The Northern Territory had completely fallen into the hands of the orcs.
From the Frost-Speaking Plain to the Forge Region, orc banners had been planted on every fortress.
The demon forces were compressed into the Royal Capital and its surrounding areas, like a fire trapped in a Fire Pit. Though still burning, its space was running out.
This should have been a victory worth celebrating. The orc warriors had reclaimed this land defiled by demons with their blood and lives. The howls of frost wolves once again echoed through the northern skies.
But Karl stood on the high tower, watching the gradually darkening sky, feeling no joy in his heart.
Only heaviness.
A legendary demon about to be born.
A legend about to pass the Trial of Kingship of the Prime Material Plane, gaining this world's recognition.
What did this mean?
It meant Casaric would no longer be repelled by the plane. It meant he could exert his full power here. It meant he could rule this land like a true monarch.
By then, let alone the shattered White Horse Kingdom, the entire north, including the frozen wastelands of the Orc Palaver, would fall under his iron hooves.
Demonic lords were never satisfied with just one territory. Their greed was as boundless as The Abyss itself.
Karl tightened his grip on the tower's railing. His eyes reflected the southern snow, filled with resolve.
"Messenger," he turned.
A Wolf Cavalry warrior ran up and knelt on one knee.
"Commander."
"Go south, find the slimes. Tell them everything that happened in the Forge Region. Tell them to gather their armies, march north to the Royal Capital. Tell them..."
He paused, "The orcs need allies, and they need them now."
"Yes!"
The Wolf Cavalry warrior turned, ran down the high tower, mounted his wolf. The frost wolf's howl sounded as he rode out of the holy city, his figure quickly disappearing into the flower-strewn plain where petals danced in the wind.
Karl watched the direction he left for a long time.
He didn't know if the slimes would come. He didn't know how much help those soft, gelatinous creatures could provide.
But he knew that the orcs alone could not take the Royal Capital. At least, not a Royal Capital garrisoned by a legendary demon.
He needed every usable force.
Even if the other party was a bunch of slimes.
.......
Actually, there was no need for the orcs to notify. Chen Yu had already sent the news back to the Slime Kingdom.
When Chen Yu's main body opened its eyes on the Throne in Slime City, the memories and perceptions of the gel avatar flooded back like a tide.
"Little Flower," he spoke, his voice echoing in the throne hall.
The large slime handling documents looked up and tilted her head.
"Brother?"
"Summon the legions." Chen Yu hopped down from the Throne, landing on the floor. "The Magical Creature Legion from the Dark Realm, the Merchant Alliance army from Misty Bay Harbor, the Restoration Army from the Southern Territory. Have them all assemble. We are going to war."
Little Flower was stunned for a moment, but seeing Chen Yu's serious expression, she immediately understood the gravity of the situation.
She bounced away from the throne hall, her round body hopping rhythmically down the corridor, making a rhythmic *squelch-squelch* sound.
The orders spread out like ripples.
The massive machine that was the Slime Kingdom once again began operating at full capacity.
Meanwhile, Chen Yu's gel avatar was currently leading Nilly and the others back to Iron Thorn Fortress on the northern line of Storm Territory.
They were to wait there for the orcs' message, while also acting as a forward outpost to observe movements in the direction of the Royal Capital.
Chen Yu had thought the first to arrive would be the message brought by orc cavalry. Unexpectedly, a different group of mysterious visitors came to Iron Thorn Fortress.
Outside the City Wall of Iron Thorn Fortress, the blizzard was intensifying.
Snowflakes, swept by the northern wind, churned the world into a chaotic gray-white. Visibility was less than fifty meters. The distant forests and hills were hidden behind the snow curtain, leaving only blurry outlines.
A figure riding a horse slowly emerged from the snow curtain.
It was a knight.
He wore light armor, a dark blue cloak trimmed with fur at the edges. The black warhorse he rode struggled through the deep snow.
Behind the knight, followed another, more massive figure.
It was a centaur... no, not a centaur.
Though it had a similar build, it was more burly, more ferocious.
It also wore a cloak, its hood pulled low, covering most of its face. Its hooves were larger than a horse's, each step kicking up sprays of snow.
They stopped before the City Wall.
The Slime guards on the wall immediately grew alert.
These round slimes lay behind the Battlements, their beady eyes fixed on the uninvited guests below. One guard had a small ribbon tied to its gel body, indicating it was the squad leader.
It bounced to the edge of the wall and called out in a soft, sticky voice:
"Who are you?"
The knight dismounted.
