Early April, Mousilon, the Cursed Land.
Ryan, François, Berhemond, Morgiana, and Karad led the last fresh troops of Brettonia, marching along the Grismerie River.
Landuin's tomb was not far away. In early spring, a fine rain began to fall from the sky, and the spring thunder rumbled over the swamps of Mousilon, casting a heavy shadow over the army.
Everyone could feel that a great battle was imminent. The knights were arranging their armor, the prophetesses of the Lady of the Lake were chanting spells, the musketeers were checking their firearms, and the dwarves were singing loudly about the stories of their mountain kingdoms.
The five domain strongmen rode at the forefront, the fine spring rain pattering on Ryan's psychic-powered armor. This armor had been damaged many times, but Ryan always managed to repair it through psychic activation.
Now, the chosen champion of the Lady of the Lake had drawn the Vengeance Goddess. The runes on this divine sword shone brightly, with the blessing and power of the Human Lord added to the blade. A pale blue light enveloped Ryan's figure as he silently felt the silver flames burning on the sword's blade.
As expected, both Angron and the Custodians had refused Ryan's request for deployment.
Ryan couldn't command the Custodians, who had been given instructions by the Emperor. These four Corn Cob Guards now watched over the pregnant knightess around the clock, completely unwilling to move despite Ryan's requests.
As for Angron, when Ryan used psychic powers to communicate with him, the Primarch of the World Eaters laughed and said, "I am not your bodyguard or your subordinate; I am your brother. You are the Grey Knight's Primarch. I will not help you, just as Father did not help me back then. You must bear the responsibilities and duties of a Primarch and walk the path destined for you."
Ryan could only smile bitterly at this. Even after ten thousand years, Angron still held a grudge.
However, in a way, Angron was right. Neither the Emperor nor Angron wanted Ryan to become dependent on them. In these dark times, Ryan could only rely on himself.
A weak wind mixed with fine rain continued to drift in from the southwest. As spring arrived, the snow began to melt, making the roads of Mousilon extremely muddy and difficult for the knights to advance.
The undead probably never planned to repair the roads. Vampires liked the swamp, as it did not hinder the movement of the undead but greatly impeded other armies.
"You should have informed me earlier, Ryan," said Duke Berhemond of Bastogne, known as the "Beast Butcher." He wore a full set of enchanted runic plate armor called "Dragon's Breath" and held the reins of his armored elven warhorse. In a rough voice, he said to Ryan, "Defending the land granted by the Lady is the duty of all knights in the kingdom. You should not treat the recovery of Mousilon as your own matter."
The Red Dragon Duke had clearly longed to participate in this war. For years, he had gained no significant honor or military achievements, only frequently clearing out beastmen tribes in the Arden Forest. While François and Ryan had gained fame across the Old World by defeating Necromancer Kemmler and his undead legions in the battles of Blackstone Stronghold and La-Maisontaal Abbey, Berhemond had only killed a beastman chieftain, a fact that had greatly angered this devout and martial descendant of Arthur. "I would have helped you," he said.
Ryan was speechless. He thought to himself that if Berhemond helped him, the nature of this war would change!
Duke Berhemond was a direct descendant of Arthur, inherently qualified to be king. After John II was deposed, Berhemond was almost crowned as king.
As one of the contenders for the throne, Ryan naturally did not want Berhemond to participate. The involvement of Bastogne's army in the recovery of Mousilon was acceptable, but not Berhemond himself. If it weren't for dire necessity, Ryan wouldn't have asked Berhemond to deploy, because the campaign against Mousilon was part of his competition with Lauern.
However, when Chaos appeared and Tzeentch's Great Demon sought to collect the sacred artifacts, the situation changed. This war was no longer a competition for the throne.
Now, Ryan and his companions were fighting to defend their country!
"Berhemond, don't be too hard on Ryan. No one could have predicted this war would turn out this way," François said in his usual elegant and wise manner, trying to calm the situation. "If it wasn't absolutely necessary, he wouldn't have asked us for support."
"Hmm?" Berhemond was puzzled at first, taking a minute to understand François' implication. He muttered, "I really have no interest in the throne, Ryan. Do I look like someone who enjoys sitting on a throne dealing with various affairs every day? I'd rather be dead! I'm a Grail Knight, a descendant of Arthur. The battlefield is my destiny. I refused once when John II abdicated and again when Richard planned to step down. I truly don't want to be king."
"Some things are not as simple as personal wishes," Ryan said openly. "We understand each other, Berhemond, but becoming king is the choice of all nobles and the Lady. Many times, it has nothing to do with our own choices. When the responsibility falls on our shoulders, we can only bear it. Just like you didn't want to become a duke, but you chose to protect the Lady's sacred land and your people."
