By the time the morning sun rose in the east, the first rays of dawn broke through the clouds and shone diagonally over the statue of the emperor in Piazza del Parnila, plunging into the turquoise sea of floating debris, the sound of artillery fire in the city had been silent for an hour.

The air was filled with a strong mixture of gunpowder and blood, excrement and vomit, and in the vicinity of the Castle Lord's Mansion there was a very strong smell of potions, the peculiar stench of the sick, and the smell of decay from rotting wounds.

This is the smell of death and war.

As our Luoan Maiden said before, the decision has nothing to do with glory, beauty, justice, and the like.

The people of the East Coast call the sight of half of the sky clear before the rising sun as nightlight. And this battle, which started at midnight, lasted until the moment when this celestial phenomenon appeared.

In the traditional Padrossi conception, this is an ominous symbol.

Seeing blood at nightlight means that the days to come will not be peaceful. And if such a thing happens at the beginning of the new year, the country and the people will have a bad fate for the rest of the year.

This ancient concept, deeply rooted in the local culture, was ridiculed and despised by many new generations of Lamanite literati. However, if you understand the history of this country that has been entangled in war for more than a thousand years, and the history that stands on the blood and fire, you will think that this statement does have its own meaning.

The battle that would last until such a point in time was obviously hard, and if the country was prosperous, the army was strong, and the people were rich, the one-sided battle would not last long.

Throughout the ages, there have been many excellent adversaries, but after a reduction of more than 20 percent, many armies will surrender or even collapse. And being able to fight indomitably through the night, such an opponent will definitely become a terrible thorn in the eye and flesh in the days to come.

This experience was not uncommon in the early days of the Lamanite Empire, as well as during several civil strife, and was passed down by word of mouth among the war-torn veterans. Over time, it evolved into a folk belief and became an ominous taboo.

The "......" wind blew, dissipating the smell of death that was so thick that it was like substance.

After merging with the defenders of Parnira, the group evacuated from the scarred Lord's Mansion to the Margaret mansion through the secret passage.

The situation of the defenders was clearly even more miserable than imagined. The Lord's Mansion in Parnira used a large number of floor-to-ceiling windows for daylight, resulting in insufficient protection. After the siege, the expensive and gorgeous cabinets and tables around were moved to block the windows, which were full of various bullet holes and were broken to pieces, not to mention the serious smell of burning and burning marks on the first floor of the City Lord's Mansion, apparently the rebel mercenaries tried to burn the defenders inside or force them out with fire.

After entering the City Lord's Mansion through the secret passage, which was full of wounded people, Margaret's little face immediately turned pale. Although there had been even more bloody scenes in the small town of Scotti, she was mainly busy with logistics at that time, and did not come into contact with the bloody scene of the front line.

The heavy smell of the potion made several mercenaries cough, and the dirty bandages soaked in the foul-smelling water, which they had planned to wash and reuse, but because they were too busy, they kept soaking in it until it stinked.

If the injury itself wasn't bad enough, many of the hand cannon projectiles used by the rebel mercenaries were lead that were easily melted, and those who failed to remove them after being shot began to show signs of poisoning. Under the dual effect of toxins and lack of supplies, they all looked like they were about to die, and even when they saw the reinforcements coming, they were still lifeless, and there were not even many people who opened their mouths or walked towards them.

"I'm afraid it's not just because of the pain. The people who walked out of the passage froze in place, not knowing what to do. Heng said this in a steady tone, and Mira, Margaret, and Filippo all turned their heads to look at him.

They more or less understood what the sage was referring to.

The high-spirited Parnila, the incomparably bustling Parnila.

Tall floor-to-ceiling windows, the majestic city lord's mansion, the majestic guards, the towering emperor statue, and the black flagships lined up. Everything was propagating the image of the invincibility of the Empire, and they proudly displayed it all, and both the citizens and the soldiers believed that such a powerful country on such a day was unshakable.

But in just a few months, all of this was like a soap bubble in the air, and suddenly it all burst with a "pop".

In a moment of meeting the lifeless eyes of the wounded soldiers of the Parnilla defenders, Margaret suddenly understood a lot of things.

The reason why the southerners chose Parnila as the target of their attack is obviously not only because of the wealth here – but also because of the significance it represents.

The friction between the Padrosi Empire and the southern states has been continuous, but it is only on a small scale, and the overall situation is tepid, so many people in the south will come here to seek work.

But what they encountered was discrimination and oppression from the citizens of the Empire from above—this was one of the motives.

Parnira is a presence far from the front line, the brightest star on the entire East Coast, a symbol of imperial wealth, and an unrivaled source of pride and self-confidence for Padrosi.

The prosperity of empires will last forever, even though history has repeatedly shown that this is a foolish idea. But the people who live here believe in it.

