Chapter 360: Who Seduces Who
"Sir, when we arrived at Baranli, we happened to see Rayman coming out of Baranli with many Lion Knights. I saw with my own eyes that he was holding the codex in his hand... He seemed to be planning to enter Sarleon City. Captain Risadiran is currently blocking him at the bridge, but we are short of manpower..."
The Noldor elves sent by Lisadiran for help quickly recounted the situation they encountered.
Li Ang did not rush to help rashly, but took a look at the ring on his hand and put the ring to his lips.
"Your Majesty Kavala, I never thought that you would use the Lion Knight to deal with me? But do you think Leiman can deal with me?"
Li Ang's voice was very low, still like a whisper.
This time, Kavala did not respond.
But Leon was sure that the emergence of Lehman was definitely not a coincidence.
Rayman has been staying in Ibion since Ulric's death.
At that time, a group of Lion Knights followed him and guarded Ibion very closely.
After that, no matter what happened in Sarleon or Cliff Bay, Rayman and the Lion Knights never left Ibion again - Rayman neither pledged allegiance to Amy nor defected to Brennus.
He is Ulrich's die-hard supporter and only accepts orders from King Ulrich.
At that time, many lords of the Fierce Lion Kingdom remained neutral. Rayman stayed in the family territory and did not go out. Of course, Amy would not attack him. At that time, no one would make enemies for themselves.
As Leiman was the deputy leader of the Lion Knights, the troops in Qiaoyan Bay would naturally not cause trouble for him.
As a result, Leiman, who had been staying in Ibion, avoided several major battles and even kept Ibion intact, and also protected many Lion Knights.
But now, Leiman suddenly left Ibion with all the Lion Knights who followed him, went to the town of Balanli, and fished out the Gate of the Abyss?
This guy didn't come earlier or later, but just showed up just when he sent people to salvage the Gate of the Abyss - Li Ang could tell that this was a trap just by feeling.
It is normal for Kavala to design such a trap. Leon always wears the ring, so Kavala must know his general movements.
However, Leon didn't care about Kavala knowing his location...
How could Kavala leave the city without using himself as bait?
Leon felt that Kavala must have been paying attention to the Gate of the Abyss.
Leon had personally seen how Media used the Gate of the Abyss - if the Code was nearby, they could directly leave their bodies and parasitize on the Gate of the Abyss, and they could also use the Code to expel other people's souls into the abyss.
For the three prophets, the code is not only their shelter, but also an amplifier of their soul power - after all, these codes were originally the "qualifications" and "passes" bestowed by the God of Creation to other gods.
If we change to Kavala, the logic should be similar.
If nothing unexpected happens, Kavala should have used the code as an aid when he occupied Ulrich's body - Anna was probably forcibly expelled into the gate of the abyss by him with the help of the code.
He was using Aigrim's body, which was burnt like bacon. If it weren't for the existence of the Code, it would have been difficult to deal with Anna.
Kavala certainly would not always use Ulrich's body, but among the bodies he could get at the moment, Ulrich was the most suitable for him.
This is not because Ulrik is a king, but because Ulrik drank medicine made from dragon's tears.
Just like Kavala tried to trick Leon into giving him control of his body, Leon also had the magic power brought by dragon tears in his body, which might be more suitable for Kavala than other people's bodies.
Because Kavala himself is a hybrid of elf and human.
However, there are probably some rules that Kavala must also follow - just like the three prophets, the body must die first before the spirit can leave the body and re-occupy another body.
At the same time, judging from what happened to Ilano, if this person has a strong soul or a strong will, Kavala may not be able to control him.
For example, Maltis, the real Sindarin elf.
Le Ang had never met Maltis, but judging from the situation in Siyuan City of the Bacchus Empire two years ago, Maltis should still have retained a certain degree of self-awareness.
This should be the characteristic of the undead. After becoming a undead, a part of the soul may be retained.
Perhaps this is also a basic rule - if the soul is completely gone, one is completely dead; if the spirit is completely gone, one loses all consciousness and becomes a fallen being. Neither of can create the undead.
Leon felt that the undead were probably in a state where their souls were about to leave their bodies - their body functions were indeed dead, but their spirits and souls had not left their bodies. Instead, they were forcibly locked in their corpses by some magical power that could bring people back to life.
