Imperial Crown.

Chapter 570 What I miss most is Chifeng and his team
"Ha ha"

"Finally almost home!" "Boss, what's the first thing you want to do when we get back?"

Thirty-two-four Wind Kings flew in formation over Irene County, their imposing presence like a dark cloud blotting out the sun. Xiao Wanno rode one of the Wind Kings to Banks' side, his face beaming with joy as he asked. They were both orphans who had grown up together in the orphanage, as close as brothers, so they called Banks "Boss" as brothers and sisters. Over the years, they'd gotten so used to it that they rarely called him "Captain."

The so-called Wind King is actually an enhanced version of the Gryphon, similar to a reversion of a magical plant. Both were beings whose corrupted soul essence was absorbed by Raven using the Eye of Truth. At the very least, they are equivalent to the strength of a first-tier magical beast.

Both being border provinces, Nord Province is bordered by North Sea Province to its right. Below it lies Molineux Province.

The border between the Nord Province and the Molinier Province consists of only two counties: Irene County and Feldoro County. Feldoro County was once the territory of the Fox family, to which Nancy belonged. It is also the county where the city of Howe is located, and currently the base of the Holy See's army. A huge depression forms between the two counties, separated by a massive mountain range called Dragon Tail. Legend has it that a section of a dragon's tail is buried here. As for how the dragon tail came to be, there are many theories. Some say it was cut off by Griffith's ancestor, Don Quixote; others say it was cut off by an angel of the Holy See; still others say it was severed during an internal battle among the dragon race…

Therefore, on a map, the counties of Ilyn and Ferdolo, where the provinces of Nord and Molinell meet, resemble two drooping nipples—very conspicuous. Alternatively, one could say they resemble camel humps, which would be a more elegant interpretation.

Banks smiled upon hearing this, remaining silent for a moment. This group of orphans, forming the Wind King's Legion, had followed their father on March 5th, 1205, on an expedition against the Orc Empire. Now, on June 22nd, 1209, they had finally returned to Irene County. Although they hadn't yet returned to Snowmaple County, they had at least set foot on their homeland. More than four years had passed, so it was no wonder everyone was overjoyed.

Banks had originally planned to enter Nord Province from Feldoro County and then return to Snowmaple County. For many years, he had harbored a wish to visit his mother Nancy's hometown. At 28 years old, Banks had never been to Howe City. Unfortunately, most of them were already eager to return home! They had been traveling for over four months since setting off from Bloodstone Territory, and the unusual weather this year—the relentless cold winds and snow—had become unbearable. Therefore, Banks didn't insist, deciding to find an opportunity to go later. This was also why he remained silent with a smile—he really didn't want to spoil the atmosphere.

In the expedition against the Orc Empire, the Wind King's Legion was reduced to less than 600 men. Therefore, these 300-odd men were extremely fortunate and fortunate. There are three aspects to this. First, as the Wind Riders, they could ride the Wind King every day, covering a thousand miles a day, unlike the other soldiers who had to walk back. Second, they were granted permission to return home early, leaving only half of the Wind King's Legion to handle messages and emergencies. Thus, in just over four months, they had already returned to Irene County from Bloodstone Territory. The main force of the Eagle Army, however, would likely take at least another two to three months to reach Irene County. Third, they were about to return to Snowmaple County. They only needed to pass through Hampshire and Essex County to reach home.

"Haha! I'll go back and, without saying a word, find ten girls to soak in a hot spring first!" Seeing Banks just laughing and not answering the question, Lennon shouted loudly from the side! His childhood nickname was "Rhinoceros," which speaks volumes about his robust physique. He was neither as sensitive and delicate as Heyaz "Greyhound," nor as refined and gentle as Banks "Black-bellied."

"Keep bragging," Xiao Wannuo said with a smirk.

“Tsk.” “I’m serious.” Lennon rolled his eyes and emphasized. He was a year older than Banks, 29 this year, in the prime of his life.

"When I get back, I must go to the orphanage first and have a meal of Chifeng dumplings made by the nanny herself. Sigh, I don't know why, but the older I get, the more I crave this. Thinking back to my childhood, it was truly a happy time." Another person joined in, their face beaming with a heartfelt smile, and sighed.

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, lost in their memories. These orphans, originally pitiful without parents, had picked up many bad habits. Otherwise, they wouldn't have formed gangs at such a young age, bullying classmates, engaging in violence, and robbing for money. It was their father, Raven, who gave them a new life; it was the discipline nanny who corrected their bad habits; and it was their mother, Nancy, who gave them the maternal love they had always imagined.

“Actually…” Banks pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, “there are things I also want to do. I want to go back to the old castle in Eagletown and take a look…”

hum-

Before Banks could finish speaking, he saw a sharp, barbed arrow fly out of the air right in front of him!

