After I died, my personal maid rebelled.

During the long winter, the shadow of war loomed like an unyielding dark cloud. The massive army regrouped, like a giant, impenetrable net, and laid its way to the festering wound on human territory—the royal city.

After several small skirmishes initiated by the troops, the various units gradually came to understand the characteristics of these monsters. If they were not elite soldiers, ordinary soldiers would find it difficult to gain an advantage in close combat. Therefore, commanders at all levels unanimously issued orders to train archers and crossbowmen.

The nuns' bodies had long since decomposed underground, and the snow on the ground had melted into a muddy mess.

Oswald stared at the increasingly detailed map of the palace, and finally, on a dark and stormy night, he gave the order to attack.

This operation is similar to a decapitation strike, so speed is crucial. He and Elena will launch an attack immediately to assist the elite troops of the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Division in quickly seizing the palace gate.

Subsequent support troops must also firmly control the secret passage and strive to clear all the monsters in the palace before dawn.

To ensure the plan's smooth execution, Eleanor also assigned Arian, who was in charge of logistics, to the attack sequence, tasked with guarding the secret passage exit.

"I know it's tough, but when is it ever easy... Follow my lead, warriors, we will win everything on our own."

There was no rousing pre-battle mobilization, nor any passionate speech; the soldiers only saw the Duke's gaze sweep over them one by one, as if trying to memorize each and every face.

The warriors involuntarily straightened their chests. They were the Duke's sharpest blades, and their mission was so great that it made all other chivalrous tales pale in comparison.

"If the Creator harbors ill intentions, we will surely sound the horn of struggle against Heaven atop the highest mountain."

Federico, having quietly finished his prayer to the Duke, remained calm, gripping the long-handled warhammer bestowed upon him by the Duke. He then led his unarmored heavy-armored soldiers into the dark secret passage.

"Guard the passage and don't let me and His Majesty the Duke down."

Before leaving, Elene patted Erian on the shoulder, drew two bone knives, and led the second wave of sword and shield soldiers to follow.

Oswald nodded to Commander Kate and stepped onto the battlefield with his elite archers.

These nine hundred men who set off one after another were the elite of the elite, each of them having undergone rigorous selection and standing out from tens of thousands of soldiers.

And this elite force has already unleashed its first powerful strike on Federico's warhammer.

Federico, bursting out of the secret passage, made no attempt to conceal his presence. He ran at full speed like a rhinoceros, smashing through the wall with his warhammer and sending shattered bricks flying.

Indeed, Federico, after carefully studying the map, discovered that if he could break through a few specific walls, he could create a road leading directly to the palace gate, saving at least ten minutes of the time needed to reach the palace.

Of course, this is on the premise that they can hold onto this convenient passage.

"Humans! It's a human attack!"

The monsters, who had long accepted themselves as a new species, rushed over upon hearing the commotion and almost immediately discovered the Northern Army's whereabouts.

"Don't stop, Federico, push through."

The magic crystal spun silently beside her, and a ghostly light emanated from Eline's crimson eyes. Several monsters in her line of sight instantly exploded and died, turning into a cloud of blood mist that dissipated in the wind.

This is also the only immortal magic that Elene currently possesses: Abyssal Gaze. It's an instant-cast skill that the Duke particularly favored before his sight was taken away.

I heard that on the day the curse broke out in the city, the power of what appears to be the Duke's Eye was used to traverse the skies above this land. I wonder if it was some kind of wicked quirk of the goddess.

Federico broke through the wall, and the heavy infantrymen beside him immediately widened the passage, dismantling the entire wall in less than a minute.

The monsters had not yet fully assembled, and the sword-and-shield soldiers guarded them on both sides, keeping a close watch on every shadow in the complex environment of the palace.

Boom!

The crossbowmen, wielding the Windhunter's Crossbow, were the first to engage the monsters. Their nimble movements and precise arrows pierced the monsters' bulky bodies, providing cover for the troops ahead.

The storm swept through the ancient city. Oswald, who was soaring into the air and overlooking the entire city, charged toward the palace gates at extreme speed. Black blood vessels silently unfurled as he moved at high speed, stirring up a bloody storm.

