands, be stabilized.

Thus, Messermo's legions became the Holy War Army.

They gathered together in the name of holy war, continuing the mission that Queen Marika had sent them to the Shadowlands.

This is how the legion's organizational structure is maintained.

Lan En and his companions walked together with the people of Ensis City through this dilapidated and old fortress.

The person who came to take them away from the troll knight at the entrance was also a black knight.

The Black Knights were the backbone of the legion that Rodel sent to Messermo to build. They were numerous and widely distributed within the Holy War Army.

Among the set of "Prayers of the Forge" that Melina gave to Lann earlier, "Tongue of the Forge" is a prayer that is widely circulated among the Black Knights.

The black knight who came to pick them up was also equipped with a shield and hammer.

He didn't say anything when he saw the three black knights behind Lan En, since he wasn't present at the city gate earlier.

I assumed they had come in together.

The four black knights walked together and soon became indistinguishable from one another.

However, as he walked, Lan En lowered his eyes and watched the Black Knights mingling together without making a sound.

People from the border region have arrived; this seems to be very important news.

Therefore, without any discount, the black knight who came to pick them up led them directly to the upper levels of Ensis City.

Standing on the wooden plank of the elevator, the black knight kept turning his head, seemingly also yearning for the long-unheard-of term 'borderland'.

Upon hearing this, the Black Knight silently extended his hand as a gesture of guidance.

At this point, Torret had already been put away by Melina.

She had previously warned Lann that it was best not to let the demigods see Torret. Now, Lann had already guessed that this spirit horse was probably something Queen Marika once owned, or even something iconic.

Perhaps Toret was originally her "wise beast".

However, this matter was only known within the Golden Clan.

However, Melina made no attempt to conceal anything from these members of the Holy War Army.

The Qilin was led to the stables in Ensis City, just like an ordinary horse. The velvet ball was hidden under the runecloth, keeping watch over it.

They walked a short distance forward and came to a dark, cold, and lifeless room.

This was the lord's hall, with a spirit fire made of bones burning in the fireplace, and several long tables lined up, but no food had been placed on them for a long time.

This kind of place should have been where the lord ate with his subordinates to show affability and unity; it should have been the most appropriate place in the entire castle.

But the black knight who was leading the way seemed to be used to it. He led the group straight through the room and into the deeper part of the room.

Upon reaching a small archway and stepping inside, the space suddenly felt open and spacious.

A circular hall, with its dome removed, allowing the sky outside to be directly visible.

Within the circular hall, another circular area was enclosed, forming a concentric circle filled with only a thin layer of clear water.

There was no wind or waves, and the water surface was as smooth as a mirror.

Even though she was wearing full armor, her tall figure was still evident. She stood quietly at the deepest part of the room opposite the small archway.

Her silver armor was uniquely designed and exquisite, retaining the curves of a woman's body; at a glance, it was clear that it was a rare and high-end custom-made piece.

A blue silk sash was draped over one shoulder of the armor, creating a style similar to the sleeves of Chinese martial arts armor.

As Lan En and his companions walked in, the first thing they saw was the female knight who was slightly taller than Lan En.

She lowered her head, seemingly looking at the sky reflected in the thin, circular surface of water in the hall.

Upon seeing this scene, Lann and Melina nodded simultaneously. They were certain that this was indeed Leilana, the Twin Moon Knight from the Kalia royal family.

The Kalia royal family has a connection with the moon, hence the custom of moon-viewing.

The royal family's moon-viewing is naturally different from that of ordinary people. The Kalia royal family is accustomed to creating a circular pool on the ground of a beautiful venue, and using magic to ensure that although the surface of the pool may fluctuate, it can quickly return to a calm and clear, mirror-like state.

Instead of looking directly at the moon in the sky, they would sit around the pool and watch its reflection in the water.

Although it is not nighttime, the moonlight in the Shadowlands is not beautiful.

However, this habit and way of watching is enough for the Twin Moon Knights to recall their hometown and family.

The arrival of the group caused the female knight on the other side of the pool to slightly raise her head, her gaze shifting from the shallow pool to the small archway.

Led by the Black Knight, the group did not walk straight towards Leilana by stepping on the pool in the middle, but instead circled around the pool to approach her.

"My lord," the Black Knight who led the way addressed him respectfully, while the Twin Moon Knights opposite him nodded quietly and elegantly.

