Chapter 800: The Year of Turmoil
The flagship of the Primrose Kingdom, the Sea God’s Eagle.
The warship nearly came to a halt, drifting with the waves, while explosions of combat echoed within its hull.
On the deck, mages who had flown across the sea clashed with the nobles of the Crimson Empire.
The seawater was whipped up by fierce winds, rapidly cooling in the air before forming swirling storms that shot ice spears like high-speed machine guns. If hit by these ice spears, one would temporarily freeze to the deck, only to be pierced by over a dozen dark blue lightning arrows, turning them into a pincushion.
War is not a child’s game. Even those of noble birth or exceptional talent would die as easily as rags under such concentrated attacks. No one cared about your name, appearance, or story.
After most of the officers and nobles of the Crimson Empire entered the lower decks, the remaining personnel on the deck were quickly gunned down by the mages. Then, some entered the lower decks while others combined their spells to manipulate the water, steering the naval flagship towards safety.
In the lower cabin.
The navy commander of the empire led a group of elites, breaking through iron doors and steel valves, crushing the crew members they encountered along the way. As they advanced deeper, they approached the rear power room of the warship, which was also the most fortified part.
“Sir, we have searched everywhere except this final rear cabin.”
“Good, let’s go!”
Wiping the sweat and blood from his cheek, this robust and powerful navy commander waved his hand, causing a compressed and distorted sphere of mana to rapidly contract and explode.
In the intense light and heat, the sturdy structure serving as a barrier melted and exploded, revealing the tall and intricate steam turbine powered by magic. The gleaming and complex mechanical structures continued to operate without pause, gears and valves rotating orderly, maximizing fuel utilization.
Now, in this final room, several elders clad in white and blue naval uniforms stood beneath the towering magical steam turbine. They were accompanied by around ten guards, all wearing blue-scaled armor and wielding halberds, with the sharp tips of the halberds emitting dangerous enchantments.
“Oh, so you’re here.” Looking at these individuals, the navy commander’s eyes narrowed, and his lips spread into a smirk.
“Let’s begin.” He then charged forward first, followed by other nobles and officers with swords drawn.
Seeing these enemies charge fiercely, the captain of the guards shouted loudly, followed by a brilliant azure light emanating from his armor as he swung his halberd with full force.
Inside the cabin, the crimson sword and azure halberd clashed. Several red swords were directly struck and shattered, along with the enemies behind being torn apart. But simultaneously, other red swords deftly avoided the halberd, piercing the bodies of the guards at awkward angles.
The blades twisted and churned inside the bodies before being swiftly withdrawn, drawing hot blood, and then slashing again, sending several heads flying.
After suffering five casualties, the imperial team killed the final twelve guards. The navy commander then cut off the heads of several commanders, leaving only the eldest officer with the highest rank.
With his thick wrist, he grabbed the elder’s neck and lifted him up.
“This is the fate of those who oppose the empire. Hahaha. Come out with me, old man. I want others to know how the Primrose Kingdom’s naval general was captured alive like a stray dog.”
Facing this boastful and arrogant enemy, the elder struggled to breathe and trembled.
Then, he dragged the elder, who was past fifty, along with the remaining eight nobles and officers, towards the deck.
Passing through the debris-filled cabin, they quickly reached the middle deck, where a slightly disheveled female mage stood before them.
Her brown-black hair was singed, her coat was tattered, and a sleeve seemed to have been sliced by a blade. Blood streaks remained on her wrists.
“It seems I’m too late,” Alena’s eyes swept over the group, and she spoke slowly.
“Hmph, pretentious, attack.” Facing the obstructing female mage, the opponent clearly didn’t want to waste words. Red and green sword shadows flashed in the dim cabin, and they charged directly forward.
Alena hastily slashed the blade, blocking the sudden attack. She pushed off with her foot, retreating swiftly, while lifting her empty left hand. An azure rune appeared out of thin air, shooting sharp ice shards to temporarily hinder the enemies.
It looks like today I need to use everything I’ve got.
After landing, Alena looked up, seeing more enemies charging down the narrow passage. She took out a small transparent bottle from behind, containing liquid that shifted from dark red to the extreme.
