Successors of all mankind

With a force of this size, he wouldn't need to do anything to deal with an isolated fortress; he could simply send ground troops to push it over.

But he didn't want to destroy the fortress; he wanted to preserve it as much as possible.

Make your achievements seem bigger!

Therefore, he wanted to persuade the other side to surrender, and of course, he wouldn't leave General Hel any way out.

His real goal was to have General Hel's men cut off his head.

Thus, the culprit died, and the fortress remained.

Suddenly, the adjutant frowned slightly and said:

"Your Excellency, His Majesty the King has sent us more reinforcements. They are General Martini and Count Raphael."

The two familiar names made the Marquis of Corinth frown.

Because they were all veteran figures on the rebel side.

They were among the first to surrender and lead troops to join Bourbon II.

What does it mean that the Crown Prince has sent the two of them here?

Do they not trust me? Or are they trying to suppress me?

The Marquis of Corinth did not suspect anything else; he only suspected that this was some kind of suppression by the Crown Prince.

Meanwhile, in the other two units, their respective commanders, General Martini and Count Raphael, were amusedly commenting on the Marquis:

"This guy is getting more and more cowardly as he gets older. He brought so many people with him, but not long after setting off, he asked His Majesty for reinforcements."

"Yes, he even specifically asked us to come along. It's fortunate that he contacted His Majesty privately, otherwise it would have been too embarrassing. He would have embarrassed His Majesty, but he would have embarrassed himself as well!"

To both of them, their arrival was not at the Crown Prince's behest, but at the Marquis of Coron's own request.

Bourbon II could not ignore the request of a high-ranking official, so he reluctantly agreed.

As they were talking, they heard the Marquis of Corinth's order:

"I am very grateful for your arrival, but could you please deploy your troops on my flanks and encircle the enemy?"

It's a very reasonable request; it's a clear indication that they don't want to be the main attacker anymore.

Although it made the two men frown, they each took stock of the fortress's troop strength and their own troop strength.

But then they felt that the other party could take all the credit, so they reluctantly agreed.

"Alright, I'll go to his left flank. You stay here, and we'll outflank him!"

But the Marquis of Coron was puzzled that his calls to Count Raphael and his men had gone unanswered.

"What's going on?"

After he finished speaking, he was even more surprised to see that the other party not only ignored his calls, but also moved to his left wing.

"Why aren't they responding to us? And..."

After a moment of hesitation, the adjutant added the Marquis's voice:

"And why do they seem to be trying to outflank us?"

After a brief hesitation, the Marquis immediately said:

"Contact His Majesty!"

"Marquis?"

"I want to ask them whether they were sent by His Majesty or something else!"

This time, the communication was restored almost instantly.

Bourbon II then appeared before the Marquis of Corinth.

The Marquis immediately asked:

"Your Majesty, you have sent Lord Raphael and the others?"

Upon hearing this, Bourbon II's holographic image almost instantly sat up from his seat, then said in astonishment:

"Where did they go? What do you mean? I didn't give them any instructions. They said they were going to patrol the outer perimeter themselves."

"Why would they go to your place? This doesn't match the direction they said they were going!"

The Marquis of Corinth broke out in a cold sweat instantly:

"But Your Majesty, they say you sent them to support me!"

King Bourbon II was also utterly astonished and said:

"You took so many people with you, how could I possibly send anyone else?"

Yes, how could His Majesty possibly send someone to follow?

This is unreasonable!

As he was speaking, Bourbon II suddenly came to his senses and, in disbelief, slumped back into his seat:

"They betrayed us?"

Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Coron and the officers on the bridge all fell silent.

Of course, they did not stop their actions; they all ordered their troops to change direction.

Prepare to strike first.

In the Silver Flower Town fortress below, Commander General Herl boasted lavishly about the Emperor Bourbon II who had recently received him!

"You did a great job. My empire needs talents like you!"

"Your Majesty, you flatter me. This is simply what I should do!"

But as they were talking, the Bourbon II in the holographic projection suddenly changed the subject:

"There's one more thing. Next, I want you to remain completely silent and have all your taxi drivers hidden in underground fortifications."

"Your Majesty, I don't understand?"

In the holographic projection, Bourbon II's expression slowly changed from boastful and appreciative to solemn and indifferent.

"The Marquis of Corinth, this man of royal blood, is also a traitor. I sent Count Raphael and General Martini to pursue him, but they just haven't sided with that bastard who killed his own brother."

