People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"Rhode Island?"

Therese murmured the name to herself and shook her head slightly.

He hadn't even gone to them yet, but they came to his door.

Well, the reinforcements have arrived, there's no point in staying here any longer.

Therese turned her head and looked at a soldier among the surrounding troops, and slowly said:

"Shapeshifter, let's go."

The soldier raised his sword and cursed:

"You think you can leave? Theresis, you dare assassinate Windermere! Duke Sir, you're finished! We won't let you get away with this!"

Theresis: "?"

"Just kidding." The soldier plunged his sword into his chest, his tone returning to calm. "Let's go."

With that, his figure exploded, one part rushing towards Duke Windermere and the other towards Theresis.

Without further ado, the support troops immediately stood in front of Duke Windermere, while another group of shapeshifters transformed into a giant feathered beast, seized Theresis, and flew into the sky.

The Victorians erected cannons and pointed them at the sky as anti-aircraft fire, but conventional artillery fire was ineffective against them; it was either absorbed by the cannons or blocked by another part of them.

Duke Windermere gritted his teeth, watching Therese leave. As if remembering something, he pulled out the blood-stained speech from his pocket.

The speech appeared unremarkable, yet when the Duke of Windermere touched it, he felt a chill that was gradually dissipating.

Even if she was slow to realize what had just happened, she now knew.

"I owe you another life, Ernst."

She smiled with a somewhat complicated expression, and finally shook her head nonchalantly.

Duke Windermere was well aware of just how precious the protection of the behemoth was.

Although Jeragand, the giant beast of Sherag, has a reputation for kindness and friendliness, a giant beast is still a giant beast, no matter how friendly it is. It is its own will to protect the people of Sherag, but what price must be paid to get its help is anyone's guess.

Moreover, she wasn't even a Sherag.

The speech Ernst gave her bore the blessing of Jeragund, a blessing that helped her dodge Therese's fatal blow at a crucial moment, a favor that Duke Windermere remembered.

As for expressing gratitude, I'll think about it after this is all over.

The loss of blood seemed to make her dizzy, and she was too weak to think about the already complicated debts of gratitude.

Anyway, I have this feeling that I can't pay it all back.

Now, the first thing to do is not to miss this great opportunity that Ernst has fought for.

He gestured for the medics who were bandaging him to stop, then Duke Windermere walked to the bow of the ship, looked down at the troops approaching the Sarkaz airship, took a deep breath, and said loudly:

"Victoria's soldiers, your commander is still here!"

"Now, counterattack!"

Chapter 568 Theresa Guides Me, Ernst Leads Me Forward (5200)

Victoria, near Londinium, airship.

Manfred reached out and stopped the Sarkaz soldier who was about to rush forward, shaking his head slightly.

“You may all step back. She is no match for you. I will hold them off here. You go back and report the situation to General Therese.”

The Sarkaz soldiers gritted their teeth, but obeyed orders and chose to retreat.

Manfred watched the soldiers leave in silence, then slowly turned his head to look at the figure standing at the end of the corridor.

Ascalon, General Therese's apprentice and Manfred's senior sister. The most powerful assassin master of the former Military Council, just by looking at the hidden blade made by Princess Theresa and personally fitted to her by General Therese, you know that this person is incredibly strong.

Especially her magic; when launching an attack, she can even conjure phantoms of four hands, and each hand can be equipped with a hidden blade!

An airship encounters the master assassin Ascalon, whose four hidden swords are unparalleled in assassination and as powerful as a monster; even with all their might, they cannot defeat him.

This is no joke. In Manfred's countless battles against Ascalon, he has achieved an excellent record of 0/?/0. So, in a sense, this is not an opponent he can handle.

Moreover, Ascalon did not come alone.

Rhodes Island's aircraft approached the airship using the space magic of misery, while logos helped shield the undead's central nervous system from its perception of the surrounding situation. The Banshee's spell was a very convenient and infinitely malleable skill, especially without absolute powerhouses like Theresis, Ducarre, the shapeshifter, and Neltzer. With so few people on the airship, how could they possibly see through the profound spells of the new master of the Banshee's court?

The Undead didn't notice the intruders until someone actually landed on the airship. Ascalon and his two companions had already split up to search the airship's central control area. If all went as expected, Erzula should have encountered Logos, while the weakest member of the trio, Misery, was being held back by the elite Sarkaz soldiers on the airship.

