Throne of the North.

Chapter 533: On the Edge of the Kingdom of God, Ryan’s Prominence in the Imperial Capital
Gerald Noble Territory.

Pastor Yawen stood in front of a transparent mirror, his hands dripping with blood, and the mirror in front of him was gradually covered by holy light, and finally, a magnificent palace scene was presented.

That was the church from the Holy Mountain. His Majesty the noble Pope of the Dawn sat quietly on the throne of faith, looking at the scene in the mirror, and saw Pastor Yawen in such a state of embarrassment.

"What kind of power is that? Why is the Lord's [Kingdom of Heaven] also dispersed?"

Pastor Yawen asked, he was puzzled and angry, that was the power of the Lord, it should be invincible, but this time all his strength was restrained.

He had been atoning in the abyss for so long that he had no idea what the world had become today.

Faced with his description, the Pope also showed confusion and surprise, then began to flip through the book in his hand, and finally said:
"What you are facing is the remains of the Kingdom of Gods. The madman at the beginning of the empire, Les, called it the Edge of the Kingdom of Gods."

"The heavens where the gods reside are all exclusive. Even the heaven of my Lord cannot cover the heavens of other great beings. This is a kind of respect."

"Pascal has obtained the remains of the [Edge of the Kingdom of God]. The power of the Kingdom of Divine Arts cannot punish him unless you can break the space on the surface of his body, which is the edge of the Kingdom of God."

"How can this be?"

Pastor Yawen was stunned. Only by breaking the boundary of space could he break into the edge of the kingdom of God. That was the original power of the great existence.

"Nothing is impossible. Too many gods have fallen. The [Edge of the Kingdom of God] they left behind is extremely fragile. Even a legend could destroy it."

"You have this power, but..."

The Pope looked at Yawen, his eyes showing no emotion. After a moment, he suddenly laughed, causing the mirror that connected the long distance to shake.

"Pascal's desire to kill you is too strong. He knows all your methods. If you don't want to sink into the seal of eternal emptiness and despair, you'd better succeed in atonement."

Pastor Yawen gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, and at this moment he no longer had that extremely pious expression.

"I have completed my atonement. Everything we did on the Dawn Road has completed our atonement."

"That is not your credit. Any results on the Dawn Road belong to the loyalty of the Holy Heavenly Knights to our Lord. There is no place for anyone else."

"The Crusaders still need real atonement."

"Only by bringing back the faith of the northern lands can you truly redeem yourself."

The Pope also became tough. He was the Pope and he held the power to pardon the Redemption Army. In contrast, the Redemption Army had no confidence or qualifications to refute him.

Pastor Yawen had no other choice. The Pope could send him back to the abyss or directly sentence him to death.

"And one more thing."

Pastor Yawen picked up the gargoyle's head. Blood was still seeping from the crack. Only one head of the gargoyle was still alive. It was biting Yawen madly. There was a human-like emotion of resentment in the stone eyes.

"What are these things...?"

"do not know."

Faced with this question, the Pope seemed a little impatient. What he urgently wanted now was the faith of the northern lands, not playing any questions-and-answer games with Pastor Yawen.

"Those blasphemers in the empire have gained power from the essence of the gods. Pascal bypassed the Silent Ascetic and controlled the gargoyles. No one knows their power."

"Remember, Yawen, you are a sinner of the Dawn. If you want to enter the eternal kingdom of heaven and serve the great Lord, you have to complete atonement."

"This is your only chance to bring that land back into the arms of the Lord."

"You have no choice but to silence the heresy of the ascetics."

The Pope was not polite at all. He waved his hand angrily and broke the mirror into pieces. After the pieces were broken, the mirror looked very ordinary, just made of polished crystal.

Pastor Yawen remained silent for a long time. After a long while, he knelt on the ground and began to pray devoutly. The holy light of the morning sun shone on his body, as if he was wearing a snow-white priest's robe.

Gerald organized an army of 30,000 men, led by hundreds of knights, and crossed the river into the land of the Andara Kingdom.

At the same time, the Kingdom of Sera also sent troops into the Kingdom of Andara. The honorable King Sera showed his loyalty to Dawn and continued to put tremendous pressure on the Kingdom of Andara after repeated failures.

The royal bloodline of Loren Columbus took the initiative to go south to fight against the Griffin Legion. He couldn't let more wyverns die, so he began to avoid the Cross Redemption Army.

For this reason, the Gargoyle Legion had to face the Vatican's Penitent Army head-on, but not long after, Grand Duke Leta's Gargoyle Legion also went to the east.

There was no way out, because the behavior of witches and ghosts towards humans made the nobles reject them again. There was obviously no area with witches and ghosts in the war in the south, and the nobles were also afraid that witches and ghosts would deal a devastating blow to the morale of their soldiers on the battlefield.

Fortunately, the orcs in the north had been driven back, and the ordinary troops of Winged Canyon led by Otis Brooks, the empire's original legion, followed the Dragon Legion to the south.

Loren gave a good reason. The army led by Otis was originally a subsidiary army of the Dragon Legion in the Flying Wing Canyon. They usually assisted the Dragon Legion. It would be better for them to follow them to the south this time.