At that moment, the entire world seemed to stand still in Banks' eyes. No! Strictly speaking, it was only slowed down a hundredfold, a thousandfold!
"Small--"

"Heart--"

Banks' eyes widened suddenly, his adrenaline surged, and he stretched out his palm, roaring at the top of his lungs! In slow motion, the word "Careful" was completely distorted and altered.

The arrow, spinning and appearing abruptly, shot towards Chauvin in Banks' eyes. Even before it struck Chauvin's cheek, a finger's length away, it created a swirling vortex and a rapidly trembling dent on his face. It looked as if someone had slapped Chauvin hard, leaving irregular, wavy lines on his cheek. The next moment, the arrow pierced his face from below, shattering his facial bones with a crack, and exiting through his left eye socket. "Pfft—" Warm, scarlet blood splattered like fireworks onto the faces of those around him. The arrow, having pierced his eyeball, protruded halfway from its socket, remaining obliquely in Chauvin's cheek. Before the smile on his face could even "dry," his body jolted, and he stiffly collapsed from the back of his Wind King!
Of course, all of this was just a scene played out a thousand times slower in Banks' eyes. In reality, from the sudden appearance of the arrow to Chauvin falling, it was less than a blink of an eye and a breath.

"Enemy attack!!!!!"

A surge of adrenaline made Banks scrutinize every detail of the process, leaving him momentarily stunned. Meanwhile, Lennon roared with unstoppable force.

"Don't panic, form battle formation!" Lennon's shout completely jolted Banks awake, and he hurriedly began to stabilize morale.

The next moment, a dense barrage of arrows shot out from below, mercilessly reaping the life of the Wind King.

Banks lay on the back of the Wind King and looked down. What he saw startled him!
Banks was naturally aware of Governor Tyrone's attack on Snowmaple County and had already sent scouts to gather intelligence. He learned that Tyrone was merely leading a large army to garrison Hippocrates County without attacking, and had no intention of causing them any trouble. Therefore, when Chauvin died, Banks instinctively assumed it was a mistake in the intelligence, or that Tyrone had arranged an ambush. But what Banks saw next was far more shocking! The attackers were not Governor Tyrone, but the army of the Holy See!
How is this possible?!
Why would the Church of Light attack them? And aren't their troops stationed in Feldorro County? Why would they specifically come to Irene County to ambush them?!

Years of combat and battle had forged Banks's will into steel and his keen senses into those of a hawk. With just a quick glance through the snow, he grasped the situation and immediately roared, "It's the Holy See!" "Over 2000 enemy troops!" "Scatter!"

"Together they are a blazing fire, scattered they are countless stars!" This description perfectly captures the essence of the Wind King's forces. Although they number only a mere 300 or so, they possess the advantage of flight. At a single command, the 300-plus soldiers obeyed orders without hesitation, forming over 30 squads of 10 each and flying off in all directions.

Boom——

However, before Banks could even figure out how to deal with the situation, a deafening explosion completely stunned him. Looking up, he saw two squads of about ten Wind Kings breaking through the enemy lines instantly reduced to dust! In other words, more than 20 Wind Kings and more than 20 brothers who had grown up together vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye. Not even a speck of dust or ashes remained.

"Fuck your mother!" "It's a magic crystal cannon!" "They even brought a magic crystal cannon!"

Seeing this, Lennon bared his teeth and cursed angrily. His face flushed red, making him look like a ferocious monster.

Banks felt a chill run through him. They had initially managed to put up a fight thanks to their aerial advantage, but now, their opponents were clearly prepared, even bringing along magic crystal cannons at great cost, clearly intending to slaughter them all.

"We can't escape!" "Banks! Buckle down!" Lennon gripped Banks' shoulders, shaking him violently as he roared, "I'll take some men down and hold them off. You guys throw javelins and snakeheads down below." "Then we'll figure out a way to break through!" "Tell Father something—" "Just say I want to..."

The words "I miss him" never quite came out of Lennon's mouth. Perhaps it felt too cheesy, so he swallowed them back and said instead, "I didn't disgrace him! I'll be his son again in my next life!" Lennon released Banks and flew off into the distance, shouting as he flew, "Squads three, four, five, and six, listen up! Swallow the Serpent's Tongue Fruit! Form the hurricane formation and tear these beasts to shreds!"

At Lennon's command, more than 40 wind kings were immediately manipulated into forming a giant circle and rushing downwards.

The so-called Hurricane Formation sounds nice, but it's actually a complete suicide tactic! It involves having the Wind King spread its wings and form a circle to descend fearlessly, then unleashing the racial magic [Storm Vortex] at the right moment to create a powerful whirlwind, throwing the enemy into disarray and tearing their formation apart!
swish

As these Wind Kings spread their wings and descended, despite their rapid descent, many were still struck in the abdomen by arrows, resembling porcupines from afar. Their once pristine white bellies were now a bloodstained crimson, their smooth feathers disheveled like a cat's mane, and broken feathers flew through the air like snowflakes. They didn't even have time to reach a height where they could unleash their racial magic before they perished, falling with mournful cries.