Not only them, but people from other parts of the East Coast believe so.

If no one breaks this notion, it is said that they have resisted, and there will not even be anyone who picks up a sword.

The one who picks up the sword, the one who breaks the rules, leaves a deep mark on the history of the empire - ah-

Margaret cried out suddenly, and then looked up at the sage blankly.

"Flags. She uttered the word out of her head, but everyone was stunned for a moment but understood what the eldest lady meant.

Fluttering flags.

Since ancient times, it has been a symbol of the battle between the two armies, which is regarded as a milestone and even a reversal of the situation.

Although from a practical point of view, judging by the extreme sober thinking, the defenders' banners, even if they were erected at a high point such as a city gate, were not strategically valuable enough to turn the whole battle around.

However, the excellent generals in the past often send death squads to desperately capture the flag, risking a considerable degree of elite sacrifice, but also planting their own battle flags.

Precisely because.

The greatest potential of human beings does not come from reason, but from emotion.

For the defenders, the battle flag planted in the most conspicuous place, as long as it has not fallen, then people can still fight bloodily.

And for the attacker.

On the battlefield in a foreign land, wounded heavily, probably exhausted and about to give up hope, I saw it erected in the golden sun.

Hunting and fluttering battle flags.

There will be a powerful force that spreads out from within them, like a miracle, so that their hands and feet are full of strength, roaring and roaring the name of their country, and charging forward.

“...... Da-" Margaret staggered back with a pale face, not only because of the air, but also because of the facts behind the whole thing that she had just realized.

This attack on Parnilla.

It is a clear banner erected by the countries of the South.

They left an indelible mark on the pearl of the empire, and they also carved a deep imprint in the hearts of the city's inhabitants and defenders.

But more importantly, they raised the banner of battle and pointed out their goals to those who all had and who were dissatisfied with the empire.

With a strong army, Constantine's recapture of Parnira was inevitable.

But after the battle is over and the dust settles, as the news of the attack on Parnila spreads, there will be this voice:

"The Padrosi are not invincible, look at the scene of Parnilla! Look at what we have done! Look at how fragile the so-called civilization and prosperity of these high-ranking fellows are!"

Such a message, made up of many accents and many languages, will inevitably be passed between the minority that hates the empire and the small surrounding countries.

Like a spark on the prairie, it detonates the hatred that has been accumulated for a long time, but has been ignored by the Imperials.

"It's ....... It's just, is it beginning......" Margaret looked up at Henry, her eyes filled with hope to get a negative statement—if the man could say no, then everything would be—

But the sage just reached out and touched her head.

"......" The noble lady became silent. Ferruccio looked at her and sighed quietly, and then saw that no one had informed her for so long, so he had to personally lead the mercenaries to join the nobles on the second floor.

The nobles and officers who were stationed in the city lord's mansion had obviously heard the roar of artillery fire for the past two days, but even if they expected the arrival of reinforcements, they did not dare to evacuate because they did not know the distribution of reinforcements. The people who no longer wanted to stay in the poorly ventilated and dilapidated city lord's mansion quickly began to evacuate the personnel to the Margaret family's mansion, moving to a more ventilated mansion and waiting to join the army under Konstantin's command.

The long passage was dark and cold, and it took a long time for people to support each other and get back to the ground.

It was getting brighter, and after an hour of silence at the last cannon roar, the people at the gate of the mansion began to see a large army approaching slowly in the distance.

[In the name of God, I teach you to be afraid of those whose eyes shine and stand in the light of the night]

"......" Henry, Mira, and Margaret stood together, looking across the street.

He stands in the light of God's mercy and has a human face. Fools often say that even the wise have come to guide the way of the world, but you must know that]

[These are all devilish lies]

[Although he has a human face, he does not have a human heart. but a beast that harms the world. 】

Konstantin, whose armor and sword were stained with blood, walked towards this side step by step.

[It's a must not get close to this person]

[He is a calamity, a monster that devours life]

[Everywhere I went, there was a bloody storm] - "The New Chapter of the White Holy Codex", thirteen volumes, twenty-one verses.

"Click-" The deformed shoe armor collided with the stone floor, and Konstantin, covered in blood and scarred from the armor, stood at the bottom of the street slope, looking at the sage from a distance of about two meters.

He was expressionless and didn't say a word.

Two men of the same height looked at each other with eyes of the same color.

Among the identical gray-blue eyes, one had nothing but calm, while the other burned with a raging fire.

"The witch's calamity, and then someone breaks the illusion of the past deadlock, and the storm is coming. A powerful voice rang out from the other side of the street.

"Miss?" said Constantine, speaking to Henry.

"......" the sage did not say a word.

