Chapter 36: The Eve of the Great Battle

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South of Chungju City lies Bird Ridge Pass.

This fortress, nestled within the mountain range, is now deathly silent. Not a single defender is visible on the ramparts. There is nothing but a few scattered royal banners and tattered leather armor, left behind by the retreating Dongsong soldiers.

In stark contrast to the silence within the pass, the area before it is bustling with activity. Rows of warriors clad in blue and white lamellar armor stand in solemn silence. The fine steel spears they grip tightly glisten under the moonlight, and the shields they carry, etched with star patterns, shimmer with a faint glow. The dried bloodstains remaining on their iron helmets are particularly striking.

The vanguard of the Stardust Second and Eighth Legions has already arrayed before Bird Ridge Pass. The legionnaires stand in perfect formation, their inner deep-blue Void Energy manifesting as shimmering shields around them, exuding an overwhelming pressure. Their handsome, delicate faces, framed by iron helmets, make them look less like an army and more like the relief carvings on an ancient Roman triumphal arch.

If anyone were to stand among these legionnaires, they would surely exclaim, "Damn, the smell of blood is suffocating!"

The whistling of the wind howling through the mountain pass carries toward them. Solt stands upon his White Lion war chariot, his glass of red wine rippling with the breeze.

"These fools! To leave such a strategic pass undefended—are all the Dongsong generals idiots?"

Solt raises his head confidently, downing the wine along with the Dongsong wind. A smile of appreciation for his own handiwork plays upon his lips.

"Report, Commander. Shall we order the vanguard to advance through Bird Ridge Pass?"

"No rush, child. No rush."

Solt looks down at the young, perplexed messenger, his smile deepening. "When did you begin following me on my conquests, child?"

"Since you led us to annihilate the eighth world."

"Hmm, that was quite a while ago."

Solt hands his glass to his adjutant, who hurriedly retrieves a bottle from a storage ring to refill the silver goblet.

"So, what do you think of them?"

The adjutant looks at the warriors, who appear like marble sculptures, unable to find the right words. "Powerful? Heroic? Or perhaps... magnificent?"

"No, no, no, child. Those are not what they are."

"They aren't? But their unique aura—"

"What do you think, then, my lord?"

"Beauty, child. It is a beauty washed clean by the blood of their enemies."

Seeing the adjutant standing there, stunned, Solt flashes a wicked, enchanting smile. "It is the beauty forged by countless acts of genocide."

Solt spreads his arms wide, feeling the wind blowing from the pass, laced with the lingering scent of blood from the Stardust warriors. To Solt, this is the beauty of a masterpiece he crafted with his own hands; it is the beauty of his favorite toy.

Of course, it is one of his favorites. There are many other amusing toys he has created. This is merely one of many he has gifted to Stardust and Fenrir.

"And yet, one day," Solt pulls his arms back in, his smile remaining undiminished, "their beauty was tainted by a god from the East."

"An Easterner tainted my work and then fled."

Solt’s gaze turns as resentful as a scorned lover, like a black hole lost in the memories of the past. "Later, I discovered that he wasn't some stray dog from nowhere."

"He had a home called the Jade Realm."

"Oh, perfect! Simply perfect!"

"So, what should I do?"

Seeing the confusion in his adjutant’s eyes, Solt lets out a terrifying laugh. "Naturally, I shall make him pay a thousandfold, hahahahahahaha!"

Suppressing his laughter, which would be incomprehensible to ordinary men, Solt resumes his demeanor as the Commander of the Stardust Army. "Are the White Lion Riders in position?"

"This... I believe Lady Freya sent you a telepathic message personally..."

The adjutant looks troubled. Solt suddenly remembers; the young girl Freya had indeed messaged him earlier, confirming the White Lion Riders had reached their ambush point. He shakes his head. This body's adaptation is so thorough that his old memories and his memories as the Stardust Commander have become inextricably intertwined.

"Are all units properly arranged?"

"Commander, the vanguard of the Eighth and Second Legions are fully prepared for the march. To traverse the boulder-strewn tundra of Dongsong, they have even been equipped with boots suitable for the march."

"Hmph, what a pity. We only opened one Void Gate, leaving our soldiers' energy depleted after the Great War of the Profound Mountain. Otherwise, we could have used our shield-levitation to launch a surprise aerial assault on the main Dongsong force in Chungju!"

"Sigh... that girl Freya is lazy. She hasn't captured a single key in so long. If she had opened a few more gates earlier, I could be kicking that Jade person's head around like a ball right now!"

The adjutant listens to Solt’s complaints without daring to utter a word.

"You must pass through Bird Ridge quickly! You must arrive outside Chungju City in three days!"

Solt activates his telepathic communication to issue orders to the commanders of all four legions.

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