Dawn gradually broke.
Duanmu Huai stood by the railing, gazing toward the distant horizon, his expression cold and stern. Beside him, Anne, Guleya, Olgis, and the others stood there as well, staring at the scene before them with utterly stunned expressions.
"This is really exaggerated…"
Even Shizuka couldn't hide her astonishment now.
"You're really going to use this???"
"Of course. This is a provocation against the Inquisition. Since that's the case, I don't mind letting Herman and the AL Church see the true power of the Inquisition!"
After saying this, Duanmu Huai turned his gaze toward Maria, who was standing nearby.
"Begin."
"Understood!!"
Maria had already been unable to contain herself. Upon hearing Duanmu Huai's command, she nodded vigorously, then hurried over to the nearby terminal.
"All units prepare—supervise fuel replenishment and ammunition loading. Ring the great bell once, push the lever, activate pistons and pumps!"
As she spoke, Maria picked up the book beside her.
"May the soul of the Omnissiah entwine thee…"
"Dong...!!"
The bronze great bell slowly swung, releasing a deep, muffled peal. At the same time, the previously silent space began to tremble, emitting a low, powerful rumble.
"Ring the great bell twice. Press the button, start the engine, ignite the turbines, inject life!"
"Dong...…!!"
The heavy bell tolled again, and dazzling light—like the light of life itself—flooded everything.
"Ring the great bell three times. Sing in unison. Praise the Omnissiah!"
"DONG—————!!!!"
With the third bell's toll, everything… was about to change.
Southern border defense line of Herman.
Standing atop the city walls and looking down at the troop deployments below, Fourth Army General Nero Capet VII felt his blood boil with excitement.
"Look, Krim!"
Clad in resplendent silver-white armor, Nero held a rose in his hand. Like the protagonist of an opera, he spun in place and pointed forward.
"This is our Herman army—my great, incomparably magnificent Fourth Legion! Before it, no one can withstand our assault!"
"...…Are we really going to launch an attack, General?"
Standing beside Nero was his adjutant, Krim, wearing Herman's black armor. She had blond hair and glasses, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, clearly unconvinced.
"Of course! Mere Lias and Seth are no match for us. Lias had its capital invaded by Herman before, and Seth has just suffered a demonic invasion and can barely take care of itself. They have no ability whatsoever to stand against our Herman Fourth Army! And my troops—!"
At this point, Nero waved his hand forcefully.
"There are a full fifty thousand soldiers here! No enemy can possibly defeat us!"
"But if we advance into enemy territory, it's very likely we'll fall into a trap. And the orders we received don't include invading Seth or Lias…"
"Hmph..."
Hearing his adjutant's words, Nero's expression darkened. He stared at her and asked,
"Krim, which unit did you previously serve in?"
Faced with Nero's question, Krim hurriedly lowered her head and answered with seriousness and respect.
"Yes, sir. I initially served in the Second Army's rear support unit, and was transferred to the Fourth Army half a year ago."
"Hmph."
Hearing this, Nero let out a cold snort.
"So you were in rear supply. In that case, it's understandable that you're lax about warfare and ignorant of tactics. But in the Fourth Army, you must obey my orders. Do you know who the most ideal soldier is in my heart?"
"Th… this subordinate does not know."
"That would be General Toma, who gloriously fell in the previous invasion of Lias!"
As he said this, Nero closed his eyes, wearing an intoxicated expression.
"What I revere most is the death of soldiers. Soldiers who fight by staking their lives, and ultimately die gloriously for the nation—what a beautiful scene that is! For our Fourth Army, this is our ideal. Even death doesn't matter; as long as one dies gloriously in battle, that is the best possible outcome! This is the ideal that moves people's hearts the most!"
"..."
Watching the man before her deliver his chivalric sermon in rapture, Adjutant Krim was utterly speechless. She knew very well that although Nero Capet VII was indeed born into a prominent Herman family and had graduated top of his class from the officer academy—earning the title of the foremost among Herman's young elites—in reality, everyone knew that both his valedictorian title and his position as commander of the Fourth Legion had been bought with money by the Capet family.
Otherwise, how could a young officer like him possibly rise to command one of Herman's five great legions overnight?
What's more, this man had no real ability whatsoever. For soldiers, dying for the nation might indeed be an honor—but for this man, it was nothing more than a way to satisfy his own vanity. He understood nothing about war, nothing about the military, nothing at all. He was like a completely ignorant child! Did he think real warfare was as romantic as the stories in books?
