RNP Page 49
Page 49
"Baron Rhodes was present before he died. I have temporarily appointed Baron Rhodes as the Regent of Lordaeron, and all of you must obey his orders," Princess Calia said, poking her head out from another wyvern.
Now she must give Rhodes her full support and a suitable identity so that he can keep these nobles in check; the regent is the best choice.
Arthas's undead army is about to catch up; now is not the time to play political games with these nobles.
Princess Galiya's words were powerful and resounding, attempting to vindicate Rhodes amidst the chaos and grant him the authority to subdue the crowd.
Many people in the crowd did recognize Princess Galiya, but some ordinary soldiers, paladins, and civilians did not know her, as she had not appeared in public for a long time.
However, sometimes chaos and greed have corrupted the reason of some people. Lordaeron is now leaderless. Whoever can get this princess will gain the right to rule Lordaeron.
The princess herself is not important; what matters is her identity, which represents the bloodline of the Lordaeron royal family.
Among the nobles below, the bearded Duke Garix, who had been the first to make a move, showed a flash of surprise on his face, followed by undisguised sarcasm. He looked around and shouted at the nobles who also had ulterior motives: "Your Highness? Who can prove it? Who knows if you were coerced by this baron of unknown origin?"
As for the regent? Ha! His Majesty the King has just suffered a calamity; who is qualified to appoint a regent?
I think you're trying to take advantage of this to steal the kingdom's wealth and power! You've kidnapped Princess Galiya.
These four magical ships are Lordaeron's last hope, and they should be distributed among us, the true nobles of Lordaeron!
Several of his close noble confidants immediately began to stir up trouble:
"Lord Garix is right!"
"A mere baron thinks he can order us around?"
"Hand over the magic ship!"
“Princess Galiya must have been coerced. How could a baron be suddenly appointed regent?”
Their incitement further confused the already fearful crowd, and some soldiers hesitated, glancing at their officers. The situation was on the verge of spiraling out of control.
Rhodes's eyes instantly turned cold. He knew that at this critical juncture of life and death, any internal obstruction or division was a deadly poison.
Debates and tedious aristocratic etiquette? Those are luxuries of peacetime! Now, every second means more lives lost, and we must act swiftly and decisively.
As a great man once said, political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. Sometimes it is necessary to make an example of someone to warn others.
"Stubborn fools! The undead army is approaching, yet you are still fighting for power and profit, disregarding the lives of thousands of civilians behind you! You are not worthy to be nobles of Lordaeron!"
"Now, in the name of the Regent of Lordaeron, the One Favored by the Light, I hereby execute you."
Without needing any further words, the order to massacre was given.
"Qiang! Qiang! Qiang!"
The two angels guarding Rhodes suddenly flapped their holy wings, transforming into two dazzling golden streaks of light, moving so fast that everyone present could only see afterimages.
"You...you dare...ah!" Duke Garix's arrogance was instantly replaced by boundless fear, and he only had time to utter a short cry of surprise.
puff!puff!puff!
The dull thuds of sharp blades cutting through flesh rang out one after another, and the pungent smell of blood instantly filled the air.
The angels' movements were precise, swift, and ruthless.
Duke Garix's enormous head, with an expression of disbelief, flew into the air. Almost simultaneously, the nobles beside him who had been the most vocal in their clamor were pierced through the chest or severed from the neck by the holy sword. Hot blood sprayed onto the cold stone slabs of the dock, like several suddenly blooming, dazzling crimson flowers.
Everything happened in a flash of lightning.
The commotion abruptly ceased; no one had expected Rhodes to act so suddenly.
"Now, who still questions Her Highness's identity? Who still questions my orders?"
Rod's sharp gaze swept over the silent crowd below, and everyone whose eyes met his subconsciously lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.
Those nobles who were originally eager to act turned pale and trembled like leaves, fearing that they would be the next to be judged by the holy sword.
“We…we will obey Lord Rhodes’ command!” An officer who had just realized what was happening immediately knelt down on one knee and shouted.
"We will obey Lord Rhodes's command!" said the ordinary Lordaeron soldier.
