Shadow of the Evil God

Diana frowned. "What if someone had already sent a specific message before the attack, even before Commander Cesar's troops assembled? Perhaps the message just wasn't sent this way."

"You mean this smuggling team is a necessary sacrifice..."

"From a purely political perspective," Diana crossed her arms, "eliminating Cesar himself is the top priority. We'd be willing to sacrifice any unit to achieve this. I'm wondering, this guy's subordinates are a bunch of incompetent and mediocre officers. Even if they've had a few victories, how could they all pass through the rebel area? What if a sentry spotted one of the detachments and didn't alert them, but instead quickly passed the news to the rebel reinforcements? What would happen to the time difference?"

Altinya gazed into the distance, as she often did when examining the souls of those she sought to win over. "You're right," she said, slowing her tone. "It's normal for at least one or two units to be damaged. No matter how capable the commander is, he can't raise the military proficiency of all his subordinates in such a short period of time. Even so, Gonzales has patrols nearby, and these patrols..."

"so?"

A gust of wind blew Altinya's hair back, sending the purple ribbon holding it in place fluttering. "I'm afraid," Her Royal Highness said, "that Gonzales' patrol won't be coming to support us."

"Have you determined what is happening?"

Her attitude remained calm. "Based on what I know about Governor Vermeer's prestige in the army, as long as he replaces the officers of the support troops with his own people, they will not cooperate.

We will handle any support requests.”

"Doesn't this mean directly declaring war on the royal family?"

"Throwing dirty water isn't difficult." Altinya said thoughtfully, "Commander Cesar's sudden action is too risky.

Whether it was throwing mud or writing letters expressing regret and grief, as long as Vermeer focused on describing the adventure and impulsiveness of a young man, he could cover up his own actions. Even if Commander Cesar managed to escape, he would only bring back a few remnants of his army, which would be enough to undermine the prestige he had accumulated so far.

"And whose words will my father believe..."

“Personally, I hope you can do something for the Duke of Urbino,” Artinia said with a smile. “It’s worth doing, isn’t it, Anne?”

"Let's see what Commander Cesar can do," Diana replied indifferently. "An unsurprising victory doesn't necessarily reflect a person's ability, but the decisions made in defeat certainly do."

"The pride in you is still so nostalgic. No matter who you look at, you have to question them from head to toe first."

"I'm just being more judgmental before passing judgment," Diana said, glancing at her. "You, Princess, are the only one who's eager to recruit the talent you see. Be careful not to reveal too much of your inner thoughts."

......

Twisted shadows emerged from Cesar's eyes, like a giant mouth full of sharp teeth gnawing at the edge of his vision. "What are you doing?" the voice asked. It was Ajeh. "Why are you going down? If you stay halfway up the mountain, you can at least escape."

Cesar remained calm. "The smuggling team's artillery can make up for the shortcomings of the troops I have. Didn't you see that there are several larger artillery pieces in the transport vehicle? As long as they are pulled to the appropriate position..."

"Shouldn't you abandon all the infantry and tell them to stay and burn all this supplies?" Ajiehe raised her voice. "You can clearly see a large number of rebels approaching. At this point, only the cavalry has time to retreat."

Sacrificing infantry to cover the rear and allow the cavalry to retreat is a feasible solution, but the subsequent impact goes far beyond that.

"Those flags scattered throughout the mountains can attract some attention, prompting them to charge towards the empty surrounding flags first," Cesar continued. "During this time, I can set up artillery positions. The terrain here is very suitable..."

"You don't want to hold out until reinforcements arrive, do you, Cesar? Do you really think things will go as smoothly as you expect?"

"I can't predict all possible scenarios. I'm just taking as many countermeasures as possible." Cesar waved his hand, as if to shoo away a buzzing fly. "I don't have enough information about those patrols in the distance, and there's indeed a risk of rebellion. However, the difference between rebellion and support lies not in the soldiers themselves, but in the individuals who have the power to command them..."

"So you're betting on the dog?"

"In fact," Cesar said, "when the terror of the Faceless was still widespread, their greatest strengths were murder and replacement."

He raised his eyes and once again looked toward the mountains to the west, the direction the rebels were coming from. Since he could see the smuggling troops from a distance beyond his sight, he could certainly see the rebel reinforcements as well. Large numbers of heavily armored cavalry were marching rapidly along the ancient empire's remaining thoroughfares, galloping towards him.

