The sudden appearance of the Dark Elves shocked everyone engaged in the battle. Ryan and his forces could hardly believe it at first—how could the Dark Elves ally with undead pirates?
But as Ryan processed the situation, he quickly realized that with the Druchii, anything was possible.
The Dark Elves were enemies of the Chaos marauders, Greenskins, Skaven, Beastmen, the undead, and Lizardmen. And they certainly held enmity toward humans and dwarfs. Yet the most profound hatred they harbored was against the High Elves—an unending blood feud. Olica had mentioned before that in the cold, distant land of Naggaroth, in the largest slave market of the Druchii, none were treated more cruelly than captured High Elves. Instead of being mere slaves, they were subjected to horrific torture and sacrificed to the Blood Handed God, Khaine.
Why did Khaine, a god of the elves, crave the slaughter of his own people?
The answer was simple: Khaine believed that only through endless conflict could true peace be achieved. His solution to achieving peace was to kill all other elven gods. In Khaine's view, only bloodshed could give life meaning, and his followers were free to do anything as long as they adhered to his basic teachings.
It was worth mentioning that Khaine was also deeply in love with Lileath, the Lady of the Lake.
For the Druchii, their hatred for the Asur took precedence above all else. To eradicate the High Elves, the Dark Elves would willingly ally with undead, Chaos, or any other foe. No enemy was worse than the High Elves, and today they had even allied with undead pirates to fulfill their deadly mission.
The Dark Elf fleet appeared to the northeast of the human and High Elf ships, now forming a three-pronged attack. While Ryan still assessed the situation, the massive sea dragon launched its attack.
Dark Elf General Alan Blood-of-the-Hydra, mounted atop the massive sea drake, held a spear infused with dark magic. He commanded the beast with ancient, mysterious words, spurring it into action against the High Elves. The sea dragon was far from a tame or easily controlled beast. Whenever it disobeyed, Alan would drive the spear into its flesh, unleashing magical pain that forced the creature into submission.
The appearance of this monstrous beast made things worse for the coalition forces. While the Dark Elf troops needed time to enter the battle, since the Tower of Doom was still attached to the sea dragon, Ryan pondered his next move. But Olica, rushing to his side, made it clear: "Master! You must protect Teclis immediately!"
"Olica," Ryan frowned. "It seems like the sea dragon is heading toward Fugen."
"No, master, this is the Druchii's signature strategy—the Khaine Decapitation Tactic," Olica explained urgently. "They charge the main force straight into the enemy, only to split off some troops at the last moment to lure the enemy away. Then, they concentrate all their power to strike the enemy commander directly. Their only target is—"
"Understood!" Ryan made a quick decision. He shouted to Fugen, "Brother, go support the High Elves! Protect Teclis!"
"Got it." Fugen wasted no time. "Phoenix Guard, follow me!"
"Sulia, Bertrand, Davout, with me!" Ryan's face shifted from hesitation to resolve. "Where are my Old Guards?"
"The Old Guard always follows the king!" the Old Guards roared in response.
"Good!" Ryan unleashed his fury. "Soldiers, follow your king! Cast aside your fears, your worries, and follow me!"
Psychic energy surged, enveloping Ryan in flames and lightning. He mounted his griffon Impryl, and with a powerful flap of its wings, the giant beast took off, leaving a rainbow trail behind it as it soared into the sky. Sulia followed close behind on her pegasus.
The Old Guard stood in awe, unsure why their king had suddenly left them. But Ryan didn't leave them in suspense for long. A psychic vortex swirled brightly, and as the seas churned, debris from the battle rose to form a bridge in the sky, connecting Ryan to his destination.
Everyone was stunned by this miraculous feat.
"The king! The king has crossed the rainbow and made a path for us!"
"Forward, Old Guard! Follow the king!"
The Drowned Fleet quickly noticed the soldiers advancing across the psychic bridge. The skies boiled, and the seas twisted into whirlpools under the immense power of the psychic storm. The Old Guard charged forward, their battle songs ringing across the battlefield.
"I like fried onions, oh what a fine onion it is~"
"I like fried onions, I like onions, I like onions~"
"Forward, comrades, forward, comrades!"
"Forward, forward, forward!"
"At last, the King of Knights has come to hear my beautiful song!" Cylostra Direfin, the sea singer, twirled in the air with glee. "The real battle begins now! Ooohhhohhh~~"
The ocean trembled at Ryan's arrival. Waves exploded into geysers as cannon fire tore through the air. Arrows and bullets flew like a storm, and the sky was filled with blinding flashes of lightning, blue psychic flames, and platinum fire. Leading the charge, Ryan's goal was clear—Cylostra's flagship, The Seven Gill Eel, which had already drifted close to the Enterprise during the earlier cannon exchanges.
The ghostly diva saw the deep-blue-coated Old Guard forming up in perfect ranks, advancing toward her across the rainbow bridge. Instead of fear, she felt exhilaration. The King of Knights had come to hear her performance! Though it wasn't the same king who sent her to her watery grave, she didn't care.
Undead pirates swarmed to intercept, firing volleys of muskets to break the enemy's advance. But the Old Guard had Ryan's protection, their figures glowing like the ancient heroes of old. The brave greatswords carried their massive weapons on their shoulders, ready for slaughter. Halberdiers sought out their next targets, while the riflemen opened fire. The long-barreled muskets from the Nuln gun factory, armed with mercury bullets, far outranged the pirates' primitive firearms.
The undead ranks were thrown into chaos as the Old Guard cut through them. Deep-sea sentinels and zombie pirates were helpless against the Old Guard's tight formations, quickly overwhelmed and dispersed.