"Give the order! Great angel of the Holy Light." Some paladins knelt on the ground.
Lord Rhodes's status as a protector of holy light is beyond question; he can command angels to possess powerful holy light elements.
At least Lord Rhodes' current actions are better than those of the nobles.
Chapter 89 Retreat, the Fiery Demon Wall Blocks the Undead, Undercover Agent Qiang Ge
Soldiers and civilians alike awoke from their daze and responded in droves. The threat of the undead army was imminent, and Rhodes's ruthless methods and powerful strength became the only lifeline they could grasp in the chaos. No one dared to question Rhodes anymore.
Princess Galiya's face was also somewhat pale, but she took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down, saying to those below, "People of Lordaeron! Trust Regent Rhodes! He is our father's last appointment and our only hope! Immediately organize boarding and follow orders! For Lordaeron!"
"For Lordaeron!" The crowd erupted in a cry of relief, filled with a desperate will to survive and a strong sense of obedience to authority. Chaos was instantly replaced by a powerful order.
"Now all paladins and Lordaeron soldiers are covering the ordinary civilians to board the ship. As for the nobles, you will not receive any special treatment."
On the contrary, as nobles of Lordaeron, you should stand up to protect the common people, instead of letting the common people protect you.
"If anyone dares to desert, or dares to shake the morale of the army or the people, they shall be killed without mercy!" Rod roared.
After this massacre performance, Rhodes temporarily calmed everyone down. To make management easier, Rhodes divided the soldiers present into several small teams.
"Gina, you protect the princess as she boards the ship! Soldiers, listen to my command! First squad, second squad, establish a defensive line using the ship as cover and block the undead at the dock entrance. Holy Light elementals, fire elementals, and angels will support you!"
The third team organized civilians to board the ship in an orderly manner, giving priority to the elderly, weak, women and children!
Gods and monsters, grant all warriors a protective shield and increased attack speed! Holy Light Element, purify any approaching undead!
"Angels, aerial surveillance, prioritize eliminating gargoyles and crypt demons! All ships, prepare to set sail at any time!" Rhodes quickly issued his orders.
The undead army was primarily attacking the royal capital, while there weren't many undead soldiers near the docks. The main Scourge force hadn't arrived yet, making this the best time to evacuate. Meanwhile, King Terenas had gathered a group of people to escort Rhodes to Kalimdor.
They even prepared extra food and fresh water on the magic ship, which came in handy at this moment.
The orders were quickly transmitted and executed, and the soldiers found their leader, unleashing unprecedented efficiency.
The light of the Holy Light illuminated the dark docks, becoming a beacon against the undead. Angels hovered in the air, their golden wings slicing through the gloomy sky.
The fire elementals stood in a long line, unleashing raging flames that burned any undead creatures that approached.
The golden men stood on the dock, blocking the approach of large undead creatures, such as abominations and burrow spiders.
An evacuation race against death, under the shock of bloodshed, finally began to operate efficiently.
Rhodes himself took the lead, standing with the soldiers and constantly using Holy Light Flash to illuminate the undead creatures around him and heal the wounded soldiers nearby.
He set an example for everyone, showing them that even though he was the commander, he would not back down.
"All nobles may board the ship after the commoners! All noble sons and family guards capable of fighting, immediately join the defensive line! Anyone who disobeys will be killed without mercy!"
The surviving nobles turned pale as they stared at the still-warm corpses of Duke Garix and the others on the ground, and no one dared to question anything further.
They either drew their swords themselves or ordered their guards to stand at the forefront of the defense line and fight alongside ordinary soldiers.
Although their movements were clumsy and their expressions were fearful, they at least formed an extra barrier.
Rhodes knew that these pampered nobles might not be much of a fighter at this moment.
But placing them on the ships after the commoners and forcing them to participate in the defense greatly appeased the commoners' emotions and blocked any excuse that might cause a riot—if the nobles were fighting desperately, what reason did the commoners have to back down?
However, at most, there is less than an hour left, because as soon as Arthas discovers that he is here, he will definitely come after him.
