Volume 2: Empire Chapter 157 Return to the City
Major Isaac was the commander of the army that blocked the Queen's return to the city. Looking at the meteorite that was charging towards his army, he couldn't help but recall the battle to wipe out the Abyss Mage.
At that time, he was still a lieutenant colonel and thought he could be promoted to general based on his military achievements, but for some reason he displeased the eldest prince, and his rank was not only not promoted but downgraded by one level.
Tonight, the eldest prince will launch a coup and officially ascend the throne as the emperor of the Golden Shield Empire. His mission is to deploy defenses on the north side of the imperial capital to prevent the queen from returning to the palace.
I originally thought that the Queen would not be able to break out of the interception of the Northern Legion. I, who was neglected, had no chance to attend the coronation ceremony of the eldest prince. I would probably have to work as a major until retirement.
But no one expected that the queen would appear so close to the imperial capital.
It seems that goddess of luck is still on my side!
Major Isaac rode on his warhorse, holding a saber and standing at the forefront of the army. The musketeers and crossbowmen had already started shooting, but this level of long-range attacks could not penetrate the magic shield released by the opponent.
The dragon-like creatures summoned by the meteorite attacked the airship in the sky. The dragon's might and the murderous oppression of the meteorite made some soldiers waver.
After all, the person they intercepted was the Queen of the Empire. Although the soldiers obeyed orders, they still found it difficult to let go of their awe of the imperial family.
"Spiritual encouragement magic ready!"
Major Isaac, who noticed the change in the army's morale, did not order the magic projectiles to fire attack magic at the meteorite and the queen, but instead prepared to use mental magic to stabilize the army's morale.
Alchemical shells were fired from the rear, exploding as they flew over the army. Magic particles fell like a waterfall, concentrating the soldiers' minds. Their fighting will overwhelmed their fantasies, and their shaken morale was immediately strengthened.
"Prepare for bloody magic of war!"
Another round of war magic was cast, and red light emanated from the soldiers' bodies. Their high morale and killing intent were aroused, and their pain and fatigue were greatly reduced.
Shouts burst out from their throats unconsciously, and fighting and killing became the soldiers' only thoughts at this moment.
The murderous resonance formed a gust of air that pushed forward, sweeping up the smoke and dust on the ground and pressing towards the oncoming meteorite.
Facing the army that was ready for battle, Luke rode his horse at a steady speed. This was the situation he had always wanted to avoid. If there were a few powerful warriors hiding among a well-trained army with multiple arms and sufficient magic, it would be impossible for him to charge through.
Fortunately, the focus of the eldest prince Fania was on the palace, and he and Queen Christina were fast enough. There were not many special reinforced soldiers in the intercepting army, so it should be too late to dispatch powerful units.
Some of them are very good!
Luke glanced at the sky. Taotie was shuttling quickly between three airships. There were many mages on the airships, and chaotic magic was interweaving in the air. With its agile flight and good magic resistance to deal with the three airships with ease. Even if it could not sink them all in a short time, it could entangle them and prevent them from coordinating ground attacks.
Feeling Luke's encouragement, the excited Taotie turned around, and after avoiding continuous magic, he breathed another dragon breath at the already severely damaged airship.
The steam bag of the airship was severely damaged, and it dropped uncontrollably. The Taotie flipped in the air and attacked continuously from behind.
Luke turned his head and looked at Queen Christina who was following behind him, and found that the queen was also looking at him. The bullets and arrows rubbed against her unfolded protective shield and created a streak of sparks, but they could not hide the light in her eyes.
The favorability level is increasing quite quickly!
Luke returned his mind to the battle. He turned back and saw the shield wall in front of him. Spears were sticking out from behind the shields. There were also alchemical shells fired from the rear, targeting him...
The magic-activated light shone through the patterns on the alchemical shells, and the power squeezed inside was about to be released.
Luke ignored the alchemical shells that were about to fall. He thrust out his dragon spear, and a fire dragon rushed out amid lightning and thunder, crashing headfirst into the shield wall in front.
At this time, a series of tiny flying objects flew diagonally from the sky. They hit the alchemical shells with the precision of interceptors. The alchemical shells exploded in the air, and the chaotic and turbulent magical energy formed a black hole that distorted space at the explosion location.
