Knight and Wand

Chapter 286: The Battle of Rolandar (Part 1)

The moment he crossed the boundary between reality and the curtain, Leon felt a gust of wind and noise sweeping in from behind.

A sneak attack?! An ambush?
Leon and the leading group ran quickly and moved ten feet away.

He paused and looked back, only to find that the airspace behind him, which was shrouded by the light of the holy lamp, was actually rippling, and thousands of coalition soldiers were "gushing" into the narrow mine tunnel like a flood.

The sound of metal colliding and cursing exploded instantly.

"-Ouch! Me.!" Lohak was pushed down by the crowd coming from behind and fell on the crowd in front of him.

Before he could stand up again, with the sound of clanging and banging, his burly figure was instantly submerged under the knights who kept falling into the spirit-like field.

The army had lost its previous high spirit of holy war, and the crowded scene was even a little funny.

But Leon was in no mood to laugh at the scene before him.

He and his generals pulled up the soldiers who had fallen in one by one, and shouted loudly, asking the people in the front row to follow the lanterns as quickly as possible.

Walking quickly into the front of the tunnel, the soldiers behind him struggled to get up from the ground and finally evacuated, no longer blocking the mine tunnel.

"Reorganize the team!" Gorim picked up his battle axe and shouted at the Steelforge guards who were in disarray.

Leon interrupted. "No need to form a team, all troops should speed up and march! Now!"

He forced the order to be passed on, and the soldiers ignored the messy formation and rushed through the narrow passage following the guiding light.

Lohak ran through the crowd and came to Leon's side, his face full of confusion: "What happened just now?"

".Remember the time I rescued Aka? That was caused by a time speed difference that was even more exaggerated than that in the Nightmare Forest. We cannot waste even a second in this cursed place! Order everyone to run as fast as possible! Run faster!"

Leon frowned, his face solemn.

There were no casualties in the passage, so this was not some kind of magic trap. Considering the characteristics of the spiritual field, he speculated on the cause of this phenomenon.

The difference in the speed of time flow inside and outside is too great.

To people outside, the soldier in front who had just been swallowed into the field had not yet had time to take the next step and was still moving slowly in place, while the soldier behind him had already stepped over the boundary and squeezed onto the comrade in front.

But in such a fierce and instantaneous traffic jam, the speed difference between the inside and the outside is definitely not just a few times or even dozens of times.

He calculated the marching speed in his mind, as well as the time difference when he, as the leader, first sensed the emergence of the soldiers in the rear.
It could be as many as three hundred and thirty times.

In other words, with only a delay of six minutes, thirty-three hours might have passed in the outside world.

In a true sense, it is close to the saying “One day in heaven is one year on earth”.

If they can't end all this as soon as possible, no matter whether they can win this battle, the outside world will suffer completely as time passes quickly!
However, to complete the remaining section of the ancient mine tunnel, reach the ground, and arrive at the city of Rolandar, it is still nearly thirty kilometers away!
Leon couldn't help but curse in his heart.

The coverage area of ​​the Holy Land City's spiritual-like field is unexpectedly large. If they proceed according to plan, by the time they arrive at the city of Rolandar, more than eighty days will have passed in the outside world.

Leon glanced at the lantern as he ran - Laura was trapped in the holy lamp as the core of the guidance ritual, and he could not count on her help at this moment.

So how can we get the troops to arrive as quickly as possible?
Leon first thought of magic, the practical spell called "Wind Boots" cast by Master Hilgard, but with 3,500 warriors present, even if high-level warlocks Harvey or Hilgard were here, they would not be able to cast spells for thousands of people at the same time.

After thinking hard, Leon suddenly had an idea. He touched the bag and an idea that might work popped up in his head.

He turned to the two dwarf kings who were wearing heavy armor and walking briskly beside him and asked: "Can your two majesties' guards reach Rolandar within three quarters of an hour and maintain combat effectiveness?"

Kamoz sneered first: "Ha! My people can arrive twice as fast as you."

Gorim nodded and continued, "This is not difficult for the tenacious son of Omros. Besides, our guards are the best in the tribe."

That would be easy.

"Akao, how many times can you fill my magic power?" Leon turned his head to look at the young knight who was jogging with his head down behind him.