Those speeding shadows showed that they were well prepared.

This hadn't occurred to Cesar, but recalling the unharmed units assembled, it became clear. Some units must have slipped past the sentries' vigilance, or failed to detect their presence, but the patrolling sentries hadn't alerted them. Far from raising the alarm, the rebels had let these units slip through...

The enemy probably wanted to capture him and his troops in one fell swoop. It can even be said that they let everyone go just to ensure that Cesar would be immersed in victory.

"Your position can't withstand a charge of this magnitude," Ajeh whispered. "The quality of your troops is also unreliable. A victory by outnumbering a smaller force might be easy, but once the signs of defeat appear, collapse is inevitable. This army can't hold out until Gonzales' reinforcements arrive, and your Faceless Ones will need time to carry out the murders and replacements..."

"I now feel that sometimes we do need some inhuman reputation," Cesar replied. "I'll choose a narrow, forward pass to set up the command post and move those larger artillery pieces there. In fact, I already have a choice. As long as this pass is not lost and the commander is still there, the soldiers will have a fulcrum for maneuver and morale to prevent collapse."

"Yes, your armor is very obvious. Your people will subconsciously target you, but your enemies will also charge towards you. Everyone knows that this pass will determine the morale shift of both sides." said Ajiehe.

Cesar licked his dry lips, feeling his sword-gripping arm tearing apart, transforming into intertwining, wriggling shadows. "That's why I need a suit of armor that can prevent my body from deforming. This is most important."

As long as we kill all those who dare to charge towards the pass...

Chapter 125 Do you think we have a good relationship?

......

Large pieces of military flags tilted and collapsed in the wind, like sunken sails. Diana then realized that there was no one near the flags, they were just objects stuck there to boost morale - so the strength of this army was greater than she had expected.

Wave after wave of heavily armored cavalry charged into the woods, up the hillside, and toward the outnumbered and lightly armed soldiers.

The rebels' heavily armored cavalry kicked up clouds of dust, their momentum so overwhelming that it almost made one think they had arrived at the legendary northern battlefield. Despite this, Diana could still see Commander Cesar's well-organized deployment of his troops. Their linear formation had become shallower and longer, like a net sack enveloping the charging cavalry. Large swathes of infantry stood at the forefront, sharp lances raised, while musketeers scattered in the gaps between the lances, firing continuously.

Amidst billowing smoke and dust, scattered artillery pieces opened fire in rapid succession, emitting a violent roar and tremors. Thick smoke spread everywhere, further obscuring vision. Everywhere was the sound of trumpets, roars, the tramp of horses' hooves, and the incessant roar of gunfire. Despite Gonzales's men's tenacious resistance, more and more heavily armored cavalry charged into their ranks.

"Commander Cesar's artillery is scattered throughout the front," Artinya said. "Although it lacks concentrated firepower, sustained suppression seems more effective in long-term battles. Rumor has it that he has his own theories about artillery and has compiled a more precise manual for its use, but it seems that rumor is a bit conservative... Have you noticed how incredibly accurate those newly captured artillery pieces are? His soldiers are constantly adjusting the direction and firing angle of the artillery according to the battlefield situation, sometimes even having horses pull them to adjust their positions."

Diana glanced sideways. Her Royal Highness was taking her lessons more seriously than at a military academy. "I don't recall anyone writing to ask you to acknowledge him as your teacher," she said.

"It's just a pragmatic idea, there's no real meaning to it."

Diana sighed. "It's unfortunate that we receive rigorous training in logic, analytical thinking, and verbal debate, only to make excuses for ourselves using nouns from books."

"Actually, there's also mathematics and geometry theory," Altinya said with a smile. "Even if it's just for his ballistic calculation theory, it's worth giving him a hand."

"Do you also think he can't be stopped?" Diana asked.

Her Royal Highness nodded politely, as lightly as if dipping her head in a lake. "At this point, the disparity in troop strength between the two sides can no longer be bridged through battlefield deployment alone. Even if Gonzales' reinforcements are galloping, they can't reach the battlefield before they're completely annihilated. And did you notice the location of his command post? It's too far forward. The front line is collapsing too quickly, and the cavalry will soon be upon us."

