Chapter 11: Heavy Armored Corps

One day later, at noon.

The temporary squad was not far from Messiah City.

Perhaps due to the words of that Order Knight earlier, the soldiers now felt tense.

No one knew how many would return alive.

Suddenly, Kante, who was in the lead, stopped.

The other squad members also halted, except for Lei Ni, who foolishly bumped into the solid armor on the Order Knight’s back.

“I sense life force. Everyone on alert.”

Kante gave the order.

Everyone drew their swords and instinctively formed a circle, protecting Selina and Lei Ni in the center.

“Dilandi!”

Kante called the knight’s name.

Then an Order Knight slowly stepped forward.

“Northwest, eleven o’clock. One hundred thirty meters.”

“Understood.”

The heavy-armored scout walked steadily toward the direction Kante indicated.

Kante gripped his staff tightly, ready to cast magic at a moment’s notice.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

For these soldiers who had never seen an enemy in their lives, every second felt agonizingly long.

The iron swords in their hands trembled along with them.

Selina looked around and secretly marveled at Kante’s profound strength.

She had no special advantage or hidden power.

Her third-tier magic level was nothing impressive.

On the battlefield, she had to rely on the protection of the Order Knights.

After about a minute or so, the scout returned.

Had the enemy already fled?

“Captain, no enemies. I found an injured brother.”

Kante didn’t immediately stand down.

He only said, “The rest of you, hold position. We’ll go check it out.”

He took a few steps, then stopped.

He glanced back at Selina and Lei Ni.

Perhaps considering this could be a diversion, he said, “Priest, come along too.”

The other knights understood.

They positioned themselves around the two girls naturally—one left, one right, one in front, one behind.

Now Selina was curious about what the scout had seen ahead.

It was only a hundred meters away.

They arrived quickly.

Selina’s eyes widened.

It was a knight clad in pitch-black heavy armor, leaning against a large tree, apparently severely wounded.

The armor’s design was nearly identical to that of the Order Knights, but painted black.

Fresh blood flowed from under the helmet.

The left vambrace was melted, exposing a charred left arm.

The countless dents and scars on the armor told the story of this warrior’s past.

“Take a deep breath. I’ll heal you now. Someone help remove the armor.”

Selina said urgently.

Lei Ni opened her medical kit, ready to stop the bleeding.

Selina reached out to take off his helmet.

The warrior suddenly raised his right hand—a palm larger than her face—and gently grasped Selina’s hands.

“I’m beyond saving. Save your magic for others.”

The hoarse voice came from within the helmet.

Kante asked, “What happened?”

“I… I am Steven, captain of the first squad, third company, northern theater of the Death Sanctuary. I was ordered to follow the airborne unit to reinforce Messiah City. Along the way, we were intercepted long-range by Lava Mages. Only a few members landed successfully. The other scheduled reinforcements couldn’t arrive in time. Messiah… is about to fall…”

“You’re also reinforcements, right? Don’t bother with me.”

Selina couldn’t see the expression under Kante’s helmet, but the entire Order Knight squad fell into a terrifying silence.

Selina dared not make a sound.

“No other intelligence?”

Kante asked.

“The second wave of airborne reinforcements will arrive in two days. At the very least, we need to hold out until then.”

“Understood. All personnel, speed up. Aim to arrive before tomorrow.”

Kante gave the cold order.

The other knights also had no intention of lingering.

Lei Ni looked bewildered.

“Are we just going to leave him here like this?”

Kante, about to turn away, paused.

He seemed to think for a moment.

“You’re right. We can’t just leave him here like this.”

With that, he knelt on one knee before his comrade.

The flag on his staff fluttered in the wind.

Selina instantly understood Kante’s intention.

She placed her left hand over her chest, extended her right hand with palm facing up toward the knight, and began chanting the scripture from the holy texts for seeing off the dead.

Dilandi drew a small knife from his belt, pressed it against the knight’s neck, and made a clean cut.

The simple funeral ceremony ended.

Lei Ni, however, was confused.

She tugged at Selina’s sleeve and bit her lip.

“I don’t understand. He was still alive. Why did they take his life?”

Though she was the elder, she acted like a junior in front of Selina.

“Our healing skills can’t save him. He would have died in agony here. Rather than that, it’s better to give him a quick end. If Messiah City falls, the vast plains behind it will become a battlefield. A third of the Empire’s territory will be consumed by war. Then far more people will die.”

Lei Ni fell silent.

She clutched the pendant on her chest tightly and silently prayed to the goddess for protection.

As a nun, she had seen the dead before.

But watching someone die right in front of her was a different feeling.

It was as if the next one lying there could be herself.

And if it were her, she likely wouldn’t be as fortunate as this knight.

She’d probably die without a whole body left.

The warriors set off again.

They had no time to mourn.

Millions of lives were in their hands.

Their loved ones were behind them.

They had no choice.

At that moment, the spirit’s body sat solemnly by the tree.

Beneath the helmet, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly into a peaceful smile.

…

“Why is his armor a different color from yours?”

Selina asked.

It was nighttime.

The unit was still marching.

During the day, they had been jogging.

“If it’s confidential, you don’t have to answer.”

Kante looked into the darkness beyond the torchlight and said, “It’s not really confidential. Our enemies know this kind of information too.”

“Altogether, the Empire has seven heavy-armor legions like ours. Of course, in terms of number and reputation, we are the highest. If ranked by size,”

“First is us, the Order Knights. We have the most numbers. The minimum entry strength is Tier 6. We are unquestionably the Empire’s main force.”

“Second is the soldier you just saw. He’s from the Death Sanctuary. That’s a heavy-armor legion guarding the border. They have fewer numbers and lower overall strength than us, but they’re rich in combat experience.”

“Third is the Tribunal. The only heavy-armor legion that operates internally. Its main duties include eliminating all threats within the Empire—rooting out heretics, suppressing rebellions, and punishing those who are disloyal to the Emperor.”

“Fourth is the Bloodedge Guard, made up of disabled veterans from other legions. Their individual strength might be the weakest of all legions, but their combat experience is the richest. Their coordination and teamwork far surpass the others.”

“Fifth is the Church’s Paladins. Few in number but powerful. Minimum strength is Tier 7, average is even Tier 8. They are directly under the Pope.”

“Sixth also belongs to the Church. It’s the only all-female legion among the seven heavy-armor legions. They are called the Holy Spirit Angels. Only the Church and the Saintess can deploy them.”

“The seventh heavy-armor legion is the Emperor’s Imperial Guard. I don’t know the specifics, but rumors say every member of the Imperial Guard is at Tier 9.”

“These seven legions are the foundation that has sustained the Empire to this day. They are the insurance for humanity’s survival. As long as we live, the Empire will not fall.”

Selina’s eyes went slightly wide.

She had seen this kind of world-building setup many times before, but hearing it firsthand from a living person was a different matter.

In normal logic, these heavy-armor legions were only the cards on the table.

If humanity truly reached its last resort, perhaps some old fogeys with one foot in the grave would flip the entire continent over.

A physical flipping.

In a magical world, who needs science?