"I was actually discovered. Is it some kind of special Originium Arts? But even if I was discovered, so what?" Although Daniel heard Nian's warning, he had already started moving and wasn't about to stop. Besides, he had some confidence in his stealth abilities.
However, when he got within about fifty meters of the high-speed landship, a glowing crossbow bolt appeared, making it clear that he had been spotted. As he pondered how he had been detected, his left hand shot up and caught the incoming bolt.
But just as he was about to throw it back, the bolt suddenly exploded.
"Originium Arts? Huh, this reminds me of Loki."
With a wave of his left hand, Daniel dispersed the smoke and debris from the explosion. He couldn't help but recall the scene from the New York battle where Loki caught Hawkeye's arrow, trying to look cool.
However, Daniel was a step above Loki—he didn't get caught off guard by the sudden explosion. Even at such close range, the explosion couldn't harm him.
"So this is Ursus's regular army? Their reaction speed is impressive."
Seeing another barrage of arrows and caster shockwaves coming his way, Daniel sneered. With a flash, he dodged the attacks and appeared on the deck of the landship in the next instant.
"Enemy attack!"
The alarm blared as soon as Daniel appeared on the deck. At the same time, eight shield guards formed a semicircle around him, trying to limit his movement.
Other shield guards immediately positioned themselves in front of the snipers and casters, allowing them to attack without fear. These Ursus soldiers didn't underestimate Daniel just because he was alone, nor did they attempt to communicate with him.
Tactically, the Ursus soldiers' approach wasn't wrong. But in the next moment, they were met with a sea of flames.
"I was hoping to capture this landship intact, but it seems that's not going to happen." Holding his fiery greatsword, Daniel sighed as he watched the flames engulf the deck.
Originally, he had planned to infiltrate the landship and eliminate the enemies through stealth, allowing him to seize the ship intact. Otherwise, he could have just destroyed it with a single strike of his sword.
"Who are you?"
A towering figure clad in heavy armor emerged from the landship, holding a black tower shield in one hand and a black knight's lance in the other. Behind him were over a dozen similarly equipped shield guards. Upon seeing the situation on the deck, he immediately shouted at Daniel.
"An enemy. Too bad you're not a Wendigo. It seems Patriot is the last of the Wendigos."
The figure reminded Daniel of Patriot, but unfortunately, he didn't bear the markings of the Wendigo race. Even so, he was likely one of the rare strong individuals in Ursus's military.
Shield guards were a basic unit in the armies of many nations on Terra, but Ursus's shield guards were the most famous, likely because they were primarily composed of Ursus natives. There was a saying in Ursus:
"Five shield guards can slaughter a squad of knights. Four Imperial Guards can ravage a settlement. Three Wendigos can conquer a small city. Two armies can destroy a duchy. One monarch can plunge the land into chaos."
While these thoughts ran through Daniel's mind, his actions didn't slow. His blazing sword swept toward the shield guard.
Facing Daniel's sudden attack, the shield guard reacted quickly, hurling his lance at Daniel. The other shield guards behind him did the same, launching their lances almost simultaneously.
*Boom!*
Facing the barrage of lances, Daniel's sword erupted in flames, instantly incinerating all the projectiles. The sword then cleaved through the shield guard's tower shield and sliced through his body. The raging flames, as before, consumed the shield guards.
"Ursus curses! There's only one enemy, and you can't even stop him? Kill him! Kill him!"
As Daniel advanced deeper into the landship, he finally encountered its commander—a young noble dressed in lavish clothing. At a glance, it was clear he was from the aristocracy.
"It seems I overestimated Ursus's military."
Seeing the young noble's hysterical reaction to Daniel's presence, Daniel couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. This was clearly a spoiled noble who had no idea what real hardship was. Koschei actually thought he could rely on such people to revive Ursus? Ridiculous.
In fact, Daniel had made a mistake by underestimating this young noble. Strictly speaking, the young noble was considered a talent in Ursus. The reason he had broken down was simply because Daniel's overwhelming presence had shattered his confidence.
He had never imagined that a single person could take on an entire landship and five hundred elite Ursus soldiers. Such a feat was beyond his comprehension.
While Terra wasn't lacking in individuals with such power, this young noble had no way of knowing about them.
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry. I'll handle this myself."
Remembering that there was another landship to deal with, Daniel didn't waste time with the young noble. He quickly dispatched the guards around him and then began extracting the noble's memories.
"Count Dunkel, Duke Baikal, Snake Scales... He knows quite a bit."
Through the young noble's memories, Daniel learned about many of the masterminds behind the Chernobog incident, including two dukes who controlled the Third and Fourth Armies. As for the lower-ranking nobles, their numbers were even greater.
In addition, Daniel uncovered another crucial piece of information: Koschei's secret organization, Snake Scales. Composed mainly of Felines, this organization excelled in intelligence and assassination. Many of its members were currently in Chernobog.
"Koschei must have relied on Snake Scales to quickly regain his power every time he switched bodies."
If Koschei's plan to attack Lungmen had succeeded, he would have soon returned to Ursus as Talulah, inheriting the title and lands of Duke Koschei. The only way to ensure a smooth transition would be through Snake Scales.
"I wonder if any other immortals are involved in this incident."
Koschei wasn't the only immortal in Ursus. Although the Ursus Emperor and the Speaker later claimed that no other immortals were involved in Koschei's plan, immortals undoubtedly had their own hidden methods to avoid detection.
Take Emperor, the penguin from Penguin Logistics, for example. He might seem like a carefree bird, but he was undoubtedly more than he appeared. Wei Yenwu tolerated Penguin Logistics's antics in Lungmen precisely because of Emperor. If it were anyone else causing trouble in Lungmen so frequently, even if they paid hefty fines each time, Wei Yenwu wouldn't have let them continue.
