Knight Lord: Start with Daily Intelligence.

Chapter 529 Capable of Destroying with a Twist
Just as Litanel's reason was about to be completely consumed by the boundless, bone-deep despair, and the thought of self-destruction tempted him like the sweetest poison, something unexpected happened.

A completely different, indescribable force, like warm mud or amniotic fluid in a mother's womb, quietly enveloped him and permeated his body and mind, which were cold with despair and tormented by distortion.

This was not the cold, damp, chaotic energy from the swamp he was familiar with, nor was it the dark power of the swamp demon, filled with resentment and jealousy. This was a... more ancient, more profound, and even possessing a strange benevolence and inclusiveness.

It didn't dispel Litanel's despair, but embraced it. It seemed to whisper: Despair? Pain? Abandonment? It's alright, child, come to me. I accept everything about you, your pain, your distortion, your failures, your despair... In my presence, all things are equal, all beings decay, and decay is also a kind of peace and eternity.

This force was so all-encompassing; it did not reject any filth in Litanel, nor disdain any darkness in his soul, and even offered gentle comfort to his deformed body. It brought warmth, a drowsy warmth like that produced by a corpse naturally fermenting in a summer swamp; it brought compassion, an almost morbid sympathy and understanding for all the suffering and imperfections of the world.

Under the influence of this power, Litanel's frantic howls, on the verge of collapse, gradually subsided. He slowly lowered his arms, which had been clutching his head, and the demonic eye on his forehead, which had been bloodshot from rage and madness, was now covered by a murky, pus-like yellowish-green glow, radiating an eerie calm.

He no longer felt excruciating pain; instead, he experienced a numb, strange peace, as if he had reconciled with all the suffering in the world. Despair still existed, but it was no longer a sharp blade; instead, it had transformed into warm, comforting humus that enveloped him and allowed him to sleep peacefully.

Meanwhile, this strange and “benevolent” power did not only affect Litanel alone.

Like an invisible ripple, it spread rapidly from Litanel's center, enveloping the entire chaotic and filthy swamp coalition.

The screaming, noisy rat-men, emanating green poisonous gas, began to heal their festering rashes at a visible speed. But the healing wasn't a return to health; instead, a thick, colorful fungal carpet and slimy pustules covered their bodies, emitting an even stronger, more "mellow" stench of decay. They felt an unprecedented, satiated, and drowsy satisfaction. Their screams became lower, their chaotic movements slowed, yet were imbued with a strange sense of power.

The river trolls, exuding a pungent stench, had old scars bursting open on their massive bodies, oozing thick, fragrant pus. New flesh buds wriggled and grew wildly at the wound sites; their regenerative abilities were amplified to an unbelievable degree, making them seem like true immortal monsters. Their simple minds were filled with a satiated contentment and a naive gratitude for the "gifts" bestowed upon them by their "benevolent father."

Even the swamp goblins and other dark creatures have changed to varying degrees. Their scales have become thicker and rougher, covered with moss and fungi, and the frenzied glint in their eyes has been replaced by a numb, almost pious calm.

The morale of the entire coalition underwent a dramatic transformation in a short period. The previous chaos, panic, and fragmented fighting were replaced by a strange, calm, yet chillingly powerful unity. They seemed to be connected by a common will, a will that proclaimed acceptance, inclusion, and the attainment of eternal peace amidst decay.

Litanel slowly raised his head, his demonic eyes, shrouded in a yellowish-green glow, calmly gazing at Su Li on the dragon's back. His voice was no longer hoarse and frantic; instead, it carried an unsettling, almost benevolent gentleness:

“Look... Su Li. The despair you speak of, the pain you inflict... are nothing but steps to peace in the face of a true ‘benevolent father’.”

He opened his deformed arms as if to embrace the whole world, to embrace all suffering and imperfection.

"He...accepted us."

As he spoke, a more intense, nauseating, yet strangely sweet and pungent stench of decay rose like a tangible mist from the vast coalition. The filthy colors flowed within the mist, as if personifying countless diseases and plagues.

The already suffocating toxic fumes and stench seemed to have been imbued with life and will, becoming even more viscous and corrosive. The sky seemed to dim, and sunlight could hardly penetrate this veil woven together by disease, decay, and "compassion."

Faced with this sudden and bizarre change, even the disciplined and imposing military formation of the Black Forest Territory couldn't help but experience a barely perceptible unease. The soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, their brows furrowed, instinctively sensing that what came from ahead was no longer barbarity and chaos, but a deeper and more incomprehensible terror.

