Warhammer Divine Throne

Chapter 1288: Chapter 552: Gathering Before Kulona

Outside the capital, Kulona City, all the dukes of Brittania, except Duke Hubeard of Kakasong in the far south who didn’t come and the missing Duke Lorne of Connet, have banded together to confront ”Viper” Mathew Bade and his vast army.

Even so, the remaining troops are still outnumbered by Mathew Bade’s ever-growing forces.

Moreover, four Brittania dukes have aligned with Mathew Bade’s side: Duke Aldred of Leonais, who has been turned into a vampire, Duke Fulcard of Montfort, the resurrected former Duke Armand of Aquitaine, and the resurrected former Duke Zilfroy of Atuo.

This war will ultimately decide the survival of the Knight Kingdom.

At this time, even the aged Knight King, ”Old Tiger” Dinua Jean Richard de Le Anglong, has once again donned his ancestor plate armor. Having suffered yet another blow, this Knight King looks even older, but he still unyieldingly comes to the frontline.

Wearing the family crest of the ”Blue Sea Monster,” clad in Brittania Secret Silver full-body enchanted plate armor, Richard puts on his Sea Monster helmet and the Knight Crown. Gazing at the enemy stretching endlessly to the horizon, he sighs softly, the elderly Knight King murmuring, ”It shouldn’t have become like this. Everything shouldn’t have been like this.”

”But it has happened, my king.” The one speaking is Eugene, the Holy Grail Knight Commander of the Holy Grail Knight Order stationed at the Kulona Branch. Seeing Richard in this state makes him feel deeply saddened.

The king before him was once a mighty warrior, fearless on the battlefield, repeatedly earning great victories. But time is unforgiving. Richard didn’t complete the Holy Grail Expedition; he’s over 120 years old now. As an ordinary legendary powerhouse, he has aged. He hasn’t worn armor for so long, and once fully armed, he nearly stumbled.

”Enough, this should all come to an end.” Richard coughed twice, suddenly surging with an aura long forgotten: ”Don’t help me! I’m not so old that I need assistance!”

That was the heroic spirit of his youth. In an instant, the Knight King opened his eyes, his white hair cascading down his shoulders as he took the Holy Sea Monster Riding Spear from his attendant. His murky eyes gradually filled with the flames of rage: ”I, Richard, today, will join the battle too!”

With the King leading, the Imperial Guard slowly exited the castle, Richard riding a brand-new Pure-blooded Elf Warhorse out of the city gates.

The sky lit with the break of dawn. The bells of the Holy Grail Cathedral tolled, Brittania’s knights’ banners standing densely, the prayers of knights echoing like waves through the mountains and seas. The long line stretched to the end of the street. The capital’s residents emerged from their homes, each holding a candle, praying to their Goddess, as the knights would once again secure victory as they did thousands of years ago.

Otherwise, darkness would descend.

When was the last time I left the capital fully armored like this? Richard couldn’t help but wonder.

He remembered—it was over thirty years ago when a massive Beastman army poured out from the Arden Forest, attacking Kulona. Prince Imrek of the High Elves of Calado led a force to support them, and Brittania, together with the High Elves, formed an alliance army, defeating the Beastman army, protecting the capital.

Before he knew it, it had been this long since his last expedition. Richard looked sentimentally at the residents lining the streets of Kulona. The elderly king felt a ripple in his heart, softly humming a poem composed after the previous King John II was deposed.

The entire kingdom was once under my command.

The great waves surged at my command.

But now, I head to battle at dawn.

Lonely I roam on the roads that once belonged to me.

I once tossed dice to decide the mortal world’s fate.

Willingly savoring the terror blooming in foes’ eyes.

Listening to the people’s songs of cheers and applause.

The old king has perished.

Long live the new king!

The city gates opened wide, and Richard led the royal guards to Laine’s side, where Laine greeted him with a smile: ”Good morning, my king.”

”Good morning, my vassal.” Richard nodded and sighed, ”In the end, it is you who have won.”

The old king has perished.

Long live the new king!

”I have not yet won.” Laine nodded, feeling Richard’s emotions. The Divine Chosen Champion of the Lake Fairy pointed to Mathew Bade not far away: ”Only by ending all this will come the final victory.”

”The kingdom cannot fall by my hand.” Richard nodded calmly. It seemed his past conflicts with Laine had vanished: ”Go, defeat the Viper and his army. I’ll give the command of all Kulona’s armies to you. This battle and the kingdom’s fate are entrusted to you,”

”As you command.” Laine nodded lightly. In truth, from certain perspectives, he didn’t need Richard’s commission anymore. With his fame, standing, and new duke status, he was already capable of acting on his own.

Yet Richard compromised. This aged king, true to his longstanding administrative policy, chose compromise once again for the bigger picture—both for the present and for the future.

Laine then shifted his focus back to Mathew Bade.

”My end?” Hearing Laine’s words, Mathew Bade let out a sharp laugh, shaking his head. His smile was both hideous and twisted: ”No, today won’t be my end but the beginning of a new kingdom. I will rescue all of you from a lie, I swear. Now, if you all surrender, I will forgive your sins.”