Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 462 The Image of All Beings: "Crown of Holy Light"

The negotiations that Green Pine had come with good intentions broke down, but that wasn't the worst thing.

What Green Pine's Foreign Minister Winston found unacceptable was that, during the very period when the two sides were negotiating, the forces of the Vast Ocean were launching wave after wave of fierce attacks on Green Pine's garrison along the valley fortress defense line.

It's not a test, it's not a deterrent.

It was a relentless and indiscriminate bombardment.

Supported by his assistant, old Winston shakily climbed onto the watchtower temporarily opened to Green Pine in the Vast Ocean Territory, his hands gripping the gnarled wooden railings tightly, his eyes bloodshot like a spider web.

He hasn't slept well for several days.

The old man is sixty-seven years old this year, which is quite old even for someone who started out as a healer. He has served two generations of Green Pine Kings and has been an envoy to almost every country and important power on the continent. Now that he has come to the Vast Ocean, he is catching up on the latest lessons.

As a seasoned diplomat who had once demanded excessive aid from the Cardinal of Azure Sky Holy City, persuaded the old nobles of the Moonlit Dynasty who were full of righteous words to stand idly by while Emerald was being beaten, and even held their own against the dwarfs, managing to get his family on the last train of cooperation, Winston thought there was nothing he couldn't handle.

His opponent once gave this old guy an extremely harsh assessment: "Winston, your mouth deserves to drag you to hell."

The old man regarded this as the best reward for himself.

Now, he has encountered this "immature" and "unreasonable" little girl.

Liu Shuang clearly harbored deep hatred for Liu Chuan, this traitor, but she was willing to accept anything for free, but refused to pay money, insisting that such a person was worthless...

The kingdom swallowed its pride and offered a huge profit margin, a deal designed to chill the hearts of those who surrendered, as a bargaining chip. How could it have just fallen apart in its hands?

Similarly, although Liu Shuang clearly has deep feelings for her homeland of Yunwu, she will not accept any exchange in exchange for it.

This little girl is brainless; in her mind, there seems to be only right and wrong, not harmony.

This is wrong. Even if you gave me the whole world, it would still be wrong!
After several attempts to reach an agreement with little response from the other party, Foreign Secretary Winston finally broke down.

Every day that Old Winston was anxious about, the artillery fire of the Vast Ocean continued its relentless work along the valley defense line not far away.

boom--

Boom! Boom! Boom!
The seventeen fortresses that Green Pine had painstakingly built with the support of Azure Sky Holy City, along with the tens of thousands of elite soldiers behind them, were being hammered and pounded into the chaotic and broken loose earth.

"This is far more ferocious than any fireball or exploding flame!"

"The enemy's pseudo-magic has the advantage of sheer numbers and ease of operation, especially the ability to attack day and night without rest! Although it is slightly lacking in accuracy, with such numbers, it will eventually smash the fortress one day."

"I'm afraid I have no face to see His Majesty the King!"

The old diplomat slowly raised his hand and pressed it against his throbbing temple.

His fingers were thin and bony, with prominent veins. His neatly trimmed nails still had the thin layer of nail polish he had applied in the palace before setting off, which shimmered with a faint, mocking glow in the slanting sunlight.

This was the demeanor of an aristocrat, and also his former dignity.

The elderly diplomat's shoulders had slumped, and his back was bent into a slumped arc.

He was desperate, but there was nothing he could do.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Almost at the same moment, General Hamon, commander of the National Army, put down his binoculars and spat fiercely out of the trench.

"Hold!"

"Can't these cowardly bastards from Green Pine come out and fight?"

"A nation with a strong military, indeed! What a disgrace!"

Hamon is excited, but definitely not happy.

The fact that Hamon, as a major general awarded the rank of Han Hai, personally came to the front-line trenches for close observation shows that he was genuinely anxious.

His position was less than ninety meters from the front fort of the Green Pine Line. At this distance, if there was a sharp-eyed lookout in the tower of the opposite fort, both sides could even see each other's reflections in each other's pupils.

