Chapter 416: War Marshal Who Betrayed the Kingdom (Part 2)

The chain corpse explosion only lasted one minute.

All thirty thousand mercenary ghouls had detonated completely, leaving only a prairie stained red with blood.

The scene was not as terrifying as one might have imagined.

Because they had self-destructed so cleanly.

Nothing remained but the color red.

As if those thirty thousand mercenaries had never existed.

Every trace of their existence had been utterly erased.

Even the war horse beneath Samimi was pierced by flying bone spurs.

She fell heavily from the horse.

Samimi struggled to her feet.

Grand Archbishop Mimi had never been so disheveled.

She raised her runic staff and struck the horse’s head a single, heavy blow, ending its suffering.

And preventing it from turning into a ghoul horse.

Everything finally fell silent.

Samimi slowly walked into that filthy, hellish land.

The stench of blood howled in the wind.

She could only face it in silence.

From afar, she saw the Giant Whale Knights forming a circle—a final human wall protecting Fabiana, Niubao, and the two Grand Knight Commanders.

Their numbers had dwindled drastically.

Even with Samimi giving her all, she could not protect everyone.

And this…

Was only the beginning of the nightmare.

All survivors retreated back into the Knight Academy City, sealing the gates completely.

But Samimi specifically ordered Knight King Char and the other old knights to stay away from the survivors.

Exhausted to the bone, she began personally checking and treating everyone one by one.

Yet her expression grew darker and darker.

The situation was far worse than she had imagined.

Niubao was mostly fine.

Fabiana had taken a bone spur to the forehead.

Fortunately, her skull was tough enough that it didn’t pierce her brain, and there was no infection. She was quickly healed.

Frost Blade Knight Commander Henry and Wind Knight Commander Kress were also unharmed.

Their equipment was good enough to prevent injury.

But almost all of their elite knights had been wiped out.

Only a handful of noble knights managed to return alive inside the city.

As for the Giant Whale Knights, only one hundred and fifty came back alive.

More than half had fallen in battle.

Even those who survived were mostly infected with Corrupted Blood.

Samimi could purify the lightly infected.

But many of the brothers were already heavily infected.

The Corrupted Blood had seeped into their brains.

There was no way to remove it.

That they still retained their sanity was a miracle among miracles.

Perhaps it was because the Corrupted Blood created by the Artificial Vampire wasn’t as potent as that of the true Blood Clan.

That was why everyone could hold on long enough to bring the War Marshal back.

One hundred and fifty men.

Samimi could only save fifty.

The remaining one hundred…

There was no saving them.

“…”

Samimi collapsed onto a stool in the medical room, silent.

She had no idea how to tell them.

Her head throbbed with pain.

“What’s wrong?”

Knight King Char walked over and asked.

Fabiana, with a bandage wrapped around her forehead, sat nearby, looking at Samimi with a somber expression.

“Over a hundred brothers are heavily infected.”

“I can’t purge the Corrupted Blood from their bodies.”

“If we delay any longer, they’ll definitely turn into ghouls.”

“They need to be dealt with as soon as possible.”

“Their brains must be destroyed.”

“We need to… give the brothers a quick end.”

Samimi said quietly.

“How could this happen…”

“It’s all my fault. I made them leave the city…”

Knight King Char seemed to age another ten years at those words.

“Saying that now is pointless.”

“Who could have predicted this?”

“I’m also at fault.”

“I had no idea ghouls would explode upon contact with sunlight.”

“I’m the one who got everyone killed.”

Fabiana slapped her thigh and stood up abruptly.

With that, she turned and left the medical room.

“Mimi, Grandpa, you two rest.”

“I’ll handle the rest… let me take care of it.”

Those confirmed uninfected lay on the hospital beds in the Knight Hospital.

Those brothers beyond saving were all isolated in the main hall of the Knight Academy.

Fabiana pushed open the door and entered.

The hall was already thick with the stench of rot and decay.

The heavily infected Giant Whale Knights, seeing Fabiana enter, immediately lined up before her.

Though they appeared to still be rational,

In truth, every single one of them was using sheer willpower to forcibly suppress their bloodlust.

They were covered in wounds,

Yet they no longer felt any pain.

No one understood better than them what was happening to their bodies.

“Everyone risked their lives to save me.”

“But I can’t save you.”

“I’m sorry…”

Fabiana bowed her head in apology.

“The War Marshal doesn’t need to apologize.”

“This was our choice.”

“None of us have any regrets.”

“To die for our lord in battle is the most glorious end a knight can have.”

The Giant Whale Knight captain replied in a low voice.

“I wasn’t mature enough.”

“I wasn’t strong enough.”

“I was too naive.”

“I got everyone killed…”

Fabiana continued apologizing quietly.

“The nun has already told us everything.”

“This isn’t your fault.”

“War Marshal, please send us off while we still retain our human will.”

“That is our final request.”

The Giant Whale Knight captain said calmly.

“Do it, War Marshal.”

“Do it, War Marshal.”

“Do it, War Marshal…”

With that,

They all slowly knelt on one knee, removing their helmets and placing them on the ground,

One hand on the ground, the other over their hearts,

The same posture they had taken when they first swore allegiance to the Dilmurt family as knights.

“I swear in the name of Dilmurt…”

“I will avenge every one of you.”

Fabiana slowly drew her golden sword.

She used the flat of the blade to gently tap the Giant Whale Knight captain’s shoulder.

Then—

One stroke to behead him.

It seemed cruel, but it was the most merciful method to eradicate the Corrupted Blood.

Golden sword light flashed.

The Giant Whale Knight captain’s head was still attached to his neck,

But his expression gradually grew peaceful.

No trace of ferocity remained on his face.

He no longer had to endure the agony of becoming a monster.

Clang.

Clang.

Clang.

Clang—

And so,

Fabiana personally beheaded every infected Giant Whale Knight, one by one, seeing them off.

Her expression remained calm throughout, because she had grieved to the point where she could no longer shape an expression.

She couldn’t shed a single tear.

After seeing everyone off, Fabiana slowly pushed open the doors of the Knight Hall.

Outside, elderly knight logistics personnel had already gathered, holding white cloths and stretchers, waiting to collect the bodies of their brothers.

Fabiana stepped aside to let them pass.

But she didn’t leave.

She just stood there quietly, dazed for a very long time.

“Miss Anna, you’ve worked hard.”

“Leave the rest to us.”

One of the old Giant Whale knights said in a low voice.

“I want to see them off to the end.”

Fabiana replied softly.

All the Giant Whale Knights’ bodies were placed into sturdy wooden coffins.

White sealing strips were affixed at the necks, so that their bodies would still appear intact.

To prevent the Corrupted Blood from spreading further, the old knights ultimately dragged all hundred-plus coffins to an open space and burned them.

Fabiana stood motionless before the great fire.

The flickering flames mirrored her heart at that moment.

Rage had burned away all her tears.

But hatred grew only stronger, never to be extinguished.

The wound on her forehead refused to heal.

Even Samimi couldn’t fully cure it.

That scar was like an eye of vengeance that would never close.

In a daze, the old Giant Whale knights seemed to see an illusion.

Beside Fabiana, there appeared to stand the phantoms of a hundred Giant Whale knights.

Even after death, they remained as guardian spirits, watching over the young lady.