As Artinya had said, the tidal wave of cavalry plunged like a sharp knife into the heart of the battle line. The spearmen in the center of the net were the first to collapse. The forces that had broken them were no longer bandits, but a cavalry force on par with the kingdom's elite. In what seemed like a moment, these heavily armored cavalry had broken through the infantry formations, scattering the musketeers hidden among the swarms of spears. Soon, every line that the sharp knife passed through was either trapped or completely collapsed.

Fortunately, there were still a large number of musketeers who had not yet collapsed. They raised their spears and protected the artillery in the rear that provided long-range bombardment as they retreated, which also bought some time for the light cavalry to make a detour.

Dust and smoke spread further, obscuring the entire world. Cavalrymen in elaborate armor rushed up the hillside, trampling over the fleeing soldiers, leaving a trail of mangled corpses. Even Diana could see that the armor they wore was no ordinary rebel force. Governor Vermeer, however foolish and incompetent, couldn't possibly have seen cavalry of this caliber and still called them bandits.

Either there is something seriously wrong with his brain, or there is something seriously wrong with his stance.

The heavily armored cavalry reached within a few hundred paces of Commander Cesar's pass, charging the next infantry line. At that moment, a series of artillery booms erupted, like thunder from the earth, shaking Diana so much that she felt her feet tremble. This was the most important supply the smuggling troops had brought into Gonzales, artillery pieces requiring over a dozen horses to pull. Apparently, the rebels themselves hadn't anticipated Cesar's advance so far, deep into the smuggling routes of the rear.

The shells fell from the pass towards the crowd, and in an instant, they swept through nearly a hundred heavily armored cavalrymen. Instead of knocking them off their horses, they crushed them into bloody pieces and threw them into the air in dust and smoke. The morale of the infantry on each line, which was on the verge of collapse, seemed to recover a little.

At this moment, heavy cavalry appeared from the other flanks, charging relentlessly. Commander Cesar's light cavalry could only fight and retreat, using medium-range musket fire and artillery bombardment to reduce the enemy's manpower. Although their high agility and quick turning speed allowed them to maximize their manpower conservation, they could not stop the charge towards the position.

"These artillery fire have drawn even more attention to his command post," Altinya said. "If he had enough troops, or hadn't sacrificed so many for mobility, there might still be room for recovery. But now..."

......

Large numbers of cavalry continued to surge from the end of the field of vision, rushing towards their precarious front and engaging in a chaotic battle. The continuous firing of cannonballs and muskets caused dust mixed with gun smoke to spread everywhere, making the entire mountain seem to fall into fog, and everything was hazy. The sound of the battle was shocking.

It shook the earth and tortured people's senses, and gradually made Cesar feel that the surroundings were no longer filled with violent roars, but with low echoes, as if they were the sound of waves coming from a conch shell.

Another line was broken, hundreds of heavily armored cavalry charging through the collapsing and fleeing pikemen, trampling over the ranks of musketeers behind them, splitting skulls with swords and piercing chests with spears, leaving bloody corpses scattered all over the ground. The light cavalry could not stop their charge, so they could only circle around and keep firing on the flanks, watching them rush towards the hill, towards the pass of the command post, the battle flags, and the artillery further back.

Cesar found a rock and sat cross-legged, drew out his sword, placed it flat on his knees, and placed his fingers on the blade.

"Is there anything I can do, Ajeh?" he asked. "This sword won't cut through the armor, but I don't want anything strange sticking out of the cracks in it."

"Do you think we have a good relationship?" Ajiehe asked, "Why do you feel comfortable treating me as your deputy and asking me to provide you with support?"

"Phils said yes."

"What if I say no?"

"Of course she's right."

"Then I will thrust the sword into your body from beginning to end, and then pull it out after it is soaked with your blood," she said.

Cesar's face twisted, but he still pressed the sword against the gap in his armor at the thigh and thrust it in, piercing through until the other side of his thigh hit the ground, then continued to thrust in. He didn't pull the sword out until the hilt was stained with splattered blood. His fingers trembled with pain, and he felt as if the whole world was howling.

"It's done. Now this sword is an extension of your flesh, blood, and will," Ajeh said, her attitude truly unpredictable. "Until it inevitably disintegrates, you can wield it freely without fear of damage."

