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"We...are here! The attackers are to the west, they're coming! Some people are rushing towards the center of the formation. After shouting a few times, the squad leader finally used his last bit of strength, and then his vision went black and he fainted again."
Just as she fell, another companion quickly helped her up again, and at the same time, she forcefully raised her head to look at Roy floating above her. She pointed her wand in Roy's direction, abandoned her original defense, and instead swung a magic bullet at the witch floating above the sky.
"Quick! Attack her immediately... As long as we coordinate with the reinforcements and divert her forces slightly, we can seize the opportunity to exploit the opening and retreat from here. Quick, use the remaining strength to attack her!"
As the black-robed girl spoke, her companions also raised their heads in unison, as if they understood each other perfectly. They all released their defenses and, before the barrier broke, pointed their shimmering wands at Luo Yi, chanting offensive spells that transformed the energy within them into shimmering magic missiles that flew straight toward the suspended Luo Yi.
"Another group of people has arrived... and they're all working together, this is going to be difficult."
Feeling the missiles flying towards him from below, Roy frowned slightly. He continued to release magic beams, absorbing the incoming magic into his own light, while glancing at the black-robed cultists who were already within his attack range, pondering his current situation.
Based on their own experience, once the reinforcements in the distance enter within range of them, the cultists will immediately launch an attack, unleashing a barrage of attacks in an attempt to neutralize their assault on the cultists below and allow them to escape.
For Roy, dealing with all of this wasn't actually that difficult. As long as those people entered her attack range, no matter how many mages attacked, she was confident she could neutralize them all and wipe out the attackers. However... if you looked closely at the cult reinforcements in the distance, you could see that they weren't all heading in the same direction. A group of them had broken away from the group and were heading in another direction.
That direction leads to another stone mountain, which is the place everyone is looking for where the array's core is located.
Most of the manpower is now gathered here, and there are not many people on the road leading to the core of the formation. If they really come into contact with these cultists, they probably won't be able to withstand their offensive, and it may even cause a lot of casualties, which is something that Roy absolutely cannot allow.
"Young Master Lius also told me before that we must ensure the safety of the personnel in both teams and try to avoid any casualties, otherwise the Church may seize on this as a pretext to make the situation even more serious. Hmm... In that case, we should rethink what to do."
With this in mind, Roy, looking down from his vantage point, once again surveyed the situation on the battlefield and considered his next strategy against the enemy.
In fact, in the witch's heart, besides preventing too many casualties in the church, there was another consideration for not wanting the cultists to approach the stone mountain: she was worried that once they entered the stone mountain and found the energy-suppressing array eye, in this critical and urgent situation, they might act desperately and activate the array eye in advance, thus making all everyone's efforts completely in vain.
For Luo Yi, this was something that absolutely could not be allowed to happen. Therefore, after some thought, the witch quickly came to a conclusion. "Let out a breath and send it towards the group of cultists who were attacking her. Luo Yi slowly exhaled and condensed two spherical magic bullets that flashed with blue light in front of her. Like two shooting stars, she released them towards the ground, aiming directly at the cultists in two different locations on the ground.
Get out of the way!
With a cry of alarm, the black-robed girls directly below Roy hurriedly darted in all directions, using their last bit of strength to desperately dodge the enormous magic bullet, which was at least five feet tall, amidst the howling winds.
Meanwhile, the reinforcements who had entered the attack range in the distance also hurriedly raised their magic wands and concentrated their power to attack the magic bullet continuously, shooting thousands of small missiles mixed with magic power into the huge magic ball, causing the magic power within to surge in waves.
"Boom!" "Bang!"
Two distinct sounds erupted from the air. The first sound came from the stone mountain where the black-robed girls had been. As the giant magic ball landed on the cliff, a burst of intense light erupted on the ground, accompanied by a violent echo and a howling wind, which further scattered the girls who were fleeing in all directions, and caused the cultists who had gathered together to be blown away.
Meanwhile, another voice came from the air.
The magic orb, originally intended to fall among the reinforcements, was controlled in the sky. Through continuous impacts from magic bullets, the magic power within it was placed in an extremely unstable state, thus losing its original effect before falling. With a violent roar, it exploded into the sky, like a blue firework illuminating the entire earth. "Ah!" After the two roars, the earth became calm for a moment.
