Throne of the North.

Chapter 822 A War of Faith Unleashed in the Name of Dawn! (Part Four)

That night, Priest Sven took Father Thor to pray in the Baron’s castle prayer room.

The next day, when the light shone on the castle, a divine radiance descended from the sky.

And so everyone saw that, in the sunlight, the respected Father Thor was wearing a silver-white robe.

“Priest, I understand the meaning of dawn.”

"The dawn is the sharp blade that dispels darkness, and the daybreak is the hope for believers to emerge from darkness. Just as you said, when the light shines high, no one can match the greatness of the Lord."

“I always thought that the Church of Light in the Empire was a heresy, but now I understand that it is also an extension of the Lord’s light.”

“We servants understand far too little about the power of the Lord.”

"I finally understand why His Holiness the Pope did not launch a war to exterminate heretics because of the Empire's Church of Light."

"The Pope saw it too, just as you, Father Sven, saw; it was all faith in the Lord."

Ok……

The Confucian priest was not quite sure. Was the truce between the Dawn Church and the Empire due to the high cost and the possibility that they might not be able to win?
He didn't say much, just remained silent, which was enough to explain a lot. The Dawn Cult members outside were delighted to see another member join their group, and they praised the sermon priest's devout faith.

……

“Lord Ashton, you are awake.”

Upon waking, the Baron and his family thanked the Sven priest for his arrival. As the conversation ended, the Sven priest's expression turned serious.

"This is the territory of the Ashton family."

"I would like to ask Lord Ashton, are you willing to lead your lands, with the glory of your ancestors' bloodline, to stand in the light of dawn and fight together against the invasion of the abyss?"

“That is inevitable, Priest Sven, I will always be a follower of the Lord of Dawn.”

“I do not doubt the sincerity of your faith, but because once you make your choice, the war of faith will inevitably come with a terrible price. It may be that your people are killed or wounded, your family disappears before your eyes, or you yourself fall in the terrible war.”

Lord Ashton hesitated.

“I…I am willing to fight against the abyss, but my family, I want them to live, and I want to live myself.”

“I cannot allow the Ashton family to disappear and decline in my hands, Father Sven, I…”

Sven smiled and pressed down on the Baron's hand.

"Dawn respects the Baron's choice. You certainly have the right to choose to live. It's just a pity that I can't send more troops to protect your family as you leave here and head to the safe north."

"Even without anyone's help, the believers of Dawn still appear in the darkest places, using the light of hope to save more people."

“The Baron is not wrong.”

This response made Baron Ashton lower his head even further. He gritted his teeth, called his family over, and gave his children a solemn plea.

After a moment, Baron Ashton spoke again to the Sven priest:

“Missionary, I will stay and lead my land and people to fight alongside you. But I wish to send a team to escort my child away, who will inherit all the glory of the Ashton family.”

“That’s as it should be. Seeing how valiant his father is, I believe he can become an excellent lord. The griffins will guide them in the right direction.”

"Lend your blessings."

And so, the Dawn Cult had a place to stay. There were more than a thousand people in the Baron’s territory. Not all of them were from Baron Ashton’s territory, but now they were.

The Sven priests, in the name of dawn, recognized their status as believers in the Ashton Baron estate.

The blessing from faith is too idealistic. When the dust settles, everyone still has to return to reality. What is reality?
The reality is that Baron Ashton doesn't believe the Sven priests and other Dawn followers can dispel the invasion of the Abyss; he has more faith in the violent power the Armored Bear Legion brings him.

"When will that army return? With their help, the Abyss Servant Army will hardly pose a threat."

"I don't know the answer to that question either, but I believe Commander Bogeld will return safely, otherwise..."

"Otherwise, this place will become a land of endless war and destruction."

"But with that legion commander's personality, nobody knows what she might do."

“We need to speed things up, Lord Ashton. The seeds of dawn must grow as quickly as possible. Every day we linger, more humans on this land will be invaded by the Abyss, their souls devoured and they will die. In their place, more Abyss minions will appear on this land.”

“Every minute, every second, I can feel the earth’s soil turning cold and evil.”

Sven reached out and grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground, his brow furrowed and his eyes filled with unease.

"This place is about to become a divine kingdom of the abyss, guiding the gods of the abyss to truly descend upon the continent of Norris."

……

……

Oren City.

The Dukes of Oren have ruled this land for generations. As one of the ancient thirteen knights who followed the dawn, the Oren family is far removed from the political center of the world.

But this surname could form a new political center centered on Oren in this land.

On this vast land, if it weren't for so many other things involved, it could even form the Duchy of Oren.

That was in the past.

The Grand Duchy of Oren now faces the erosion of the abyss and the threat of a terrifying human legion attempting to destroy the magnificent city walls upon which they depend for survival. Yet, these fortified cities, built over the years, are now teetering on the brink of collapse under the claws of those lightning-struck war bears, with loose stones and cracks constantly appearing, filling everyone with fear and unease.

"Stop them, stop them!"

"Can anyone tell me where this extraordinary legion came from? Who do they belong to?!"

"My Oren family will fight him to the death! Damn it, how dare they take advantage of our misfortune and try to destroy our defenses!"

"No tolerance!"

"Where are the mages? Blow them all up! And the magic crystal cannons! Where are those damned dwarves hiding? Make them come out! If Oren City falls, they'll all die a horrible death, becoming monsters of the abyss!"

The middle-aged man, clad in a magnificent robe, roared authoritatively, while soldiers ran around relaying his orders. This was not the Grand Duke of Oren, but his grandson and future heir.

"Army! Army! Replenish the troops on the northern city wall! We absolutely cannot let those damned monsters break in!"

