93 Before the War
"People from Britain, Germanic tribes, Rome, and all over the world gather under my command!"
Half an hour later, after a small training session in the Rotterdam camp, Artorius faced the gathered enthusiastic warriors and spoke out with a resounding voice, motivating them.
His voice remained loud, his complexion rosy, and his posture upright. He seemed as if nothing had happened. Even Morgan, who witnessed everything with her own eyes, didn't know how he managed to do it.
She only knew that she was now captivated by this man, unable to free herself. It was as if she were just like her foolish sister, whom she had always despised.
She was afraid that she would unquestionably give her life for this man.
"The moment of decisive battle is approaching..." Artorius proclaimed.
===
"The moment of decisive battle is approaching..." at the same time, on the eastern bank of the Rhine River, deep within the fearsome Black Forest. In the central fortress of the tribal stronghold of the Franks, within the grand palace of the Great Clovis, the barbarian king with disheveled golden hair and beard instinctively raised his head.
'The times are changing. My fate is about to descend upon me...'
His wolf-like emerald eyes shimmered with a cold light, and he quickly made a decision.
===
'The winds have shifted...'
In the palace of the newly established Roman capital, Ravenna, Emperor Lucius also raised his head.
Lately, the days had been particularly difficult for the Western Roman Emperor.
Vast territories of the empire had been lost, the military forces were depleted, and they were on the brink of collapse. The Eastern Emperor, Zeno, showed no inclination to offer assistance and even anticipated his failure.
To the south of Western Rome, the Vandals and Alans occupied the capital of the African province, Carthage, where they established their kingdom.
In Spain, the Gothic Kingdom launched a relentless offensive. In Dalmatia and Pannonia, the Ostrogoths also coveted Italy. The relationship between General Artorius and the Franks had become increasingly tense. A great war was about to begin.
"The age of the barbarians is about to start..." Lucius murmured.
===
In Ctesiphon, the King of Kings, Kavadh I of the Sasanian Empire, looked towards the east with a worried gaze.
The relentless cavalry of the Hephthalites had conquered the pleasure-seeking Kushan Empire and now turned their greedy eyes toward them. Under the assault of these newly risen nomadic warriors, their previous monarch had perished. The Gupta Empire on the Indian subcontinent also struggled to withstand the attacks of these steppe warriors, teetering on the brink of collapse.
===
At the same time, unbeknownst to them, a new storm was gathering within the desert city-states along the Red Sea coast.
"O fate..."
On the southern bank of the great river, Emperor Xiao Ze of the recently established Southern Qi Empire gazed towards the northern bank. The power of the Xianbei people was growing stronger day by day. They had conquered the Former Yan, seized the Xia Kingdom, subdued Northern Liang, and inflicted a major defeat on the Rouran. The fertile lands of the northern frontier of the Central Plains lay within their grasp.
The new emperor even began implementing sinicization reforms, preparing for long-term control over China.
Since the collapse of the former Qin and the death of Fu Jian, the balance of power between the north and south had once again shifted, with the north becoming stronger and the south weaker. This left those in the Southern Dynasties who hoped to conquer the Central Plains feeling hopeless.
===
Throughout the late fifth century, it is easy to come to this conclusion.
It was a savage century, an era of barbarian dominance.
In the forests, on the grasslands, in the mountains, by the riverside. All the barbarians have become active.
From east to west, from south to north. Persia, China, and Rome, as well as India. All the countries symbolizing civilization are their targets of attack.
From a Mystery perspective, in this age, where Mystery is fading and the Age of Gods is on the verge of being replaced by the Age of Man. The Gods and Phantasmal Species hide on the Reverse Side of the World, abandoning the planet's surface to the so-called new humans.
These uncivilized humans soon suppressed the ancient humans who had built their civilization based on 'Magic', 'True Ether', and 'Mystery'.
The powers that the ancient humans took pride in, which could easily annihilate any resistance with their formidable strength, the flying devices, magical cannons, power armors, giant soldiers built on the foundation of the Age of Gods... All the black technologies of the Age of Gods have turned into scrap metal and rubbish due to the decline of True Ether.
