Crimson Servant

John watched the moving army approaching the dense forest. The number of Eversa's troops was astonishing, and the troops marched in an orderly manner, like a complex and huge ant colony. Comparing the strength displayed by both sides, John had to admit that it was completely wishful thinking for the druids of the Pearl Sanctuary to survive the swords of these imperial knights.

Those wooden staffs, bows and arrows are more like handicrafts for people to admire in front of the mass-produced armored swords. Even if the rangers are hiding in the dark, the size of the several legions of the Imperial Knights is completely enough to crush them head-on. John guessed that the first task of this force was probably to initially test the power of the Desert Empire after crossing the Grenada Fjord. In other words, their invasion of the Pearl Sanctuary was just a matter of course.

The gap in equipment and quantity was already like a divine punishment. John squinted his eyes and sensed the rear of Eversa's troops with a spiritual sense that was sharper than the naked eye. The magical energy in that location was like thick clouds approaching the earth, and the divine power active due to war filled Eversa's position. It was now noon, but the clouds behind the Eversa troops were as fiery red as the sunset.

Those war priests have been prepared, and large-scale divine spells on the scale of legions are ready to go. The warlock frowned, and he had an unpleasant sense of crisis in the red cloud.

The approach of the Imperial Knights did not force out the woodland forces. They knew that exposing themselves on the plains would only destroy their only terrain advantage. But Eversa didn't give them a chance to play to their strengths.

The first thing to attack the forest was not the weapons, but the bottles of fire oil and alchemical flames thrown by the imperial knights. They destructively burned any shrubbery that might stand in their way, burning the roots to ashes. Even though the Pearl Sanctuary is surrounded by mountains and rivers, the moisture in the dense forest cannot stop the spread of the fire. Black smoke fills the emerald green canopy. The hidden druids have to take action to protect their homes, and the rangers are also suffering from the choking smoke. The best shooting spots were abandoned in the smoke.

Pietrus waved the long sword in his hand, and the figure that emerged from the burning jungle was cut in half in front of him. He ordered his legion to arrange personnel to seal off the area around the fire, and he led the most elite imperial knights into the flames.

The licking tongues of fire climbed onto the blade, and the cold killing intent of the Imperial Knights seemed to be able to isolate the heat. They were indifferent to the flames and killed more efficiently amidst the enemy's wails.

The 12th, the 13th... the 30th, the 31st...

A smile appeared on the face of Pietrus under the armor. He counted his achievements in battle in his heart. The pleasure was ignited by the spilled blood. The dual stimulation of adrenaline and flames further amplified the fanaticism in his heart.

The sense of tyranny was eroding his calmness as a soldier, but Pietrus felt that this was nothing. The enemy was nothing more than chickens and dogs. He did not need a strategy. Simply releasing force was enough to defeat these savages.

At this moment, he was Ephesa, the great empire, the savage destroyer.

With a thought in his mind, Pietrus raised his arm and swung his sword to deflect the hidden arrow that sneaked into his faceplate. The blackened arrowhead grazed his shoulder armor, filling his ears with the harsh sound of the collision. The bloody imperial knight turned his body and looked at the enemy who sneaked up on him.

The dirty palms held the longbow tightly, the tears in the clothes and the burnt leather were close to the skin. The ranger's keen eagle eyes were burned and reddened by the thick smoke, and the unyielding fighting spirit and killing intent were released from behind the bowstring.

Pietrus looked at his almost completely exposed, blackened back. The determined ranger made a bold attempt. He withstood the burning of the flames and disguised himself as a corpse to avoid the knight's first sweep. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong target for his sneak attack.

Pietrus signaled the guards around him to step back. He drew his sword and stepped forward to show respect to the ranger's integrity as a warrior.

"You are a worthy opponent, tell me your name."

The Imperial Knight gave the lone ranger enough time to breathe until he spoke his name in thickly accented Common.

"Weathert Dion!" The ranger captain could no longer endure his anger. He drew his sword and charged towards the enemy who destroyed the forest he guarded and killed all his teammates.

…

The burning trees fell one by one, their tops smashing into the river, and the life-killing flames finally turned into a wisp of dust and smoke.

The Imperial Knights' attack advanced to the riverside villages. The Ephesa army gathered its troops with tired bodies and watched the mist on the other side of the river with vigilant eyes.

Pietrus and the other two legion commanders completed the rendezvous. Their first step of operations was completed. They now occupied the southwest of the Grenada River. They could take advantage of the opportunity to rest their troops while waiting for the logistics to replenish the anti-fire potion.

The two legion commanders saw Pietrus coming with disheveled hair. They were surprised and asked about the whereabouts of his helmet.

"Damaged." Pietrus said it without a care, and the two legion commanders who were slightly inferior to him stopped asking questions and cleverly turned the topic to the next attack.

"What are those priests doing? The first phase of the battle has been completed, and their help has not yet arrived. If the battle hadn't gone smoothly beyond imagination, I would have reported those blabbering bastards to the general!"

The other legion commander glanced at Pietrus. He still remembered the special relationship between the imperial knight and the high priest who led the team. He defended the priest who was obviously excluded, "Okay, it's enough that the battle goes well, high priest." Lord Klaus is our biggest trump card. The best trump card is the one that is not revealed."

Pietrus suppressed his inner contempt for Druid Woodland, and a voice in his heart loudly agreed with his comrades. Yes, I can lead the troops to deal with this rabble without the help of that distinguished teacher.

…

John Camp watched the flames engulf the forest and saw the imminent crisis in the Pearl Sanctuary. His eyes suddenly turned to the distance and watched as the sun set and the red clouds smudged by sunset approached from the other side of the sky.

That was not the natural red glow. The magician who felt the familiar aura looked at the red light climbing up the hill.

The magic network is flowing unsteadily, just like a clean owner trying to clean out the dust that has invaded his house. These overly excited energies are beating on the skin of the caster, feeding back the uneasiness in the magic network without reservation. To everyone.

Everyone's eyes turned to the ominous red mist. The crimson power became even more sinister in the afterglow of the setting sun. It flowed across the earth like a cracking wound. The pain brought to the magic net affected everyone's nerves, and the carefully prepared spells behind Eversa were almost eliminated under this influence.

The eroded monster emerged from the red mist. She had huge antlers like a demon, and her tall body was as thin as wood. The Wendigo's back was bent unnaturally, and blood that had corrupted the earth continued to ooze from its body. Its malicious eyes seemed to be burning with flames, and the commands it issued were more like the howls of a painful woman.

In the expanding red mist, tall skinless flesh-and-blood humanoid figures walked out one after another. Their eyeballs released the same malice as the Wendigo, and they arched their backs impatiently.

Nora Sebas roared with all her strength, and the crimson servant followed the Wendigo's instructions like a tamed beast.

"Tear apart the invaders! My herd!"