"So, let them fight. After they're done fighting, whoever's left, you have to kill them all!"

These words made General Hel's face turn ashen, but the next sentence made his face glow with joy.

Because the emperor in the holographic projection said to him:

"You should have met that lord. He was very high-sounding in your eyes. He said that you would become an earl after the war, have control of the Zero Relic, and that he wanted to personally confer the award upon you."

"Count Hell, do not disappoint me or him!"

Commander Hel instantly accepted all the 'orders,' turning the entire fortress into an empty shell, creating the illusion that everyone had fled at the first sign of trouble.

This is the reason why the Marquis of Corinth did not respond to his calls and could not see any movement.

Now, the holographic projection of 'Bourbon II' is issuing his final command, or rather, roaring, to the Marquis of Corinth:

"Marquis, kill all these damned traitors!"

Then the artillery fire began to bury the sky.

Chapter 97: Their Fates (4k)

Just moments before the artillery fire obscured the sky, the Marquis of Coron's fleet completed its turn.

This massive formation, which had been maintaining a standard encirclement formation just moments before, is now shrinking back at an astonishing speed.

The armored ships on the flanks were closing in on the main force, and the firepower system's target had shifted from the outer fortifications of Silver Flower Town to the encircling forces of Martini and Rafael.

On Count Raphael's flagship, his adjutant sounded an alarm the very second the radar data changed:

"My lord, Marquis Coron's fleet is turning, and their firepower systems have locked onto our direction."

Count Raphael glanced at the screen, then turned to the liaison officer:

“Send a confirmation message to Marquis Coron, saying we are proceeding according to plan, and ask him why we suddenly changed formation…”

Before he could finish speaking, the firelight filled every blank space in his field of vision.

The ship shook violently.

Unlike the Newman forces who were wiped out in a confused manner, they had activated their energy shields.

After all, we must be prepared for ground artillery fire from the fortress at any time.

This also gave them a chance to survive.

However, even with the shields activated, not everyone is spared. Under intense bombardment, some ships inevitably crash due to their large impact area.

Seeing this, before Count Raphael could even react, Marquis Corren's voice came through their communication channel:

"Fool! I have royal blood flowing through my veins. How could I possibly betray my monarch and princess?"

It's clear now, it's understandable now.

Why did a ground fortress deep within their controlled territory in Silverflower Town suddenly self-destruct?

Why did the Marquis of Coron, who had brought enough troops, still request additional reinforcements?

Why, after they arrived, did this veteran general, who had already embarrassed Bourbon II, still insist that they take the lead in the attack, further humiliating him and His Majesty the Emperor?

So that's what it was all for!

Yinhua Town's self-destruction allowed him to legitimately lead his troops away.

Then he can demand their presence under the guise of reinforcements, and let them take the hit themselves without warning!

What do you mean by flanking and encircling from the side? This is clearly just making us line up in rows so he can bombard us!

All doubts have been resolved.

Count Raphael was so angry that he trembled all over.

"Fight back! Fight back! What are you all standing there for? Fight back!"

The belated shelling began to retaliate.

Ground teams from both sides also began to move out, tearing at each other's positions.

Looking at the raging war outside, General Hel of Silver Flower Town was utterly amazed.

"Fortunately, His Majesty ordered me to hide and reap the benefits, otherwise, we might have been doomed too."

General Hel believed he was trusted by His Majesty and therefore received a pardon.

After all, he was responsible for finishing up.

But in reality, this is only because he is an open 'traitor'. In the midst of the chaos, no matter who he attacks, it will alert the other side to something amiss.

But once he disappears, nothing can be explained.

Meanwhile, at the rebel front, Bourbon II was preparing to attack Princess Emerald.

They also received a call from Count Raphael:

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! That damned Coron was a traitor from the very beginning!"

Bourbon II's first reaction was disbelief:

"Impossible! If he were a traitor, why would he have defected to me? If he had just held the line and tied me down, they might have won long ago!"

The Marquis of Corinth heavily guarded the key roads; if he hadn't surrendered, they would never be where they are today.

Count Lafelle, however, cut directly to him the footage from the scene.

"But he has really betrayed us, Your Majesty! He's about to devour us! We've been attacked first, and we can't hold on much longer! Your Majesty, please send reinforcements!"

Looking at the chaotic battle in the video.

After a brief moment of astonishment, Bourbon II's face contorted in shock.

Why, why do they all betray me?

I'm the one who's truly right!

Especially you, Colum!