548: Chapter 262 Knight Order Expedition_3 548: Chapter 262 Knight Order Expedition_3 However, the dire situation lies in the fact that the Corpse Ghosts do not fear, do not retreat, lack morale, come in overwhelming numbers, and require no logistics or rest…
A series of advantages beyond mortal imagination compensates for the almost complete absence of commanding officers within the Undead army.
After all, with immense numbers and locked-in morale, no matter the enemy, the Undead only seem to need to know F2A to win.
Once the military council dispersed, Leon sat alone in the conference room, catching his breath as he stared at the map before him.
According to Yevan’s report on the situation, most of the Eastern Kantadar territory had completely lost contact with them.
The shadow of the Undead had already consumed over sixty percent of Sobonitz Domain.
If the scale of the Undead ravaging the other Eastern Kantadar domains is similar to that seen in Baldim County…
Leon estimated in his heart that the number of Undead in this region likely wouldn’t fall below…
five hundred thousand.
A despair-inducing number.
Yet Leon understood that this was still his most conservative estimate, after excluding survivors and refugees.
According to Baron Yevan’s report, before the disaster struck, Sobonitz Domain had a population of approximately 1.5 million or more.
And even then, this was only the current situation on the Kantadar battlefield.
Ever since learning that the Holy Sun Church had sent Envoys to contact Lydwen III for joint resistance, Leon knew the disaster wasn’t spreading in just one direction.
On the frontlines within Seryan’s borders, could they now also be facing hundreds of thousands of Undead?
The thought Leon least wanted to entertain, yet couldn’t ignore, was…
in the slaughtered Rolannar Region, it wouldn’t be limited to just twenty or thirty thousand dead.
If the situation on the other end is truly critical, and the war’s been waging for this long, how far have the Undead proliferated within Seryan?
Feeling a deep weakness, Leon slowly closed his eyes, wishing that Lydwen at this moment had already issued a full military mobilization across the Kingdom’s domains.
Currently, the King likely has around thirty to forty thousand Southern Expedition forces.
These consist of partial forces from “Klonia Kingdom,” “West Territory,” combined with the entirety of “Gray Robe Valley.”
But as Lord Eriv recently surmised in discussion, if the remaining “Farayel Domain,” “Boraiden Territory,” “Ostania Territory,” “Garsom Domain,” and “Loman Territory” could be mobilized, theoretically, gathering another hundred to a hundred fifty thousand troops wouldn’t be an issue.
Furthermore, neither West Territory nor Klonia Territory have yet deployed all their forces.
The problem is, theory remains just theory.
In this era, wanting to mobilize and gather such a massive army from across the Kingdom is easier said than done.
Leon shook his head; this headache-inducing issue was one for Lydwen to worry about.
Being in a humble position, Leon couldn’t dictate the thoughts of the Kingdom’s other Lords.
For now, he could only do his utmost.
Standing, he left the conference room and pushed open the hallway window, gazing toward the district of Avalon Castle.
From here, he could see the barracks and fortress in the eastern middle district already packed with stationed troops.
The fully-staffed Knight Order forces, for the sake of morale, were given new internal designs by Leon.
The primary body of the army, composed of three spear-and-shield infantry battalions, was now called the “Blade Wings.”
Meanwhile, the elite crossbow battalion, armed with fire arrows specifically designed for the Undead, was named the “Fire Crow Wings.” And since they were already dubbed Crow Wings, Leon simply assigned each soldier to Urian Warhorses for mobility.
After all, Avalon didn’t have enough qualified cavalry, and the expanded cavalry unit had an extra hundred-plus Urian Warhorses, which couldn’t just sit idle.
So, they were used to enhance the mobility of the fire arrow marksmen.
As for the most elite battalion of heavy cavalry within the Knight Order, they were named the “Griffin Wings.” Dressed in the finest armor and wielding the most comprehensive weapons, they were the vanguard during knightly charges.
Including the 150 conscripted militia assigned to escort supplies, this was the entire force set to depart.
Of course, there were also the thousand Holy Lake Knights.
Leon felt fortunate that Lola’s prophetic abilities had prepared him early with such a strong army that required no pay.
Though they didn’t ask for compensation, Avalon still had its dignity.
Leon insisted on providing necessary food and resources to the allied force.
For this expedition, apart from Uncle Bryan leading 10 cavalry and 200 militia to defend Avalon Castle, the Knight Order would be mobilized in full force.
A combined force of 1,600 troops from Avalon and the Holy Lake Knights, plus the 2,000 Thorny Flower Army that Eriv had already prepared in Glade County.
A total force of 3,600 troops—this was everything he could muster at the moment to aid Yevan.
Of course, this effort wouldn’t be complete without his own mentor Lola.
Leon pressed his chest, feeling the presence of the Holy Prophetess who was already with him.
Though Eriv believed this campaign was merely to buy time for the defenses of Orland and the Earldom…
Leon knew that his true goal remained singular from beginning to end.
To find an opportunity to bring Lola back to Rolannar.
Though he didn’t know what method the Miss Pope had planned, he could vaguely guess some possibilities through imagination.
Perhaps, only by recovering her remnants under the Great Temple could this ancient Magic Emperor regain her life-era powers…