Chapter 400: A Heart-Stopping Scene

Time flew swiftly, and the two knight orders of Mountain Castle had already arrived at Wushan Town and Radiant City respectively.

Those nobles, great and small, who had learned of Rulance's recovery through Marvin and Victorino, had also dispatched their respective troops, each clamoring to fight shoulder to shoulder with the Marquis.

Roning found this scene quite amusing.

When Wiggins had previously issued the conscription order, many nobles had shown reluctance, and even during last year's campaign against the Poland bandit group, quite a few had joined with the mindset of mere onlookers.

Now, Rulance had not issued any conscription order, nor had he uttered a single word to the outside world, yet this crowd eagerly volunteered to join the army marching upon Black Python City.

There were likely two primary reasons.

One, of course, was Rulance's recovery; the Marquis of Thunder had returned in full strength, and they needed to manifest their loyalty.

The second lay in Black Python City, an earldom of considerable expanse; if Orson were stripped of his title and fief, his vassals would theoretically lose their lands and rights as well.

Consequently, with so much vacated land, others would have the opportunity to vie for it.

Driven by these two reasons, the nobles displayed such fervent enthusiasm.

In stark contrast to the bustle of Wushan Town and Radiant City, Black Python City appeared exceedingly desolate.

Throughout this past half-month, Orson had not only failed to send anyone for negotiations, but had not even dispatched scouts to gather intelligence, as though the vanguard of Mountain Castle were not aimed at Black Python City at all.

For a time, Roning could not fathom this behavior, leaving him only to surmise whether the adversary possessed some form of reliance; thus, riding his giant dragon, he went to see exactly what preparations Orson had made.

The territory of this border Earl boasted vast plains, rich in horse production and ranking as the third largest grain-producing region in the Wushan Domain.

Roning could clearly discern numerous folk toiling with heads bowed in the fields, and he also beheld horse ranches of various sizes.

These people seemed oblivious to the impending war, betraying not the slightest hint of panic.

Yet, as Roning arrived in the skies above Black Python City, the scene he beheld transformed completely.

Every soul in the city was gathered around the castle, resembling devout believers gazing upon the deity they worshipped.

Roning knit his brows, "Is Orson preparing to drag all the commoners onto the battlefield?"

A lord did indeed possess the right to draft commoners into war, but these militiamen, having received little training, would play an extremely limited role on the battlefield, especially since Black Python City was facing the knight orders of Mountain Castle, the mages of the Magic Commerce Guild, and the knight squads of various nobles.

Drafting so many militiamen under such circumstances gave Roning the distinct impression that Orson was turning to any remedy in his desperation.

"Master, there is a scent here that I despise!"

Carlos transmitted his voice through the soul, his tone brimming with aversion.

Roning was momentarily taken aback; his dragon spent most of each day thinking of nothing but eating and sleeping, rarely offering opinions on his affairs, and today marked the very first time.

"A scent you despise..."

Roning instantly thought of the mysterious valley in the Northern Wushan Domain, and then his heart skipped a beat, "Do you mean there is a scent here like Natalia's?"

"Yes, Master, this scent sickens me, I do not wish to remain here for a single moment!"

The period of his imprisonment was a nightmare Carlos could never escape, and whenever he recalled it, his draconic body and heart grew intensely uncomfortable.

Receiving this affirmative reply, Roning thought back to the matter of Orson's recovery.

Both Rulance and Miroslav had believed it was because the secondhand Soul-Devouring Surge had a set duration, causing Orson to recover on his own.

But now, with Carlos's reminder, Roning instead felt it possible that someone like Natalia, capable of manipulating the power of witch-souls, had cured Orson.

"The Witch-Soul Clan, the power of witch-souls... could there be remnants of the Witch-Soul Clan hiding within Black Python Castle?"

Through the memories of Rhaegar, Elrond, and McCain, Natalia and the Soul-Devouring Surge on Rulance were manifestations of the Witch-Soul Clan and their power.

