in the name of the queen

Chapter 335: Requiem by the River, Returning Home on a Snowy Night

The attack and defense of Val City was a battle that is difficult to describe in a few words.

Although both sides of the war claimed victory afterwards, this was only for propaganda purposes. In fact, they both partially achieved their strategic goals and paid a heavy price.

When summarizing the war afterward, the top generals on both sides looked as if their own parents had died, and serious divisions even emerged within the camps.

The generals of the Free Alliance might be disgusted by Christine's coldness and ruthlessness, but no one denied her command ability.

Only she can make hundreds of thousands or even millions of troops move in an orderly manner, no one else can do it.

What will they do now that Christine is "dead"?
Fortunately, Sif and Alina sent orders in time, requiring Porthos and Vichy to take over the command of their respective armies, build defense lines on the spot, and continue to hold their ground.

Now that Christine is gone, the others have neither the ability nor the prestige to command the coalition forces of several countries. It is the best option for them to split up and fight on their own.

Although Christine was killed in this battle and the Holy Spring was temporarily out of service, they still managed to defend the city of Val and defeat the most elite force of the Vladimir Empire, the Berserkers, so it was not a complete loss.

Although they were in a heavy mood, the generals still built the defense line step by step and prepared to hold it.

Most people don’t know that December 12st is the Day of Return. Although the extraordinary people and the ordinary people live under the same blue sky, they do not live in the same world.

The morale of the Free League was certainly low, and the Holy Alliance was not having a good time either.

When the airship was shot down and Christine was frozen, Angelina even thought that there was no suspense in this battle. However, the direction of the battle was completely beyond her understanding.

The coalition forces were like crazy, and all their attacks were directed towards the Vladimir Empire.

They took the initiative to bypass the defense zones of the Kingdom of Pruden and the Kingdom of Tyrol, and these two allies with ulterior motives watched the Free Alliance pass by as if they were defenseless.

The battle seemed brutal, and it was actually very brutal.

But this was only tragic relative to the Vladimir Empire and the three kingdoms of Golden Kite and Sussex. Their allies became spectators in this tragic battle, watching the battle in the VIP seats.

Sophia personally shot down the airship command center and killed Christine, and she herself had to fall into a deep sleep to recover her strength.

Angelina was more worried about Sophia's safety than the setback on the battlefield.

After the Berserkers collapsed and the Guards Infantry were routed, she had to order the main camp to be abandoned and all parts of the army to take turns to cover the retreat.

The idea is good, but it's a pity that we met an opponent who lacked martial ethics.

After the main camp flag was cut down, the allied forces sang the sad third movement from the siren Munina, mixed with the loud Rurik language shouts in her singing.

"Our army is defeated!"

"The Queen has passed away!"

This was a shameful lie, but Sophia was sleeping in the ice sculpture and couldn't come out to see anyone.

Putting her ice sculpture on display is tantamount to confirming her death.

As the Queen of Winter, she was frozen in an ice sculpture and couldn’t open her eyes. How dare she say she is not dead?
These Rurik words with Hansa accents were clearly the work of the coalition forces, but they were fabricated in a very vicious way and directly hit the soft spot of the Rurik people.

People who are often hurt by rumors and false accusations know that it takes only a little effort to spread a rumor, but it takes a lot of effort to refute it.

In this chaotic battlefield, these vicious rumors cannot be clarified at all.

The Ruriks were warlike and strong, and their worship of the empress was comparable to that of a god.

They idolized Sophia, so when there was no news about Sophia and she was suspected to be dead, their mentality exploded instantly and collapsed.

If the pursuit troops were not worried about being surrounded by Pruden and the Kingdom of Tyrol if they stood out too much, they would never let go of the Vladimir Empire's army, which was already on the verge of collapse.

After chasing for nearly twenty miles, Jace and others reluctantly collected the spoils and returned to the camp under the order of Porthos.