He removed his helmet, tucked it under his arm, revealing the face of a middle-aged man, weathered but with strong features, a short beard on his chin.
"I am Lide Valentián," the knight saluted, his voice clear even in the wind and snow. "Former Army Commander of the Border Fifth Legion. Currently under the command of Third Prince Alex, I come seeking cooperation with your kingdom."
The Slime guards quietly began "squelch-squelch" communication among themselves.
A few seconds later, one Slime guard slid down from the wall and rolled towards the interior of the fortress.
It was going to report.
In the fortress hall, Chen Yu was crouched at one end of a long table, using a gel hand to stuff a piece of bread into his gel stomach.
Nilly sat opposite him, stuffing a third piece of roasted meat into her mouth, her cheeks puffed up like a hamster's.
Leon and Elara were checking their equipment. Max was polishing his dagger.
"Eat slower," Chen Yu said. "No one's fighting you for it."
"Hungry," Nilly mumbled indistinctly, then took a big gulp of ale. "Those days in the Forge Region, chewing on dry rations every day, my mouth was almost tasteless."
At that moment, the Slime guard bounced into the hall, stopping before the long table. Its body wriggled anxiously as it "squelch-squelched" urgently.
"King! A human knight came outside, calls himself Lide Valentián, says he represents the Third Prince to discuss cooperation."
Chen Yu stopped digesting the bread.
Lide Valentián?
He remembered that name.
Army Commander of the Border Fifth Legion, who had once taught Arthur and Galvin. Though their relationship was a mix of teacher and adversary, when they mentioned this teacher, their tone still carried respect.
More importantly, Lide had not taken action during the battle at Storm Fortress.
The anomalies in the Forge Region were also something he had learned about from Arthur and Galvin. In a sense, he wasn't a pure enemy.
But the problem was, hadn't his soul been sold to Casarick long ago?
What was he doing here, and representing the Third Prince?
If he wasn't mistaken, this prince should have also long ago offered his soul to a demon, and then, relying on demonic power, had been occupying the position in the eastern coastal ports.
If it was just a simple negotiation, they could have gone to the closer south, to find the Restoration Army stationed there, to talk to Louisa.
Why cross the entire plain to come to this icy, snowy Iron Thorn Fortress?
Unless they already knew his avatar was here.
"Interesting. Let's go take a look."
He hopped off the chair and bounced towards the main hall entrance.
Nilly hurriedly stuffed the last piece of roasted meat into her mouth, shouting indistinctly: "Your Majesty! Wait for me, I want to go to such a lively event too!"
Nilly followed Chen Yu through the fortress corridors, climbing the stairs to the wall.
The wind and snow hit her face. Nilly sneezed.
Chen Yu, however, jumped onto a Battlement, crouched there, looking down at the knight and that massive figure below.
Lide's figure was clearly visible, but his Divine Sense actually couldn't penetrate that tall figure. It was as if it was protected by some mysterious power.
Lide looked up, saw the slime on the wall, and saluted again. This time more formally, his right hand on his chest, giving a slight bow.
"Respected Slime Majesty," Lide's voice came through the wind and snow. "Lide Valentián, greetings to you."
Chen Yu wobbled his body, which counted as a return salute. Then he spoke, his voice soft and sticky, but his question was direct.
"Didn't you sell your soul to a demon? What are you doing here?"
Lide did not avoid the question. He straightened up, his gaze frank.
"Fortunately, I have already redeemed my soul. However, our Third Prince, His Highness Alex, has indeed truly offered his soul to that Greater Demon."
He paused, then added, "He is an unwilling king, an envoy of vengeance, destined to use the power granted by demons to end the demons."
Chen Yu blinked his beady eyes.
That was nicely said, but anyone could say nice words.
He didn't trust Lide. At least, not completely.
Lide seemed to notice. He smiled faintly.
"Your Majesty need not worry about my origins. We can talk right here, separated by the wall."
"I'll be direct. The events in the Forge Region, the Third Prince is already aware. To curb this Greater Demon, we are willing to offer our share of strength."
Chen Yu was even more surprised.
The news of the Forge Region events shouldn't have spread yet, but Lide knew, and he arrived even earlier than the orc messenger.
What did this mean?
It meant they had their own intelligence network. Or it meant they had long anticipated all this.
"To be honest, I don't believe your words," Chen Yu said honestly.
"Understood," Lide nodded. "Therefore, I have brought proof."
He turned sideways, looked at the massive figure behind him, and nodded.
"Ark, time to face the master of your soul."
