Throne of the North.

Chapter 807 The Initial Establishment of the Knight Academy (Part 10)
The emperor's palace was resplendent in gold and jade, and Volvo Columbus sat on the supreme throne, his aura gradually rising.

He is on the path to legend, a path every Columbus Emperor would take. Once he becomes emperor, even if he was just an ordinary person before, he will possess legendary power. This is the terrifying aspect of an empire's strength. Blasphemy never brings just some visible benefits.

Power is intoxicating, but the emperor remains furious with the nobles of the North.

They attempted to abolish the existence of the Imperial First Legion, and even united a group of southern nobles and members of the royal family to stop them. This behavior was far more violent than that of Grand Duke Freming and his group; they were directly questioning and resisting the emperor's authority.

The emperor drove them out and sent letters to the noble territories in the north, questioning whether they were questioning the will of the emperor and the capital.

The nobles, of course, did not answer, nor dared to show any disloyalty, since they had only sent their representatives to the capital.

This is beyond question. Things have been changing over the past few decades. The nobles who came to the capital city got the results they didn't want and had no choice but to settle for second best and start preparing for their own interests.

The emergence of the Imperial First Legion brought about change, making the nobles of the North realize that they needed allies in the South, especially in the Imperial Capital.

All imperial orders originate from this heart. Having people in the capital city makes this very important. Even if they can't influence the capital's policies, at the very least, they need to know the emperor's will as soon as possible, right?

The emperor knew, of course, that this was a compromise by the nobles, so he turned a blind eye to the exchanges at the Knight Academy. He had previously assumed that this exchange was a means for the Northern nobles to oppose the emergence of the Empire's First Legion.

As for the outcome of that battle, it's not of any concern to His Majesty the Emperor. The Imperial Knight Academy has existed for hundreds or even thousands of years; how could it possibly lose?
……

Imperial Knight Academy.

Thirty trainee knights from each side, fully armed, stood imposingly on the sandy ground. The observing nobles couldn't help but nod in approval. Due to the conflict with the Dawn Church, the Empire had a strong military character, and these knights were undoubtedly the elite of the nobles.

There was no movement from the Imperial Knight Academy, but the people from the Northern Knight Academy were quite noisy.

"Why won't you let us go? Can you really handle them?"

"Don't forget what Baron Ryan and the Earl said. How could the knights of the North possibly lose to the weaklings of the South?"

Beside Brand, a middle-aged man dressed in aristocratic attire anxiously questioned him, but Brand did not respond.

“You are only using the name of the Knight Academy, not being real students of the Northern Knight Academy, so of course you cannot have any further exchanges.”

"Ridiculous! Why didn't you stop our knights from going into battle before?"

"That was a one-on-one battle. You living on the border are certainly qualified to compare with the knights of the Imperial Knight Academy, but what follows is not. It involves the future military wars of the Empire."

"damn it!"

The middle-aged man was furious, but the other party was a legend, leaving him with nowhere to vent his anger.

On the 'battlefield', the students of the Northern Knights Academy were also restless. Only after personally stepping onto this sandy land and feeling the intense tension would they realize that they were not as carefree as they thought.

Many of them did not come from the Empire, but the nobles of the capital city did not think so, which caused their tension.

“We have nothing to worry about. Don’t forget what Commander Brand said: Lord Ryan will stop any attempts to harm us.”

"We are students of the Northern Knights, here for academic exchange with the Imperial Knight Academy."

Don't think about anything else.

"Don't forget how you trained, raise your sword!"

With a loud shout, everyone's eyes turned serious, and they drew their knight's longswords from their waists, holding them to their chests.

"charge!"

Two armies of thirty men each charged toward each other. There was no overwhelming force or fancy knightly combat skills, only primal physical techniques that sent sand flying, obscuring the battle flags and filling the battlefield with a sense of carnage.

