Chapter 602: Loren is Writing an Immortal Epic
Chapter 602: Loren is Writing an Immortal Epic
In the capital city of Helshamrem, within the Puelante Empire, stood the grand Congress Hall, a sprawling and majestic chamber hidden behind tall doors.
The hall echoed with whispers as legislators huddled together, their faces etched with tension, confusion, and curiosity.
Under the dim lighting, the air seemed frozen, with only the dust dancing in the interplay of light and shadow.
The atmosphere in the parliamentary chamber reached a tense climax as the Prime Minister strode in, followed by his political allies and confidants. Their expressions were equally somber, but their eyes reflected unwavering trust and support for the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister, Wilford, cut a determined figure in his formal black suit. What set him apart from previous appearances was the addition of a golden cross, a symbol of holiness, at his collar.
He made his way through the crowd and ascended the podium.
Even as he stood at the podium, the chamber remained filled with subdued murmurs.
After a lengthy pause, Wilford began, "Despite our setback in the recent battle, we will not surrender, we will not yield, and we will fight to the very end."
Surveying the room, he took a deep breath before continuing, "In this campaign, we lost 30,000 brave soldiers and nearly a thousand magic-guided cannons. The ports on both sides of the strait have fallen into the hands of the Honing Empire, and it is an undeniable fact that the Honing Empire will launch a new offensive against our country or our neighboring nations. The fall of the Blisse Kingdom, a neighboring country, is an eternal regret, and the strength of the Fucklo Kingdom has been weakened, with the Blisse Kingdom's army annihilated. In comparison, our military strength is relatively strong."
"Now is the time to test the direct combat capabilities of our allies and the Honing Empire. Our soldiers who have experienced the first battle believe that our army has not performed to its full potential and still has room to grow! In the future, we may face even greater challenges and more severe losses. The northern continental front line, which we once firmly believed in, has been largely breached, and many valuable mines and factories have been occupied by the enemy. From now on, we must be fully prepared for a fierce war."
His calm and steady voice drowned out all the noise in the Lower House.
The grim reality left the legislators taut-faced, hesitant to voice their opinions rashly.
"The northern strait of the continent is our natural trench and bulwark, the broadest body of water that our guests from the Southern Continent, the Honing Empire, have never encountered. We hold the advantage in experience and geography. Even the blood race dares not engage us in naval warfare. If not for the land battles, these sun-shunning creatures would not have absolute security during the day."
"The Honing Empire aims to render our naval combat capabilities useless and surround us from all sides. Apart from that, can you imagine any greater purpose they might have? From a military standpoint, is there any greater strategic importance or significance? They once spared no effort, but now it is impossible for them to achieve their goals because the Demon Realm and the Beastmen City-States are on our side!"
Lanci's voice started slowly but gradually grew in strength and fervor as his speech progressed.
Journalists diligently recorded his words, and the legislators reacted variously, with some looking surprised and others deep in thought.
This was the Prime Minister's second national address since taking office.
Lanci's impassioned speech failed to sway the conservatives, who occasionally glanced at the immovable Duke Morretti while swallowing nervously.
Nearly half of the seats in the entire Congressional Hall remained eerily silent.
Duke Morretti, the leader of the conservative party, was the only one who pulled out the white handkerchief of approval from his chest pocket, signaling his faction's agreement. The others followed his lead, but they knew that this time, regardless of what changes Prime Minister brought to the Puelante Empire, Duke Morretti would not be showing his approval.
The Prime Minister and Duke Morretti had completely fallen out.
However, the conservatives noticed that the members of the outer cabinet were already deeply moved, as if all their doubts and fears had been dissolved by the Prime Minister's words!
This made even the conservatives hesitate.
"I know you are fearful, hesitant, and unsure of how each step will change the course of history, but I must tell you that the Honing Empire is not an invincible foe!"
"I'm sure many of you here have heard of the 'Salem Plan' of our Puelante Empire, which has also been a focus of investigation by enemy spies. Yet, up to this point, the Honing Empire has not been able to uncover the core of this plan.
"However, now, I am able to publicly reveal its intelligence to you all..."
