The High Priest Enoch's words seemed to have resonated in Leon's heart. Like free-flowing water washing down his doubts and fears, Leon gave a look of understanding to the High Priest.
High Priest Enoch was satisfied that Leon was able to calm his anxious heart prior to stepping out of the battlefield. He knew how important it is for the fire of Hope that Eli was able to light up to these people for their Empire to overcome the endeavor.
He sent Leon off with the words, "As long as you hold on to that Hope, the heavens will answer. Keep that in mind, no matter how perilous the situation is."
"I will keep your wise words to my heart, Your Eminence, High Priest," Leon answered with a tone full of reverence.
With Kayden and the rest of his team, along with the Temple Knights, they finally took off to arrest the sinners of the Empire - the Vesala Duchy and the Empress.
Marching to various locations, Leon's team immediately went to arrest the major accomplices first. A total of eight families of nobles were involved and only three of them were staying in the Capital. The rest were handled by the teams deployed to the West and Eastern territories.
There were also a few prominent middlemen involved in the great conspiracy, all of them were identified with enough evidence and were arrested.
The arrest went as covert as possible, not giving any hints to the other noble houses. This will also ensure that the Duke and Empress had no idea that a move had already started until the moment they would be confronted.
A member of the Crimson Blades was assigned to each platoon holding a paper spell containing Leon's signature S Level entrapment spell birdcage. After arresting the accomplices, a team would be directly transporting them to the Courts of Sinners.
But even with these mechanisms, the initial process still took the entire night to finish.
With the forces significantly divided into three, one assigned to keep the nobles in check, another to arrest, and the last to rescue the victims of the surprise attacks, everyone was exhausted and pushed to their limits.
However, not one of them let out a single word of complaint or whining. Their minds were focused on their tasks and the end goal which is to take down the people who caused chaos in the land.
Now it was already dawn and the first light of the morning was already starting to color up the sky.
Emperor Valentin stood in front of his troops with Leon and his blades on his side. They stood a distance away from the Empress Palace as they prepared for their final attack. Keren was also in the team along with her troops from the Temple.
Around the Vesala Estate, General Farauld was accompanied by Nathan, the most elite troops from the Imperial Sky Knights. and the representatives from the Temple headed by Joab.
Holding the communication stone in his hands, Emperor Valentin announced these words from the two battlegrounds,
"At last! The time has come for us to punish the sinners of this Empire.
My men, my people! Raise your swords, circulate your mana, and wield your strength! Retaliate to those people who had indiscriminately killed the lives of the innocents and our comrades!
With our flesh and body, we will face an enemy who wields the otherworldly power of evil. With the fire on our hearts, let's bring back the clear bright sky for our Empire!"
"Ohhhhh!!!" With the time finally arriving all of the pent-up emotions that the knights kept while waiting for this day to arrive were let out with their battle cries. Their shouts also signaled their attack on Empress Place and the Vesala Estate in the Capital.
The knights wielded their weapons, summoned their contracted familiars, and charged their mana. All with the intense fire from their hearts, they barged into the territory of the enemy.
On the Vesala Estate, General Farauld need not tell his men to start. Upon the Emperor's words, they all responded with their resolute actions. Not even respecting the gates, they destroyed the luxurious fences and boundary walls with their powers and headed straight inside.
But of course, what they saw did not surprise them.
The estate was eerily silent as if the people inside did not even fear the trespassing men. General Farauld held his hands and signaled everyone to look up.
There on the highest roof of the estate, stood Duke Maxim. Alongside him were his dark knights, Das and Visam. They wore cold expressions with no traces of fear as they swept their eyes through the crowd of attackers.
"The Imperial Sky Knights and the Temple? What an excellent move by the Emperor? Say, General Farauld, was the attack by the North also Your Emperor's doing???" As Duke Maxim finally decided to use force to usurp the throne, he had already dropped all pretense and taunted the General with a condescending tone.
"Insolent Sinner, how dare you betray the Emperor and the Empire?! Have you not been satisfied with being the second greatest power in this land? Such greed, this empire does not need it!" General Farauld deemed answering Duke Maxim's question meaningless. Instead, he chided the Duke for being a traitor.
Duke Maxim also understood General Faraulds reaction, feeling funny about the old general who was facing him without knowledge of what was coming next, he could not help but let out a mocking laugh.
"What do you know? General, Oh, General, you came here knowing nothing about me and my family. Oh, let me tell you… you will not also know your Empire's future upon facing me now!" His mockery rang in the entire grounds of his estate and every ear had heard all of his taunts.
It was one thing to mock the General who had brought victories for the Empire for years now, but it is another thing to mock the Empire in its entirety.
The knights from the palace and even the Temple were almost about to burst into anger upon hearing Duke Maxim's insolent threats. But with their Leader, General Farauld keeping a calm and steady composure, they did not dare to let their emotions get the best of them.
They just stood there, tightening their grips on their weapons, waiting for the General to start the attack.
Seeing that the troops were not reacting, Duke Maxim just shrugged and signaled for his men. At his cue, multiple figures appeared, looking down on General Farauld's troops like they were livestock up for slaughter.
The three-story estate was filled by men under the cursed army. It turns out, they have been watching from the windows from the moment the troops entered.
"Saves me time from going to you all. You were the ones that came to me instead." Duke Maxim had once again addressed General Farauld and his men as he raised his sword and pointed at them.
At that moment, Das and Orel, along with the cursed army rushed down to the battleground attacking General Farauld's side without holding back.
"Men! Fight!" General Farauld raised his sword, signaling their side to also start. He swung his sword and leaped in the air, directly facing Duke Maxim on top of the three-story building.
Nathan and Joab also knew their tasks and faced Das and Visam respectively.
As for the other members of the estate and the cursed army they clashed with the troops from the Imperial Sky and Temple knights.
Boom! Clash! Swoosh!
The sound of several metal weapons clashing with each other and the heavy and powerful attacks from each side of the forces dominated the battlefield.
The earthy scent of dust scattered through the air as the violence ensued was adorned by the faint whiff of blood and sweat.
The morning was yet to arrive and the rays of the sun were supposed to come and bring forth a new beginning for everyone. But to the people on the battleground, what awaits them was either death or survival!
Duke Maxim felt no fear even if the one he was facing was the revered strongest General of the Empire. To him, in face of the power of the curse, General Farauld's strength is nothing!
One hit from his curse spell would equate to the General's gradual defeat, and so is one slash of his cursed weapon.
And so, he was still smiling tauntingly when General Farauld went near.
But there was one obvious thing that he did not consider when it came to fighting against the General - it was the decades and decades of blood bathing on the battlefield!
When General Farauld figured out Duke Maxim's naive thinking, he could not help but to break that silly smile on his opponent's face.
Zoooooooom!!!
The decades of pent-up blood lust General Farauld had accumulated through his countless wars were immediately let loose!
Suddenly it was like the weight of the heavens were placed upon Duke Maxim's shoulder, it was so heavy that he could not even feel the strength on his feet.
He also felt like someone had taken a tight hold of his heart and that he could feel the excruciating pain making him have difficulty in breathing.
Thud! His knees finally gave out and even made a crack on the brick roof of his estate. Beads of cold sweat rolled on his spine as he finally got a good look at the opponent from his kneeling position.
At last, the mocking and taunting in his face were now completely wiped out and replaced with the expression of utter disbelief!
This is the strongest General of the Empire!
General Eugine Farauld!
