After choosing to leave, they regretted it.

Although Lysander may be the one with the most combat experience among the living people in the empire, he still harbors a grudge about this and always has an expression that makes him want to say something but stops.

After all, outsiders don’t know that Weil is being controlled.

The things she did in the past cannot be wiped out so easily.

After struggling for a while, Lysander decided to change the subject.

He stood up, handed the head to someone beside him, and then said:

"Compared to this, Lord Aize. To be honest, when you first proposed the plan, I was skeptical. I didn't expect that we could actually break through the city wall so smoothly."

"Isn't that natural? The situation is urgent. You don't think I'm joking, do you?"

It is almost impossible to capture the fortress city of Lilbas by conventional means within such a limited time.

Even if Villian and all the combat magicians concentrated their firepower, it would be impossible to create a gap in the city gate or wall in such a short time.

Therefore, Aize came up with the strategy of using Villian's refining ability to directly decompose the city wall.

"Humanity has to face dozens of demonic tribes simultaneously, each with its own unique abilities. Therefore, when preparing for war, they always take various issues into consideration, including the infiltration of the Faceless Men and the refinement of witches' tools. Therefore, the materials used in the original human wall were blessed and enchanted, making it nearly impossible to transform them in such a short time."

"But this place is different. Back then, to capture Krielbas, the coalition forces of several demonic races fought for two months, ultimately capturing the city by destroying a significant portion of the city walls. According to intelligence, these damaged areas were subsequently repaired by captured human laborers. Since the orcs weren't worried about fighting the witches, they naturally didn't implement any anti-conversion measures. Wouldn't that be a fatal flaw?"

The orcs cannot be blamed for their negligence in this matter. After all, no one could have predicted the Great Witch's rebellion.

Lysander nodded his head.

"Yes, I am convinced. What surprises me even more is that Lord Aize knows the locations of these gaps so well. Is this also what the intelligence said?"

"No, this is my own calculation based on the Empire's combat records. It's not actually very accurate, otherwise why would I use the spell bombing to confirm it?"

Although Aize said he would not directly intervene in this expedition, he made a lot of preparations in order to be able to do things in an emergency.

By analyzing the Imperial Army's records of the battle, such as where the city was breached, how the street fighting and counterattacks were carried out, and how both sides mobilized, combined with the terrain at the scene and the map of the city, Aize immediately determined the approximate locations of several potential breakthroughs.

In order to further lock on, the combat magicians were asked to bomb the approximate location, and by observing the tiny details when the bullets hit the target, they were able to finally determine the actual location.

Finally, the Royal Guards escorted Villian to a distance close enough to the city to cast a spell, thus solving this troublesome problem in one fell swoop.

After breaking through the outer defense, Aize also had a plan.

The first step is to occupy the granary and arsenal to prevent the enemy from setting fire to and destroying the supplies, and ensure that these things can be used by themselves in subsequent operations.

Then, leveraging the Imperial Army's strengths, they divided and surrounded the city along the main roads, isolating the orcs from the human civilians as much as possible, and avoiding collateral damage caused by large-scale hostage-taking in subsequent street fighting.

Then they surrounded the orcs in the city without attacking them, and sent their main forces outside the city in different directions, trying their best to support the Imperial Army's outer guard forces that were under siege by the Undead Army.

Then turn around and kill the remaining orcs under the city.

In this way, Aize and the Imperial Army will be able to retain a large amount of combat power and trump cards, and gain a firm foothold in Lilbas, becoming an unbreakable nail.

Those zombies from the Immortal Dynasty would be sweating profusely by now if their glands hadn't rotted away and lost their functions.

"Lord Aize, please accept my respect once again."

After Lysander said this, he knelt on one knee again and pressed his body down deeply.

All the members of the Imperial Guards around them also knelt down.

"To be honest, because of Lord Adrian, I used to have some prejudices against you. Please accept my apology and the punishment I will give you."

"Oh? Prejudice? What did His Royal Highness say about me?"