From the time they launched a desperate charge, captured the main camp, to the wild pursuit, the allies of the Vladimir Empire were watching the show, as if it had nothing to do with them.

The Free Alliance Army also tacitly bypassed them and did not disturb them.

It looks weird, but it's not weird at all.

Allies are meant to be sold at critical moments. This is the diplomatic philosophy of the Sussex people.

A covenant is only valid until it is torn, this is the motto of the Golden Kite people.

Allies are very dangerous in victory, but even more dangerous in defeat, is a proverb of the Odinites.

The giant bear has only two allies: claws and teeth. This is the Rurik people's belief.

In this era, national credibility is still a joke, and most countries have similar attitudes towards covenants and allies.

Military operations cannot continue when everyone is suspicious of their allies.

It's night, silent.

The battlefield, which had been fought fiercely for days, was no longer noisy. Only a few seriously wounded soldiers waiting to die and the war horses lying on the ground were wailing and neighing, making the already cruel battlefield even more miserable.

The red moonlight illuminated the earth. In a river in a corner of the battlefield, a beautiful mermaid girl climbed up the shore and sat down beside a huge rock. Her clear voice resounded throughout the entire battlefield.

Crystal clear tears rolled at the corners of the mermaid girl's eyes and slowly slid down.

This war claimed too many lives, and thousands of her people also lost their lives in this war that should have had nothing to do with them.

But she had to lead the tribe into war.

In this battle that determines the life and death of the two major camps, if you do not participate, you will not be able to participate in the post-war dividends.

Munina Gram, the new head of the Gram clan is well aware of this.

She has the protection of her adoptive father, Norton, the empire's chief alchemist. Even if she doesn't contribute, she won't necessarily be liquidated, but she can forget about sharing the dividends.

She even volunteered to join the war.

She was afraid of Roland, and even more afraid of Sophia winning.

Marshal Haiyan cooperated with the Imperial Navy to completely wipe out the remnants of General Haiao and the Grimm clan. If she still didn't know which side to stand on, her life would be in vain.

After the defense of Val City, her disgust for war reached its peak.

Taking advantage of the night, she surfaced to sing an elegy for those who had passed away and also offered them blessings, wishing them to cross the River Styx as soon as possible and return to the human world through reincarnation.

In the beliefs of many ethnic groups, the soul does not perish after the physical death of a person, but instead leaves the body and enters the underworld. The lucky ones transcend reincarnation and return to the human world, while the unlucky ones drown in the River Styx and become the energy that maintains the operation of the underworld.

A song of reincarnation, dedicated to all living beings.

Munina stood up, supported her body with her fish tail, and sang in a sad and melodious voice, full of regret for the loss of life and accusation against war.

This song carries too much content, far beyond her ability limit. If she forces herself to sing it, it will cause irreversible damage to her body, but she doesn't care at all.

Compared to these soldiers who lost their lives, the backlash is nothing.

She was only worried that she wouldn't be able to complete this song that was beyond her realm and ability.

This was the fourth movement of the Sirens, which she had heard of but never tried—Reincarnation.

Chanting the Reincarnation requires a tremendous amount of energy. Munina has already consumed a lot of it in today's battle, and she really can't hold on any longer.

But she was unwilling to give up halfway.

Not far from where she reached the riverbank, a group of dejected prairie cavalry happened to pass by.

This team of cavalry seemed like headless flies in today's battle. They received no effective orders and had no idea what to do.

Now they finally saw the spoils.

A cavalryman raised his gun and was hesitating whether to shoot, but was kicked off his horse by the captain.

"Idiot! This is art, a dirge for everyone, what do you want to do!"

Just as the captain was scolding the soldiers, another group of cavalry appeared on the other side of the river.

Although this team of cavalrymen were covered in blood and looked a little disheveled, their morale was high and their every move was filled with the excitement of a victor.

The cavalry raised their rifles at the same time and aimed at the grassland cavalry on the other side of the river.

