Man on the ark, forced to become king

The next second, an explosion rang out, the deafening roar drowning out all other sounds, and the violent tremor caused the ground beneath their feet to shake violently.

Chapter Twenty-Four: A Moment's Breath

"Lord Witt, Lord Witt... Have they already forgotten the terror the Empire instilled in them?"

The emperor's study was dimly lit.

Although it was still bright outside, this study, which was not spacious for the emperor's status and was even somewhat cramped, had all its doors and windows closed, isolating it from the outside world.

This was one of Fyodor's little habits; he liked to ponder and decide on countermeasures alone in a dimly lit, quiet room, especially after experiencing the betrayal of his inner guards.

The vast palace had long been infiltrated, and the emperor, who seemed to sit high on the throne, could only truly control a tiny bit of territory.

Admittedly, the palace and even the entire Saint-Germain Castle have been cleaned up time and time again, and that situation is a thing of the past.

However, the habit of spending time alone in the study was retained and even became increasingly favored by the emperor.

“Your Majesty, the savage beasts that devour the flesh and blood of their own kind will never know what reverence is. The demons who roam the wasteland are mad and extreme. Their sins are innate, and their greedy desires will inevitably lead to their destruction.”

Witt stood before the table with his hands at his sides, and upon hearing this, lowered his voice and answered respectfully.

Fyodor suddenly summoned him, and even though he didn't say why, he had his own guesses.

It's nothing more than Kazdel's unusual activity.

That land, filled with barbarity and evil, had barely pieced together a few ruins from the rubble when it eagerly bared its fangs, just as it had many years before.

They were even so crazy as to declare war on Colombia and send their troops through Ursus territory.

How arrogant is this?

Without a doubt, this is blatant aggression!

As emperor, Fyodor could not stand idly by, and even the nobles who ceded territory and coveted the throne would not allow it.

People say that Ursus is militaristic and aggressive, but it is precisely because of its strong emphasis on military preparedness that, for hundreds of years, only the Ursus army has ever overwhelmed other nations and expanded its territory. It has never once had its territory taken away from it by an enemy.

The nobles aspire to the throne, but with Ursus blood still flowing through their veins, how can they allow the filthy demons to trample on the territory their ancestors conquered?

If even greedy nobles act this way, it is only natural that the most legitimate heir to the empire would be furious.

In fact, before meeting the emperor, Witte already knew what the young emperor had done.

Most people probably believe that the emperor made some kind of exchange with the nobles on the border, offering enough bargaining chips to persuade them to resist Kazdel's invasion.

However, the reality was that His Majesty's methods were far more ruthless and decisive than they had imagined—he directly abandoned the monitoring of some nobles and territories, recalled the Imperial Guards, and used swift and decisive means to take control of that territory.

The young emperor valued the empire's territory far more than he disliked the nobles.

Even though doing so would make his future plans more uncertain, he still chose to do it, at the cost of losing some informants, and ordered all the troops under the nobleman's control to be mobilized to resist the foreign enemy.

Moreover, not all nobles rebelled. The nobles who truly upheld honor never disappeared; they simply did not participate in the power struggle between the emperor and the nobles, but instead led their troops to guard the frontier. Kazdel's actions not only angered the emperor but also ignited their fury.

Their troops, too, began to move after the emperor intervened, heading towards the border defenses.

The news that the border nobles were forcibly controlled by the emperor using his inner guards may not be discovered for some time, but the dispatched troops are indeed on their way.

They will clash head-on with Kazdel's demon army, engaging in a massive battle involving tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, on the borders of the empire.

In response, Witt could only say that such courage was truly rare. Their emperor was more benevolent than the old emperor, but he was never lacking in courage.

He probably knew that Fyodor had called him to the study today not to ask him his thoughts on the matter.

The emperor has made his decision, and as his subject, all he can do is listen.

“Beasts know no fear, so let us use our torches and swords to make them retreat, Kazdel, ha…”

His fingers tapped lightly on the table, Fyodor's narrowed eyes were full of coldness, and his tone was icy.

"The current empire has no spare energy to devote to a bunch of savage beasts. Once the situation stabilizes, their so-called royal court will surely be shattered again under the empire's cannon fire."

"Witt, make the arrangements. Send a portion of our troops to the border. Make a big fuss, and it would be best if those greedy hyenas knew about it."

"Your Majesty, isn't this too hasty?"

Despite having warned himself that it was best to stand here as a listener today, Witte still couldn't completely control himself when the emperor's order was actually given.

The young Fyodor was more daring, or rather, more extreme, than he had known for many years.

At this juncture, it would be far too risky to use external pressure to completely disrupt the internal situation of the empire and prematurely ignite a civil war.