The knights of the Northern Knights Academy do indeed have good teamwork, ensuring that each person has their own task. However, the knights of the Imperial Knights Academy are not without teamwork as well. After all, this is an ancient academy, and the knights are naturally able to cooperate with each other to a certain extent in battle.

Moreover, there wasn't a significant difference in skill level among these sixty people. It was impossible to shatter an enemy's armor with a single sword strike. Without an absolute disparity in skill level, it was impossible to quickly determine the outcome of the battle.

Even so, it still made many nobles look ugly, because the two sides had different reputations, and it was obvious that the students of the Northern Knight Academy were weaker, and they had not been apprentice knights for as long as the students of the Imperial Knight Academy.

More than half an hour later, the final result enraged the nobles, especially the instructors of the Imperial Knight Academy: they had lost, suffering a defeat with even greater casualties.

"Continue, next round!"

Such a 30 vs. 30 battle will naturally not be just one, but ten. On the Northern Knights Academy's side, each team has an absolute commander. The Northern Knights Academy has only one requirement for them, which is absolute obedience on the battlefield. This tests everyone's psychological endurance, especially the one who is the commander.

"Don't forget the glory you carry!"

Gradually, the students of the Imperial Knight Academy also fell silent, no longer considering various external factors as before, and focused intently on facing their enemies.

They had no choice but to do it this way, because this battle was completely different from what they had imagined, and it ended with an extremely brilliant victory for them.

They lost and they won, but regardless of the outcome, they showed everyone the cruelty of war. Many people even thought that if this were a real battlefield, their comrades would have died long ago, and those who survived would have abandoned their armor and weapons, or would not have been able to fight to the last moment because their lives were threatened.

These are ten wars where defeat is inevitable, but only here can defeat be avoided. Only these knights with bloodline honor have a chance of not being defeated. Only knights with such mental fortitude are qualified to become officers of the Empire.

As they watched, the nobles fell silent, ceasing their confrontation and focusing intently on the thirty-plus battles raging on the battlefield.

The high-ranking knights of the Imperial Knight Academy observed all the 'soldiers' in their minds. Although not a single one retreated or collapsed, they could recognize some familiar faces in the process. These people were not suited for this kind of battlefield.

They possessed the courage to fight because of some order and because of the thousands of people watching, but in reality, without the watchful eyes of those around them and the instructions of the nobles behind them, they would probably have become—a defeated army.

This is absolutely the last person His Majesty the Emperor wants to see.

These instructors at the Imperial Knight Academy thought to themselves, secretly deciding on the future importance of certain knight students. They were, of course, among Emperor Flor's most loyal men, and would consider His Majesty's interests, not only because these high-ranking knights came from the Imperial Capital's Imperial Guard, but also because the emergence of the First Legion of the Empire, the transformation of the Imperial Army, and the resulting changes in the Imperial Knight Academy had significantly elevated the status of these academy instructors.

They knew nothing else but that the emperor had issued an order, which increased their power, and thus they naturally became more loyal to the emperor.

As for their noble lineage.

This is certainly something they are loyal to, but it doesn't conflict with that, does it?

Having witnessed so much more on these battlefields, the surrounding noise subsided. Even nobles who knew little about military affairs were subdued by the silence, their breathing slowing.

Only after the final battle ended in a crushing victory for the Imperial Knights Academy, and the horns subsided, did everyone recover from the atmosphere and look at the sixty people on the sandy ground with lingering satisfaction.

Of the sixty men, very few were still standing. As the final battle, they bore the weight of all the honor and shame from the previous nine battles. Losing would widen the gap between them, while winning would preserve their honor. Both sides were giving it their all. If it weren't for the armor protecting them to the teeth, those men on the ground would be in far worse shape than just lying there coughing up blood and gasping for breath.

"it's over?"

Earl Edwards murmured, still savoring the moment, his blood boiling with excitement. During the final scene, he even held his breath and cheered silently. As one of the highest-ranking people present, after he spoke, the other nobles also began to express their opinions.

"Is this the end?"

“Lord Edwards, why don’t we let them fight again?”

