According to the original historical trajectory, although Malenia the Severed led her army to withdraw from the battlefield, she did not go very far, only briefly resting at the Shaded Castle not far from Leyndell.
Not long after Radahn and Rykard retreated, they resolved the internal issues within their respective armies, regrouped, and quickly launched the second battle for the Royal Capital, Leyndell.
However, the prerequisite for all of this was that the rear of Liurnia remained completely safe and stable.
Originally, aside from Leyndell itself, nearly the entirety of the Lands Between was firmly under the control of the Allied Forces.
Therefore, the Allied Forces attacked Leyndell almost without any worries.
But now, the situation had changed.
Due to Xiao's unexpected intervention, Liurnia was fiercely assaulted by Shimaraga, the giant dragon led by the Gloam-Eyed Queen, and the entirety of Lake Liurnia had fallen under the occupation of the Gloam-Eyed Queen.
At the same time, within Rykard's Volcano Manor, the return of the Gloam-Eyed Queen triggered a rebellion by the Godskin and the Great Serpent forces, imprisoning and slaughtering all of Rykard's remaining old subordinates.
This caused Radahn and Rykard to suffer tremendous losses; it could be said that their rear had been directly stabbed.
Furthermore, based on the information previously revealed by the Erdtree, everyone had already deduced that the Gloam-Eyed Queen was the mastermind behind everything.
Although they secretly admired the Gloam-Eyed Queen's excellent methods, on the surface, they still had to express rage toward her actions.
Since her existence had already been exposed, it became necessary to raise the banner of avenging their brother, completely eliminate the Gloam-Eyed Queen, and thoroughly destroy this heretic who dared to violate the Golden Order, thereby obtaining the legitimacy to inherit the throne.
Most importantly, with such a sinister, cunning, and ruthless individual lurking deep within their homeland, it was impossible for them to feel at ease.
If she were allowed to continue developing, then even if they successfully ascended to the throne of Elden Lord, it would still be difficult for them to sit securely upon it.
Therefore, the Radahn brothers immediately agreed to first return to Volcano Manor and Liurnia, eliminate the Gloam-Eyed Queen, and then reorganize the Allied Forces before launching another assault against the Royal Capital, Leyndell.
"Damn Marika, even half-dead she still wants to frame me!"
Xiao looked at the massive coalition army of various races gathered outside Raya Lucaria Academy, his heart filled with anger and helplessness.
He had always used Wu Meiniang's body to conceal his true strength and avoid being besieged by demigods who might feel threatened by him.
But now, he was still being surrounded and attacked by numerous demigods, meaning all his previous efforts had been wasted and all his plans had amounted to nothing.
And all of this stemmed from the message spread by the Erdtree, which exposed his existence and even pinned every conspiracy onto him, turning him into the common enemy of the entire Lands Between.
What made Xiao even more uncomfortable was that not only had the two brothers arrived, but even Malenia the Severed, who had nothing to do with this matter, had also brought her Cleanrot Knights to the outskirts of Liurnia.
"Your Majesty, what should we do? That's Starscourge Radahn and Malenia the Severed!"
The old Glintstone Sorcerer asked anxiously, his face full of unease.
He knew Radahn's reputation well. This strongest demigod in the Lands Between had once single-handedly defeated the falling star monsters that nearly destroyed the entire Caelid region.
And Malenia the Severed required even less explanation. She was one of the four remaining Empyreans in the world, as well as the wielder of the Scarlet Rot's law, possessing strength comparable to the Gloam-Eyed Queen standing before them.
Even worse, this army also included a large number of demigods and legendary heroes, forming an overwhelming coalition capable of moving mountains, overturning seas, and shaking heaven and earth.
Even a mighty force like Leyndell had only barely managed to resist them through the combined efforts of two demigods, numerous members of the Golden Lineage, and the city's nearly impregnable fortifications.
As for Raya Lucaria Academy?
Only a group of mediocre sorcerers and scattered rabble remained here. How could they possibly withstand so many demigods and heroes?
Moreover, Radahn was the eldest son of the Full Moon Queen and one of the legitimate heirs of the Liurnian royal line. Once he appeared, the Carian sorcerers trapped within the Grand Library behind them would undoubtedly defect without hesitation.
And reality unfolded exactly as the old Glintstone Sorcerer feared.
However, the first to rebel were not the Carian sorcerers imprisoned in the Grand Library, but the Cuckoo Knights, a mercenary army.
There are only mistaken names, never mistaken titles. The name "Cuckoo Knights" was practically inseparable from their behavior.
Cuckoos are creatures that specialize in occupying the nests of other birds.
They lay their eggs inside the nests of others and force those birds to incubate and raise their offspring. Worse still, once the cuckoo chicks hatch, they often kill the original nestlings so that the foster parents will devote all their nourishment to them alone.
The Cuckoo Knights were a perfect reflection of such creatures, willing to do absolutely anything for profit.
And just like those ungrateful cuckoos, once they fully matured, they immediately bared their fangs against those who had nurtured them.
Therefore, when Radahn's coalition army arrived, the two-faced Cuckoo Knight Commander defected from the Academy without the slightest hesitation, kneeling directly before Starscourge Radahn, deeply confessing his mistakes while expressing his willingness to lead the vanguard for the General.
After the siege by the Cuckoo Knights was lifted, the Carian sorcerers trapped within Caria Manor in western Liurnia were finally rescued and swiftly pledged their loyalty to Radahn.
Although they were nominally Princess Ranni's retainers, Ranni had mysteriously vanished, and even her elder brother Radahn had been unable to contact her. Naturally, they submitted without resistance to Radahn, the legitimate eldest son of the royal family.
After joining the Allied Forces, the Carian sorcerers immediately used all their abilities to forge a new Glintstone Key, opening the Academy's seal and providing the coalition army with the means to enter Raya Lucaria Academy.
As for Radahn and Rykard themselves, they had no need for such things. As direct descendants of the Full Moon Queen, Raya Lucaria Academy's magical barriers and seals held no effect against them.
However, just as Xiao was considering how to deal with this coalition of demigods, the Carian sorcerers imprisoned within the Grand Library behind him suddenly launched a rebellion, attempting to coordinate with Radahn from within.
"It's one thing for Radahn and Rykard to attack me, but now even Malenia wants to join the fun? And you mortals also want to kick me while I'm down? Then let's fight!"
The rebellion of the Carian sorcerers ignited the last remnants of Xiao's sanity. He seized the Godslayer Greatsword and unleashed a one-sided massacre upon the sorcerers.
They were swiftly and effortlessly suppressed by Xiao.
And this time, with the Godslayer Greatsword infused with Destined Death, they no longer had any chance of being resurrected by the Golden Order.
Their souls and bodies were completely harvested by the Law of Death, transforming into crystallized manifestations of the Law of Death itself: Death Runes.
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