I play a Evil God in Otome Game

Chapter 61 - 60: Beginning of the Civil War(2/?)

The Duke’s 3,000 knights were advancing rapidly into the city, while most of the people had taken shelter. At least, most of them...

However, there were still those trying to defend themselves with stones, sticks, and the swords they possessed. Although the Duke did nothing to these people, anyone in his path was trampled by the horses’ hooves.

"My Lord, there’s a barricade ahead!"

Hearing Miguel, Alfred narrowed his eyes and immediately commanded his six units to move. "Raise your spears!"

The knights responded instantly, adjusting their spears forward with the clatter of iron. On the other side were 500 shielded soldiers. Although not royal guards, they were trained city garrison soldiers.

They were lightly armored, with long square shields. Twenty soldiers were positioned with their spears directed out from behind the shield wall.

But even this was a simple task for the Sun Knights.

Duke Alfred charged forward, fearlessly leading over 3,000 knights behind him. As their spears, coated in Mana, briefly flared with fire, the garrison soldiers were massacred.

The garrison soldiers’ spears couldn’t even scratch the knights’ armor. The mounted units trampled over the garrison soldiers, spears piercing bodies, taking over 500 lives in a short span.

"Stop, halt the advance!"

Alfred commanded, and as he saw a barrage of arrows fired by archers hiding in some buildings, a sudden yellow shield blocked all the arrows.

"Prepare the spears!"

"Hai!"

With a salute, the knights raised their spears and activated their Mana, instantly enveloped in a yellow aura. The knights, exuding a majestic aura, lifted their spears.

Moving in synchronized fashion, Duke Alfred lightly raised his hand. His eyes gleamed coldly as he gave the order.

"Destroy!"

The knights mercilessly hurled their spears, which flew forward with great power, blazing with crimson fire and hitting the buildings with a hum.

The buildings were easily destroyed under the force of the spears, and screams echoed from within. Duke Alfred turned to his knights. "Go retrieve your spears."

As the knights retrieved their spears, they quickly resumed their advance.

They were now in the poorer parts of the city. The Duke’s earlier attack with Galatine had already caused significant damage. This street had already been devastated.

As the cavalry unit moved again, they finally reached the deserted streets of the city. Though no one was visible, Alfred sensed some people hiding.

But they were likely civilians. Archer units weren’t likely to be stationed here, so Alfred advanced swiftly with confidence.

As he thought, the street was quiet, and Alfred covered a lot of ground in just two minutes, moving deeper into the capital.

"Run!"

A few people, seeing the Sun Knights approaching, quickly fled to their homes. Meanwhile, Alfred’s gaze fell on a food convoy. "Burn the supplies."

Without hesitation, Miguel ignited the food convoy with a simple fire spell, and flames rose to the sky. Alfred, meanwhile, ignored the gazes coming from inside the house.

This convoy was likely meant to transport food to the Royal Palace. Of course, Alfred couldn’t allow that to happen.

The knights swiftly burned the remaining food wagons, and upon seeing eyes peeking from the windows, they glared menacingly at the houses.

These were the general rules of war.

If the people didn’t fear the invading forces, the risk of rebellion would grow. Suppressing with fear, while harmful to human rights, was an effective method of control.

"We know you are watching us," Miguel said sternly. "Remember, if any of you engage in rebellious acts, you will no longer be classified as civilians, but as soldiers to us!"

He then released a surge of Mana, slamming his sword into the ground. He made sure his voice echoed throughout the entire street. "But if you stay in your homes and behave, you will not be harmed! If you value your lives, listen carefully to what I say!"

"Enough, Miguel, there’s no need for more."

Hearing the Duke, Miguel quietly bowed and returned to his horse. These people would spread the word, spreading the rumors. At least the cowards and foreign races would not move against the Duchy of Thornvile.

Then the Duke’s army, which was advancing rapidly, soon slowed down and was ready for new enemy attacks.

Without lingering any longer, Alfred calmly observed his surroundings. It was quieter than it should be. For a city of 8 million people, it was too quiet.

"Do you feel it, my lord?" Miguel said calmly. Duke Alfred nodded. "There are mages here."

As the words left Alfred’s mouth, ten bolts of lightning appeared in the sky, descending rapidly with a sharp crackle.

The bolts, powerful enough to scorch and kill a man, dangerously struck the ground.

Yet, the Duke, who was the target of the attack, remained calm, his eyes showing an overwhelming serenity, even disdain. For a man who had spent years on the battlefield, such an attack was simply trivial.

"Even thinking that something so low-level could kill me is an insult to my honor, Mage..."

Duke Alfred detected the hidden mage and glanced to the left. The mage, whose face was concealed by black robes, flinched and pulled back.

