Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

Chapter 830- Battle For The Capital (2)

There was also Blake and his team who had a strong bond with her. The moment this strong group of men and women arrived, the atmosphere seemed to have changed as their aura diffused in the air creating heavy pressure for these weak noblemen.

This kind of aura was not released consciously but instead was formed from the remnant aura their bodies naturally released in the air. For these weak noblemen who were used to staying inside the comfort of their mansion, the powerful and berserk aura released by Cynthia and her people was tantamount to a heavy mountain pressing on their bodies.

They could not breathe nor could they move from their place. This kind of aura which one could only have through numerous life and death experiences was a deterrence of sorts on its own on low level people.

Naturally, these nobles were unable to handle them. The subordinates behind them hurriedly used their powers to offset some of the pressure; however, to their surprise they realised that even after they used their powers consistently they could not scatter most of the aura that was subconsciously realised by these people.

Immediately, their eyes became solemn and they realised that their levels were far higher than them.

"Hmm, it looks like everybody has arrived. The siege engines are ready too. In that case, we shall march and meet with the army of Duke Redcrst midway before heading towards the capital"

Standing at the borders of the wall and looking at the army standing in attention on the plains, ready to march at her signal, all kinds of emotions surged through her body. She had finally gotten to this point.

After this one last final battle which would decide the ultimate victor, she would have finally completed the words she gave to her late father. Just as emotions were about to overwhelm her and her eyes glossed over with tears, she hurriedly took a deep breath and suppressed all of these emotions inside the deepest recess of her heart.

A steel like determination appeared on her face as she took a step forward and declared in a clear crisp voice.

"Soldiers of Ellesmere! Today, we stand on the precipice of destiny, staring into the abyss of a war brought upon us by the Blackthorn invaders. They have ravaged our lands, stolen our loved ones, and sown the seeds of sorrow in every heart. But let me tell you, this suffering, this pain, and this agony will not be in vain. Today, we rise not just as an army but as the wrath of a people who have endured enough" n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Although her voice was not loud, it mysteriously resounded all across the plains, pulling the attention of every man and soldier. Look around you, my fellow soldiers. The scars of this war are etched in every corner of our homeland.

"The rivers run not just with water but with the tears of our fallen brethren. Their memories, their sacrifice, call out to us. We cannot and will not let these invaders defile the very soil we call home. The Kingdom of Blackthorn has underestimated us. They thought they could break us, tear us apart, but little do they know that with every hardship, we grow stronger".

With each words, Cynthia instantly grasped the hearts of these people. Their fires of hatred, revenge and excitement all agglomerated together and gave a direction for release.

"For every brother, every sister, every child we've lost, we shall make them pay tenfold. The winds of vengeance blow in our favour. Today, we carry the weight of our people's hopes and dreams on our shoulders. The capital, our beloved Ellesmere, awaits. It has witnessed the tyranny of foreign boots on its sacred ground for far too long. Today, we declare that our kingdom is not a prize for the invaders. Ellesmere was ours and always will be".

Like a volcano raging, every infantry and soldier felt their blood boiling at the injustice that was done to them. Cynthia's words simply materialised those deep emotions within their hearts and helped them forge them into a blade that was pointed towards the blackthorn.

"Let our battle cry resonate through the hills, let the heavens themselves bear witness to our resolve! With every swing of our sword, every step that we take, let us cull down the number of enemies and show them the might of the people of the kingdom of Ellsemere"

"Soldiers, my brothers and sister in arms, let me hear you roar. Let this be the day we carve our names into the annals of history. Let our enemies tremble at the sound of our unity. For Ellesmere, for our fallen, for our future— March"…

The plains was silent for a couple of seconds when it was swept by a flood like fervour.

"Yeeeaaahhh!!" Every infantry and troop raised their weapons in the sky and gave a blood curdling warcry. Right now, Cynthai words raised their morals so high that the entire domain was swept off by their energy.

Even the ordinary citizens felt their hearts thumping in excitement and the notion of going to war to achieve great deeds flashed over their minds. Though their delusion didn't last long, and they quickly sobered up once reality struck them and their timid nature took hold of them once again.

Over at the plains, led by several captains the army started marching. Cynthia and her group also didn't stay for long on top of the walls and started marching with the army. The other nobles also did the same and travelled over with their own army.

 As the citizens of Castledor saw the slowly departing image of the grand army, they couldn't help but sigh with various emotions. Victory or defeat everything would be decided after this battle.

Whether their kingdom would survive or get usurped by the invaders was now all up to these fierce and brave soldiers. They could only pray in their hearts for the victory of her highness and their kingdom.

The distance from Castledor to the capital was although quite large, it did not have any complex terrain like the Norther Outlaw Forest. As such, the army did not have to slow down their march because of the monsters and just had to travel through the road.

When they got tired of marching, they camped on the sidewalks and picked up speed after a timely rest. And so just like that army continued to march straight through the road.

On the fourth day, the princess' army finally met with the army of Duke Redcrest. The symbol of his flag was a red star marked on a cloth of gold and though his army paled in comparison to Cynthia's, they made up for that with their numbers.

 The army that the Duke brought, was more than double the size of the princess's own army. That is if one only looked at the numbers, it surely did appear very impressive. However, they severely lacked strong individuals.

There were only a few soldiers who were above level 300 much less people above level 400. In the upcoming war, the army that Duke Redcrest brought would only be useful for filling spots.

Duek Redcrest must have also realised the power of the princess' army as his eyes widened in shock when he felt the fierce aura that any of the individuals in her army gave off.

'No wonder she was able to defeat Montford' The realisation struck him and he finally understood how Cynthia was able to defeat Montford and take over Castledor. With such powerful individuals on her side, it would not be an exaggeration to say that she would be able to completely sweep off Castledor.

Heck, forget about Casteldor, with that kind of army she would be able to completely take over the northern region without any difficulty.

"I wonder how she managed to convince all those powerhouses to work for her"

As a ruler of a region himself, he knew how rare finding those kinds of individuals was. Not only were they extremely powerful, but due to their strength more often than not they possessed a conceited and prideful attitude that looked down on everyone else around them.

To get these lofty people to bend their heads and follow her… how could the duke not be surprised?

 "Your Highness" sitting on his horseback, Duke Redcrest performed a perfunctory bow as he glanced at the princess who was currently riding on a fierce looking Banemoose and coming towards his place.

"Your Grace, how are you?" Cynthia also performed a perfunctory bow. In any case, this man was the duke of a region. In terms of status, he was even higher than her who was only the princess of the kingdom.

That being said, Cynthia's bow was only ceremonious and held no sincerity. If it was the previous her before she was pushed into a corner, her actions might have been earnest.

However, going through a lot in this short period of time had forged her character. She had shed the immaturity and gulliness that her previous self had and became more level headed. Right now, she was the ruler of Montford and the only candidate for the throne.

In regard to status, she even exceeded the duke in front of her. Duke Redcrest must have also felt the changes in her, though he did not mind and simply nodded.

"As you can see for yourself, your highness. Ever since the forces of Blackthorn invaded us, there has never been a peaceful day in our lives. The constant attacks and bad news have pushed all of us to the edge" he answered in a self-depreciating smile.