For the first time, a solemn expression appeared on Hilde's usually serene face. She clearly sensed that a terrifying power, far exceeding that of Litanel herself and even surpassing this swamp, emanating from the depths of the warp and representing stagnation, decay, and morbid compassion, had descended upon this place.

The situation was completely out of control. In his final despair, Litanel did not self-destruct, but instead turned to an even more terrifying and difficult "embrace." The nature of this "purification" war against the Swamp Territory had changed. What they were now facing was no longer just a corrupt count and his monstrous army, but... some kind of nauseating "gift" from the chaotic void itself.

But facing the rising yellow-green mist that exuded a sweet and rotten smell, and the nauseating "peace" and "compassion" on Litanel's body, Su Li stood on the dragon's back, his face showing no fear, only an icy calm.

He didn't even look at the corrupt coalition that seemed to have been "reborn." His gaze was like two tangible swords, piercing through space and firmly fixed on Litanel's demonic eyes, which were covered by a murky yellow-green light.

In the suffocating silence, Su Li slowly raised his right hand. The movement was not swift, but it carried an absolute composure as if he controlled the entire situation and decided life and death. His fingers were long and steady, as if they contained the power to move mountains.

"Litanell".

His voice rang out, not loud, but clearly drowning out all the subtle noises on the battlefield, like ice rolling on a jade plate, carrying a kind of indifference as if looking down on ants.

"Do you think that by embracing this disgusting, corrupt power and begging for this pitiful strength, you can reverse your inevitable defeat?"

A faint, mocking smile even appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"ridiculous."

Su Li's voice remained steady, but the will it contained was like a divine weapon drawn from its sheath, its sharpness fully revealed:
"In my presence, your pathetic state, your death throes, are no different from before. It's still the same..."

He paused, and in his sharp eyes, it seemed as if the radiance of the blazing sun was gathering and burning:
"...like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, it can be destroyed with a single hand!"

He enunciated the last four words clearly, each syllable like a heavy warhammer striking Litanel's heart, which had just been soothed by the power of "fatherly love," and echoing in the ears of all the soldiers of the Black Forest Territory.

"Can be destroyed with a flick of the wrist...can be destroyed with a flick of the wrist...can be destroyed with a flick of the wrist!"

Su Li's cold and absolutely confident words echoed wildly in Litanel's mind like the most vicious curse, completely shattering the strange peace that he had just been soothed by the power of "benevolent father," replacing it with a deeper and more twisted rage!
His three eyes—including the demonic eye on his forehead covered in a yellowish-green, pus-like sheen—instantly filled with hideous bloodshot veins, fixed intently on the proud figure atop the sky dragon's back. The extreme humiliation, mixed with a blind trust in the "benevolent father's" grace, drove him into a complete hysterical madness.

"Su Li!!!" Litanel's roar was distorted and filled with a desperate determination. "Look behind me! Forty thousand soldiers! Forty thousand warriors who have received the blessing of the Father! We have no way out! Today is the day to burn our boats and perish together! Even if your Black Forest Territory is made of iron, even if you devour us, we will break all your teeth! We will severely damage your vitality!"

He brandished his claws, shouting desperately in an attempt to shake Su Li's resolve with this final threat.

Faced with this dying howl, Su Li simply looked down at him calmly, her voice utterly undisturbed, yet possessing a penetrating power that seemed to pierce through everything:

"You can try."

He paused slightly, as if stating a fact unrelated to himself:

"When I first entered the border prince's territory, my foothold was not yet firm, and my troops were few and far between, I once led my army to defeat 30,000 green dragon minions head-on on the banks of the Blackwater River, and killed 3 chosen monsters in battle."

His gaze swept over the massive, filthy allied army below, his tone carrying an undisguised contempt:

"Litanel, do you really think that your 40,000 rabble, born of the power of decay, are any better than the Green Dragon Legion of yesteryear?"

This casual question was like an invisible slap in the face, striking Litanel hard and igniting his last shred of reason.

"Kill!!! All troops, attack!!! Crush them!! For our benevolent father!! For eternal peace!!!"

Litanel issued a desperate, hysterical order for a final assault!

In an instant, it was as if the gates of hell had been opened!

The massive coalition, shrouded in a yellowish-green, putrid mist, unleashed a terrifying symphony of death, a mixture of sharp hisses from ratmen, muffled roars from river trolls, eerie howls from swamp monsters, and piercing noises from countless dark creatures.
A dense, endless horde of monsters began its charge!

