The Witcher: Start with the Lord Marrying a Wife.

Chapter 596 Soul Ignition Array
The air was thick with the bitter smell of rust mixed with sweat, and an indescribable sense of dread enveloped the entire place, making it heavy and hard to breathe.

David didn't use flowery words or make any sentimental vows.

He spoke slowly, his voice deep and clear, like a sharp blade piercing through thick, dark clouds: "This is the only great formation we can use to reverse the situation, the 'Dawn Holy Flame Formation'."

He lightly touched the central node of the great array, which was burning with a faint spiritual light. It was made up of hundreds of complex runes, interlocked like the trajectories of stars.

"When this grand formation is in operation, it will generate a clash of positive and negative energies, completely expelling and purifying the darkness of the abyss. However, it requires a massive spiritual medium as an 'anchor point'."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over each of the knights present.

"Those mediums must possess pure and unwavering souls, untainted by the Black Mark, and not dependent on the Holy Light. Instead, they must be born with a repulsion to the Abyss. They will become the source of the barrier's fire, using life and soul as fuel."

These words struck everyone like a thunderbolt, causing countless eyes to widen suddenly. Some gripped their sword hilts so tightly their knuckles turned white, while others' lips trembled slightly, yet no one dared to utter a word in rebuttal.

David continued, “Those who enter the formation will almost certainly die; their bodies will suffer endless burning torment, while their souls may be purified and sublimated in the flames.”

This is not glory, but a death sentence; it is the cruel reality we must face and bear.

The air froze instantly, and all sound seemed to be swallowed up, leaving only the mournful echo of the wind rushing through the broken walls and ruins.

At this moment, everyone seemed to hear the fears and questions that had long been hidden deep within them but were awakened tonight.

"Hols," a young knight trembled as he spoke, "Your Majesty...why can't we seek another way? Why must we sacrifice our lives?"

David's sharp gaze swept over Hols, his calm demeanor revealing an unwavering resolve: "Because this is not a simple battle, much less an ordinary war; it is an irreconcilable battle between the soul and the very essence of existence."

We are facing an undead demon that not only devours the body, but also corrodes the will and faith, and tears apart the very foundation of the spirit.

"Any attempt to achieve a quick victory will only exacerbate the spread and ultimately lead to utter destruction."

His voice gradually rose, "Only by transforming our life force into flowing holy flames and building an indestructible barrier with our flesh and blood can we have a glimmer of hope!"

Annie nodded slightly, her warm and healing hands clenched into fists. "Our duty is to protect the future of our people, even if the cost is heavy, we cannot back down even a step."

Leah gripped her staff tightly, a resolute glint in her pale face. "I am willing to become one of those anchor points. Even if the road ahead is filled with death, I will use my last strength to ignite the dawn!"

Some people around were sobbing softly, while others gritted their teeth and endured the pain.

Many knights silently lowered their heads and made the most solemn and dignified vow in their hearts: even if they become ashes in the flames, they will let that flame forever illuminate the path for the Silver Moon family to survive!

Hill strode to David's side, his face stained with blood, yet his eyes shone brightly.

"Your Majesty, I am also willing to shoulder this responsibility! If this is the ultimate salvation, then let us be the pillars and build the bridge with our blood!"

The atmosphere suddenly reached its peak, and everyone seemed to feel an unprecedented pressure and mission collide, but more than that, there was a powerful pulse of faith that they had never experienced before.

"I know this road is destined to be full of thorns."

David looked around at everyone, “But as long as we stand firm like pillars, nothing can bring down the Silver Moon! Dawn will eventually break!”

As the words fell, the projection in the center of the hall suddenly rotated and changed, and the holographic array reflected a dazzling and scorching blue and white flame. It was the core image of the great array that was about to be activated and would carry their life and death destiny, standing like a rock in the icy wasteland!

The knights knelt down, and the atmosphere became solemn and dignified, like an ancient tomb. They would sign an invisible contract on the edge of life and death, contributing their beliefs, lives, and even souls to this cruel reckoning!
The air was heavy and oppressive, like an invisible boulder pressing on everyone's chest, making breathing extremely difficult.

In the center of the hall, the grand blueprint gleamed with a faint, mysterious light, and the interwoven runes, like stars, flowed slowly in the darkness, as if telling an ancient and unfathomable destiny.

The remaining members of the Knights stood or knelt in silence, their armor worn and tattered, yet still revealing their indomitable spirit and resilience.