After thinking for a moment, Rhodes went to the front line and cast the Fiery Wall. The Fiery Wall is a defensive spell that randomly generates huge walls of fire in a certain area after it is cast.
These fire walls are very effective at blocking low-level undead, and they don't disappear after being burned; they last for a long time.
Rhodes alone set up a dense array of magical fire walls near the port, and the towering flames blocked a large number of undead ground troops.
Even Lord So was released by Rhodes to use the Fiery Magic Wall together. This move is incredibly effective at dividing the battlefield and blocking enemy attacks, especially against the undead.
Because it is magic produced within the magic guild, all of Rhode's heroes can learn it. In addition to casting the Fiery Magic Wall, Rhode will also unleash a Chain Lightning.
The terrifying chain lightning can inflict heavy damage on the undead army; legion-level magic has demonstrated terrifying power on large-scale battlefields.
Rhodes handed over a large number of mana potions to Lord So. Lord So had only one task: to unleash a Chain Lightning when morale was low, and to throw down some Fire Walls when the Fire Wall disappeared.
Rhodes even secretly released Stronk and had him blend into the undead horde to unleash a Fire Wall, and the effect was surprisingly good.
Stanker's fiery wall appeared directly in the midst of the undead army. Before the nearby undead army could even react, several huge walls of fire suddenly appeared in their own ranks.
Then he burned all the undead near and inside the fire wall to ashes, causing chaos in the undead army and giving Rhodes more time.
The undead army was thoroughly roasted by the three sets of fiery walls. Huge walls of fire would appear on the battlefield from time to time, and you could never predict where they would appear.
Because even Rhodes himself can't do it, this thing is completely random.
The massive wall of fire successfully caused chaos among the undead forces, buying more time for the human civilians to evacuate.
In just two hours, the first magic ship was already full of people, and four hours later the second magic ship was full of people, for a whole day.
Rhodes used a magic ship to load all the civilians who were waiting to cross the sea to the west, as well as those who had fled, onto the space magic ship.
Rhodes even temporarily released a fifth magic ship, which could carry more people; he figured he could save as many as possible!
During this great evacuation, Rhodes's Fiery Magic Wall played a crucial role.
At this moment, a lich, over 3 meters tall and wearing a tattered robe, appeared on the battlefield. After appearing, the lich immediately went to a wall of fire and released a powerful frost death aura.
The lich's ultimate technique, Death and Decay, a terrifying ice magic, attempted to extinguish the fiery wall released by Rhodes, allowing the undead army to directly attack the civilian forces.
Upon seeing this, Rhodes immediately wanted to order the angels to attack, but there were several death knights around the lich, and for a moment the two angels were entangled by the death knights.
Seeing that the Fiery Wall was about to disappear, Rhodes, in desperation, ordered Stanker, who was hiding among the undead, to take action.
While the undead Stronk did not attract the attention of the lower-level undead, the higher-level undead did notice this uninvited guest.
Wielding his iron spear, Stanker slashed directly at the lich in front of him, giving the lich no time to react before piercing it through with his spear.
Then an incredibly cold sensation entered Stanker's mind, and the terrifyingly cold consciousness demanded that Stanker submit to it.
The Lich King had been waiting for an opportunity, and he had already spotted Stronker the moment he first appeared on the battlefield and unleashed the Fire Wall.
The reason he sent the enemy to ambush his lich was so that he could use a more powerful lich to unleash his supreme dominion.
In close proximity, no undead can resist the Lich King's will, and he intends to use this opportunity to control this special death knight.
The reason why they had been stalling with Rhodes for so long and hadn't let Arthas intervene was to obtain information about Rhodes from this special death knight.
This time, Rhodes did not do anything to stop him. In fact, he did not use any magic to control Stanker. Stanker obeyed his orders because of the system.
Stanker's will has always been free; being controlled by the Lich King is merely a facade. With the power of the system, Stanker can break free of control at any time. This time, Rhodes intends to plant a spy within the Lich King's ranks.
"You shouldn't have let this Death Knight appear before me. Now he is mine, subject to the Lich King's will." The Lich King's voice came from Stang's mouth.