The ratmen, covered in fungal carpets and pustules, surged in like a filthy tide, their eyes gleaming with a numb yet fanatical light.

River trolls, exuding a pungent stench and oozing thick pus from their wounds, strode with heavy steps, each one causing the earth to tremble. They wielded enormous bone clubs and rusted weapons, like moving mountains of flesh.

Scales covered moss and fungi, swamp monsters of various shapes, and other twisted creatures mingled among them, emitting bloodthirsty howls. A putrid mist spread forward with their charge, and in their wake, even the soil seemed to groan with a sickness.

This massive army, a confluence of despair, madness, and the morbid gifts of the warp, was so overwhelming and terrifying that it would make even the most seasoned veteran pale in comparison! Like a destructive torrent of filth and disease bursting its banks, it surged toward the seemingly frail Black Forest front with a frenzied momentum that could crush everything in its path!

Military strategy dictates: One man fighting to the death is a match for ten. Ten men fighting to the death are easily defeated by a hundred. A hundred men fighting to the death are difficult to stop by a thousand. A thousand men fighting to the death will rout an entire army! And now, launching this desperate charge, is a frenzied army of forty thousand, driven to the brink of despair and empowered by chaotic evil! Their ferocity is enough to shake the very fabric of nature!
However, even amidst this terrifying atmosphere where the filth was about to engulf everything, the Black Forest Territory's army remained as steadfast as a silent, steel mountain.

At the forefront of the formation, the Holy Lily Knight Hilde stood with her hand on her sword. Her golden-adorned chosen armor shimmered faintly in the dim light, and her crimson cloak billowed behind her in the bloody winds of the battlefield, like an inextinguishable holy flame lit in the darkness of despair.

Her face was calm as still water, and her clear and sharp eyes simply watched the surging wave of destruction ahead without wavering.

From her, to the Black Forest Legion of just over five thousand men behind her—all the Ironclad Warriors, the Amethyst Ironclad Army, the Black Forest Royal Guard Knights, and various elite cavalrymen—the entire formation remained absolutely silent and disciplined.

Faced with the desperate charge of 40,000 madmen, their ranks stood firm and unmoved like mountains!
There was no panic, no commotion, only a discipline and confidence honed through countless trials and tribulations, ingrained in their very bones. The soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, their bodies as straight as pines, their eyes sharp as eagles, fixed intently ahead. That imposing, awe-inspiring presence, that domineering gaze, seemed to silently proclaim:
No matter how turbulent the waves, I remain unmoved.

Let the demons run rampant, I will cut them down with a single sword!
This extreme stillness, and the extreme movement opposite; this orderly steel forest, and the chaotic torrent of filth; this absolute discipline and faith, and the mad despair and distortion... On this battlefield called the Boiling Hollow, a tragic and spectacular final collision that determined fate was formed!
And clearly, what led to all of this was Su Li's crucial intelligence.

Su Li had already foreseen all the changes in Litanel's depravity and corruption through his daily intelligence reports, so how could he not prepare in advance?

Long before the monster army struggled to set off through the swamp, Su Li had already issued a secret order, quietly rewriting the deployment of the Corrosive Depression. Originally a part of the vast "Heart of the Tide" network, this place was quickly adjusted into a closed array that could be activated independently and form its own system.

So, just as that filthy torrent of destruction was about to collide with the silent steel forest at the critical moment, Su Li, standing on the dragon's back, finally moved!

He still held the gleaming Oath Spear upside down in his left hand, but suddenly raised his right hand high! In his palm, a pearl the size of a pigeon egg, with a deep blue color, was radiating a soft yet powerful aquatic light, as if thousands of tides were surging endlessly within it!

Holy Relic of Glory - Water-Repelling Pearl, activate!

An invisible yet vast power, centered on the Water-Repelling Pearl in Su Li's hand, spread rapidly like water ripples, instantly enveloping the entire Black Forest Territory's well-prepared military formation!
At the same time—

“Rumble——!!!”

A terrifying, muffled roar, seemingly emanating from the very depths of the earth, mixed with the sound of surging waves, suddenly erupted from behind the Black Forest's army formation and even into the vast depths of the swamp! The sound was so immense that it temporarily drowned out the frenzied roars of the 40,000-strong monster alliance!
The crazed and twisted expression on Litanel's face froze instantly, replaced by extreme horror and disbelief! The demonic eye on his forehead trembled violently as he stared intently at the rear of the Black Forest army.

