Way of the Knights

Chapter 375 - War: Preparations (II)

---

The sky is dark and black clouds loomed over the kingdom. On the tall walls surrounding the entire Final Haven Kingdom, countless of soldiers stood, looking over the horizon.

The atmosphere was tense and gloomy. Some of the soldiers had been nervously swallowing their own spittle, the others were incredibly jumpy or unresponsive, while the rest were either faking their calm or had accepted their fates. 

According to intel, the force of a Beast Horde with numbers surpassing millions, are about to arrive soon. 

Which means that the War for Survival is about to happen, and some of them don't know if they were ready for it.

The forces are scattered out through the entirety of the Kingdom. 

Even though according to reports, the horde is going to arrive via east size, the sheer size of it is too great for them to focus their entire force in a single spot. They will be swarmed, so it was suggested that it will be best to spread out their forces on each side just to make sure that the damages will be minimized. 

That being said, the main force of the Kingdom are concentrated at the East Gate since the Beast Horde will arrive there first. 

The main force are mostly the Golden Knights, which numbers greatly increased upon the reform. 

The Veteran's are still there, Morel, Old Lee and Leona. They were joined by Jackson, the Head Director of the Lair Hunters Association. Leon Anderson, Mark's Father. Bradley Redcrest, Head Officer of the Royal Guards and father Ellen, as well five more who came from other families.

Though Luis, Ian and Richard have all progressed their cultivations and stepped into Golden Knight Realm as well, they weren't asked to join the line-up for the main force since their expertise would be useful elsewhere. 

Luis is in task of overseeing the battlefield and commanding the troops due to the recent promotion he got. He's now the Royal Strategist of the Kingdom. His clean streak of upholding justice and countless of recommendations from the people he worked with, as well as consistency pushed him to this position. This title was personally awarded to him by the King himself.

He's stationed at the East Gate, there is a miniature array in front of him which shows the sky eye view of the Skynet Array. This was made for him to arrange strategies accordingly for the troops. 

Ian on the other hand, remained as the Headmaster of the Heavenly Cloud Academy, he's mainly tasked to provide support from time to time, in-case of a breach, he will have to move towards the place and help with the defense. The students are with their families of course, but the staff share this responsibility with him.

Meanwhile, Richard remained to be the head of the Sacred Leaf Tavern, and even at this time he's busy refining pills for the Kingdom. Thanks to Raven's support, his knowledge and expertise in medicine experienced an incredible boost. He had managed to add new additions to the medicine that the tavern sells, some of them could even be used offensively. 

***

East Gate.

"How long do we have?" Old Lee asked Luis as he gazed at the arrays. 

"30 minutes and we'll be able to see them." Luis answered in a solemn voice. 

Old Lee inhaled sharply and steeled his nerves. He gazed at the gloomy sky and said: "I know this is not the proper time to say this, but I want to thank you."

Luis raised his brow and asked: "What for?"

"For raising an incredible son." Old Lee answered earnestly, "He might not be here right now, but his presence and contributions are as clear as the sun. "

Luis didn't know how to reply. He was flattered but at the same time, he also knew that he had little to no influence on Raven's progress. All of those were achieved by his own hands, in fact the promotions and authority that he now posess are only due to the achievements of his own son. 

He's incredibly proud of him, yet he wished that he could do more. He was always swamped with work and barely spent any time with his own son. Until this day, he's regretting that…

Old Lee could more or less tell what he's thinking, he placed his arms on Luis' shoulders and said: "I can tell what your thinking. Don't beat up yourself for something like that. I can tell you that your son, never blamed you nor your wife for anything. He looked up to you greatly, and he wouldn't bear any kind of grudges."

Luis felt his nose sting, but he suppressed his emotions. He nodded to Old Lee and placed on a determined expression as well. 

"Focus on doing what you do best." Old Lee told him, "Don't be afraid to take risks, there will be deaths and all but if we can win this, then we'll be unstoppable."

Luis looked at Old Lee's eyes and saw certainty. He was no fool. He could tell what the old man was telling him.

Old Lee was prepared to die in this war. 

He was basically telling Luis to not be afraid on pointing the way, even if it will mean the death of him. Old Lee was ready to lay down his own life to ensure the safety of the next generation. He wasn't afraid because he certainly believed that if the Kingdom survives, then no one will be able to threaten their home anymore. 

Luis inhaled sharply and nodded his head. Old Lee smiled, knowing that Luis got his message. 

"I think our troops needs a boost of morale." Old Lee said, "Would you like to do the honors?"

Luis' eyes widened, he hurriedly shook his head. He was about to say something to decline but then he felt a familiar aura that caused him to widen his eyes once again. 

Walking towards them, is none other than King Alexander himself along with Queen Elizabeth. They were escorted by the Royal Guards, who had unnatural expressions, and Prince Balmung along with Victor, who's wearing expressions of helplessness.

As the two saw them, the immediately left their post and approached the King and the Queen. Kneeling down, Luis said: "Your Majesty, you should be resting."

"We told him the same thing." Balmung interjected in a helpless tone. "But he refuses to listen."

King Alexander's still not cured, his well-being remained stagnant at best even with Richard's help. The maintenance he's taking only kept his illness at bay, without proper cure, he'll remain in a weakened state. As for the Queen, her body's still kept in a pristine condition, but her soul is anchored to a statue, making her situation extremely pitiable. 

"At ease, you lot." Alexander waved his hand, allowing Luis and Old Lee to stand up, as well making the prince and Royal Guards sigh in defeat. 

"Our home is in grave danger." He said, "What good is a King if he only sits upon his throne doing nothing while his people suffers? You can't expect me to sit idly and patiently wait for good news to come."

"My people needs me." He continued with great determination on his voice, "I'll protect our home even if it kills me."

The hearts of those who heard him shivered, they felt deep respect on his actions and were incredibly thankful that he was the one on the throne. 

"I know that I can't do much in my state, but I want to ease up the hearts of our soldiers." Alexander said. 

Old Lee and Luis couldn't do anything but sigh and make way for their King. They made their way towards the top of East Gate and the King surveyed the troops who are ready to face the upcoming calamity. 

Words travelled fast, as soon as the King appeared, all soldiers were already staring at him as he stood on top of the walls. There was a brief moment of silence before he began speaking. 

"Today, a great calamity approaches." He started, "It threatens the safety of our home and if we let it defeat us, there will be nothing left for us anymore."

The atmosphere turned gloomy, but Alexander's presence drowned all of that.

"Today every single one of you are called to defend our home." He continued, "Don't be discourage about their numbers. The quantity of their forces are nothing compared to the quality of ours. Don't be afraid charge forward and confront the ones who threaten the safety of your family, your comrades are there to support you and they won't fail you."

"And do not be afraid of the great threat looming behind all of this. That creature is nothing in front of our combined forces! We are strong! We are undefeated! And We. Will. Win!"

The King's awe-inspiring voice removed the fear and restlessness on everyone's heart. His aura was benevolent and strong, and his presence alone greatly benefits the morale and fighting capabilities of each soldier. 

"All of you! Lift up your chins and face the enemy bravely. Show them our might and together we will protect our land."

"I am giving you all of my blessings."