Okad Hinterland.

A remote military camp.

There was a light rain in the sky. The atmosphere in the barracks was also solemn. They had planned to rush to the aid of Elrios and then to the Empire, but the rebel armies of the Paladins and the Wild Roses in Okad held them back.

It is said that even the remnants of the dwarves joined them. Under the guidance of the dwarves who were well-versed in architecture and mountain terrain, the rebels were greatly strengthened, and the Okadian soldiers who remained on the mainland had a numerical advantage, but they were also in a difficult situation.

All kinds of bad rumors spread far and wide. What elves have made representations to the Speaker, what orcs have given birth to a new Great Chief ready to descend the mountain, what people who have been moved out of the fortress of Fusha City by the Speaker are not satisfied with the temporary settlement and are preparing to seize the old capital—half-truths, half-truths, and so on.

In the chaos, even the musket battalion, which was directly under Speaker Nicholas, was in turn shot a lot by the enemy.

……

In a dilapidated barracks in the corner of the barracks, two young men in their mid-twenties guard the body of a young female soldier. She was a member of the musket battalion and was killed on the spot after being hit by an enemy arrow in the battle the day before yesterday.

The two men were the brothers of the fallen female soldiers. One of them, dressed in rudimentary leather armor, was an ordinary scout, and the other, dressed in an old mage's robes, was a clerk accompanying the army. He has been learning arcane arts since he was a child, but he is only at the elementary level of the sea of clouds.

Suddenly—

Light and shadow change.

Suddenly there was one more person in the room. The eyes of the two guards widened. The young mage took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, for fear that he had seen it wrong.

It was a man with a face like a falcon. Just standing there makes one feel his endless might.

Speaker Nicholas.

"Father." Both knelt down at the same time.

……

Few people know that the great Speaker Nicholas had several biological children.

Nicholas treats his children with a completely laissez-faire attitude. They were fostered in ordinary homes, and the resources he gave them were not even as good as some of Okad's low-ranking generals.

Until Nicholas became a legendary mage and became the supreme leader of Okad, these children did not receive any privileges. And their qualifications are indeed ordinary, it is difficult to become a spellcaster without outside help, and their talents in other aspects are also very average.

So much so that now...... Ninety-nine percent of the Okadians will blurt out that Speaker Nicholas has no children at all. So, when his "eternal blood" was his heir, no one objected at all.

His five children, the better one male and one female, were also just ordinary officials. As for the other three...... Excuse me, but who are they? Are there so many of them?

Vladimir? Jin Youxin helped, but he only transferred the three of them to the elite unit as ordinary soldiers and clerks. Even their comrades-in-arms did not know that they were the blood and blood of Nicholas.

……

Nicholas nodded slightly.

"What did you do...... Very well," he said, "until now, no help has been sought from me." ”

He leaned down and ran his fingers over his daughter's already cold forehead. The last time I was so close to her was when she was born.

And the two young men kneeling behind him were already in tears.

They resent their father many times. But when the father did appear in front of them, they could not raise any questions to ask.

The great lord of the falcon, does not tolerate weakness. If people are in hell, then climb out with their own hands.

"Get up." Nicholas commanded.

The two did not move.

Nicholas sighed in his heart.

"I will move you to safety," said Nicholas, "until the war is over." ”

The two were dumbfounded.

Did they hear it wrong......?

"After that, I will take you to your brother and sister," said Nicholas, "and I will visit you often." ”

"And ......"

There was silence in the room, save for the sound of rain outside the window.

The two young men waited quietly for their father's next words. But for a long time, Nicholas said nothing. When the two of them looked up again, the great Lord of the Falcon was gone.

……

Nicholas stood on a nearby cliff and looked out at the barracks in the rain.

This will be the last time he will see the children.

His last word...... No one heard it but himself.

Not grieving over the death of her daughter.

It's not that I feel guilty for not taking care of them for years.

"'Eternal Return to the Kingdom of God'...... There is no place for you. ”

The "Kingdom of Eternal Reincarnation" is an infinitely repeated birdcage. Nicholas wanted to recruit his best subjects into it in order to one day change everything. His slightly accomplished sons and daughters were barely elected, but these people never had a chance in the first place.

Even if they are their own children.

They are also destined to end forever with the catastrophe of time.

This is their fate.

"I'm sorry."

I can't take you with me.

Before seeing the scene just now, Nicholas didn't even know that his daughter was dead. But it was this corpse that made Nicholas tell that heart-warming lie.

“…… Scold. It's ridiculous. ”

Bidding farewell to the last shred of weakness in his heart, the Lord of the Falcon disappeared into the misty drizzle.

------------

Palamedes City.

Outside a luxurious villa.

Today's weather is gloomy.

"Hopefully tomorrow will be a sunny day." Dimi said.

After the Empire's operation ended, the two returned here temporarily. Just now, he and the girl finally checked the plan for the next day.

From the desert of Okad to the ruins of the pure white city.

From the plains of the middle of the empire to the imperial capital of Phoenix.

All the Hidden Hands are activated together.

And when Nicholas and all the best forces under his command were drawn away by the sudden turn of battle.

"Fall of the Sea of Clouds" - will be activated.

"There has never been any providence in this world," said the maiden, "and there is no divine arrangement." Under the cold law, the consequences of all choices must be borne by ourselves. The plan for tomorrow's battle has already been decided, and even thinking about it will only add to the troubles. ”

Dimi shook his head slightly.

The young prince...... It should be the young emperor, and he still looks uneasy.