"Tch tch, this monster!" The mage immediately summoned bolts of lightning from the sky, attempting to flee in a sudden panic.

"Hmm?" Duke Alfred lightly swung his sword, and the random, uncontrolled mana that emitted from it effortlessly destroyed the lightning bolts.

"Mage, dying like a rat would be a dishonorable death for you," the Duke calmly stated. As the mana radiated wildly from Galatine, fierce winds echoed through the surroundings.

All ten mages suddenly abandoned their escape and launched an attack, forming magic circles in their hands. Then, large stone spikes rose from the ground in a flexible twist, aiming for the Duke’s body.

"Hah!" With a faint grunt, the Duke lightly swung his sword. It was a good thing that the people had been evacuated. He could now destroy everything more freely.

"Galatine!"

With a hum, the magnificent sword unleashed a horizontal slash, completely obliterating the street. Yes, a flawless beam of yellow light cut through the entire road, while a gentle tremor hastened the collapse of nearby buildings.

As the buildings crumbled down upon themselves, the bodies of the mages were sliced in half like paper. Their lungs and intestines spilled onto the ground, and the debris of the falling buildings buried them.

"Now, it’s time to head to the Royal Palace."

At Alfred’s command, the knights marched swiftly, and after ten minutes, they arrived on the road leading to the Royal Palace. As Alfred expected, three thousand royal guards, in silver and gold armor and large shields, blocked the road leading to the palace.

As the Duke and his knights halted, the two sides prepared for their first battle. The clash of 3,000 elite forces was often more chaotic than large-scale wars.

With both sides exuding their own auras, Alfred’s eyes focused solely on the man commanding the opposing army, disregarding the troops entirely.

This man was quite tall, with black hair, black eyes, and a cold, emotionless expression. He was the legendary Black Knight, Norman.

He wore purple-black armor, with the purple hue dominating. His mana was so intense that a visible purple aura surrounded him.

Though he resembled a dark mage, his attribute was something entirely different. The Spark attribute...

Though the name wasn’t grand, it was a unique attribute.

Spark magic manifested through the user’s will, instead of following conventional magic rules. By forcibly drawing pure mana from the world, it created explosions, enhanced the user’s strength, and could even turn their sword into a bomb.

Spark magic imbued pure mana with explosive qualities.

However, it had its weaknesses. Drawing pure mana from the world was extremely dangerous and terrifying. Pure Mana pressed upon the souls of Spark Mages, edging them closer to death.

Knight Norman, however, was an exception. A once-in-a-century genius, Norman had never weakened or been harmed. His control over Spark Magic was extraordinary.

"Norman, have you finally come out?"

"Alfred, you are making a mistake." Ignoring Alfred’s question, Norman calmly dismounted his horse and began walking forward.

It was as if he held no fear of the 3,000 mounted knights. Alfred frowned in dissatisfaction, then dismounted and slowly walked towards Norman.

"A member of the Thornvile family was to be executed," Alfred said sharply. Norman narrowed his eyes. Alfred continued, his gaze steady. "If I allow that to happen, I would dishonor both my ancestors and myself."

"Rebelling against the king is an even greater dishonor. Knowing this, why do you rebel?" Norman calmly asked, his hand moving toward the hilt of his sword.

"You wouldn’t understand, Norman," the Duke said coldly. "You’re just a pitiful man who knows only how to fight, without any understanding of family or honor."

Norman’s expression remained unchanged by the Duke’s words. He remained cold and emotionless.

"The decision has been made. There will be war." As Alfred lightly moved his sword, Norman slowly unsheathed his own.

The long, black sword glowed with a purple hue, as though it sought to extinguish the light of Galatine. When Norman casually swung it to the side, a burst of purple energy from the blade shattered the ground beneath him.

Seeing this, the Duke narrowed his eyes. This was indeed incredible magic. Even a slight swing of Norman’s sword caused an attack that easily tore apart the ground.

"I didn’t want this to happen, Alfred," Norman said as he relaxed his shoulders and calmly looked at Alfred. His gaze slowly grew serious. "But what you’ve done is unforgivable. Do you want to tear apart the kingdom?"

"I have no such intention, and I am under no obligation to explain myself to you, Norman." The Duke’s response was cold, enough to send a chill down one’s spine.

"I wish there had been another outcome, but it seems you won’t back down, will you?"

"Indeed," the Duke calmly replied. Without further hesitation, he readied his sword and assumed a stance.

For a moment, regret filled Norman’s eyes, but it faded as quickly as it came. A ruthless look took its place.

"Then let us fight."

As Norman and Alfred charged forward, their powerful mana collided, exploding in a terrifying clash as they sought to annihilate one another.