Heart of the Castle

Chapter 849 Blood-Stained Light of Hope

Chief Jean Layton has cursed the bad weather from dawn countless times: the dark clouds that cover the sky, the thunderbolt that seems to ring until the end of the world, the screaming thunderbolts that fly across the city walls, blow out the bonfires and fold the flags High winds and downpours that brought freezing cold.All this has brought a double blow to the morale and body of the defenders of Tarlon Fortress, and it seems to be an ominous omen.

However, he now only hopes that the storm will come more violently, hindering the army of demons who are advancing towards Taalon Fortress, or at least... allowing himself to see this desperate scene later.

A large black figure surged from the desperate pass in front of the Tarlon Fortress, sweeping across the entire canyon, so that the sharp eyes of Chief Layton could not see where the end of the demon army was.Most of the demons that appeared in the field of vision were strong horned demon warlords. These big demons should have been the leaders of the squad, but here they became the vanguard of the cannon fodder.

Next, high-level demons such as the three-headed dragon-breathing dog, the abyss demon, the berserk demon, and the abyss evil god also entered the field of vision of Chief Jean Layton. Perhaps because he hated the pouring rain, the main long-range demon army Strike Troops - fire throwers, incinerators, and hellfire demons are nowhere to be seen.But this didn't make people feel easy. The number of demons in front of them had already shown an overwhelming advantage, and the breath of despair began to spread on the walls of Tarlon Fortress, almost within reach.

Commander Jean-Leyton took a deep breath. He thanked all the wars he had experienced in the past few decades, especially the most difficult and dangerous ones, which allowed him to maintain a calm mind and feel the haunting The desperation in the people around.

Something must be done, or the defenders of Tarlon Fortress will fall without the onslaught of demon armies.

"In the name of the Lord of Glory, Flandara, brothers of the Judgment Hammer Knights, Chapter 12, Section [-], of the Holy Code of Radiance—All glory to the golden sun! Sing!" Chief Commander Jean Layton said The loud roar pierced the noise of the storm, and also suppressed the marching sound of the demon army from the death pass, and then hundreds of voices joined in the chorus, and the solemn and firm hymn resounded over the sky of Tarlon Fortress.Immediately afterwards, the chaplains accompanying the army who came from the church of the fortress lined up in several rows under the command of Jean Layton, and they performed the divine spell of calling light together. The powerful divine power tore through the barrier of the dark clouds and cast a piece of golden sunlight On the outer wall of Tarlon Fortress.

The warmth immediately retreated from the cold, and the demons who hated the strong sunlight roared and retreated, and the formation became disorganized.This scene is obviously more inspiring than the passionate chant. The jeers and cheers sounded from all over the city wall. At first, it belonged only to the apologist knights and a few Deldes knights, and then the knights of the Sigis Kingdom and many fortress defenders The warriors also joined in, and the shouts of "Long live the Glorious Alliance!" and "May my Lord Flandala cast the fire of destruction!" once again echoed on the walls of Tarlon Fortress.

There are only a few people who can keep calm. Grand Duke Zandora of the Kingdom of Deldes is one of them, and Chief Jean Leyton, who took the lead in singing hymns and inspired the passion and blood of the knights and defenders, is another.The two stood on the city wall surrounded by jubilant sounds, silently watching the demon army emerge in the desperate pass, and then spread to the cliffs on both sides, until the field of vision was filled with red and black figures.Bursts of strong sulfur breath came along with the strong wind. Even though the rain was still heavy, it still made people's eyes sore, and they almost shed tears.

The morale of the army is indeed available, but it is very fragile.Thanks to the quarrel between the two kingdoms—Derdes and Sigis—Tallon Fortress was not ready for a tough battle, and several damages on the crenels of the city wall had not been repaired. The dilapidated towers are littered with bits and pieces of alchemical ballistas and catapults.The most deadly thing is that the defense zone of the fortress has not yet been confirmed. If the war starts now, Chief Jean Layton can hardly imagine the consequences.

It wasn't the army of demons who were hit hard in the head, but Tarlon Fortress, the Light of Hope.

The thing that Chief Layton was most worried about did not happen.

Maybe the demon side miscalculated the guarding strength of Taalon Fortress, or maybe they didn't want to rush to attack when their foothold was not stable.In short, the demon army re-established its position amidst the roars, and then unexpectedly began to set up camp in the canyon.

Piles of pitch-black abyss Fierce Flames quickly ignited, like a huge black dragon winding into the distance, and finally disappeared in the Iron Furnace Mountains.The divine spells of the Guangyao priests only dispelled a ray of haze over Fort Tarlon, and the rain over the Ironforge Mountains was still heavy.But when the icy rain poured on the Hellfire, not only did it not extinguish it, but it seemed to add kerosene, which made the Firefire burn more intensely, and the swallowing flames were accompanied by black smoke, like countless slender black fingers touching Sky.

This scene is so magnificent that people can't help but have a weird illusion—as if the dark clouds covering the sky are not natural phenomena, but billowing black smoke rising from the camp of the demon army.

