Our Family Has Fallen

Lance came out from the sanatorium. He didn’t expend too much spiritual essence to bless Paracelsus, just simply adjusted the doctors’ states.

Now he needs to focus his energy on military matters.

What Lance wants to do is to make his rounds before leaving Hamlet for the final mission, show his face in various aspects, and tell them that extreme darkness is just the darkness before dawn, solidifying their resolve to fight.

Lance’s optimistic mindset greatly inspired everyone; they firmly believe that under the leadership of the lord, they will move towards hope.

For Hamlet, for humanity!

And in this process, everything that needs to be prepared has been prepared, and those who will follow him in executing the final battle are ready.

"This is the most dangerous enemy, even I don’t have the assurance to defeat it, but if we give up, all our previous efforts will be in vain, so we must fight.

We not only need to fight, but we also need to win; otherwise, neither Hamlet nor the world can bear the cost of failure."

Lance looked at the three people in front of him, Reynard, Dismas, Balistan, the initial trio, and slowly spoke.

"Are you willing to fight with me?"

"I’ve waited for this moment for so long!" Upon hearing this, Dismas was invigorated and caressed his musket with a smirk.

"This is my holy war!" Compared to this, Reynard was much more composed, but his response was utterly resolute.

"The grand plan has finally reached this stage." Balistan was quite calm, and when this moment arrived, there was even a sense of relief.

Lance looked at their demeanor and nodded towards the three with deep emotion.

"This matter started with us, so let it end with us."

The three heard this and each showed a hint of reminiscence...

The two escorted the lord to Hamlet; after saving Balistan, they began clearing out the mercenaries, usurping the position of mayor, and then...

It seemed like something happened so long ago, yet it felt like it occurred just yesterday, and in fact, not even a year has passed.

And now they stand together again, except this time the monsters they face are not those insignificant creatures, and they’re no longer those muddle-headed zombies of the past.

They carry their sins, seeking the final redemption in Hamlet.

"Come, this battle is destined to be extremely perilous, and I have prepared new equipment for you."

Like others, Lance must first equip them before taking action.

The knight armor taken from the sanctuary of the legendary strongman and the legendary longsword were handed to Reynard.

His longsword named [Champion’s Proof] had cleaved countless skeletons during the last deep ruins rescue, living up to its name, becoming Reynard’s proof of champion.

However, ultimately it’s mundane iron; the blade is extremely damaged, not broken already is an achievement, and it has lost its worth in repair, better to forge a new one.

Now swapping for this set is akin to switching from a musket to a cannon.

Reynard drew the ancient-looking longsword, feeling the strong aura emanating from it, but quickly regained his composure.

After extreme darkness, Reynard finally understood that strength comes from within, relying on external objects is never practical.

As the lord said, you control the power, not the power controlling you.

It’s just a weapon, maintaining a regular mindset.

Lance also presented Dismas with the ancestral musket and a batch of customized bullets engraved with various arcane markings and runes.

In reality, extraordinary bullets have always existed, with a principle similar to Amanda’s chaotic throwing tools, solidifying supernatural power through ritual.

But the cost was too great, even Lance couldn’t afford it; the funds could be better spent on cannons.

However, in this battle, Lance doesn’t want any unexpected occurrences, so he spent a fortune to have Amanda produce a batch, increasing power as much as possible.

Without Lance explaining, Dismas upon handling the musket, understood its power, excited as if receiving treasure.

Then there’s the ancestral fountain pen; this equipment also greatly enhances overall power, along with bestowing him a better shortsword, imbued with poison or Corpse Decomposition Spore.

For Balistan, it was also knight gear taken from the sanctuary under the legendary shield-bearing guardian, though the greatshield and warhammer were exclusive gear, unusable by non-church personnel.

But within the confiscated collection of the old manor was an extraordinary piece called [Bulwark Greatshield], painted with interwoven waves.

The power attached to it could unleash wave-like forces in use, destabilizing or stunning foes.

Although compared to Balistan’s preferred single-hand shield it’s larger and heavier, possibly weakening offensive capability; apart from the supernatural power boost, it is also more robust.

Regarding weapons, he preferred the Morningstar Hammer, but Lance couldn’t find anything similar, not important, as for a veteran like him the shield itself is a weapon.

Balistan, not without innate strength, naturally used to shields, added to Lance’s frequent blessing and strengthening, ultimately wielded the greatshield single-handedly.

When he swung it, he seemed to hear the sound of waves crashing, knowing well the power of this item.

After arming them, Lance signaled with a nod.

"Set off!"

The trusted aides had already been gathered, only this time Lance brought only those who hadn’t reached champion level, leaving those champions in town to prevent any unrest.