However, whether they can actually delay it is anyone's guess.

It felt like I was being speedrunned. Manfred was about to complain, "Seriously, are you suggesting I send him to fight Ascalon?"

But when Manfred thought about the fact that Ersula would be facing a true royal ruler-level combatant like the Queen of the Banshees, he felt that "I'm actually not so bad."

Ersula, may she be at peace.

Taking a deep breath, Manfred was on edge, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and said:

"You shouldn't be here."

"So what if I come?"

Looking at Manfred, who was on high alert, Ascalon said in a similarly cold voice.

Thinking about it carefully, it hadn't actually been that long since they last met, but her impression of Manfred seemed to still be that of the child she had manipulated during the fight, tied to a pillar and only able to kick his feet in resistance.

How wonderful those days were! The sky over Kazdel was still blue, and the Soul Forge burned with an eternal flame. Millions of years of Sarkaz pain and rage became fuel for a new generation of Sarkaz, providing Kazdel with the power to move forward, offering its people a warm refuge, and providing it with a place to live, a place that could be called home.

Back then, she was taken in by Theresis and Theresa and learned from them. She regarded Theresis as her goal and took Theresis's vow to "protect Theresa forever" as her ideal. In the morning, she could have an exotic breakfast in Babel. In the morning, she could watch Theresa handle government affairs at the Military Council. She could have lunch with her at noon. In the afternoon, she could learn martial arts from Theresis when she was free and have a match with Manfred. She completed her daily tasks of eating, sleeping and fighting Manfred.

But those days are gone forever. Some chose to betray, some destroyed it themselves, and some chose to follow the betrayers.

She also remembered that Manfred had said back then that his dream was "to make Kazdel better, just like Princess Theresa! To give the Sarkaz a future!"

And what was the result? Each one was more eloquent than the last. She, who admired Theresa, chose to follow Theresa, while Manfred, who emulated Theresa, sided with Theresa.

"You should know how General Theresis dealt with the betrayal of Kazdel."

Manfred's cold warning abruptly cut off Ascalon's memories. The boy in the assassin's eyes grew rapidly and eventually merged with the burly, blond Sarkaz in front of her. The memories dissipated, and the people in front of them were enemies.

"You dare to talk to me about Kazdel?"

Ascalon drew his hidden blade.

"The Military Council is the traitor! Theresis betrayed Theresia, the Military Council betrayed the Demon King you served, and you betrayed your own ideals!"

Manfred's cheek twitched slightly, then he shook his head seriously and replied:

"The Military Council has always been loyal to Kazdel."

Ascalon couldn't help but let out a laugh.

Just as Ernst said, when someone claims to be loyal to a higher concept, you should be careful, because it means they are ready to betray you!

Traitors like to use such high-sounding reasons to explain their actions and whitewash the legitimacy of their behavior.

Ascalon had prepared a lot for the reminiscing session, whether it was questioning or recalling the past. The assassin's heart was never cold, especially when it came to those beautiful memories.

But now that things have come to this, after they've actually met and are really going to settle things, she suddenly realizes that she has absolutely nothing to say to Manfred.

She never really knew Manfred as a person.

Fortunately, she had another way to understand the "inner workings" of Fred Manqi.

The excruciating pain from the activation of the Originium Arts was exchanged for a near-perfect assassination ability: her figure dissipated into mist on the spot. Almost the instant she unleashed the Originium Arts, Manfred, who knew his senior sister's methods intimately, drew his sword and thrust it directly at his upper right.

That was Ascalon's most familiar and frequently used assassination spot.

Sure enough, the next second, Ascalon's figure appeared as if he had crashed into the longsword, but the assassin's reaction speed was faster and more stable. The moment Manfred's sword was thrust out, he turned into smoke once again.

After missing his target with his sword, Manfred quickly turned to the side, changing his thrust into a sweeping motion, and swept towards his left rear.

That is also Ascalon's most common variation.

Unlike Ascalon, who rarely considered Manfred as a hypothetical enemy, he never stopped analyzing Ascalon after joining Theresis's side when the Civil War broke out.

He once commented on his senior sister, "She is too naive and too immature. To this day, she doesn't even know what she really wants."

His research on Ascalon started from this point, and with the information provided by Therese, Ascalon's swordsmanship teacher, he was no longer the same person he used to be.