Exhaustion and pain were etched on everyone's face. Their hands, reddened from the battle and covered in wounds, were clenched tightly as if they wanted to grasp the last glimmer of hope for life.

At this moment, there is no need for fancy words or any embellishment.

Because in the face of life and death, what they need is the truest and most resolute belief, an undying vow that can forge a broken will into an iron will.

Hill slowly stepped out of the queue.

His steps were firm, and each step seemed to strike the heartstrings of everyone present.

His blood-stained yet still sharp knight's longsword was raised high, its cold rune sparks gleaming in the dim light.

Finally, he knelt on one knee and plunged the longsword, which had been tested by life and death and bore the marks of his brothers' blood and tears, deep into the thick frozen earth.

The earth rumbled slightly as the sword's edge touched it; it was the vibration of life and faith colliding, or perhaps an angry roar as it charged into the darkness.

The voice pierced the solemn silence, and a heart-wrenching yet powerful word burst forth from Hill's mouth:

"For His Majesty! For the fallen brothers! So that there will never be brothers killing each other again!"

His voice burned like a raging fire in the dead of winter, scorching the softest and hardest parts of every listener's heart. It was a cry of despair, an undying call from the will of the dead, flowing into the blood of the living.

"I would gladly use my body to burn away the abyss!"

He gripped the sword hilt tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, yet his grip remained firm. "Our blood will forge the blade of light!"

The sudden shout, like a thunderbolt tearing through the thick clouds, instantly set the entire hall ablaze.

The silence was completely broken, and a surge of righteous energy spread like a tide.

More knights began to slowly rise, their eyes solemn, yet filled with determination and reverence.

Some people removed their shields and clutched the worn but precious knightly medals, which symbolized honor and the spirit of protection, worn on their chests or hanging around their necks, tightly in their palms.

Some people gently touched the spot where their blood had once stained their skin, then looked resolutely in the direction where David was.

Without the need for verbal communication, this collective will has achieved an unprecedented consensus:
They will use their bodies and souls to become burning flames, laying a solid foundation for the dawn!

Arya's brows furrowed with steely resolve. She drew her sword and took a step forward, each step on the marble floor reverberating deeply.
Her hands, which had once wielded sharp blades on the battlefield to protect her comrades and sever the dark bodies of demons, were now even more steady and filled with awe.

“We will not fall, we will not give up.” Anne’s face was serious. She looked around, calmly tempering her mental shield, and encouraged the wounded with gentle but firm words, “We are each other’s last line of defense. There are no bystanders in this catastrophe, and we will not allow failure.”

Lia's pale face reflected the eerie blue light emanating from her staff as she gazed at the distant, empty star projection. "With our souls as pillars, with our blood as furnaces, let the Dawn Holy Flame Array become an unshakeable, indestructible barrier!"

David stood in the center of the crowd, his gaze burning like fire, but his expression remained calm and composed, like an ice peak.

He raised his greatsword, a dazzling blue-white holy flame flowing along its blade, his majesty resembling that of a supreme king on a throne:
"Today, we are not only fighting, but also writing an epic, using blood as a pen and life as ink to paint the final and eternal stroke on this ancient land."

His voice pierced through the wind and snow and traveled through the long river of history: "Let all sacrifices become eternal holy flames, let darkness fear our glory, and no longer ravage our homeland!"

The Silver Moon will surely rise!

The knights responded in unison, the sound waves reverberating throughout the fortress:
"My blade is eternally cold!"

"Soul Forged Dawn!"

"The Silver Moon will prevail, undaunted by death!"

At this moment, the hall was filled with an indescribable yet extremely solemn and sacred atmosphere, like thousands of stars converging into a blazing pillar of light shooting straight into the sky, or like raging flames devouring the dark clouds and scattering the scorching dawn.

They were not lone warriors, but an indestructible, immortal, and glorious fortress of humanity!

Tears welled in everyone's eyes, yet they also shone with a brilliant brilliance, a result of reason and conviction intertwined.

Some people trembled, some gritted their teeth, and some closed their eyes to make a wish, but no one's will was destroyed, corrupted, or defeated!

This is a soul purification ritual, a solemn vow made after a desperate rebirth into the future!

This place was once a glorious symbol of the Silvermoon Kingdom, but now it is shrouded in an inescapable gloom.

Thick clouds hung low, and the entire sky seemed to be swallowed by the darkness of an abyss, dim and without light.