Then four girls with different hairstyles and colors appeared in the air. They carried airbags to assist flight and had several 20-centimeter-long steel needles surrounding their bodies.
A war machine leaped high into the air and then landed heavily into the army formation, then slashed another war machine in the middle with a single blow.
The pilot of the war machine was a girl with pink twin ponytails. She waved at Luke who was charging into the army formation and said, "Boss Meteorite, Miss Clear Sky asked us to come for support. It seems that our Pretty Girls Boiling Team has arrived just in time."
Sandpaper and her sisters appeared in time. War Machine Boiling simply waved to Luke as a greeting, then stepped forward and brandished his long sword to clear the way ahead.
Kestrels, blue doves, egrets, and grey geese flew at low altitudes, using their powerful mental powers and perception to use medium-range attacks to suppress the soldiers on the ground.
The battle mode of the Pretty Girls Boiling Team has taken shape. War Machine Boiling is the team's offensive and defensive core, and Sandpaper, as the team's center, uses the telepathy between the sisters to build a perceptual network shared by the team.
The red kestrel, blue dove, egret, and grey goose serve as the team's mobile force, making up for the shortcomings of the boiling war machine, allowing him to unleash his most violent side without scruples.
The beautiful girl boiling team, which even gave Qingkong a headache in the battle, showed its prowess for the first time, and the war machine boiling with killing power seemed to be in an empty land.
Leaving Luke with nothing to do.
In the army formation, the war machines' boiling swords flew and slammed with great force, cutting everything in half. The energy cannons on their shoulders fired intermittently, and each shot blasted out a column of smoke that soared into the sky, stirring up pieces of scattered limbs.
Under Sandpaper's command, the beautiful girls gathered and dispersed at will, either dispersing for defense or concentrating on attacking, just like a fully automatic floating cannon accompanying the boiling war.
This elite force of the city garrison had never seen such an integrated combat team before, and was quickly defeated and scattered.
Luke did not pursue them, letting the war boil over as he and Queen Christina continued to rush towards the city of Saint-London.
There was a roar of a dragon in the air, and Taotie dived towards Luke. As it fell, its body shrank rapidly, and it rushed straight into the back of Luke's hand.
The three airships in the sky were falling toward the ground in the distance, burning with flames. The sun was setting in the western sky, and the fiery clouds were as bright as blood.
Luke, Queen Christina, and the Pretty Boiling Girls Squad disappeared into the falling night.
The battlefield, which was just filled with fighting, became quiet.
Major Isaac was pinned beneath the carcass of a horse, staring up at the rising moon with empty eyes and a bloody hole in his chest.
The snow, which had stopped for a day, started falling again, and soon the corpses on the ground were buried under the snow.
In the evening, the city garrison suddenly entered the city in the snow and occupied the streets and city government facilities, and announced a curfew. No one was allowed to go out, and the city sheriff went home on holiday.
As if they knew this would happen, all city departments cooperated surprisingly well, and there was almost no conflict during the entire handover process.
Only the streets near Rose Manor saw a minor battle. The Imperial Secret Service prevented the City Guard from taking over, and the City Guard did not launch a strong attack, so the two sides formed a standoff in a certain area.
Inside Rose Manor, Princess Agatha sat in her study, listening to various news brought by spies.
Most of the palace officials and the cabinet clearly did not want to be the first to do so. If the eldest prince successfully ascended the throne, they would pay their respects to the new emperor tomorrow.
If the eldest prince fails, he will be courting death.
The empire was still the empire of the great Augustine the Great.
The law does not hold everyone responsible, so everyone should just pretend nothing happened tomorrow and continue doing what they should do.
"Your Highness, the City Guards have surrounded the palace. The Royal Knights and Palace Guards did not stop them. They all retreated into the palace.
Knight Milscombe is guarding outside His Majesty's chambers, and no news has come from His Majesty."
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince left the Silver Manor and rode towards the Imperial Palace under the escort of the guards."
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived at the palace. All the ministers and nobles who support the Crown Prince have gathered outside the palace."
"The eldest prince asked the palace to lift the barrier, but there was no response from the palace."
"The eldest prince once again requested the palace to lift the barrier, but there was no response from the palace."
"The eldest prince has requested for the barrier to be lifted for the third time and has expressed a threat... The barrier around the palace is being lifted!"
