The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic-Chapter 504

The Heizen counterattack did not begin with trumpets or speeches.

It began with fire.

But that fire had been prepared long before.

For months, while Nightstar banners spread across occupied land, Heizen did not collapse. It endured. Blacksmiths worked through the night behind shuttered windows. They worked on firearms, studied them carefully, and crafted more with whatever materials they could find.

Meanwhile, soldiers were trained in firearms. Young recruits learned to load powder with shaking hands. Older veterans learned to aim and fire in volleys. The sound of gunfire slowly became familiar in hidden fields and valleys.

Grain was rationed and stocked up. Horses were hidden in forest barns. Roads were quietly mapped again, not by generals, but by hunters and traders who slipped through checkpoints while pretending to submit.

And in the deep north, envoys walked into the frozen forests.

The help of the Ice Elves also proved fatal to Nightstar.

The northern side became covered in chilling frost and endless cold winds.

When dawn finally came, Nightstar soldiers who had camped in captured villages woke to arrows falling like rain. Flaming shafts punched through tents. Horses screamed in fear.

Then came the thunder.

Artillery roared. Bombs were fired from both sides. Explosions tore through buildings. Smoke swallowed entire streets.

Heizen infantry came right after.

Boots thundered across the fields.

This time it was a clash of firearms.

Gunshots cracked nonstop. Smoke burned the eyes. Lines of soldiers fired, reloaded, and fired again. Men fell with holes through their chests before they even saw who shot them.

A Nightstar captain barely turned his head before a bullet tore through his throat. Blood sprayed hot across frost covered grass. A young soldier slipped on it and was trampled under retreating boots before he could scream.

Street by street, the eastern towns were taken back.

Some doors opened before soldiers even knocked. Old men pointed silently toward houses where collaborators hid. No one spoke their names.

The northern front exploded next.

Snowfields turned black with marching lines. Ice Elf archers stood behind Heizen ranks, calm and silent, pale eyes unblinking. When they fired, the sky darkened.

Arrows of frozen light pierced armor like cloth. A Nightstar shield wall shattered as ice spears erupted from the ground beneath them, lifting men into the air before dropping them broken like discarded dolls.

A Heizen commander rode past a burning siege tower and did not look at the men trapped inside. His order was simple.

"Forward."

And they went.

Nightstar tried to regroup at a river crossing that had once been their stronghold.

They never held it.

Ice Elf mages froze the water mid current. Frost spread in a heartbeat. Heizen shock troops ran across the solid surface. Axes rose and fell.

One Nightstar soldier slipped, and a boot crushed his face into the ice until it cracked red beneath him.

Supply lines collapsed.

Wagons burned along forest roads that locals had secretly blocked days earlier. Messengers were found nailed to trees with arrows through their palms, warnings to the rest.

Nightstar camps began rationing in the third week.

Morale broke on the fourth.

Men started running before battle even began.

Still, Heizen did not slow.

A village bell rang as refugees fled past columns of armored soldiers moving the other way. One child cried for her father. A soldier handed her a piece of dried meat,some coins and kept walking without turning back, jaw tight.

At the same time, sealed letters left the capital of Heizen.

Heizen sent urgent messages to the Churches, informing them of the Abyssal Sect’s involvement in Nightstar and the danger it posed to the world.

But instead of support, they were questioned.

The Churches demanded proof.

It was a slap to Heizen’s face.

Everyone knew the truth. Everyone could feel the corruption spreading. But knowing something and proving it were two different things. Without concrete evidence, the Churches refused to act and chose to sit back and observe.

In a command tent lit by a single lantern, a general crushed the letter in his fist. Wax seals broke. His knuckles turned white.

Outside, wounded men groaned while surgeons worked with bloody hands. Piles of amputated limbs lay beside the tent.

Far to the west, a Nightstar officer stood on a watchtower and watched black smoke rise from three different horizons.

He whispered, "For whom are we fighting? Why the hell are we risking our lives for the selfish desire of a person who isn’t even ours?"

No one answered.

......

Inside the imperial chamber, the mood was heavy.

Martina poured tea carefully, then dropped two sugar cubes into the cup.

"Is this enough?" she asked calmly.

Kael glanced at it. "Can you add more?"

"No," Martina replied immediately. "Too much sugar is bad. What if your beautiful face turns ugly and gets pimples?"

"..."

Kael stared at her. "Since when did you start worrying about such things?"

She leaned closer, her tone casual. "That beautiful face is mine to admire. I don’t want to take risks."

"Hey!"

A loud slam echoed through the room.

"Can you two stop flirting in front of me?" Roosevelt roared, thick veins bulging on his forehead.

He glared at his sister and Kael. Kael, completely unbothered, lifted the cup and took a slow sip of tea.

They were not even hiding it.

And it was seriously pissing him off.

Roosevelt took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Has everything in the eastern region been settled properly?"

Kael nodded slightly. "I’ve done my part. The remaining work has been handed over to those overseeing the area."

He paused, then added flatly, "Don’t slam the pot on my head if something goes wrong later."

Roosevelt waved his hand tiredly. "Ah, never mind."

Kael glanced around the room, which was filled with scattered papers, maps, and intelligence reports. Just looking at it made his head hurt. He genuinely sympathized with Roosevelt.

He would rather fight on the battlefield than sit here dealing with endless reports.

This kind of work was truly troublesome.

"So," Kael asked, placing the cup down, "what’s your next plan?"

Roosevelt replied without hesitation. "Advance steadily and take over Nightstar completely."

Kael frowned slightly, and Roosevelt shook his head right after speaking.

"If you thought that then you are wrong."

"Too many casualties," Roosevelt said with a sigh. "We can’t keep going like this. We’re not fighting a normal kingdom anymore. We’re fighting a hollow shell."

He clenched his fist. "Once we reach their core, they can just escape. There’s nothing forcing them to stay and fight."

"That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking," Kael said quietly.

With the Abyssal Cult involved, if things turned bad, Nightstar’s leaders could simply vanish. They had already shown they were willing to abandon everything.

Kael noticed Roosevelt’s gaze lingering on him, as if waiting for confirmation.

"Are you thinking what I’m thinking?" Roosevelt asked.

Kael’s eyes widened slightly. He glanced at Martina, who met his gaze calmly.

"Yes," Martina said. "We’re thinking about assassination."

"Woah," Kael added suddenly, clapping his hands with excitement. "That’s a bit low, but I like it."

Roosevelt stared at him in disbelief.

"But how are we supposed to get there?" Kael asked, becoming serious again.

Roosevelt stood up slowly, a faint smile forming on his face.

"From the portal where those SSS-rankers appeared," he explained. "We’ve already marked its location."

He continued, "I’ve sent people ahead. They’ve established a small foothold on the other side. We’ll enter through there and wipe out the core forces."

Kael went silent for a moment, thinking carefully.

"It’s risky," he said at last. "Very risky."

"I know," Roosevelt replied calmly. "That’s why the team will be extraordinary."

He turned to Kael and spoke clearly. "You. Martina. Duke Veydrin. And several others."

Hearing the list, Kael sucked in a cold breath.

"If we fail," Kael said slowly, "the consequences will be disastrous."

"I know," Roosevelt replied without hesitation. His eyes hardened. "That’s why I’m prepared to deploy a full elite force, one capable of wiping everything out."

He straightened his back.

"It’s time to end this ill-fated relationship between Nightstar and Heizen," Roosevelt said firmly. "Once and for all."