Warhammer Divine Throne

Chapter 1260: Chapter 541: Reinforcements Assembled (Part 2)

”In this war, no one can remain unaffected. We must protect the holy relics left by the original twelve Holy Grail Knights, or else the only thing awaiting this country is destruction.”

Upon hearing that the two dukes were about to arrive, the atmosphere inside the tent improved. If Duke Bohemond and Francois arrived, there would be five Holy Sanctuary powerhouses here (Laine, Kaled, Mogiana, Bohemond, Francois), and with the armies of these three duchies, there might still be a chance to face off against Tzeentch’s Demon Army.

The knights were not overestimating the power of Tzeentch’s Demon Army, but rather, Chaos Demons were inherently that strong. Historically, in wars against Chaos Demons, mortals had to give their all and pay an unparalleled painful price just to barely defeat these Subspace nightmares. However, the banished demons do not die; one day, they will return and bring destruction to mortals.

One day, because mortals’ resolve is short-lived, while chaos is eternal.

”By the way, I’ve heard that your Fireworks Academy’s Mercenary Corps included a group of Dwarf Butchers?” Laine shook his head; it no longer mattered to him to think about these things. He casually asked, ”Why haven’t I seen them? Have the dwarves volunteered to cover the rear?”

”No, that group of Dwarf Butchers hasn’t even reached Musillon yet.” Imperial General Dietrich said helplessly, ”Lord Laine, your premature actions disrupted everyone’s plans. We were supposed to set out from Nuer around now and reach Le Anglong by early April. However, after learning that you launched your attack in late February and took the Sharp-Top Palace in just one day, Regent Lorne urgently ordered us to head to Musillon immediately, so we had to quickly set out, departing from Nuer on dwarf steamships, passing Marinburg, and finally reaching Le Anglong.”

”At this moment, that group of Dwarf Butchers is still assisting the dwarves of Karak Desolate Castle in the Black Mountain Range, clearing out the greenskins.” The Imperial General said helplessly, ”If everything goes smoothly, these Dwarf Butchers should have just boarded the ship to Le Anglong; dwarves value their oaths above all else...”

”Exactly! That’s how we dwarves are—debts must be paid, and grudges must be avenged!” King Belgar of Eight Peaks sat on an elevated stool, his body hidden behind a large table, and he yelled loudly, ”That’s what a dwarf is!”

Laine looked for a long time but couldn’t determine whether Belgar was sitting or standing, so he couldn’t judge the level of excitement of this Dwarf King.

”If we focus entirely on chaos, what about Mathew Bade and his Undead Army?” Kaled voiced his concern, his voice tinged with pain, ”Leonasai no longer has the ability to resist the undead invasion. If Mathew Bade wishes, he could even march straight to Kulona.”

”That’s true, but Kulona still has enough garrison to deal with it.” Holy Grail Knight Fedmond shook his head vigorously and emphasized, ”At least holding out for a month or two shouldn’t be a problem.”

”The Holy Grail Knights stationed at the Kulona branch, along with the Lake God Prophetesses, will all fight fiercely to defend the capital.” Lake God Witch Mogiana stated seriously, ”The capital won’t fall that easily.”

”Things have priorities. Our strongest enemy at present is still the Chaos Demon Army.” Laine set a tone for the matter: ”Of course, I need to stress that prioritizing the Chaos Demon Army doesn’t mean we are overlooking the undead! Once Tzeentch’s Demon Army is crushed and we reclaim the holy artifacts, we will naturally defeat Mathew Bade’s troops! Moreover, my biggest fear is Mathew Bade fortifying in Musillon, forcing us to prepare for a long siege. However, if he dares to come out and fight in the open, his Undead Army won’t even be worth mentioning!”

After listening to Laine, everyone nodded repeatedly. The undead were enemies, and they would always be so.

In fact, in recent years, a strange notion has been circulating in Brittania, among peasants and even within the knightly class, gaining surprisingly significant traction.