"I can recharge you sixty-five times and replenish your magicka five times, my lord." Corvis paused, as if he was changing his words because of a slip of the tongue.

"Five times." Leon pulled out the Noble Phantasm Card, Boiling Heart, from his side and estimated secretly.

If I squeeze my magic power to the limit now, with about a hundred people in full condition each time, I can probably maintain the Neti card three times in a row.

It's more than enough. Not all the jihad warriors need to increase their own physical strength. It is enough to make up for the shortcomings of the army and keep up with the forced march of the troops.

However, after listening to Leon's plan, Corvis was worried about this crazy idea: "! But your body won't be able to bear it first! Remember that time in Selva!"

Olivia's pupils shrank slightly as she remembered how Leon almost died of exhaustion.

"It's different. Back then, I burned up my magic essence to consume my energy. This time, I will keep some energy. Besides, my magic power and body are no longer what they used to be."

There was no time to argue. Leon insisted on this decision and ordered the Dwarf King to lead the Heran army to speed up first. Then he turned around and ordered that anyone who could still fight after following the Heran people within three quarters of an hour should immediately start a forced march.

Lord Irem immediately led the elite knights around him to gallop away. The Holy Lake Priest cast a spell to speed up himself and was not slower than the Holy Lake Knights.

The Knights of Arms of each team also picked up their speed one after another, and the Knight-Rangers behind Leon surpassed the warriors in front of them one after another with big strides.

In a blink of an eye, more than two hundred elite knights took the lead.

Leon immediately activated the Boiling Heart. The diffused light particles made hundreds of soldiers around him feel a surge of power coming from their bodies. In an instant, they became as light as a swallow and their feet were as fast as the wind. They then obeyed the commander's order and accelerated to chase after the vanguard troops.

In the deep and dim underground space, the sound of rushing footsteps could be heard.

They only accelerated the march by a hundred men each time until they were halfway along the route, then Leon lifted the magic and ran back to the rear to pick up the next batch of soldiers.

This is the limit of what he can do.

But going back and forth, speeding up the army like a ruthless buff machine, he realized the problem that was being overlooked.

Others just had to follow him and run once, but as a BUFF machine, I had to go back and forth again and again.

Running at a speed beyond ordinary people, when he finished the fifth round, even though he had been replenished with magic essence by Corvis, sweat still covered Leon's face, and a strong sense of fatigue invaded his mind.

The speed of running was getting slower and slower, and Leon realized that in his haste he had accidentally overlooked himself.

Holding the sword and lowering the holy lamp, his silhouette, hunched over and panting, was reflected on the wall of the mine tunnel.

He slowed down his pace and breathed heavily, exhausted like a fan. Heat waves rolled over his body, and wisps of steam were reflected by the light. He ran nearly 150 kilometers at full speed. Even with his body that surpassed the level of ordinary knights of military honors, he felt the pain of his vitality being constantly squeezed, which was no less stressful than the initial special training.

Suddenly, there was the sound of metal boots crushing rock layers approaching. Olivia, who had already followed the order and moved ahead, braked as fast as the wind and stopped in front of Leon.

"You stubborn idiot! Why don't you call me for help?"

With heartache flashing in her eyes, she grabbed her lover and threw him over her shoulder without saying a word.

Noticing that the opponent's face looked increasingly worse in the previous few rounds, he could not help but catch up with him, and found that Leon was indeed at the end of his strength.

"You've exhausted yourself before the battle. Why didn't I realize you're so stupid before?" Olivia angrily held Leon's thigh armor. The small girl of about 1.6 meters carried the big guy of about 1.9 meters on her back and ran quickly with her long legs.

The subtle contrast of an elf carrying a dragon seems particularly humorous.

But compared to the heavy logs used for long-distance running, Leon wearing heavy armor is ten times lighter, even with the armor, so it is not too much of a burden for the girl.

With his arms resting on Olivia's shoulder armor, Leon let the reliable girl carry him on her back. He smiled bitterly and thought of that night in Selva.
It seems that when I am with my lover, I often accidentally pick up the wrong heroine script.

But now it was a critical moment and there was no room for emotion. With Olivia's help, Leon got a chance to breathe.

