Black Records 5

The War Comes to an End - Year 952

	Prince Dreichels' opponents were the armies of the fourth prince Orhtros and his Vermillion Knight, sixth prince Lucius and his Palatinate Knight, and the combined forces of the remaining princes, Gunnar and Albert, who had a legion of magical golems under their control. Yet it was he, the illegitimate son of a commoner and late-comer to the war, who emerged triumphant.

	His victory did not come without losses, however. During his return to Erebonia, Roland fell in battle. Not long after that, however, he met a woman who would change his destiny forever.

	That woman was none other than the daughter of Count Sandlot, who hailed from the lakeside town of Legram. Her charismatic personality and peerless skills with the lance earned her the leadership of a band of knights known as the Eisenritter and moniker 'Lance Maiden.' Her name was Lianne Sandlot.

	Prince Dreichels and Lianne Sandlot may have come from wildly different backgrounds, but their concern for the innocent victims of the war united them in purpose to bring an end to the bloodshed, and it was those shared feelings that made them join forces.

	The two of them, along with the warriors of Nord, the Eisenritter, and all of the other peoples of the nation whose hearts they moved, liberated one town after another, and were eventually successful in persuading even prince Lucius, owner of the Palatinate Knight, to fight for their cause.

	At the same time, however, the False Emperor schemed to elevate the cursed Vermillion Knight to even greater power...to godhood.

	And thus the Vermillion Apocalypse was created.

	The demonic god emerged in Heimdallr alongside a monstrous castle and vanquished the approaching armies of Albert and Gunnar in a single battle. Their end was anything but conventional, however. They were simply erased from existence.

	Even the Palatinate Knight could not contend with such a foe and felled. And as it decimated all who challenged the False Emperor, countless crimson spirit veins spread out from the castle, stealing the very life from the capital's citizens, as well as those in the surrounding area.

	Defeat seemed all but inevitable for Prince Dreichels, the Lance Maiden, and their followers, but they refused to give up.

	Following the guidance of a kindly witch, they were led to a new Great Knight which slumbered on the outskirts of Heimdallr.

	After overcoming a trial, they were able to claim the Ashen Knight and its power. With it in hand, along with their many supporters and the army of Prince Lucius, they marched on the capital for the final time, eventually making their way to the castle at its center.

	Three days later, on the 4th of July, year 952, the castle vanished from existence and the city was liberated.