The creature that had been wearing the cloak all along slowly raised a hand and pulled back its hood.
In the wind and snow, a familiar face was revealed.
Dark red skin, burning Runes, curved horns, and those familiar eyes—it was the Iron Cavalry Demon Ark.
The demon Chen Yu had let go after the battle at Storm Fortress.
Ark looked at the slime on the wall, a hoarse sound coming from his throat.
"King of Slimes... I will help you subjugate Casarick. In exchange, return my soul to me."
Chen Yu remembered now. When he let Ark go, he had indeed used the Book of Souls to take this demon's soul.
That book, captured from the Border Corps, had been thrown into the treasury in Slime City. He had almost forgotten about it.
But he still wasn't completely at ease with Lide.
Behind this former Army Commander stood far more than just the Third Prince.
If that Third Prince were truly that clever, perhaps the White Horse Kingdom wouldn't be in its current predicament.
He thought for a moment. "I can agree to cooperate, but you must first assemble your armies. Wait for news of the orc grand army and the slime grand army setting out. Then you prepare to advance west towards the Royal Capital, responsible for the eastern battlefield."
"Simultaneously, I will have the orc fleet from the coast land. We need to gather the greatest possible force to subjugate Casarick."
As for whether the orcs and the Third Prince would distrust each other or cause trouble, he couldn't control that.
The slime grand army was only responsible for the southern battlefield. Even if the Third Prince betrayed them temporarily, it wouldn't harm the slime main force.
Unexpectedly, Lide agreed.
No haggling, no additional conditions, just a crisp, clean nod.
"Good. We will be prepared."
Then he pulled his hood back on and mounted his horse. Ark also wrapped his cloak and turned to follow.
They just disappeared into the wind and snow, as straightforward as if they had come to complete a pre-determined task.
The wind and snow grew heavier.
Lide and Ark walked a long way across the snowy plain. The outline of Iron Thorn Fortress behind them was completely gone.
All around was only a vast expanse of white, and the sound of the howling wind.
Ark suddenly spoke, his voice low. "Be careful. These slimes are much more cunning than they appear."
Lide gave a noncommittal "Hmm," his reaction flat, as if hearing an unimportant reminder.
Ark frowned. He glanced at Lide's shadow.
In the wind and snow, shadows should be blurry.
But Lide's shadow was unusually clear, and it was moving.
The shadow's outline vaguely resembled a woman's form—long hair, a long dress, her arms wrapped around Lide's neck as if clinging to his back.
They seemed to be communicating about something.
Lide's lips would occasionally move slightly, but no sound came out.
The shadow would also sway gently, as if nodding, shaking its head, or covering its mouth to giggle.
Ark had long grown accustomed to this strangeness.
Ever since Lide emerged from the Forge Region half a year ago and joined the Third Prince's side, this shadow had been following him.
What made Ark more concerned was that, as far as he knew, there was a similar "shadow" by Casarick's side as well.
Casarick called him the Bishop, but he rarely appeared in public. Only a very few high-ranking demons had seen him.
Ark continued walking in silence, not pressing further.
A demon's instinct told him that some secrets were better known the less.
Right now, he just wanted to get his soul back, and then... then what?
He hadn't thought that far yet.
Maybe return to The Abyss. Maybe stay in the Material Plane. Maybe find a place to hide until all this was over.
But he knew that before getting his soul back, he couldn't go anywhere.
Meanwhile, back on the wall of Iron Thorn Fortress, Chen Yu was still crouched on the Battlement, his beady eyes fixed on the direction they had disappeared, until they completely vanished from the range of his Divine Sense perception.
Clearly, Lide didn't know he could see that far, so his shadow secret was thus exposed to Chen Yu.
What was that? It seemed like a shadow creature, but also not that simple.
Perhaps, like the Bishop of the Xirik Church, it was a Shadow Scion.
So the Shadow Scions were also scheming, seemingly wanting to obtain something from the Royal Capital battlefield.
"Little Majesty, do you really believe them?" Nilly asked, lowering her head, still rubbing her belly that felt a bit chilled from just having eaten, causing a faint abdominal pain.
"Hmm... half believe. Ark wanting his soul back, that's true. There are other purposes behind Lide, but it doesn't matter. As long as they can tie down a portion of Casarick's forces, that's enough."
He hopped down from the Battlement, landing on the wall.
"Let's go. Time to prepare."
"When the orcs' message arrives, the grand army should set out."
This battle was crucial. It might decide the future of the north.
He planned to go back and check the construction progress of the Floating Fortress, striving to complete this war beast before the war began.