Arknights: Studying medicine can't save Terra

His sword gleamed with a cold, icy light. Instead of retreating, Windermir charged forward, brandishing his blade and heading straight for the group of Sarkaz.

There was little resistance; with Windermere's years of rigorous martial arts training, the ordinary Sarkaz soldiers were virtually powerless to resist.

As the last Sarkaz fell, Windermere flicked the blood off his blade, sheathed it, and walked toward the approaching Victorian soldiers.

"Report your situation."

Windermere showed no interest in reminiscing and swiftly entered command mode.

The soldiers' expressions turned serious, and they quickly formed ranks, with their temporary squad leader stepping forward to report.

"The team consists of seven members from Squad 17, ten members from Squad 24, and two members from Squad 08, with one Originium Cannon. A total of 13 enemies were killed, and three members of the team sustained minor injuries and are able to continue fighting!"

After listening to the report, Windermere nodded.

It's already quite remarkable that this hastily assembled team has achieved such results, but now is not the time to reward them.

These soldiers knew Windermere's character well; they weren't in a hurry to claim credit. After the war, whether they were honored or died on the battlefield, Windermere never mistreated his soldiers.

The squad leader thought for a moment, then reported again:

"Duke, we actually stole this Originium cannon from a disabled secondary ship, where at least fifty Sarkaz were gathered."

Before we withdrew, we attempted to destroy the remaining Originium cannons, but unfortunately, we failed. The Sarkaz seem to want to learn how to use the Originium cannons. If they succeed, the consequences will be dire. Please, Duke, decide!

Upon hearing this, Windermere's gaze sharpened.

After a moment's hesitation, Windermere shook his head and said:

"We cannot take risks; our primary goal right now remains to regroup the team."

After finalizing the battle strategy, Windermere did not delay and led his troops forward again.

However, as he advanced, Windermere was still pondering the news the soldiers had just reported.

Fifty Sarkaz are a negligible number on a normal battlefield.

It should be noted that this time, the Sarkaz force consisted of only a hundred or so people led by Manfred. Apart from the Lord of the Royal Court and the Demon King, the disabled secondary ship contained most of the Sarkaz's fighting force.

Once they succeed in capturing it, the only enemy left for the Duke's coalition will be the Lord of the Royal Court.

Windermere had to admit, she was smitten.

"Have Victoria's soldiers already spread the word about the vice-captain?"

Manfred turned and asked.

Beside him, the shapeshifter idly fiddled with a pebble between its fingers and replied:

“We deliberately let many soldiers go and successfully infiltrated some of them. Windermere was cautious and did not fall for it.”

The good news is that the crown prince, wielding the national sword, has gathered a group of forty people who seem quite interested in the vice-captain.

Manfred lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said:

"That cub doesn't seem to amount to anything right now. You can find an opportunity to steal the Kings' Breath from her. It's no surprise that Windermere won't fall for it."

"What are your plans now?" the shapeshifter asked.

Upon hearing the shapeshifter's question, Manfred instinctively became wary.

The shapeshifter immediately looked hurt: "We were almost killed for His Highness's plan, and barely survived to come and cooperate with the General's plan. Now we've become outsiders. This is our..."

"Stop!" Manfred felt a chill run down his spine. "You'd better keep your distance from Qi Yan. Your recent behavior and remarks are becoming increasingly incomprehensible."

"We need to find something to do for ourselves."

"Then I'll trouble you to make another trip and inform the Blood Lord that I have captured Windermere's flagship."

Manfred surveyed the surrounding temporal turbulence and said in a deep voice, "After the power of the Life Spine dissipates, we need the Blood Lord to come and assist in breaking through Silverstone Cliff, and to cooperate with the Carrion King to attack Wellington's forces from both sides."

“You’re deceiving us,” the shapeshifter said bluntly.

Manfred's gaze sharpened, but he did not respond.

“We only want to know one thing,” the shapeshifter pressed, “Is this your intention, or Theresis’s?”

Manfred remained silent.

Chapter 720: The One Who Cannot Be Retained

Faced with Manfred's silence, the shapeshifter pondered for a moment and roughly guessed the reason.

“Manfred, you shouldn’t betray us at a time like this,” the shapeshifter said.

"I never intended to betray you!"

"The Blood Demon cannot die here. His ritual is not yet complete. Summoning that Originium requires his Tikkaz blood."

The shapeshifter looked directly into Manfred's eyes: "Does that prophecy terrify you so much that you'd betray Theresis's plans?"

"Your Excellency, I will answer you again: I never intended to betray you!"

“But you know that deep down you are resisting Theresis dying as prophesied.” The shapeshifter did not back down. “You want to destroy the summoning ritual of the original Originium. You want the Blood Demon to return to the battlefield and become the primary target of the Duke’s Alliance.”

You know the power of the King of the Royal Court; he cannot resist a decapitation operation of that scale.

Answer me, Manfred, what made you make this decision?

Manfred looked away, raised his hand, and focused his Originium Arts on a turbulent flow of time.

Three disheveled Victorian soldiers tumbled out of the turbulent waters, and before they could even see what was happening, Manfred's Originium Arts had already transformed into a red beam that pierced through their chests.

After dealing with the three soldiers, Manfred slowly said:

"Sir, what does the Sarkaz need right now?"

“We don’t know,” the shapeshifter said frankly.

“The Sarkaz need a new will!” Manfred’s tone remained calm, yet incredibly firm. “When I first met Qi Yan, he told me that the Sarkaz needed to break free from their old will.”