The grassland cavalry on the other side of the river were trembling with fear and looked at each other, not daring to move.

The river where the two teams of cavalry faced each other was just a small tributary of the Rodinia River, less than fifty meters wide. The soldiers could even see each other's expressions in the moonlight.

At this distance, the hit rate of ordinary rifles is very impressive, but the grassland cavalry dare not bet on the accuracy of the opponent's guns.

They recognized the identities of the opponents from their armor and uniforms: knights of the Order of the White Rose, and the most elite hunting cavalry.

The hunting cavalry were equipped with breech-loading rifles dug out from underground ruins. They had superb marksmanship and an effective range of more than two hundred meters, so it was easy for them to be shot like targets.

These hunting cavalrymen wore the best armor, were equipped with the best guns, rode the most handsome horses, received the highest salaries, and almost all of them had the title of knight and their loyalty was impeccable.

They are called the Silver Helmeted Death God, a super special force that is much more powerful than the Berserkers.

The captain of the grassland cavalry looked pale and regretful in his heart.

I shouldn't have been so nosy and come to see who was singing. Now, this sad song is his funeral song.

Forget it, it's good to be able to listen to such a beautiful song before dying.
But I don’t want to die at all.

The captain of the prairie cavalry regretted his choice of escape route tonight, but now that things have come to this, there are many more important things to do than regret.

He hid his hands behind his back and ordered his soldiers to flee at full speed while he was attracting attention, and whoever could escape would be the best.

As for him, he was destined to be shot into a hornet's nest.

The sable tail ornament on his head betrayed his identity as a centurion and could not be hidden at all.

Just as the Prairie Cavalry Captain was in despair and the White Rose Hunting Cavalry Captain slowly raised his hand, Munina couldn't help but cast a pleading look at the Hunting Cavalry Captain.

She couldn't stop singing, and she didn't dare to plead for her enemy.

The Knights of the White Rose are the Queen's personal guards and Roland's direct descendants. They have always been arrogant and always give each other a higher rank when they see an official. Why should they give her face?

So she could only beg with her eyes.

However, the development of the matter was beyond Munina's expectations. The captain of the White Rose Knights snapped his fingers and smiled with a bit of rogueness.

"Those on the other side, drop your guns and you can go. The war is over. These broken fire sticks are useless to you, but they are useful to us."

The captain of the prairie cavalry ordered the soldiers to take off their rifles without hesitation and place them neatly by the river.

He saluted the Knight of the White Rose and prepared to leave.

"The other side trusts me so much?" The captain of the White Rose Knights was a little curious.

"Having or not having a gun won't change the outcome. The war is over. I hope we can sit together and have a drink next time we meet. I won't lose in a drinking contest." The captain of the grassland cavalry shrugged casually.

Although he is a loser, a loser should also be free and easy as a loser.

The White Rose Knight saluted his back, then he casually gestured to the Siren Warriors floating in the river, asking them to help collect the guns from the opposite side.

The show of chivalry was over, and face was given to Miss Munina, but it did not mean that barbarians like sirens could be on an equal footing with noble humans.

Not to mention that he was a noble lord of the White Rose Banner.

The White Rose Flag's master had spoken, and the Siren naturally did not dare to disobey. The Siren warriors quickly climbed to the other side and collected rifles.

They don't even see anything wrong with it.

They are guests living in human territory, so they have to tolerate any arrogant attitude of their hosts.

What's more, these White Rose masters gave face to the patriarch, which is the most important thing.

This little incident did not bother Munina, but she still could not continue singing.

She cast an apologetic look at the Captain of the White Rose Knights, who remained on the shore enjoying the song.

Her ability is still a little lacking, and she can't finish singing this song.
Suddenly, singing came from a distance.

Munina looked up excitedly towards the south.

At the end of the moonlight, on the top of the White Mountain, a melodious song continued the first half of her song.

Although the lyrics and tunes are slightly different, the soul-stirring music transcends national boundaries, languages, and even life and death.