"No, His Royal Highness didn't say anything about you. In fact, he has always praised your abilities and character. But too many people have used you to target His Royal Highness, and I've harbored some resentment. Now it seems I've been the one being petty."

Adrian's position and actions have offended quite a lot of people.

These people couldn't do anything to the prince, so they could only rush to make a fuss about Aize's affairs:

"Prince? My opinion is, not as good as Ai Ze!"

"Oh, I don't know how that little prince can compare to the brave Aize."

"Without the brave Lord Aize, the empire's front would have collapsed long ago. Could it be that the prince's role is inferior to that of an outsider? No way, no way, no way?"

……

……

These are pure slanderous slang. Not to mention Adrian, the person who was bullied, even Aize is fed up with these idiots who only bring trouble to himself.

There was originally no conflict in the situation, but these bastards just brought it about.

Therefore, Aize has always been understanding and tolerant of Adrian's attitude and difficulties.

As a smart man, Adrian actually knew in his heart that the fault was not Aize's, so apart from the more aggressive attitude in words, he did not do anything else to target him.

As long as what is said makes sense, you should listen to it.

The two smart people reached a somewhat strange tacit understanding on this matter.

As a bystander, Lysander will inevitably stand up for the side he is closer to and to which he has sworn allegiance.

There is nothing strange about this, it is all within the range that Aize can expect and accept.

Therefore, he was somewhat caught off guard by such a solemn apology.

He subconsciously looked away, scratched his face lightly, and said almost subconsciously:

"How can it be so exaggerated? I'm just an unlucky guy who got caught up in something unfortunate and did my best to deal with it. It's nothing serious, so there's no need to exaggerate."

"No, your abilities, your achievements, and your character truly deserve the reputation you hold. It's only natural that you become the obsession of so many people."

"In this case, you're not from the Empire, so you could have evacuated with His Royal Highness. But you didn't. For the greater good of the Empire, you took on the most dangerous mission, coming here to live and die with us, and even proposing the most correct strategy for us. Under such circumstances, it would be a violation of the Empire's dignity to remain silent."

In this respect, Lysander's attitude was as solid as his armor and shield.

"I, General Lysander Heinlein, swear that even without a token from His Royal Highness, I will do everything in my power to ensure your safety and victory, until this life is lost, or until you embark on a path different from that of the Empire. This is the oath I swear to every member of the Imperial Shield."

"Uh……"

Aize scratched his hair.

Whether it was Chris in the past or Lysander now, he was never used to this kind of scene.

Moreover, he unexpectedly obtained the oath of a group of royal guards without knowing why he did so.

If the imperial nobles who are causing trouble find out, they will definitely be criticized even more severely.

It gives me a headache just thinking about it.

But considering the current situation, it’s not a bad thing.

At least I don't have to worry about them pretending to obey me but actually disobeying me.

"Ahem, alright, alright, stop talking about this."

Aize cleared his throat to relieve the growing embarrassment.

"Time is running out. The troops outside are still being besieged by the undead. Hurry and rescue them. Bring back as many people as you can!"

"Yes! The last general takes the order!"

----------

On the other side of Lilbas, in the demon territory not far from the central mountain range, stands a palace-like building made of pure bricks and stones.

The luxurious but dim interior, coupled with the half-buried structure, makes it look more like a mausoleum.

As the residence of the Immortal Dynasty, a high-ranking group of the undead, it is quite appropriate.

After they were overthrown and expelled and joined the demon clan hundreds of years ago, they abandoned their original homes in the mortal world and stayed in such an environment.

In their own words, this is to draw a clear line between themselves and humans, and to truly become the eternal curse and resentment of living humans, voluntarily embracing death.

In Aize's opinion, this was simply to show loyalty to the demons, so he dressed himself to look as less human as possible.

Even the clothes were changed into the style of tombs that were common in Augris in the past - long robes made of various precious metals that looked heavy at first glance, and oversized masks.

This can also hide your decayed face from being seen by others.

In any case, at this moment, a large group of members of the Immortal Dynasty gathered here, waiting for news from the front.

