The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

In the sky not far from the projection of the God of War, several giant dragons were circling, observing the projection of the God of War below, which was entangled by burning vines.

"Is that the power of the tower?"

"That should be right. Erex hates vines the most, and only the Tower could do something like that, right?"

The dragons were constantly communicating with each other.

Many dragons seemed to recall some unpleasant memories upon seeing the vines, and even their circling speed became cautious.

"Why don't we take this opportunity to wipe out all of humanity?"

Originally, the dragons planned to defeat the Capes and elves after Anjou defeated them. After all, their old relatives on this continent were on the side of the elves and Capes. Even though the tower was traded one for one by Erex, it would not be easy to deal with those relatives plus all of humanity.

Therefore, the dragons chose to support one side of humanity first, causing them to fight amongst themselves, thereby greatly depleting humanity's internal strength. This was an experience the dragons had learned from the last continental war.

"If you don't care that God of War is wandering around the continent, then I don't care."

The other dragons flapped their wings in agreement.

Upon hearing this, a giant dragon said with a hint of mockery, "So you mean you think humans can solve this problem?"

"After all, this was created by humans, and we have no way to solve it."

If dragon form could shrug its shoulders, this dragon would actually do that.

"Well, humans always manage to come up with something new. Hopefully, they won't mess themselves up this time."

Just as Alberto had predicted, the dragons did not make a move. They were like a group of hunters, waiting for the crucial moment to deliver the final blow.

But Alberto is no longer able to think that much.

After the surgery was completed, Alberto led the Anjou army almost without stopping towards the projection of the God of War.

Time was of the essence, and Alberto could only hurry on his way while getting used to the feeling of being connected to the mental network.

Because they had traveled through the night, the soldiers were still covered in dew, and Alberto could sense the fatigue of most of them, and even smell the dew on their bodies.

To be honest, Alberto felt that this feeling wasn't bad. Although it didn't allow him to see through people's hearts, it did unite the entire army into a cohesive unit.

This sense of clarity made Alberto feel that becoming a so-called firewall wasn't so bad after all.

Especially after Alberto became the anchor of the Anjou army, he could even sense the various joys and sorrows within the army, and even the overall emotions of the surgically enhanced troops behind him.

Of course, there is also a spiritual cleansing.

This intense sense of being swept away reminded Alberto of the caged girls that Cassius sold. No wonder those caged girls looked like mindless dolls; was this how their personalities were washed away?

The fact that Cassius had been undergoing such a purging process made Alberto even doubt whether the spirit that remained after such repeated purging was still the original personality.

Is Cassius still the same Cassius who served the old empire? Will Cassius still remember himself as king a thousand years from now?

"Your Majesty, according to the report, we will be able to see the projection of the God of War just ahead. Please prepare yourself."

Cassius's familiar voice interrupted Alberto's thoughts.

"I understand. Bring the horse. I want to see what will happen when we face the gods."

"Your Majesty, please do not force yourself."

Cassius took the lead of his warhorse and followed Alberto away from the marching army, arriving at a hilltop.

In the distance, dragging burning vines, clad in heavy armor, with six arms hanging limply together and the unarmored parts revealing white bones, the God of War is being controlled by some force, moving slowly but resolutely in a certain direction.

Unlike what he saw in the video footage, Alberto experienced a real and tangible spiritual shock.

The sky, which had not yet seen the dawn, seemed to be torn apart by this enormous god of war. The projection of the god of war was both a shadow and a real object, and its very existence seemed to be distorting reality.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze, and Alberto could feel the smell of rust and blood with every breath he took. He could even hear whispers in his ear, sometimes like the clang of swords, sometimes filled with the wails of a defeated army, as if trying to tear his reason apart bit by bit.

But Alberto did not look away. Instead, he gripped his favorite musket tightly until his knuckles turned white from the force, until cold sweat dripped onto the exquisite musket.

The whispers of the God of War, combined with the mental turmoil, nearly caused Alberto to lose himself. Cassius carefully observed Alberto's condition from the side, because Alberto served as the "firewall." Although Cassius felt pressure when looking directly at the God of War, it was far less dangerous than Alberto's situation.

If Alberto couldn't take it, Cassius would immediately send him to Capet, to his old colleague for treatment.

Cassius could sense that his king was nearing his limit. Cassius even reached out his hands, wanting to take Alberto back, but Alberto stopped him with his last bit of consciousness.

In that instant, Alberto recalled the letter the governor of the North had sent him: "Human fear stems from the unknown; it is the things we cannot understand that plant nameless dread in our hearts. But when you can see through it and analyze it, fear has no place to take root."

“The projection of the God of War also needs to abide by certain rules to descend. He is not an unknowable being. He even needs to feed on negative emotions. My knights can even scrape some fragments off him.”

"Human beings are able to stand on this earth because of this thirst for knowledge, because of the successive generations of people who have gone before them to dispel fear."

These words had actually been embellished in Alberto's mind. Ever since Alberto flirted with the former queen of Anjou, the governor of the North had been scolding Alberto in his letters.

But these bits of information interspersed among the fragments of conversation suddenly made Alberto realize something.

In that instant, the whispers suddenly dissipated, and Alberto's thoughts, like a lone boat that had survived a catastrophe, sailed out against the wind and waves.

Alberto raised his head from the edge of the abyss, staring directly at the distant projection of the God of War, and whispered, "In the end, he's nothing more than a counterfeit of the God of War."

Alberto performed a sancheck and, luckily, it was a great success, as if it were a reward for bravery.

“Let’s go, let’s drive away those fanatical believers first, Cassius. We have a lot to do, we can’t fall here.”

"I understand, Your Majesty."

Cassius's tense face suddenly relaxed, while Alberto seemed to enter a certain state; with just a thought, the army at the foot of the mountain began to move.

This army was originally intended as the final force against Capet, and was almost entirely composed of surgically trained specialists. It was originally meant to fight against the Knights of Lars mentioned in the intelligence, but in Alberto's view, the ultimate goal of this army was to protect Anjou, and now, it was time for this army to serve.

Because of their internal mental network connection, the army marched almost without uttering a word, maintaining only solemnity as they advanced toward the rotting giant.

Thanks to Alberto acting as a firewall, the army, though initially agitated upon seeing the god of war's massive figure, quickly and faithfully carried out their orders.

Can humans defeat gods? These soldiers didn't know, nor would they think about such a complicated question. They had to defend their homeland, only now their opponent had changed from the armies of other countries to a colossal god, even if that god was a false god, it was still a god after all.

The Avars won't help them, the demons won't help them, the dragons won't help them, and although their old rivals, the Capets, have shown goodwill, the stubborn Anjou people will not accept their help.

For some older Anjou residents, asking their neighbors, with whom they've been at odds for decades, to lend a hand is worse than death.

"Burn! Burn it quickly! We must free the God of War from his restraints!"

The fanatics remained insane, unaware that they had already gone mad. They burned and cut the vines in various ways. The vines seemed to have a life of their own. At first, they were indeed afraid of the flames and sharp blades, but in the end, the vines still tightly wrapped around the ever-advancing projection of the God of War.

The God of War emitted a chilling sound, which the fanatics interpreted as the God of War using his battle cry to spur them on, causing them to frantically clear away the vines. But Alberto, who was not far away, seemed to hear a mournful wail.

"Array up!"

Alberto issued the order through the mental network, and it wasn't until the entire army was on high alert that the fanatics noticed an army that hadn't fallen into madness and was ready to attack.