I, Folyago, am the most devoted lover in Runeterra.

Darius, the "Hand of Noxus," is a general with high prestige in the army.

He is leading his elite battle groups in the north against the Freljord barbarians, intending to continue pushing the empire's borders northward.

However, I've heard that Darius's journey this time hasn't been smooth sailing.

If we want to win, we'll probably have to put in some effort.

In the southern part of the Noxian Empire, after crossing the Val Mountains and then the Lokrond Plains, one arrives at the ancient and vast Shurima.

However, for some reason, the Shurima Empire has long since fallen apart and is now fighting its own battles.

As a result, many Shurima city-states wisely submitted to the Empire's power.

Although there is occasional friction, it doesn't hurt or itch.

For the powerful and vast Noxian Empire, there was no pressure on its southern border.

To the west lies the Nokmage Mountains, the battlefield where the empire has historically launched its most frequent and fiercest military campaigns!

"Nokmarch" is a Nokhi word meaning "blood valley".

Over the past few years, the Empire has made numerous attempts to advance westward, cross the Greentooth Peak, and conquer the rich and vast Demacian Plains.

But in the end, all their efforts came to nothing.

Under the fierce resistance of the Demacians, the Empire could not advance even an inch westward.

Most of the time, it was the empire that initiated the war of aggression.

Then the two sides fought a bloody battle in the Nokmourchi Mountains, and finally went back to lick their wounds.

For a century, the two countries have had their share of victories and defeats, but neither has ever been able to defeat the other.

On one occasion, the imperial army even broke through the defenses of Greentooth Peak in the Kingdom of Demacia and reached the gates of Janvendale, an important city in Demacia.

Ultimately, the Demacians, having unleashed their full power, stormed out of Nocturne's Rift and returned to Fortress of the Immortals.

The war ultimately ended with tens of thousands of casualties on both sides.

.........

Now, the battlefield that Buddha and Katrina are heading to is the entrance to the Nokmitch Mountains, the western border of the empire.

In recent years, as Imperial General Darkwell has grown increasingly old and senile,

The Empire has greatly reduced the frequency of its wars on its western border, and has instead shifted its main offensive towards Freljord in the north.

This is why Amyst had the opportunity to take control of the western defenses of the Empire.

Otherwise, it would never have been her turn.

Since the western front is not the main focus of the Empire's offensive, the current war between the Empire and the Kingdom of Demacia is mainly defensive.

After two days of frantic running, Katrina and Folyago finally arrived at the battlefield known as "Blood Canyon".

The first thing the two did was to take over the warband that was resting at the entrance to the Nokmourchi Mountains.

...........

The Noxian Empire's army is composed of "warbands".

Each chapter is led by its own chief, marshal, and captain, and has its own unique culture, hierarchy, and combat preferences.

Warbands can form larger battle groups and have specific roles on the field, such as front-line assault teams, heavy infantry, scouts, assassins, or cavalry—whichever suits their skills.

Even due to Noxus's diversity and inclusivity, each chapter has different ranks, composition, and number of members.

However, generally speaking, the size of a battle group will not exceed five thousand people, and will not be less than one thousand people.

"Legion Commander" is simply the unified title used within the Empire for warband commanders.

You can also be called: leader, commander, marshal, etc., as long as you want.

The chapter that Folyago is about to take over was once an elite chapter under Amistan.

In the recent war against Demacia, they encountered the Demacian Vanguard, the elite legion of the Kingdom of Demacia.

This resulted in the entire battle group being utterly routed by the Dauntless Vanguard, whose members were all Silver-ranked, suffering more than half of their losses.

The original legion commander was also killed on the spot on the battlefield.

Yes, you heard that right.

An entire legion, all of them at the Silver rank!

Captains, legion commanders, and even gold-level or legendary figures!

This is also the biggest difference between Demacia and Noxus.

The empire is highly open and inclusive, with a sense of "heroes come from all walks of life".

Demacia, on the other hand, is completely different, with strict laws and a strong sense of collectivism that are the complete opposite of the Empire.

In any situation, once the almost fearless vanguard appears, the Noxian army, which initially holds a general advantage, will soon begin to be pushed back in defeat.

This "main force" under Amyst's command is still not enough compared to the Dauntless Vanguard.

In fact, if it weren't for the last war...

This warband withstood the onslaught of the Dreadnoughts, so it's likely that Noxus won't just have one warband rendered ineffective.

........

When Foygo and Katrina arrived at the chapter's encampment, both of them unconsciously frowned.

Broken weapons and rusty armor were scattered all around the area where the warband was stationed.

Even before stepping inside, Foygo could feel an aura of decay and decadence from a great distance.

This is in stark contrast to the warlike and bloodthirsty aura that the Noxian army has always projected.

Fojego and Katrina slowly stepped inside.

When they entered the military camp, they did not encounter any resistance whatsoever.

There weren't even any guards in the military camp!

Although this is a relatively safe rear area, this is still a bit too outrageous.

This made Foygo frown.

Judging from this, this army has not only suffered more than half its casualties, but has also been completely defeated and lost all dignity.

Wounded soldiers, exuding an air of dejection, could be seen everywhere in the camp.

The wounded soldiers gathered in twos and threes around the campfire, their eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.

It was as if they were wondering why they had fallen to such a state.

On the campfire, helmets that should have been used for combat and defense were now placed on the fire to boil water.

Fóyego was alright, since he had anticipated this before coming.

Katrina was absolutely furious.

Deeply influenced by her belief in imperial glory, she simply could not bear to see soldiers behaving so cowardly and decadently!

And they were her soldiers!

Regardless of her true purpose, she is still nominally the deputy corps commander of this army!

Enraged, Katrina rushed up to a group of soldiers gathered around a campfire and kicked over their helmets that were resting on the fire.

"Clang, clang..."

"what!!!"

Scalding hot water was poured over a soldier, who immediately screamed in pain as his steel helmet fell to the ground with a clanging sound.

"Arise, cowards!!!"

Katrina shouted angrily, her voice drawing the attention of everyone around her.

Chapter 113, The Greatsword Remains Unbroken, the Knight Still Stands

"asshole!"

Immediately, countless soldiers stood up and surrounded Katrina and Foygo.

The soldier who had been scalded by boiling water glared at Katrina with hatred.

Although they have lost their faith at this moment, at least these soldiers still retain the basic courage and spirit of soldiers.

It's impossible to remain unmoved by such humiliation and insults!

Coupled with the human tendency to bully the weak and fear the strong, these soldiers were emboldened by the fact that Karlina, a seemingly "weak" woman, dared to speak so rudely.

Naturally, this is intolerable.

In an instant, Foygo and Katrina were surrounded by hundreds of soldiers.

"Hmph..."

To this, Katrina merely sneered and glanced disdainfully at the surrounding remnants of the enemy army.

"What, you don't accept it?"