Munina burst into tears and sang along with the singing from the top of the White Mountain.

She went from being the lead singer to backing vocals, but she didn't complain at all.

There is only one person in the entire plane who can catch this song, the current human, the former Queen of Elf, Sylph, who was blessed by the wind elves.

The wind carried the song across the battlefield.

The song that penetrates the soul resounds in everyone's heart.

The souls that passed away but refused to leave gradually calmed down and floated towards the underworld.

The dying soldiers forgot their pain when they heard the singing and waited quietly for the end of their lives.

Only the warhorse didn't understand and continued to neigh.

Fortunately, their neighing did not last too long. The soldiers who were waiting to die thought they were noisy and struggled to draw their swords to send them on their way.

No one questioned who killed his horse, and everyone was enjoying the last soul song.

The singing lasted for half an hour until the red moon rose in the sky and slowly stopped. Munina knelt on the ground, facing the white mountain, crying with excitement.

"That's it, that's it, this is the real fourth movement of reincarnation."

Some people listen to songs to relax, some listen to songs to be intoxicated, and some are woken up by songs and feel irritated.

In a luxurious tent far away from the battlefield, Angelina looked at the ice sculpture of Queen Sophia with concern.

She knew that the Queen was sleeping, and she also believed that the Queen would wake up before the Day of Return, but she still felt anxious when she saw the Queen trapped in the ice sculpture.

The singing tonight made her extremely irritated.

She wasn't dead, so naturally she didn't like listening to this kind of funeral song.

If she could do it, she would definitely order a heavy bombardment on the top of White Mountain to shut up that bastard Sylph.

But she can't.

The defeat of the army made her extremely distressed, and what made her even more uncomfortable was that almost all the losses came from the elite troops of the Vladimir Empire.

In the fierce offensive and defensive battles of the past few days, the Vladimir Empire has paid a heavy price of more than 100,000 casualties.

These soldiers are all veterans with many years of experience, especially the Berserkers.

Christine's final order made this ace force history.

Although there were still three or four thousand remaining Berserkers, their morale and organization were ruined.

It will take at least a dozen years for this army to recover its vitality, and God knows how long it will take to fully restore its combat effectiveness.

Thinking of this, Angelina's blood pressure rose even higher.

Seeing that Queen Sophia showed no signs of waking up for the time being, she walked out of the tent a little irritably and went out to look at the moon to relax.

When she looked up and saw the blood moon in the sky, her mood became even worse.

In the past year, the red companion moon, which was originally only one-tenth the size of the blue main moon, has grown larger and the human figures on the moon have become clearer.

It is obvious that the Companion Moon and its creatures are approaching the Theia plane.

The material plane has plane barriers to prevent the invasion of extraterritorial evil demons, but the companion moon is part of the plane, and the plane barriers do not stop it.

As the return day approaches, the companion moon is getting closer and closer, and has already far surpassed the main moon.

Astronomers speculate that the companion moon will descend to Earth by the end of this year.

The companion moon was approaching at an ever-increasing speed, but Theia was still in civil war.

Thinking of this, Angelina felt a tightness in her chest.

Why can't everyone unite closely around the Rurik people with Queen Sophia as the core?
Why do you have to resist?
Sophia is the hope of all tribes in this era! Only she can prevent the final destruction and stop other powerful tribes from returning home.

Thinking of this, Angelina's mood was as murderous as the blood moon.

She looked up again and saw that the red moon was approaching the earth at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It seems that the arrival of the companion moon will happen in the next one or two days.

"Ah, Your Majesty, why haven't you woken up yet?"

Angelina murmured softly, her tone full of frustration and exhaustion.

Just when she was feeling depressed, a soft and clear voice came from behind her.

"I woke up."

Angelina turned around trembling slightly, her lips shaking with excitement. Thinking about what had happened in the past few days, she was ashamed and was about to kneel down to apologize, but Sophia gently held her up.

