Imperial calendar year 2525, midsummer, the northern border of the empire, the occupied area of ​​Ostermark province.

The town that used to be an important dock port and sell Ostermark's high-quality wood, animal skins, and fine draft horses is now only rubble and ruins. Yankee bonfires are burning. Even in midsummer, this part of Ostermark is full of rubble and ruins.

The cold and lonely territory still makes people feel chilly.

Several Yankees from Kurgan were sitting in the ruins of the town, lighting a fire and leaning on a pig thigh. Around them, the corpses of the Empire's citizens had begun to dry after being hung for several months, and there was a strong stench.

Unable to withstand the ravages of time, a long row of gallows and torture instruments line the

The roads to the south stretched, each one hung with the broken and twitching corpse of an Imperial soldier, and the River Revsnet was still red, even as it filled itself with unappetizing gray moss and taut vines.

The banks of silt are intertwined, suffocating the remaining flow.

The Yankees drank heavily, ate meat, and at the same time cursed the cowardly decisions of the Chaos Lords. They did not notice that a guy in a black cloak appeared behind them. They were still debating where to try their luck today.

At that moment, a dazzling rune sword penetrated the chest of one of the unlucky guys from behind.

The man who came was very powerful, with quick steps and superb swordsmanship. In the midst of lightning and flint, he drew out his rune sword, held the hilt in his hand and thrust it forward, piercing the breastplate and piercing the Yankee's heart.

"Whoa!" The remaining Yankee picked up a throwing ax at hand, the ax blade full of gaps swinging in the air. The person dodged sideways, holding the rune sword in his hand tightly, and the sword grid was heavily separated.

He hit a Yankee on the head with his helmet on, knocking him unconscious and falling to the ground.

The visitor immediately added a sword, and the three Yankees died. Only the sound of crackling flames in the fire and the pig thighs hanging on it were left. The visitor hesitated for a moment, and he looked around, as if weighing.

What are you wearing?

After a few seconds, the visitor decided to sit down. He collected some leftover food from the Yankees, shook the glass bottle and found that there were still a few sips of barley wine in it. He couldn't help but drink it up in one gulp, although there was no

There was too much beer aroma, but this was a great relief to the visitor's already burning and smoky throat. He roasted the pork leg carefully, and when he felt it was almost done, he quickly removed the roasted pork leg and the side that had not been processed in time.

He put away his two pork chops and secretly left the town.

The visitor quickly came to the forest outside the town. A giant griffon was waiting for him in the forest. The griffin was in good spirits, but its wings were broken. When the visitor appeared, the griffin stretched out its arms.

The paw motioned for him to go faster.

"Old man, we are lucky, we can have a full meal today." The visitor hurried to the side of the big griffin. He took out the food he got from the Yankees from under his backpack and cloak, and hid in the big griffon.

In the trees and bushes, people came greedily gnawing on the roasted pork legs, while the big griffon ate the raw pork chops.

The hood was taken off, revealing the face of the visitor. Now his hair was messy and his beard was full of dirt. He was eating like a bad wolf. Compared to his once noble status, he looked more like a beggar.

Karl-Franz, Grand Duke of Braunschweig, Grand Prince of Reich, Elector, inheritor of Charlemagne's sacred inheritance from mountain to sea, Imperial Emperor.

He is not dead.

During the Battle of Heffengen, he was defeated at a critical moment by Valachi Harkon, the grand leader of the Blood Dragon Knights, and fell into the middle of a large group of Chaos Warriors.

At first, he thought he was dead.

But fate did not abandon Karl Franz. Charlemagne's blessing still protected the emperor. A Chaos Champion was eager to kill him and pushed away the crowds of Chaos Warriors rushing toward him. Schwarzhammer and Helber

Ge's attempt to save the Emperor had some effect - the Chaos Champion was shot by a volley of silver bullet musketeers, and a bullet hit his head. The Chaos Champion fell, pinned the Emperor beneath him, and sank into the mud together.

Karl Franz survived like this, and only woke up one day and night after the Battle of Heffengen. At this time, the Chaos army either continued to move south, or collapsed due to the death of Archaon's adjutant, Chron the Conqueror.

.

The emperor survived, he alone.

He thought he was dead at first, because the poisonous air, corrupted moss and vines, and infection of fatal wounds on his body would accelerate the death of any mortal.

But the silver seal of the imperial artifact proved its value. This artifact carried huge and lasting magic power. In the dark and cold night, he could feel the energy of the magical wind warming his chest, which would threaten him.

The worst injuries were kept at bay, wound infections quickly receded, the noxious air was purified, the toxins spewed by the corrupting moss vines were driven away, and the emperor struggled to survive.

He found his rune tooth, the Dragon Tooth Sword, under the belly of a Yankee. In the following days, he had a dozen brushes with death, and twice he was almost killed by an armed patrol.

It was discovered that his wounds festered in the moist air, and he fainted more than once from hunger and lack of water. He was forced to drink salt water even though it made him vomit, and wolfed down the food plundered from the warehouse.

Water is poisonous, food is poisonous, these are not problems. The power of the silver seal can purify toxins, and the continuous healing magic of the artifact gradually restores the emperor's health.