With a wave of Lanci's hand, an audio-visual recording of an event currently unfolding in a far-off land was projected through a magical device.
It was the northern border city of the Honing Empire, where the most elite vanguard army corps was stationed.
The perspective was that of a demon general, his body shimmering with lightning, as he rode a demonic dragon, charging alone into the heart of the Honing Empire.
As the demonic dragon sped forward, the general threw down a magical sphere. It fell from the sky, shrinking rapidly until it was minuscule, becoming a mere speck, before the dragon began to veer away.
Even before the strong of the Honing Empire could react...
On the distant horizon, a tiny spark of light appeared, quickly expanding, accompanied by a brilliant white flash.
Then, a deafening roar erupted skyward, and blood stained the sky, like the wrathful cry of a god!
The walls and mountains began to twist and shatter under the onslaught of the shockwave, the immense energy upheaving the ground, buildings reduced to scattered debris, and trees and vegetation consumed by the white light.
As time seemed to stretch, the white radiance continued to swell, eventually obscuring everything in the sky!
Whether they were seventh or eighth-stage powerhouses of the Honing Empire, in the face of this apocalyptic flame, they would all be reduced to ashes, helpless and unable to resist.
The people in the parliament hall gaped, unable to utter a sound.
They had never witnessed such a terrifying tragedy. With the drop of that tiny magical sphere, a heat wave engulfed and devoured an entire province of the Honing Empire, along with its garrison!
Soon, even the distant Congress Hall on the northern continent felt a brief, intense tremor, causing them to instinctively cover their heads!
The legislators stared at the dazzling display of lights in the footage, still shaken.
Was this destruction or creation? They couldn't tell, but they knew they had just witnessed a forbidden weapon capable of annihilating gods!
Lanci stood at the lectern, his gaze fixed on the audience.
The fusion bomb, a combination of the nuclear fusion wolf he had left in the Demon Realm and the Fourth Ancestor, Eduardo, who had been transformed into a summon by the demons, had been delivered to the skies above the Honing Empire.
In simpler terms, he had used the Fourth Ancestor, Eduardo, as a disposable bomb.
The might of this ninth-stage epic-level spark was something no country could withstand.
"Meow meow meow?"
Cat Boss, hiding in Lanci's shadow, stared at the outside world in disbelief.
Could it be that...
It had just pressed that button...
And wiped out an entire province of the Honing Empire...
Meow meow meow! I don't want to be a war criminal cat!!
Cat Boss suddenly understood the price of a high-level epic card—it had become the most vicious and evil executioner in the world! Its eyes welled up with tears. While it didn't fear owing karma like Xiubao, in this instance, the karma it had accumulated might take three hundred lifetimes, or even four hundred, to repay!!
The parliament hall fell into a prolonged silence.
Lanci spoke again.
"For all living things in this world, death will eventually come, but there is no death more honorable than facing a formidable foe and dying to protect the temples of our ancestors' relics and faith."
"The military strength we currently possess in the Puelante Empire and the Evernight Alliance behind us is countless times stronger than at any point in this great war!"
"This fact is, of course, advantageous for resisting the invasion and defending our homeland, but we cannot continue like this. We must not be content with playing defense. We have obligations to our allies, and we must reorganize and launch a Puelante expeditionary force under the brave command of the Supreme Commander. This is already underway, but during this period, we must bring our homeland defense to a highly organized level, where only a minimal number of people are needed to effectively guarantee safety while also maximizing our offensive potential. We are currently deploying in this regard."
"I will demand the unconditional surrender of the Honing Empire! Otherwise, in one month, we will drop another Ancestral Bomb on the Honing Empire! We will continue until they surrender!"
"Despite the long and arduous campaign ahead, we may suffer setbacks once, twice, thrice, and many more times, but surrender is never an option!"
When Lanci declared, "We will never surrender," his voice was filled with determination, echoing throughout the entire chamber.
These words were not only a declaration of war against external enemies but also a judgment on those who hesitated within the country.
"We will fight to the bitter end. We will fight on the northern continent, on the oceans, and in the skies with unwavering confidence!"
