Glory of Kings

CG Chapter 109: Glory of Kings

Folek's sudden shift in actions made Lucas furrow his eyebrows, questioning his true reasons.

The least that could be said about Folek's actions was that they seemed purely idiotic. Yet, Lucas couldn't ignore his instincts, which screamed at him and warned him that things would turn really bad if he didn't interfere soon.

Even so, he remained calm, standing his ground as he issued orders to the soldiers to ensure their defensive formation remained solid.

On the other side of the battlefield, Folek tore through Daybreak's soldiers as if they were nothing, each slash of his blade cutting soldiers down left and right.

With one swing of his sword, he cleaved a man in half, the two parts of his body lingering upright for a moment as if refusing to accept their cursed fate, before collapsing into a pile of blood.

The stack of heads Folek left behind him continued to grow. If someone had gathered all of the heads together, they would have formed a small hill. With each head added to this pile, the morale of Daybreak's army withered further.

The soldiers who grew up under the once peaceful Eldervale saw their roles as soldiers more as honorable titles that people tried to attain by any means necessary than as actual jobs.

Now, those honorable soldiers, who were once revered and envied, realized the true meaning of despair as they were dragged and thrown out of their high castles.

Despair, darkness, and chaos…

The wise ones amongst Daybreak's soldiers began to realize that there was no honor in war and tried to flee to save themselves and their families. Surprisingly, it wasn't the Eternal Flames army who stopped them, but Lucas, who ruthlessly smashed his Morningstar on their heads.

"What do you take this for? This is war! Those who run and dare to abandon the gods will not have the honor of a good death on Earth, nor solace in the afterlife. Those who flee will spend an eternity burning in hell."

Lucas wasn't affected even after all of this. He knew that once Folek exhausted himself, the Eternal Flames' army would easily crumble under his attacks.

As time went by and Lucas remained unmoving, Folek started to become more and more desperate, his attacks becoming increasingly ruthless. Instead of simply killing the soldiers, he began hacking off their arms and legs, leaving them behind to extend their suffering.

Their screams of pain echoed across the battlefield, piercing the minds of Daybreak's soldiers, who were already on edge.

This strategy of his worked to some extent, but it still wasn't enough to force Lucas to act. Rather than getting angry, Lucas smiled faintly, believing that his victory was nearing.

Minutes passed, and Folek's strikes started to become less precise and powerful, his back hunching as his head became completely drenched in sweat.

Suddenly, and without any prior warning, Folek turned around, only to meet an attack that grazed his shoulder.

Panting heavily, Folek's anger reached its peak before he swiftly decapitated the attacker and retreated to his side.

Lucas continued watching, feeling that the right moment to move had not yet come. He wanted to achieve a crushing victory, one that would make Folek and his soldiers regret even the thought of coming to his city.

While he was lost in thought and daydreaming, an ugly-looking soldier came rushing toward him from behind, breaking through the defensive line with frantic screams.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Important news, the southeastern wall has been breached."

Lucas looked at the soldier in disbelief. His eyes darted between the frantic messenger and Folek.

He doubted the news, but the risk was far too great to ignore. If they were truly surrounded, they would be trapped between two armies. It would be like standing between two giants, waiting to be crushed, and defeat would only be a matter of time as the enemy slowly chipped away at their forces.

Grinding his teeth, Lucas turned his gaze toward Folek. "This one wanted to grant thee a quick death for the sake of your service to the gods thus far, but since you don't seem to know how to appreciate divine favor, this lowly servant of theirs will crush your skull myself! You'll no longer have the blessing of entering their divine kingdom!"

Folek smirked, blood staining his armor as he gestured for Lucas to come closer.

Finally, the battle between the two giants was about to begin. As the two commanders advanced toward each other, the soldiers on both sides instinctively stepped back without a word, forming a wide circle around them.

None of the soldiers dared to interfere in a battle of Grand Knights. They felt that such deaths would be simply meaningless, as if their lives would have had more meaning if they died fighting normal soldiers instead.

These soldiers were lying to themselves, convincing themselves that their lives served some grand cause. They told themselves that they were 'contributing to the bigger picture.'

Unaware that the picture was nothing but the benefits of the kings, the gods, and anyone higher than them in the system that steals from those at the bottom so that those at the top could live in glory.

At least, to some extent, these soldiers benefited from living under the system, as long as they weren't the ones at the bottom.

As Lucas faced Folek, the ugly soldier who had delivered the message to him flashed a twisted grin before vanishing into the army.

Once he saw that grin, which he considered the ugliest smile he had ever seen in his life, Lucas realized that he had just been deceived by a spy who had infiltrated his city.

For a brief moment, he considered retreating, but he quickly dismissed the thought. If he turned around now, he would give Folek the perfect opportunity to strike, and his soldiers were too busy facing off against the Eternal Flames army.

Instead, he gripped his Morningstar tightly. Raising it high above his head, he roared, "Bless me, Solarus, with your flames! May your divine might shine today and burn away all those who have strayed from your holy path!"

He turned his gaze toward Folek. "Do you know why this weapon is named Lucifer? To its true wielder, it is weightless. But to a lowly heretic, it will crush them into dust, as if a fallen angel itself had struck them down from the high heavens."

The soldiers held their breath but continued to fight each other, believing this would make them more useful.

However, the true result of this battle would be decided between the giants, the Unfallen Radiant King, and the Baron of Blood.