The emperor began to look for companions. In a Kurgan camp, he found a mount that had been tortured, with broken wings and dozens of wounds on its body - the Deathclaw Great Griffin. He carefully planned a night attack.

After killing more than twenty Yankee guards and rescuing the Deathclaw, the Great Griffin could no longer fly for the time being.

But it was still very powerful. Relying on the power of the silver seal, the Deathclaw recovered some of its strength. The golden pair killed the entire camp and then escaped from the Yankees. The emperor and his mount were like this.

A guerrilla war of one man and one beast against Chaos began in the vast wilderness and forests of Ostermark.

At first, Karl-Franz was somewhat optimistic about the current situation. The emperor thought that maybe the situation was not that bad. He had imagined that he would encounter those soldiers and towns who still insisted on resisting during the guerrilla campaign, and then unite them.

As each day passes, word will spread.

Soon he will be able to find a way to get in touch with Helberg and Schwarzhammer. They must still be fighting somewhere. They will fight side by side again to fight against the invasion. The enemy may be extremely powerful, but this is his territory.

They are his people, and the news that the Emperor is still alive will inspire all Imperials to continue fighting.

If they fight, they will send troops to save him. Even if the northern army of the empire is almost completely annihilated, famous cities such as Middenheim, Aviheim, Braunschweig, Nur, and Talabheim are still alive.

It is impossible for the elves and dwarves to ignore the empire, as well as his close friend, the Sun King of Britannia.

For several months, reality slapped Karl-Franz one slap, another slap, and another slap until he became numb.

No more, no more resistance.

There were no imperial subjects or troops left; the invaders drove away every one of them, killed them all, or turned them all into slaves.

For several months, the Emperor visited and emptied out almost all the fallen villages and strongholds in Ostermark. Every hut was empty, and every row house echoed with a terrible silence. Some of the ruins could be found in some ruins.

There were remnants of food, but he didn't meet a single Imperial man alive, not a single one.

There were only corpses, countless corpses, only ruins, broken tools and pots and pans, smashed looms, broken dung forks.

A few months later, the emperor cried. He found a safe place and burst into tears.

It was a kind of despair and powerlessness that cannot be described in words.

Since he came to the throne, Karl Franz has spent most of his life fighting to protect the empire. He can't even count how many wars he has experienced and how many times he has personally fought in battle. For thirty years, the emperor has been

He urges himself with an absolute sense of responsibility and mission. This is the country he wants to protect with his life, and there are people here who rely on his protection.

Similarly, he spent his whole life teaching his people, planting food, clearing out arable land, harvesting crops, building temples, and arming himself. He spent his whole life convincing his people that as long as they persisted in resisting, the emperor's army would be defeated.

will come to save them.

Did he try his best?

Yes, Karl Franz swore that he tried his best, much harder than his grandfather and his father.

He really has given everything.

But his grandfather Leopold and father Luitpold were able to enjoy peace and prosperity, but Karl Franz could only face the largest Chaos invasion and the most tragic failure in history.

The emperor could not find a solution to the problem. He did not know what else he could do.

This is the most desperate.

"Karl, Karl, can you hear it?" At this moment, the emperor faintly heard a mysterious voice. This voice was exactly the same as the one he heard at the most critical moment in the Third Battle of Blackfire Pass.

"I can hear it! I can hear it!"

"Listen, we don't have much time. Karl, Talabheim is destroyed, and most of the empire has fallen. But... there is still hope, in the Sol Territory, in the Ivey Territory, in the Wesen Territory and the

Nur, there are still organized armies in the Midden Territory and White Wolf City. Nur has repelled the siege of the rat people, and there is still a powerful army there... we must... return, we must defend...

Middenheim is surrounded..." The voice continued intermittently, and then disappeared.

No matter how the emperor called, the voice never responded.

But it was enough for the emperor.

Hope is still there!

The emperor held the Rune Fang tightly. The runes on the dragon tooth sword were still bright after two thousand years.

Yes, that's true.

Not all the things we have accumulated have been in vain.

In the future too, as long as we don't stop, the road will continue to extend.

And my resistance, Karl Franz, will never end...

…………I am the dividing line that never ends……

At the same time, the empire and the border city of Uberserik in Reikland.

An imperial messenger was crawling on the ground. There were two fatal wounds on his back and waist. The stagecoach had already fallen dead.

The loyal imperial messenger once again glanced at the document on his chest with the wax seal of the imperial cabinet's coat of arms.

He knew that the Yankees had not discovered the request for help.

Yes, the Imperial Cabinet sent five couriers to deliver letters at the same time, and five identical letters asking for help were handed into their hands. Four of the couriers were intercepted and killed while crossing the extremely dangerous Reikwald Forest, and he was the only one.

The people managed to pass through the fungus carpet, the black forest, the interception of several Yankee tribes, and the pursuit of the Skaven, and arrived near Uberserik.

Unfortunately, when he was approaching the town, he was also discovered by several Yankees from the Bell Pine Forest tribe. The stagecoach fell to death, and he could only escape on his legs. The Yankees used throwing axes and javelins to leave marks on his body.

A fatal wound.

The messenger finally got rid of his pursuers and fled into the city.
To be continued...