The people who had been fleeing and rushing to the battlefield all fell silent at this moment.
They were all affected by the roar to varying degrees, and stood frozen in place amidst the throbbing ringing in their ears, trying to return to their original state.
"In this state, the first to recover were the black-robed cult reinforcements located in the distance."
Because they were far from the source of the sound, they were not greatly affected. After blinking, they barely regained their normal hearing. Then, each of them turned their gaze with a hurried look to the place where the magic ball had fallen in the distance, to check on the condition of the black-robed girls there.
"Everyone, are you alright?"
They called out loudly into the distance, and some of the black-robed girls slowly stood up, still looking shaken. The reinforcements arrived quickly and checked on their companions.
They discovered that after the two massive explosions, most of the black-robed girls had collapsed to the ground, stunned and unconscious by the shockwaves. Even those who managed to stand up still had a ringing in their ears, making it difficult for them to stand steadily. They could only stand unsteadily in front of the reinforcements, waving slightly in response.
As you observe the appearance of this squad member, the leader of the reinforcements also frowns. After glancing around at everyone, he finally shines his light on the squad leader, who has been helped up and unexpectedly reawakened amidst the roaring noise. He then quickly walks over to her and speaks to her:
"Are you all alright? We just came from the south and found there was a conflict here, so we rushed over. We didn't expect so many people from our main country to gather here. What happened?"
"You didn't come here specifically to rescue us, did you?"
Hearing the leader's words, the squad leader looked surprised, while the leader nodded slightly and continued speaking to the girl in front of him:
"No, we were originally carrying out the mission ordered by the bishop in the south, but for some reason, there was a lot of chaos on the southern border, as if there was a disturbance in a neighboring country. This caused the surrounding troops to start patrolling everywhere. We saw many figures wandering around and searching in the southern forests, making the border area completely blocked, which also caused many of our roads to be blocked."
"Is there a problem in the south too...? But that shouldn't be the case. There should have been an inside agent manipulating the troops on the southern border before. Under the current circumstances, there shouldn't be a large-scale conflict on the border. Besides, does the southern border have that many people? Enough to block all the roads... Is that really possible?"
Hearing the words of the girl who was providing reinforcements, the squad leader once again showed a look of surprise, trying hard to think and understand what had happened around him.
Meanwhile, the reinforcements reached out and helped the squad leader to her side. She herself looked puzzled and worried, gently shaking her head at the black-robed girl before her.
"I also have doubts about this, but the previous situation did not allow me to think too much about it. At that time, our team was almost completely surrounded, and the only passable road was through this place, so we planned to retreat from here first. Unexpectedly, we encountered so many people from the main country here, and even discovered that you were under attack... Judging from your tone just now, could it be that... you also experienced something similar?"
“That’s right… It seems the people of the main country have noticed the key to this formation. We need to go and protect it quickly, and then activate it immediately…” The squad leader struggled to speak, raising his head to look towards the stone mountain where the key to the formation was located, wanting to explain further to the reinforcements in front of him.
Just then, she seemed to suddenly remember something, glanced around, and abruptly jumped up to look at a figure floating above the bend in the sky.
"Luo Yi...where did that woman go? Wasn't she attacking us just now? Why is she gone now?" Reminded by the squad leader, the reinforcements noticed the witch who had disappeared from the sky. They looked around and finally caught sight of her flying into the distance high in the sky above the stone mountain.
"She...she's there! She's heading towards the formation's core!" "What!"
Upon hearing this, the squad leader stiffened abruptly and followed everyone's gaze to the distance, where he saw a graceful young woman with a dignified air, constantly flying in the sky, heading towards the stone mountain where the array's core was located...
Chapter 267: Clash of Armies (Part 3)
"What! It was only when they sensed the figure gradually approaching the stone mountain in the distance that they realized that the two huge magic bullets earlier were not really meant to attack them, but rather to divert their attention, keep them immobilized in this desert, and give Roy enough time to go to the stone mountain without any hindrance."