It looks like the fight won't be going on right away.Chief Jean Layton thought about it, and at the same time made gestures, telling ordinary knights and soldiers to take advantage of the present opportunity to go down and rest temporarily, leaving only a few sentries to guard the towers.He had to do this, because the huge scale of the demon army even made him secretly horrified even when he was mentally prepared, let alone ordinary knights and soldiers.After the initial excitement, traces of fear gradually appeared on the faces of these people, their breathing was heavy, and their wide eyes scanned the surroundings aimlessly, extending from the city wall to the sky.

"My lord Flandara, please be merciful and save these frightened lambs." Chief Jean Leighton sighed heavily, and turned away from the horrifying scenery outside the wall. , facing a group of pale-faced senior generals of the fortress defenders. "There is nothing to argue about now. My lords, start preparing immediately. We must race against time to prepare as much as possible before the demon army starts to attack. Materials, ammunition, swords, all of these must be moved from the warehouse to the top of the city. , Lord Zandora, please discuss the division of defense zones with Prince Locke of Sigis... Lord of Glory! Prince Locke, stop for me!"

Commander-in-Chief Jean Layton uttered a roar that was almost like a roar. Prince Locke, who was about to follow the last batch of soldiers to leave the city, shuddered and stopped. "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief... Please discuss these matters with Earl Carrivac. I feel a little unwell. It may be because of the cold wind blowing just now, and now I am very dizzy." He turned around and made a gesture. In an exaggerated posture of bending his body, his arm almost touched the knee of the head of the Judgment Knights. "Please allow me to retire first, before this damn storm takes my life..."

Chief Jean Leighton had to try his best to restrain the urge to smash that pale and weak face with a ruthless punch, and the iron glove made a creaking sound under his tight grip. "His Royal Highness Prince Locke, you are the plenipotentiary representative sent by the Kingdom of Sigis, and you have more authority than the fortress commander, Earl Carrivac. Even if you reveal all the decision-making power in your hands, you must stay with us in the Let every knight and every soldier see our steadfast figure on the city wall. Only in this way can Tarlon Fortress hope not to be lost in our hands."

The tone of these words was very strong, so that Chief Layton couldn't do nothing at the moment when the war was approaching, and he was still in the mood to pretend to be a cowardly and cowardly guy like Prince Locke. The merciless reprimand made Prince Locke's pale face show traces of fear and surprise, the corners of his mouth trembled slightly, but he was speechless.

Seeing the stiff and stagnant atmosphere, Earl Carrivac hurried up, bowed deeply to Jean Leighton, and at the same time naturally blocked his body in front of Prince Locke. "Honorable Commander-in-Chief Jean Layton, His Royal Highness Prince Locke is indeed a little weak. After all, it is not after the war has started, and there is no need for His Royal Highness to pay attention to those trivial matters. Let him go to rest first. "

"Weak body?" Chief Chief Jean Layton's tone was extraordinarily cold and sharp, and it sounded as if it made people feel skin tenderness. "The number one heir of the Sijishi Kingdom is so weak that he looks like this. I believe it will give you a headache, right? Why don't you let me solve this problem for you, and then His Majesty the Supreme Pope of the Temple of Light will be the one for Sigis?" The kingdom appoints a new heir to the throne?"

These words stimulated Prince Locke far more than the roaring storm outside the city wall and the unprecedented demon army. He almost jumped up from the support of the guarding knights, and his agility would not lose to the experienced A veteran knight of war.

"You can't do this. Although the Temple of Glory has given you the power to monitor the nations, they will never allow you to use it unless it is absolutely necessary." He rashly grabbed Jean Leighton's left hand. Arm, "I am not afraid of war, death, and bloodshed, but hate meaningless actions. Your Excellency Commander Jean-Leyton, you are a sword-wielding prince who has experienced many battles, and you must have a much longer-term vision than me." , please repeat the answer you just said in front of the lord of light, Flandara——Can the Fortress of Tarlon, the Light of Hope, be held for more than a week?"

Chief Jean Layton raised his right hand, stretched out three fingers, and made a sun wheel gesture of praying to the golden sun.He declared to everyone at the military meeting without hesitation just now, "Light of Hope Arlon Fortress is as powerful as it was when it was first built, no matter how many demons there are, they can only look at the solid stone city tens of meters above the ground So long as food, soldiers and supplies are sufficient, we can definitely reduce the number of enemies here, and let them attack the solid outer city wall with five walls."

But it was one thing to boost morale in a conference room, and quite another to swear to the Golden Sun Flandala that what was said was true.

Chief Jean Leighton is a very devout believer. Even if he is very tired when marching outside, he will seize the time to pray to the golden sun Flandara, praying that the golden morning light will stay on the earth forever.

Such pious believers have no way to lie in front of the gods they believe in. Chief Jean Layton knows that as long as he speaks, Prince Locke has to believe it. However, Chief Jean Layton after some thinking , still shook his head gently.

"I have understood your answer, Your Excellency Chief Jean Layton." Prince Locke nodded, and the expression on his face softened a little, "I am the only heir to the Kingdom of Sigis. My health is not very good, I must rush back to take charge of the overall situation..."