However, the opposing fortress only knew how to take the beating, missing this good opportunity to get to know the high-ranking generals of the Vast Ocean up close.

Hamon kicked the trench angrily, sending dust flying.

His Guiyi Army was in high spirits and was eagerly awaiting the opportunity to make a name for themselves. How could they be stuck here?

Adjutant Brin handed over a water bottle: "Commander, have some water."

Hamon took it, but didn't drink it. He held it in his hand and shook it, listening to the sound of water, then squinted and continued to stare at the fortresses in front of him.

"If we can't take this soon, and the lord gets upset and sends the First Army over, where will the brothers put their faces?"

"Those cowards will probably start making fun of us then!"

"Commander," Brin replied cautiously, "The First Army hasn't even left the White Deer Plain yet, what right do they have to criticize us?"

"Hey!"

Hamon twitched his lips as if he had a toothache.

"They haven't even come, but they've been talking non-stop. Do you think they can just stand by and watch us outdo them?"

This involves some old grudges within the National Defense Force.

The two main armies of the National Defense Forces are the First Army, commanded by Galen, who was originally the Ninth Knight of Zircon Territory, and the Second Army, commanded by Hamon, who defected from the battlefield of the Battle of Liao Pass.

At that time, the main force in the Battle of Liaoguan was the First Army of the National Defense Army. In other words, these two factions within the National Defense Army were originally adversaries who fought each other. To some extent, the Second Army was actually forced to surrender by the First Army.

The First Army looked down on the Second Army, and there were perfectly good reasons for it.

But in the ensuing war, it was the Second Army's turn to shine.

As former servants of the orcs, the Second Army was very familiar with the orcs' tribal structure, troop composition, and combat style. Moreover, because they were orc squires, there were many officers and soldiers in the army who had long been oppressed by the orcs, and they were already harboring a lot of resentment.

Now that they have a new owner, they must resolutely oppose the orcs, sever ties with them, and break with the past.

Thus, the "Return to Righteousness Army," which gained great fame and was personally named and given a flag by the lord, clearly showed a trend of catching up and surpassing others.

As a result, the First Army became even more displeased with the Second Army.

And so, one had more seniority, the other more battle achievements; one took the lead, the other rose to prominence later; this one privately called the other a "beast cub," while the other secretly called this one a "softie"...

Of course, Hamon had also vaguely heard a very private rumor that the discord within the National Defense Forces was caused by the centaur leaders of the Field Army.

Regardless, the First Army and the Second Army fought side by side while simultaneously grumbling and cursing.

This time, the task of the southward operation fell to the Second Army of the National Defense Force, which was bound to cause the First Army to lose its morale.

The explosion couldn't stop them; their target was the Green Pine Kingdom, the Zircon Territory, the hometown of many of the First Army's generals and soldiers.

To put it politely, the General Staff didn't want the soldiers of the First Army to face a dilemma, since the people they were facing might be their friends, colleagues, or even relatives.

To put it bluntly, it's based on security considerations.

What if there are still loyalists within the First Army? The Han Hai Army has a large and capable force; it's not worth taking that risk.

Thus, the Second Army marched out with its head held high, but now it was blocked outside the core defense line and could not advance an inch.

Hamon picked up the binoculars again.

At this distance, a professional's visual acuity would allow him to see the enemy fortress clearly, but he would still need a mirror to see himself more clearly.

"The day before yesterday, that old bastard Galen sent a telegram to headquarters. I have friends in the cipher room too. Guess what he said?"

Brin, who was brave but brainless, shook his head.

"Although the entire First Army remained behind at Bailu, their training never stopped. They always had their long swords in hand and dared not slacken in the slightest. They were sharpening their weapons and preparing for battle, ready to share the Lord's burdens at any time!"

Harmon raised his voice and perfectly imitated the old-fashioned knightly tone of Garen, the commander of the First Army.

"Hey, you can't get to fight, but you've learned the idioms in the Eastern Xia language quite well!"

"Tell me, if we can't take this down and they actually come and take over, where will our 'Guiyi Army' put our faces? Will we live up to the lord's high regard for us?"

"Commander, don't worry, we should be able to take it!"

