"I never expected..."
Among the crowd was Sipher, who had surrendered. He was first shocked by the nearly destroyed city, then walked over, looking at the curled-up Red Hair boy, and sighed:
"So it was resolved this quickly."
"Who are you?" Sage asked.
"You should be Sage, right? I'm Sipher, one of those who surrendered."
Sipher shrugged, "I originally thought of using you all to continue resisting William, but unexpectedly he is dead. Did Sod... lose too?"
His gaze passed over a pile of flesh on the ground and the electric white heavy sword beside it.
"Recognize it?" Sage squinted slightly.
Sipher nodded, "When I became a bandit..."
"Alright, I don't want to listen."
Sage waved his hand, "Since you've surrendered, serve well and you won't be mistreated."
"Such willfulness. Boss, did you also take out Timadon's army?" Sipher asked.
Sage was stunned, "Right, there was an army... Forget it, I'll make a trip myself, just to see if I can expand my subordinates."
On the other side of the sea is freedom... no, it's the army.
There are still fifty thousand on the opposite side.
Just as well, his side suffered heavy losses, those fifty thousand can not only replenish his subordinates but also serve as the defense force for the territory.
"That's the problem, boss, those people... are unusable."
Sipher glanced at William's corpse again, saying, "Those possessed by William can share his will, but will also be infected by his will. Even if the ability user dies, it doesn't change."
"This guy claims to create a desireless peaceful realm, but in reality, how can people be without desires? Those possessed turn into puppets, only maintaining normal survival. Timadon's fifty-thousand army is like this, they've already become a string of puppets, only following orders."
"Oh?"
Moriah's eyes flickered, "That's disposable undead, fifty thousand such undead, plus this guy's combat strength, it's surprising you've lasted this long. Was there a secret weapon you hadn't used?"
To fight Sage to this extent with such a strong force and fifty thousand fearless undead, given their encounter, they shouldn't have been opponents.
Even if facing an army of one hundred thousand, against fifty thousand on the opposite side, fearing death or not makes a difference, it's human instinct. Few fight with the certainty of death, and with strong leaders, victory should have been decided long ago.
On his way here, he also reviewed with Lily. Their victory was purely due to the new subordinates painting great promises for themselves.
The veteran subordinates were experienced and very resolute; over half died, which was inevitable, mainly being swept into the war. Otherwise, they could have retreated.
But the new subordinates had just joined; it was impossible for them to continue fighting despite massive casualties. Those who fought till the last moment did so because their greed overcame their fear of death.
Since as long as they won, they could rule this kingdom, at least half!
After all, it wasn't them dying; what if they survived and won?
Many fought the army under Tihana's command with this thought; as for Tihana's army, they simply couldn't escape as the high-ranking officers of the Disaster Pirates divided them, but the minor officers were always around, each a master at facing many, preventing the army's escape.
This was despite their low numbers. If faced with fifty thousand Pirates, Lily could ensure minimal losses, and with Sage... it might even be injury-free.
So how did these guys actually resist Timadon?
Relying on those conscripted United Army?
"Sod."
Sipher sighed, "If there must be a secret weapon, then Sod, who calls himself the 'Young Lion,' is our secret weapon. He is the enemy, but also the shackle that binds William."
He pointed to the sword, "Because of the shackle, we've held out till now..."
Sipher wasn't originally a bandit; he was just a ranger who liked wandering the kingdom, sometimes gambling, romantically calling it the guidance of destiny, wandering comfortably.
But one day, the army led by William destroyed that. Those troops forcibly conscripted soldiers in Timadon, taking all the young men from the village, and due to hometown resistance, exterminated his entire home.
When Sipher returned, it was too late. His former friends and comrades had all become desireless living corpses. Since then, he became a bandit in the kingdom, particularly opposing those troops.
Meanwhile, since he traveled widely, he knew some secrets.
William was indeed the old king's illegitimate child, but also a forbidden child.
Rumor has it that he gained his ability at a young age, but also because he admired a desireless state since young, he wasn't favored by the old king, living in Timadon.
Though the old king didn't keep him close, there was always a man following him, protecting him from a young age, afraid of being targeted by those selfish nobles, so that warrior lived with the identity of 'William.'
The only ones aware were the great noble Tihana and Sipher.
Because Sod... he knew him.