This final battle was one in which both sides were utterly convinced of their own victory, equally certain they had prepared thoroughly.
When the Empire's soldiers atop the city walls saw that dark, massive army in the distance—over three hundred thousand strong—approaching their position, they were nearly scared out of their wits.
Their own numbers weren't small either.
Though the mobilization had been rushed, they could still field an army of four hundred thousand. Even if nearly half were raw recruits and discharged veterans called back to service, they still held a numerical advantage.
What truly struck fear into their hearts was that among the enemy soldiers were many non-human beings—some wreathed in flames, others seemingly forged from ice.
It was clear at a glance that these were no ordinary soldiers ordinary men could handle.
In such a situation, could the rank-and-file soldiers on their side even be considered… ordinary anymore?
Moreover…
They knew perfectly well that, whether for Esdeath or for Eblana, this city wall might as well not exist.
"They've arrived."
In the great hall, Honest, ever attentive to the slightest stir, immediately turned toward the young Emperor on the throne after hearing the scout's report.
"Your Majesty, now is the time to activate the Guardian Deity. For the people of the Empire, please rain down divine punishment upon these rebellious traitors!"
The young Emperor had long been prepared.
Though he had no battlefield experience and felt both unfamiliar and anxious about it, seeing the Minister's trust in him, he steeled himself and nodded with forced authority.
"Indeed! This Emperor shall utterly annihilate these rebels who seek to destroy the Empire and plunge our people into war!"
With that, he nodded to Honest and rose to his feet. "I shall immediately pilot the Guardian Deity. Until then, General Budo, I entrust you with halting the advance of those traitors toward the Empire!"
"Leave it to me," Budo replied with calm composure, accepting the imperial command before turning to stride out of the hall.
His demeanor and attitude acted like an anchor, steadying the young Emperor and offering a sliver of comfort to his heart.
As the two departed the hall one after the other, the Minister glanced at the whispering officials below, sneering coldly as he memorized the faces of those who seemed ready to raise the white flag in surrender, then left as well.
He needed to hide well—and find the best vantage point to observe the coming battle.
Just as the soldiers on the wall had feared, the massive, over-ten-meter-thick fortifications designed to withstand siege by Danger Beasts were, before Eblana, like cotton ignited by flame.
They couldn't hold for even a moment before a huge hole was burned through, its size expanding rapidly as the fire spread.
The prepared soldiers hadn't stationed many forces on the wall itself. Once the breach appeared, those gathered below immediately charged toward Eblana's army with rallying cries.
Neither Eblana, Esdeath, Night Raid, nor the Jaegers considered these soldiers worthy opponents.
The response to their charge was a tide of grim, murderous intent—a mingling of black and white—as the Dublinn forces engulfed and washed over the enemy.
The main force of Dublinn consisted of Ice Calvary and Servants of Lamentation.
Though the number of humans among them was slightly higher than the other two types, their combat effectiveness was indeed somewhat inferior.
Close behind the Dublinn forces came the Revolutionary Army troops in their standard uniforms.
Unlike the Dublinn soldiers, who were fully armed with fine armor and weapons, the Revolutionaries' equipment was clearly… more cost-effective.
Armor covered only key areas; most wore simple cloth offering little defense.
Most of them didn't intend to fight too desperately—their gear wasn't up to it anyway.
So compared to the Dublinn forces charging ahead, most Revolutionaries opted to play a supporting role or kept constantly repositioning.
Very busy, but one might wonder what exactly they were busy with.
On the other side, the powerful individuals capable of drawing the attention of Teigu users from Night Raid and the Jaegers were quickly spotted.
Within the Imperial Fist Temple, the four elites known as the Four Rakshasa Demons each possessed strength to rival Teigu users with bare hands alone.
But this so-called "one-in-ten-thousand" selection didn't mean only four warriors of this caliber existed.
With the Minister's all-out recruitment, the Imperial Fist Temple dispatched an additional five warriors of Rakshasa Demon level, plus twelve disciples whose strength, while not reaching those peak levels, was still formidable.
These individuals moved stealthily through the crowds, attempting to kill Dublinn soldiers to weaken their forces.
Unfortunately, Servants of Lamentation and Ice Calvary could be resurrected after death, and ordinary soldiers they killed were quickly transformed into Servants of Lamentation.
Realizing their efforts were largely futile, they began to feel rather… frustrated.
They were frustrated, but Night Raid and the Jaegers were not.
Seeing each side pick their opponents, Eblana and Esdeath, on horseback, continued advancing forward.
Najenda hadn't come to the front lines. She knew her current combat prowess wasn't up to par. Rather than pointlessly joining the fray, it was better to wait in the rear.
But just then, bolts of lightning dozens of meters long suddenly fell from the sky, throwing the Revolutionary Army's forces into disarray.
Seeing her Dublinn troops remain completely unscathed, Eblana stopped Esdeath, who wore an excited expression and had even drawn her rapier, eager to join the fight.
Instead, she looked up at Budo hovering mid-air.
Budo's face showed neither sorrow nor joy, nor did he utter a word. He simply unleashed lightning, cutting down Revolutionary soldiers.
"Pay him no mind. He's merely a stubborn old fool, blindly loyal and adept at deluding himself," Eblana said, soothing Esdeath's battle lust while taking hold of her horse's reins.
"Compared to Budo, wouldn't you rather witness the ultimate Teigu—the Guardian Deity?"
Hearing this, some of the fervor in Esdeath's heart cooled.
She knew of the Guardian Deity.
When the Minister first allied with her, to intimidate her, he had mentioned the mighty power of the ultimate Teigu.
Unfortunately, Esdeath hadn't been frightened then—only eager to test herself against it.
After that, the Minister rarely brought it up again.
But from her memories, Esdeath could clearly see how confident Honest was in the Guardian Deity. Even after she had just returned from annihilating several foreign armies, he still believed the Guardian Deity surpassed her.
This couldn't help but stir some anticipation in Esdeath as well.
Just as she was thinking this, a tremor like the shaking of mountains and earth came from beneath their feet. The previously docile horses were badly startled by the violent shaking.
The two looked into the distance.
At the Empire's center, where the imperial palace should have stood, the structure had now collapsed. Standing atop its ruins was a colossal being nearly a thousand meters tall.
"That's the ultimate Teigu?" Esdeath's eyes widened immediately. This suited her tastes far more than Budo did.
Run also stared in shock at the distant figure. So the legendary ultimate Teigu truly existed? No wonder its traces were never seen anywhere—it had been beneath the imperial palace all along!
But this changed things. Could Lady Eblana and Lady Esdeath really stand against this first and strongest of all Teigu?
Everyone was awestruck by that distant, godlike figure descending upon the world. Only Eblana's expression was somewhat peculiar.
Because… she faintly felt she could remotely control that ultimate Teigu…
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.