He persisted and completed seven full cycles, almost squeezing out not only his own but also Corvis's huge magic power to the bottom. He used the Boiling Heart twelve times at full capacity, and the army's marching efficiency suddenly increased by half.

The light of the holy lamp went up along the mine tunnel, gradually piercing through the chaotic haze of time and space in the cave.

The dwarf warriors rolled over the humus soil and brushed away the stone wall handles covered with cobweb dust.

They worked together to push open the huge door of the mine tunnel that blocked the exit.

A hill with huge rocks revealed the exit of ruins that had been sealed for thousands of years. The light of the lantern shone out, and what came into view was the withered forest surrounding the mountain.

The gnarled tree roots were exposed like the knuckles of a dead person, and the chill wind blowing through the bare branches made a whimpering sound like an empty coffin.

Everything is not as bright as when exposed to sunlight, but seems to be immersed in faded developer, with an eerie clarity and a thick white mist.

There was no sun, moon or stars in the sky above. Dark colorful vortices were swirling in the void, rushing wildly like overturned chaos.

Entering the spiritual field in the dim underground mine, people have already arrived in another dimension before they realize it.

But now, they have witnessed the legendary Plain of Despair, where there is no return.

Many people felt a chill in their hearts at the incomprehensible strange scene before them.

Compared to the dark underworld under the clouds of eternal night, the world beyond the shroud of holy light, where the sea of ​​chaos hangs upside down and everything is hazy like gray, is even more terrifying.

Once you get lost here, both your body and soul will never be able to return.

"keep going."

Leon, looking pale with exhaustion, walked past the soldiers who were standing still and looking at the distance.

He glanced at the familiar distorted realm outside and the outline of the Holy City vaguely visible on the other side of the horizon, then walked down the mountain along the eroded spiral ramp outside the cave.

After leaving the closed and narrow underground tunnel, my breathing became smoother and the fatigue in my body was relieved a lot.

Unable to bear the slight itching on his cheeks and around his head, he unbuttoned his clothes and took off his wing helmet.

Leon stopped in his tracks as he pulled open the chain mail hood that had just covered his forehead with sweat.

His long black hair broke free from the restraint of his helmet and fell down. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and raised his hand to grab the hair on his shoulder.

here we go again.
Whenever I'm on the verge of running out of magic, my hair will grow like this for no reason.

If it is some physiological phenomenon caused by learning magic, then why is only the hair growing wildly?

I've never seen them grow eyebrows or eyelashes.

If Laura hadn’t repeatedly assured him that there was nothing to worry about, Leon would really wonder if he had some strange disease.

Fortunately, this strange disease seems to allow me to never have to worry about baldness again.

Holding the holy lamp and drawing the sword with one hand, he turned his head to let his long hair fall on the blade, shook the hilt, and cut through.

After cutting off the long hair that was in the way at the back of his head and shaking off the loose hair, Leon put on his winged helmet again and followed the pace of the army.

The army marched against the clock through the mountains and forests, completing the last ten kilometers.

Arriving at the city of Rolandar, Leon looked up at the huge city wall in front of him that was scarred by the war.

An inexplicable emotion rose from the heart, perhaps from the memory of the original owner.

Leon struggled to get rid of this indescribable wonderful feeling and silently calculated the time that had passed.

Three hours have passed since entering the spiritual land.

Even if we try our best to speed up, more than forty days may still have passed in the outside world.

Is Baldim County still holding on? Has the Kingdom's army in Mamor County reversed the situation? In Glade County, Avalon Castle. How are Azerien, Uncle Brian, Lady Elena, and Lina? Have the undead entered Orland?

There are too many worries.

But no matter what, this is the end of this journey, the chance to end everything, and no one can retreat.

"Lola, I'm here to fulfill our agreement."

Leon looked at the shining lantern in his hand, his eyes gradually becoming firm.

Looking ahead is a huge gap where the high wall of the huge city has collapsed.

This gap created by the siege machinery provided to Aviut by the Kantardars, or in other words, by the Atias wizards, is now the best entrance for the army to enter Rolandar.

Lohak looked at his hometown that he had been dreaming about for more than a year. This painful place buried all the good memories of the past decade or so since he was born.

"Father. Mother Lohak is home."

(End of this chapter)