Has Herman really rotted to this extent now?
Krim lowered her head, listening to Nero's self-aggrandizing words beside her, feeling anxious and restless. Among Herman's five great legions, the First Legion guarded the royal capital, the Second guarded the demonic front, the Third served as a special mobile force stationed near the capital, the Fourth was responsible for defending the southern border to prevent foreign invasion, and the Fifth acted as a guerrilla force.
From a positional standpoint, the Fourth Legion's duty was to guard against foreign invasion. Yet now, the position of Fourth Legion commander had been handed to someone who had nothing but pedigree and money—utterly incompetent and full of hot air. Naturally, this made Krim deeply uneasy. Because it meant that Herman's upper echelons didn't believe any other country would actually invade Herman…
While Nero's words weren't entirely without reason—after all, Seth was busy with reconstruction, and Lias might not truly dare to move against Herman—that was only true if Herman didn't launch an attack first!
Once they truly went on the offensive, it would be hard to say whether Seth and Lias wouldn't join forces and strike at Herman!
Given Herman's current political situation… is this really okay?
"Phew...…"
Unaware of his adjutant's inner turmoil, Nero let out a breath after finishing his speech and made a gesture.
"I've talked so much my mouth is dry. Someone, bring tea."
"Yes, General."
Upon hearing Nero's order, an attendant quickly stepped forward and handed him a cup of hot tea. Nero raised it to his lips—yet at that very moment…
"Thoom...!"
The ground suddenly shook violently, causing Nero's hand to jolt. He nearly spilled the tea all over his clothes.
"Damn it, what's going on?"
Nero set the teacup down irritably, frowning.
"Is it an earthquake?"
"No, sir, it doesn't seem like an earthquake…"
Adjutant Krim widened her eyes, staring uneasily into the distance as she spoke.
At the same time, the earth shook again.
"Thoom———thoom—————!!!"
Smoke rose in the distance. In that instant, whether from intuition or instinct, almost everyone stopped what they were doing and subconsciously looked toward the source of the sound.
Then they saw… something completely beyond their imagination.
"That is… what kind of thing is that??!!!"
Staring at the distant shadow, Nero let out a shrill cry. Krim hurriedly raised her binoculars and looked toward the distance.
In the next moment, her entire body tensed up, barely able to believe her own eyes.
Through the binoculars, she saw a gigantic, bizarre, terrifying steel colossus, towering into the sky, striding forward step by step. Its height even surpassed that of Herman's royal capital. Its entire body—legs and feet included—looked as if it had been forged entirely from steel. But even more striking was the fact that on the shoulders of this steel giant, there was a magnificent, awe-inspiring cathedral strapped to its back!
Not only that—before this steel giant, Krim also saw several steel war chariots that required neither oxen nor horses, yet were capable of moving on their own!
"Let me see!"
Before Krim could get another look, Nero had already snatched the binoculars in a panic and looked ahead. In the next instant, his face turned deathly pale, his legs went limp, and he collapsed straight onto the ground.
"Th-that… what is that thing?"
"I believe it's very likely a weapon of the Inquisition."
Krim had naturally noticed the skull-and-warhammer insignia adorning the steel giant. In fact, the Inquisition's emblem was so recognizable that anyone with even the slightest knowledge of the Inquisition would never forget it—its villainous aura was simply far too strong.
"My lord!"
Krim hurriedly looked at Nero and spoke urgently.
"The situation is critical. We should immediately send word to the Council! At the same time, gather the soldiers and hold the city!"
"Hold the city?"
Hearing this, Nero sprang up like a mouse whose tail had been stepped on.
"Do not say 'hold the city'! What a vulgar and ridiculous phrase! You are not to say it a second time!"
"But—"
"No buts!"
Nero waved his hand violently, cutting off Krim's words.
"My Herman knightly orders are invincible under heaven! What we must do is charge! Charge! And charge again! This spirit must never waver! The enemy has only a few steel monsters—there's no way my Fourth Legion, with fifty thousand soldiers, can't defeat them! Even if we must die, we shall do so with honor, on the road of charging toward the enemy! Pass down my orders—prepare the entire army and launch a charge against the enemy!!!"
"...…"
Looking at the furious Nero before her, Krim knew that no matter what she said now, it would be useless.
(End of Chapter)