There were no issues leaving the woods now that it had been purified.

The further out they went, the more peaceful it became.

Or rather, it was more peaceful in comparison to the darkness infested hellscape it had been before. There were monsters, of course, many of them insectoid, but they were the normal kind that simply avoided Li when he extended his presence and bid them to mind their own business.

The overgrown overhead canopy of the trees had also started to lift. The excess branches withered into nothingness, falling off into flakes of mulch that would nourish the forest floor below. As the branches withdrew, they revealed the moonlit sky above.

Tonight, there was a large, full moon shining bright like an oversized star of sterling silver. It was not time for a full moon, but no doubt, Li's moonbeam had drawn out its full shine for the night.

The forest floor itself became far tamer.

Instead of a menagerie of toxic grasses, weeds, vines, and mushrooms, balance began to flow in. Some of the poisonous flora remained, but original, native types that had long since been choked out after the wood's corruption were starting to shoot back up.

However, as they neared the forest edge which reached back out into the main roads, that was when Li foresaw that they would encounter a problem.

Li heard it first, even before they had reached the edge of the forest.

A mass gathering of men. A veritable army full of armor and weapons that clattered and steeds that whinnied. They were not moving. They were standing out at the forest's edge, as if waiting for something from within to come out.

Or perhaps, they were preparing themselves to move in.

"Papa," asked Tia, tilting her head, her pointed ears twitching as she tried her hardest to hear. "Shiny men. Lots and lots of them."

Li nodded and knelt down, putting Tia down from his shoulder. "I hear them too, Tia. Stay close by me, alright?"

Tia stayed behind Li and nodded. "Will it be dangerous, papa?"

"With this many men, there is always risk. But with me, there will never be danger."

"No danger boring," said Tia. She smiled, baring her fangs. "If shiny men fight, I fight too."

Li patted her head. "Yes, you can fight, but don't over do it. Papa doesn't want you to get hurt after all."

He stood up and addressed Launcelot, "Launcelot, do you have any idea of what is going on? I can hear several thousand men, all armored and all armed. That is a legitimate army, and I have little confidence that Riviera can man such a force in such a short amount of time."

"Several thousand?" Shock wreathed Launcelot's face. "No, I know of no reason why such a formidable force would be here. Riviera itself merely has a force of ten thousand standing knights, twenty thousand if all reserves are drawn up.

It could not ever afford to mobilize several thousand men, especially not when it is known that demonic threats loom near."

"But there has been a threat," said Faye. She glanced back to the forest. "For the better half of this day, this forest has been a warzone. A warzone that shifted the weather itself, wreathing the skies in darkness. Then, a sun darkening, a celestial event rare on its own, occurred to part the heavens of the dark as if the gods themselves had split the skies apart."

She crossed her arms.

"In light of all this, I am not surprised so many forces have come this way."

"Shall we find a means to evade them? If you do not wish to engage with them," said Launcelot. "I would like to say my noble title would grant us safe passage through an army, but alas, a noble title does not mean as much as it did before the duchess's reign."

"They're forming a neat perimeter around the forest," said Li. "Avoiding them will be pointlessly time consuming. I will meet them head on and get an idea of they are doing at the same time."

==========

Outside the forest, Li and his group met the knights.

There were an immense host of them, stretching all across the main roads and flanking the boundaries of the forest. Immediately noticeable was that they were not the knights of Riviera.

These men had a different feel about them. 

Where the knights of Riviera emitted a lax, almost friendly aura, these knights were the complete antithesis of that. All of them marched in complete and utter synchronized, near robotic efficiency, their postures straight, their formations perfectly structured. 

Their armor was different. They had armor that shone bright and white, glowing with a dull luster even in the night. It was a shine that glowed not through the aid of moonlight, even if the moon was full, but because of the shine of magic imbued within the metal.

At the top of their helms were deeply crimson plumes that were so dark a red they were hard to see in the night.

The men were all distinctly taller than the knights of Riviera, and they looked wider too, stronger, more built with muscle and hardiness. 

Li scanned the knights as they paused to look at him, and he determined that they ranged in level from the thirties to the fifties.

Compared to Rivieran knights whom barely broke past level thirty, this was a massive step up. In fact, the stronger knights were even more powerful than silver ranked adventurers, with the best among them easily being able to challenge Launcelot, a top tier combatant, in terms of sheer stats. 

"The Bannermen of Duvin," whispered Launcelot aloud as he blinked in wonder. "I would recognize their standard from anywhere. Red lily splashed atop fabric of glistening white. Blood atop snow. No man from Soleil would not know."

"I have read about them," said Li, nodding. "Blood Legionnaires, is it not? The most powerful of the five armies under Soleil. Curious to see them so far up north from their southern homes. But I guess I will find out soon enough."