[Chimera’s Lament] (Rare Coral Grade): After being modified and mixed with various magical materials, the blood of a chimera itself is filled with raging mana. It can replenish the user’s energy in a short time, heal wounds quickly, and temporarily alleviate pain, enhancing strength. However, it will cause significant side effects to the body afterward, and the residual toxins will accumulate internally.
This was a high-grade potion she obtained after becoming a member of the Primrose Council, intended for emergency use in war.
It was soon put to use.
The golden blade rose again, sweeping away the sudden emerald glow. Then, she directly poured the small potion bottle into her mouth, the glass mixed with the potion shattering, spreading like ice chips in her mouth.
Subsequently, wisps of heat began to rise from her body. Her fair skin started to show crimson blood vessels. Her eyes, burning brightly, appeared like those of a ghost or deity in the dim ship cabin.
Indeed, it was top-notch. It seemed this time, it wasn’t a loss.
Feeling the boiling magic power within her, Alena felt as if her whole body was burning. The pain was once again covered up, allowing her to focus entirely on the battle.
The final act was about to unfold.
“I will fulfill your lament here.”
She gripped the longsword with both hands, the blade facing forward. Loose strands of hair fluttered without wind. The high-tier techniques that could not be activated before were now fully operational. Crimson-blue runes slowly covered the blade, and long, slender blue beams of light also appeared around her.
In an instant, like a fleeting dream, two Sequence 6 nobles of the Empire were sliced by the sword light. And at the moment the flesh parted, those azure beams of light pierced through, passing through the brief gap in the blood, and piercing through the four people behind, pinning them to the chaotic ship cabin.
“Die!”
The naval commander of the Empire saw this scene, threw the old man beside him out, then grabbed the heavy longsword and charged forward.
Seeing the approaching azure flashes, the old man calmly closed his eyes, ready to face death, his mouth slightly open, unable to make a sound.
‘Good child.’
Wielding the magnificent longsword bestowed by the emperor, the naval commander was like an enraged lion, his magic power surging like a huge wave, determined to cut down the azure figure along with the old man.
In that moment when vision was obscured, Alena’s pupils narrowed, her figure suddenly turning into a blurred flash. The longsword swept in a U-shaped arc, from bottom to top, passing through the old man’s arm and body, grazing the opponent’s sword and aiming for their face.
After a brief clash, this section of the ship cabin was split open by the heavy sword light, and the old naval officer was severed. The longsword piercing through the darkness also stabbed into the brain of the opposing naval commander, causing him to fall lifelessly to the ground.
Coughing up blood, the old man, only half his body remaining, looked at the girl in front of him with regret and pain in her eyes, blinking rapidly, using his last strength to say, “You did well, yes, just like that.”
Then, his pupils quickly lost their vitality, and his wrist fell limp.
Seeing this familiar old man die, Alena’s eyes darkened, and she struggled to stand up again, picking up the longsword to aim at the remaining two enemies.
Seeing this ghastly enemy stand up again, the remaining two nobles of the Empire were already terrified. With their commander dead, they had no heart left to fight. Both hurriedly retreated and then searched for other ways to escape.
Seeing this, Alena leaned against the wall and slowly sat down.
This time, she couldn’t save everyone.
After some time, the mages from other warships finally arrived here. After checking the situation, several of them rescued Alena and transported her to another safe ship.
On the sea, the flagship of the Kingdom of Dewberry raised its flag again, along with the gold-and-red cloak of the naval commander of the Empire hanging from the flagpole.
Then, the ship’s telegraph instrument sent messages to all ships, announcing that the naval commander of the Empire had been killed and ordering the remaining navy to surrender and cease fire.
Seeing this, the morale of the Imperial forces collapsed. Many ships began to flee in all directions and were subsequently pursued and intercepted by the warships of the Kingdom of Dewberry.
After the battle, most of the Imperial Navy was decimated. Some were destroyed and sank in the sea, some were burned and abandoned, some were captured by the warships of the Kingdom of Dewberry, and only less than one-third of the original fleet managed to escape safely.
After this battle, the Imperial Navy suffered a severe blow. Their maritime supply lines began to be cut off by the fleet of the Kingdom of Dewberry, and the Imperial army trapped inside Clancia faced increasingly difficult situations.
Two years later, in the capital of Clancia, Soland.
Now that the New Year had just passed, the streets were still covered with snow that hadn’t melted completely.
