Free Web NovelChapter 113: Chapter 85: A Corner of the War
According to the standard reference frame of the Imperial Star Map, the Ash Soil Star Zone is the largest spatial region in the Empire’s far east. It is the most distant from the Radiant Holy City and also the most chaotic of all the star zones.
This star zone, home to thirty thousand worlds, is rife with Wandering Mages from the Land of Stars, native Scaya Dragon Descendants, Knight Warlords, and demonic abominations from the Void Realm.
It is also a vast, untapped frontier for the Empire’s Merchant Families to explore the cosmos and conquer primitive civilizations.
The Seventeenth Military Port World lies in the central region of the Ash Soil Star Zone. It was once a vital staging ground and supply depot for the Empire’s eastern expeditions and territorial expansion.
But, even during the era of the Empire’s great unification, the Ash Soil Star Zone was synonymous with barbarism, ignorance, and constant warfare.
As the City Lord of the stereoscopic city on the Seventeenth Military Port World and a hereditary Provincial Governor, Ulrich Turk’s theoretical knowledge and understanding of this world surpassed that of even the most brilliant local scholars.
This disparity was largely due to the Empire’s policies on governing its territories.
Much like on Grillers World, the world of Reinhardt’s reincarnation, knowledge of the Empire and the Radiant Holy City was kept exclusively in the hands of the ruling nobility.
They did not need the populace to be well-informed; neither did the Empire, nor the Regent Council.
As long as the Tithing was paid on time and there were no rebellions or demonic corruption to trouble the Empire, the Ministry of Internal Affairs would not intervene, even if a world’s civilization stagnated in a primitive, agrarian state for centuries.
Only on the core planets of each Star Zone—those directly affiliated with the Regent Council or the Holy City, the homeworlds of Battle Groups, or worlds with other critical functions—would the Ministry of Internal Affairs consider the education of the populace a tool of governance.
The Priests of the National Church would teach the populace about the greatness and sacrifice of the Divine Emperor, and the blood feud between the Alien Races and the Empire.
Likewise, recruits from these regions formed the backbone of the Imperial Infantry Corps. For generations, entire families of soldiers had fought and bled for the glory of the Empire and the Divine Emperor, their loyalty unquestionable.
...
「Desolate Wasteland Ruins.」
Lord Governor Ullrich was anxiously pacing in his office. He had already sent out a distress call via the Radiant Beacon to any potential Imperial Legions throughout the entire Ash Soil Star Zone.
Angel Albert.
Sedon, leader of the Death Battle Group.
According to Reinhardt’s account, he had encountered a Void Storm while crossing the Ash Soil Star Zone twelve years ago, which destroyed his Radiant Waymark.
In all likelihood, the Imperial Knights who had retreated with him were also stranded somewhere in this Star Zone.
If they were still alive, they would have received his distress call.
But more than forty standard hours had passed with no response. He now gravely suspected that all the Imperial Knights who had retreated with Reinhardt had perished in the disaster that destroyed their waymark.
He walked out onto the terrace and gripped the railing, gazing down at the streets of the sprawling city below. freewebnσvel.cѳm
The Defense Army carted away truckload after truckload of corpses to be burned and buried outside the city, while the Arbitrators responsible for public order hosed the blood from the streets.
Refugees were queuing outside the Caster Monastery to receive relief rations and fresh water.
After a full day and night of fighting, the invaders in the Upper City District had been mostly cleared out, but many had escaped into the Central City District and the Lower City District.
Beyond his sight, the battle raged on.
If it were only Mortal Soldiers, Ullrich wouldn’t be worried. The source of his anxiety was the unknown enemy. free𝑤ebnovel.com
’Grand Lord Kles.’
For these Knight Warlords to gain a foothold in the Ash Soil Star Zone, they needed more than just powerful armies; they must have had the financial backing of a Merchant Family.
Compared to such behemoths, the Seventeenth Military Port World—and he, its Provincial Governor—were as insignificant as ants. His opponent could crush him with a single finger.
He had never declared independence or broken from the Empire’s control. But in this Dark Age, with the Empire crumbling, surrender seemed like a good idea. It would be a pragmatic choice, both for his own sake and for the safety of the billions of souls on the Seventeenth Military Port World.
However, given the choice between dying now and dying later, he preferred to live a few more days.
Ullrich knew for a fact that if he dared to sign any terms of surrender, Raphael—that fanatical devotee of the Divine Emperor, that die-hard Imperial loyalist—would be the first to cut him down.
...
「Lower City District.」
From within the complex network of pipes and the long, deep, narrow alleys, the roars of battle and the screams of the dying echoed intermittently.
Corpses and bloodstains littered the ground.
Defense Army soldiers, invaders, corrupted Aliens, heretics...
A hundred-strong company of rebels hid in a long-abandoned church. The Holy Land where a statue of the Divine Emperor once stood was now utterly defiled, littered with Sacrificial Arrays left by heretics, withered bones, and severed limbs.
A young recruit, his face smeared with blood and grime, slipped into the church, panting. His expression was one of exhaustion and terror.
"Captain, I’ve checked. No Defense Army followed us."
In stark contrast to the recruit, the rebel company’s captain remained vigorous and high-spirited, even after a day and a night of brutal fighting and retreat.
A closer look would reveal that his fingernails were far harder than a normal person’s and bore a slight resemblance to the claws of a beast.
He took out a canteen laced with a Mage’s poison and handed it to the exhausted recruit, offering a reassuring smile. "The Great Lord’s reinforcements are on the way," he said. "Once Lord Kles’s Battle Group arrives on this world, we’ll be out of this hellhole in no time."
"Drink up. I added some Alchemy Potion to the water to keep your energy high."
As he spoke, the captain laughed heartily and clapped the recruit on the shoulder in a show of camaraderie and comfort.
The recruit was overwhelmed by this show of favor.
Before joining the Great Lord’s army, he had been just a poor farmer’s son. Now, a great man he would have once had to crane his neck to see was treating him with such kindness.
The recruit was moved beyond words. He silently vowed that he would be forever loyal to Grand Lord Kles and fight for this honor!
He tilted his head back and drank deeply.
The sweet water seemed to invigorate every cell in his body. The rush of energy was a strange and wonderful sensation, almost indescribable.
A smile of blissful contentment spread across his face. He started to hand the canteen back, ready to offer his thanks.
The next moment.
A deafening ROAR, like the bellow of a war machine, tore through the air.
A violent blast wave slammed into him, forcing his eyes shut. He heard the heavy thud of footsteps—the Defense Army hunting them—and felt a warm liquid splash across his face.
The blast wave blew past.
The recruit opened his eyes in terror.
In the dim light of the church, an immense man stood before him. Blood dripped from a Black War Axe as wide as a door.
The captain who had been comforting him just a second before was now only a bisected torso. Blood gushed from the remains like a fountain, drenching the recruit’s head in a thick, slow-moving stream.
An overwhelming pressure washed over the recruit, transforming into a terror that coursed through his entire body in an instant.
He stumbled back, trembling, the canteen clattering to the floor. He didn’t even have the courage to draw his weapon for a desperate last stand. He could only stare in terror as the blood-soaked man stood before him.
Then, the man’s imperious, cruel, and ice-cold gaze fell upon him.