Chapter 126 The Cursed Demon

......

Melici had to confess one thing: when Governor Vermeer's men blocked his path, he thought he was going to die. After all, it was he who was responsible for carrying out the battlefield deployment to support Commander Cesar. However, Governor Vermeer's men had no such intentions. Furthermore, they seemed certain that he would wholeheartedly agree with them.

As the second son of the family, Melic had already made military achievements, which meant that as long as he continued to follow his current commander, he would gain more than the eldest son. As everyone knew, military merit was the best way to be rewarded.

Governor Vermeer's men were sincere and soon confessed everything, including his requests for continuous royal support under the guise of suppressing the rebellion, and his extensive use of funds to recruit troops and smuggle weapons. His governor's palace, while resplendent in appearance, was in reality a hollow shell filled with counterfeit antiques.

Commander Cesar was indeed very capable, but they didn't take it seriously at first. It wasn't until the young man succeeded in ambushes repeatedly that they realized something was wrong. It felt like they had been hit on the head with a stick.

Vermeer had never seen combat, but some of his men had and possessed considerable military skill. To deal with Cesar, they began planning a trap. They would actively publicize Cesar's military exploits in Gonzales, steadily bolstering his arrogance and inflating his confidence. His arrogance would grow until he could no longer tolerate ambushes with limited success and would resort to more lucrative and risky maneuvers.

Now, the trap has reached the most critical point. What Melichi needs to do is to cooperate with them to make the patrol troops move a little further away so that they cannot respond normally to Cesar's call for help. In this way, he will be the biggest contributor to this plan.

The plan of letting a young man die in a manner consistent with his youthful impulsiveness and pride was perfect and convincing, and both Urbino and His Majesty Efred would have believed it.

"Tell me, friend," Melich asked calmly, "why should I join you?"

The middle-aged leader, elegantly spoken and well-dressed, bore the resemblance of an old-fashioned aristocrat. He told Melici without hesitation, "Are these heavy taxes unique to Gonzales? No, the entire kingdom is burdened by ever-increasing taxes. The financial problems are already dire, yet the kingdom is pouring even more money into the north. Continuing to invest would be one thing, but the military campaigns in the north have suffered repeated failures, with Garcia of Dominic plundering almost all the gains. It's also one thing for Evered IV to remain unreflective, but the royal family's relentless expansion of power continues unabated. We've considered this for a long time, and ultimately, we've come to the conclusion that Evered IV has betrayed us."

"What did your majesty betray?"

"All of us, even the kingdom itself." The man stepped forward, his gaze fixed firmly on his. "What did Evered IV promise when we helped him ascend the throne so many years ago? Now that he's king, has he fulfilled any of it?"

"I was a child when your Majesty ascended the throne," Melitch said. "I didn't know much about..."

"Then let me tell you, child, we need a more just kingdom. The laws of Auridan must bind everyone, not even the king.

"What do you mean?" He felt a little numb.

"Efred IV went beyond the law to establish new taxes, bypassed the parliament to appoint northern generals, and

He recalled Commander Urbino directly because he wanted his brothers to protect his authority. Before he recalled Urbino, the war in the north was going smoothly, but after he recalled Urbino, our plan in the north became a complete mess. He had no idea.

"Don't you realize that he's not the one who repented and put himself above the kingdom, not only refusing to let Urbino go back to rule, but also continuing to send his royal relatives north, who are more likely to cause trouble than help.

Although his mind was almost blank and he couldn't think, Melichi still struggled to squeeze out a few words, "But you don't have a name either," he said.

"I was going to say this doesn't need a name," the man sighed, "but since you're so serious, I can tell you that our queen is the child of the previous king. She and I swore an oath to limit the expansion of power and accept legal checks and balances. If a monarch fails to fulfill his obligations, we will depose him and replace him with another. This proposal has been put to a vote and passed unanimously. Not only Governor Vermier of Gonzales, but also many nobles outside Gonzales participated in the vote."

He realized what was going on: "You want to drag Olidan into the civil war of many years ago? We just..."