Most of the people are now unconscious and unable to move. Even if the reinforcements who are able to move set off immediately, they will not be able to reach the stone mountain before Roy. They may even be caught up by the people of the main country on the way and fall into danger again.
In other words, for the black-robed girls here, there was no possibility of continuing to guard the array's core on the right side of the mountain. "Damn it!" The squad leader clenched his fist, his lips twitching slightly as he uttered words of resentment. The reinforcements beside him also realized the complexity of the situation. After thinking for a moment, the leader finally clenched his fist and suggested to the squad leader, "Comrade, we have no way forward now. If we continue to waste time here, not only will we be unable to protect the array's core, but our other comrades will also be in danger. Therefore, we should not stay here any longer and must move immediately."
"Immediately transfer them. That's right. Send the injured back to the church to recover. Those who can still move can come with us to the other locations of the array eyes to guard them and prevent these kingdom people from destroying the rest. As long as three array eyes can be preserved, the array may still be able to be activated."
As the black-robed girl spoke these words, the reinforcement gently extended a finger, pointing in another direction, gazing towards the distant, unobstructed borderland to the east, where lush greenery peeked through the distance. He continued speaking:
"His Holiness the Bishop previously instructed that, regarding the array eyes, the most important ones, besides the central array eye where the 'pure item' is located, are the two located within the capital. As long as the array eye in the capital can be activated, and His Holiness the Bishop can contribute the pure item to the central array eye, the Supreme God can still be awakened."
"So... we should abandon the other array nodes and focus our forces on activating the array node in the capital?"
Looking towards the reinforcements, the squad leader swallowed hard and asked them this question, while the girl leading the reinforcements nodded slightly.
“That’s right. Based on what we’ve encountered on our journey, the people of the kingdom have somehow managed to find the location of the array’s core. It’s likely that not only this location, but other cores are also being controlled by the people of the main kingdom. Therefore, what we need to do now is to focus our efforts on protecting the most important parts. This will increase our chances of winning. Do you understand?”
"Hearing the girl's words, although he still had some reservations in his heart, considering the current situation, the squad leader finally nodded slightly and agreed with her point of view."
"Alright, since you agree as well, then you should take these wounded and leave first. The divine power within you should be enough to teleport everyone back to the church. The rest of the able-bodied people can be handed over to me. I will lead them towards the main city to carry out the tasks you haven't finished."
"Yes, thank you for your hard work," the squad leader said. Surrounded by golden light, he and some girls who couldn't get up merged into the light, preparing to retreat back to the church.
"Wait a moment. If we all return to the church... what about the bishop? Isn't she located at the central point of the formation? If she's discovered, she alone won't be able to resist..." Before leaving, the squad leader slowly voiced his concerns, while the reinforcement girls shook their heads slightly and spoke to him:
"Don't worry about Her Majesty the Bishop. She can take care of herself. She told us before that there wouldn't be any obstacles on her side, so we don't need to worry." *Hmm? No obstacles? Why would Her Majesty the Bishop say that? Is she very confident? "The squad leader continued to ask with some doubt.
“We don’t know either, but since His Holiness the Bishop says so, we will listen to him. Alright, when you return to the church, remember to tell your colleagues what happened here and tell them to be prepared to go out and fight at any time. This is the most crucial battle. Whether the ideal of the Supreme God can be realized depends on this step. We absolutely cannot fail.”
"Yes...we absolutely cannot fail!"
Upon hearing this, the squad leader, who had been somewhat hesitant, regained his firm and serious expression. He nodded vigorously to his comrade in front of him, and then, illuminated by bursts of light, he and his wounded companion left the battlefield and disappeared completely.
"The wounded have all retreated. After the wounded have completely disappeared, the girl leading the reinforcements turned her gaze to the members who were still able to fight. She nodded slightly to them, and the girls in black robes returned a firm look in understanding, following behind the girl leading the group and joining her ranks."
"Let's set off for the royal city for the most important battle." "Okay, let's go."
With these words, everyone turned around, picked up their wands, and cast spells, causing gusts of wind to surround their bodies. The black-robed girls were covered by the rapid wind, making their steps lighter, like fallen leaves in the autumn wind, as they flew towards the eastern forest.
