The thunder thinned and the dark clouds dispersed.

In the valley where the cold wind was howling, the cavalrymen who had escaped were frightened and cautiously looked up, and when they saw that the torches in the hands of the flag bearers were still burning and the imperial battle flags were still fluttering, they all showed "happy" expressions.

The thunderstorm, which lasted for nearly a quarter of an hour, seemed to the memory of many cavalrymen to spend a whole life, and in the private diaries of many knights and officers, almost all of them used similar writing to describe the fragments of the battle of Bloody Valley on this day:

“...... As the sun sets, we follow Duke Byrne in his final assault into the depths of hell, and we fight the devil in hell, fight in the screams of the undead, and raise the banner of the Empire in the midst of thunder and earth-shattering storms.

We fought with our spears, our cries to inspire courage, our sacrifices to overcome fear, and we were surrounded by monsters as many as sand, as dense as ants, and as frightened as a flood, and there was no way back.

It wasn't until the Duke defeated the devil and tore open the gates of hell with the Dawn sword that he was able to return to the human ......"

But no matter how exaggerated the ornate and cumbersome rhetoric is, it is impossible to describe the complex feelings of the cavalry crying with joy when they survived, and the grief of the gradually cold robe beside them.

And when they looked up, they found that there was no longer a carrion demon in the entire valley.

The army of hundreds of thousands, enough to overwhelm the Broken Boundary Mountain, just disappeared into the Valley of Blood, without a trace.

There was nothing left but "grit" everywhere.

"Imperials, Assemble ——!"

Waving the battle flag left by the fallen flag bearer, the Earl of White Horse Peak shouted loudly in the valley: "I am Count Regrell of White Horse Peak, the cavalry commander appointed by the Duke himself!"

"In the name of the Duke, I command you to assemble at once the nearest flag-bearer around you, and to the nearest torch that you can see, and all the heralds and trumpeters who hear my voice shall at once sound the rallying horn and gather the army!"

"Rescue the wounded around you, support your comrades-in-arms—whether they are Sakrans, Boi, or Byrnes, whether they are squires or knights, soldiers or officers, I command you in the name of the Duke to protect your comrades!"

"The last order, and the most important of all, - any cavalry that finds the Duke must report immediately, obey all his demands, and hand over your mounts to the Duke, this is a military order!

The gasping Earl of White Horse Peak beckoned behind him, allowing the herald cavalry to disperse nearby.

"Do you think you'll be able to find Lord Loren as soon as possible?"

Lusen, who was on the side, turned his head and looked at Rigrel with some anxiety: "If the mood is lifted, it means that the battle is over - whether Lord Loren wins or not, he must be in great danger now......"

"No matter how anxious you are, he's still just as dangerous!" Count Rigrell snapped, "Calm down, our dukes are less vulnerable, and our knights are more loyal than they seem." ”

"Don't forget, when the Duke rushed down, none of them hesitated, none of them turned back, isn't that enough to prove their loyalty?!"

The gray-eyed boy who bit his lower lip really had nothing to refute, so he could only look around and look at all possible places.

Right now......

"Come on, I've found it!"

"We've found it, the Duke is here!"

"Blow the trumpet, blow the trumpet, report the position of the duke!"

...... The cacophony of words and the chaotic sound of horses' hooves made Lusen jerk his head to look into the distance, and he could see a group of horsemen with torches and flags in the distance.

"Lusen, find some witchers who know how to heal, and give them to the Duke... Hey, Luceen!"

The gray-eyed young man, who hadn't heard Regrell shouting behind him, had already galloped away first.

When he pushed away the squire who had come forward to question his identity, the knight who brandished a flag gun and said that he wanted to protect the duke's safety, and unceremoniously rushed through the crowd, he saw a figure standing with a sword in the wilderness, with a somewhat stunned expression.

In front of the figure was a bloodied, headless corpse curled up on the ground, its back hunched and its hands hanging at its sides, silently motionless.

