The remains of a former village remain in the rift valley, and a dilapidated inn is teetering on the edge of a cliff. The plastered walls had long since turned black, and the cracked windows were empty like skull holes. There used to be a sign hanging from the door, but now all that was left was rusty pieces of iron, which made a piercing grinding sound in the breeze.

Guides from the Hugels were at the forefront, collecting medicine and catching venomous snakes in the area, so they knew exactly where they could pass. Behind them were three columns, spearmen and crossbowmen in improvised leather armor, nervously gazing at the deep cliffs at their feet. From time to time, strange whining sounds came from the bottom of the cliffs, and a few fluttering fireflies were like the eyes of ghosts, looking up from the depths of hell.

"It's still a bit slow. Viscount Dre rode up and said to his knight of allegiance, Matt Williams. "Will you be able to pass through this rift before dawn? I want to see the walls of Myr at noon. ”

Matt replied angrily, "I'll ask the guides to speed up." ”

Viscount Dre nodded. The passage through the Rift Valley is the most dangerous part of the entire march, where formations cannot be formed and both forward and backward are restricted. So he sent his ambitious second son, William, to lead a cavalry force to raid the gold mines of Banstrip Mountain, also in order to attract the attention of the young lord. A lucky boy, the viscount thought to himself, hoping that he would obediently surrender this time and hand over the territory, so that he would save his life. In some ways, he still liked the lord named Siegel Squid.

He learned the reason for their defeat from the freed members of the Free Knights. Now that the plan has been discovered, and there is no plan for retreat. There was no surprise that the whole army was annihilated. Viscount Dre admired Siegel's mind. As a young man, he was smart enough.

Because of this. The Viscount had to choose to attack at this point. By the time Myr was built, the clever Baron Siegel would be even more difficult to defeat.

The road was dangerous, but thankfully it came to an end soon, and Viscount Dre had seen the undulating hills in the distance, the flat and wide land he had been looking forward to. The last of the pre-dawn darkness began to dissipate, and a faint dark red glow loomed from below the eastern horizon.

The day's and night's march was not in vain, and it took only another half an hour for all the troops to set foot on the low hill. You can start resting. An hour of relaxation may seem like a drop in the bucket, but it's enough to boost the morale of the soldiers, at least when they show up under Myr without looking exhausted and unthreatening.

At this time, a shadow on horseback climbed the low hill, and the red cloak was very close to the color of the eastern sun. Viscount Dre had a bad feeling in his heart.

Then, one after another, shadows stood on top of the low knoll, in two columns, about forty in all. At this time, the rising sun stepped beyond the obscuration of the earth, dispelling the last remaining darkness between heaven and earth with its golden light. Siegel and Manna's trained archers stood on the low knoll, right in the middle of the road through the Rift Valley.

The black squid comes alive on the flag. Nine tentacles writhed, and the eyes seemed to be burning with flames. The banner is in the hands of Mohr. He is very satisfied with this position. So there was a look of pride and determination on his face. Siegel nodded to Mana, and the female knight bent her bow and shot an arrow, an arrowless feathered arrow slicing across the clearing and landing on the wet earth, its tail feathers trembling slightly in the morning breeze. Siegel rode away from the queue and came to the front alone, stopping behind the feathered arrows.

"I'm Siegel Squid, Lord of Heim and Baron of Myr, who will talk to me?"

Viscount Dre rode over and stopped in front of Siegel. He looked the long-known young lord up and down, just as Siegel looked at him. Black hair and black eyes, a young face without wrinkles, and a confident face with a faint smile. Viscount Dre calmed the restless horses under his crotch, wondering why his battle-hardened old horse was so nervous, and it was only then that he realized that the other party was riding a mount made of starlight and shadow.

He actually rode the starry sky, and he actually wore the sun. Viscount Dre was stunned for a moment, the old wound in his right knee began to ache again, and the other party was in his prime—he had only felt defeated for the first time.

"You must be Viscount Dre Uther, and it is an honour to meet you. Siegel nodded slightly.

"Young Mr. Viscount, it was really beyond my expectations. I didn't expect that I, like my own child, would fall into your grasp. If you think that you can block my path with more than thirty archers, and you can humiliate me here, you are very mistaken. ”

"No, I didn't mean that. Siegel said, "I just hope you will lay down your arms and surrender." ”

"Haha, daydreaming!" replied Viscount Drey, "it will take only three minutes for my infantry to rush up this low hill, and one minute for my cavalry." How many arrows can your archers shoot? I can sustain the sacrifice of a hundred, what about you? And you're so close to me, with only a red robe, not even armor, and my sword at hand. Who do you think should surrender?"

