Throne of the North.

Chapter 823: A Faith War Unleashed in the Name of Dawn! (Part 5)

The humans of Norris worship only one great being, and the Lord of Dawn had already harvested the faith of this world countless years ago.

Faith in the dawn can almost be described as the political and religious correctness of this world and of human civilization.

No one can be a heretic. After the Dawn Church destroyed heretical sects time and time again, there was no longer any belief in other gods.

The power emanating from Grand Duke Oren silenced everyone.

"What are you doing?"

"Is it because you don't want me to survive through the power of a great being?"

Grand Duke Oren's eyes turned dangerous as he scrutinized everyone present.

“Father, for thousands of years, all those who have believed in other gods have met a bad end. Even those mages who have mastered spatial magic cannot escape the pursuit of the Dawn Church. You…”

The eighty-year-old eldest son gritted his teeth and said:
"Moreover, our Oren family was one of the original thirteen knight families. We are the most loyal supporters and the most devout believers of Dawn."

His tone was filled with despair; everyone knew that once you became a believer in some great being, there was no way to escape.

Grand Duke Oren's choice has dragged the entire Oren family into an abyss from which there is no escape. Once the Dawn Church discovers this, those terrible missionaries and knights of judgment will swarm in until the bloodline of the Oren family is crushed to the last trace.

This is a desecration.

What is being desecrated is the faith of the continent of Norris, the Lord of Dawn.

“I know that the glory of the Oren family comes from the first Pope.”

"But the Pope of today is not the same Pope he once was, and the Dawn Church of today is no longer the same Dawn Church of today. The Pope has fallen so low that he has illegitimate children, and the Church cannot even judge the blasphemous land of the Flor Empire."

“We have been abandoned, my child.”

"The glory of the Oren family has long since transformed from the initial dawn into our own wealth."

"Over the years, I have been absolutely certain that everything the Oren family has now is something I have accumulated little by little."

"But I am also getting old little by little, and I cannot accept that the Oren family will decline after I die."

"No, Father, we still have Stie. He is the most outstanding heir of the family. He has perfectly inherited your abilities and courage. He can lead the Oren family to continue its legacy."

“He can’t do it, my child. I know my grandson’s abilities better than you do.”

“The invasion of the abyss is something that Stie alone cannot withstand. Every night I am plunged into deep fear. Do you know what I am afraid of?”

“I saw the earth collapse, thousands upon thousands of followers crawling out of the abyss, and the evil god emerging from the purplish-black mist, trampling on His kingdom and turning this vast land into the realm of the abyss.”

“When the lands of the Oren family fall into the abyss, we will become exiled nobles, and we will have no chance of reclaiming our territory.”

"The bloodline of the Oren family will lose everything because of this."

“I will never allow that day to come. All of this is for the future of the Oren family. Only I can save my territory.”

The eighty-year-old eldest son could not win an argument with his father. The Duke of Oren's prestige could last for many years after his death, let alone now that he was still alive.

“We have no choice. I have found new hope for the Oren family. His faith will not take away our souls.”

Wouldn't that steal your soul?
The eighty-year-old eldest son was silent and desperate. In his mind, no great being could have said such a thing. The most benevolent beings were only the Lord of Dawn and the Moon Lady who loved elves. There were no others.

The power of new life made the father forget many things, including the glory of the family's ancient heritage.

However, as an heir, he had no extra power.

The luncheon fell silent until a group of soldiers quickly arrived at the Grand Duke's residence, their faces solemn, suppressing some kind of information they dared not reveal, and walked up to Grand Duke Oren.

"Master, the north city wall was... cracked by those bears."

……

On the battlefield.

Faces were filled with disbelief as they stared intently at the gaping hole in the majestic, ancient city wall. The soldiers inside could even clearly see the ferocious armored bear baring its teeth at them, while the human warriors on its back roared mockingly.

The morale of the Duke of Oren's army plummeted to rock bottom in that instant. They never imagined that these enemies... could break through the city walls!
How can we fight them? The city walls can be cracked by their blows. What can this layer of linen clothing protect them from when those claws land on them?
Are they praying that their clothes get stuck in their throats when those bears eat them?

