Divine Kingship

Chapter 644 The situation has really taken a sharp turn for the worse!
The brave Luca was helpless.

Recently, he was inexplicably given the title of a hero.

Then all sorts of things unrelated to the adventurer's work came flooding in.

“Noble ladies who want to marry me, nobles from my fiefdoms who want to recruit me, royalty who want to hire me… Sigh…” Luca sighed.

The dwarf rogue in the group glanced at him: "They obviously want your help to get rid of this undead plague disaster, hahahaha, go forth, hero Luca!"

"Hahaha." Luca laughed a few times, pointing to his head, "Me, me? Me, kill the undead? Even the most ordinary skeleton, if it hits me with a bone fragment or a piece of flesh, it could drown me, hahahaha."

Luca couldn't understand what these nobles were thinking at all.

He was indeed an ordinary person with no background. If it weren't for Rand giving him the opportunity, he might not even have been qualified to embark on the path of an adventurer.

But he still has basic logic. Even if he could kill the leader or core of the plague-spreading entity, the plague undead wouldn't simply vanish into thin air.

At most, they will no longer have command, nor will they expand with any purpose.

This isn't like some surreal dramas where killing the enemy leader causes all enemy units to crash.

Luca, however, doesn't think so.

"Fortunately, His Majesty Rand recalled me. Now I just need to do my normal work. I really don't understand." Luca was having a picnic with his teammates, and he stuffed a piece of grilled meat into his mouth and smacked it as he ate it.

"I reckon there are quite a few nobles and royalty who believe the hero can solve the problem." The half-elf mage recalled the intelligence he had gathered and the books he had read before.

“Then I’m definitely not a hero,” Luca said helplessly. “I don’t know how the heroes of the past solved their problems, but I certainly can’t.”

Luca stuffed another piece of roast meat into his mouth: "Looks like trouble is brewing again."

The people who came this time seemed to be followers of the Cataclysmic Order; they appeared to be living people rather than the undead.

However, he seemed to have been infected with the plague, as there were many black spots on his skin.

"Luca?" came a hoarse voice.

"Oh? You know me?" Luca had already raised his signature greatsword. Ever since he was inexplicably given the title of hero, he's become a household name.

"Come into the embrace of the Scourge Apostles." The Scourge Order members seemed to want to proselytize.

But the moonlight-like sword light had already severed its head.

However, the body did not fall down immediately.

The swollen, withered skin transformed into tumor-shaped abscesses, like inflated balloons about to burst.

The half-elf mage's magic orbs and the archer's explosive arrows were already in place.

The Cataclysmic Apostle that attempted to self-destruct was crushed, but still emitted a plume of eerie green smoke.

Fortunately, the members of the Sunburst Adventurer Squad had already left the area in time. They were already familiar with and vigilant against plague-related enemies.

"Fortunately, the plague protection measures His Majesty Rand prepared for us should remain effective." Luca checked his protective gear.

This natural disaster and plague contains elements of divine power, which allows the dead to be resurrected and makes it more contagious, while the effects of ordinary herbs are relatively weak.

However, the divine power component will also be reflected in the materials of the Torch Church or the Church of the Goddess of Harvest and Health.

This meant that those of them who were on the front lines didn't have to worry too much about getting infected.

Of course, there are still risks involved.

"Let's go back."

……

After finishing his business in the new Holy City, Rand left in a hurry, his next destination being the Ratman City.

On the way, Rand received some more proposals.

It's still some strategic approaches centered around the hero.

It can only be said that past successes have led many rational kings to harbor wishful thinking.

Fortunately, Rand's prestige and the coldness of reality prevented these people from placing their hopes entirely on the hero.

Rand was speechless; this situation was something he hadn't expected and couldn't understand.

But it's not entirely a bad thing.

After all, regardless of whether the hero plays a big or small role, the relationship between the hero and Luca is good. In fact, at the current stage, Rand is considered the hero's superior, and Luca will obey any orders he gives.

Of course, neither Rand nor Luca himself has truly acknowledged the identity of the so-called hero.