"Hahaha, I like what you said," Berhemond laughed heartily, slapping Ryan on the shoulder with enough force to kill a bull. "Yes, life is a painful series of choices. Many times, we can only choose one path among many. Of course, if possible, I want to say something."
"I want it all!" Ryan smiled, raising his right hand and clenching it into a fist.
The group laughed together.
"Want it all?" Karad listened to their conversation, his eyes darkening. If possible, he wished he hadn't become a Grail Knight. He had lost too much along the way.
Parents, brothers, lovers, mentors, and sisters—now Karad was alone. Despite his numerous honors and fame, he often reminisced about the good old days and the happiness that slipped through his fingers.
Karad vowed that each pain he experienced would make him stronger, and his fury would burn upon the enemies of the Lady!
As the army advanced, all the villages, including the vampire castles, were reduced to ruins. They saw only a wasteland.
When they were fifteen kilometers from Landuin's Tomb, scouts reported that Tzeentch's demon army was slowly approaching the tomb. The Blood Dragon Vampire Lord there had refused to surrender to Chaos, resulting in a fierce battle.
The outcome was simple: no castle could withstand the attack of Chaos demons. The flames from Tzeentch's Flamers and Chariots melted the castle. The vampire lord's desperate resistance cost Tzeentch's army significantly, but in the end, it only added another victory to the Weaver of Fate's record. The undead were burned to charcoal, the castle melted by sorcerous fire, and Tzeentch's demon army captured the fortress without much effort. The vampire lord was killed, and his soul was utterly destroyed by the Weaver of Fate.
"We're almost there," Fateweaver Kairos spread his wings. He could feel immense power flowing through him. Neither the living nor the dead could stop the Chaos army.
The moats and trenches of the undead castle were filled with bones, and the melted ruins of the castle were unrecognizable even to the best eyes. When Fateweaver Kairos looked into the distance, he saw the Brettonian army.
"Interesting," Kairos screeched. "The resistance of mortals is futile. Now, let's destroy this country and everything we see!"
The Tzeentch demons, in all their bizarre forms, began their attack. Horrors, Screamers, Flamers, Changeling, Tzeentch Heralds, and Sorcerers all shrieked wildly.
The Weaver of Fate proudly observed his army. He had the strongest army under Tzeentch. With the acquisition of four sacred artifacts, the passage between the Chaos realm and the material world was becoming more stable. Under the fierce winds of Chaos, more Tzeentch demons had entered the mortal world.
Without giving the knightly army a chance to fully form their battle lines, the battle began with the last praise for Holy Tzeentch!
The left flank of the knightly army was composed of knights from Winford, led by François. His troops quickly prepared for battle, gripping his Unicorn Sword tightly, knowing this would be a tough fight.
The right flank was formed by the knights of Bordeleaux and Bastogne, led by Berhemond, who carried a giant mace often used against beastmen from the Arden Forest.
The center was a coalition of Ryan and Karad's forces, the Imperial army, and the Angrund clan of dwarves.
Before the coalition could firmly establish their positions, the battle erupted. The Tzeentch demon army surged like a tidal wave towards the knights' army.
"For the Lady! For Brettonia!"
"For Grungni! For Grimnir!"
"For Sigmar! For the Empire! For Karl Franz! For the Elector Countess!"
"For Kurnous and Isha! For Athel Loren!"
The coalition quickly formed battle lines and engaged the enemy after a final prayer.
"Praise Holy Tzeentch, praise the Lord
of Fate!"
Among the Chaos demons, praises to Tzeentch echoed continuously. Dwarf cannons and Imperial heavy cannons opened fire, their shells covering the front lines of the Tzeentch demon army. Muskets spat fire, pikes roared in the air, and solid shot tore through the ranks of Chaos demons, the exploding shrapnel consuming their bodies.
At this moment, dwarf musketeers, Bastogne longbowmen, and wood elf scouts set aside their differences and united to fight for the mortal world. Arrow volleys like torrential rain harvested the fragile Tzeentch demons, while dwarf infantry, human infantry, and foot knights fought back fiercely. When demons approached the lines, merciless melee battles erupted. The few demons that reached the front lines quickly fell under multiple attacks and were banished back to the warp.
Under the command of Imperial General Dietrich, the Imperial army unleashed their full artillery power. Hellstorm rocket batteries fired, dozens of rockets ascending like fireworks and falling among the Tzeentch demons. Hundreds of Tzeentch Flamers exploded, causing thousands of demons to perish.
The first wave of Tzeentch's attack was repelled, and the knights' army launched a counterattack under Ryan's orders. Knights charged under the cover of artillery, pushing back the demons. Two Tzeentch chariots were shattered by lances.
