Liurnia of the Lakes, Testu's Island, Caria Army camp.
The office of Caria's commander-in-chief for the campaign against the Roundtable Hold was simple and practical. A large desk occupied the center of the room, piled high with documents and battle reports.
Messmer sat behind the desk, fully focused on the latest battle reports from the front.
At present, Caria's war situation was progressing very smoothly. Ever since they successfully severed the connection between the Magic Academy and the Roundtable Hold, the Caria Army had begun a fierce counteroffensive.
Although the Roundtable Hold had no shortage of mid-to-high-level hero-class combatants, Caria still held a clear advantage in troop numbers.
On top of that, Caria had received reinforcements from the Impaler Army led by Messmer.
Although the number of soldiers in the Impaler Army could no longer compare to those great legions, every one of them was a veteran who had survived countless battles and possessed extremely rich combat experience. They had even faintly become the main force of Caria's offensive.
Just as Messmer was deep in thought, a cluster of blue light particles suddenly drifted in through the window.
Those light particles glimmered faintly in the night, like scattered starlight, adding a mysterious atmosphere to the room.
The particles slowly gathered on a seat in front of the desk, forming a vague human outline.
Messmer did not even need to wait for the cluster of light to fully take shape to know who had come.
In all of Caria, only one person would enter his office in such a unique way.
"The Roundtable Hold has been forced back to the north shore, and the east shore has been fully recovered as well. General Messmer truly is impressive."
Ranni, formed from gathered photons, sat elegantly across from Messmer like the brightest star in the night sky.
A faint smile appeared on her beautiful face as she nodded slightly, expressing her approval of Messmer.
"My next plan is to continue reinforcing the east shore," Messmer said. "If we can retake the high ground on the northeastern shore, then the Roundtable Hold will have no choice but to abandon the north shore as well and retreat to the Altus Plateau."
"If they retreat to the Altus Plateau, they can only go to Leyndell." Ranni was already thinking further ahead and slowly said, "Can't we wipe out the Roundtable Hold in one stroke?"
Messmer shook his head and said helplessly,
"That would be very difficult. Gideon and Vargram both possess combat strength no weaker than that of us Demigods, and the Roundtable Hold has many heroes. Their strength cannot be underestimated."
His words carried clear wariness toward the enemy.
Indeed, the Tarnished had a way of growing stronger that was different from ordinary people.
By relying on the Two Fingers Priestess and runes, they could quickly become powerful heroes. It was undoubtedly an enviable shortcut.
And after the Roundtable Hold took part in the Mt. Gelmir war, the speed at which its strength swelled became even more astonishing.
For the Tarnished, war was like fertile soil, nourishing their constant growth.
Messmer could clearly sense that Gideon and Vargram's current strength had improved significantly compared with the time before they were expelled from the Lands Between.
This undoubtedly put greater pressure on Caria. Fortunately, for heroes of this level, making a qualitative leap in strength was no easy matter, and the price required was enormous.
Otherwise, if one war could feed two Kings into existence, Caria would have been swept flat by them long ago.
Whether it was Messmer himself, Ranni, or Rellana, none of them could possibly contend against a true King.
In this land called Liurnia of the Lakes, the only one qualified to be called a King was the Queen who stood high atop the Magic Academy.
The current battle situation was actually favorable to Caria. With no Kings taking part in the war, the comparison of Demigod-level combat strength between Caria and the Roundtable Hold was three to two.
Of course, Messmer would not let his guard down because of that. After all, the Roundtable Hold had been sent by the Two Fingers, and no one could guarantee that Leyndell would not make other moves next.
The Dickdas Grand Elevator was occupied by the Roundtable Hold, and they now knew almost nothing about the situation on the Altus Plateau and in Leyndell.
Gideon understood the importance of information far too well. In the past, Caria and Leyndell still had contact, but now they could barely see even a few traders or ordinary travelers coming from Leyndell.
"It is unwise to aim too high. For now, we can only make driving out the Roundtable Hold our first objective."
Messmer's tone was serious, almost like a lecture.
He sighed softly, his gaze falling on Ranni, but he said nothing more.
This kind of battle report was no secret to the Princess of Caria. She should have read it long ago.
Messmer knew very well that Ranni must have something else to say.
Ranni did not know whether she had taken Messmer's words in, but she merely nodded slightly.
"You can handle the battlefield. I came to you because we need to organize a force to go underground."
"At a time like this?" Messmer frowned deeply when he heard this.
Of course he knew Liurnia of the Lakes had many secrets hidden underground, but the war was now at a critical stage. Where would they find spare troops to concern themselves with those people beneath the earth?
"This is Nolan's intention. There is no need to press the Roundtable Hold too hard for now. Stormveil will send reinforcements," Ranni said.
As the Princess of Caria, her first priority was naturally to recover all of Liurnia of the Lakes as quickly as possible.
But since that fellow had finally asked her for help, she truly found it difficult to refuse.
...
Ancient Dragons and Flying Dragons soared in orderly formation through the skies of Liurnia of the Lakes, their figures weaving together into a spectacular sight.
At the same time, Nolan rode Torrent and led an enormous column like a long dragon out from the north gate of Stormveil Castle.
The force was vast and imposing, stretching on endlessly as though it had no end.
Figures of every race mingled within the ranks, and massive Golems, Dragonkin Soldiers, and all manner of war machines slowly moved alongside the army.
The total strength of this army exceeded one hundred thousand. In scale, it was comparable to the grand formation of the Golden Lords' allied army when they attacked Leyndell all those years ago.
Such a huge army, marching so openly and conspicuously, made it clear that Nolan's confidence had greatly inflated.
However, Nolan truly had the capital to be confident.
With Nolan and the knights under his command leading this great army, they would have had the qualifications to contend for the world in any era.
Unfortunately, great strength also brought certain drawbacks. For example, he now had to lead his troops in the most straightforward and primitive manner, which inevitably made the march look rather like a show of force.
As for the people of Caria, they finally saw with their own eyes that the Dark Moon Knight once beloved by Her Highness the Princess had now truly become a great King who dominated one side.
Of course, Nolan had not brought such a large force out to stab an ally in the back.
At this point, there was no need to continue pretending with the Two Fingers.
Their objective was perfectly clear. They would kill those Two Fingers, blinded by greed and throwing the court into chaos, under the banner of restoring clear skies and order to the Lands Between. The slogan still sounded as grand, glorious, and righteous as ever.
Nolan and the Firelink Knights had already decided what to do next. They would strike the Eternal City and the Roundtable Hold at the same time and settle everything in one sweep.
After that, they would follow the momentum and attack the Altus Plateau. As for whether to strike Leyndell or Mt. Gelmir first, that could be decided according to the situation.
However, most of the Firelink Knights suggested attacking Mt. Gelmir first.
Although Leyndell's side had been defeated in the Mt. Gelmir war, they still believed Mt. Gelmir was the weaker force.
Ranni, on the other hand, suggested resolving the problem through negotiation. The siblings had cooperated before, but Nolan held little hope for her idea.
If this had been before the Mt. Gelmir war, there might still have been room to talk. But now that Rykard had become the great serpent, the Praetor might even want to swallow Nolan too.
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