Once the barrier around the palace is lifted, the eldest prince Fania can lead his troops straight into the palace, and Milscom and his men will not be able to stop him.
Is the Imperial Secret Service about to take action?
At this time, a large number of imperial spies had gathered in the Rose Manor, waiting for the eldest princess's order, and then they would rush out to attack the city garrison corps that was launching a coup.
The personal maid suggested: "Your Highness, if you don't act now, I'm afraid you won't have a chance."
Agatha glanced at the door of the study. She had already ordered that Meteorite could come in without notifying anyone.
However, there is no news about the meteorite yet.
"Order……"
Agatha, who could not wait any longer, was about to give the order when the door suddenly opened. Luke walked in, took off his hat and threw it to the maid, then asked, " Where ?"
"The news just came that he is outside the palace. The palace has lifted the barrier." Agatha immediately replied when she saw Luke's expression raised. Then she saw Queen Christina coming in after Meteorite, and saluted and said, "Your Highness, welcome back to the imperial capital."
Queen Christina returned the greeting to Agatha: "We have arrived just in time."
Luke, who was thirsty, took out a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet and took a big sip, then said, "No need to exchange pleasantries. Fania needs the city garrison to control the entire palace before entering. We still have time... Please leave if you are not necessary!"
Agatha nodded, and the lady-in-waiting left the room with the servants and guards, closing the door.
Luke found a chair and sat down, then said to Agatha, "I'm sure Miss Clear Sky has told Your Highness about who will rule the empire tomorrow."
Agatha looked at Queen Christina and said to Luke, "But Miss Clear Sky didn't explain it clearly. I want to know what happened to my father."
"It's only appropriate for me to tell you this..." Luke told Agatha the reason why Emperor Augustine had not seen outsiders for such a long time: "...I certainly hope that Your Majesty can complete the body strengthening safely, but it has not been completed until now, which means that the success rate is extremely low, or it has failed.
We may have to deal with a heroic being claiming to be Augustine."
This information was indeed too explosive for Agatha.
"As a daughter, I can accept that my father is a heroic spirit. But a heroic emperor would definitely be a disaster for the empire."
Luke nodded and said, "No matter how it is whitewashed, the Heroic Spirits are vassals of the Angel Civilization. I'm afraid no one in the Empire can accept that the Empire is a vassal state of the Angel Civilization."
"So you want to nominate our queen as the new emperor of the empire... Do you think the court ministers and the nobles of the empire will agree?"
"Of course they won't agree." Luke said, "If we can stop Fania tonight... Emperor Augustine will issue an order that the queen will continue to supervise state affairs.
As long as you and Knight Milscomb declare that this order was given by His Majesty himself, then it will be a natural thing for Her Majesty to return to the palace and continue to govern the country."
Agatha looked at Luke and Queen Christina, and after a moment asked, "Why her?"
Luke said: "Since the founding of the empire, the Kingdom of Lusien has been very active in intermarriage with the Augustine royal family. Historically, a total of sixteen princesses of the Kingdom of Lusien have married princes of the Golden Shield Empire, five of whom were empresses of the empire.
There were also six imperial princesses who married into the royal family of the Kingdom of Lucien, and all of them became queens.
During the reign of King Lucien XVI, a death curse occurred in the King's Palace, and King Lucien XVI left no offspring. In the end, the throne of Lucien was inherited by King Lucien XVI's nephew, Prince Lupurers of the Empire at that time.
Prince Lupercal was the great-grandfather of Queen Christina.
According to the genealogy of the Imperial and Lucien royal families, the Queen is still your cousin, the Princess."
In order to promote Queen Christina to the throne, some players studied the genealogy of the Augustine and Lucien families thoroughly. It can be said that except for the different surnames, the bloodlines of the two families have long been mixed up and cannot be distinguished.
Now Queen Christina married Emperor Augustine, and her surname was changed to Augustine. Anyone who is willing to accept it will recognize that it makes sense in legal terms.
Agatha knew that what Meteorite said was right, and the complex relationships within the royal family were not something that outsiders could know.
At this time, Queen Christina said: "Agatha! You know Alex's character. He likes to make friends with powerful people and use them very much. But powerful people cannot govern the country. Alex's ability is not enough to lead the country in this extraordinary period.
You are the best candidate to inherit the throne!
If you are willing to take on this responsibility, I will be happy to assist you along with Meteorite."
