Brand hadn’t spoken yet when suddenly a whirring sound swept through the sky. Everyone instinctively looked up, just in time to see two large skeletal giant dragons, one behind the other, growing bigger as they approached, roaring past overhead.
In that instant, everyone present froze in fear—a feeling that was indescribable—terrifying yet elegant Undead soared across the sky, purple flames leaping and burning between gray-black bones, seeping out from the ribs. With each flap of their massive wings came a heavy sound of wind, as they flew overhead, trailing a long tail of purple flames, the wind pressure sent shivers through everyone’s scalp as if a scream pierced through their souls from the depths of their hearts.
The scream itself resembled a long nightmare, nurturing a sense of decay and despair from within, like white bones growing out of dark land, decomposing tendons crawling with white maggots. The withering land stretched as far as the eye could see, the sky was gloomily overcast, and you stood alone in the center of this gray plain.
Brand jolted back to reality, silently exclaiming at the prowess of the fear aura of the skeletal dragon. Just flying by exerted such an impact on everyone present. He couldn’t help but glance around, seeing horses on the riverbank scattered and fled in terror, or collapsed to the ground with weakened limbs.
Then he saw Luc Besson, who blinked in surprise when he noticed Brand had also regained his senses. "Join us, young man. You saw it yourself, individual strength is minuscule against such overwhelming power."
Brand looked at him and shook his head. He couldn’t trust this guy now, and historically Luc Besson was dead. He didn’t want to tempt fate; after painstakingly enduring so much to reach this point, escaping this dead city would accomplish half of his plan.
Next, he could relax and level up, waiting for Erune to come to an end.
Brand saw the good days just beginning and wouldn’t plot his own downfall. He thought for a moment and decided to tell the truth to deter the opponent: "I’m breaking through to the north, because my friend is waiting for me there. If General Luc Besson doesn’t mind, he can come with me."
Luc Besson stared at him hesitantly, but eventually shook his head. The north, northwest, and west were ablaze with eerie blue flames, indicating the Undead Army was invading from those directions. Although he admired the young man, he wasn’t ready to risk his own life.
Brand didn’t tell him that aside from the east, other directions were nearly the same. However, the north was a shorter distance; time was an advantage, time was life.
He patted Char’s shoulder beside him, replying: "If that’s the case, we’ll take our leave then. If fate allows, I hope we meet again."
Historically, Luc Besson wasn’t very different from other nobles, but he at least had capability. Moreover, he was one of the few in that era who could envisage the concept of a country; subconsciously, Brand didn’t mind if he survived.
But looking at him, Brand said nothing unnecessary. He feared inadvertently hinting at something, maybe not a problem now, but ’Tiger’ Luc Besson was no naive girl like Frey or Romantic; if he found any suspicion, who knows what could happen.
These days, Astrologers were respected, but Godmen were bound for the stake. Brand could not risk his life and future for unnecessary danger.
Year of Flowers and Summer Leaves, June 2nd—
The past peace turned to ashes in the blazing fire that night. Wherever the Undead Army passed, there was scorched earth, countless lives lost, countless families torn apart.
When people realized their prayers couldn’t save them, and the only nobles they could rely on abandoned them, long-lasting scars formed, and this distrust gradually spread from the warzone to the rear.
But Brand knew this was just the first step towards Erune’s demise.
The news of Ridenburg’s fall didn’t reach Fanmir Fortress until six days later, and by then, Tagus’s flank army had already threatened Ankeze, as if the entire Fanmir-Ridenburg frontline had vanished overnight, leaving only a solitary fortress struggling to hold on.
On June 11th, the news of the Undead Army in Viero reached Kerkova. The next day, Oberg the Seventh secretly met with Madara’s envoy.
On June 13th, Ambeser’s free Merchant Alliance declared participation in the war.
On June 14th, Madara’s envoy formally paid homage.
On June 20th, fighting at the frontline slowed, and both sides formed envoy groups, ushering in a prolonged period of negotiation.
However, while negotiations proceeded, the war continued slowly forward. In the first month, the frontline battles seemed to struggle in a quagmire. Madara’s army stirred trouble everywhere, and Erune’s sluggish responses often resulted in enormous losses.
But the Royal Family welcomed such losses.
Thus, the negotiation process dragged further. On July 5th, Madara’s army entered Jandener, encountering Ambeser’s mercenaries for the first time. The historical ’Flangen Castle Battle’ commenced, and Instarlon made a name for himself in this battle. Commanding the Black Knights, he repeatedly tore through Anlek’s mercenaries’ flank under artillery cover, ultimately stabilizing the battle.
Afterward, Madara’s army advanced all the way, reaching Jandener’s capital at its deepest. In a series of battles, Instarlon, Tagus, Villand, August, and Greta, one by one, these young names shone as General Stars, and only Brand knew what these names meant in future history.
But history continued. On July 16th, Oberg the Seventh again met with Madara’s envoy. Three days later, the negotiations ended, marking the close of the First Black Rose War.
However, this war began and ended like lightning, as if nothing happened, yet everything seemed to have happened. The only result of the war seemed to be Erune’s repeated defeats as expected, with little else noteworthy.
Except that in the following ten years, Buqi no longer belonged to those who once loved that land.
(PS: Got too excited watching black stockings, ==, tragedy, when the clear big picture of black stockings comes out, should I celebrate it with you guys?)