Chapter 305: The Remaining Sword Saints of Sunset

Emperor Frelio XVI was acutely aware that his enhanced state would not last long. He needed to completely subdue the Chaos Federation and reclaim the empire's southern territories within fifteen days, and at the latest within thirty days. Failing to do so would plunge the empire into an endless prolonged conflict, a consequence the national strength of the empire could not sustain.

Under the guidance of Marquis Gabrulain, Emperor Frelio first met with reinforcements from the Sunset Empire. The support from the Sunset Empire was not large in number---only a hundred thousand troops---which wasn't considered much. However, this time, the Sunset Empire had not made a perfunctory effort but had indeed invested heavily.

These hundred thousand were the famed Eclipse Knights Legion of the Sunset Empire, similar in standing to the Thunder Empire's Guardian Knights Legion. The Eclipse Knights Legion consisted of a hundred thousand high-level knights, each selected through rigorous screening from millions of soldiers in the empire, making them the cream of the crop, both in terms of strength and combat experience.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" The commander of the Eclipse Legion stepped forward to salute.

Emperor Frelio nodded slightly, "You must be the renowned Knight Commander Warren!"

This commander was a well-known figure in the Sunset Empire, with strength comparable to the chief knight of the Thunder Empire---a Level 6 monarch-class entity. He had led the Eclipse Knights for twenty years, a truly remarkable figure. However, his appearance did not surprise Emperor Frelio. After all, the entire Eclipse Knights Legion had been dispatched; how could their commander not appear?

Emperor Frelio's attention did not linger on Knight Commander Warren; instead, he scanned the five individuals accompanying Warren. These five were distinctly different in attire and demeanor from the Eclipse Knights, each dressed differently, of various ages, and their aura was no less formidable than Warren's.

"These five are..." The Emperor, realizing the significance of their presence, did not wait for Warren to introduce them but instead proactively inquired about their origins.

Warren immediately responded, "These five are from the renowned Seven Sword Saints of the Sunset Empire, five of whom have come to assist the Thunder Empire in combating the Demon King of the southern territories."

So, it was as such. The Seven Sword Saints of the Sunset Empire were the empire's most famous seven top-tier powerhouses. The Sword Saints operated independently of the empire's control, usually disregarding imperial commands or overtures, each possessing immense strength and representing the pinnacle of the Sunset Empire's warriors. Typically, such elusive and independent figures were difficult to gather. However, at this moment, aside from the two Sword Saints who had died, the remaining five had incredibly assembled here, which was quite astonishing.

Emperor Frelio was naturally very surprised: "The Seven Sword Saints of the Sunset Empire, with two unfortunately having perished, I did not expect that all five remaining would come here."

Among the Seven Sword Saints of the Sunset Empire, two were Heroes: Sato Satoru, the leader of the Seven Sword Saints known as the Formless Sword Saint, and another, the Inner-Eye Sword Saint, Xiu Si. Both had died in battle against the Demon King. Sato Satoru was a Level 6 mythic-class figure, the strongest among the seven. The other six Sword Saints were all of a similar level, each a Level 6 monarch-class entity. That was to say, these five individuals here were all Level 6 monarch-class warriors. What an incredibly powerful force they represented!

One of the Sword Saints spoke up, "Our participation does not represent the empire, but is solely to reclaim the honor of the Seven Sword Saints!"

It turned out to be so. Discontent over the fall of their two comrades had driven these five Sword Saints to join forces in an attempt to restore their honor. Emperor Frelio XVI was not concerned with the reasons for their participation, as to him, the five Sword Saints were considerably strong. As long as they stood against the Demon King, they would be an asset to the Thunder Empire.

"Good! Very good!" Emperor Frelio XVI was very pleased.

He then, under Warren's guidance, glanced at the Eclipse Knights from the Sunset Empire. While the individual strength of these knights was not as high as the Guardian Knights, they still possessed an average strength of Level 4.

Most importantly, while there were only a few thousand Guardian Knights, there were as many as a hundred thousand Eclipse Knights. Their tactics and martial skills, honed through specialized training, allowed for seamless cooperation, making their collective strength comparable to, if not slightly better than, the Guardian Knights. After all, despite its intense internal strife, the Sunset Empire was a nation that greatly valued martial prowess and had a long-standing cavalry culture. In terms of knight training and the number of formidable warriors, it surpassed the Thunder Empire.

At this moment, Marquis Gabrulain reminded, "The Prophet of Doom Primo has prepared a massive magical formation, which is ready to be activated soon to simulate the outcomes of the war. Why not take a look for yourself, Your Majesty?"

Hearing this, Emperor Frelio took it seriously. As the saying goes, knowing the enemy and knowing yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles. There were many reasons for the Thunder Empire's successive defeats in the southern territories, but the most crucial was the failure to accurately assess the situations of both sides, leading to underestimating the enemy and resulting in disastrous defeats. However, this time was different. The forces assembled by the Thunder Empire were not only unprecedentedly strong but also bolstered by reinforcements from powers like the Sunset Empire. How could they not handle a mere Demon King?