Li stepped forwards, and as he did so, there was an immediate reaction from the knights.

They drew their weapons at lighting speed, the front ranks withdrawing spears that pointed down to Li. Several dozen white pointed spear tips all aimed at him, charged with tense energy ready to thrust forwards.

Of course, these men did not know that none of this meant anything to Li, that they might as well have been waving toothpicks at him, but he was still impressed that they were indeed a cut above the norm of knights he had seen. It must have taken them many years of dedicated training and facing real combat to harden themselves into this state.

"At ease, men," came a resounding voice. There was a raspy rattle to it, the kind that heavy smokers had, and it made the voice that much more gutturally intimidating. 

The front rank of knights lifted their spears up, planting the tasseled butts to the ground before standing up straight, rigid, then turning around and parting way, letting a much larger knight walk through them and approach Li.

He took off his helm, holding it under his armpit, and when he stood in front of Li, his bulk became highly noticeable. Li was already on the taller side, but this man was nearly inhuman, standing almost three meters tall. 

He had square cut features, rough, graying stubble and close-cropped salt black hair. When he smiled, it was visible that his canines were far longer and sharper than a human's. 

"So you are the Eastern one," said the man. 

"And you are?" said Li. 

"Leonid. Of house Drozdov. Commander of the fifth legion." 

"Long name," chimed in Tia as she stepped out from behind Li and looked at the large human. "Too long."

Almost immediately, the men behind Leonid pointed their spears back down to Tia, evidently hostile and wary of anything that bore resemblance to monsters. Tia responded by baring her claws and fangs, a patch of light glowing at her throat as fire began to well up. 

"If you value the lives of your men, Leonid," said Li. "I suggest you order them to stand down. And I hope I will not have to repeat myself."

Leonid nodded and raised a hand. His men once more broke their offensive postures in orderly fashion. 

"We are not here to fight," said Leonid.

"Really?" said Li as he moved his eyes up and down the length of the army. 

Leonid noticed and said, "Not you. Not Riviera. No, we are here to help. The duchess has called upon all five banners of Soleil to gather to march west and stand against the demonic threat."

"Marching west? Aggressively meeting the demons head on?" Li looked at Leonid, feeling an air of overwhelming confidence about him. "You do not seem very concerned about that."

"Why would I? We, the legions of Duvin, are born and bred in its harsh but nourishing lands. From the moment we are able to walk, we are chosen to fight. Men, monsters, demons – all will fall before our steel."

"And yet I see no demons here. Perhaps you have strayed off course, laying a strangely offensive perimeter around this forest. And I also find it difficult to believe you have mistaken this forest for Riviera."

"We received report of demonic activity here. Among many other strange occurrences." 

"Activity that I and the adventurers behind me have thoroughly dealt with."

Leonid looked back to Bulwark. His eyes landed on Launcelot. "Ah, a Lakely." He nodded his head in a greeting. "I presume you will be joining us in our march to the west?"

Launcelot was still a little shaky from having used up much of his magical and physical energy, but he managed to still stand up straight with the poise and pride of a nobleman facing down a rival house.

"As you can see, we have already been fighting the demonic threat. Of course, though, we would still appreciate all the men and arms we can get, however late it is."

Leonid laughed. "As spirited as ever, you Lakely lot are. I remember dueling your father in the tournament of five banners many years ago, when we were yet young and spry. He fought a good fight, though there is a reason the Lakelies are builders while those of house Drozdov are fighters. "

"And why do matters so far in the past matter now?" said Faye. "If you lot are here to reinforce Riviera and march west, then go. There is no threat here. We've handled it."

"Hm. You have a feisty woman, Lakely. Good taste." Leonid smiled and turned to Li before Faye could protest. "But yes, the woman has a point. The bumbling lord Lys panicked and ordered us here, yelling of darkening skies and shadowed suns and earth rumblings. 

But when we marched here, we found but calm. And yet, I stayed here, for I had heard that the famed Easterner had himself come to this forest. You could say I have waited here for the sole purpose of meeting you."

"Hm?" Li was confused. "To meet me? And what about me is so special that you went through all this effort to see me?" 

Leonid's smile grew wider. 

"To see whether the rumors were true.

The so called strongest man of Riviera.

The herald of a forgotten god from a land of mystery. One who has overtaken even the Light in healing, able to bring the dead to life, to create salves that can rid any of all ailments. Blessed with such power he could bring down the highest of priests with but a mere touch. 

I know that the tall tales of travelers and ordinary folk are mostly empty air, but looking upon you, though you be wiry and thin in frame, there is something about you that makes my very blood boil, and so, in tradition of the legions of blood, I invoke a Rite of Combat."