The son of the God-Emperor in Warhammer Fantasy

"Secure the camp. Let the serfs, the elderly, and the children hide in the caves behind the monastery. Later, while the undead army is still on its way, we need to repair these walls." François and Ryan walked shoulder to shoulder along the walls of the La-Maisonel Monastery.

This grand defensive structure was nestled in a gray mountain canyon. The walls

Chapter 446: Unexpected Reinforcements

"Secure the camp. Let the serfs, the elderly, and the children hide in the caves behind the monastery. Later, while the undead army is still on its way, we need to repair these walls." François and Ryan walked shoulder to shoulder along the walls of the La-Maisonel Monastery.

This grand defensive structure was nestled in a gray mountain canyon. The walls reached nearly ten meters high, with a circular bastion built in the middle of the valley. Only a narrow path led directly to the front gate.

This was the place where François had once faced Kemmler in a decisive battle. It was one of Kemmler's most bitter defeats in his centuries-long life.

Despite this, the fortress was not as sturdy as one might think, with only a single layer of walls. It served primarily as a monastery for Taal, the god of nature. Inside the monastery were only five hundred soldiers, but they were elite troops composed of Grail Pilgrims.

Due to difficulties in transporting food and the barren mountain terrain, this was theoretically the maximum number of troops the monastery could host.

After numerous hard-fought battles, they had earned the honorary title "Holy Guardians of La-Maisonel." They had once fought against the undead legions in cemeteries and had stood alongside François in battles twenty years ago. Now, these Grail Pilgrims sought to attract the attention and favor of the Lady of the Lake through their diligent service and warfare.

Serfs hoping to gain the Lady's favor could only rely on extraordinary means.

Gazing at the majestic mountains and the vast highland meadows, Ryan noticed two giant rock statues of high elves flanking the mountain path. He smiled at François, "We should invite Duke Furcad here. This monastery is also a relic of the high elves."

Duke Furcad and his army had not joined Ryan and François's coalition at the monastery. Along the way, many affected villages and towns required Furcad and his troops. Duke Montfort had to divide his forces for defense, so he withdrew voluntarily.

This was the disadvantage of fighting on one's own land. Kemmler and his undead could attack any point in the gray mountains at will, while the knightly kingdom often had to adopt a defensive stance.

Many places needed troops left behind for defense. The recently captured Blackstone stronghold also needed garrisons. When the human and dwarf coalition reached the monastery, they had about twenty thousand troops left.

"Brittany was once a colony of the high elves. To this day, we still benefit from the high elves. They established strong magical wards here to help us seal the Staff of Nagash," François said, examining the damaged walls. He continued, "The Grail Knights Pierre the Holy and two paladins in the monastery are willing to assist us, along with the Lady of the Lake's Holy Maiden, Esmer Beaumont. Counting all our forces, we have about twenty-one thousand troops."

"We will decide the outcome with Kemmler and his ancient tomb legion here," Ryan said quietly.

"Yes, the place where it all began will also be the place where it ends." François's blue and white horse cloak fluttered in the mountain wind, and the duke himself looked solemn. "It's time for revenge."

The mountain wind howled over the walls, and both Ryan and François fell silent. Victory was fleeting; they had just defeated Kemmler near the Blackstone stronghold but had not achieved complete success. Now, the opportunity had come.

A scout rode in hastily, dismounting quickly. Expedition Knight Karad ran along the wall to Ryan and François. "My lords, Kemmler and his ancient tomb legion are on their way. They will likely arrive by nightfall."

"Very well." François's ocean-blue eyes were serious. He glanced at the afternoon sky. "Let's prepare. How many are there?"

"About thirty thousand... Also, my lord, the scouts spotted former Duke of Artois, Chilfroy, and the Boar Knights Brotherhood among the ancient tomb legion." Karad held his cross helm.

Thirty thousand more! The knights in the hall felt the pressure of this number. In the Blackstone stronghold battle, the ancient tomb legion and Mousilon's forces numbered fifty thousand, with only about five thousand undead retreating. Yet in just a week, Kemmler had replenished his forces to thirty thousand!

"Kemmler must have excavated the Duke of Artois family tomb. He is desperate." François frowned. "Compared to the fifty thousand in the Blackstone stronghold battle, the ancient tomb legion's numbers have significantly decreased, but we still do not have an advantage."

"That's how it is with vampires," Ryan commented, unconcerned.

The Grey Knight Primarch felt ashamed for not capturing Gur. He swore to smash Gur's undead head in this battle.

"Gather everyone in the hall for a meeting," François ordered.

Thirty minutes later, everyone gathered in the monastery. A large map was laid out on the table.

"We must hold La-Maisonel Monastery. If Kemmler seizes Nagash's Staff, he and his undead legion will be unstoppable. He can easily use the staff's magic." Count Cuileux Anselm said loudly, "The undead tide will flood the entire southern Brittany."

