Chapter 763: 272 Knight_2

Chapter 763: Chapter 272 Knight_2

Without much deliberation, Laine casually said,

This was hardly a stroke of “epoch-shattering wisdom”; it was a standard response to such a situation.

“But while that’s true, you should still be prepared.”

“This war, Athens is not going to be easy to win.”

“Mm, I’m aware.”

Nodding, Andrea braced herself, “In fact, I’ve been ready for a day when we might have to fight in the Acropolis.”

...

“Before the Grand Temple of the Goddess, we shall show the Athenians’ fearlessness.”

“But then again, Aiven—” blinking, Andrea asked, “What exactly is military strategy?”

In later myths, Chaos was known as the ‘God of Military Strategy’, but through personal investigation, Laine was certain there wasn’t one.

Just as Athena’s spirit communication Divine Artifact was mistakenly revered as a god by later generations, it was likely the result of some kind of misinformation.

So, facing the puzzled Andrea, Laine was unsure how to explain it properly.

In this age, there were various strategies, but there were no great masters who had written books to summarize the past tactics and innovate new ones.

Thus, for now, in the Chaos World, there was indeed no systematic military strategy in existence.

“Think of it as a summary of the art of war; though there aren’t many wars in the Mortal World, there are places where they are quite common.”

Where in the Chaos World were wars most frequent and rampant?

Of course, it was the battlegrounds between Hell and the Abyss.

This explanation was perfectly fitting, and anyone seeking to understand would not find it strange.

However, even Laine had not anticipated that this offhand excuse he gave would, ten thousand years later, lead the humankind of the future to arrive unanimously at the same conclusion upon reviewing history.

That human morality stemmed from deities, hailing from the Golden Age; whereas conspiracy and cunning came from Demons, perpetuated since the Silver Age.

Morality was naturally worthy of praise, but cunning was not without its uses. As the crystallization of mortal wisdom, humanity’s earliest military strategies were derived from this very legacy.

······

Athens’ actions were swift, with not a moment’s delay, and before long, Andrea had issued the war decree in the Royal Palace.

Armies from numerous city-states would begin to muster from that moment, soon to converge upon a major city along the Western Border. And on the same day in the afternoon, the Royal City’s Knight Order began to assemble.

In this mythic and fantastical age, the so-called ‘knights’ were quite emblematic of the time.

They belonged to the lowest echelon of the ruling class and were the most direct manifestation of a Kingdom’s martial might. As to why this was, one would have to look back to the very inception of the Extraordinary System.

The extraordinary powers of the current world, when traced back to their roots, generally extend in the direction of spiritual elements or branch out from the perspective of material life.

At the beginning of everything, the survivors of the Golden Age, before becoming the first Professionals in the Mortal World to step into legend within the domain of material life, had experienced four distinct stages of transformation through their perception. (See 3-20)

The first stage belonged to the initial emergence of the energy of material life, which was nurtured within flesh, blood, and marrow, and could in turn allow a mortal’s physical body to break through the innate limits of matter.

Prior to this, mere exercise and training always had their limits, but the birth of the first thread of life energy signified that the upper bounds of material beings could be transcended.

However, this so-called breakthrough did not manifest in a direct or obvious external change; it was more of a beginning.

In the second stage, when this material life energy surpassed a certain threshold, it could then be consciously controlled by its possessor, enabling them to intentionally strengthen their bodies and unleash greater strength when necessary.

Yet at this point, compared to witchcraft and Divine Arts, War Professionals still did not show any signs of being transcendent.

Despite their ability to run faster, possess greater strength, and boast superior constitutions, in reality, if they faced a squad of soldiers clad in armor empty-handed, their only option would still be to flee.

Thus, oftentimes, professionals of this hierarchy aren’t even considered Transcendent, but merely soldiers with better qualities.

As for the third stage, this is the first true dividing line for War Professionals.

For Godhood Practitioners, the third rank is known as a high-level Priest, whereas for Wizards, the third rank marks the preliminary transformation of the soul, capable of roaming the superficial layer of the Spirit Realm during meditation.

For War Professionals reaching this stage, it means the materialized life energy following transformation can finally detach from the body and begin to minimally influence the external world.

By this point, even professionals without any inheritance can choose to become a ‘Knight,’ which is to say, the most ordinary member of a Knight Order and the lowest stratum of the ruling class in the Mortal Realm.

Although incapable of emitting ‘Sword Qi,’ War Professionals at this stage can cover their weapons and armor with their life energy. If the armor is forged in a special way, it can even create effects far greater than the sum of its parts.

In addition, their life energy can also be applied to other living beings—such as their own mounts, endowing them with enhanced endurance and strength.

Furthermore, when enough knights release their life energy simultaneously, and with individuals skilled in this area as support, their energies can interweave to form a net, diminishing any external forces and amplifying their own strength.

Such an army is known as a ‘Knight Order,’ which is also the tool truly meaningful for deterring mighty adversaries in the contemporary Mortal Realm, as well as a peerless treasure that can shatter weak foes in a single strike.

It could be said, whether a country is a local, independent City-State or a renowned Kingdom on the continent, the presence of such a Knight Order is one of the most direct proofs.

Of course, the term ‘Knight Order’ seems to have appeared somewhat prematurely.

Perhaps in the original History, the era when Demigod Heroes frequently emerged should have been the beginning of the advent of Extraordinary powers, not the earlier Bronze Age.

Only after the War of Troy did the way of the Extraordinary steadily spread across the Mortal World, gradually forming this structure of a privileged class founded on ‘Knights’ who wielded power, which then persisted for a millennium in later generations.

Only now, everything has come much earlier.

“Indeed, too early.”

“In that illusory world, I never knew of any ‘Knights.'”

“But that’s not surprising, after all, during that time, there wasn’t me, ‘Great Alchemist Hermes,’ was there?”

Within the tower, Hermes watched as Solomon’s figure moved about outside.

Naturally, he had received notice of the War, but the young, new King didn’t seem to have figured out how to communicate with him, so there had been no meeting.

Hermes thus let things take their natural course and sent his student to accompany the army.

His experiments had hit a bottleneck, and despite having a way to continue, he wanted to conduct more experiments, such as ‘Blood Sacrifice,’ which was one such trial.

Moreover, there was another experiment he had contemplated before—venturing outside the Circumterrestrial River.

Perhaps by changing his perspective and viewpoint, he might gain new inspiration.

“Let’s go now, better early than late.”

“After this, there may not be enough time.”

He exhaled and extended his hand with a beckoning gesture.

At the base of the tower, a Crystal Stone fell into Hermes’s palm.

“The clash of Divine Persons… Although the former me never had the chance to witness the fall of Troy, just thinking about it tells me nothing good will come of it.”

“Ha, after all the fighting, only when the tide recedes will we see who’s been swimming naked.”

With a flicker of his form, Hermes left the tower.

This journey he intended to undertake unnoticed, silently coming and going—nothing could be better.