"Forget about those abyssal servants, stop this extraordinary legion!" In the sky, high-ranking knights darted about, quickly flying towards the Armored Bear Legion. However, in mid-air, the power of Bogeld filled them with fear. The lightning that flickered in the void was so powerful that even touching it would severely injure them. The Sky Knights, whom the Oren family had nurtured for decades, could only maintain their fighting spirit for a few breaths in front of this opponent.

"Break through this wall! Charge in! Kill those monsters!"

Bogeld roared loudly, and only the booming roar of the Armored Bear Legion drowned out everything else on the battlefield.

"Whose army are you? The Oren family has not offended any nobles. What right do you have to attack our territory!"

A loudspeaker boomed overhead, seemingly a creation of the dwarves. Bogeld looked up, too lazy to waste words with the group.

"I've already told you that there are evil altars in your city that are breding terrible demons, and you still won't let me in!"

"This is the war you chose, so let's start the war."

"Oren City is protected by an extraordinary magical array, making it impossible for the Abyss to invade. On this land, only Oren City can completely resist the faith of the Abyss. This is absolute slander! It is a desecration of the dignity of the Oren family!"

Bogeld didn't bother to speak, and swung his shield directly at the city wall in front of him. The power of the Sanctuary was immense; the huge crater was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, from which emanated magical light, but at the same time, it also concealed an imperceptible black current.

Her instincts for war told Bogeld where her enemies were. She wasn't one to mince words, and since the city was preventing her from getting close to the altar of the abyss, she would just fight her way in.

"Push it to me!"

The armored bear legion attacked the city using crude, primitive, and violent methods, but their absolute power provided the perfect assistance.

The city of Oren is very large, and the Grand Duke's mansion deep inside seems to have been unaffected by the war. Servants are still leisurely carrying food, preparing to serve it to the master and mistress's table.

"How is things going with Stie? I heard that some other nobles' armies are taking advantage of the chaos and trying to capture my city of Oren."

The elderly Grand Duke of Oren has recently appeared quite dashing. He is already very old and should be in his twilight years, especially since even his son is in that state.

A person's spirit and energy cannot be faked. Everyone could see the Grand Duke of Oren's condition, and everyone was happy for him. This elderly Grand Duke had brought the Oren family too much honor. If it weren't for their bloodline, the Oren family could have established the Kingdom of Oren on this vast, empty land without a kingdom, under the Grand Duke's rule.

“Father, Stie is excellent. He will definitely lead the Oren family to another peak, so you don’t need to worry at all.”

"I believe that within two days at most, that noble army will give up. Your grandson is as brave and powerful as you were."

Upon hearing this, the Duke of Oren did not smile, but instead asked his equally aged child a question.

"Do you also believe that I no longer possess the strength and glory I once had?"

"Really? My child."

“That’s not what I meant, Father.”

The old man lowered his head, mainly because he was also old and could not kneel on the ground to beg his father for forgiveness.

“But that’s what you think. You think I’ve lived too long, and that I’m too old to walk anymore, and that I can no longer bring new glory to the Oren family.”

“You want to become the head of the Oren family yourself, and you want your child to grow up later so that the glory of the Oren family can be passed on to you for a period of time.”

“That’s not what I meant, Father.”

As soon as the old man said this, the others at the table stopped what they were doing and dared not breathe loudly.

“I admit, Stie Oren, my grandson, is excellent.”

"But I also have to tell him that he is not yet able to inherit my honor on this land; he is still too weak."

"So weak that other noble armies dared to challenge the strength of the Oren family."

"For many years, there have been no other noble armies outside Oren City?"

Do they all think I'm too old?

He practically roared it out, Grand Duke Oren staring intently at everyone before letting out a cold laugh, his voice booming with energy.

“A bunch of damned bastards. I will not die. I will live for many more years. Under my control, the Oren family will become the most powerful ducal family, even surpassing the status of dukes in the empire.”

"I am the one who led the Oren family to the top."

The white-haired old man stood up from his chair, and everyone stared at him in shock.

The Grand Duke of Oren has been unable to stand up for more than a decade.

“Father, father!?”

The eighty-year-old eldest son of the Oren family stared in shock at his father, who burst into laughter.

“This is the best of times, my child. We no longer need to ask for God’s grace and forgiveness. Instead, they need our strength.”

"I will live on, and I will lead the Oren family to become stronger and stronger."

"Father."

The eighty-year-old eldest son was finally shocked and enraged. He sensed the extraordinary power in the air. He was still clear-headed, after all, he was once a decent knight. Although his knightly cultivation had fluctuated over the years, he still had his perspective.

"Have you sided with the abyss?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was filled with fear and unease, and all looked at Grand Duke Oren in shock.

"What abyss? What nonsense are you spouting?!"

Grand Duke Oren interrupted the old man, his expression turning grim and angry.

"The abyss only devours human souls and flesh, turning humans into twisted monsters and their followers. I would rather die than serve those mindless monsters."

"I have simply found a great being to protect our family."

"Don't you understand? The Dawn Church has already abandoned this land. Otherwise, the Church's army would have arrived on the very first day the abyss appeared, but it hasn't."

"The Lord of Dawn has abandoned His land, and I have welcomed a new great being who can help us fight against the invasion of the Abyss, can't He?"

Grand Duke Oren stretched out his hand, and purple light descended, dividing the dining table in two.

"Can you feel it? This is not the power of the abyss; it is filled with holiness and greatness."

“It’s just that we are different from the Lord of Dawn. The stars shine brightly in the sky above us. Since the Lord of Dawn has abandoned His followers, I will choose a new great being to seek His protection.”

(End of this chapter)