"Real ink stains!"

Bogeld arrived inside the city of Oren, coldly surveying his surroundings. These humans had not yet been sacrificed to become servants of the abyss, but their souls were more or less tainted by the abyss's aura.

This land has long been covered by the source of the abyss, and even the ground is covered with a thin layer of mist. How could the humans living on this land not be affected?

Only nobles like Count Kanazawa, who have the courage to leave, make the best choice and bear the least cost.

"Sven is going to be busy."

Bogeld grinned, knowing that this meant the Sven priests would stay on this land for a very, very long time.

"Soldiers, push forward!"

Bogeld's sword was pointed towards the direction of the Duke of Oren's residence, while on the other side, after the armored bear legion breached the city walls, Stie was in a daze. What kind of army was this?
Oren City is a tested fortified city, capable of withstanding the superhuman legions. How could its magic array be so fragile?
He was at a loss, facing such a situation for the first time. After all, all theoretical knowledge had not been put into practice, and even the extraordinary legions of the Dawn Church had never seen this vast land.

"Get them there! Don't let them get near the Grand Duke's residence!"

Stitch gritted his teeth and roared, drawing his weapon and standing in front of the armored bear under the protection of the knights.

"Get out of my way!"

The armored bear warriors charged forward furiously, and there were few soldiers left who dared to stand in their way; the sight of the collapsing city walls was simply too daunting to bear.

These aren't armored bears; they're giant dragons made of steel charging towards them!

Not to mention, even dragons died at their hands.

The soldier was sent flying, landing some distance away, his fate... well, there was no doubt about whether he was alive or dead. The knights guarding Stie were also swallowing hard; their armor was too thin, it was no match for the armored bears charging.

However, no knight dared to abandon their post, and what awaited them was the relentless charge of the armored bear legion. Knights were thrown back one by one, and the unlucky ones were trampled underfoot, blood, flesh, and bone fragments splattering out with screams. Bogeld picked up Stie, the army commander who looked like a nobleman, as if he were a chick, and with a cruel smile, mockingly tossed him far away. Stie, aching all over, struggled to get up, but the armored bears had already crossed this fragile defense and were heading straight for the Duke of Oren's residence.

This prestigious mansion was no longer peaceful and quiet. The servants' faces were filled with panic and unease, and the guards formed a 'wall' to block the way.

"Charge in and kill that demon!"

The armored bear knocked over the knight in front of it and roared as it charged into the Duke of Oren's mansion. Just then, a surge of heat rose from the depths of the mansion, and the elderly Duke of Oren floated out of the sky step by step.

"For so many years, no one has been able to threaten the power of the Oren family."

"Whose army are you? How dare you challenge the authority of Oren?"

The old man no longer looked old, and his strength was terrifying.

"legend?"

Bogeld was surprised, but quickly understood.

"The evil god of the abyss has put a lot of effort into you, even elevating you to the level of a legend and sharing authority with you."

"Hmph! Nonsense! My Lord is a holy and great being!"

Grand Duke Oren waved his hand, and purple mist filled the void, actively covering the armored bear legion. The moment they got close, all the armored bear warriors felt that they lost sensation in their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and everything around them became muddy, as if they had fallen into a swamp and could not struggle.

"Prepare for the judgment of divine magic."

"Sinking into the deepest recesses of the void!"

The Voidfall spell froze the entire armored bear army, while only Bogurd stared at the divine authority and power, mocking the incompetence of the Grand Duke of Oren.

Even legends must die!

Beneath him, the armored bear Volibear roared and violently unleashed a beam of silver-white lightning, attempting to pierce through the body of Grand Duke Oren.

At the critical moment, standing in front of the Grand Duke were the loyal knights trained by generations of this family, making Bogeld realize that this war was not her legion fighting against an abyss demon, but facing the long-standing rule of an ancient noble family.