The war continued for a long time. Although everyone still worked hard, the gradually improving situation began to bring hope and vitality to people’s faces.
Beside the main street, the detention room in the police station was currently holding a luxurious and beautiful woman.
She wore a fur coat made of sable, with fluffy and exaggerated fur at the collar. Around her waist was a slender and delicate figure, her fingers painted with pink-purple nail polish contrasting sharply with her fair skin. Her earrings were made of dazzling rubies and gold, complementing the golden hair around her neck.
Although she was temporarily detained here, she didn’t seem worried. She held a carnelian tobacco pipe, slowly exhaling smoke, making her smoky makeup even more hazy.
In the duty room outside the police station, two officers sat by the fireplace chatting.
“This noble person is back again? Isn’t she a renowned fashion designer in the capital? Many people admire her, even my daughter likes her little inventions.”
“Oh, you mean her? Indeed, she has a special status. They said to keep an eye on her and let her go when the time comes. It’s nothing serious anyway, just a conflict on the street and some scuffling.”
It was strange. She was so wealthy and had a high social status. Why would she do such a thing?
Sighing, the officer whispered to his companion, “Things in that circle are hard to explain.”
“I heard from someone that she was either dumped or betrayed in love. Regardless, her personality has changed drastically over the past year, and even her clothing designs have shifted styles suddenly.”
“Previously, they were all designs that everyone could appreciate, but now, her new clothes are bizarre. Not only are the colors bright red and purple, but they are also exceptionally eye-catching and peculiar.”
“Such changes have made many old customers unhappy, but strangely, a batch of young women have become addicted to them, saying this is the wave of the new era, a symbol of female independence, and so on.”
“However, despite the discomfort, most of the fashion industry actually recognizes this development and promotes it vigorously.”
“Forget about it. This noblewoman has nothing to do with me anyway.”
As they continued chatting, they began discussing the current situation at the frontline.
After suffering consecutive defeats within Clancia, the Empire became more cautious and started constructing various defensive fortifications, preparing to maintain the occupied territories long-term and gradually incorporate them as part of its own territory.
Moreover, to enhance stability in the occupied zones, more soldiers were conscripted from within the Empire to suppress and monitor the situation.
In response to this, Clancia also launched a counterattack. After initially reclaiming some land, they encountered numerous fortified strongholds. Relying on newly constructed cannons, the Empire held these positions and granted great autonomy to the guarding nobles. As long as they held their ground for a certain period, the land would be permanently granted to their families as fiefs.
This incentive motivated several high nobles to mobilize resources, barely managing to hold onto these cities under Clancia’s attacks.
After suffering significant casualties in the siege, the Clancia military began several large-scale discussions. The offensive eventually slowed down, no longer recklessly pursuing the capture of cities.
“Perhaps the military is preparing something special or methods. I heard from some old classmates that recently, there has been a lot of black-clothed supplies being transported along the main lines.”
“All we can do is fulfill our duties well, trust in the nation’s leadership, and believe in the teachings of the wise.”
As they spoke, their voices gradually softened. One seemed to fall asleep, while the other, on night watch, turned up the light slightly.
Sitting in the cold detention room, this blonde noblewoman raised her head slightly, gazing at the faint light coming through the window—the afterglow of the night sky.
Her face became slightly clearer in the cold light. If one looked closely, they would recognize her as the renowned fashion designer and alchemist who had risen to fame in the capital in recent years—Letis.
After acquiring wealth and fame, this beautiful and intelligent woman quickly attracted the attention of many, with numerous young men vying for her affection, including artists, talented individuals, officers, and wealthy figures.
Amidst the dazzling pursuit, she initially managed to resist, but later, she was moved by one persistent suitor and agreed to become his lover.
However, this relationship did not end happily. After becoming lovers, the man began to reveal his true nature and eagerly sought physical intimacy with Letis.
But as a former young lady of a prestigious family, Letis quickly snapped out of her romantic haze, realizing the oddity of the situation and repeatedly rejecting him. Finally, enraged and humiliated, the man attempted to use violence, but Letis threw him out using magic, ending their relationship.
Due to the conflict, which left the man injured, Letis was detained by the police station for a week before being released. Since then, her personality changed, seemingly no longer believing in some美好的事物。
