The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

The spellcasters in the ranks immediately erected a barrier, but their greatest enemy was not the artillery fire, but the completely out-of-control army.

Not only the disorderly crowds, but also the frightened warhorses being dragged by their owners, all contributed to the chaos at the narrow valley entrance.

Some inexperienced professionals still tried to rebuild their teams, but the truly experienced veterans had already retreated to a corner with their followers, setting up magical barriers and positions to preserve their strength.

No one noticed that Lucanus, whose body had been blown to pieces, still had a complete mouth, and this mouth, which had lost its throat and brain, was still speaking from the ground.

"Yes, that's the feeling, that's the taste, ah~ this is amazing!"

As the mouth spoke, an invisible force brought over the nose that had been scattered elsewhere and pieced it together above the mouth.

Its nose greedily inhaled the surrounding air.

"Ah, the taste of blood and fire, so wonderful, so volatile, this will surely become the cornerstone of the empire."

That invisible force pried the eyeball out of the crack in the stone and put it back in its proper place.

"This is the scene! This is the most beautiful opening of the epic! Ah~ I can feel it, I can feel it! The glory of the empire is gradually returning! A thousand years, a full thousand years! Hahahaha! My brain, my brain is trembling!"

As the mouth spoke, an invisible force had already drawn all the brain back, and the brain trembled in response to the mouth.

Meanwhile, the allied forces in the valley were being bombarded relentlessly. Although chaotic, they were still holding on. The defeated forces were mostly ordinary civilian troops. The professionals had already shrunk their troops and erected barriers, but in the chaos, no one cared whether the professionals' barriers or their allegiance were with their own side. Everyone crowded into these erected barriers, which only exacerbated the chaos.

What truly caused the allied forces in the valley to collapse was the chaos among the vanguard.

The good news is that although the enemy has set up artillery in the forest, the terrain outside the valley is open, and although the First Army is blocking the entrance, the impact is not as great as that inside the valley.

The bad news was that, amidst the gunfire, a troop of cavalry waving the banner of the Duke of Lars charged out through the billowing smoke.

"Grand Duke Lars has been resurrected!"

"Grand Duke Lars is not dead at all!"

Upon seeing the flag, the nobles and soldiers shouted and immediately fell into chaos.

Wearing a massive suit of armor modeled after that of Grand Duke Lars, Lena led her cavalry in a charge against the allied forces.

Following Lind's instructions, Lena specifically targeted the nobles clad in magnificent armor. With her Knight's Stance fully activated, Lena moved with impunity, crushing everyone present even though the armor was ill-fitting.

Before the leading nobleman could react, Lars's ancestral long-handled battle axe slammed heavily into him, shattering all enchantments and runes, killing him instantly.

The growing chill in the air around the knights and the presence of Lars's most elite knights all hinted at the identity of this charging force.

Amidst the roar of cannons, Lena, like an evil spirit resurrected from hell, brandished her battle axe and charged at one noble after another.

Countless spells rained down on the knights of Lars in the chaos. No one dared to make fun of the knights of Lars anymore. Once the knights of Lars, nicknamed "turtles," stepped into the chaotic battlefield, they were an unstoppable force. Ordinary spells couldn't even break through their defenses, but in close combat, the knights of Lars were deadly to these professionals.

Some of the more composed nobles immediately realized that the Grand Duke of Lars was probably Lena in disguise, but it was too late. The news of the Grand Duke of Lars's resurrection spread throughout the ranks amidst the chaos, becoming the final straw that broke the camel's back for the allied forces.

The morale of the entire coalition army plummeted with the resurrection of Grand Duke Lars. Some nobles with some ability may still be trying to stabilize morale and organize a counterattack, but the truly intelligent nobles have already begun to look for a way out with their troops.

Regardless of whether Grand Duke Lars has truly been resurrected, Rena's performance was no different from Grand Duke Lars'.

Under normal circumstances, no matter how strong Lena is, her effectiveness will be limited if she is tied up by the front-line troops.

However, the front-line troops were routed by the artillery fire, and the professionals were doing their best to protect themselves, let alone join forces to restrain Lena.

However, as Jefferson said, even if there were 50,000 pigs, it would be impossible to catch them all. Immediately, the gathered professionals began to fight back, and some even used trap magic to delay Lena's actions.

The allied forces were not without true powerhouses. After the professional used the trap magic, he immediately rallied the surrounding men and shouted, "This Duke Lars is an imposter! Hold them off, and our counterattack will begin!"

Soon, more professionals realized the problem and began to band together around that professional. These terrifying explosions must have been caused by the opponent using some kind of exploding catapult, not magic.

