The Hero in Exile

Dark clouds gathered over the empire's capital, Darien.

Everyone in the capital feels heavy in their hearts.

Bourne captured the fortresses and cities along the way and headed straight for the capital. Every day, the first thing people in the capital did was to read in the newspapers where Bourne had gone.

It’s not that they don’t trust this former general, it’s just that his ally is the Demon Empire, the empire’s greatest enemy since ancient times.

Plus the church’s propaganda over the years.

Many people already believed that the former generals and brave men had defected to the enemy.

However, the outside world kept revealing that it was actually the church that wanted to control the empire, and the emperor's mind had been controlled.

The emperor had not appeared in public for many years, and there was no even any ban on his exports, so many people internally suspected that they had left the capital to join Borne's team.

These two forces made the city of Derian uneasy.

But more citizens of the empire stand in the middle. They are not optimistic about either side and are full of worries about the future of the empire. They hope to live a good life day by day.

El stood on top of the royal capital and looked down at the entire city.

Although the current situation in the city is not optimistic, he no longer cares. Bourne's army will arrive before they cause trouble.

He didn't care about the lives of these people. All he wanted was to use them to resist the demons. Moreover, the great plan was almost completed, so the loss of the capital would not be a hindrance.

"Ah...uh...Imperial, Born."

Sitting on the throne behind Al was an old man with empty eyes and a crown crumbling on his head.

The family emblem on the throne was covered with rust, the cloak was full of holes, and the shriveled body gave off a strong smell, as if it would lie on the ground forever in the next second.

No one would dare to believe that he is the emperor of the empire.

Al's brows were furrowed as he needed to replenish his magic more and more often. If the Empire didn't still need to use him to control Al, he would have killed him without hesitation.

"King of the Empire, what are your commands?"

Al spoke to himself as he walked up to Derian, grabbed his head with his big hands, and poured strange magic into his mind.

"Mind control."

De Ryan twitched a few times on the throne, bubbles forming at the corners of his mouth, and then slumped down in his chair.

"Do you have any questions, King?"

"Long live the Church."

Al then nodded in satisfaction, and after finishing these things, he enjoyed the emperor's things in the name of inspection.

After Al left, Derian's eyes became even more lifeless and revealed a hint of despair. Even under mind control, he was still crying expressionlessly.

……

"We should speed up our march."

"What happened, Uncle Bowen? We are advancing even faster than planned."

During this period, every attack on a fortress or city went very smoothly, especially Born's outstanding performance, often leading the charge and boosting the morale of the entire army.

Perhaps just as he said, the spirit of the sword really infected him.

Bourne covered his head and even he couldn't explain it clearly.

"I don't know, but I feel like we don't have much time left. Everything the church has done shows that they have a clear purpose, and I don't know why they're about to complete it."

"Although they didn't cause any damage every time they captured a city, the church would simply withdraw its troops to preserve a large number of its manpower. I don't think it will be so easy for the capital, Drian."

"Okay, Uncle Boen, I'm listening to you."

These battles were almost all commanded by this old general. His years of fighting experience and the military law passed down by his family made Born invincible.

Even Moran felt that if he had a great man like Born at that time, he would be able to take over the empire in just one year.

"That Bourne family is horrible."

Lingyu rode on Ma Bing and leaned against Moran.

"It's no problem. You know how powerful Uncle Boen is."

"I didn't mean him."

Following Lingyu's gaze, I found that the person she was talking about was Bolin.

"His learning ability is truly terrifying. Now he can become an excellent warrior without any teaching."

Bolin had followed the march for more than a month and had participated in some wars, so his face had a fierce look and his usual cheerful expression was gone.

Except seeing Violena.

As far as he could remember, no one taught him how to fight during this period of time, but when he picked up a weapon to face the enemy, it was as if something hidden deep in his blood awakened, and he was able to use skills he had never learned before.

When asked, he replied that he learned it by watching his father fight.

“Maybe it really is a family gene.”

The two couldn't help but sigh.