Chapter 5: The Continent Burned

The Highland Continent had completely failed to defend against the invasion of the Kraton Empire army after two hours. Another round of cannonballs was fired and all of our zeppelins were completely destroyed. They fell on fire to mark the end of our air force. Below were archers, infantrymen and gunners hurrying back to the last line of defense. Those who were too badly wounded to run were all killed by enemy infantry and mutant warriors. More than two hundred thousand troops of the Kraton Empire moved further inland leaving a bloody beach. All of our cavalry had been brutally killed, the corpses of their cavalrymen and their horses piled high. Crows had flown in to start nibbling at the corpse. Blood, human hands, heads, legs, eyes and all kinds of internal organs fell everywhere creating a scene of a terrible carnage. The Dragoons fought fiercely, but they were also overwhelmed by both air and ground enemies. All the Dragoons were killed but the dragons were ordered to retreat to the battleships How many of our troops had to sacrifice. Enemy zeppelins flew deep into the city and dropped thousands of bombs on the city, destroying all of its buildings and infrastructure. The Grand Generals were picked up by their zeppelins and flown away. Bahamat was pulled from the rubble and carried to the zeppelin while still unconscious. Onias watched the bombardment of the cities and applauded:

"What a marvelous view!'

The castle flags of the four cities were pulled down and replaced with the flag of the Kraton Empire claiming the Highland Continent as theirs. After the zeppelins went deeper into the continent to attack more. The infantrymen took out their flamethrowers and began to burn the whole city, house by house burned to the ground leaving nothing behind. The Dream Workshop was surrounded by fire, its glass shattered. Eva looked through the castle window at the burning city, she said desperately:

"There's nothing we can do? Everything is gone."

Suddenly Rhohan stepped onto Eva's floor, she immediately raised her Peace bow at him. Eva said:

"Don't come any closer!"

Eva fired arrows of light at Rhohan but they were all absorbed by the darkness. Rhohan said:

"Queen Eva Gloria, so we have met."

Eva replied:

"I know, I've met you before but sorry I don't remember much."

Rhohan calmly said:

"Give me Urizen's diary, I want to know where the "Eyes of Horux" is located."

Eva replied angrily:

"Never."

Rhohan said:

"You have no other way to escape."

The Demigod kept flying around that floor and growled as it watched them. Eva said strongly:

"Is that so? If I die, you won't have that diary either."

The diary is hidden inside Eva's coat. Rhohan said calmly:

"I only need that diary and the "Eyes of Horux." If you agree to help me then I will forgive the whole Continent. For then there will be no more invasion, followed by the Rebirth of the World."

Eva wondered:

"The Rebirth of the World? What do you mean?"

Rhohan said:

"Let me tell you a story. This power of mine is bestowed by the emperor Everest as his first knight.

I remember everything on that fateful night. At that time my first kingdom was just a bunch of cruel and greedy aristocrats, they punished and exploited their people with the dirtiest things possible. All demonstrations or riots were suppressed by violence. I was just a lonely, skinny guy trying to do anything to get a piece of bread. Life was so difficult that cannibalism was normal, but I survived.

One night because I accidentally failed to bow to a noble, he sent his men to beat me to death. I was lying on the road with no one to save me and no one to think about it. But when I was about to die, I was still trying to get up to survive, I shouted in hatred:

"Give me the power to change the fate of all humans!"

An old man approached me, he took my hand and whispered:

"Become my first knight, swear allegiance to me forever. And you shall have the power you desire."

I agreed definitively, he opened his hood and his eyes and hair radiated a warm light across the slums. That light has healed the wounds or sufferings of the poor, it has also given us the strength to fight. I became Rhohan Restruction, giving up my human powers to become a demigod under the emperor. It was also the first kingdom we took over, which later became the Kraton Empire. Then we swept together and opened many conquests to all the kingdoms of the world. I have also invited other powerful warriors to become the Emperor's Grand Generals. We have stabilized people's lives, economically, politically, militarily as perfect as we always wanted.

But the filth of this world remains forever and cannot be washed away. Only the Emperor with the power of God Horux can regenerate this sinful world into a world of absolute perfection under his rule."

Eva replied with concern from Rhohan's story:

"Is the emperor so powerful? I know it's impossible to change a loyal person like you, but why are there still many people with difficult lives in the empire?"

Rhohan said:

"They're not our people, they're slaves, old nobles and rebels in the face of the emperor's rule. They deserve it. So are the prisoners, they had surrendered humbly, they could not be regarded as citizens of the empire."

Eva replied:

"But they're still human, they can change if you give them a second chance,"

Rhohan said:

"There's never been a second chance. Humans themselves are sinful creatures of creation, even more second chances won't change their true nature."