Just like what Leon himself had experienced, when he was ambushed by Kavala in the temple of the God of Creation, he felt like his soul was half out of his body - at that time his consciousness could no longer control his body, and it was his instinct that drove his body to struggle and move.
In other words, it was his subconscious mind that played a role at that time.
The same is probably true for the undead.
The fighting style of the python knights in the Legion of Terror encountered on the seashore before also proved this point - they maintained the appearance of an army, but never dodged during confrontation.
This is probably because their bodies are broken and their souls are incomplete, but the subconsciousness brought by the rigorous training as elite troops in their lifetime is still retained.
Therefore, even if there is no one to command them, they can still form a formation and fight on their own.
The D'Shar warriors who were transformed into undead that Ramon saw actually returned to Singar on their own accord. This was probably because Ramon had expelled all of Tahir's men from Singar last year. These people came back to attack the city even after they died. It was probably because they had deep resentment, and even after death, they still retained the desire to go home...
The undead should have a certain consciousness, unlike the Fallen, who are used specifically for possession and are pure empty shells.
What Kavala wants is Valthis's body, so Kavala needs to keep the Gate of the Abyss for the time being. Without the help of the Code, he may not be able to completely control Malthis.
At the same time, keeping the Gate of the Abyss can also lure Leon out - since Kavala has determined that Leon is an evil spirit from another world, then in his eyes, Leon is probably no different from Aigram.
Since it is an evil spirit, Leon will definitely come to take this code.
But Kavala must be worried too - he must be worried that Leon, the 'evil spirit from another world', will use the gate of the abyss to summon more 'evil spirits from another world'...
So he did not bring the Gate of the Abyss to Sarleon City, but left it at the bottom of Deer Heart Lake to avoid any accidents.
Anyway, Luxin Lake is not far away, so he can react immediately if there is any movement.
Just like now, Leon sent the Noldor elves to take the Gate of the Abyss, and someone immediately took the Gate of the Abyss away.
But, this guy Lehman...
He is Ulrich's staunch confidant and is loyal to only Ulrich. He is indeed loyal to Ulrich, but this kind of loyalty... is a pity.
Is it to pursue the chivalrous ideal of "being faithful to one person"?
Knowing that Ulric in Sarleon City is problematic, you still want to be loyal to the oath you made?
Maybe, but this kind of blind loyalty is a disease and it is difficult to cure.
Leon thought for a while, took off the ring on his hand, and pulled Dallion aside to give him some instructions.
Thus, the Griffin Knights, composed entirely of cavalry, received a fateful mission.
…
The current Griffin Knights have been expanded to more than a thousand people - with Amy announcing her abdication, all of her 'Griffin Claws' have joined the Griffin Knights, and more than sixty of them have successfully passed the assessment and become female Griffin Knights.
These female knights were originally recruited in a similar way to the Griffin Knights, so it seems very fitting to integrate them at this time.
Amy herself became the vice-captain of the Griffin Knights—she really passed the knight assessment with her real ability, but the weapon she used for the martial arts assessment was a musket... Dallion, who was in charge of the battle assessment at the time, wisely chose to admit defeat...
Being able to "defeat" Dallion, coupled with her reputation as a former queen and the unanimous support of the female knights, Amy is certainly qualified to serve as the vice-captain.
This is a loophole in the rules, but after all, it was not previously stated that new weapons were not allowed...
In order to prevent others from taking advantage of this loophole, Sir Azrael resigned from the position of Knight Commander and became the Chief Maester of the Order, in charge of recording history, inheriting and optimizing the culture of the Order.
However, Amy did not participate in this battle - she knew her own strengths and weaknesses and did not intend to cause trouble for Li Ang.
Amy is helping Bride form another all-female troop.
When Dallion and all the members of the Griffin Knights arrived at the bridge west of Sarleon City, Lisadilan was leading his guards and confronting Rayman across the river.
All the guards were on standby with bows and arrows, and several rangers were injured.
In the middle of the bridge were the corpses of several lion followers, with cold and gleaming Noldor arrows piercing their bodies .
Apparently, Rayman tried to force a charge, but failed.
But this situation does not quite fit the current situation - if Rayman was really anxious to send the Abyss Gate into Sarleon City, there would not be a standoff until now.
It's more like waiting for something...
Dallion and Risadiran nodded, whispered something, then rode their horses directly onto the bridge and headed to the other side of the river - to Lehman's side.
