Chapter 674 — The Coronation
Blade of Dawn · Page 4 of 4
At last the people saw clearly what the source of the sound was—
Soldiers. Soldiers in square formations, armed to the teeth.
The people craned their necks and widened their eyes, watching the scene in the plaza with some bewilderment. They saw rank upon rank of soldiers appear in immaculate order, every soldier clad in identical armor and carrying identical gear, as though stamped from a single mold. At the front stood the commander with a sharp sword in hand; in the first row the soldiers held banners aloft; the rest marched with a precision that was startling to behold—and that neat, rhythmic sound was in fact the tramp of their boots striking the ground!
Having grown used to the loose, undisciplined private troops of the nobles, and to the motley equipment of the royal army under the "self-supplied arms" system, the people in the plaza found the sight before them inconceivable—almost uncanny and terrifying. Merely by arranging men, one could achieve such a thing?
And as the infantry squares appeared, those with sharp eyes finally noticed some movement within the castle gates.
The knights stepped back to either side in orderly ranks, and the gates leading into the castle courtyard swung fully open. Something vast, faintly glowing and impossible to identify, was slowly poking its head out from within.
A moment passed before the people could make out what it was—
It was a colossal skull, advancing forward, and it made the blood run cold.
It was mounted on a great magic-driven vehicle, and the skull all but covered the vehicle entirely. Its crystalline surface of bone gave off a faint luster, and within the hollow eye sockets a mighty soul seemed still to lurk. The people could scarcely imagine what kind of powerful being this enormous skull had belonged to, but merely gazing upon its pale surface filled each of them with awe and reverence from the depths of their hearts—yet this powerful creature was dead; what appeared here was nothing but a skull.
Gao Song stood atop the skull, upon a platform of forged steel nailed through the bone. He wore a solemn black ceremonial robe, no crown upon his head, but a longsword in his grip. A diamond brooch was pinned to his breast, glittering in the sunlight pouring down from the great sun.
On either side of the steel platform were two wing-like metal structures, and from the tips of those wings hung banners bearing the emblem of sword and plow, draping down almost to the ground.
The colossal skull advanced to the head of the drawbridge and came to a firm halt there. Several escort war-chariots followed up from behind and ranged themselves in a line on either side of the skull.
Gao Yang looked down upon the plaza on the far side of the drawbridge, and the infantry squares arrived before him almost at the same moment.
A sonorous voice rang out across the plaza:
"Halt!"
The infantry squares stopped instantly, and there was all but a single report of military boots striking earth.
"Draw swords!"
Countless molten-cut swords were drawn as one, blades forward, standing in perfect alignment at the left front of every soldier.
"Light the blades—"
"Salute His Majesty!!"