Although as a "management talent," his abilities have always been slightly inferior to those of Ascalon, who is nicknamed "Son of the Storm," these shortcomings can be overcome through skill and countless hours of diligent practice.

With a swift slash, Ascalon's near-unconventional attack, aided by Originium Arts, would be neutralized, giving him a fleeting opportunity to launch a counterattack!

Even if we don't defeat her, just injuring her and stalling her for longer will be enough.

That was Manfred's assumption. But when the blade swept across, Ascalon's figure did not appear.

She didn't come.

A bead of cold sweat dripped down Manfred's forehead, and the next second, the icy blade was already pressed against the back of his neck.

"Learning well."

Ascalon said slowly,

“There is progress, but it’s not enough.”

"How could this be?" Manfred gritted his teeth and asked with some resentment.

He had trained hard for a long time and had the guidance of Theresis, but he was still defeated by Ascalon in one move.

Ling's move might not be described as one move, but rather two moves.

But he was too embarrassed to talk about this level of progress.

He simply couldn't understand why Ascalon had suddenly changed his tactics.

His senior sister hadn't changed this move for over a decade, and had used it to capture him for over a decade. Given her personality, which could be described as nostalgic or unchanging, how could she suddenly abandon her most familiar move at this moment and try to overcome muscle memory to change the move by the slightest margin?

Would a left-handed person who has been left-handed for decades suddenly switch to their completely unfamiliar right hand to attack in such a life-or-death struggle?

Ascalon IV answered him, just as he had for the past ten years.

This answer, however, surprised even Manfred.

"I'm making progress too."

Ascalon spoke earnestly, and no one noticed the glint in her eyes.

“I really want to improve.”

She came to settle things.

Manfred thought she hadn't left yet, Kal'tsit thought she hadn't left yet, and even Amiya would deliberately avoid mentioning Theresa when she occasionally did.

She had to admit that they were right; she hadn't really gone out into the world before.

The more those old stories faded into the past, the clearer they became, reminding her of her incompetence as the head of intelligence for the Tower of Babel. She even had moments of despair, but that was in the past.

Because she now knows that there is a second Theresa in the world.

Or rather, there are many people like Theresa in the world.

Ideals, ideals, talking about ideals is always empty. Kal'tsit is not Theresa's successor, and Rhodes Island has already severed ties with Babel. The successor chosen by Theresa, little Amiya, is just a child. Her existence does indeed inherit Theresa's will, but that is the result of learning and being influenced by her from a young age.

Manfred was right; she had never known what she wanted before. But now, she knew that what she wanted was to prove that "Theresa's wish was meaningful."

To achieve this wish, an organization that inherits Theresa's wish and one successor to Theresa are not enough. She must witness that, in addition to Rhodes Island, there are people on this land who harbor similar wishes, confirm that dreams are not only rooted in the small Rhodes Island, but also sprouting in other places, and confirm that when one idealist falls, thousands of other idealists will rise up.

She saw it.

Life is good now. The sky over Kerrig is blue. The Balrog Furnace burns with an eternal flame. The doubts and anger of the last person on earth who called himself Tikaz over the past ten thousand years have become the fuel for a new generation of civilization, providing Kerrig with the power to develop and providing the people of Kerrig with a warm sanctuary.

It also provided her with a place to live, a place that could be called home...晽—,六奺→;3蕗肿转：.

Here, she met Ernst, who was similar to but different from Theresa, met many people with ideals who wanted to make this land a better place, and also saw the possibility of reconciliation.

Theresa's dream was not meaningless.

The dream of "peace" is not without meaning.

She didn't say these words to Kal'tsit because she felt that Kal'tsit would most likely say to her again: "You still haven't moved on."

But Ascalon didn't care anymore. Whether she had moved on or not was a matter of personal feeling, and she felt that she had already moved on.

Because she was now certain that even if Theresa were standing right in front of her and telling her to put down her knife, go back to the Military Council, and help Theresa, she would still righteously refuse.

why?

Because she, like Manfred, betrayed a specific person and pursued an ideal.

This ideal includes everyone having enough to eat and wear, and no discrimination against those who are Sarkaz or Infected. Everyone can use their talents during the day and earn a living from their labor, and sleep peacefully at night, free from the troubles of war, famine, and poverty.