"Sir Rayman? I'm Griffin Knight Darion."
Dallion didn't raise the white flag or take off his sword. He just walked across the bridge and asked, "Knight of the Wild Lion, who do you serve now?"
Leon had not yet declared himself king, so Dalion did not call him His Majesty at this time.
"Griffin Knight... How interesting... Of course I am loyal to King Ulric! I was before and I am now!"
A bitter smile appeared on Rayman's face.
"Ulric is dead... You know that!"
Dallion shook his head.
"He's still alive! He's in Sarleon! Dallion, I still regard Leon as the Duke of Changhe Town in Sarleon Kingdom... Since you are Leon's subordinate, you shouldn't be standing in my way here! Where is Leon? Where is he?"
Rayman's attitude was firm, and it was certain that he was conscious and was neither controlled by anyone nor a ghost.
"Well, in that case, Lord Leon asked me to ask you a question..."
Dallion nodded and looked at the code in Rayman's hand: "Lord Godric once taught you the first rule of the Lion Knight's oath. Do you remember it?"
After saying that, he turned around and prepared to go back to the other side of the bridge.
"Dalion! I'm a knight! I'm just doing what a knight should do! Loyalty is also the highest oath of your Griffin Knights!"
Rayman called out behind him.
"Loyalty... Yes, Lord Leon is right... As a knight, perhaps you have done nothing wrong - you have always protected your colleagues, never fought for power, never sided with anyone, never lied or cheated, and now you are only following the orders of the king you swore allegiance to... Loyalty, justice, honesty, loyalty, you have it all!"
Dallion turned around and said calmly, "But there is only one thing, the most important one, which is also the first one of the Lion Knight's oath, but you forgot it..."
"The Lion Knights swore to maintain the peace of the country... but now, do you think that half-human, half-ghost guy in Sarleon City can still keep the country peaceful?"
"Leiman, look at the heretic code in your hand. You should know what that thing is! You must be loyal to the oath of allegiance, why don't you abide by the oath of the Lion Knight? In order to be loyal to the king, you would rather associate with heretics... Is this the knightly honor you pursue?"
"And... do you know why Lord Leon didn't come here?"
"Because he knows what you are going to do..."
"Heretics! Your ambush is in the river, right? Come out! I've seen you!"
Dallion returned to the other side of the bridge, drew his sword, and habitually turned the ring on his hand over, moving the griffin ring to the inside of his finger.
This was the High King's ring, but now it rests once again on Dallion's hand.
There were indeed ambushes in the river.
In the Sava River, a large group of undead appeared and walked silently to the shore step by step.
"Why is my ring on your hand? Where is Leon?"
'Ulric' himself emerged from the water and looked at Dallion in amazement.
"Lord Leon said he was timid and didn't dare to fight the undead..."
Dallion laughed, "Besides, I'm a coward. Brothers, retreat!"
Where is Leon?
Of course in Sarleon...
Salihan was sent to retrieve the Gate of the Abyss, originally intending to use the Gate of the Abyss to lure out Kavala.
In fact, Le Ang did not need the Gate of the Abyss, and he could not use it. As for whether to save Anna or not, it was purely to get the cooperation of the three prophets. Le Ang did not have much sympathy for Anna.
It would be better if Ulrik's wish could be fulfilled, but if it couldn't be fulfilled, it didn't matter - the three prophets couldn't die anyway, so they could go to Ulrik anytime...
But since Kavala used the Gate of the Abyss to set a trap, Leon naturally changed his strategy temporarily.
Anyway, no matter what trap Kavala sets, Leon will not take it directly.
Isn't it just for moments like this that you keep wearing the ring?
Who seduced whom? Who ambushed whom?
Even if Kavala knew the location of the ring, who could tell the real from the fake?
Since Kavala is setting an ambush, let Dallion wear the ring and walk around. There is a high probability that Kavala can be lured out of Sarleon City...
The Griffin Knights and the Noldor Guards are both pure cavalry units with top riding skills. Although they are not numerous and may not be able to defeat Kavala, they can definitely escape and even lure the enemy into Leon's ambush circle.
But Leon had no plan to ambush Kavala by the river, because that was the battlefield chosen by the enemy and there was not enough time.
He would take advantage of the time difference and choose the battlefield himself - just outside Sarleon.
