Warhammer Divine Throne

”Laine...” Not a single drop of blood stained Surya’s body; the female knight had slain more than twenty Barbarian Warriors in the previous battle. The engagement ring with a golden double-headed eagle on her left ring finger emitted a powerful energy field, protecting the female knight from harm. Seeing the battle was over, Surya immediately dismounted and ran to Laine’s side, helping him up: ”Are you alright.”

”Looks like the battle’s over.” Laine smiled at Surya, noticing the corner of his eye caught everyone approaching him, including Veronica and Teresa, whose faces still showed traces of horror, as well as the Knight Commanders and several Kingdom Knights, including Count Kaled and Baron Aldred, who had come out of Leonais Castle to support.

”You’ll never lose; you’ve never disappointed me, Laine, my husband.” Tears welled up in Surya’s eyes with excitement; regardless of Laine’s blood-stained body, she buried her fair face in his chest, her voice trembling uncontrollably: ”I knew you could do it! I believe in you!”

”How could I let my fiancée down?” Laine stood up, the Divine Chosen Champion of the Lady had a faint smile on his face, and his presence was like the sun, warming everyone’s hearts and drawing all eyes to him. His presence added more glory to the Knightly Path.

To become the Divine Chosen Champion of the Lake Fairy meant Laine needed to prove himself worthy of this title repeatedly. His achievements were enough to fill the knights and people of all Brittania with pride, allowing the Goddess’s radiance to shine upon the world, spreading his renown across the land. His story would become a model for children to learn from, and minstrels would sing his magnificent epic.

”Laine! You’ve succeeded! You defeated Egil! You single-handedly vanquished Egil, who dominated the Northern Wasteland for centuries! You are worthy of the Lady’s title of Divine Chosen Champion!” Sir Houlf of the Sea God Knight Order excitedly approached Laine, shouting gleefully to everyone on the battlefield: ”Victory! Victory! We won!”

”Victory!”

”Victory!”

”In the name of the Lady, we are victorious!”

The Knight Army’s cheers erupted, shaking the heavens and the earth.

”We haven’t won...” Laine cast his gaze on Egil’s corpse, gently pushed Surya aside, signaling the knights to clear the way.

All eyes were on him, with a hint of confusion and astonishment.

Until Laine retrieved Jules’s head from Egil’s armor, only then did the crowd fall silent, with Kaled’s eyes turning red as he forcefully wiped away tears.

”There are no victors in this war.” Laine cradled Jules’s head and spoke softly, ”Look around you, knights.”

Thousands of knights looked around.

On the battlefield remained only corpses, countless corpses: fallen knights and infantry, along with a large number of dead Barbarians. The field exuded the stench and scent of blood, covering the entire battlefield. Except for a few escaped small tribes, the Barbarian army was completely annihilated, but Laine’s Knight Army also suffered nearly twenty percent casualties.

Many new recruits facing their first battle perished in the brutal fighting, with dreams for the future and hatred for the Barbarians still in their eyes, yet they met an untimely end here.

In the distance, Leonais Castle and the numerous villages nearby had turned into ruins. The once thriving towns and densely populated coastal areas had become past memories, leaving only destruction and scorched earth. Over 150,000 people perished in this Chaos Invasion, nearly one-fifth of Leonais’s population.

Four Holy Grail Knights fell on the battlefield one after another, including Holy Grail Knight Commander Jules. The combined losses for Leonais and Kulona reached nearly three thousand knights, a staggering number, with Laine’s leading five thousand knights losing over six hundred.

”The war is over, knights, it’s time to clean the battlefield, enough people have died today, no one is victorious.” Laine raised his fist: ”Let us honor the heroes who died defending their homeland!”

”Honor!” The knights collectively raised their fists.

”To honor the heroes sacrificed in defense of the homeland! We must tell them we did not betray their sacrifice; we defeated the Barbarians, and these lands will return to peace. Maybe we can’t name each of them, but we must still thank them; without their sacrifice, there would be no victory for us!” Laine stepped out from the crowd, his somewhat hoarse voice penetrating everyone’s heart: ”Heroes are immortal!”

”Heroes! Immortal!”

......

Three days later, Leonais Castle.

A grand funeral was held here, attended by thousands of knights and all the nobility of Leonais, participating in this majestic ceremony.

Jules and two Holy Grail Knights were laid in the great hall of Leonais Castle, their hands gripping swords on their chests, fully attired. Candles surrounded them, hundreds of knights guarding them day and night, paying tribute and remembering the fallen heroes.

The scene was solemn, dignified, with the Holy Grail Knight Commander’s resting place covered with iris flowers and golden silk. Several people couldn’t help but cry passionately, with Count Kaled and his sister Anara being the most heartbroken. For Kaled, Jules was an important mentor in his life, both friend and father, in the absence of his father. From Jules, Kaled drew strength, with the two completing countless heroic and poignant epics.