Impryl roared, the griffon's cry causing the ghostly flames in the undead's eyes to flicker with fear. Ryan, wielding Mjolnir, charged down from the sky, carrying the Lady of the Lake's wrath, prepared to deliver judgment.
Cylostra opened her Bordeleaux fan, trying to summon a torrent of abyssal water to drown her foes. But Ryan raised his hammer, and the undead magic faltered under the pure force of his psychic power. The tidal waves evaporated, and the corrosive mist was swept away. Nothing could stop the King of Knights, his queen, and the Old Guard from pressing forward.
As Ryan closed in, Cylostra, in desperation, summoned a cursed battalion of undead knights—once noble Bretonnians who had perished in the same storm that claimed her life. Now they charged in ghostly formation, spectral lances lowered.
"In the Lady's name, I will grant you peace!" Sulia, blazing with holy light, wielded the Sword of Lyonace. She was furious that these once-honorable knights were now enslaved by dark magic, and she surged ahead of her husband in her rage.
The two forces collided mid-air, but the undead knights dissipated like morning mist before the sun.
Cylostra could hardly believe her elite forces were so easily defeated, but she knew she had to prepare for the final confrontation. The enemy was almost upon her!
Meanwhile, the sea drake rampaged across the ocean, just as Olica had predicted. Two smaller boats split off to draw attention while the sea drake targeted the High Elf Phoenix ship. The massive sea beast quickly wrapped itself around the ship, its crushing blows sending cracks through the hull. The creaking of the wood echoed ominously across the deck as the High Elf sailors turned pale. Dark Elf boarding hooks latched onto the ship, and the Druchii army began their assault.
But the moment they boarded the Phoenix ship, they were met with a massacre.
The Phoenix Guard of the Emperor's Children Primarch, Fugen, stood ready. With a single strike, Fugen severed one of the sea drake's claws, eliciting a pained roar from the beast as it temporarily withdrew.
The Dark Elves were soon slaughtered by the Phoenix Guard. Their attempt to capture the enemy commander had been foiled. Druchii General Alan Blood-of-the-Hydra was forced to lead his personal Hydra Guard into battle, but Fugen only sneered. "You dare call yourself Hydra Blood?"
"A fine sacrifice! I will offer your soul and flesh to Khaine! For the Blood Handed God!" The Dark Elf general, driven by the Blood God's lust for killing, attacked with unparalleled skill. His crossbowmen aimed their repeater crossbows at Fugen's forces.
"You're worthless. Your head isn't even worth a second glance. I'll toss it into the sea," Fugen replied coldly, gripping his golden power sword, Glory. Even amidst the storm of arrows and cannon fire, the Phoenix Primarch remained elegant, almost mocking the crude technology of his enemies.
The two leaders clashed for mere seconds before Fugen
's blade pierced the Dark Elf general's throat, killing him instantly. As the Druchii commander fell, the sea drake grew wild, attacking both the High Elves and Dark Elves.
The final blow to the Druchii forces came from Teclis, who unleashed the full power of his staff. A massive vortex of magic formed in the heart of the undead fleet, pulling in all nearby ships. Lightning crackled from the vortex, annihilating two undead warships in an instant.
With their general dead, the Druchii withdrew from the battlefield, and the undead pirates soon followed.
Cylostra had no allies left, but she was not ready to surrender. Ryan, Sulia, and the Old Guard stormed her flagship, The Seven Gill Eel. Her bodyguards of deep-sea sentinels and sirens fought valiantly, but they were no match for the knights and their veteran soldiers.
Ryan now faced off against the undead paladin, Robert Barthelme. The cursed knight, once a proud Bretonnian, challenged the King of Knights. But Ryan's psychic lightning easily obliterated the undead paladin's bodyguards. The sentinels and sirens that dared approach were struck down by Impryl's wings, the griffon unleashing a storm of lightning that incinerated the undead.
Sulia faced off against Cylostra herself, the ghostly diva casting dark magic, but Sulia's holy fire burned through every spell.
"You're doomed to become one of us, cursed like me! You'll never understand true hatred until you drown in freezing water and ice-cold revenge! Your end is near, King of Knights," the undead paladin growled.
"Your soul, twisted by dark magic, will be cleansed. You will find peace," Ryan replied coldly.
The cursed knight raised his shield, still emblazoned with the trident of Bordeleaux. The duel began, but Ryan's first strike shattered Barthelme's shield, the second broke his shoulder armor, and his psychic fire seared the undead knight's soul. In desperation, Barthelme tried to counter, but Ryan relentlessly pressed forward, his attacks leaving the cursed knight defenseless.
Witnessing the battle, the Old Guard marveled at their king's prowess. Every swing of Ryan's blade carved through the resistance on the ship, and his presence alone sapped the undead of their will to fight.
By the end, the undead paladin was barely standing, his body slowing under Ryan's relentless psychic pressure. His attempts to fight back grew feeble, until Ryan seized him by the throat.
"It's over. Find peace in death," Ryan said, staring into Barthelme's dimming eyes.
"No… not… so easy… King… I'm already dead… I'm immortal… you can't kill what's already dead… I… will return," Barthelme rasped, knowing full well that, as a ghost, he was not bound to a normal death.
Ryan said nothing more. He turned and plunged Vengeance into Barthelme's chest. The psychic vortex consumed the cursed knight's soul, drawing it into oblivion.
The knight's eyes dimmed as he whispered his last words. "All I see is darkness…"
And then he was no more.
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