"Do not--!!!"

A roar, a mixture of horror, rage, and disbelief, nearly tore his deformed throat apart.

Without his prompting, all the keen-sense beings—whether they were cunning ratman warlords, savage river trolls, or swamp-dwelling demons who coexisted with the swamp—felt at the same moment the strange tremor of the earth beneath their feet, and the sudden surge of powerful water element in the air that sent shivers down their spines!
It's the Heart of the Tide! The Black Forest Territory actually triggered the Heart of the Tide at the very last moment before the two armies were about to clash!
How dare they?! How could they possibly?!

A thunderous roar filled Litanel's mind. Based on the information he had pieced together and the observations of his Demon Eye, the Tideheart layout in this area was far from complete enough to independently trigger a large-scale geological upheaval! This defied common sense and overturned all his calculations!
“Liar! Despicable thieves! How dare you… how dare you do this!” He roared venomously, his voice distorted by extreme rage. He felt like a clown being mocked; all his desperate gambles, all his sacrifices, had become a complete joke in the face of the other party’s precise and ruthless “table-flipping”!

The entire filthy coalition was instantly plunged into chaos and panic. The ratmen let out piercing shrieks, and the green poison gas scattered erratically in their fear; the river trolls no longer cared about the "delicious food" so close at hand, but instead stomped the ground uneasily with their massive feet, emitting muffled and confused roars; the swamp goblins sensed the impending doom of their home being shaken, and let out desperate cries.

Resentment! Vengeance! And a profound sense of humiliation at being manipulated spread like a plague among the monster army. Before their destructive torrent could even crash down, they discovered that the very foundation beneath their feet had been ripped away. What awaited them was not the anticipated carnage, but... a cataclysmic judgment!

The next moment, it was as if the water vapor and underground water veins accumulated over millions of years in the entire green moss swamp were forcibly extracted and released! Visible to the naked eye, turbid, and carrying countless mud, sand and broken wood, the giant waves, like countless raging water dragons breaking free of their restraints, rushed and roared from all directions, fiercely plunging into this battlefield that was about to turn into a blood and flesh millstone with an aura of annihilation!

Flood! A raging flood! Generated instantly by the power of the "Heart of the Tide," the water level rose wildly at a visible speed, instantly submerging the low-lying, silted land, and it continued to rise!
However, this natural wrath, powerful enough to devour everything, bypassed the Black Forest Territory's army formation!
Under the miraculous power of the Water-Repelling Pearl, the surging, turbid floodwaters, upon reaching the edge of the Black Forest's army formation, seemed to hit an invisible wall, strangely splitting to both sides, or flowing directly beneath the formation!

Five thousand Blackforest soldiers, along with their mounts and war machines, stood atop the raging waves! Beneath their feet, the floodwaters roared and surged, forming a vast and constantly shifting "water battlefield," yet they moved as if on flat ground! The hooves of their warhorses were firmly planted on the water's surface, the heavy infantry formations did not sway in the slightest, and even the dwarven helicopters, the air currents from their rotors only created ripples on the water below!

On one side stood an iron wall atop the raging waves, while on the other, a filthy coalition army struggled and disorganized in the murky floodwaters! The situation reversed instantly!

Su Li's gaze swept across the monster alliance below, who were screaming, struggling, and slowing down in the floodwaters. He swung the Spear of Oath forward with a sudden, swift motion, like a guillotine cleaving the waves, and a cold, resolute command echoed throughout the battlefield:

"Black Forest Territory, all troops—attack!"

"For the Lord! For the Goddess of the Sun!"

A deafening battle cry erupted from the Black Forest army for the first time, tearing through the previous silence like thunder!
Standing at the forefront of the entire army, Hilder was the first to move! She drew her legendary longsword, burning with golden holy flames, its tip pointing directly at the chaotic enemy ranks ahead. Her crimson cloak fluttered wildly behind her, like a battle flag in a charge! Without needing a mount, she flashed across the waves, like a golden meteor, and was the first to charge into the enemy ranks!
Immediately following, the Black Forest Territory artillery and the Amethyst Ironclad Army deployed in the formation roared!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Fiery shells and dense beams of purple energy, like the scythe of death, sliced ​​through the misty air and slammed into the horde of monsters huddled together in the floodwaters! Instantly, flames soared into the sky, and severed limbs mixed with mud and blood flew everywhere!
"Clang!"

