"It’s finally started. I thought the princess might stay quiet for a while longer."
At the observation deck of the pass fortress, Arcturus gazed into the distance, seeing the positions being feverishly constructed by the frost-walkers. Although modern people no longer knew what the giant cannons built by these ancient constructs were, it was clear they were aimed at the spell barrier.
He could no longer hesitate. Having finally relied on the home-field advantage to resist Snow White's terrifyingly potent Authority of Charm, how could he sit back and wait for death?
A heavy blow must be dealt!
In just a few short days, the "rebels" had already become a formidable force. If another battle was lost, the tables would turn completely, and it would be uncertain who the true "rebels" were.
There would be no point in even defending the royal capital; the three armies might as well just be ordered to slit their own throats and call it a day.
"Lord Prime Minister."
A Midwinter military officer approached Arcturus and reported, "The mercenaries and vassal legions we have summoned have had their most mentally resilient members selected according to your instructions. Furthermore, every infantry regiment has been equipped with curios capable of shielding the mind. However, because of this... their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced. They may find it difficult to contend with the rebels, despite outnumbering them."
In truth, up until now, the warlocks of the Midwinter Kingdom had been unable to figure out exactly what spell Selena was using, or which mystery trait she possessed.
It was unprecedented in historical records, with a power level approaching that of a great fiend. After much consideration, they could only categorize it as a type of dragon's curse.
Since a magic dragon was no different from a celestial god, a dragon's curse was treated like a fairy's blessing—something that could not and need not be scrutinized in detail.
Therefore, the countermeasures they took were the most thorough way of addressing the root cause—directly sealing off emotions and perception. As long as one could not be targeted, they need not fear any charm.
It was a case of treating a headache by cutting off the head.
Of course, doing so also caused the legion's combat strength to drop to an appalling level. While barely sufficient for mechanized siege defense, they would be utterly crushed in an open field battle.
"What about the grail knight order?"
Arcturus was well aware that with such a massive debuff, the regular army could not be relied upon. He turned his hopes toward the grail knights in the distance.
Although Dathrohan had suffered defeat after defeat, his strength as a grail knight was still something to be relied upon. Within the Midwinter Kingdom, aside from the high warlock Lola, there was no other combat power that could match a grail knight.
The officer replied, "The grail knight order will act independently. Their primary objective should also be to destroy the artillery positions."
"...We will conduct a feint and coordinate with them as much as possible. We need to draw as much attention as we can. We're going to owe them a massive favor for this."
The prime minister sighed. He had originally been unwilling to involve himself too deeply with the forces of the Lady of the Lake. He had planned to break the curse in one go and then bid farewell to the grail knights, but it seemed that was no longer possible.
Soon, the fortress defenders organized a strike force and advanced toward the frost-walker positions, where they quickly encountered resistance from the "rebels."
Before the frost-walkers even had to move, the army loyal to and following the Princess of Midwinter took the initiative to engage them.
However, calling it an engagement was generous. Because their minds were shielded and their perceptions locked, the large task force was being one-sidedly thrashed by the princess's followers, who were far fewer in number.
Despite holding such a massive advantage, the high-spirited "rebels" did not deal lethal blows. They used non-lethal means as much as possible, simply knocking the enemies unconscious.
In front of the giant cannon positions, Viviana watched the scene with a slight frown.
"Is this enough?"
How boring. She wanted to see rivers of blood!
Selena crossed her arms and glanced at the pale-blonde girl, saying, "It's easy for you to talk when it's not your own countrymen being killed."
Viviana replied calmly, "That is not it. I will slaughter anyone who stands against His Highness with equal prejudice."
"And if the people of Qingxi, who have received His Highness's grace, were to take this path, they would be devoid of benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and filial piety—utterly irredeemable!"
"......"
Snow White stared at the melancholy beauty's expression, which looked not the least bit like she was joking, and fell silent for several seconds.
You’re perhaps being a bit too extreme.
However, Selena quite appreciated Viviana's fanatical devotion to Faust. She lifted her chin and said softly, "Even if civil war is unavoidable, it is best for as little Midwinter blood to be spilled as possible. This is both a display of my mercy and a pursuit of my own perfection."
Although Snow White was usually quite sharp-tongued, prone to mocking and despising "commoners" and saying things like "I owe no one in Midwinter anything" or "those who follow me prosper, those who oppose me perish."
When it actually came down to abandoning all principles and slaughtering the people of Midwinter, she found it difficult.
It wasn't that she couldn't do it, but rather that it was unnecessary. Truly unnecessary.
Sigh, a kindness engraved in the bones.
"Besides, this battlefield isn't important at all. It's nothing more than an attempt to distract us."
Selena looked in another direction. To the side of the artillery positions was a dense Silver-frost Forest. Under the cover of the white snow, the forest appeared serene and beautiful.
"That fellow Arcturus would certainly kill me if he had the chance. But the most commendable thing about him compared to the other bastards is his self-awareness. Therefore, he would never expect to defeat me with a mere rabble. In the end, it all comes down to the grail knight order."
As if to confirm Snow White's words, a moment later, the sound of tremors echoed from the Silver-frost Forest.
The originally white forest was stained by a dark brown tidal wave sweeping toward the artillery positions.
The herd of beasts rushing out from the trees numbered about three or four hundred. Their forms were strange and varied, encompassing almost every known type of wild beast.
It was normal for the beast species to be inconsistent.
After all, the beastmasters only captured monstrous beasts rather than breeding them. No one had ever dared to do such a thing. Controlling monstrous beasts for combat was a matter of using the enemy's spear as one's own shield; if they were intentionally bred, the nature of the act would be entirely different.
Nevertheless, they had managed to collect a very useful group of monstrous beasts.
Running at the very front of the herd were creatures resembling lions and tigers, nearly the size of houses. Their bodies were covered in thick chitin that was far tougher than steel of the same proportions, overlapping like dragon scales.
Their explosive speed was incredible. In just a few breaths, they had crossed a vast distance, leaving their kin far behind.
Judging by the echoes of their bodies striking the ground, these monsters were composed of high-strength muscle and moved with hydraulic-like bursts. Given such rapid assault capabilities, one could expect these lion-tiger beasts to be unimaginably fierce and ruthless.
"What ugly beasts."
The princess frowned. This herd of beasts, devoid of any aesthetic sense, truly displeased her.
"【Zilliax】, move out. Slaughter them all."
Just as Selena was about to activate 【Zilliax】, a streak of crimson-gold light sliced through the night sky, plummeting toward the mecha.
Clang—
Rate on N.U.
