Cataphracts, surviving in a world full of mods

"No, that's not it. I did want to leave at the time—my prey had sensed my covetousness and had become more cautious, and because of certain constraints, I couldn't and didn't want to destroy this world to catch it, so I was preparing to regretfully give up... But your appearance gave me a solution that had the best of both worlds."

"This plan allows me to leave empty-handed, keeps the world going, and is more satisfying and interesting for me... Of course, I was worried that you might be afraid of me and doubt me, and be unwilling to take the initiative... But it seems that I was overthinking it. You might prefer this straightforward approach."

Tersolius's shoulders slowly relaxed, and the other waved its thickest tentacle. Like someone waving goodbye.

"Well then, goodbye, you interesting little fellow... perhaps we'll have the chance to meet again in the future."

Like drops of blood falling into water, the enormous figure suddenly faded away rapidly, becoming transparent and clear, revealing the obscured starry sky, until it finally disappeared completely without a trace.

………………

As the morning sun rose, illuminating the treetops, a man in tattered armor lay fast asleep on the grassy ground of the forest floor. Suddenly, he sneezed, opened his eyes, and sat up.

He paused for a moment, looking bewildered, at the drifting mist and the sunlight piercing through the dust. After a while, a smile suddenly broke out on his face, and he lowered his head and chuckled. The laughter grew louder and louder until it shook the leaves and the tips of the grass.

Dust was rising in the distance from the road beside the forest. The cavalrymen, their fiery red cloaks billowing in the sun like flowing flames, were rushing toward them.

Chapter 534 The End (The End)

In the year 1023 of the Imperial Calendar, after narrowly escaping a major rebellion, the Imperial Senate underwent a complete purge. The merciless emperor executed all those who dared to plot rebellion and their relatives, and dismantled the Senate's power, which had once been able to rival the imperial authority, leaving only a small number of people, led by the former chief senator.

In August of Imperial Calendar 1025, the last remaining member of the Western Alliance was utterly destroyed under the iron heel of the Empire. The king surrendered, offering up his last city and fortress, and spent the rest of his life in a southern province thousands of miles away from his homeland. In other parts of this land, people had become accustomed to the rule of the Empire and the appearance of the red double-headed eagle flag.

In October of the same year, at the emperor's behest, the Senate bestowed upon General Tersolius, whose merits were beyond description, the title of co-emperor and arranged his marriage to the current emperor. The entire empire was plunged into celebration for more than half a month. General Natamus, who had made great military achievements, also finished pacifying the affairs in the West and returned to the capital.

In February of Imperial Calendar 1026, Tolidu Khan of the northern grasslands breathed his last in his tent. This weathered man was ultimately unable to return to his birthplace before his death. After his death, the remaining forces of the tribe tenaciously survived in the war-torn northern grasslands, struggling to continue amidst the chaos.

In the year 1033 of the Imperial Calendar, with the secret support of the Empire, the Abatheris family of the Kingdom of Asel, along with other nobles dissatisfied with the reforms, launched a rebellion against the Shah, installing the Shah's second son, who was originally not worthy of the throne. The flames of war quickly swept across the entire northern oasis of the kingdom, and the two sides fought fiercely, with blood flowing like rivers. In the end, the Shah's side achieved a hard-won victory, but it had exhausted the nation's resources and destroyed the precious strength accumulated through the previous difficult reforms.

In the year 1041 of the Imperial Calendar, unimaginable snow and bitter cold struck the north of the Empire, turning the northern grasslands, formerly occupied by the Gil people, into a white hell. The population plummeted, and cattle and sheep died in droves. In despair, the Gil people once again organized a large army, attempting to conquer the warmer northern part of the Empire, but were completely crushed by three legions personally led by Tersolius. Most of the remaining forces were taken in by the Empire, and the Empire's power returned to the northern grasslands many years later, quickly spreading its banners there.