"The bad news is that scouts tell us Kemmler has revived the entire former Duke of Artois family's Boar Knights Brotherhood, significantly boosting his numbers. He has also heavily hired a group of bandits from the gray mountains, about six hundred strong," Jerrod added. "The bandits, mainly crossbowmen and archers, fill the gap in Kemmler's army's ranged capabilities... at least somewhat."

"Hahaha, let them come!" The Grail Knight Pierre the Holy, stationed at La-Maisonel, was over a hundred years old and indifferent to life and death. "I will slay every undead scum I see, I swear."

"The defense of the monastery will be entrusted to the Holy Guardians of La-Maisonel and the dwarf artillerymen from Ryan's army," François began arranging the battle formation. "They will deploy all cannons, muskets, and catapults on the monastery walls, our last line of defense."

"The left flank is yours, Ryan. You and your men must withstand the undead army's assault. I will assign five thousand men to you," François told Ryan. "If possible, break through them."

"Understood." Ryan nodded.

"Leave it to the dwarves!" Belagar peeked out from under the long table, raising his Angrund hammer to indicate he was ready.

"The right flank will be entrusted to Anselm and the majority of the knights from the Duke of Winford's territory and the Pegasus Knights of the Swift Lance Brotherhood. Your priority is to deal with the bandits Kemmler hired. Also, be careful not to overextend." François continued, "Karad, Jerrod, you will follow Anselm."

"Yes!" Anselm and Jerrod both nodded.

"I will lead the majority of the infantry and archers in the center to draw the main force of the enemy. Kemmler will undoubtedly charge the center at all costs. If he does, Ryan, Anselm, you will immediately flank and attack Kemmler and his troops." François continued to command, "The artillery on the walls will provide us with cover and fire support. Based on my understanding of Kemmler, he will come for me, just as I want to grind him to dust!"

"Yes!"

The war council ended as the afternoon faded into evening. The knights' army began distributing food, checking equipment, and preparing weapons in a tense atmosphere.

This would be the battle that determined whether Ryan and François could free the knightly kingdom from Kemmler's shadow and decide the fate of southern Brittany. If they failed here, the entire Duchy of Winford and the south would be engulfed by the undead tide until completely submerged.

Most of the knights had solemn expressions, fully aware of the importance of victory or defeat.

The camp was filled with the sounds of prayer.

The Lake Witch Morgiana cast a powerful great spell, a magnificent divine spell. Her casting channeled the divine power of the Lady of the Lake. Now, a statue of the Lady in the monastery held a cup filled with clear, shining holy water. The champion knights of the Quenelles Brotherhood would use this holy water to anoint their weapons, breaking through the protections of the undead chosen by Chaos.

After casting the great spell, Morgiana sat aside, pale. Her strength had not fully recovered, and the great spell had nearly drained all her magical power.

Fully equipped, Ryan wanted to speak with Morgiana, but with the knights of the Quenelles Brotherhood present, it wasn't convenient, so he had to give up.

After donning his psychic power armor, Ryan pondered how to defeat Gur, Kemmler, and Duke Mousilon, Matthew Bard.

After thinking for a while, his Thor's Hammer appeared before him. Looking up, he saw Karad's face. The expedition knight, with his thin goatee, smiled, "Your warhammer, it's really heavy."

"No, it's your warhammer," Ryan laughed, reaching for his Thor's Hammer with one hand and handing the holy sword Durandale to Karad with the other. "Your sword is my sword, Karad. In this war, we fight as one, defending our homeland."

"Thank you..." Ryan also extended his hand to Karad, "Let's defend the land the Lady granted us together."

"Yes!" Ryan was about to speak more when a horn sounded outside.

"Doo-wooo, doo-wooo~"

"That's not the undead's horn!" Ryan and Karad exchanged glances. The Lady's champion's eyes lit up. "That sounds more like..."

Without finishing, Ryan immediately ran outside.

"Doo-wooo, do

o-wooo~"

The cry of a giant eagle echoed from the sky. A nimble figure descended from the eagle. He wore a horned helmet and armor forged from starfire. Behind him, a force of about two thousand wood elves appeared before the Bretonnian knights.

This force comprised woodland guards, eternal guards, and deepwood scouts, all cloaked, each carrying a recurve bow. The riders bore the banner of the King's Glade, approaching La-Maisonel Monastery in precise formations.

François, astonished, ran down the steps, "This... how is this possible?"

The proud woodland lord Araloth stood before the steps, raising his chin defiantly. "Bretonnians, I bring greetings from King Orion and Queen Ariel."

"A thousand years ago, when your knightly king Arthur founded this kingdom, we formed an alliance to fight against evil together."

"A thousand years later, the Asrai will not sit idly by as the undead ravage the land beyond the forest. You once helped us when Kemmler and his undead legions attacked the forest. Now, we extend our hand in this war."

"The Asrai will fight alongside you!"

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