From a distance, it was as if he was kneeling down in front of a black-haired wizard standing with his sword on his knees, bowing his knees in submission.

But Lusen didn't care about this at all, turned over and dismounted, and cautiously approached from behind the black-haired wizard - he had a faint touch, and the Lord Loren in front of him seemed to be the same as before... Something is different.

It's not that there is a change in his body, but now he can faintly feel the depths of his consciousness, and he is a little afraid of the black-haired wizard.

That fear... It's like the first time I faced Asrael and Seriel "Black Cross".

"Luthen?"

The dark-haired wizard's eyes lit up as he slowly looked back, smiled and shouted softly.

"Lord Loren!" The gray-eyed young man hurriedly stepped forward, his gaze involuntarily stopping on the bloodied headless corpse in front of him:

"It's... This is the culprit of the invasion of monsters and elves... That one... The Eagle King of the Azorean Elves?"

Loren nodded, acquiescing.

"In that case, isn't this war over?!"

Surprised, Lusen blurted out, and then realized that his words were simply pure: "Ah... Ah, I didn't mean that, I mean... If the king is killed, at least the next offensive of the Azorean elves will definitely slow down because of this, right?"

"At the very least, they'll want to ransom the Eagle King's body, and then elect a new one, and both the Empire and Byrne will be able to take a break or launch a surprise attack on the Azorean elves in disarray. ”

"Maybe you can't... They will also be caught in a civil war for the throne, and they will not have time to think about the invasion!" the gray-eyed boy became more and more excited.

Loren, who couldn't bear to interrupt him, could only smile bitterly.

In fact, Luceen's initial idea was similar to that of the black-haired wizard - the Eagle King, the lord of the Azores, would be a very good hostage and captive if he could be captured alive, and although he did not expect to make the elves surrender, it would at least plunge them into a brief chaos and gain a chance.

Or even further, as Lusn said, while they are in a battle for the throne or a new king, rest or launch a large-scale surprise attack to completely destroy the offensive momentum of the Azorean elves and regain the initiative in this war.

But after a short exchange, Loren found that the situation was not as simple as he imagined.

The Azorean elves, who have given everything, will never accept a failed peace, and the empire, which has paid a heavy price, will not accept that the elves can leave safely after the invasion.

At least... Using the Eagle King's head to gain an advantage for the empire is absolutely unthinkable.

And, of course, the "Black Cross" Serol.

Loren's heart sank.

Asriel had warned Loren that opening the second valve would give Seliel the "Black Cross" a chance to return to the physical world once again, in other words, the creature would probably have returned by now, but he had not yet appeared in front of him.

He was huddled in a corner, waiting for his chance.

As for Seliol's intentions, Loren already had some eyebrows - but whatever he wanted to do, he had to get the two Nine-Pointed Star Chalices and destroy the Holy Cross.

The former has a Holy Grail in Loren's hands, and now he is the only person in the world who knows where the second Holy Grail is;

The latter wants to completely dig up the foundations of the Holy Cross in this world, which means that he must help or secretly manipulate the Azorean elves to defeat the Empire, or at least let the elves die with the Empire.

In order to achieve both goals, Seliol will have the most direct head-on conflict with Loren.

In other words, the next battle "Black Cross" Serol will no longer be able to fake anyone else - this time, he will have to be both a chess player and a pawn, and even play himself if necessary, and he will no longer be able to hide behind the scenes and manipulate the situation.

Such a result... I really don't know if it's good or bad.

"At least, it's finally over. Loren said with some emotion.

"Yes, it's over - the battle in Bloodbones Valley, and the Broken Mountain Fortress doesn't have to worry about being invaded by monsters for the time being. Lusen was equally impressed, his eyes scanning the sand-like shards of the carrion.

This was also where he began, where he was glorified, where he... Choose to leave the past behind and follow Loren Turin to the death.

