Amber Sword

"I understand." Brand nodded. It seemed that the previous action of dismantling the Ande Fulei Grand Temple had left the other party resentful. In fact, it wasn’t just this Princess; he also felt heartbroken. As Princess Griffine said, this is a kingdom with a long history, and there are many things on this land that are viewed as symbols of spirit. If it were to be entirely destroyed just for the sake of victory, the damage to this ancient kingdom and its people would be unimaginable.

But war is war, and Brand could only answer like this: "We will try to protect all this, Your Highness the Princess. What we want is not a broken Erune."

Princess Griffine calmly nodded in agreement.

He turned his head back.

Breson glanced at him and nodded slightly in agreement as well. He was born in Brags, and in Brags City there is a famous clock tower. Almost everyone born and raised in Brags has grown up with this clock tower as part of their childhood memories and have proudly regarded it as a symbol of Brags. If one day it were to collapse in wartime, all the people of Brags would undoubtedly feel sorrowful.

Sometimes, these spiritual symbols are not only precious treasures but also symbols of hope. As long as they exist, Erune will eventually be reborn from the ashes. This is the power of culture; Breson deeply agreed with this in his heart:

"Brand, there are no signs of the guard forces on the King’s Path and Forest Avenue yet, but going north from here, there should be a garrison stationed near Ambeser North Gate."

The Ande Fulei Grand Temple, although located on the central axis of Ampezel, is actually positioned to the east near the port area, in fact in the center of the old port city. Five avenues lead to this temple: King’s Path and Forest Avenue are to its north, while to the south are Jugglers Street and Siqi Street. Additionally, there is a street leading east towards Seagull Street and the Seagull Fortress at the port.

Brand instructed the Naga to occupy the port, while his actual plan was to have the Princess and her entourage break northward to escape to the Silver Lighthouse near the harbor outside of Frogs. There awaited a ship for them, and after both parties left the bay of the Silver Lighthouse, they would meet up in the Outer Sea of Ampezel.

This plan seemed extremely bold but was full of feasibility. Firstly, the North leads to the heartland controlled by Duke Xifah, and no one would expect them to break through to the north. Secondly, the sea storms made it almost impossible to leave through the Outer Sea from Ampezel.

But all of this became possible due to the existence of the Sea Demon Whale.

Now it seemed, the enemy indeed had heavily fortified the South Gate direction. After hearing Breson’s description, Brand responded: "Ampezel has nearly thirty thousand Harbor Guard troops, so having a division in front of us is quite normal."

He looked up: "How many men do we have?"

"Over two hundred Officer Cadets, all under the command of Frey and Mukuo."

"Two hundred against a thousand." Brand silently gazed into the darkness in the north—these were two hundred Royal Knight Academy Officer Cadets, reputedly the backbone of Erune’s resurgence. This elite unit, belonging to Her Highness the Princess, fought until the last drop of blood in the second Black Rose War, perishing alongside the Valkyrie at the Red Canyon.

But in this era of Erune, there was no army that could match them.

He lifted his head, and the wind and rain fell on him from the darkness.

"Your Highness, please give the order for us to break northward and join my men."

...

Inside the Seagull Fortress, fire pits burned fiercely, casting red light on the faces of everyone bustling around. Yet the warmth couldn’t dispel the coldness in the hearts of all present, and every person in charge wore a somber face.

Marquis Julian sat frowning by the long table, on which was a large-scale map of Ampezel Port and its nearby areas. The indicators representing the enemy were increasing, and according to the latest intel, the Naga had already advanced along Seagull Avenue into Commerce Street. If the Seagull Fortress couldn’t stop them...

Then the Inner City would be a wide open road in front of them.

The Marquis rubbed his creased brow: "Let’s go, take a look outside." With that, he stood tall, his armor clattering. Before anyone could stop him, this Harbor Guard Commander of Ampezel had already pushed open the door with a ’clang’—