However, the Weaver of Fate quickly targeted the Imperial artillery. Raising his hand, he chanted a spell, and dozens of sorcerous flames rained down, destroying several Hellstorm rocket batteries. Several Imperial engineers and dozens of soldiers were incinerated, and the banner of the Nuln Black Lions was reduced to ashes.
Then, Kairos' fingers emitted a crystal light, and twisted sorcery enveloped the charging knights. Fifty knights turned into twisted, bleeding masses. Kairos summoned three more beams of magical light, sweeping through the Imperial pikemen and Ryan's infantry, reducing them to ashes.
The Weaver of Fate was pleased with his results. As he prepared to cast another spell, a sharp cry interrupted him, "Uranon's Thunderbolt!"
Morgiana, the Enchantress of the Lake, holding the Grail of Potions, entered the battle. The grail in her hand had turned red, and the light of the Lady of the Lake resonated across the battlefield, dispelling Chaos magic. Morgiana's face was grim and furious as the winds of magic howled around her. She raised her hand, casting a lightning bolt at the Tzeentch Greater Daemon. "Die!"
The Weaver of Fate casually caught Morgiana's lightning bolt, crushing it in his hand. Kairos disdainfully glanced at the Enchantress. Despite her powerful magic, she was no match for him.
"Metal Torrent!" A spell of alchemy rained down scorching metal streams from the sky, forcing Morgiana to summon a thorn shield to defend herself.
The Chaos demons' assault continued, with Tzeentch sorcerers joining the battle on flying disks. When Tzeentch's followers marched to war, they often carried banners and emblems signifying their unit's glory. These magically crafted banners, inscribed with mysterious runes and demon totems, burned with intense magical flames, delighting Tzeentch to see his followers wielding them in battle.
The Weaver of Fate signaled all his troops to press forward, attacking the center fiercely. Hundreds of Tzeentch Flamers fired simultaneously, forcing Nuln musketeers, dwarf Thunderers, and Ryan's musketeers to retreat under Ryan's command.
As they retreated, the frontline soldiers lost their fire support, greatly increasing their pressure.
Under the Tzeentch sorcerers' spells, flames of abomination swept through the knights' ranks. Peasants and noble knights alike were slaughtered, the once tight lines plowed into deep furrows. The Tzeentch Greater Daemon keenly seized this opportunity, and with the reserves not yet in place, the songs of praise to Tzeentch filled the battlefield.
An entire line collapsed, hundreds of human soldiers and dozens of dwarves dying under the claws of Chaos demons and Tzeentch sorcery. The sky was a kaleidoscope of colors.
A fire blast melted twenty human soldiers into a pool of blood. Tzeentch's first daemon, the Weaver of Fate, Kairos, personally joined the fray.
The situation worsened, forcing Pikemen Captain Raymond to lead his remaining hundred pikemen as a reserve to hold off the Chaos demons. Knowing their chances of victory were slim, these soldiers still shouted the name of the Lady of the Lake as they charged.
It was Lord Ryan who ended our hunger, Lord Ryan who made us wealthy. Though these soldiers knew they had little chance to change the tide, they fought tenaciously because the Chaos demons were flooding into the center, while François and Berhemond were also struggling. Kairos mocked the humans' foolishness, raising his staff to annihilate them.
A sharp screech was faster than his movement. The chosen champion of the Lady of the Lake appeared just in time to save the center. The massive griffon, Impris, spewed lightning, interrupting Kairos' actions. Ryan, riding the griffon, descended from the sky, his talons shredding Chaos demons. Ryan's hands burned with silver psychic flames, his warhammer spewing fire, its head emitting lightning towards the Weaver of Fate.
Kairos dodged easily, the lightning shattering nearby Chaos demons. The Weaver of Fate had foreseen Ryan's actions in eternity, blocking Ryan's hammer with his staff. "Champion of the false goddess, won't you consider a new master?"
"Your opponent is me!" Ryan's eyes blazed with fury.
"And me!" Karad charged on his steed, the divine sword Durandal cleaving through dozens of Tzeentch demons.
"I'm coming too!" Morgiana unleashed a chain lightning spell, killing hundreds of Tzeentch demons. Riding her unicorn, Sylfarn, she joined the fray. "Chaos demon! Face the judgment of the Lady!"
"Excellent! All of you, come at me!" The Tzeentch Greater Daemon was elated. "Today, I'll show you my power! Everything is fate's choice. The Lord of Fate foresaw this moment!"
"Today, I'll dye the sky red with Brettonian blood!"
"Praise the Lord of Change! Praise Holy Tzeentch!"
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