Abandoned his family and his bright future in the Empire, he won the monster invasion war in Loren Turin, which even the Grand Duke of Wirtz had never received, and even defeated an apostle of the evil god with his own hands, completing the glory that the Wirtz family had never achieved.

But for some reason, Lusen's heart did not feel a trace of the joy of victory, only endless melancholy.

The more I grow, the more I feel that the world is not the same as I imagined it to be—even the enemies who want to kill them don't seem to be so heinous, and even worthy of sympathy, respect, and praise.

At the last moment of the battle with the "tyrannical apostle", the gray-eyed boy could clearly feel that the other party actually still had a breath left, and if he really wanted to, he could drag himself to the end together.

But he didn't do that - after being torn open in the chest by the tomahawk, he calmly exchanged his short sword for himself, choosing to admit his defeat and his victory.

It's yourself... Lusen felt that he might not have the courage to "admit defeat"... It's not just responsibility and honor, I'm afraid it's more the desire to live, which dominates your body.

"Even you are a very brave and admirable fellow. ”

Looking down at the headless corpse of the Eagle King, the gray-eyed boy whispered to himself.

As the words fell, Lusen, who was faintly aware of something, turned his head to look at him, and saw that the black-haired wizard was looking at him with some playfulness.

"Ahh I, Lord Loren, I'm not, I don't mean that! I, I mean the abominable elf of the Eagle King, he ......."

"No, you're right. ”

Raising his right hand weakly, Loren chuckled and interrupted Luceen's panicked defense: "Whether you decide to launch a full-scale invasion, or go to the Glacier Wasteland alone and make a pact with the evil god... The Eagle King is indeed a very courageous fellow. ”

"Of course, he was just as cruel and ruthless, with blood on his hands, killing many of our acquaintances and friends, including Master Haringvan Ashamai, but ......"

"This does not prevent us from respecting our enemies, just as respecting our opponents does not prevent us from resisting and vengeance, from denouncing their tyranny—because if even monster-like enemies can honestly face defeat, they can respect their opponents, admit their tyranny, and the cruelty of last resort......"

"Then we can't do all this, and we are crazy to belittle our enemies, and talk about them as if we are nothing but tyranny and cruelty... Isn't it even as good as a monster?"

As he spoke, Loren couldn't help but shrug.

Lu Sien, who was thoughtful, lowered his head with a distressed expression.

At this moment, shouts of trumpets and orders were heard all around, and the officers, who had gathered the cavalry, began to assemble in the direction of Loren from all sides of the valley.

"Duke, your cavalry has been assembled!"

Rygrell and Earl Ramalos, who were shouting angrily, turned over and dismounted respectfully in front of the black-haired wizard: "The soldiers on the high ground have sent a signal to you where we are going next?"

Where to?

The black-haired wizard, who was slightly stunned, couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth.

"Now that we are at the end of the northern part of the world, there is only one place left to go. Loren, who suddenly raised his voice, looked around at the excited faces around him:

"All the staff are ready, the back team will change to the front team, and drive in the direction of the Broken Mountain Fortress!"

"Imperials, let's go home——!"

"Go home——————!!!! go home——————!!!! go home ——————!!!!"

The shouts that stirred the valley went straight into the sky.

Amid the wave of shouting, the black-haired wizard gradually calmed down, and the sound in his ears became as if it was coming from far away.

In the distance, on the hillside, the dawn sun pours its blinding rays on the snow, glittering with silver, and in the distance, two huge "black shadows" can be seen spreading their wings and heading towards the Valley of Bloodbones from the south.

Without much thought, Loren had already guessed who it was.

The corners of his mouth lifted weakly, and indescribable exhaustion hit his body, and Loren only felt that his consciousness was getting more and more grozy, his eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, and his body seemed to fall into the clouds, and he could no longer feel the slightest weight.

"Lord Loren——?!"

"Duke?!"

"Lord Duke!" ......

There was a chaotic exclamation in his ears, but Loren didn't care anymore, his body loosened, he leaned back, and he was already asleep in a drowsy state.

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