The rubble and ruins on the ground were covered with ice and snow, and they sighed in the wind.

David stood atop the core of the grand formation surrounding the royal court, clad in royal knight armor stained with the marks of war and the passage of time.

He lightly touched the chaotic core suspended in mid-air. The small energy sphere, containing ancient secrets and destructive power, glowed faintly, intertwining with the runes of the large purification barrier cast by hundreds of wizards.

At this moment, his face was resolute and cold, standing like an extremely cold ice peak in this place surrounded by darkness.

Beside him was a group of tech wizards who were constructing a vast and complex data matrix around the stardial fragments and the void star core.

The dazzling runes flowed like a river, shaping countless virtual spatial nodes in the air, constantly uploading data, analyzing energy fluctuations, and predicting future situations.

These mysterious and magnificent data networks infuse the Dawn Sacred Flame Array with rationality and precision.

David said in a deep voice, "After several hours of continuous analysis, I have conducted an in-depth study on the 'Black Mark' crack and its diffused energy using the Chaos Core."

He lightly touched the pillar of light floating on the screen with his fingertip, and the blue pillar of light rippled, revealing a profound unknown.

"These demonized knights possess a dual energy intertwined entity: the souls of beings from the prime material world are eroded and fused by heterogeneous energy from the abyss space, and they restrain and assimilate each other."

His brows were furrowed, a direct and painful recognition of the complex nature of this catastrophe.

"Based on this, I devised a massive purification barrier scheme—the 'Dawn Holy Flame Array'."

Its core principle is to utilize the abyssal heterogeneous energy and the pure soul power of the prime material world to generate a strong positive-negative clash effect, thereby completely purifying and sealing away the filth and evil through a super barrier.

Chief Technologist Eileen's eyes gleamed as she interjected, "Simply put, this grand array is like a soul-level baptism, not only clearing away surface contamination but also reversing spiritual erosion. It is the only feasible solution to combat 'Black Mark' and its spread of infection."

Her voice was filled with barely concealed excitement and anticipation for the future.

The air was filled with flashing runes and mysterious fluctuations. A large magic circle pattern gradually appeared in the void, and the holographic projection spread like the first light of dawn, enveloping the far northern wilderness in a sacred blue and white glow.

However, this grand plan comes at an unspeakable cost:
Eileen's expression was solemn: "Activating the Dawn Holy Flame Array requires a massive spiritual medium to withstand the impact of positive and negative energy."

They must possess pure and unwavering souls, and have an innate ability to repel the filth of the abyss...

This process is extremely risky, potentially leading not only to the mental breakdown or even death of the media professional, but also to severe upheaval in the surrounding environment.

David slowly surveyed the knights. These remaining lives were like steel flowers about to bloom under the extreme cold of the snowfield. Some were generals who had been tested by thousands of troops, while others were new recruits who were just beginning to show their skills. But at this moment, they were covered in wounds, yet they were tenacious and unyielding, standing upright like rocks in the center of the storm.

Hill gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his voice low and resolute: "I know... this means someone has to give their life for the future of countless others."

Cynthia's projection was surrounded by a faint, icy blue light, and her voice was deep and solemn: "This is baptism, and also redemption."

To ignite a spark of hope on the brink of collapse, we need to use our bodies and faith to set that eternal flame burning.

Anne closed her eyes and prayed. Her healing hands trembled slightly, but her resolve remained unwavering. "I will protect the sacrificers and make them the undying beacons that guide the dawn. Even if the road ahead is fraught with danger, I will not retreat a single step."

A resolute glint flashed across Lia's pale face. "This is for my people, for the survivors, and for the Silver Moon to regain its glory!"

David reached out and touched the core of chaos, the blue light making his gaze even more intense.

"Only in this way can we end the long night and let the silver moon usher in its true glorious moment!"

Inside the temporary command post, a solemn silence enveloped everyone's hearts.

As the morning breeze rustled through the windowpanes, the chill gradually dissipated, replaced by an unyielding belief burning brightly in my heart—

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, in the Ice Spring Temple in the dense forests of the southern border of the Silvermoon Kingdom, an ancient altar, nestled against the mountains and beside the water, stands amidst a chilling yet vibrant atmosphere.

Amidst the swirling morning mist, a graceful yet solemn young woman sat quietly on a lotus throne. She was Aliya Frostheart, the guardian of the Silvermoon Kingdom, and was known as the "Silvermoon Saintess".

(End of this chapter)