Fortunately, these Wind Kings also used their own bodies to block many arrows!

The vacant positions will soon be filled by the other Wind Kings.

"Storm Vortex!"

One after another, the Wind Kings fell, and one after another took their place. Finally, Lennon led everyone to a height where they could unleash their racial magic. At Lennon's command, the orphans on the backs of the Wind Kings shouted in unison.

In a short time, only about 20 of the original 40 Wind Kings remained. More than half were killed or wounded! This shows how brutal this tactic was! Calling it a suicide attack wouldn't be an exaggeration. Fortunately, as the Wind Kings unleashed their Storm Vortex simultaneously, a powerful and terrifying whirlwind was instantly created!

"Ah ah ah"

The soldiers of the Holy See below were immediately blown around and sent flying, letting out terrified screams. Complete chaos ensued!
"kill!"

Lennon's eyes were bloodshot as he roared.

The orphans jumped off the back of the Wind King, and with a swing of their javelins, they shattered the armor of the Holy See soldiers, sending heads rolling.

"A mere twenty-odd suicide ghosts! How dare they be so arrogant!"

A loud shout came from not far away, and nearly a hundred second-tier extraordinary Light Knights, riding tall horses and radiating battle aura, galloped towards Lennon and his group. Many of these men were Light Knights who had once gone to the Orc Empire to support Raven; the two groups had once fought side-by-side as comrades, but now they were mortal enemies!

"call out"

As Lennon and the others whistled, the Wind Kings circled in the air and immediately flew back, unleashing their second racial spell, [Pulse Surge]!
Boom! Boom!

Purple lightning rained down like snowflakes, instantly blasting over thirty second-tier transcendent Light Knights into charred remains. They convulsed and died, their bodies spasming. They didn't even have time to unleash any combat techniques, or even utter a scream.

"Brother!" "Banksy!!" "What the hell are you waiting for?!" "Throw javelins at us!" "Hurry up!"

Lennon roared with all his might. Although they gained a slight advantage after landing, they were simply too few in number! Only about 20 people. It was far from enough. Most of the soldiers on the backs of the Wind Kings who fell from the sky were killed by the impact, and even those who survived were severely injured with broken bones. They were basically incapable of fighting.

Banks' hesitation infuriated and frustrated Lennon. He was well aware of Banks' thoughts, but the opportunity was fleeting, and Lennon could only shout to force him to make this difficult decision. "We've both eaten the snake-forked fruit, believe me, it'll be alright!"

This lie, which even a fool wouldn't fall for, was a small act of kindness in Lennon's heart. It also became the final straw that broke Banks' back.

"Everyone obey orders!"

"Throw a javelin!"

Banks gave the order with tears in his eyes.

As the order was given, the remaining orphan soldiers hovering high in the sky raised their javelins, choking back tears, and aimed them at the area where Lennon was below.

As the javelins whistled and spun as they were launched, plumes of dark green poisonous smoke rose up, enveloping an area of ​​hundreds of meters below! From within the poisonous smoke, the shrill screams of the Holy See soldiers echoed!
While the snake-head fruit is effective, its coverage area is limited. Furthermore, it's an inanimate object that cannot move! Therefore, its most powerful and concentrated destructive force is only realized when the soldiers of the Holy See swarm to encircle Lennon and his group! Because if Lennon and his companions weren't used as bait, the Holy See soldiers could easily escape the poisonous cloud created by the snake-head fruit after the javelins were thrown. Only Lennon and his group's desperate resistance could keep these Holy See soldiers like fish biting bait, refusing to let go or escape!

This is undoubtedly a suicidal move, and an unsolvable tactic!
"The rest of us will split into three teams: one team will stay behind to harass from the air! One team will come down with me to fight the enemy! The third team will begin to break through one by one! Every person who can leave is a chance!"

The enemy clearly possessed magic crystal cannons, yet they didn't choose to fire directly at them! This immediately made Banks realize that the enemy had a limited number of magic crystal cannons. They were only targeting the Wind Kings who attempted to break through! After all, there were at most third-tier transcendents below, and they couldn't fly, so the magic crystal cannons were only used to eliminate those who could fly and tried to escape. If they used the magic crystal cannons to bombard the main force of Wind Kings, many would successfully escape during the reloading intervals. Therefore, the enemy was surrounding them without attacking, creating a significant psychological deterrent. Their goal was to capture them all, leaving no one alive!
Having thought all this through, Banks' eyes flashed with a sinister light, and he immediately gave the order.

"Boss, you can't die! Let me lead the team down to fight them!" someone shouted as they approached.

"What nonsense!"

With Lennon dead before his eyes, Banks' mind was made up. He coldly shouted, "Go! Go back and report! Perhaps there's still a glimmer of hope for us."

……

(End of this chapter)