Eva replied:

"How many peaceful kingdoms like this have the empire destroyed?"

Rhohan said:

"So have you ever wondered when those peaceful kingdoms will come to chaos?"

Eva froze and replied:

"If a kingdom has good and great leaders and is loved by the people, then that peace will last forever."

Rhohan said:

"So are you sure those leaders will stay good over time?"

Eva remembered her uncle Vansing and his corruption and replied anxiously:

"I... I don't know."

Rhohan said coldly:

"If you don't even know if peace lasts forever, how can you keep this peace forever."

Eva was sweating profusely, she realized that Rhohan was indeed the most powerful warrior in the world when both in terms of power and intellect he was number one. Rhohan seemed to crush Eva's idea of ​​a peaceful kingdom. Eva said:

"But the world hasn't lost its good things. Don't you see them?"

Rhohan replied coldly:

"I have indeed seen them, but I have also seen the price of good. They have been destroyed by evil. There is no good left in this world."

Rhohan stepped closer to Eva. Eva hurriedly took Urizen's diary and held it above the candle, she said with concern:

"Don't come any closer or I'll burn it."

Rhohan stepped closer, but Eva was too afraid to burn the diary. Rhohan extinguished the candle and took Urizen's diary easily from Eva. Eva collapsed because her mind was hit hard. Rhohan opens the diary to find pages depicting the location of the "Eyes of Horux". He read Urizen's diary lines and said:

"He already knows a lot, Urizen was a clever liar."

Rhohan had read the location of "Eyes of Horux". At the same time Onias on his zeppelin telepathized with Rhohan:

"Lord Rhohan, I've discovered a tunnel beneath the castle, and the enemy's retreat is going to another small fortress."

Rhohan replied:

"I see. Grand Generals, go there!"

The Grand Generals obeyed Rhohan's orders and immediately went there to attack our last fortress. The fortress was located on a small hill and can be attacked in many directions around. After the rest of our soldiers entered the fortress, they began to try to defend. One soldier said to his commander:

"Commander, where is General Elastor? And chief of the army Julia?"

The commander replied:

"I received intelligence that they were all defeated. All of the Horseman of Famine Exos, Queen Lamalia, King Grim, Queen Belle and High Wizard Emanda."

The soldier said worriedly:

"So what should we do, sir? They're too many."

The commander raised his musket and replied:

"Fight to the end! We still have many people to protect. Never give up!"

The soldiers shouted heroically and continued to fight bravely. Rhohan put away Urizen's diary and turned to leave. Eva tried to stop him, she said:

"Wait..."

Rhohan replied coldly:

"I promise after this invasion, not a single civilian will be killed. We just take what we want and leave immediately. But you will be a danger and may stand in our way. I have never underestimated anyone who dared to confront the Grand Generals."

Rhohan summoned the Chaos sword and thrust the blade into the floor. Shadows spread out, they flew across the Highland Continent and touched every member of the Crusadia team except Grim and Alata. Suddenly Eva felt a change, she looked at her hand and saw her hand release thorny vines. Eva said fear:

"What did you do?"

Rhohan replied:

"Swapping your elemental powers, you can't get used to new powers."

The Demigod whipped its tail and destroyed the ceiling of their floor. Rhohan stepped forward and sat on The Demigod's neck. Rhohan looked at Eva who was extremely scared, he said calmly:

"Let's welcome a new world."

Rhohan flew away with The Demigod, but the dragon did not forget to launch a dark orb at Eva, causing the floor to explode. Eva flew out of the window and fell. Since she had a new power, she still couldn't control it. Eva burst into tears and thought:

"Sorry father, sorry Urizen, sorry Zed, sorry everyone. I failed."

The army of the Kraton Empire stormed down the castle tunnel and headed to the place that was protecting the "Eyes of Horux". The important places of the kingdoms were attacked. In the Sandx kingdom, Laura and the Shamans were in the castle collecting all the ancient scrolls of ancestral charms. But a group of troops entered and burned some of the Shamans and sacred scrolls. Laura quickly put the scrolls in a bronze chest and threw it into a well. The chest sank and protected some important scrolls. Laura jumped into the castle and fortunately landed on a pile of straw, she hid in it and looked around. Zed and Edengaz's glass pyramid burned with their vineyard. The temple of the ancestors was destroyed and collapsed. The mines of the dwarves exploded, preventing enemies from entering. In Lanxter and Newlaphaine kingdom, Lanxter city was completely destroyed. All the efforts of the Dark Elves were wasted. In the great and sacred forest of the Elves, the enemy burned everything. The great giant banyan trees collapsed in vain. Belle was still trying to fight, but she realized she was using Lamalia's elemental stone. But all efforts failed. The wizards and witches tried to collect all the spellbooks they obtained, but they were surrounded by the enemy and burned to death. All the ancient books were burned and only a few witches had time to carry three chests and bury them. The zeppelins attacked the mountain of giant white butterflies and collapsed the mountain, trapping them inside the cave. All wild animals must either escape for their lives or be left behind and burned. It was said that that day Mother Nature died in the Newlaphaine kingdom. Back in the day when the Crusadia team members were defeated and about to be killed. Exos struggled to get up even though he was badly injured, looking at the desolation, he thought to himself:

"One last time."

Exos summoned the Moon halberd and created the moon magic circle. He immediately activated it to stop time, but for every minute that passed, a year of his life was lost. Exos immediately leapt up and picked up Elastor, Eva and Julia, then he carried them to a secret cave and hid them there. Laura also activated "Eyes of Reality" and she immediately teleported away and brought Lamalia, Grim, and Belle to safety. Exos and Laura then rushed to the place where the "Eyes of Horux" were protected. Right now the whole fortress was surrounded by enemies, they obeyed Rhohan's orders and did not attack the civilians on the east beach. Onias watched from above, he drew a diagram below the tunnel to the underground fortress and drew the correct crystal from the fireflies. Onias said excitedly:

"So it's here. Lord Rhohan, we've found the last piece, Hooray!"

Jean and Zilan went to battle again, Zilan standing on the zeppelin in the sky and firing continuously below. Every shot of hers was a life. Jean rode The Glory to ramming the fortress wall and the enemy troops went inside to kill all our troops. They then tried to destroy the iron floor to open a tunnel under was where the "Eyes of Horux" were located. The top was captured by the enemy, but the tunnel below was no better. More than thousands of enemy troops poured into the four sides of the tunnel and attacked our army. When our troops were preparing to collapse the four tunnels, they realized that the wires had been cut and the enemy was pouring in, so they were forced to defend with the remaining troops. They collapsed the escape tunnel of civilians and fought back to the end. All the remaining soldiers of the Continent army, whether human, nomad, dwarves, Elves and Dark Elves were fighting together to the end. They erected shield walls and tried to push the enemy back. When the super soldiers are rushing to destroy the remaining soldiers. Exos and Laura came and destroyed them all. Laura launched a wave and swept all enemies out of the four tunnels. Exos then quickly collapsed all of the tunnels. A commander came up to them and said:

"Wizard Laura, Horseman Exos. How are our heroes?"

Laura was helping Exos trying to get up, she said:

"They've all been defeated, they're in a safe place but it's okay."

Suddenly a soldier shouted:

"They're about to open."

The iron layer on the mainland was destroyed, the enemy dropped ropes and swung down to attack our troops. Exos said hastily:

"Hurry, take me there to fight now."

The commander and Laura took Exos to the underground fortress. Exos summoned the Moon halberd and knocked it to the ground to launch hundreds of crescent moon darts that cut enemy ropes. But the super-soldiers dashed down with iron ropes, they landed on the crystal and tied it up. Above the main zeppelin pulled the crystal upwards. Laura launched the water and used the force of the water to abrade the iron. Then plus dozens of darts slashing at them helped cut them. But time has run out. Laura and Exos tried their best, but they couldn't help but watch the crystal rise into the sky and leave. The Kraton Empire obtained the "Eyes of Horux" and won. Exos also fainted from his wounds and burns on half of his body from Rhohan's darkness. As for Alata's fate, he was taken by Onias and locked in a cage. Rhohan and The Demigod landed on the main zeppelin, and he ordered:

"Kraton Empire, return to the kingdom. We have obtained the gift our beloved emperor has always wanted."

Xanuguis, Zilan, and Jean smiled proudly at this victory, but Owl pondered over Grim's strangeness and the temper of his youth. Bahamat was put into a healing chamber containing a healing solution. There were syringes pumped into him to infuse pain medicine and healing medicine. Bahamat's left chest was badly burned and the wound was very deep from Elastor's dark lightning strike. The entire Kraton army went to their kingdom. Eva saw from afar that the "Eyes of Horux" had been taken. She fell to her knees and said in despair:

"That's it, it's all over."

Belle looked at Grim, he had lost an arm, hugged him and said:

"Grim, I'm sorry but we lost."

Everything was lost, only the Highland Continent was burning and collapsing from the smoke of war. No matter how brave and strong we fought, the Kraton army had everything better and an advantage over our army. But... the journey had only just begun.