Chapter 553: Chapter 23: Riliman Corridor

Although the victory banquet was a day of celebration, the army was back to its regular operations the very next day.

The victory banquet was for the noble lords; it had nothing to do with the peasants. In this world, only Robson would feast his soldiers after a war.

The army assembled. Worried that delays would invite trouble, the Marquis wanted Prince Noah and Robson to depart ahead of the main force and hurry back to the Royal Capital.

It couldn’t be helped. Such was the intimidating reputation of Marshal Grantham.

Even though Marquis Oscillate had watched him self-destruct with his own eyes, he still felt uneasy.

He had a nagging feeling that Grantham, having caused such a massive stir, couldn’t possibly have been defeated so easily.

The great army broke camp, with Robson and Prince Noah staying close to Marquis Oscillate.

Earl Lu Wen came forward.

"How is it? Lu Wen, have the scouts reported in?" the Marquis asked.

Earl Lu Wen nodded.

"Our Griffin Knights have scoured the entire vicinity and confirmed there’s no activity."

"The cavalry has also scouted the area and found no signs of a large enemy force."

"Marquis, might you be overthinking this? Grantham is truly dead. He died right in front of us," Earl Lu Wen asked.

"The last person who thought so has probably gone to meet the Lord of Dawn, or some other unknown god," Marquis Oscillate sighed.

Had Grantham put up a fierce resistance and left him with only a costly victory, Marquis Oscillate wouldn’t be this tense.

But the victory had come too easily—so easily that the Marquis was at a loss.

"In that case, let’s get moving quickly."

"Have the Infantry Corps advance first. The Knight Order will remain by my side to protect Prince Noah," the Marquis said.

Robson and Valentino exchanged a look.

Both saw confusion in the other’s eyes.

They had prepared twenty thousand elite troops, and tens of thousands more were stationed at Riliman Fortress. How could they possibly be caught off guard?

"You didn’t live through our era, so you can’t truly appreciate the Marshal’s reputation."

Viscount Luke, who had come to say farewell, remarked.

Viscount Luke would not be leaving with Robson and the others; he still had unfinished business on the central front.

"I see," Robson nodded.

"Then we’ll part ways here.

Remember to return to the Royal City by September," Robson said with a smile.

"Don’t worry, Earl, I won’t miss it," Viscount Luke chuckled.

.....

The great army set out in a vast, imposing procession.

Although it was called the Riliman Corridor, it was neither particularly large nor small.

It was about a mile wide from east to west.

On a high mountain, Marshal Grantham watched the people passing below with a complex expression.

Just a few months ago, these armies had all served under him.

Now, everything had changed.

"Grantham."

"They’ve entered."

The Black Robed Mage appeared silently beside Marshal Grantham.

"I know."

"I can see them."

Perhaps because he was a man on the verge of death, Marshal Grantham’s tone was somewhat irritable.

"Where is that squad you prepared for me?" Marshal Grantham asked.

"Don’t you worry about that," the Black Robed Mage said with a smile.

A series of footsteps was heard.

A group of tall warriors, shrouded in black cloth, came before Marshal Grantham.

The Marshal looked at these figures and frowned.

These people emanated a powerful aura.

But the Marshal also had a vague feeling that these people had no life in them at all, as if they were corpses from a battlefield.

Moreover, the height of these black-robed figures was strikingly similar to that of the Beastmen.

"Where did you get these things?" Grantham asked.

"A gift from the Skull Council," the Black Robed Mage answered without any hesitation.

’Grantham is about to die anyway.’

’If he doesn’t die, even better. He’ll be coming south with us, and he’d have to be told about these things sooner or later.’

"The Skull Council..."

Grantham looked at these warriors, and as he recalled what the Black Robed Mage had told him about the Holy Tomb on Madar Mountain, a chill ran up his spine.

However, the Marshal quickly composed himself.

"I trust you know what to do next."

"You’re the ones handling those things anyway.

Just wait for the Prince of Frank and Oscillate to pass by, and aim everything at them."

"No one can withstand that kind of heavenly punishment."

.....

Back with the main column, Robson rode on horseback, looking up at his surroundings.

Before, it was Marquis Oscillate who felt something was wrong.

Now, it wasn’t just the Marquis; Robson felt something was off too.

It wasn’t some kind of supernatural intuition.

As a commander, looking at this enclosed canyon naturally sent a chill down his spine.

In a place like this, a single cavalry charge from both sides could damage the army, split the vanguard from the rearguard, and throw the entire force into chaos.

"Robson, what are you thinking?" Valentino asked.

After their journey to the grasslands, their relationship had heated up rapidly.

For Valentino, this campaign on the plains had felt like a honeymoon.

After months of intimacy, she knew Robson inside and out and could see the worry in his heart with a single glance.

Robson shook his head.

"Why not have the Prince take a different route?" Robson asked.

Valentino nodded at his words.

"The military faction is filled with Extraordinary individuals. Almost half the kingdom’s legendary and Golden Knights are among their ranks."

Robson had an epiphany.

’So that’s how it is.’

’It’s understandable, I suppose.’

’After all, while Battle Aura is said to come from cultivation, using it is the best way to cultivate it. As long as you use Battle Aura to temper your body, your realm will naturally advance.’

’Those from the military faction are forged in battle, so it’s no wonder their strength is extraordinary.’

In fact, the Frank Kingdom’s population and economic strength were far inferior to the other two great powers, but it could match them in terms of Extraordinary individuals.

The underlying reason was the Frank Kingdom’s frequent wars.

"What’s wrong? Did something happen?" Valentino asked.

"It’s nothing, really."

"I just feel uneasy. It’s probably the terrain."

"Are you worried about an ambush too? It’s unlikely. I heard the Griffin Legion has been patrolling the skies for three whole days.

A large-scale legion would find it impossible to hide."

"And if it’s not a large-scale legion, how could it possibly threaten us? We have a full one thousand Extraordinary Knights right here," Valentino said.

"That’s true..."

"Hm?"

Robson froze.

"Now that you mention it, I actually do know of one type of small-scale force that could still be a threat to us..."

As Robson thought about it, a sudden realization struck him.

’Small scale, massive damage, capable of wiping out an army.’

’Something like that really does exist.’

"Really? What is it?" Valentino’s eyes widened.

The concept of a small force causing massive damage was a bit beyond Valentino’s understanding.

But she wasn’t familiar with military matters; she believed whatever Robson said.

"Valentino, didn’t Grantham once use large-scale Magic Crystal Cannons to annihilate the Beastmen?" Robson asked.

He remembered that this had happened.

Moreover, the Marquis had only just recaptured the central front. As far as Robson knew, Grantham had been planning this rebellion for at least two months.

Without the Magic Crystal Cannons, the Marquis might not have noticed anything amiss right away. After all, the Marquis came from a Knight background, and his tactics leaned towards conservative cavalry strategies.

"Are you saying...?"

"This is bad. I have to go warn the Marquis and the others..."

Robson stopped mid-sentence and looked at Valentino.

He didn’t have any spare legendary-level fighters under his command. If it really was a battery of Magic Crystal Cannons, Valentino’s Golden First Tier body wouldn’t be able to withstand a few shots.

Sometimes, a few seconds of hesitation is all it takes to create a fatal threat.

From the distant mountains came the sound that Robson least wanted to hear at that moment.

"BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!"

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