The alarm bells on the clock tower rang throughout the night, waking the silent royal city and heralding the coming of a great battle.

Oswald's first sight was of a distorted creation, a distant church covered in corpses and flesh, with a strange human figure vaguely visible in the darkness.

With a thunderous roar, a pale purple light illuminated the sky, and the glittering Papacy revealed its newest appearance—a towering, colossal statue of a flesh-and-blood goddess.

The monsters regarded the surviving humans who had not mutated as heretics, nailed them to the walls of the Vatican, and then used the bones of tens of thousands of people to create this spectacle.

Oswald, who had no time to appreciate the monsters' art, noticed the countless monsters rushing towards the palace like a tidal wave. He leaped towards the palace gate, retracted his black flesh the moment he landed, and cleared away a pile of limbs and broken arms.

The twisted tentacles were still writhing on the ground, quickly drying up after gushing out their foul-smelling slime. Oswald glanced back at Federico's progress, then waved his hand, unleashing a torrent of lightning that blasted a wall to smithereens.

Having done all this, he stood on the high palace wall, his eyes cold, and stretched out his palm.

The foundational spell of the Chains of Corruption, the Cage of Death, unfolded on a massive scale at this moment. The earth trembled silently, and along the edge of the city walls, chains of corruption as thick as buckets rose like a bamboo forest, emitting a terrifying, violent sound in the howling wind.

A magnificent undead kingdom suddenly formed, and even the corrupted brains of monsters couldn't help but feel a sense of fear before such power.

Several frenzied monsters lunged at the jungle of corrupt chains, only to be smashed into a bloody pulp by a rapidly descending chain amidst a clanging clang.

Even someone as powerful as Oswald, possessing power far exceeding that of the Undying Calamity, still finds maintaining such a spell extremely taxing.

On the other side, Federico's squad was soon met with layers of resistance from the monsters, and the swordsmen and shieldmen guarding their flanks engaged in fierce battles with them.

However, the monsters have too many tentacles. Even though it is difficult to inflict considerable damage on these well-trained and well-coordinated human soldiers using only their tentacles, the monsters can still use the tentacles on their bodies to significantly reduce the soldiers' killing efficiency.

The battle lines were becoming increasingly critical. Elena moved swiftly across the battlefield, her two black bone knives blending into the night. Her rapid, continuous slashes could only be seen in the splatter of blood.

The monsters that brushed past her wouldn't even realize they were disintegrating for several seconds. Meanwhile, Elene, unleashing her full firepower, transformed into a streak of light, leaving thick pools of blood on both defensive positions.

"For the Duke, for the glory of the Northern Army!"

In the midst of the fierce battle, the main force of the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Division finally arrived at the battlefield. Their regimental commander, Federico, broke through a thick wall and appeared in front of him the passage that the Duke had opened for them.

The spear formation quickly took shape amidst the resounding clang of armored soldiers. The swordsmen and shieldmen, who had suffered some casualties, hastily retreated. The charging monsters, however, remained oblivious and were pierced through the upper bodies by the fiercely reaping spears, leaving a trail of blood on the ground.

"Don't let your guard down, maintain the passage. Where is the Third Division and First Regiment located?"

After discarding her blood-soaked military overcoat, Elena returned to the center of the unit, only to realize that she was wearing a white shirt that day.

But she couldn't care less about anything else at the moment. She quickly rolled up her sleeves and asked urgently.

"Reporting to Lady Elene, the Third Division, First Regiment is still gathering at the entrance of the secret passage and is expected to launch its attack in eight minutes."

Upon hearing this, Elena clicked her tongue and her gaze involuntarily turned to the Duke on the city wall.

"We can't wait any longer. Tell their commander to launch an attack immediately. Repeat, launch an attack immediately. They must wipe out all the enemies in the royal city within two hours."

"Inform Commander Kate to also deploy the light cavalry regiment to the palace. They don't need to ride horses, but they must proceed to the palace walls immediately!"