"Yes, there are only sixty people. If there were six hundred people, it would be a better testament to the excellent education of the Imperial Knight Academy."

"A battlefield with only sixty men, yet it's so exhilarating! I've heard that Baron Ryan once commanded a war with over a hundred thousand men..."

"One hundred thousand people!?"

The nobles gasped in hushed tones. As they watched, they couldn't help but curse or mock the behavior of some of the sixty men, simply because some battles had been lost because of their actions.

With 100,000 people, how can you make a decision if you can't even keep track of everyone?
"Perhaps this is why the First Legion of the Empire needs knight officers."

Count Pascal said from the side, he was also watching with great interest. Although he had the Gargoyle Legion, a superhuman legion that was almost impossible to control like humans, there were still many human guards in his territory.

"What's next, Your Excellency Adebayor? Is it to test their fighting spirit and military skills in extreme climates or geographical environments?"

Count Pascal looked at the headmaster of the Imperial Knight Academy, who was very frustrated because his students were not performing well.

Actually, this is normal. After all, those who participated in the battle were all trainee knights, whether from the Imperial Knight Academy or the Northern Knight Academy. No matter how big the individual differences in physical fitness between the students on both sides were, they were not that big. In addition, the students from the Northern Knight Academy had better weapons and equipment, so it was not easy to determine a winner.

When Ryan planned this, he never thought about winning or losing; he just wanted to use it to make a name for himself.

Ryan, far away in the Frozen Territory, probably never imagined that the results would be so surprisingly good.

From the perspective of the capital city, this exchange should be swift and decisive, and it must be so; they would not consider the physical qualities of the individual knights on both sides.

This exchange meeting dampened their pride.

Adebayor nodded in response to Count Pascal.

“I have invited the magicians from the magic academy; they will create the most extreme environment.”

In the sky, mages in long robes floated, their surging magic causing the knights and guards around the nobles to instinctively grip their sword hilts. As the mages' magic descended, the vast sandy land came to life.

Grotesque vines grew, bursting forth from the ground to transform into gnarled trees. Torrential rain poured down from thousands of meters in the sky, relentlessly splattering the muddy ground. A fierce wind swept through, bringing a deep chill. Some mages even released dozens of magical beasts from their cages, letting them roar freely in this ever-changing, magical jungle.

The life mage landed and fed bottles of life potions to the students of the Imperial Knight Academy, who were exhausted from the previous battle.

However, some sharp-eyed people looked towards the opposite side.

"Why don't they have any magic potions?"

These people wouldn't believe it if you said they couldn't afford it, since they usually can't afford it either. But if they still can't afford it today, it's not their problem, but a matter of the noble lord's face and prestige.

“They refused.”

The Life Mage responded with a comment.

"Only in their current state can they demonstrate their most extreme combat capabilities and prove their abilities in truly extreme environments."

After speaking, the magician looked hopefully at the Imperial Knight Academy student in front of him. He had said so much in the hope that the other party would also refuse the potion. After all, the magic academy had not given them many credits as a reward for coming here, and it would be a loss to use a bottle of potion.

The latter drank the potion in one gulp, ignoring the magician's ulterior motives.

My body is slowly recovering, but the environment around me is changing rapidly.

"Two hundred people!"

As the knight shouted in the sky, two hundred people from each side stepped out. The Imperial Knight Academy was already at full capacity. Although the chill brought by the torrential rain made them tense, they were still able to withstand it.

On the other side, a large portion of the students from the Northern Knights Academy began to remove their armor, while those still wearing armor were a group who had maintained considerable combat power in the previous battle.

At the same time, one person was selected from the two hundred men to be a general, two to be centurions, and the selection of deputies remained unchanged.

As the torrential rain fell, everyone rushed into the vast, fantastical battlefield, drenched in sweat, and disappeared into the dense forest at lightning speed.

The students of the Imperial Knight Academy did not see this scene, as the rising sand and trees had already blocked their view.

(End of this chapter)