The greatest risk lies in the Kazdel Demon King's army, which has planned its march route within Ursus territory.

The young emperor was too young to know much about the country, which was largely associated with a chaotic period of civil war. But Wirt was different; he knew more about Kazdel, which bordered Ursus, and was well aware of what kind of madmen they were.

That's no easy enemy to deal with.

They are insane, brutal, and fearless, and possess many magical secrets passed down from ancient times.

Under the Demon King's leadership, Ursus may not be able to crush their offensive and drive them back to their own territory with overwhelming force.

If the border battle is lost and a stalemate ensues, it will be the beginning of a nightmare.

With the emperor's already limited military force tied down, how could he possibly deal with the covetous old nobles?

“Do as I say, Witt.”

Fyodor stood up, opened his arms to face the map of the empire hanging on the wall, and his tone became impassioned.

"Our empire is already rotten to the core. If we want to regain our former glory, we must smash everything and start over!"

"Those insects of the old era, I will crush them one by one, and use their corpses to light torches, so that the empire may be reborn in flames!"

"Our enemies are so treacherous and cunning, so we must be even more ruthless, more cruel, and more insane than them!"

"They will find out."

"Ursus is an extension of my hands!"

"Your will is supreme."

Looking at the triumphant emperor, Witte remained silent for a moment, bowed, and no longer objected.

"Your Majesty, to what extent should we go?"

"Of course, we'll go all out."

Fyodor whirled around, slamming his hand heavily on the table, his eyes flashing with a terrifying light.

"Send the war sorcerers and the Wendigo hybrids to me in near-ground aircraft. I want everyone to know that the majesty of the Empire cannot be challenged!"

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The azure arrow trailed streaks of light, detonating the falling shells in mid-air.

The shockwave and debris from the explosion poured down like a torrential rain, striking the magical shield around Loretta and creating ripples.

The barrage of bullets flying from afar had already exploded several times and showed no signs of stopping, but such attacks were still not enough to harm a powerful figure like her.

Any approaching shells and drones were blasted apart by the azure magic arrows, leaving only harmless aftershocks.

Even while drawing her bow, Loretta had time to glance at another spot.

She avoided Ursus's long-range artillery bombardment with skill, while that person's approach was much simpler and more brutal—she chose to take the hit head-on.

Skadi didn't even flinch as the dark gold greatsword cleaved through the falling cannonballs, tearing her clothes to shreds with the shattered fragments.

Even when artillery shells struck her faintly golden body, they only knocked her back a few steps, leaving scorch marks on her exposed skin.

Although he looked somewhat disheveled and wretched, he wasn't actually hurt much. Any occasional open wounds would heal on their own in less than a second.

In Loretta's view, Skadi's act of cutting the cannonball was more like playing around. Even if she stood still, the explosion of the cannonball could not do anything to her. At most, it would only cut a few insignificant wounds, which would be healed in an instant.

When this guy gets serious, he's as hard as a monster.

It would be a pipe dream to think that you could kill her with artillery bombardment before she runs out of golden power or is knocked unconscious.

Boom boom boom!

Dark clouds descended from the sky, and the flames of the explosions continued unabated. The earth trembled, the soil churned, and dust filled the air. The shockwaves, mixed together, whipped up violent storms and shattered against the gray-white protective shell.

Large amounts of smoke and debris were swept up by the rampant hurricane, flowing erratically and shrouding the entire battlefield in a hazy mist. The gray-white giant shield, shrouded in golden light, stood out starkly against the cratered battlefield.

Compared to the two outside who were fighting alone and withstanding the bombs on their own, Saria's situation was undoubtedly much more difficult.

To protect others, she had to erect a large shield, which greatly increased her chances of being hit. The shield was so large that even the sturdy enamel could not remain unscathed under the continuous bombardment.

Therefore, she had to focus her efforts on repairing the areas damaged in the explosion.

Fortunately, the bombing density was still within her tolerance range, and with her magical skills, she could protect everyone under the shield.

However, those sheltered under the shield were much more anxious.

They were all of the type with high attack but low defense, and under the continuous barrage of artillery fire, they were completely helpless and could only watch.

(Latland profanity)

Fiameta hugged her gun, cursing under her breath as she irritably ran her fingers through her hair, making it a mess.

"How long are they planning to keep bombing? Don't they know they're just wasting ammunition?"

Without a clearly defined target, indiscriminately attacking large areas can be effective in some situations, but it can't keep bombing like this forever.

Each large-scale bombing requires a large amount of ammunition. How many shells did they carry that could withstand such terrifying consumption?

In any case, Fiameta couldn't understand the point of the Ursus army doing this.