Indeed, the plan looked perfect. Even if there are a few local variables, the whole is still a victory for your side. It can be said that all kinds of circumstances have been taken into account.

Just the heart of the plan......

"If I go to the battlefields of the Central Plains," Dimi said, "you'll have to face Nicholas alone." ”

If the girl fails, everything will fail.

"'Eternal Blood' has assessed that even he," said the maiden, "has a glimmer of hope of victory. My 'Eternal Blood' is stronger, absolutely fine. Under the 'fall of the sea of clouds', Nicholas's strength will be greatly affected. ”

"Even so," Dimi said, "you shouldn't be alone in the face of Nicholas's final madness." ”

At least this time, he should be by the girl's side, he thought.

For a moment, he wanted to take out the ring he had prepared in his arms and say the crucial words to the girl.

Perhaps this conversation will be the last calm conversation between the two.

"Aside from the 'fall of the sea of clouds,'" the girl said calmly, something almost time to tell Dimi, "I have one more trick." ”

Dimi shook his head. It's not that the girl can't deceive people, the entire battle plan has been seen by two people together, what other way can she do?

"We all know how dangerous this battle is," he said, "and you don't have to comfort me." ”

"Isn't it comforting!" The girl made an angry look, "I really have hole cards!" ”

"Really?" Dimi will be skeptical.

"This time it was not Mr. Palamedes, but my last hand, which I had come up with purely on my own," said the girl, pleased with the results of her "imagination," "the ultimate weapon with which we can reverse everything." Listen up......"

She paused: "This move can only deal with one person, but as long as it hits, Nicholas ...... No, let alone Nicholas, even if it is an existence ten times stronger than Nicholas, there is only a fall in the face of this blow. ”

Dimi was a little confused.

The girl's look was by no means like she was lying.

But in the cloud world, does this kind of weapon really exist?

"This weapon has to do with me, and I have only made three of them," said the girl, "if anything more...... In a hurry, it may have an impact on my ontology. ”

"Victoria, you ......" Dimi vaguely realized something.

"Of the three, I'm going to give it to Xiaowei," said the girl, "and their team is the weakest." I'll keep one for myself as the last hole card to beat Nicholas. And one more ......"

The girl smiled with relief. She had intended it that way from the beginning.

“…… And one more thing, I'll give it to you now, Dimi. That way, even if there's an unexpected Legendary Caster on your side of the battlefield, you'll be able to kill it with one hit. ”

She pulled out a long golden box from her dimensional pouch.

"Listen, only you, me, Vivie, and Mr. Palamedes know of its existence now," said the girl, "and no one must know about it." Not even Mr. Goth and the Blood of Eternity. You...... You have to use it yourself as a last resort, you know? ”

The girl's expression was solemn like never before.

Dimi nodded and took the box from the girl's hand. The box was light, but he could feel the weight.

Victoria wasn't going to die. She is really trying to do everything she can to live with herself to the end.

That's enough, Dimi thought.

Before that, of course......

Tomorrow's battle is about the fate of the world, the final gamble.

Therefore. Just today, right now, he must—

"Exactly," said the young Emperor with a smile, trying to appear calmer, "I have a gift for you, Victoria. ”

He reached into his arms and took out what he had prepared long ago.

A delicate little ring box.

"Victoria ......"

But just as Dimi was about to open the ring box......

The girl reached out and "stopped" his further movements.

Sure enough, I'm still not good at dealing with this kind of scene, the girl thought to herself. Or, you don't want the other person to take the initiative to speak first.

Her arcane detection abilities have improved a lot compared to what they used to be. Dimi's actions can't hide the girl's eyes at all.

So...... She already knew what Dimi was going to do.

And that answer has been prepared for a long time.

"My Honorable Majesty," the girl said, holding Dimi's wrist in one hand and winking, "please forgive me for my faux pas." ”

"Victoria ......"

"For today only, please allow me to answer once......" the girl said softly.

"I promise."

Dimi's eyes widened, and then there was great joy.

"What we still have is 'time'. This 'time' is long enough, and there are many years, enough for us to carry out a formal engagement ceremony to the standards of imperial etiquette...... And also...... A perfect ...... Wedding ......"

She said yes!

Dimi was all over his body, every inch of skin, every vein seemed to be cheering.

"I said that we will have a family, so we don't have to pay attention to ......"

The girl was intently playing with Dimi's fingers with her own hand, trying to open the ring box; As a result, Dimi's fingers in the surprise were a little stiff, and the girl didn't open the box with great effort.

"Forget it," said the girl, who now had to attach a freely manipulative "penetrating vision" to her eyes every morning, and had long since seen the contents of the box clearly, "Anyway, there are only the two of us here, and red tape will be free!" But as an emperor, your marriage proposal shouldn't be so hasty! It's going to make people laugh later! You shouldn't even use this shabby ordinary ring! We're going to ......"

At a glance, Dimi's ring knew that it was casually obtained on the streets of the Floating City, and it was understandable that he was in a hurry to do things during the war, otherwise, the girl would definitely hang Dimi on the clothes pole to reflect.

And the girl herself was still muttering: "...... Create a ...... for the whole continent to sing No, a proposal scene that makes both universes sing for it! ”

"But," Dimi's face flushed, "we're ...... now."

And don't you all say "I say yes"?

"It doesn't matter this time, I don't care, let's put the ring on tomorrow," the girl snorted, "maybe it will boost morale." But ah, you've got me ...... remember."

"What?"

"Yikes. I mean—when the war is won, you'll officially do it again in front of everyone! ”