The First Magic World War

Clad in exquisite armor and wielding the Black Knight's Lance, the young man gazed at the gathered remnants of a defeated army. Thinking of the murdered Jonathan, a flame seemed to burn within his heart, wishing he could pierce the detestable Charles with his lance right then and there.

More than ten leaders of the South Ceraph Reclamation Army huddled together, each one somewhat disheartened and all bearing traces of sorrow, even as some quietly sobbed.

Charles truly did not know who Jonathan was.

Jonathan was the last prince of South Serif as well as the only member of the Royal Family. If he had been willing to surrender, no duchy for Archduke Ferdinand, but at the least, he wouldn't lack a viscounty. If the Emperor were particularly pleased, it's possible he might have even bestowed an earldom.

Jonathan was also the supreme spiritual leader of the South Ceraph Reclamation Army, the final totem of the people of South Serif.

His death was of critical importance to South Serif, tantamount to the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand—an occurrence akin to the heavens collapsing and the seas and mountains roaring.

The people of South Serif could not bear this outcome.

The young knight declared resolutely, "We must attack Silver Pigeon Fort and kill everyone. The murderer who killed Jonathan, I must kill him with my own hands and make him suffer all the tortures of the world before he dies."

"Even so, we cannot bring back Jonathan."

"I am guilty."

The young knight, tears covering his face, saw Jonathan as a father figure, the one who had raised him from an orphan to a high-ranking knight. Jonathan had no talents in the Transcendent path, but in his youth, he had studied at the Baron University. In guiding young people, he was an excellent teacher. It was Jonathan who personally instructed him in the Ebulrahan Clan's "Flesh Furnace" and even helped him master the Clan's Knight Spear Technique, "Golden Requiem," to a state of perfection.

The Ebulrahan Clan, one of the vampire's Six King Clans—together with the Adonis Clan, Beros, and others—was hailed as the foremost knightly clan among vampires, renowned for its hereditary Flesh Furnace, ranked first among the vampire Thirty-Seven Clans in Knight Breathing Technique. Combined with the Meditation Technique and the Knight Spear Technique, "Golden Requiem," it produced countless high-order knights and even Sacred Order knights over the generations.

The Ebulrahan's Secret Method and Hatingen Thunder and Storm University are the most prestigious heritages on the Old Continent, fostering knights.

An elderly mage consoled him, "Cyrus, don't be too hard on yourself. You have done your best. It was the man from Baron who was too cunning. I have captured one of their people and interrogated him to extract some clues. With the aid of Divination, I figured out his origins. He is from Behemoth, studied in Strasbourg, and returned to serve his homeland."

"He still has family in Behemoth…"

Cyrus abruptly stood up, shouting, "I will kill his family to make him experience the grief of losing loved ones."

"Where is his family?"

The elderly mage said helplessly, "According to the divination results, he has cut off contact with his family, so my Divination cannot determine the relevant facts. But we can capture some people from Behemoth to find out. Such a distinguished character, who managed to become the commander of an army at such a young age, must be well known in Behemoth."

"This man is also cunning. When confronted with the two armies, Jonathan introduced himself, 'I am Jonathan of the South Ceraph Restoration Army! Many of you might have heard of my name.'"

"He introduced himself as, 'I am the Westwind Knights' Commander, the commander of Silver Pigeon Fort, Mr. Jonathan, let's duel on the battlefield.' He never mentioned his own name."

"However, these petty tricks are useless. I can soon find out his information."

Cyrus immediately perked up and said, "Send out scouts to inquire about the young men who have enrolled at the University of Strasbourg, focusing on those from noble families. He has become the commander of Silver Pigeon Fort, he must be..."

"How could I be so foolish? If he has become the commander of Silver Pigeon Fort, of course, he is the son of Baron Philer."

The old mage said awkwardly, "No, I have inquired, and Baron Philer's eldest son is only fifteen years old."
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Cyrus exclaimed, "Then it must be a nephew or someone similar. We should be able to get results quickly if we follow this lead."

"Also, send someone for reinforcements immediately. We need to attack Silver Pigeon Fort once again."

The old mage sighed and went to arrange these matters.

Cyrus glanced around at the generals of South Serif, then looked at the ten or so knights from the People of Baron standing nearby as straight as flagpoles. These men, from the Arthur Clan, had been trained from a young age in the Bloodline Mantra, specializing in the Prime Blood Limit. Originally, they were supposed to train as guards for the direct descendants of the Arthur Clan, but this time they were also sent out to protect Jonathan.

No one expected Charles to be so cunning and brave enough to charge alone on horseback amidst thousands of troops and slay Jonathan.

Thinking about this, Cyrus was in great pain and was baffled as well. Why, as a high order knight who practiced the Flesh Furnace, a secret technique, and mastered the Golden Requiem gunmanship, and consistently had the upper hand in battles, was he still unable to prevent Charles from killing Jonathan right before his eyes?

He plunged into deep self-blame, overlooking a small detail. Charles did not care about the mode of combat. If a sword was suitable, he used a sword; if an axe was better, he used an axe; if the Anti-Space Sniper Rifle was appropriate, he used it; if Hockwell Silver Rhinoceros was the right choice, he used that...

Caught up in the knight's spirit, he insisted on using the Knight's Spear, never wore any firearms, and even believed that with his high order knight's gunmanship, he could sweep away any enemy in combat...

This was a difference in life attitudes and essential character traits between the two men, also leading to different outcomes.

Amid his grief, Cyrus also stirred himself. Jonathan had never had any offspring, and whether it was congenital or due to years of constant efforts for the restoration, leading to some physical problem, he had always regarded Cyrus as his successor and trained him accordingly. With Jonathan's death, Cyrus, no matter how grieved, knew that he had to be strong and continue to strive for Lady Southseraph's Restoration Army.

He was working hard to gather the scattered troops, collect intelligence, and request support.

Meanwhile, Charles was bitterly awaiting Lady Southseraph's attack.

His previous efforts in battle had been nullified, and he must now withstand eighteen attacks from the Restoration Army before he could maze-ify Silver Pigeon Fort.

At this time, Charles, having arranged military affairs, had already returned to the fort. This time he was much more delighted and selected six extraordinary weapons for Taoles, Philedrica, Yellow Bear, Dobin, and two Transcendents who had revealed their identity during the battle.

These two Transcendents had lived in Silver Pigeon Fort for many years, treating this beautiful city as their hometown and had married and raised children here. Their loyalty to Silver Pigeon Fort was beyond question.