The sword light flashed, like several talkative women, stopped the chattering voice in Chief Layton's ear, Prince Locke had a dumbfounded expression on his face, and his eyes were fixed on his bleeding Broken arm, it took a long time to let out a suffocating moan, then rolled his eyes, and his body fell like a piece of wood between the outstretched arms of the two guard knights at the same time.

Shocked and angry voices rang out, suppressing the whistling of the storm.Earl Carrivac was the first to draw his sword, followed by several well-known knights of the Sigis Kingdom, but in the next moment, they were surrounded by dozens of Guardian Knights from the Judgment Hammer Knights, and Del Under the wink of the regent, Grand Duke Zandora, the knights of the Kingdom of Des retreated one after another, away from the opposing sides.

"My lord of glory, Lord Jean Layton, do you know what you are doing?" Earl Carrivac yelled sharply, and the flames of vindictiveness spread upwards from the hilt until the entire sword was enveloped in the dazzling in the light. "His Royal Highness Prince Locke may have offended in his words, but he is the first in line heir to the throne of the Sigis Kingdom after all. Without warning or judgment, he drew his sword and cut off the future king of Sigis." Arm, the Guardian Knights of the Radiant Temple are acting too arrogantly, right?"

"If he hadn't spared no effort to delay there, and finally declared that he was going to flee, I certainly wouldn't have done it." Jean Leighton's head replied word by word, "Earl Carrivac, you are stationed in Hope The Light of Tarlon Fortress has been around for more than 30 years, and it can be said that it has experienced many battles. If there is a noble or wealthy businessman like Prince Locke who flees from the battle, what will you do?
"Fleeing in battle is no different from a traitor. Of course, there is no mercy." Earl Carrivac said with his eyes widened fiercely, but then he slowed down. This is the right way to do it,"

"Before the golden face of our lord Flandara, there are only pious brothers who are believers, and there is no distinction between high and low." Jean Leighton replied solemnly, "If you see me or judge the Knights Any one of them who flees before the battle also has the right to impose iron and blood sanctions. As for the noble status of Prince Locke...what do you think is the reason why I didn't cut off his head directly?"

Earl Carrivac was at a loss for words, but the long sword in his hand had already been lowered, as did the other knights of the Sigis Kingdom.Seeing that the tense atmosphere had weakened slightly, the knights of the Kingdom of Deldes approached again, led by the amiable and smiling Grand Duke Zandora.

"I believe that what you have done has brought more trouble to Lord Carrivac, Mr. Chief Jean Layton." Grand Duke Zandora said softly to the chief of Hammer of Judgment, "If you simply It would be easier to say something about sending our Prince Locke to the realm of light where the Lord of Radiance resides with a single sword, so that only one arm would be broken, wouldn't Lord Carrivac be unable to explain it?"

Jean Renault frowned coldly, and said without any pretense in his tone, "This is a just punishment made by the Lord of Radiance through me. It will not be mitigated for any reason, nor will it be aggravated for any reason." He then moved towards Earl Carrivak nodded, "Now you can send someone to send Prince Locke to recuperate, I don't need him to continue appearing on the city wall."

"Yes, Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief." A trace of struggle flashed across Earl Carrivac's face, but he immediately gave a knight's chest salute to Commander-in-Chief Jean Renault, and then called two personal guards, "Send His Royal Highness, go back to rest, be careful on the way..."

Seeing the two guards carefully lift the unconscious Prince Locke off the city wall with the tied chairs, Earl Carrivac's eyes flickered with hesitation again, as if he was engaged in some fierce psychological struggle.But before he finally made a decision, Grand Duke Zandora seemed to come over unintentionally.

"Lord Carrivac, is the psychological struggle intense?" Grand Duke Zandora lowered his voice so that only the two of them could hear it, with a faint smile on his lips. "His Royal Highness Prince Locke is so unfortunate that he has fallen to such a point. For a young man, losing an arm is probably worse than death, right?"

Earl Carrivac subconsciously glanced in the direction of Chief Jean Leighton, and saw that the chief of the Hammer of Judgment Knights was looking down at a broken part of a city wall, and put his hands on it. After knocking a few times, the beating heart of the Earl finally returned to a calm and regular beating.

"Your Excellency, Grand Duke Zandora, what do you say?" Earl Carrivac asked in a somewhat blunt tone, but given the fierce struggle going on in his heart, such a tone can already be said to be very good.

"It's very simple, His Royal Highness Prince Locke's life is worse than death, whether it is the same for him or for you." Grand Duke Zandora smiled, and then said straightforwardly, "If your subordinates do not have reliable candidates to complete this mercy For the matter, I can provide someone to do it for me."

Earl Carrivac couldn't help but took half a step back, his whole body tensed like a bowstring.He wanted to loudly object to Grand Duke Zandora's proposal, pointing out that all the speculations he made were based on imagination, and there was no evidence that he wanted to murder Prince Locke's life, but these words were stuck in his throat by an invisible pliers among.It was not until several seconds later that Earl Carrivac made the first sound from his throat.

"it is good……"

(End of this chapter)