In the year 1067 of the Imperial Calendar, the aging General Tersolius led a large army on a southern expedition. After three months of fierce fighting, he once again defeated the main force of the Kingdom of Asler at the entrance to the southern plains of the Hols Province, capturing the capital and the fertile river mouth plain. The Kingdom of Asler collapsed completely, the old Shah died at the hands of a noble assassin, and the remaining parts of the country were completely fragmented, with large and small tribes and families constantly fighting each other.

In August of Imperial Year 1091, His Majesty Tesolis, who was at the height of his glory, passed away in the Golden Palace of the Imperial Capital. In accordance with His Majesty's last wishes, he was buried in the Imperial Mausoleum, alongside his beloved Empress Claudina and Imperial Chancellor To. Tarina.

In December of the same year, Her Excellency Karila, the Imperial Commander, passed away. Before that, despite the objections of her children, she insisted on coming to the mausoleum of the late emperor, drank three bottles of hot wine, laughed heartily, and fell asleep. She never woke up again and was buried in the prepared tomb, where she rests in peace with her friends and lovers.

In May of Imperial Year 1092, the elderly Imperial Commander General Colin, on his deathbed, struggled to be helped by his children to the final resting place of the late Emperor and her friends. With his frail body, he forced a strong bow to shoot down a dried fruit from a treetop. Then, he stormed in and kicked each of their graves... adding an extra kick to Karila's grave, before leaning against it and passing away. Later, according to her wishes, he was also buried nearby.

Thus, the generation that led the empire to the pinnacle of the world and ushered in a golden age of prosperity entered eternal slumber. When later generations talk about the history of this period, they always talk about their civil and military achievements with great interest and sigh about their current decline. Emperor Thesolius, who established unimaginable glorious achievements and created an era, is naturally mentioned the most. Countless scholars have been studying every detail of his glorious life.

They never knew what kind of past the emperor, who had already turned to dust, had experienced, or what kind of life he had... But upon closer reflection, it must have been quite a complete and bizarre affair.

(End of the book)

Author's Closing Remarks

This book has finally come to an end with everyone's support. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported the author all along ( '▽` ). Without your support, I would never have been able to write to this point, and this book would never have developed from a spur-of-the-moment idea to 200 million words. Your support has always been my motivation to continue writing.

Before starting this book, the author was still a novice, with unfamiliar ideas and writing style, and hesitated about whether to write on such a topic... ('-ι_-｀) After all, it is well known that light and cheerful content is more popular on this platform... but in the end, he couldn't resist.

At that time, I really wanted to write something about war and battles, about the path paved with fire and sword, about a dignified man, about a vast story, about creating a unique world, and about depicting a group of characters with distinct personalities...

Perhaps this stems from men's innate love for things that are hard, resilient, sharp, and passionate... That's when I decided to start writing (||?_?). Of course, due to a lack of experience, I made many mistakes. The plot arrangement and story progression were somewhat awkward and reckless, and I'm quite ashamed of some parts when I look back now... (?ε??). I guess this is some proof of progress, since I certainly wasn't aware of it when I was writing it (laughs).

This is also the first time the author has persevered in writing a 2 million-word book... To be honest, it was really not easy, especially as the plot developed to the later stages, the more difficult and complex it became to conceive. There were many parts that I could only figure out on my own, which made the author's update schedule quite unstable. Here, I would like to say thank you to the readers who have been tolerant of me. Thank you for your continued support.

And just today, after finishing the ending of this book, when I wrote about the characters I created reaching the end of their lives, the author suddenly felt a little sad... Perhaps for me, they are no longer just words; their images are vivid enough in my mind, and I will never forget the time they represent... This ending also makes me feel gratified and satisfied. This period may not be perfect, but it is clear and reassuring enough for me.

Okay, I've been just saying whatever comes to mind (laughs). Anyway, thank you all for your support of this book. The story of Tersolius has come to an end. The author's new book is expected to be released this month. If you are interested, you can check it out. I will try my best to learn from the experience and lessons of this book.