"I was just sleeping, not dead. I saw it. You did a good job."

Sophia's eyes drifted towards Baishan not far away, and she said softly, "Since someone is waiting for me in Baishan, it would be rude not to go."

"Your Majesty, you have told me many times not to fight on a battlefield set up by the enemy!" Angelina couldn't help but raise her voice.

Others who don't understand the Queen will most likely be moved by her pride, but she is the only one who can feel the hidden injuries and fatigue in the Queen's body.

She was like a piece of cold jade that was broken from the inside.

The outside looks bright and beautiful, but the inside is already scarred.

Seeing that Angelina was about to cry, Sophia gently held her hand and pulled up the concerned acting coach.

Her eyes were gentle, yet unquestionably firm, as if she was looking down on the world.

"I just slept for a while and recalled some past events. Since those three deserters are not coming, who in this big world can be my opponent?"

"Come on, accompany me up the mountain to witness the exit of these worthy opponents."

She looked up at the sky, and the originally ferocious red moon was obscured by the suddenly appearing dark clouds.

Crystal snowflakes fall from the sky.

Sophia stretched out her fingertips, and the space around her body twisted as her power surged.

The snowflakes chosen by Sophia fell like lightning, while the other snowflakes solidified in the air. The difference between fast and slow was weird and magical.

Angelina felt a pain in her chest while watching this scene and almost vomited blood.

She was a little embarrassed, but her confidence in Sophia was restored.

The Queen just moved her hand casually, and she almost made this person who had broken through to the seventh level vomit blood. This control over power had already transcended the mundane, transcended the extraordinary, and even had some of the flavor of the holy realm.

It is rumored that only those who surpass the fourth level can enter the holy land, but Sophia touched the realm of the holy land when she was only the seventh level.

As she said, who in this world can be her opponent?
Angelina knew that she had no right to participate in the final battle, she was just a spectator.

Just like this contrast between extreme fast and extreme slow, Sophia is helping her grow.

She didn't dare to speak, but just followed Sophia obediently.

She kindly reminded Sophia to change horses to save energy, but Sophia just smiled and said calmly:
"It would be a pity not to appreciate such a beautiful snow scene carefully."

Angelina felt something was wrong. She remembered that when Queen Sophia first arrived in the empire, she was one of the people welcoming her and had witnessed Sophia's heroic figure from afar.

She was only eleven years old at the time, and Empress Sophia was also very young.

It was snowing heavily that day too.

Angelina felt a little choked up, she suddenly stood in front of Sophia, her voice trembling, almost crying.

"Your Majesty, wait for them to come and die, okay?"

Sophia reached out and touched Angelina's distorted face, and said softly: "Look, you still don't believe that I will win."

"Your Majesty, if you were in good condition and it was a one-on-one fight, you could easily crush them, but this is not a fair fight at all!"

"Is it fair?" Sophia stopped and suddenly laughed.

"Angelina, if you can't forget this ridiculous word, you will never surpass Roland in your life."

Angelina raised her head angrily, "I don't want to surpass him, I just want you to be safe."

Sophia took a step forward. Angelina hesitated slightly, but still moved half of her body away.

It would be disrespectful to block the Queen's progress. She could advise her but could not block her head-on.

If the Queen wanted to move forward, she would kneel down and hug the Queen's thighs.

Angelina recalled Sif's singing just now and felt a lingering fear.

There are a total of four powerful people like Sif on the mountain, and there is even Roland, the cunning venomous snake.

Although the Queen is powerful, she is fighting one against four, in poor condition, and playing away from home. Almost all the taboos of military strategists have occurred. How can you fight like this?
The enemy is not made of paper.

Just when Angelina made up her mind to stop Sophia, her eyes blurred and Sophia had walked several meters away.

Angelina lost the chance to catch Sofia and just followed her.

The first time she stopped him, it was because the Queen doted on her and didn't care, so she couldn't be rude anymore.