Lars's knights are notorious for lacking ranged attacks. The fake Grand Duchess can use her own force field to create a path that ignores traps, but her knights cannot do that. Although this is just a delaying tactic, as long as they hold off the enemy, they can eventually wait for a counterattack opportunity by relying on their numbers.

The next second, the second-order molten ray poured down like a horizontal rain.

As the knights of Lars entered the fray, the artillery fire in the forest gradually ceased, but the First Army had already charged alongside Lars's knights and replaced the artillery in providing fire support.

The clerk waved the flag and led the charge, while soldiers equipped with ray guns and tactical backpacks rushed out from their ambush points and began to cooperate with the knights to advance and reap the rewards on the battlefield.

Darcy's hand was even a little numb from pulling the trigger on the battlefield. This thing was much more useful than a bow and arrow. When he was a savage hunter, he was a crack shot. With the ray gun, he could just point at any spot on the battlefield.

Whether the light is the enchanted runes of nobles or the spell models of spellcasters, just shoot it.

The once magnificent runes and magic of the nobles have become deadly talismans on the battlefield.

It was all over. With the support of ray guns, the knights made up for their last weakness, and the knights of Lars used their steel bodies to relentlessly charge at the enemy's banner.

Nobles kept throwing away their banners, taking off their cloaks, and even removing their heavy armor, fleeing in all directions with their guards.

The news that Grand Duke Lars and his loyal knights had been resurrected spread rapidly throughout the allied forces, even after the defeat.

Upon hearing the news, the nobles, whose valleys had been ravaged by artillery fire, immediately recalled their struggling professionals and fled out of the valley.

Foolish people believe that Grand Duke Lars has been resurrected, or that he is not dead at all. They think that they should flee back to their own territory as soon as possible and sever ties with the allied forces to avoid being purged.

The clever ones have already guessed that Grand Duke Lars is an imposter, but that doesn't matter. Even if he was an imposter, he's real now. Take advantage of this opportunity to escape, preserve your strength, and then escape back to the fence.

The nobles at the back immediately began to retreat without looking back, and the professionals they brought with them immediately followed their employers and fled. They were just here to make a living anyway, how much money could they earn in a month, why risk their lives?

This coalition, which came together for mutual benefit, eventually fell apart in order to protect its own interests, with no one willing to step forward and turn the tide.

Standing atop the hill, Laurie gazed at the flashing beams of the ray guns in the distance and said, "It seems like they've finished fighting up ahead. The First Army has already started harvesting."

Looking down at the corpses scattered across the valley below, Laurie sighed, "Did they really not just bring a cook? I thought someone would rush up into the valley and fight us. I was even prepared to sacrifice myself."

Meanwhile, Yolanda asked incredulously, "Is it over?"

"No."

Laurie aimed her ray gun at the valley below and said, "Don't let your guard down. The war isn't over yet. Keep a close watch. It would be a huge loss to die at this point."

"Moreover, the real battlefield is the cleanup of the remnants. The army of 50,000 was defeated very quickly, but how to prevent the enemy from rising again with our small numbers will be more difficult than defeating them now."

Yolanda still felt a sense of unreality, staring in horror at the disarray of the fleeing crowd in the distance. She could sense that many of the professionals below hadn't even used their full strength; they had only put up a token resistance before immediately retreating to conserve their power. Was the war over just like that?

Meanwhile, Sean, disguised as a laborer, looked at the corpses below the valley with a twisted smile on his face.

Did they win? Did they really win?

The gray-collar lord, no, I should say brother-in-law, actually won just like that?

Sean squatted beside the cannon, his legs trembling. If he were in that situation, would he have won? Sean didn't know, but even if he had these weapons, his first thought would definitely be to wait for reinforcements. After all, these cannons were not easy to move and were designed for city defense from the beginning.

At this moment, Sean finally understood why his grandfather always said he didn't have the courage to gamble everything. Looking at the victory before him, Sean clearly realized that he might not be suitable for the position of heir.

That's right, this position should indeed be held by the lord of the gray-collar workers, no, it should be held by the brother-in-law. Only the brother-in-law can lead him to revenge, and only the brother-in-law who has mastered these technologies is the most suitable to become Lars's successor.

Only his brother-in-law can make Lars great again.

Colin's eyes were even more frenzied. He felt that the battles he and his uncles had fought in the past were nothing compared to this, and that their past tyranny was meaningless. No amount of wealth could replace the joy of victory at this moment. Although he was just standing on the hilltop firing cannons, this sense of participation made Colin extremely satisfied.

Fighting is fun!