The idea suggests that knights, as guardians of humanity and protectors of the kingdom, seem to govern much worse than the undead. Many rumors claim that even the undead wouldn’t be as harsh as to impose the Ten-Nine Tax on peasants. Instead, vampires only periodically demand the ”Death Bone Tax” and ”Blood Tax,” which appears comparatively more lenient.

But actually, the Holy Grail Knights led by Laine knew well that life and death are like two sides of the same coin, never achieving unity.

As for why these Midnight Nobles treat some of their enslaved peasants so well?

Consider it this way: when a farmer builds a pigsty and raises piglets, would they deliberately torture these pigs to half-death?

No, the farmer would fatten the pigs up so when the time is right, they can be slaughtered for meat.

As for why vampires sometimes fight to protect humans, the reason is simple: just as someone might want to gain or destroy the pigs in a pen, the farmer, as their owner, would naturally wield weapons to protect their property.

This illustrates the relationship between vampires and the runaway peasants who think they might still survive.

”I don’t really care how those prey view me. Do you think a piece of meat would have an opinion of you? Do you keep track of how many loaves of bread you’ve eaten?”

—Constantine von Castain

It is true vampires esteem honor and lineage, but this has nothing to do with humans. Even the most honor-bound Blood Dragon Family is never a protector of humanity or noble knights. They still bring death and terror to the mortal world, indulging in wanton slaughter.

Except in the most extreme and special circumstances where the living and dead might temporarily fight together, humans and vampires are enemies most of the time.

Brittania’s knightly nobility indeed holds many problems, but regardless, they’ve always fought under the Lake Fairy’s guidance for the protection of humanity and the mortal world. Vampires may possess some commendable qualities, but the ultimate goal of most Midnight Nobles is still to turn the mortal realm into a land of the dead.

It’s like comparing good and bad canned food; no matter how Brittania is divided, it remains good canned food, while vampires will always be bad cans. A Blood Knight might use a whole human village to test their newly developed sword skills—something even the most morally depraved Brittania knight wouldn’t do.

”Alright, everyone, you’ve all worked hard along the journey, please take the next few days to rest well.” Laine squinted his eyes: ”Once reinforcements arrive, we will immediately cross the Grismore River and head down to Landuin’s Tomb!”

”Yes!” With time reaching the early morning, everyone gradually stood down, setting up their own camps to rest.

...... I am the dividing line between good and bad canned food ......

A few days later, reinforcements led by Dukes Bohemond, Francois, and Bodric arrived in the Charon Forest.

The arrival of this fifteen-thousand-strong reinforcement greatly boosted morale, as soldiers and knights emerged from their tents to welcome the incoming force.

Under the banner of the sea goddess’ trident and the emblem of a mermaid, a thousand Sea God Knights marched into the camp led by Duke Bodric. The Sea God Knights were to fight for the land granted by the goddess and the seas given by the sea god; the Sons of the Sea God will never succumb to darkness!

A red Fire Dragon flag billowed in the wind as Duke Bohemond, leading the Red Dragon Knight Brotherhood, appeared. Most of these Red Dragon Knight Brotherhood members were Holy Grail Knights! When Brittania is in peril, the Bastogne people feel obligated, for they are the glorious and proud people of Bastogne! Knights walking out from the land of Brittania’s rising dragon will never fear powerful enemies!

The arrival of Francois and the Quenalis Champion Knights Brotherhood was heralded by the flags of Pure White Pegasus and a pristine Unicorn. This highly elite group of knights in Brittania had earned their legendary status during the First La-Mesnil Abbey Battle, the Black Stone Stronghold Battle, and the Second La-Mesnil Abbey Battle. Their reputation resounded throughout the Old World, and when chaos descended, the knights of Winford Duchy would fight in the name of ”the Purifier” Lidmond, one of the original twelve Holy Grail Knights!

This is the Knight Kingdom’s final fresh force.