"We will defend our homeland at all costs. We will fight on the beaches! We will fight at the enemy's landing sites! We will fight in the fields and on the streets! We will fight in the mountains! We shall never surrender, at any time!"
"Even if our island, or a large part of it, is occupied by the enemy and starves, the external troops armed and protected by the Puelante fleet will continue to fight!"
With that, he stepped down from the podium.
"For a defensive war, we must never think that it is the end! We must rebuild our expeditionary forces, strengthen our national defense, reduce our domestic defensive troops, and increase our overseas strike capabilities. In this great war, the northern continent will be our strongest support, with the Puelante Empire, the Demon Realm, and the Evernight Land Beastmen City-States united together."
With his back to the audience, he walked alone down the aisle, raising his arms in a grand gesture, like a passionate conductor concluding a magnificent performance.
"We will never yield, we will never surrender! Long live Puelante!"
The hall fell silent for several seconds.
Then, a burst of enthusiastic applause erupted.
The applause went on and on.
People raised their arms and shouted, their passionate gazes following the prime minister's retreating figure.
Even the conservatives ignored Duke Morretti and stood up involuntarily, cheering for the prime minister!
In the aisle, he put on his hat and coat and left the hall.
Never give up, never yield, never compromise!
The legislators shouted, tossing their documents into the air, filling the chamber with a rain of paper.
That solitary figure, striding towards the light, was like a straight blade piercing the darkness with the sunset's afterglow.
...
Present day, Old Bri Judgment Court.
The entire courtroom was silent.
Some exchanged glances, their eyes wide with shock, unable to utter a word.
Loren's student seemed to have gone too far. His speech not only stirred the people to refuse surrender but also demanded the unconditional surrender of the Honing Empire, declaring that the Puelante Empire would sweep through the south in a sacred war of reclamation.
Those outside the Shadow World could no longer tell which side was invading whom in the conflict between the Honing Empire and the Puelante Empire.
They watched as various indicators skyrocketed.
The win rate quickly broke through the 1% threshold.
There was no doubt that this seventh-stage Shadow World had been successfully passed.
Many judges on the bench were left speechless, even breaking out in cold sweats.
A minute later, the entire Old Bri Judgment Court erupted in applause.
"Great High Priest Loren! Brilliant and valiant!"
"It's we who failed to keep up with your pace!"
"This must be the result of your teachings to Lanci!"
Unable to contain themselves any longer, they rushed forward and surrounded Loren.
Loren: "???"
He was still in a daze.
Having suddenly gone from hell to heaven, he felt numb.
If he had to describe it, he felt paralyzed.
Finally, he covered his face and smiled bitterly.
A thousand words could not express what that faint smile conveyed.
"... "
That feeling of loneliness, which only Loren could understand and bear, was finally comprehended by those around him in this moment.
Indeed, behind glory lies a path of solitude.
The citizens in the audience also stood up, applauding Loren sincerely.
"In life, one goes through three stages—questioning Loren, understanding Loren, and witnessing Loren creating an immortal epic."
Ruweissel, the student council secretary sitting in the back row, wiped away his tears and wrote down this news headline, relieved.
Recently, Dean Loren had been under tremendous pressure, and Sister Asina had been worried sick that it was her fault for causing the kingdom's impeachment of Loren due to her insistence on becoming a chef.
Many unscrupulous media outlets had even targeted the restaurant where Sister Asina worked, speculating that it had an undisclosed collaboration with Loren and might be a secret gathering spot.
Now, the rumors had been dispelled, and Sister Asina could finally pursue her dream of being a chef without any mental burden.
In a corner of the judgment court's audience seats.
"... "
The Ice and Snow Witch trembled, biting her finger.
"Loren... your plan for unifying the world has taken another step forward, hasn't it... "
She knew that staying by Loren's side was becoming increasingly dangerous.
But at this moment, she had no way out.
As a spy, she had long ago made up her mind to sacrifice herself if necessary!
---
End of Volume. New volume starts tomorrow.
I worked tirelessly during the first two days of the new year to finish writing the ending of the Shadow World in 8,000 words per day. Please support me with your monthly votes, everyone!
(End of Chapter)
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