Seeing Angelina's worried look, Sophia said leisurely, "Thirteen years ago, when I just became a Transcendent, the first person I challenged was a Level 8 Transcendent. You know, I was so nervous that my legs were shaking."

Angelina nodded. Of course she knew. That was the night when the Queen killed her husband and took the throne. She killed the captain of the Royal Guard with her own hands, crushing the will of the resistance and starting her undefeated journey.

Sophia walked casually, and the sound seemed to come from far away.

"Seven years ago, I challenged a Level 7 Psychic Medium, but unfortunately, I only defeated him but didn't kill him."

Angelina quickly took over the conversation, "Your Majesty, the transition from level eight to level seven is a qualitative change. It's a miracle that you can defeat her."

Sophia did not explain that she could have killed the psychic at that time, but she showed mercy.

She walked slowly, letting the falling snow fall on her shoulders before disappearing.

Angelina waited for her to continue her story, but Sophia stopped talking.

"Your Majesty, you later killed nine Level 7 warriors. Why don't you tell me about it?"

"Ten."

Sophia corrected Angelina's mistake, then said calmly: "From now on, it will be a battle of the same level, there is nothing to say."

After walking in silence for a while, we finally approached Baishan.

Before Angelina could speak, Sophia whispered, "Angelina, do you think my victory is just a casual remark?"

Angelina was speechless for a moment. She did think the Queen was a little stubborn. Otherwise, why would she recall past achievements to boost her confidence?

Your Majesty is still invincible, but the enemy is really strong, very cunning and very bad.

Of course she was worried.

But she couldn't say it directly, so she had to keep silent and express her feelings with silence.

Sophia raised her lips and said slowly, "Angelina, this is not blind self-confidence, but confidence built up through continuous victories. If you have defeated so-called geniuses and strong men of the same level since your debut, and no one can survive under your sword, even strong men above you cannot defeat you, will you have the belief that you will win no matter who the enemy is?"

Angelina was stunned. She smiled bitterly and shook her head, "I don't know. I don't have that feeling."

“So you don’t understand.”

Sophia quickened her pace slightly and walked towards Baishan.

"No matter who stands before me, even if it's a god, as long as we're of the same level, I will win."

"If Roland doesn't gather five people with suitable attributes to form the Soul Blood Pentagram Formation, they are not even worth my full effort."

Sophia said softly.

Angelina shuddered, "Five people, are you talking about Christine?"

Sophia smiled but did not answer. She said casually, "I need the best whetstone, and now I have it. Let's go and use this battle to cheer for the upcoming Fourth Return Day."

"Wait, Your Majesty, it should be the sixth return day, right?" Angelina quickened her pace and caught up.

Her heart was trembling, but Sophia did not answer the question.

The Queen of Winter opens her arms and embraces the wind and snow.

The strong wind and heavy snow swirled towards her, melting as they touched her skin.

Angelina felt the subtle changes in Sophia's body and her breathing suddenly stopped.

She watched Sophia's figure gradually shrink in the wind and snow and blend into the surrounding environment.

At this moment, she is Baishan and Baishan is also her.

She and Baishan seemed to have merged into one, no longer distinguishable from each other.

Angelina thought silently that the home battle that Roland had painstakingly designed was bound to have no good results in this snowstorm.

Challenge the majesty of the Winter Queen in the blizzard?
Angelina almost couldn't help laughing.

There are many ways to die, and Roland chose the one he thought was the smartest but actually the stupidest.

This is probably what people often say, "Even a wise man is occasionally tripped by his own hidden tripwires."

Angelina even felt a little sympathy for Roland. She quickened her pace and followed him.

At this moment, she finally stopped worrying about the Queen's safety. She just wanted to watch a feast of killing.

The white rose stained the top of the mountain with blood, becoming the final preparation for Sophia's transcendence into sainthood.

This is the undoubted outcome.

Angelina was absolutely sure.

(End of this chapter)