In the Spring of San Calendar Year 21, Elliot VIII of the Crete Empire passed away at the age of forty-two. Since all of his male offspring had died in the rebellion, the first in line to the throne was Duke Vortigen, who succeeded his brother's throne as the Emperor of Crete with the title of Vortigen I.
Afterwards, the Church and the Crete Empire formed an allied army with Charles, the head of the Knights of Light, acting as the Commander. They declared war against the Kingdom of Menkaure with over 80,000 knights and around 100,000 recruited soldiers. The army of over 200,000 crossed the Red River Plains and attacked the Kingdom of Menkaure, which had not made any preparations for war.
The Crete Imperial Army was skilled in uphill battles, while the Menkaure troops were very weak in the area of siege defense. Hence, the human allied forces quickly stormed into Menkaure and instantly set the nation aflame.
Among the 200,000, other than the ordinary soldiers, there were many soldiers that had been conscripted by the nobles, as well as knights from their retinue. These people participated in the war for one reason, and it was not by the orders of the Church and the Emperor. Instead, it was solely with the aim to pillage.
As such, they did not carry much food with them, and earned their livings on the battlefield, sustaining their lives with their lusts for wealth. This ambition boosted both their morale and battle prowess.
Wherever the allied army swept through, the ground would be littered with bodies. The human army had become a group of pillaging thieves, who burned all that they saw to the ground.
Sometimes, there was no difference between these soldiers and the bandits, especially when facing a different race. They left a steady trail of blood, all the while stuffing their wallets, the entire way to the capital of the Kingdom of Menkaure. In fact, the entire kingdom was filled with screams and crimson blood.
The king and the nobles of Menkaure had never thought that the Crete Empire, which was on the verge of chaos itself, would stabilize so quickly, much less complete a transition of power to form an allied army with the Church of Light, and then declare war on them! As the war continued and the army approached, they all fell into complete hysterics.
The Kingdom of Menkaure hastily scrapped together an army of 70,000. They then decided to use the geography of the Kary Valley in order to stop the advance of the human army, while seeking reinforcements from the other orc kingdoms and large clans.
Within the first three days, the Menkaure army successfully delayed the human allied army. But by the fourth day, the human side sent out their first special abilities team, the Ministers of Execution.
Dozens of priests with special abilities led the Knights of Light in destroying the entire orc army. Holy light and longswords swept the battlefield. In their wake, numerous bodies littered the ground.
They were unstoppable. The beastmen army scattered in terror, while the allied army chased them. From the Kary Valley to the capital of Menkaure, the path was paved with discarded armor and dead bodies.
A large amount of bodies of the fallen orc soldiers floated down the Kary River. The fish in the river grew fat feasting on their bloated corpses. The entire river was dyed blood red.
From the beginning of the war to its current progress to the capital, only half a month had passed. The human allied army was already pushing the Kingdom of Menkaure to the brink of destruction.
Before the allied army arrived, news of the defeat of the large orc army had spread to the capital. The capital of Menkaure descended into absolute chaos, as all the nobles, officials, merchants and citizens scrambled to pack their belongings and escape.
Even the servants and guards of the palace were in a panic, and crowds of people were running around. A lot of servants even started looting the palace as they prepared to flee. The morale of the entire kingdom was completely gone, as the signs of annihilation were eminent.
The King of Menkaure sat on the throne with soulless eyes, holding the legendary Sword of the King in his hands. The throne room was empty, without a single lit lamp. It had lost all feeling of its past glory. Footsteps were heard as the minotaur general approached.
"Your Highness, the preparations are ready."
The King of Menkaure, now aged beyond his years, lifted his head and asked, "How did this happen? How did it come to this so suddenly?"
He stood up, his leopard eyes narrowed. "They deceived us. It was the Gathering of Darkness! It was those wizards! You have tricked us! It was you, all of you! Otherwise, how would they dare attack us? How would they do this with such speed? It's not my fault, not me!"
The King fell into a state of near madness. At last, he could only laugh a long bitter laugh, morose and broken.
The royal capital was ruled by frenzied chaos, as the citizens ran and screamed up and down the streets. The allied army wasn't even here yet, but it seemed as if the Apocalypse had already descended. The streets were packed. People could be heard screaming at one another, crushing each other in a mad scramble to get out of the city.
The King led his son through an underground passage out of the city. Outside the city, there were a hundred knights stationed. Since the prince was born late in the king's life, he especially treasured the child. After hugging him, the king handed him to a leopard-man knight.
The child bursted into tears. "Father, what's happening? I don't want to leave you."
The king's heart ached, and he wrung his hands in grief. The knights saluted the king and departed immediately. The king only looked back after the knights had departed. As he did so, he could no longer hold back his weary tears.
"The Church of Light would never let me go. I will run this way to avoid attracting their attention."
The King of Menkaure led the remaining ten soldiers and departed. By dawn, the capital could be seen in the distance, alight in flames and descending into a blazing inferno. The king and his knights were completely shocked.
"What are they doing? It's a massacre. What do they want?"
"Humanity, the Church of Light, and the Crete Empire!"
The King of Menkaure fell from his horse and struggled to stagger back up. He gnashed his teeth in pure hatred and regret, as he repeated these three things over and over again.
This scene made all of the people present shed unbidden tears. By then, they were upriver by the Kary River. As soon as they crossed the river, they would be far enough away. Yet, at this moment, fleeing was not on their minds. Many orc soldiers dismounted and knelt down, facing the city.
From afar, the sound of hooves and armor gradually drifted closer. These were the pursuers of the allied army. They looked like a black mass, approaching like a shadow of the night. They would not forget the King of Menkaure nor the Sword of Light he held.
The minotaur general drew his longsword, but he did not look at the enemy. Instead, his steady gaze never left his king. "Your Majesty, do you regret your decision?"
The king was silent, and the general did not wait for an answer. He led his ten knights into battle against the enemy, as the sound of clashing blades and battlecries resounded with the rise of dawn.
Surrounded by the human army, no matter how brave these warriors were, they all died, one by one. The minotaur general was taken down by three people, as multiple swords gored through his chest and back. As he fell to the ground, he knelt towards the capital and closed his eyes one final time.
Only the King of Menkaure was left. He stood by the Kary River with his crown and beast skin robes, looking at the neat squadron approaching him. All of them glared at him with icy killing intent, observing this fallen king. Whoever fetched his head and brought back the Sword of the King, would receive wealth, glory, land and everything beyond imagination.
The King of Menkaure turned around and held the Sword of the King tightly as he looked at the army surrounding him. His shocked expression turned unbelievably sinister, the hatred and fury in his eyes radiating out from his entire being. When he spoke, the muscles in his neck were trembling. "Humanity, I curse you! I curse you!"
His gaze swept past all of the humans at the scene, imprinting their ugly features as it went, including the longswords and armor that was tainted with the fresh blood of the orcs. Their bodies were drenched in the lifeblood of the orc. As the light of the rising sun fell on them, it felt as if an aura of blood had started rolling outwards. Even their voices had transformed into echoes of despair.
"You will pay for your sins. You will never get this Sword of the King. One day, it will belong to a King of the Orcs, who will return this pain to you a thousand-fold."
After finishing this sentence, the King of Menkaure turned around and threw himself into the torrents of the Kary River. The Sword of the King disappeared within the rolling waves of the river.
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