It is obvious that this royal bloodline, after experiencing a failure, is eager to find his own political allies. Only in this way can he give the emperor a proper explanation.

Another war broke out in the south, but this time, both the Dragon Legion and the Griffin Legion were careful to protect their reputation and stopped at a certain point. There was no fighting to the death, and both sides did not dare to allow their own extraordinary legions to suffer greater losses.

In the east, the outcome of the war was similar. Without the huge wyverns, the flying gargoyles could not cause a devastating blow to the Cross Redemption Army. This was mainly because the legendary power was too intimidating in the army.

The Witch and Ghost Legion held back most of the Crusaders' ground forces, and the sky was handed over to Pascal, but the count only wanted to kill the priest Alvin Griffith.

The battlefields in the south and east persisted, with people dying every day, but the number of people who died each day could not really change the direction of the war.

"How long did you say before?"

"Ten days?"

Ryan was eagerly waiting in Zero Crossing City. The Gargoyle Corps had been in the east for ten days, and the results from the first day had exceeded everyone's expectations.

The kingdom's army failed to resist the Griffin Legion, and the dignity of the Andara Kingdom was once again crushed to the ground. Ryan didn't know how much face the Andara Kingdom had left to squander.

The Dragon Legion and the Gargoyle Legion were also unable to win a crushing victory over the Crusaders. There were many reasons for this, but the nobles always only looked at the results.

Ryan had reason to believe that ten days ago, when the war just started, the Empire was mainly confident that the two extraordinary legions would eliminate the Cross Redemption Army as quickly as possible, and then shift the focus of the Empire to the main battlefield in the south again.

The same is true for the Vatican. The strength of the Crusaders was demonstrated on the Road to Dawn. They should be able to achieve immediate results when they go to the north, exchanging their lives for the Dawn Vatican's once again great glory and leading the weak kingdom's land back into the arms of the Lord of Dawn.

The result made everyone unhappy, but the fact that the war persisted was an indisputable fact.

Legends can change the battlefield, but in the east, both sides have the same number of legends, but in the south? No one has any legends, and King Sera's [Wind Emperor] obviously cannot lead the army in person without grace.

This should be the result that Loren wanted. Without the legend, it would be impossible to inflict large-scale damage to the wyvern.

In short, at this time, the two sides of the war are not competing with extraordinary combat power, but the endurance of their logistics.

Men eat what horses chew. Whenever there is a war, soldiers will eat more than usual and consume more resources than usual.

The Andara Kingdom has a deeper foundation than the Serra Kingdom, but the wyverns there can eat more than anyone else. It's almost the same in the east. Those witches and ghosts need to drink blood, and the gargoyles... gargoyles also need to eat, they eat magic crystals.

It is amazing that the life created by the Forbidden Magic Stone needs magic to maintain its vitality.

"So, now Lord Gerald is going to invite the old Moonlight Knight Tiffany to come out of retirement?"

Ryan put away the letter and looked towards the horizon. This war has fallen into the stage of sunk costs. Neither side can afford the cost of failure. If they cannot break through the existing situation, they can only continue to increase the stakes. Gerald's legendary knight must be dispatched. They are loyal believers of the Dawn Church. The Knight Tiffany is probably helpless. He is being coerced by Gerald's bloodline.

So what about the Empire?
Not surprisingly, the emperor is going to give another order to Lord Ivy Ivan, asking him to participate in the war. It is hard to say who will win when this legendary magician faces the Moonlight Knight. In this case...

Isn't this another stalemate?

Ryan's guess was correct. On the battlefield east of the Andara Kingdom, three legends from the Holy See's Cross Redemption Army, including Pastor Yawen, and Gerald's Moonlight Knight participated in the war.

On the other side, there is the legendary Count Pascal, the legendary Knight Daryl the Elephant, the legendary witch Alla Leta, and Ivy League Ivan.

Eight legends fought until the sky was dark... no, it should be that the sky was bright, the earth collapsed, and the holy light of the morning light sprinkled down and purified all things. The power of legends was something the world had to endure with difficulty.

That river is the river that marks the border between the Kingdom of Andara and the territory of Gerald Noble.

Originally it was only a few meters wide, but now it has turned into a huge rift. Not only is it wide, but its depth has reached 10 to 20 meters. The rift is full of broken walls, cracked stones, and powdered soil.

The legends' unscrupulous attacks changed the terrain, but they could not change the situation of the war between the two sides.

The Pope was very dissatisfied with this result, and the Emperor of the Flor Empire also had a gloomy expression.

They all couldn't wait to vent their military power on a real battlefield between the two sides.

"Yawen is a priest who has redeemed himself. He wants to obtain the blessing to defeat the [Edge of the Kingdom of God]."

The Pope questioned how the great power of faith of Dawn could be used to bless a sinner.

On the imperial side, the emperor also invited many nobles.

"To the east of the empire, to the north of human civilization, it is far away from the Church of the Dawn. The Church's power there is extremely weak. Another tragedy like the Dawn Road must not happen again in that land."