"Is this really a coincidence?" he asked again, and Margaret, who had been silent, spoke up for the sage at this moment, "Brother Constantine, please don't do this. It was the concubine who issued a mission to hire people to encounter this series of - " "——!" The indifferent gray-blue eyes swept over, and Margaret was forced to turn her head and trot back towards the house.

Mira looked at her back, a little unsure of what to do, just standing next to Henry.

"Which side will you be on this time?" he asked, but before Henry could reply, he gave his own answer: "Whatever you choose, there is no place for you here." ”

"Don't you even want to get your sword bloody?" Constantine swept the sage up and down: "This is how you are now? This is why you fled to the other side of the ocean? When the blood on your hands can no longer be washed, you choose to turn around and leave, and everything is written off?"

"How many people have looked up to the person who has hoped for the person who can bring them a bright future. ”

"I can't even finish what I started, and I hide in an unknown small country with my head in my hands, for fear of recognizing it, and leaving everything in the past behind, as if in this way I have become an innocent and pure saint. ”

"That's just hypocrisy. ”

"I was wrong to expect, you're ridiculous. ”

"I wouldn't make the same mistakes. Konstantin said word by word, the emotion contained in those gray-blue eyes was resolute and firm: "Don't stand in my way. He said, and then escorted the prisoner with a murderous army in the direction of the dungeon.

"Is he, angry, or—" The girl looked at Constantine as she walked by, and then at the sage, and stopped talking.

"A little while, I'll tell you in a little while. Henry reached out and deliberately ruffled her hair.

"Hypocrisy......" the sage looked at his hand. "I don't think he's right. Mila held her head and said with her eyes, 'Mister Sage is such a bad adult,' and continued to say, "I can't tell, but it's not right." ”

"Is that so...... Henry chuckled and reached out, but the Roan girl slapped his palm away with a "snap", and the sage shrugged his shoulders.

"But no matter what. He looked around at the scene.

As the morning sun rises, the ambient temperature rises, and the pungent smells become more pronounced.

He was right about one thing. Henry looked at the houses, the busy people were looking around for supplies that could be used, and the wounded soldiers finally began to make "ouch ouch" sounds again in the sun, which seemed a little weak, but it was better than lifeless.

"I can't find it. He looked here, but his eyes seemed to go through it all, looking somewhere in the distance.

"Even if you continue to go north, you can't see it anymore. ”

"A place to go back. ”

The howling wind was blowing from afar again, and although her expression and tone were still calm, for some reason, Mira felt that her teacher looked a little lonely.

The dust has settled.

After paying a considerable price, most of the remaining rebel mercenaries chose to surrender in the face of overwhelming force superiority due to the lack of gunpowder supplies and problems such as weapons firing dumb.

However, these people were only outcasts led by a small number of elites who were not strong enough to lead them, just like those that had been set up outside and on the east gates.

The real core personnel never showed up, and after inspecting the vault and mineral resources, sure enough, they had already fled Parnila by boat with high-value rare magical materials and minerals such as Mithril.

Konstantin was always one step late, and although he had already stopped the loss in time and captured a large number of artillery and rebels, he could only barely fight for a tie at best.

Set up this game, attack Parnira while they are busy dealing with witches, and take a lot of money to pull the empire down from the altar, and the opponent who sends the message "The Padrosi are not invincible" to the entire East Coast.

Always hidden in the dark.

The black-armored knight had a blue face, and he didn't let go of his clenched fist all day.

The sky over Parnira was cloudless, but it wasn't the crisp sun of last year.

In the spring, it's a bit too hot.

When the old people who were lucky enough to flee and survive looked up at the sky, they all said that a coastal storm was coming, much earlier than in previous years.

Combined with the various changes that have taken place in the past few months, they began to babble words such as "the fortune of the country is not good" and "the sky will die for me Padrosi".

But even young people who don't buy these claims can be more or less aware of it.

Something is going to happen, or has already happened.

Something has completely changed.

The road has forked, and whether there will be a handover ahead of it, and what will happen at the time of the handover.

No one knows.

The small boats in which the rebels were riding floated on the calm waters of the Mobigas waves, and the draft was a little deep because of the various possessions. At the sound of the horn, they turned their heads, and in the distance a sailing ship without any flag signaled in this direction.

On the Lord's Mansion of Parnilla, the black flag of the Padrosi Empire, which was originally hung in the Palrossi, was damaged by the war, and was replaced with the personal flag of Konstantin of Lily of the Valley and Daisy.

The fluttering banner of the hunt drew a chorus of cheers from the soldiers below, but Margaret and Ferruccio and the others did not join the array, they just looked at it with complicated expressions.

A storm is coming.

Whether you want to or not, you're already in it.

No matter where you go, you can't escape the fate you should bear.