And it's on the way.

Then came the bad news.

Some countries in the south have already perished.

The plague rendered the city walls' defenses ineffective.

The dead leave the living with nowhere to escape.

Endless spirits stagger across the wilderness, never ceasing, like the waves of the sea.

The situation has really taken a sharp turn for the worse.

Rand had anticipated this, but when it actually happened, he still frowned slightly.

The situation inevitably escalated to this point due to the lack of cooperation from the southern countries.

All Rand could do was preserve the hope of resistance.

The new Holy City is almost ready, and the Ratman City will be ready next, at which point the situation will change.

Next, let's see what the ratmen's sacred artifacts are like.

……

Rand arrived in the city of the ratmen.

With the help of the Sanctuary, and given the existing abandoned city, the Ratman City was built relatively quickly.

It's basically complete now.

Next, Rand decided to see if the ratmen's artifacts were really as powerful as he remembered.

Elsa, Ellie, and Quiro are the three main characters in Deep Moon.

Each of the three characters has their own backstory. Rand, being a casual observer, doesn't know much about these stories, but he has heard of the Ratman artifacts.

In the original history, the ratman Quiro could no longer tolerate the oppression of the ratmen by all the intelligent races in the world, and decided to lead the ratmen to freedom.

After paying a heavy price, the ratman Quiro found the sacred artifact.

The Holy Bell—Destruction.

After paying a certain price, the sacred bell is rung, and the ratmen who hear the bell will become the most terrifying warriors.

Although it sounds like a tool for controlling ratmen, it can actually only be used by ratmen. Rand probably guessed that a certain generation of ratmen ancestors had done something to it.

The specifics of RAND remain unknown.

In short, the [Holy Bell - Destruction] will now become the Skaven race's trump card.

This also allows the Skaven to bring value to Rand.

Rand soon met Quiro, the ratman, who was also their hero and leader.

Kui Ruo doesn't seem to be in good spirits these days.

Rand asked, "How many ratmen have come to this city?"

"I know of two-thirds, and some of the remaining third are on their way," Quiro replied.

"A very impressive ability to rally support," Rand commented.

“Completely inferior to you. When I first heard your request, I couldn’t help but suspect that you just wanted to gather the ratmen together so that they could be enslaved or destroyed,” Quiro sighed. “So you don’t have any doubts now?” Rand laughed.

“No, I still have doubts, but the ratmen really can’t resist you,” the ratman Quiro said sadly.

“Then just consider it as me enslaving you for the time being. I need you to fight the plague with us.” Rand’s words were completely emotionless.

The ratman Quiro sighed again: "It is my pleasure to serve you, Your Majesty Rand."

"Are there any cases of infection in the city right now?" Rand stopped discussing the topic.

“Yes, I’ve isolated them all outside the city. I’ve also strictly required all ratmen to abide by the Health Codex. The situation is currently under control,” the ratman Quiro sighed.

"That's good." Rand didn't ask any more questions, but changed the subject. "Let me see the sacred artifact."

“I will lead the way for you.” Quiro quickly led Rand to the top of the clock tower in the Ratman City.

There hangs an ancient clock here, and if you look closely at the patterns on the clock, you can see some mysterious magical runes.

It's impossible to tell which era this thing originated from.

"Has it been tested? Is it usable?" Rand asked.

“Yes,” the rat-man Quiro replied.

"What's the price?"

"As expected, you know everything."

"So... what is it?"

"The life of the rat people."

“Unfortunately, I don’t believe it,” Rand sneered.

"Since you already know, why are you asking me?" Quiro looked at Rand with his ashen eyes.

“I need to confirm this, after all, there’s a big difference between reality and knowledge,” Rand said coldly.

"The price is life—the enemy's, one's own, even the undead, those that can move and die." This time, Kui Ruo answered honestly.

“Very good, it seems there are no problems. Now it’s up to you. As long as the Ratman City is not the first major city to be breached, after this is over, I will demand that all human kingdoms recognize the legal status of the Ratmen and prohibit the enslavement of them.” Rand said no more and did not linger in the Ratman City.