"The war in the north must be won."

The emperor's majesty was unquestionable, but the nobles were somewhat embarrassed.

"The closest army to that place is the Flying Wing Canyon. The Flying Dragon Army has already been dispatched, and the remaining Violent Elephant Army must stay in the Flying Wing Canyon."

"Count Pascal of the Danube Province has already joined the war. If we are closer, it is the Volga Province and the Blazing Snow Province."

"The troops of the Volga Province are currently transporting food to the south and cannot go to the north. As for the Blazing Snow Province... they have just experienced a war against orcs, and there are disasters and monster threats everywhere. Without an army, the lives of many nobles will be threatened."

There are only a few places close to the battlefield of the kingdom. Any farther away would be inappropriate. Moreover, the troops of the provinces farther away are now concentrated in the south of the empire. How could they return to the north before the war is over?

"Are we going to rely on that loser Loren? And what about Count Pascal? What kind of hatred does he have against the Church that he would abandon victory in the war?"

Speaking of this, the emperor became extremely angry. It was too difficult.

Although he was in the Imperial City, he also knew what happened in the kingdom. Loren had actually caused the Dragon Legion to suffer heavy losses.

Now no one doubts Count Pascal, but distrust of Count Pascal continues to deepen.

Why is it so troublesome?
"Why not let the Beifeng Province join the war?"

The one who spoke was His Highness the Elector Volvo, who had won a beautiful war on the west coast.

For Volvo, victory in war would be meaningless if it could not be flaunted and publicized for the nobles to see.

So he returned to the imperial capital, letting all the nobles see his skills and abilities, and getting more nobles to recognize and support him.

"The extraordinary army of the Northern Wind Province has almost become history when facing the werewolves. They cannot decide the outcome of the war."

Some nobles disagreed. They asked what level of extraordinary legions were involved in the Kingdom War and how could the North Wind Province be qualified to participate in the war.

"The war in the kingdom is now tense. Perhaps what will decide the outcome of the war is not a new extraordinary army, but a strong and powerful command."

Elector Volvo said that although he had won praise and recognition from many nobles on the West Coast, he would not give up recruiting nobles from the North Wind Province.

Just like how Archduke Meyers described the three electors.

The Emperor-Elect Volvo is like a king playing chess. He is good at political struggle, balancing interests and using compromise. He is a natural aristocrat.

Elector Floyd is more like a powerful warrior and general, leading the army and soldiers to a glorious victory in blood and fire.

Volvo returned with victory. Although he was somewhat dissatisfied with the rejection of his previous invitation to Ryan, he never doubted Baron Ryan's military talent and ability.

"Baron Ryan has a reasonable status and power in the Kingdom of Andara. He is qualified to command the kingdom's army. The kingdom's current war needs such an outstanding military commander to gain the faith of the northern lands for the empire."

"The Light should expand, not defend."

When the emperor heard Volvo's words, he couldn't help but nodded. Of course, it didn't matter whether what the emperor elect said was right or wrong.

The key point is that the Kingdom War has now fallen into a sunk cost state, and what is needed is not the correct decision, but quantitative investment.

No matter who or what it is, as long as it can be thrown into the kingdom and increase the odds of victory, the emperor will agree.

but……

He looked at Grand Duke Meyers' successor, Chrysus Meyers.

The Grand Duke was old, and the Emperor did not like to see those four old guys who were qualified to criticize him, so usually their heirs and descendants appeared before the Emperor as representatives.

Although the proposal of the electors was tempting, Columbus III still had to save his dignity.

He had secretly reached a deal with Grand Duke Meyers before, and the power of the Northern Wind Province was temporarily handed over to Meyers. As a political compromise, the emperor could not easily bypass Meyers and deal with the Northern Wind Province directly.

This was a deal, and it just so happened that Archduke Meyers and the Emperor made the deal on an equal footing.

If he were a count, the emperor wouldn't have to care about these things.

He could give the order, but he needed Meyers' support.

Chrysostom agreed without any hesitation.

It's not that he wanted to let the northern baron steal the spotlight, but Chrysos remembered his father's decision to strangle Baron Ryan in the cradle. They had failed once, and now Baron Ryan was hiding in his own territory and refused to come out, so no one could find him.

If you want to kill him, you must first create an opportunity to kill him.

What better opportunity could there be than war, a war with nearly double-digit legends?
The spread of legendary power could easily overwhelm the defenses around Baron Ryan.

Chrysostom thought so, so he agreed with the proposal of the Emperor Elector Volvo.

In the eyes of other nobles, this was a political support from the Grand Duke Meyers family to the Elector they supported, confirming that Grand Duke Meyers had really chosen Elector Volvo.

After all, the last time the Grand Duke personally wanted to punish the Northern Baron, it was obvious that the relationship between the two sides was not good. But now it seems that because of the decision of the Elector Volvo, Meyers has also compromised.

The nobles all thought so, even His Highness the Elector Volvo and His Majesty the Emperor thought so. Chrysostom looked at the expressions of the nobles and felt somewhat satisfied. This way, no one would know that his real purpose was to kill Ryan.

(End of this chapter)