Xyrin Empire
Chapter 502: The Troops of the Entire Nation

Chapter 502: Chapter 502: The Troops of the Entire Nation

From a botanical point of view, Yanfeng Qili was never going to follow the path of cultivation, but in the world as seen through Lin Xue’s eyes, that guy was indeed seeking some extremely powerful force, no doubt about it.

The Red Moon, a colossal energy source, was so dense that even Avalon struggled to peer through its energy seas to glimpse the secrets within, and even Lin Xue’s eyes were almost denied entry. What exactly was that thing? Even the Empire’s database held no records of any celestial body like it. One thing we could be sure of was that it wasn’t a physical planet, but rather an energy body; and yet, it generated significant mass effects and gravity. According to Taville, it would take at least half a month to start unveiling the mysteries of the Red Moon’s structure if we went at the normal pace of research.

Unless we made some more groundbreaking discoveries.

"Keep an eye on it. We have plenty of time anyway."

I knew that all those in Shadow City were really trying their best, despite the surprise appearance of a celestial body that not even Imperial technology could explain. I was also certain that over the past few days, fifty percent of the Imperial Commanders had probably been peddling blessed jade and pancake rolls in the streets and alleys of K City. I had ten thousand percent conviction that Sicaro was still persisting in developing his bootleg empire in the back alleys of South Mansion Street. I was painfully aware that even within Shadow City, more than half of the Imperial Generals were using their spare Ghost Energy Crystals to bet on "how much longer the Emperor will continue to pose as a photography enthusiast." But still, I wanted to believe... They were really trying...

Trying my ass!

I couldn’t let my mind wander; just thinking about the daily lives the Imperial Soldiers led when they were bored filled me with overwhelming sadness.

"Anyway, let things take their natural course," I shook my head, casting thoughts of those Empire-tarnishing soldiers to the back of my mind, then added with a tinge of unease, "Especially you, I know being a Prophet is a bit bug-tastic, but your eyes aren’t omnipotent. There’s something off about this Red Moon. If you really can’t see through it, don’t force yourself. Taville’s research team might be less efficient than you, but at least they’re safer."

"Wow, are you worried about me?" Lin Xue immediately feigned surprise, and I knew I couldn’t afford to show her the slightest bit of kindness!

"Ah, right," there was silence for a few seconds before she suddenly perked up as if remembering something, and blurted out, "Stupid blockhead, did you sleep well that night?"

I nearly choked on my own breath!

That girl! It wouldn’t have mattered if she hadn’t spoken, but now she reminded me... Since she could hint about it in advance, does that mean our great Prophet Lin had in fact used her Prediction Ability to see everything that was going to happen that night?

Well, not necessarily everything. Although she practically threw her dignity to the wind on a regular basis, Lin Xue was still a girl with a modicum of modesty. Well, theoretically she still had a girl’s modesty. She wouldn’t have envisaged the entire steamy episode, but...

It still felt weird, receiving an advance "knockdown notice" from a girl.

"Can’t you research something else with your time?"

With a headache multiplied a hundredfold, I launched my habitual protest at Lin Xue’s constant misuse of her abilities to spy around, but as expected, the protest was as effective as ever - minimal.

"Who says I don’t research other things?! I’ve seen that tomorrow in Fuyuki City it will be cloudy with sunny spells in the afternoon, with strong gusts of wind, weak sunlight, and suitable for short trips!"

As I thought, she had deflected the topic.

"By the way, blockhead, have you figured out how you’re going to explain things to Qianqian when you get back?"

Of course, Lin Xue was just out to make trouble for me, ever ready to bring up the most inconvenient topics!

But, this was one issue I couldn’t avoid. Despite the headache her sudden mention of it caused, I had to admit that Lin Xue really did provide someone for me to discuss my troubled state with, unreliable as she might seem.

"Qianqian, she must be very upset, right?"

There was silence for a few seconds as I muttered to myself, but with our Spiritual Connection, there’s no such thing as talking to oneself—this fleeting thought reached Lin Xue’s ears in its entirety.

"The result, however, sparked a direct barrage of complaints from her: "So, you’re a block of wood, and a harem lord, a pervert, a beast, but more importantly, a dumb block of wood!"

"What did I do to deserve this?"

"No big deal, just slipped out... But honestly, you’re conflicted inside too, which has slightly changed my opinion of you," Lin Xue breezed through that stream of complaints and then suddenly got serious, "But you can relax a bit, since Qianqian was willing to accept Sandora from the start, she must have thought this through. And likewise, Sandora must have done the same, so no matter which of them you can’t control yourself around, in fact, they’ve both prepared for it..."

"You’re not going to tell me Qianqian would show no reaction, are you?"

I voiced my surprise, but even I didn’t believe that possibility.

"As if!" Sure enough, Lin Xue snapped back at me, "It’s already a miracle for a girl to decide to share her lover with someone else. To remain indifferent in such a situation? Impossible! That only happens in brainless wish-fulfillment novels.

