Kashchey watched the Wendigos who remained fighting on the front lines, his eyes reflecting a sense of nostalgia for the most glorious period of Ursus, reminiscing about that era that had only recently passed.
Neither the Emperor's Blade nor Kashchey felt the slightest bit of disrespect for these Wendigos battling the Demons. In the context of the war against the Demons, these individuals were truly their seniors.
Compared to Yan, Ursus was a very young nation. It did not possess the same ancient foundations as its neighbor, making its struggle against the Demons naturally more passive.
In terms of combating the Demons, Yan was far, far ahead of Ursus. They possessed advanced machinery combined with various Tianshi who could exert incredible power. They also had the lightning arts of the Tianshi Mansion and terracotta soldiers to help annihilate their enemies—they even once had gods fighting alongside them. These were luxuries that Ursus, struggling in the North, simply did not have.
The Ursus of the past could only rely on mobile war cities and combat-model landships, carrying their bravest soldiers into the fray, resisting through heavy-caliber Originium shells and the sheer, agonizing bravery of its men. Back then, the Emperor's Blades had not yet been invented. They couldn't even obtain the flesh and blood of the Demons easily; the war was exceptionally difficult.
All of this changed when the previous Emperor recruited a certain group. They were a group of Sarkaz who had left their homeland to avoid further conflict—an ancient bloodline nearing its end. The powerful Wendigos acted as the blade that shredded the flesh of the Northern Demons, exposing their most helpless side to the people of Ursus. The ultimate result of this was the birth of the Emperor's Blades.
"Even just reminiscing about that past here... when those memories surface, it still makes the blood boil!"
As they spoke, a rumbling sound echoed from behind them. The massive noise abruptly cut off their conversation. The two felt as though the sunlight behind them was being blocked by something. They turned simultaneously to look back and saw a landship appearing before their eyes.
Though small compared to the gargantuan landships used for war, it was still magnificent up close.
"I really didn't expect this. It's only been a few days since the handover with Laterano, yet it's already been brought here from Chernobog and loaded onto a landship." Kashchey praised the speed of Ursus. He hadn't realized the empire had developed the capability to urgently transport supplies across such vast distances to their destination.
If this task had been given to logistics companies, it would have taken at least ten days to two weeks to arrive, not to mention the various troubles with supplies along the way. This fact pleased Kashchey because it proved that Ursus's combat readiness had improved significantly; the previous Emperor's era certainly couldn't have achieved this.
"This is the Empire's latest landship, primarily designed to ensure that no matter where an uprising occurs within Ursus, the army can arrive at the scene immediately." Emperor's Blade Number 25 introduced the details of the steel beast to Kashchey. During the years he had spent hiding in Talulah's spiritual world, Ursus had not been standing still!
This ship was actually a new type of transport vessel prepared by the Emperor for the day he would finally break with the nobility, anticipating rebellions from the nobles holding military power in various regions. Otherwise, what confidence would a newly enthroned Emperor have to deal with nobles who opposed him? Was he supposed to rely solely on the title of Emperor?
"Let's go. Your guidance is needed on how to use the item on board. Although those Sankta said the usage is very simple, we should let an 'expert' like you take a look!" The Emperor's Blade looked teasingly at Kashchey, whose mouth was twitching, and then led the way toward the massive landship.
As for Kashchey? He stared straight at the top of the landship as if there were something up there he desperately did not want to see. Even just standing there, Kashchey could feel an extremely uncomfortable sensation permeating his surroundings. Although this feeling wouldn't cause him physical harm, he still didn't want to get too close to it.
Nevertheless, he followed the Emperor's Blade toward the elevator. The moment they stepped onto the landship, the vessel began moving forward at an incredibly high speed. Kashchey felt the forward momentum—far exceeding that of a standard landship—while the sensation became increasingly pronounced. At this moment, he had a sudden urge to just quit the job.
When they arrived on the platform, they were greeted by rows of neatly lined Ursus soldiers. They stood with weapons in hand, looking like soldiers ready for inspection.
"Hello, sir. The Grizzly Unit, an independent legion under the First Army Group, reporting for duty. We are responsible for the transport of the important materials this time. Please show your identification." Standing before them was a spirited, gray-haired Ursus man. One could tell at a glance he was a veteran of many battles, meticulous in his duties.
Even though he had recognized the officer before him as an Emperor's Blade, he remained entirely devoid of emotional fluctuation, proving he was not to be compared with the useless trash serving the nobility.
However, Number 25 didn't put on any overbearing airs here. He didn't demand special treatment like the sons of nobles or berate those who didn't show him "face." He readily handed over his and Kashchey's identification and then looked toward a massive tank-like device in the center—the key to their operation.
And what was it? It was the Holy Water Laterano had sold to Ursus, specifically the batch produced by Jeanne while she was working overtime!
Right now, the energy radiating from this concentrated Holy Water even blanketed the landship's deck. Number 25 felt the Demon power integrated into his body fall into a state of suspended animation. At this moment, he felt a long-lost sense of lightness. With the power of the Demons dormant, he felt like a human again, able to perceive everything in a human way.
How many years had it been since he felt this? He had likely forgotten how many years ago it was that he last breathed as a human.
"You certainly seem to be enjoying this environment! But could you consider my feelings? If I hadn't secured some benefits for them during this time, I might have been dissolved by this environment by now."
Kashchey was doing his best to suppress his soul, which was constantly sounding alarms. Right now, he felt like a mosquito trapped in a bottle with a lit mosquito coil. Fortunately, he could confirm that his reaction was limited to extreme discomfort; otherwise, he would definitely hide in his "dragon's" spiritual world and stay there for a thousand years before coming back.
This was also the first time Kashchey had personally come into contact with the energy contained in the Holy Water. When he hid in Talulah's soul, he at least had Talulah acting as a good filter to protect him. Unlike Number 25, if Kashchey had to stay in this environment for ten days or two weeks, he'd rather go to Kazdel and fight the Demon King—at least then he'd get a quick end.
The Emperor's Blade looked at Kashchey, who was acting like a mouse that had seen a Feline, and felt he had discovered something that could specifically target him—a significant find.
"We're counting on you to tell us how much this stuff needs to be diluted. Although there isn't much Holy Water, we hope to carve out a large enough safe zone in the surrounding area."
The reason he brought Kashchey was that the fellow had lived with Jeanne for a while; he should have some understanding of how to use this stuff, saving them from wasting precious resources.
Meanwhile, Kashchey's face was as stiff as a turtle shell. To maintain the dignity he had just regained, he had to look as if he didn't care about the influence of the Holy Water at all.