Everyone's mood was very good at the beginning.

After all, everything was ready, and they were just waiting for the empire to die, but the other party actually attacked directly as expected.

So what else is there to say?

Steady!

At that moment, there was even a hint of decadent smile under the masks of the dynasty members.

Then, things started to go wrong little by little.

"Report! Although Prince Adrian was injured, he was still sent away. The assassination attempt failed!"

"Report! The walls of Lilbas have been breached! The orcs' lines have collapsed! The Imperial Army has entered the city!"

"Report! The second echelon of the Imperial Army escorting the prince has successfully broken through and has left the central mountain area! We...we can't catch up!"

"Report! Our army was attacked by the Imperial Army from the direction of Lilbas. The remaining Imperial Army in the encirclement has escaped!"

Almost every hour, there would be a piece of "good news".

The smiles on the Dynasty members' faces gradually faded. When they heard that even the outer troops had not been completely wiped out, all of these guys, without exception, were defeated.

"Those idiots! What the hell are they doing? How could they turn such an advantageous game into this?!"

"Those orc bastards can't even hold on to such a huge advantage for a few days! If I had known earlier, I should have turned them all into zombies. They would be more useful than they are now!"

"We've achieved so many strategic and tactical goals, yet none of them have been accomplished. The Imperial Army has even occupied Lilbas... What should we do? What if the Demon King blames us?"

Full of expectations turned into disappointment and anger.

It's far worse than having no expectations at all.

The voices of the dynasty members varied greatly depending on the state of their bodies' decay.

After a burst of chatter that was either hoarse, shrill, or weird, everyone turned their eyes to a figure at the end of the underground palace.

"Sir Frederick, what do you say we should do?"

Frederick, a great noble and governor of Augris hundreds of years ago.

The current leader of the Immortal Dynasty, one of the thirteen heads.

He slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced around the room.

Although the face hidden under the mask was not visible, this action alone caused an invisible pressure and chill to spread throughout the room.

Even those who had stopped breathing long ago and whose lungs had rotted to the point where there was only a few pieces of flesh left felt a sense of near suffocation.

"Who commands the Imperial Army?"

After a long silence, a strong voice that did not sound like that of a deceased person finally rang out through the mask.

"Report, according to reliable information, it was commanded by the brave Aize."

"Huh, as expected."

Frederick made no secret of his disdain.

"The Saxon bloodline and this so-called empire are as disgusting and despicable as ever. Hundreds of years ago, they relied solely on conspiracy and taking advantage of others to destroy our country, and they haven't made the slightest progress since then."

Another member stood up, hunched over, and walked over carrying heavy clothes, and asked cautiously:

"So, Sir Frederick, what should we do now? If Lilbas falls, our forces on the west side of the Central Mountain Range will be surrounded, and the armies of other tribes will arrive soon. We..."

The self-proclaimed immortal ruler raised his hand and waved it, seemingly interrupting his subject impatiently:

"Don't panic. The orcs are unreliable. We've known this from the beginning. Our advantage hasn't changed because of the actions of the brave Aize. If this outsider is determined to die for those scum of the Empire, let us grant his wish."

"...What do you mean?"

"Adrian is seriously injured, and the remaining Imperial dregs are no longer a threat. Mobilize all our forces immediately, recapture Lilbas as quickly as possible, and rip the brave Aize to pieces!"

Frederick sneered disdainfully:

"The other demons seem to be afraid of him, so much so that they can't sleep at night. But we, the symbols of eternity, are not afraid of him. He's just a brat. Let's use this battle to prove to the Demon King who is the true demon, who deserves the title of Thirteenth Chief!"

Chapter 87: Army of the Dead

According to Aize's prior arrangement, Christina Karlsade led several guards to escort the seriously injured Prince Adrian back to the camp belonging to her family army, which was located relatively far behind.

With Aize displaying an unprecedented attitude of treating the enemy as if they were a formidable force, Chris naturally did not dare to be negligent. She almost immediately took everyone with her and set off, preparing to leave the central mountain area as quickly as possible.