I don't know what the original Originium will bring, but I know what it will take away.

“You’re too impatient,” the shapeshifter commented. “The royal court can leave, but not now.”

We forgot to tell you something: the absolutist is dead.

Manfred was taken aback.

The shapeshifter continued, "His Highness will soon be leaving as well."

Manfred pursed his lips and clenched his fists slightly at his sides.

The shapeshifter continued, "The carrion eater knows the meaning of his existence, and when the war ends, he will exit in his own way."

There was a moment of silence between them.

It was the Shapeshifter who spoke again: "What is the ancient will, Manfred?"

Manfred no longer concealed his feelings and firmly gave his answer.

"What is the royal court?" the shapeshifter asked.

Manfred: ?

"After this battle, Theresis will become the new 'royal court,' and this is not something that anyone can stop, but rather the will of the people."

The shapeshifter's words made Manfred's face turn extremely ugly.

Seeing that Manfred understood what he was trying to say, the shapeshifter turned and walked away into the distance.

But after taking only a few steps, he stopped again, turned back, and calmly looked at Manfred:

“The Sarkaz don’t need a savior. Theresis’s vision is always on the future. Manfred, you’re the one who’s truly stuck in the same place.”

Having said that, the shapeshifter had no intention of continuing the conversation and stepped into a temporal turbulence to leave.

Manfred remained alone, lost in thought.

He wanted to change something, but the shapeshifter's words made him realize that he was destined not to be able to keep someone who had already made up their mind to leave.

Windermere's gaze swept over the line in front of him.

Under her personal leadership, she gathered many Victoria soldiers along the way, and now her force has exceeded one hundred people, including four mobile Originium cannons.

However, Windermere's expression did not lighten as his team grew stronger; instead, it became even more serious.

"Lieutenant, have the newly returned troops also encountered the Sarkaz-occupied vice-capture ships?"

Windermere stared at his lieutenant beside him, as if observing something.

The lieutenant, feeling somewhat nervous under Windermere's gaze, still reported the facts truthfully:

"Yes, the location of that secondary ship seems to be quite special. A lot of turbulence converges there, so it is encountered more frequently."

"Something's not right." Windermere's brows furrowed.

"Are you saying that the Sarkaz are intentionally maneuvering these turbulent currents to pull us to the vice-captain's position?" the vice-captain inquired.

Windermere shook his head: "If the Sarkaz really had the ability to manipulate turbulence, we would all be dead long ago. They just have special intelligence methods and are more familiar with the patterns of turbulence than we are."

What interests me is that so many teams, after encountering the vice-capture ship and the Sarkaz occupying it, managed to retreat successfully despite losing some personnel, and even had a chance to recapture the Originium Cannon.

The lieutenant suddenly realized: "This is a Sarkaz trap?!"

Windermere nodded, his gaze continuing to wander over his own ranks.

After realizing Sarkaz's plan, she immediately guessed something else.

There were definitely shapeshifters among the defeated troops who fled from the secondary ship.

Wendmilton immediately felt a headache.

"Duke, what should we do now?" the lieutenant asked anxiously.

"...Go find that secondary ship."

Upon hearing this order, the deputy general was dumbfounded.

Even though they were aware of the danger, they still jumped into the pit on their own. Wasn't that just courting death?

Windermere's gaze swept over the lieutenant with a sharp edge, causing the latter to shudder and turn to issue orders.

The team quickly sprang into action.

Most of these teams had encountered the secondary ship before, so returning the way they came wouldn't be difficult. However, as the teams grew larger, moving through this turbulent terrain made their pace as slow as a tortoise's.

Windermere summoned his lieutenant and gave the order:

"Divide the team into ten squads and spread them out. Leave all the mobile Originium cannons behind."

The deputy general was completely baffled by this tactic, but dared not say anything and obediently issued the orders.

The hundred-person team dispersed, and their previously snail-paced movement speed visibly increased until only Windermir, the vice commander, and four Originium cannons remained on the scene.

The sound of a sword being drawn rang out, and Windermere's blade was pointed directly at the lieutenant.

"Discovered."

The lieutenant smiled faintly and reverted to his original shapeshifter form.

He looked at Windermere and said calmly, "If someone among the troops were to spread the word that His Excellency the Duke deliberately sent soldiers to their deaths, would it cause any wavering in the morale of your troops?"

"Whatever Sarkaz's plans are, taking down a hundred-man squad will be a protracted battle."

Windermere said coldly, "On this battlefield, the number of Victorian soldiers far exceeds that of the Sarkaz. As long as the battle lasts long enough, a steady stream of soldiers will notice this place and join the fight."

Ultimately, the Sarkaz were destined to be annihilated, and Victoria's side successfully amassed a larger force.

“But that still doesn’t change the fact that you’re essentially sending this team to their deaths.” The shapeshifter wasn’t swayed by Windermere.

"This is war."

"Yes Yes."

The shapeshifter nodded, then shook his head: "But your support is destined not to come. We have already transformed into your appearance and led the Victoria team wandering nearby away from the secondary ship."

Windermere seemed completely unsurprised, his expression remaining calm.

She slowly assumed an offensive stance, her killing intent firmly locked onto the shapeshifter, and whispered:

“Your infiltration capabilities are indeed astonishing, but your nature cannot be changed. Just as I can recognize you, my soldiers can too.”

Chapter 721 Counterattack