Hamon turned to look at the battle line behind him, shrouded in the mountain mist, and squeezed out a few words.

"It's not that it should be."

"Absolutely!!!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Hamon and the Second Army racked their brains and exerted all their efforts here, while Zircon Heysen, inside the fortress, had fallen into an uncontrollable panic.

He hasn't slept for five days.

Going back further, I haven't had a full night's sleep in the last dozen or so days and nights. The other side is trying to wear me down.

At first, I was afraid to sleep.

The enemy's offensive was too fierce. The magical attacks known as "industrial" rained down from above almost every moment, swirling back and forth outside the fortress's defenses.

Then, I couldn't sleep.

Those despicable people of the Vast Ocean, finding themselves powerless against the psionic defenses built by the Azure Sky Holy City and the Kingdom Masters outside the fortress, embarked on an evil path.

Instead of focusing their firepower on the fortress, they turned their attention to the defending troops.

From day to night, from moonrise to sunrise, the attacks outside the fortress never ceased.

The quantity is small, the intensity is not great, but it takes up all the time.

The opponent switched to a new "magical attack," which, of course, Haisen didn't know, was called a "flowering bullet" in the Vast Ocean.

The new weapon's actual attack effect on Green Pine Fortress has been greatly reduced, but it is still very loud.

Hessen didn't know what decibels were; all he knew was that the warriors in the fortress could barely get any rest.

After the enemy had completely occupied the first trench in front of the fortress, they came up with many new tricks.

They bombarded the fortress with sound from the trenches all day long using some kind of amplification device.

Sometimes it involves shouting.

"Warriors of the Green Pine Kingdom, all these years you have served those high and mighty lords, and what have you received in return?"

"Has your family's heir to the profession been ready yet? If you die here, and no new professionals take your place, those greedy hyenas of Green Pine will tear apart and devour everything you've worked so hard to build and protect, turning it into a pool of flesh and bones..."

"Perhaps I'll be reincarnated as a skeleton, offering my last bone fragments to cannibalistic nobles!"

Hesen closed his eyes.

He didn't want to hear it, but the sound couldn't be stopped from penetrating the thick walls and entering his ears. The soldiers in the fortress all looked rather unwell.

"Wake up! Open your eyes and look this way! There's a world here where people don't eat each other!"

Haisen approached the priest of the Holy City of Azure Sky: "Your Excellency, is it not possible to block out the sound?"

"It's impossible. We didn't set up such a formation in advance. Forcibly blocking it would consume a huge amount of energy, so much so that our other defenses couldn't be maintained!"

Sometimes it's music.

The stirring music ignited the soldiers' passion, but they dared not venture out, remaining trapped inside the fortress, their eyes red and breathless.

The melodious music reminded the soldiers of their hometown on the south bank of the Crystal River. The wildflowers and fields that carried their childhood memories seemed to float and swirl in the rhythm, and the smoke in the wind seemed to be wrapped in the scent of their homeland.

There are also sad, angry, sweet, and desperate rhythms... Sometimes, while listening, I feel as if I am enveloped by a nameless sorrow, as if I am soaking in a viscous lake, unable to struggle and unwilling to struggle.

Hesen has thought of his home more than once while listening to music.

Whenever the spring breeze swept by, he would hide behind the railing of the second-floor corridor and look down through the carved gaps. The setting sun dyed the courtyard gold, and the shadows of the maids were stretched very long, all the way to the cluster of blooming flowers in the corner of the wall.

Then, the most beautiful maid was roughly stripped of her clothes by her own father, revealing her white flesh, which made young Heisen's mouth dry.

As the heir to the territory, he had imagined countless times the scene of succeeding the old man after his death, how he would replace the figure in the flower garden, and immerse himself in the white waves.

But at this moment, he missed that rigid and fierce old man terribly.

Because Marquis Zircon Monroe is really dead.

He misses his father.

The thought of it made my chest feel tight and my body tremble. The thought of the whip marks on my back, which were no longer visible, also began to ache faintly.

Such beautiful, homesick music... I wonder which great bard composed it...