This trend seems irreversible and unchangeable. Except for the East taking a different path, both Rome and Persia, which were once known as the Three Great Empires, vanished in the catastrophe.
Of course, those distant nations are temporarily beyond the scope of this book. Let us focus on Europe.
This region is known in later ages as the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Denmark, and Germany. It is here that the war, which will determine the fate of Europe, begins to brew.
Every tribe that is loyal to Artorius or Clovis. Every town and village that is loyal to them. Whether Germanic peoples, Romans, or Celts. Whether knights, soldiers, or commoners. Whether excited, fanatical, voluntary, or forced, they will all be thrown into this war of madness.
By the end of August, when the crops in the fields ripen, when bloody battles and plundering begin at the border between the Black Forest and the Germanic Military Region, Artorius and Clovis dispatched messengers to each other. They appeared to be brothers and very polite. But their true intentions were quite different.
Clovis wanted Artorius to surrender and join him in attacking Rome. In return, he promised the position of chieftain as well as security and happiness for the people of Artorius.
In turn, Artorius wanted Clovis to kneel and lick his boots, and it would be even better if he could offer tens of thousands of Germanic beauties as tribute, for the purpose of revitalizing the human race. At that time, he will grant upon him the title of Grand Chieftain of Wallachia, and everyone will be content.
Of course, both Clovis and Artorius know that such friendly negotiations are nonsense. The real determination of the outcome depends on their own methods.
By mid-September, all of Artorius's forces had been strategically deployed along the mouth of the Rhine River. This arrangement included two British legions, two Gallic legions, one Roman legion, and four Germanic legions. The expanded unit of Knights of the Round Table was named the 'Brotherhood Knights,' and the Dragon Sentinel is now known as the 'Radiant Knights.'
His forces exceed seventy thousand, with over two thousand elite knights and over two thousand mages recruited from various places.
Since the disintegration of the Western Roman Empire, it is the first time that such a large and elite 'Roman-style legion' has appeared on the ruins of the empire.
They are different from the late Western Roman period, where the army had completely succumbed to Germanic barbarism.
They are adorned in the finest plate armor of this era, employing Macedonian-style long spear phalanxes but with greater mobility and flexibility in formation.
They are equipped with Roman-style ballistae, not mounted on chariots for ease of mobility. The ballistae are also enchanted, achieving a combination of primitive science and magic.
Artorius distributed mass-produced magic armor and weapons comparable to Noble Phantasms created using his Third Magic. They are called 'Frosteel Armor,' 'Pure White Sword,' and 'Icy Blue Lance,' and are provided to his elite legions. As a result, these legions possess combat capabilities on par with an average Servant while maintaining top-tier discipline and training.
A series of inventions from science, combined with the glorious technology from the Age of Gods, form this 'Last Divine Legion'.
===
In contrast, under Clovis's command, the number of Germanic coalition forces facing Artorius across the river has reached a staggering three hundred thousand.
This number is an estimation and can only be an estimation because it is truly impossible to count.
When the two heroes of the Germanic region prepare for the decisive battle, when the mortals in the world become frenzied about the upcoming war, the harsh weather worsens the situation.
Cold, cold, cold—large hailstones mixed with raindrops viciously fall from the leaden sky.
Everyone in the rain feels a chill from their scalp to their bones.
Men, women, children—anyone who can move rushes into the wheat fields. They use sickles, knives, axes, or even their bare hands to desperately harvest the ripe or nearly ripe wheat. They continue until they are frozen stiff by the icy rain and hail, or until the wheat fields are shattered by hailstones.
On the eve of the decisive battle, on the eve of the autumn harvest being stored, the Germanic region suffers from a historically rare natural disaster.
Hail, rainfall, and even blizzards often lead to reduced harvests or complete crop failures in many areas. Driven by hunger, the Germanic peoples emit desperate roars, converging like a torrent and joining Clovis's ranks—
To storm Gaul.
By storming Gaul, they can secure food and ensure their survival. It's as simple as that.
With this belief, the number of Germanic coalition forces east of the Rhine River continues to increase.
Realizing that the training and equipment of his troops are inferior to Artorius, Clovis has already decided to win this war through 'numbers'.