"Mr. Viscount, I am here to speak with you in the duty of a noble lord. I also know that I have another layer of identity, a mage. Siegel clapped his hands, and heard a rattling sound from the area where the rift valley and the drums meet, and the dust shook off the ground, forming a low layer of mist. Then a large number of cracks appeared throughout the land, which became soft and disintegrated, and large chunks fell into the deep and invisible rift on the side. The passage that was originally ten meters wide is now less than three meters left, and it continues to collapse, and even the remaining passage does not dare to go up to test the stability.

"Your Excellency, you see, how many troops are you able to rush up now?" said Siegel, "and I cut off the way you left. Unless you are able to leap over the ten-meter-wide rift, your centaurs will be trapped there. Lay down your arms and surrender, Mr. Viscount. ”

Viscount Drey's hand touched the hilt of the sword, and he never gave up practicing swordsmanship, because he never felt that he had finished the last battle of his life. Seeing this, Siegel flung his cloak back, revealing the two long swords at his waist. One is Star Dust, which Viscount Dre doesn't recognize, but he is no stranger to the other. William loved the weapon very much, and he was always inseparable.

His hand was raised and lowered, and finally he let out a long sigh and asked dejectedly, "How is William?"

"He has been captured by me. "He fought valiantly, but ultimately failed, along with his cavalry troops," Siegel said. What awaits him will be captivity, as he kills innocent merchants while marching. ”

"Can I redeem him?"

Siegel shook his head and replied, "If there is peace between you and me, it must be based on William's stay in Myr as a proton. He could study, practice martial arts, and move around the castle, but he couldn't leave there. When he finishes paying for the crime of killing innocent merchants, and ten years after being in Myr, he will be free. ”

"He will be approaching forty then!" roared Viscount Drey. But he knew that Siegel was not doing too much, and that asking for the proton was a very good way to guarantee peace, and besides, the proton was still captured by him. Eventually, the viscount said, "What about us?"

"Leave all the weapons and armor except for a sword, and then I will allow you to return with your mounts, and if you want to keep your armor, then leave the corresponding mounts. Siegel replied, "It was as a reparation for the war." ”

"I didn't expect you to be a little baron......" Viscount Dre shook his head: "There is no point in saying anything at this time, it can only seem to have no stomach." Just as victory doesn't last forever, so does defeat. ”

"I know that. Siegel replied.

Viscount Dre dismounted from his saddle, and Siegel stood in front of him as well. As a rite of surrender, the viscount unsheathed his sword, which Siegel accepted and returned William's sword to him. Seeing this scene, the soldiers of the Hero Leader knew that they had lost, and the war had been decided.

It was time for them to drop their weapons and armor and leave the battlefield, but at this point something was wrong. The ground in the Rift Valley began to shake again, and it was no longer the ghost of Siegel's earth elementals, but a real earthquake. Everyone sat staggered on the ground, watching the last three meters of passage break. The black abyss besieged the soldiers of the House of Uther in the center. The horses were frightened, and the knights struggled to hold on to the reins to keep them from running around. Many militiamen lay on their stomachs and prayed loudly to Mother Earth, begging her to calm her anger.

The earthquake lasted less than a minute before it stopped, and Siegel only felt that he had lost contact with the summoned earth elemental. This is a very strange thing, because the time for summoning has not yet arrived, and it is very difficult for an earthquake to affect the existence of the earth elemental. At the same time, he felt waves of magic coming from below the Rift, which did not belong to any kind of elemental energy, giving people a very unique feeling.

It's like a disaster.

"Ahh I saw an ordinary-sized skeleton crawling up on the platform, its whole body was printed with strange patterns, and the lines that did not intersect each other formed independent whirlpools. Gray flames burned in the skeleton's eyes, and he climbed onto the platform, and when he saw the hundreds of warriors in front of him, he suddenly opened his mouth. Although he made a shouting motion, he didn't actually make the slightest sound coming out of his mouth. The patterns on the skeleton's body began to glow, and I saw the armor with a golden luster appear out of thin air, splicing it together piece by piece, covering the skeleton in its entirety. There was not a single slit in his body, and even his visor was completely sealed. The visor depicts a portrait with closed eyes and tears, with a sad and sympathetic expression.

A black, thick all-metal mace appeared in the skeleton's hand, emitting endless heat. But the people around them fought a cold war, and everyone felt the chill of death. (To be continued......)