To combat the plague, Rand made many preparations, but whether it was the new Holy City, the Ratman City, or Rand's Moon Phase Kingdom, regardless of whether the plan succeeded or not, a heavy price would inevitably be paid.

Rand was also under a lot of pressure.

Because if the plan fails, all the lives sacrificed for it will have been wasted.

Rand left the city of the ratmen.

Next, he will inspect the defense lines in various locations.

Rand didn't intend to do everything himself, but he was really worried about some key areas without seeing them for himself.

After all, there are still many nobles and royalty in this world who believe that the hero will take care of everything.

"Hmm..." Just as Rand was on his way to inspect the defense line, Olena interrupted Rand's thoughts on strategy.

“You’ve been thinking too much lately, you can take a break.” Olena rubbed Rand’s temples with her fingertips inside the carriage.

"I'm having a hard time controlling myself." Rand rubbed his temples.

“Then…would you like to take a short break?” Olena suggested.

“For example?” Rand asked.

"Let's think of a name for this plan? When we destroyed the foundation of the new Holy City, we came up with such a vivid and meaningful code name as 'Project Sunrise.' Can't we come up with one now?" Olena said softly.

“Alright,” Rand thought for a moment, “how about we call it Project Seize Fate by the Throat?”

"Phew—" Olena covered her mouth and chuckled, "How about we think of something shorter and easier to say?"

“Then… a chokehold plan? It feels a little shameful.” Rand chuckled.

“Then let’s not tell outsiders. Just tell everyone it’s His Majesty Rand’s secret plan?” Olena said.

“That’s settled then.” Rand did feel a bit more relaxed.

……

From the perspective of Crow Cola, the southernmost city has entered a nightmarish phase of war.

The units that make up the undead army are actually mostly mediocre.

It's nothing more than skeletons, zombies, and rats.

Even ghosts are rare.

Low-level skeletons and zombies are no match for the most ordinary farmer.

Rats can be easily crushed.

But even such weak units, when they gather in large groups in the wilderness, become a nightmare that is difficult for human forces to overcome.

The addition of rats this time made the destruction even more thorough.

Countless rats, dead, alive, and half-dead, devour all the food and destroy most of the buildings, leaving the land utterly barren.

The plague and rats meant that no villager hiding in cellars or in the mountains could escape unscathed.

Currently, the Champs-Élysées Kingdom and the Lionheart Kingdom, which have partnerships with Rand, have joined the construction of the defense line.

Most of the nobles in these two kingdoms were able to preserve some of their wealth thanks to this foresight in cooperating with Rand.

Villages without defenses, and even small fortresses, have been abandoned.

A large number of people were relocated to the north.

The fighting forces remained on the defensive line to await the arrival of the undead army.

Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Lensa, which was closer to Land, and other persuaded southern kingdoms also began preparing to migrate and participate in the war.

This is not a war between humans and the undead, or between humans and the Scourge Apostles.

This is now a war between humanity and death.

In a sense, it seems that this is also a sacrifice to the god of struggle?

Fortunately, the god of war is not reacting at the moment.

For many southern countries, this is now a desperate situation.

However, for Rand, it was still part of the plan.

As initially predicted, no one could bring themselves to amputate a limb to survive until the situation deteriorated sufficiently.

Now that the situation has become critical, at least Rand has made sufficient preparations.

that's enough.

The choke point plan is simple: by allocating resources and relocating people, as well as by using defenses and "nails" to prevent the spread of plague and death from having enough breeding grounds.

Then came the counterattack and the recapture of the land.

This plan is equivalent to a certain fire-fighting method from a previous life.

If flammable materials are burned or removed in advance, the fire will not have room to spread.

Under these circumstances, Rand was convinced that even the Cataclysmic Apostles could not provide an endless supply of death power without any cost.

If He could truly provide an endless supply of the power of death, then all living things in this world would have perished long ago.

Instead of what it is now, where the Scourge Apostles have to create plagues themselves to increase the efficiency of the killing.

(End of this chapter)