The most criticized aspect of the Grand Duke of Oren was the lack of legendary figures. Now that this weakness is gone, countless knights of the Oren family are now looking at their 'king' with fervor.

They didn't need to care why the Grand Duke became a legend; all they needed to know was that the Grand Duke they followed had once again led Oren to even greater glory.

"For Oren!"

"For the glory of Oren, kill all invading enemies!"

The army's morale soared once again. In the distance, Stie watched his grandfather in shock. Family members know their own situation. Just a month ago, his grandfather was still instructing his father to uphold the glory of the Oren family and safeguard its interests.

How could he possibly become a legend?

Watching the soldiers around him swarm towards the armored bear legion, Stitch was filled with confusion. Was this a good thing? Or a bad thing?
He was unable to issue any orders, even though at this moment, all power had been taken back into the Grand Duke's hands.

As the surrounding army closed in, Bogeld slapped Volibear on the head. Volibear turned his head in confusion, then understood Bogeld's look, roared, stood up on his hind legs, and brought his forepaw down heavily.

The earth cracked, the fissures spreading far and wide. The muffled tremors awakened all the armored bears, and angry roars echoed out. The armored bear warriors around them gradually awoke, and the next moment, the air was thick with the bloody mist of war.

"Kill all the enemies in our way!"

Bogeld gave the order. At this moment, the human army in front of him was no longer a living person who needed to be cared about, but simply the other side of the scales of war.

The moment the armored bear launched its attack, Bogerd also rushed out, heading straight for the location of Grand Duke Oren. There were many high-ranking knights blocking the way between the two sides, including three Saints trained by the Oren family. They were originally members of the Oren family and were born to be the most loyal followers of Grand Duke Oren.

However, they couldn't defeat Bogeld.

Even with all the other high-ranking knights around them, they couldn't stop the berserk madman. On the ground, Volibear was also running wildly. Its strength was in no way inferior to that of a Saint, and it also wielded the power of lightning.

"Get out of my way!"

Bogerd roared, lightning crackling around her arms. In an instant, the war-induced blood mist on her body transformed into the shape of the armored bear. In that instant, she gained the full power of the armored bear Volibear, just like in the battles she had faced in desperate situations time and time again. This Bilgi tribe standard-bearer could perfectly borrow the inhuman power of the armored bear.

Thunder roared, and terrifying, inhuman power erupted from within this small body. The three Saints instantly collapsed and were thrown back, all their bones shattered. The other high-ranking knights were also torn apart by short swords under the pressure of the thunder. Except for a few lucky ones, the rest were all torn to pieces and completely perished on the battlefield in the sky.

Looking ahead again, Bogeld charged towards Grand Duke Oren without stopping.

"Boss Ryan once said that a divinely bestowed legend can never compare to the legendary blessings of the extraordinary world."

"Your authority comes from the abyss, and its priority is above your own."

As Bogeld murmured, the moment his short sword tore through the purple barrier around Grand Duke Oren's body, he also pulled out something else from his robes...

That is—the arm armor forged by Surtur.

It has lost its great power, but its essence remains; its appearance represents the aura of Surtur.

That was another great being.

What happens when the auras of two great beings intertwine and come into contact?

It wasn't hard to guess. Grand Duke Oren's expression changed in an instant. The divine power within him began to boil and surge wildly, no longer under his control.

It only lasted for a moment.

The source of the great being who bestowed upon him his legendary power went out of control for only a moment, yet it exposed everything about Grand Duke Oren.

Crimson fleshy wings emerged from the Grand Duke's aged back skin, a single horn pierced through his forehead, radiating an evil light, and his hands, aged like withered branches and sharp claws, had truly transformed into the keratin of claws. The Grand Duke's precious robe was pierced by sharp spikes, and a blurry ancient roar echoed from the void.

This was only for a moment. After that moment, the Grand Duke once again suppressed the changes within his body and returned to his majestic appearance.

All of this seemed like an illusion, but the army below appeared to be frozen in place.

Was it an illusion? They looked at the tattered noble robes on Grand Duke Oren.

This can't be a hallucination, can it?
(End of this chapter)