But you can rest easy, guy. Although she’s definitely going to be upset and jealous, it’s likely that Qianqian and Sandora have already come to an understanding. When you get back, just comfort her properly, and things should turn out okay. Worst case, I’ll just cry a little at your funeral..."

This Miss is not cute at all!

Fortunately, Lin Xue didn’t dwell on this topic, and we quickly shifted the conversation back to business.

After briefly updating each other on the recent situation in Shadow City, we ended the communication.

A day passed uneventfully, and as evening approached, the curtain of night gradually descended. Fuyuki City, lively all day, finally started to settle down, but in places unknown to ordinary people, a restless undercurrent was on the rise. Today, some people were destined to disappear from this world forever.

We planned to launch a surprise attack on the Makoto Family tonight.

"I wonder if Yanfeng Qili can keep his cool this time."

As we approached the Makoto residence, Emiya murmured to himself.

"Don’t know, nobody knows what he’s thinking," Tohsaka shook his head, "But having his carefully laid plans disrupted like this, who wouldn’t be upset?"

Under the dim night sky, the tall house came into view, its oppressive aura immune to the surrounding streetlights. It was like a dark silhouette on a gray background, the Makoto Residence shrouded in gloom. It felt as if there were cold rain and chilling winds all around, with dark clouds and flashes of lightning overhead, and various nameless ghostly creatures roaming around the crosses...

Sorry, my imagination ran away with me.

In reality, from the outside, it looked just like an ordinary large house.

The only irregularity was the energy fluctuations enveloping the building, making it obvious that they’d detected our approach.

I glanced to the side and saw the purple-haired girl standing beside Emiya, her face calm. There was neither fear nor retreat, nor anger on her face, which somewhat eased my mind. Whether it was being haunted by eternal psychological shadows or being consumed by revenge, I wouldn’t want to see either happen to Sakura. Her tranquility was simply the best possible outcome.

"How long do you think the people inside can hold out?"

I turned my head to ask Sandora.

Sandora gestured towards the other side with her mouth: "With those two there, the people inside will crack in the next second!"

Following her cue, I poked my head out and saw Pandora and Visca assembling the naval guns. Both girls had excited red flushes on their faces, competing over whose shoulder-mounted photon cannon looked more impressive.

"Big brother, big brother! Can I fire now?"

Noticing my gaze, Visca immediately turned his head, asking cheerfully.

In a panic, I said, "Fire..."

"Boom! Boom!!"

"Just kidding!!"

Damn it, this just proves that at critical times, you shouldn’t use a verb as a leading word!

Just a second ago, Tohsaka and Emiya, who were discussing the assault plan, jumped at the two consecutive explosions, then stared dumbfounded at the unobstructed view across from the Makoto Residence, which had just evaporated instantly under the photon flood.

"I told you there’s no need to study any plans," Emiya shrugged and said to the petrified Tohsaka beside him.

"Huh? We didn’t just finish them off with that, did we?" Ilya hopped over, curiously tugging at my sleeve, "Big brother, can we go back now?"

Of course, it wasn’t that easy. Just as Ilya finished speaking, space around us had already begun to fluctuate, just like the moment we were sucked into the Inner World at the Tohsaka’s doorstep. However, the vaporized main house of the Makoto family clearly lacked the means to perform a paper cutting animation for us.

"How uncreative," Sandora pouted, commenting on the desolate Gobi that bathed in the blood-red moonlight.

"But this time, the scale of the opposition is much more creative than last time."

I glanced at the horizon where dust was gradually rising; a vein throbbed at my temple.

Could that Octavian really extract energy indefinitely from the Red Moon?!

"Hey, hey, hey... what’s with this number!"

Sasaki brandished his beloved sword, accidentally breaking the toothpick he had just taken out a few minutes ago, "Heavy Infantry, War Chariots, Cavalry, Spearmen... Are we really fighting against a single Heroic Spirit?"

Compared to Sasaki’s limited field of vision, what I saw through the surveillance equipment released high into the sky was even more shocking. The enemy formations were almost fully assembled, vividly apparent to me. The last time we faced a ten-thousand-strong Roman battle array had already left everyone stunned, but now, I had to admit, that was just an appetizer to the real Roman Legion...

Arrayed at the very front of the battle formation were four massive square formations, all lined up, each composed entirely of heavily armed Heavy Infantry; each formation contained at least five thousand men, half of which were equipped with powerful Heavy Javelins. Their armor was gleaming in the light of the Red Moon, showcasing the military glory of the Roman Empire at its zenith. Between these Heavy Infantry formations roamed a large number of Light Cavalry, swift as the wind, galloping back and forth between the formations and command teams, tasked with delivering orders and coordinating the troops. More Light Cavalry equipped with long spears formed wave-like arrays on the flanks. Although I didn’t understand military formations, it was clear that these Light Cavalry were intended for surprise attacks. If the front Infantry Corps were heavily pressed by the enemy, these swift Light Cavalry would launch flanking disturbances.