Back in the Raging Flame Canyon, it was the so-called Shadow Lord Elliot who had completely annihilated Rhaegar's Flame Expeditionary Force.

Yet in that battle, Rhaegar and his men had also destroyed the enemy, essentially perishing together.

If there truly were members of the Witch-Soul Clan in Black Python Castle, where had they come from?

"Let us go down and take a look."

Though Carlos was reluctant, he slightly folded his wings and lowered his altitude, the light-bending illusion magic enveloping his entire body, ensuring the crowd of commoners below could not detect his presence.

As they descended, Roning clearly saw the expressions of the crowd surrounding Black Python Castle; every one of them possessed vacant eyes, looking as though they had lost their souls.

Despite the countless layers of people making it impossible to discern their exact number, there was no communication among them; aside from the raspy sounds from their throats, there was not a peep of speech.

Roning's heart clenched violently, his countenance turning grim: "Could this crowd have all been turned into the Witch-Soul Clan?"

He recalled Rhaegar's description; though the Witch-Soul Clan looked identical to humans, their defining trait was the bizarre dark energy surging within them, which could be sensed if one's mental strength reached the Archmage level.

Roning hastily closed his eyes, extending his mental strength to envelop the crowd below.

At this moment, his perspective was like the Wind of Perception; in his awareness, this entire crowd was enveloped by a peculiar dark energy, joined together like a pitch-black sea of ink!

No wonder Carlos could sense a scent he despised; with so many "Natalias," it would be difficult for him not to notice.

Roning opened his eyes, looking at the multitude surrounding the castle, a flash of pity crossing his gaze.

They were but commoners, yet someone had transformed them into these creatures, neither human nor ghost, stripped of their true selves; just how insanely depraved was the person behind this!

The pity in Roning's eyes transformed into fury, but then he realized something, and a tinge of panic crept in.

"Rhaegar said that Shadow Lord Elliot possessed the ability to convert ordinary people into the Witch-Soul Clan, could there be a so-called Shadow Lord in Black Python City?"

The moment this thought surfaced, his expression changed drastically.

A Shadow Lord was a legendary-tier mage.

Back then, Rhaegar and his Radiant Knight companions, along with several Silver Moon Knights, had sacrificed their lives to slay Elliot and her subordinates; if an existence of this caliber had appeared in Black Python City, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"A legendary mage possesses immense mental strength; if such an existence were truly here, he should have discovered Carlos and me. Since there is no movement in the castle yet, I must be overthinking."

Roning suppressed the pity, fury, and panic surging in his heart, regaining a semblance of a calm mind.

If there really were a legendary-tier powerhouse here, with the opponent's supreme perception, he and Carlos should have been exposed.

Since they were not, it indicated there was no legendary powerhouse present.

However, though Roning's worry was somewhat superfluous, it was undeniable that the situation in Black Python City had exceeded his expectations.

He recalled the scene of killing Natalia and the others in the Northern Wushan Domain; the Witch-Soul Clan was like zombies, unyielding to ordinary blade injuries.

To kill them, one had to either decapitate them to render them immobile, or "inject" an excessive amount of mana or battle qi into their bodies, triggering a violent clash between elemental power and witch-soul power to slay them.

Methods of victory existed, but clearly, the difficulty of the war had escalated.

"No, I need to inform everyone of this matter in a timely manner."

Roning signaled Carlos to ascend, "Furthermore, just to be safe, we must have Rhaegar come over."

As the sole Radiant Knight, Rhaegar's presence would afford Roning a profound sense of security.

Inside the castle, Mephistopheles frowned slightly.

He seemed to have just sensed a faint fluctuation of energy, yet when he sensed carefully, the fluctuation had vanished.

"What went by?"

He rubbed the space between his brows; having been continuously busy for over twenty days, even he found it somewhat taxing, but fortunately, everything was prepared.

A faint smile graced the corner of Mephistopheles's mouth, "Let me give the allied noble army of the Wushan Domain a little shock!"