You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 363 The Last Conquest Expedition

Payne remained silent; the family motto was that anger was silent.

He witnessed the death of Éo III, but never before had he missed Éorien so much. The Rage and the Papacy had lost all their political struggles and were left with no choice but to wage war, using unjust means to destroy Éorien.

Iotashina surpassed her predecessor by a wide margin, launching a night raid on the camp and nearly crushing the jihadist army, managing to hold out until reinforcements arrived.

Both of them had the demeanor of kings, but Ionis did not.

True kings will never become puppets to be manipulated, for they possess the entire earth within them.

"Your Majesty, they are merely at their last gasp." The Duke comforted the weakened king. He had also met the secret envoy; nothing in the Black Iron Court could be kept from him.

But he didn't expect Ionis to be so frightened.

Princess White Steel possesses exceptional talent, but even greater talent lies in Tashina's willpower.

Éolien might be persuaded to remove her crown, but Princess Stain has absolutely no chance of changing her mind.

Her eyes burned with the flames of war, and she rode a pure white warhorse, eager to emulate the great former king and save this land.

But, my proud and powerful child, have you ever considered that even our great former king made mistakes? Duke Fury thought to himself. I so wish this matter could be resolved peacefully and properly, but you and your father are blinded by the glory of conquerors.

If Iolion removes the Iron Crown and lifts the blockade on the Papacy, why would they turn against each other?

He would risk his life to protect the Lord of the Black Iron Throne and would never allow the Papacy to retaliate against the Conqueror family.

However, both the father and daughter were extreme.

Despite facing an impending siege, Iolion never wavered in his resolve.

Iotashina was the same; even as order collapsed, she remained defiant. Young and impetuous, she did not know that only the wind could shatter the rocks and destroy everything in its path.

Even if the former king were to return to the world, he could not reverse the course of events.

No one knows this better than him.

A hundred years ago, Ionus was able to conquer the nations because he went with the flow, but this time, he went against the flow.

Human power cannot defy the tides of history. Nor can it quell the deep-sea whirlpools or stop the dark ages.

But no matter what, he always believed that a new king would emerge from the bloodline of Old Sinnoh, just like the conqueror of yesteryear, illuminating the entire land.

“Even a spent arrow can kill,” Ionis said. He was content to be king, with young girls or mature women sharing his bed every day. But whenever he thought of Tasina, that woman as cold as a steel knife, his legs went weak. He had been afraid of that strong-willed elder sister since childhood.

The Black Iron Lands now have two Black Iron Kings, both of royal lineage and of pure blood.

Ionis really didn't want to fight Tashina; he would really die.

But he had no choice; he knew who he had to rely on.

Payne said, “Your Majesty, I swear to protect the Black Iron Throne. As long as you are on it, no one can threaten your life.”

"What should be done about Natahina and the blasphemers?"

"Someone will deal with them."

At that moment, a eunuch rushed into the council chamber and reported, "Your Excellency, Your Majesty, Lord Gael has arrived."

Grand Duke Cracked Armor carries the Shield of Immortality on his back.

His face was increasingly wrinkled as he followed the eunuch into the council hall.

Upon seeing Payne, Gale immediately said, "I received intelligence that Tana only took a small number of Oak Elite soldiers with her. It seems that Ryan doesn't support her, so I'm relieved."

Payne said, "But Roman will definitely help her; there's a thick fog surrounding that young man."

"Let them die together in the valley. I will go east to save that country engulfed in war."

Seeing Gale carrying the Shield of Immortality as if he were about to leave, Ionis mustered his courage and said, "Uncle Gale, what about the northern front? The aliens are still watching us."

Payne said, “You’ve made your decision.” Gale nodded. “The Pope also supports my decision, but I am not fighting for the Papacy. This will be the last conquest expedition of the Cracked Armor family—in the name of the conquerors, in the name of Ulster.”

Payne stared at Gail, his blue eyes swirling with unreadable thoughts; no one knew what he was thinking.

In the end, he only said, "Be careful."

Duke Crack Armor said, "I have a family heritage, and those barbarians and their beliefs pose no threat to me."

Before his death, Ulster promised his family heirloom to be returned to its rightful owner during the War of Kings, in an unexpected manner and through an unexpected means. Gale suddenly wondered if his father had foreseen this outcome.

Even now, he still has no answer.

The power he once craved was now in his hands. He fought against the Arctic pirates, but was repeatedly thwarted. He drove out the highland barbarians, but suffered repeated defeats due to his inability to concentrate.

He was of ancient Shin'on bloodline, nearly seventy years old, yet he appeared very old, his face growing increasingly somber, shrouded in a gloomy aura.

He still had a long life ahead of him, but he felt as if his time was running out, because the world was changing too fast.

The Duke of Rift Armor said, "Paine... when I return, I have some questions to ask you and the Pope."

He didn't say what the problem was, and just left with his shield on his back, heavy and lonely.

Grand Duke of the Raging Tide watched Gale's departing figure, his eyes calm and his face rough like a rock on the seabed. He was as silent as a statue.

Ionis sensed the unusual atmosphere and cautiously said, "Prime Minister, the dragon scourge in the north has not yet subsided, and Uncle Gale has gone to the east. What should we do about the blasphemers and Tashina? Please think of a solution quickly."

After a moment of silence, Duke of Rage Tide said, "Your Majesty, the Holy See will deal with the dragons; you need not worry. My son, Macol, will go to the valley to crush the forces of the blasphemers and nip them in the bud."

"Is it just Macol?" Ionis asked in surprise.

Even if he were completely ignorant, he would know that blasphemers could not be easily destroyed.

Payne's eyes surged with a deep, turbulent light. He said, "It's not just him. I will tell Tana that they don't know what power is, and they don't know that with a single decree from you, they will be reduced to ashes... Some things don't require our personal intervention."

……

For the next ten days or so, Roman recruited every day.

The recruitment results were mixed.

High-star apostles come from either the Black Iron and White Knights or the Oak Elite, and they all have masters.

Roman's new apostle has a low star rating, and can only be considered barely usable after investing resources and adding points.

The problem is that Roman doesn't have many resources left.

Origin City has been mining various mineral veins, but it is difficult to increase the production of extraordinary resources.

It will take until next year or the year after to train all the potential apostles recruited in this round.

If there's no other way, Roman can only wait.

But there is still a way.

Roman turned his gaze to Tashina in the military camp.

Princess White Steel, who was extremely wealthy, suffered a defeat in the Battle of Pegasus Plains and then shifted her tactics—taking everything she could from the Black Castle Palace.

That was the wealth that the Black Iron royal family had amassed over a century!

A truly super-rich woman!

Your Highness, now that we've formed an alliance, let's collect some gold coins.

……

(End of this chapter)