The man stared at Melich and said, "You can stop racking your brains to find excuses to defend yourself, child. This is not what you really think. You know very well that those officers close to the royal family are actually inferior to you. They can go north only because of King Evered IV's nepotism. We are as insignificant as insects in the face of unrestrained royal power, and yet you still hope to curry favor with the royal family by suppressing the rebellion?"

Meric fell silent.

How could he put it? He now felt that Vermeer was right, that man was right, and everyone who had participated in the vote was right. As for Commander Cesar, he could only say that on this arduous journey, some sacrifices were inevitable.

The man nodded to Melich. "You share our aspirations, my son. I should give you Taras's famous 'Origin of the State and Political Power' so you can read how he argues and refutes hereditary kingship. This is the book that Evered IV fears most, don't you think? We possess what he fears most—not our accumulated military strength, but the knowledge that can completely negate his will."

Melich saw another of Governor Vermir's men riding over the hill, carrying the book he had only heard of. "Give the book to our Commander Melich," the man said, opening his arms in an embrace, a smile on his face. "No, more like, give the knowledge to our Commander Melich. Soon, we'll have another young friend with similar aspirations."

"So what is Commander Cesar?" the man on the horse suddenly asked.

Merici felt it was a little sudden.

"A noble who has come from another land cannot be trusted," the man replied, his expression also somewhat puzzled. "There's a tragically thick barrier between him and Olydan, do you understand? That fellow doesn't understand what we're doing. He's merely a tool Urbino uses to maintain power for his good brother, Evered IV."

Something suddenly smeared his face. Melich stepped back, wiping his face, only to be startled by the blood on his hands. He saw the man's body crumpled to the ground, limbs torn apart, blood gushing from his belly, and his head rolled to his feet like a rotten cabbage. Melich couldn't see what had happened. It was too fast, too fast for a human to do.

Before the guards could draw their swords or even shout, the men on horseback leaped into their midst and unfurled like a coil of hemp rope.

A cursed demon! Without a doubt—a demon summoned by the cursed Mage Itris. Now Melic understood why Evered IV had colluded with the School of Spells.

Before he could even wrap his head around it, everything was over. Silence reigned, broken only by the choking gasp of a swordsman clutching his wounded throat. The twisted ropes danced in the wind, gradually converging into a pale face, incredibly beautiful, even eerie in this place. Melichi suddenly realized he recognized her: the musketeer who always followed Commander César. Everyone knew she was his lover.

But people don't know that she is not human.

The rope-like thing on her face that danced in the wind was only half closed.

"So you voted in favor of it, too?" she asked him in a surprisingly gentle voice. "Don't lie, Melitch. I can see every muscle in your face moving and changing."

Melichi forced a sad smile. "After studying the book, perhaps Commander Cesar will also approve our vote... What do you think?"

"You are right. I will share this knowledge with my master," she said solemnly. "He will then forgive me for accidentally eating too many people."

The moment the blade pierced his throat and split his spine, Melichi felt the cold touch of the metal, just like inhaling the biting cold air in winter.

Chapter 127 I Don't Want to Bring Back a Dead Body

......

Cesar didn't ask anyone to stay by his side to provide support, not only because it was meaningless, but also because he knew that as the smell of blood gradually spread, he would gradually lose control.

Mixed with the madness of hunger

When it comes to his mind, even if he can barely maintain his thinking, he can't distinguish the difference between different humans, let alone distinguish between friends and enemies. In Fields's experiment, the humans in his senses will gradually become mist, and eventually become some vague black shadows, without facial features.

There were no faces or details of their shapes, and they looked like miasma that barely had human form. He felt as if he could just reach out and pass through them, shattering them into pieces.

It seems like this is how people are supposed to be.

Cesar hoped that what he had was just a sensory hallucination, but unfortunately, it was not. This was another perspective on observing the world, existing in certain non-human creatures. Academically speaking, it could not be distinguished from the images seen by humans through the reflection of light.

He watched the spearmen in front of him tumble and scramble away, just to avoid the reckless heavy cavalry. At this moment, shouting to the soldiers was no longer possible, no matter how much he emphasized the importance and steepness of this slope pass, or the firepower of the heavy artillery behind him that could change the battlefield situation, it was no longer useful.

Morale is such a wonderful thing. Soldiers are fighting bravely one moment, and the next moment, they have thrown down their weapons and are treated like grass.