"I wonder if any of those immortals are gods that Yan once expelled."
With this thought in mind, Daniel used the Unbelievable Wrapping Cloth to store the landship. Even though some of its equipment had been damaged during the battle, it could still be repaired and used as a combat vessel.
In fact, they didn't even need to find outside help. With Nian's abilities, repairing a landship wouldn't be a problem.
"The Fourth Army? Isn't that the army where the duke assassinated by Kal'tsit and Folinic's mother was from? How interesting. Betting on both sides? Aren't you afraid the current Ursus Emperor will deal with you?"
On the other landship, the leader was a middle-aged earl who was much calmer than Count Dunkel. However, no amount of calm could change the outcome.
From the earl's memories, Daniel learned about the Fourth Army's stance, which surprised him. The Fourth Army was controlled by the old nobility.
When the new Ursus Emperor ascended the throne, the old nobility's armies looked down on him. The Sixth and Fourth Armies openly defied the Emperor's orders.
Enraged, the Emperor mobilized troops to suppress them. With two armies under their control, the old nobility could have stood their ground against the Emperor. However, the Fourth Army betrayed them at the last moment, leaving the Sixth Army to fight alone and ultimately be annihilated.
Even though the current Ursus Emperor's reputation paled in comparison to his predecessor's, openly defying him was a joke. This wasn't a matter of which side controlled more troops—it came down to the loyalty of the Ursus Imperial Guards.
As long as the Imperial Guards remained loyal to the Emperor, the number of troops was irrelevant. For the Imperial Guards, decapitation strikes were child's play.
Under normal circumstances, the Imperial Guards would never betray the Emperor. The only reason some had participated in this incident was because of Koschei's influence. No one else could sway the Imperial Guards, but Koschei had no trouble doing so.
"No need to go through all that trouble. Rhodes Island doesn't need to be involved in this fight. Just let me, FrostNova, and W handle it. The Ursus soldiers hiding in Chernobog can be dealt with by the游击队's shield guards. I'll take care of the rest. Nian, you can help out too. Rhodes Island can focus on rescue operations, starting with the schools."
After dealing with the two landships, Daniel returned to Rhodes Island. Upon hearing Kal'tsit's plan, he waved his hand, indicating that they didn't need to go through such trouble.
"Since you say so, I'll stretch my legs a bit." Nian smiled and nodded.
"Alright, let's prepare to board the city."
After finalizing the plan, Daniel used the power of the Herrscher of Reason to create a passage directly to Chernobog.
Originally, according to Kal'tsit's plan, they would create a sandstorm to obscure Reunion's vision, use aerial vehicles as a diversion, and then approach Chernobog in small vehicles before climbing up.
In the original timeline, this plan had been used, but due to Chernobog's speed, there had been some complications. Nearl had stepped in at the last moment, using her Originium Arts to distort Reunion's vision. But now, such measures were unnecessary.
"I'll go gather my people. See you later."
After boarding Chernobog, W immediately disappeared. As the leader of the Sarkaz mercenaries, W had a significant number of subordinates in Chernobog, thanks to Scout taking out Garson.
"FrostNova, aren't you supposed to be attacking Lungmen? Why are you here? Have you betrayed the leader?"
As Daniel and FrostNova's group openly entered Chernobog, they were quickly spotted by Reunion members. Soon, a group of about thirty people appeared before them, with their leader immediately questioning FrostNova.
"Are you from the Third Army or the Fourth Army?" FrostNova's eyes burned with killing intent as she stared at the man.
"I don't know what you're talking about." The man fell silent for a moment before responding. If he hadn't been wearing a mask, his shocked expression would have been visible.
"You don't know? Then explain this—I don't remember Reunion having weapons like these." FrostNova was about to attack, but Daniel stopped her.
"Let me handle this. It's best if you avoid using your Originium Arts."
"Attack!" Seeing that their cover was blown, the group prepared to strike. But in the next moment, their vision was filled with flames.
"So strong."
The Rhodes Island operators who had followed Daniel were stunned by his ability to wipe out the entire Reunion squad in a single move. Some of them glanced at Mint, who could have also dealt with the enemy, though not as quickly as Daniel.
"Next, we'll split up. We'll draw the enemy's main force, so you shouldn't encounter much danger. But still, be careful."
The group then split up, with most of the Rhodes Island members dispersing to their assigned locations. These were primarily members of Rhodes Island's medical department, including Shining, Nightingale, and Warfarin.
"You shouldn't be here."
As FrostNova gathered more Reunion members along the way, they encountered the游击队's shield guards. Soon, the towering figure of Patriot, the "Big Daddy," appeared.
"Then where should I be?" FrostNova stared at Patriot as she spoke.
"Are you Lord Kal'tsit?" Patriot's gaze shifted to Kal'tsit, his voice tinged with hesitation even through his helmet.
"It's been a long time, Bozokasti." Kal'tsit greeted Patriot calmly.
"I never expected... I've heard about what happened to Her Highness." Patriot fell silent.
"Let's not dwell on the past. There are more important matters at hand."
"I understand. What is your goal?"
Patriot nodded, his gaze shifting to Daniel. Among the group, Daniel stood closest to FrostNova, making it impossible for Patriot to ignore him.
After his son's death, Patriot had treated FrostNova as his own daughter. In the original timeline, Patriot's stubborn insistence on fighting Rhodes Island might have been partly due to his desire to die after hearing of FrostNova's death.
Patriot was, after all, only human. No matter how strong his will, losing his son and wife, and now FrostNova, would shake anyone.
"Old stubborn, you must know that the current Talulah is very different from before. Why do you still support her?" FrostNova voiced her doubts.
"She can lead the infected forward."
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