Behind these formations were slightly fewer War Chariots, the Corps’ high-order combat forces, but arranged at the back of the formation, clearly not intended to engage at the beginning of the battle. So, was this to guard against an enemy "decapitation" strike?

Because I wasn’t very familiar with the internal insignia of the Roman Legion, and this world’s Ancient Rome might not be exactly the same as on Earth, I couldn’t find any marks related to Octavian among those key points surrounded by the War Chariots. But if I wasn’t mistaken, in a near-decisive battle like this, the opposition must have already joined the fray.

"Hey, boss, don’t space out, think of something!"

Sasaki’s voice brought me back to my senses. Only then did I realize that Tohsaka and the others had all focused their gaze on me and Sandora.

Obviously, nobody had expected that in just a day’s time, the Makoto family could prepare such a formidable and large force. The damage they suffered last night was even... wait! Perhaps the situation was worse. Since the energy source of the Heroic Spirit Roman Legion was the Red Moon, that meant there was no concern for a lack of magic power supply. So, could it be that the Makoto family had summoned the entire army of the Roman Empire in the Inner World and prepared for battle from the start, and our attack today was walking right into a trap?

"Alien Uncle, with such a scale, even you..." Tohsaka hesitated, her face full of worry. Clearly, the enemy’s forces were larger each time, and this time they might have even pulled out the entire Roman army. The pressure was too much for her.

"What, think we can’t win?"

I raised an eyebrow and looked at Tohsaka with amusement.

"We definitely can’t win, right?" Rin glared at me, annoyed, "Last time it was ten thousand, and although you could win easily, Saber and Archer still got hurt. This time, there are several times more of them! Even if we can win, it’s..."

"So what you mean is, even if we can win, we probably can’t protect you all, right?"

When I bluntly stated the awkward truth, Tohsaka’s face immediately flushed red, and she loudly said, "Don’t talk as if we’re some kind of burden!"

"That’s right," this time, even Altoria stood up seriously, "Although our strength is slight, we are not useless decorations. If we truly turn out to be of no help, we’ll withdraw if we need to, but please don’t treat us as a burden. It is an insult!"

I immediately felt a twinge of pain in my teeth; had I accidentally wounded their knightly sense of honor just now?

Just then, a loud shout suddenly interrupted our conversation from across the way: "Give up your resistance! You were lucky to win last time, which surprised this old man, but this time, facing the entire army of the Roman Empire, even in a war of attrition, you will be exhausted to death. Why not just give up and go back to living peacefully, eh?"

"Is that the voice of Makoto Zangyan?"

I turned my head to ask Sakura for confirmation, and she silently nodded.

"The old man has a loud voice," Sasaki said with a new toothpick in his mouth, "Shouting from such a distance, even a general commanding a battle couldn’t do that, right?"

"Maybe it’s some kind of amplified magic," Tohsaka was not surprisingly unfazed, "A simple trick."

I looked toward the direction from which the voice had come, which was behind the main formation of the Roman Legion. Two seconds later, with an exasperated look on my face, I casually pulled out a military telescope and handed it to Tohsaka: "Girl, remember, never be too presumptuous."

Tohsaka took the telescope with confusion, looked through it, and promptly petrified.

Because across from us, that gaunt old man in a black robe was holding a megaphone, the kind used in farmer’s markets that could blare all day with two dry batteries. It seemed that the megaphone in his hand was even bigger, powerful enough that we could hear it from this far away.

Tohsaka was thunderstruck by a giant megaphone, while I stepped forward, cleared my throat with vigor, using energy resonance at its loudest, I shouted confidently, "Person of interest across from us, Makoto Zangyan, listen up! Your Roman Legion is now surrounded by us! We advise you to put down the megaphone; we treat our prisoners of war well! I repeat, we treat our prisoners of war well!"

An instant later, a swath of people fell to the ground beside me.

"Boss, are you using this method to cheer us up?" Sasaki bit off his second toothpick of the day, looking at me with a mixture of laughter and tears.

And behind the enemy, following a shrill trumpet blast, the voice of Makoto Zangyan rang out again: "Hmph, looks like you’ve got courage, but I won’t hold back today. Just resign yourselves to die! Attack!"

The Roman Legion, having formed up, finally took their first steps at that command. Along with a low and imposing, uniform battle cry, the very earth trembled at the march of those tens of thousands!

The battle, where tens of thousands of Heroic Spirits encircled a dozen people, began once again...

Makoto Zangyan’s arrogant voice echoed through the battlefield: "Haha! Look at that! These are the world’s most powerful Heroic Spirits! Only I am worthy of the ultimate victory; the power of the Red Moon belongs to me alone!!"

"He’s spouting nonsense," I spat to the side, then shouted a command into the air, "Reynolds! Bring in your ship, open fire at full blast, drop the landing pods! Hit them!!" (To be continued, for more please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)