Of course, the enemy can't always be so gentle.

Various kinds of noise never stopped.

Bustling and noisy.

The most terrifying of all was the piercing, sharp sound, like a metal shard scraping glass inside the skull—a chilling, bone-chilling noise.

Every ten minutes or tens of minutes, this sound would suddenly ring out outside the fortress, making all the guards tremble.

Even if the soldiers plugged their ears or even punctured their eardrums, it was no use.

Explosions, flames, noise, vibrations... In such an environment, it's impossible to sleep, not even a little bit.

There are also some "sounds" that cannot be heard.

It was a kind of "sound" that couldn't be described in words, as if it didn't exist, yet it could truly make people feel anxious and inexplicably furious.

Some soldiers in poor physical condition experienced various severe physiological reactions, such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and even fainting.

If it weren't for the priests from the Holy City of Azure Sky releasing their holy magic in time to dispel this evil spell they called "the whispers of demons," the fortress might still be sturdy, but the warriors would have already collapsed.

These evil people of the Hanhai!
Heisen witnessed firsthand more than once how the kingdom's loyal warriors were jolted awake from their daze by an explosion, only to collapse to the ground as they tried to stand.

These were the kingdom's elite, powerful professional warriors, yet they were completely drained of their energy and spirit, turning into a group of walking corpses that could collapse at any moment.

It would be better to become a real zombie; at least then I wouldn't have to suffer this torment anymore.

In recent days, many soldiers have been unable to endure the torment any longer, roaring as they rush out of the fortress, quickly turning into cold and peaceful corpses.

But Hysen had to persevere.

He is different from others.

He was the culprit, or at least one of the culprits, in the conflict between Green Pine and Vast Ocean.

Countless midnight dreams haunted him, causing him unbearable pain.

If only I hadn't embezzled that sum of gold, and had instead sent out a sufficiently powerful group of pursuers from the start.

If you swallow all the gold coins yourself, find a scapegoat to report it, and that's the end of it.

Or, if you don't take that little golden retriever seriously, and just treat it as an accident, let him die, rot, and become a pile of wild animal excrement in the wilderness, then just don't bother that little necromancer...

However, life doesn't offer "what ifs"!

With his father dead, the army of Zircon Territory suffered heavy losses, the generals within the territory were restless, and the kingdom's high command looked on with cold indifference...

He, once the heir to the most prestigious territory in the Green Pine Kingdom, can now only desperately guard this coffin-like fortress, facing either victory or death!
boom--

Another shell hit the front of the fortress.

The pale golden magical light membrane trembled violently, like a jellyfish struck by a fish, its surface caved inward in a startling arc.

Heisen instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes, and debris and dust fell down, staining his already dusty and stained armor with an even layer of earthy gray.

He was exhausted, but he still couldn't sleep.

He picked up the leftovers from yesterday from the ground. The rice porridge had long since cooled and dried out, turning into a grayish-white, gel-like solid.

Heisen shoved the thing into his mouth with a vicious thud, his facial muscles twitching violently. He chewed it a few times with gritted teeth, swallowed it with his neck straight, and then stood up unsteadily, letting out a hysterical scream in a hoarse voice.

"The pine will prevail!"

"Zircon—Victory is assured!!!"

As he shouted this, suddenly, a bright light appeared in the corner of Haisen's eye.

That was a ray of light.

Without any warning, as the mist dissipated, a straight, intense, and striking beam of light streaked across the land.

What the hell is this thing?
The beam of light instantly pierced through the field and struck the outer wall of the adjacent Heavy Fortress No. 9.

That layer of psionic protection, crafted by high-ranking priests of the Azure Sky Holy City, personally overseen by the archbishop, and having withstood thousands of cannonballs without damage, was utterly ineffective against this light…

It began silently and obediently, gradually melting away at an extremely slow but very steady pace.

Next, the entire fortress heard the Holy City Archbishop's high-pitched roar.

"By the Seven-Eyed God!"

"Is this the crown-level holy light? Is this the Holy Lance of Judgment?"

"This is impossible!!!"

(End of this chapter)