Everything seemed like a perfectly normal scene: "Someone has arrived at the castle, and the knight reports to the lord."

But in the very next instant...

"We met them outside the city, and they claimed to be... Bang!!!"

The massive mass and volume moved rapidly through the air. The black and gold hammer, which was larger than a man, was on the Black Knight's shoulder one moment, but the next moment it was about to smash into the Twin Moon Knight's head!

The massive, stamp-shaped hammerhead came crashing down with wind pressure, but the Twin Moon Knight only froze and hesitated for a moment before his body under the armor immediately went into action!
【Queen of the Full Moon】Rena is an unparalleled genius mage of the Kalia royal family, while her sister Relana is an equally genius knight!

With a light tap of its boots on the floor tiles, the Twin Moon Knight moved several meters to the side as if it were weightless, almost floating!
The Black Knight's hammer, which was intended for a surprise attack, crashed to the ground and missed its target!

The floor tiles were shattered in an instant, and the nearby round pool was also shaken into ripples.

"Twin Moon Knights!" The black knight suddenly slammed his hammer down at Leilana, roaring from beneath his helmet, "Lover of the vile serpent! This is divine punishment for your defilement of gold!"

The hatred in that roar was so intense that even someone just listening could feel how deeply it was etched into one's soul!
Melina and Margarita were both taken aback by the sudden conflict.

Melina was surprised by the conflict itself, while Margarita was surprised not only by the conflict but also by the fact that the Black Knight's hammer was actually made of solid steel!
Is this the kind of battleground where not only gods and demigods fight, but even knights?
Margarita's surprise was similar to that of Tissaya when she arrived in the New World and saw the hunters' armor.

As sorcerers, they never imagined that the warriors could be so powerful.

Only Lan En, in this sudden turn of events, did not look at the most intense part, but instead turned around abruptly!
"It seems they were deliberately blocked from their position and were a step too late."

The ethereal voice could only be heard by the Witcher. Torina, like a curious child, floated around Lann with great interest, offering her own opinions.

Behind Margarita and the others were two black knights wielding shields and hammers and carrying a double-headed sword, who seemed to be exactly the same as when they had met them at the door.

However, in the current situation, it is clear that the Black Knight who was originally leading the way was blocked behind at some point during what appeared to be a reasonable change in his gait.

Another black knight, who was originally outside the gate and was equipped with the same gear as him, walked ahead.

Or perhaps... the Black Knight inside the castle was also involved in the attack?

With the situation suddenly changed, Lann immediately pushed Margarita aside, making her move away from the three black knights behind her.

Melina is a spirit, and besides, she's an incarnation of Queen Marika, so there's not much to worry about.

'A lowly serpent', 'staining gold'?
Lan En could tell from the Black Knights' hate-filled roars that their attack on the Twin Moon Knights wasn't driven by personal grudges or a small group decision, but rather by a confrontation of positions.

...Is the Holy War Army experiencing internal strife?
The Shadowlands have been separated from the borderlands for far too long and have become an independent region.

What happened inside was completely unknown to those outside, let alone Lan En and his group who had just arrived.

Unaware of each other's positions, and having no doubts about Messer's enthusiasm for impalement, Lan En did not decide to intervene at this time, nor which side he would help if he did.

However, the Twin Moon Knights didn't seem to need any help at all.

"Sizzle!" *2
Two crisp sounds of swords scraping as they were drawn from their sheaths rang out.

The Twin Moon Knight crossed his arms and gracefully and swiftly drew a sword from each of his waists.

One is the iconic knight's sword of the Caria royal family, inlaid with azure sapphire, and the other is a longsword decorated with golden flame patterns.

In mid-air, as he dodged to the side, he drew both swords.

And after Leilana's sidestep and landing...

"rub!"

With another light tap of his toes, the Twin Moon Knight seemed to have no momentum at all! He effortlessly went from retreating to charging forward!
They returned to the Black Knight by the same route they had taken!
At this moment, the black knight hadn't even turned the hammer back after it was slammed down!
"Pfft!"

With his left hand, the golden flame longsword forcefully pushed aside the black knight's large shield that was placed in front of him, while with his right hand, the radiant stone longsword swiftly and cleanly pierced through his chest!

Due to the height difference, this sword strike directly hung the Black Knight on the blade!

(End of this chapter)