With the addition of the Prophet of Doom, Primo, this would likely place the empire in an invincible position. The Demon King's trump card was his mysterious methods and unpredictability. If the empire could precisely discern the Demon King's movements, military scale, attack strategies, and routes, then the Demon King would stand no chance at all.

With this thought, Emperor Frelio XVI didn't hesitate. He immediately went with his entourage to find the Prophet of Doom, Primo. Primo had already set up a massive magical array, powered by thirty-six energy crystals built into high towers, and had even borrowed the Royal Court Mage Corp to assist with the spell casting. With these enhancements, Primo's precognitive abilities would be significantly increased.

Marquis Gabrulain notified Primo, "His Majesty is here, you can begin now. We need to understand the Demon King's next moves, including his attack route, timing, type and number of troops, and his strength." These were all critical pieces of information. Even knowing just one of these could bring tremendous value.

Primo nodded, "Please rest assured, Marquis and Your Majesty. With this ceremonial site and the assistance of the Royal Court Mage Corp, I am absolutely confident that I can predict the outcome and details of this battle."

Emperor Frelio said, "In that case, let's not delay any further, begin!"

Primo immediately went to the center of the area and sat down. He began to chant spells, while the other mages cast spells to enhance Primo's magical power.

At that moment, a powerful domain instantly enveloped the area. Then, the projection of the imperial capital was cast from all directions. Everyone found themselves within this vast illusion.

Unlike a reduced-scale sandbox map, this was a nearly one-to-one perfect scale reproduction. The projection not only replicated the imperial capital and the surrounding landscape but also perfectly recreated all the people and all the animals.

"This is the Prophet using time magic to extract a true projection directly from the timeline!" Marquis, although he had witnessed it twice before, was still shocked by this capability.

Moreover, compared to when they were in the southern territories, the future scenarios the Prophet was accessing now were tenfold more extensive and complex in both scope and detail.

Emperor Frelio also watched intently. He had to admit that the Prophet's renown was well-deserved; all the projections surrounding them were from the future, preemptively demonstrating everything that was about to occur.

Primo continued to channel his magical power, and the projection, which was moving at a normal speed, suddenly accelerated dozens to hundreds of times faster---everyone's lives and actions appeared as if on fast forward. Soon after, Emperor Frelio saw the scene he was looking for. To the north of the imperial capital, a dark line appeared, which was a massive army of at least five hundred thousand---dragons, elves, orcs, dwarves, giants, humans, and almost every other race, making it an extremely diverse and vast force.

"Is this the army of the Chaos Forest?" Emperor Frelio's pupils constricted slightly, his fists clenched, his expression grave.

The Demon King's army was drawing nearer, and the capital had already made its preparations. Various barriers, magical formations, and defensive towers were activated at the first opportunity.

The great battle was about to begin. The first to attack the imperial capital were roughly one to two hundred powerful Abyssal Dragons, led by the Dark Dragon King and supported by long-range firepower from the Demon King's army, quickly creating a breach in the city's protective barrier.

Subsequently, the Demon King's army split into several factions. They attacked from different directions simultaneously, breaking through the imperial defense lines, diverting the capital's attention, and then taking advantage of the chaos to infiltrate the imperial capital.

During this battle, one particular object played a crucial role. It was none other than the supreme magitek fortress, which had appeared several times in the southern campaign battles. Compared to before, this fortress had obviously been upgraded, making its firepower tremendously formidable. It could be said that without the firepower suppression from the supreme magitek fortress, the Demon King's army would not have been able to easily breach the barriers and engage the empire's army in fierce head-to-head combat.

In addition to what was observed, Emperor Frelio and Marquis Gabrulain noted several figures of interest in these projections, such as Nancilia and Long Yi, both possessing Level 6 strength, along with Zhang San, Li Si, and other king figures like the Elven King, Giant King, Dwarven King, Orc King, and Human King. It's evident that the high-end combat capabilities of Darkness City, the variety of its military units, and its tactical methodologies were laid bare for the empire to see for the first time. This direct exposure allowed the imperial personnel to fully appreciate the formidable capabilities of Darkness City.

"The strength of that army is terrifying! It's no wonder then," remarked Marquis Gabrulain gravely. "The strength displayed by the Demon King's army far surpasses the combined military might of the empire's southern territories. It's clear that the defeat of the ducal forces was inevitable. We lost because we did not understand the Demon King well enough and underestimated the rapid growth of his forces."

At the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief: "However, with these troops alone, it is impossible to shake the imperial capital; they are essentially marching to their demise."

Yet, the Prophet Primo spoke gravely: "This Demon King is more than meets the eye. Do not be deceived by the appearances you see now."