The roar of steel echoed! The heavy cavalry, spearheaded by the Black Forest Guard Knights, began their charge! Despite the rushing water beneath their feet, empowered by the Water-Splitting Pearl, their charge was as unstoppable as on land! Heavy lances held high, their iron hooves thundering like war drums, they slammed into the ranks of the slow-moving river trolls and swamp monsters like moving steel walls! Instantly, men and horses fell, bones broken and tendons snapped!

The air cavalry in the sky also launched their dives! Griffin riders and griffin riders swooped down, taking advantage of the monsters' predicament in the flood to reap lives. Swan riders nimbly darted past, pinpointing and killing enemy leaders who tried to organize resistance with precise arrows. Dwarven helicopters hovered above the battlefield, pouring a rain of fire and death onto every area where troops attempted to assemble.

The flood, a nightmare for the monsters, became the best battlefield for the Black Forest Territory! They rode the waves, their offensive like a tidal wave, launching a final, devastating assault on the allied forces already cornered by the double blows of nature's wrath and the steel storm!

Just as artillery and steel torrents swept over the enemy, an even more chilling change occurred.

"In the name of the blazing sun!"

"For order and purification!"

Several thunderous roars erupted from several key points in the Black Forest's army formation!

Immediately afterwards, a dazzling light suddenly erupted! Marshal Orstein, Tiberius, and nearly ten other chosen knights unleashed their full power without reservation at this moment!
Their bodies rapidly expanded and grew taller in the divine light! The runic armor covering their entire bodies extended and reconstructed, becoming thicker and more magnificent, flowing with energy patterns like molten gold. In an instant, nearly ten colossal beings—god generals—each nearly thirty meters tall, stood majestically above the waves like titans from mythology!
The floodwaters only reached their calves, and each breath they took created a violent airflow that stirred up the water below, forming whirlpools.

These towering, indomitable generals instantly became the most terrifying source of destruction on the battlefield:

Orstein, in his divine form, gripped a massive, god-chosen warhammer tightly in both hands. He let out a roar that shook the battlefield, and the warhammer, imbued with immense power, slammed into an area teeming with ratmen and swamp monsters.

"boom!!!"

It wasn't just the physical destruction caused by the hammer blows; the immense energy impact spread in a ring, evaporating and scattering the murky floodwaters along with the monsters within them, instantly clearing a huge void, leaving only a deep pit and boiling waves.

The god-general that Tiberius transformed into was like a mobile fortress. With a single, powerful ramming of his massive shield, he crushed several river trolls, along with their wielding clubs, into a bloody pulp as they tried to resist with brute force.

With his other hand, the Chosen One's giant axe slashed out like lightning, precisely piercing and detonating a swamp demon calamity summoner that was spewing poisonous mist in the distance, along with its surrounding guards!
There was also the divine general's fists colliding, unleashing a thunderous roar and a powerful shockwave that shattered the internal organs of any enemies who tried to approach, leaving them paralyzed in the flood.

These divine generals strode forward with enormous strides through the floods and enemy lines. They needed no complex techniques; every direct strike, stomp, and charge brought widespread and devastating effects.

The dense formations of ratmen were like ants being crushed beneath their feet; the thick-skinned river trolls were like fragile pottery before them; even those monsters enhanced by the power of Nurgle and possessing astonishing regenerative abilities were often directly reduced to the most basic fragments of flesh and blood under the God General's attack, which contained both holy and destructive power, and could never heal.

They were like walking natural disasters, carving horrifying bloody paths through the filthy allied forces. Their presence utterly shattered any thought of resistance by sheer numbers held by Litanel's army. Despair spread like a plague through the monsters' hearts—faced with such beings, numbers had become meaningless.

The rampage of the divine generals was perfectly combined with the advancing ordinary legions riding the waves and the circling air cavalry attacking. They were like the sharpest spears, tearing through all strong resistance; while the regular legions followed closely behind, clearing out and crushing the remaining enemies who had been shattered by the divine generals.

This scene was no longer a war, but a sacred yet cruel purification ritual led by the Black Forest Lord, aimed at evil and corruption! The flood was the holy water of baptism, and the divine generals and legions were the sacred messengers carrying out the purification! The desperate struggle of Litanel, which had gathered an army of 40,000, was crumbling at a visible speed before this absolute power, heading towards its final and inevitable demise.

(End of this chapter)