"Clatter clatter clatter" Behind them, another group of people chasing them finally crossed the sand dunes and caught up. With a hurried and imposing pace, amidst the resounding sound of hooves, they stood at the highest point of the terrain.
"Stop! Don't try to escape!"
Observing the crowd from the rocks, the Kingdom's followers gripped the reins tightly, and one by one, they leaped over the sand dunes amidst the neighing of their horses, preparing to continue their pursuit of the enemies who were charging into the distance.
Looking towards the center of them, one could see the white-robed female pope at the head of the group, her expression cold and detached as she stared intently at the fleeing cultists, like a hunter lost in her own thoughts…
Chapter 268 Clash of Armies (Part 4)
"Stop right there, don't even think about running away!"
Behind the cultists, another group of followers caught up, led by Pope Rosalind. She was riding her horse, looking out over the sand dunes, her gaze fixed on the direction the cultists had fled, and she clenched her fists involuntarily.
"The route they're taking... is towards the royal city. Is the royal city their next target?" "Your Holiness, shall we enter the forest together to pursue them? We are all ready."
At this moment, the assistant beside her leaned closer, a surge of fighting spirit in his eyes, and asked Rosalind the question. The white-robed pope shook her head slightly and replied in unison:
"Most church members are currently riding horses, which is not suitable for chasing in the forest. They may even be attacked by cultists who take advantage of the forest terrain. We hereby issue the order that no one is allowed to leave the group and enter the forest on their own. Everyone must follow the group."
"Understood, Your Highness. So what should we do next? Should we go to that rocky mountain to search for the array's core, or should we continue searching here for traces related to the cultists to see if we can find more information?"
"Looking up at the distant sky, watching Roy flying towards the stone mountain, Rosalind shook her head slightly and continued to speak to her assistant, 'With Ms. Roy's assistance regarding the array's core, there shouldn't be too much of a problem. Leave it to her and those heretics. As for us, we still need to pursue the cultists, but instead of following behind them, we'll go ahead to their destination and ambush them there.'"
"Oh? Your Highness, do you mean..." Rosalind's assistant glanced at her, immediately understanding what she meant. Rosalind nodded slightly, casting her gaze upon the weary followers behind her. She waved her scepter, the symbol of her papacy, to the other side of the road and shouted to them, "Prepare yourselves! March at full speed to the capital! Do not delay!" "Yes, Your Highness!"
Accompanied by a burst of intense and unified speech, led by Rosalind, the group rode their horses down the hillside and headed towards the capital at top speed along the main road beside them. Their goal was to reach the most important city in the kingdom before the cultists could, and to ambush and intercept their enemies.
"Ha," said Lius, who, with a confident smile, slowly lowered his binoculars and placed them on the nose of the black-robed girl beside him, allowing her to observe the current battlefield situation.
"Leader...it really is as you said, our companions have escaped the encirclement without losing a single person, that's wonderful!" Clinging to Lius's arm, Ershu smiled excitedly, her eyes filled with admiration, as she repeatedly told the blond boy beside her. Lius, in turn, ruffled the black-robed girl's hair, explaining to her:
"Although I cannot completely control the believers sent out by these bishops, I can use troops to completely block off any possible routes, keep these people operating in secret within a certain range, and make them eventually head in a certain direction, and the place they eventually arrive at is the royal city."
"Then, not only our order, but also soldiers and other personnel from other kingdoms will go to the capital. They will meet our order and engage in a fierce battle."
As he spoke, Ershu swallowed hard, a hint of gloom flashing in his eyes.
"In that case, no matter how smoothly things went before, casualties are inevitable once the battle begins. This is unavoidable, and I must be well prepared."
"Yes, once it gets to that point, casualties are inevitable, therefore..."
Looking at the girl in black robes beside him, Leus smiled slightly and patted her shoulder.
"So what we need to do is resolve things before the situation gets to this point, before these groups launch a large-scale attack."
"Hmm? Your Excellency, you wish to resolve everything before the battle even begins?"
"That's right, didn't I say? I don't want to see any girl die because of this kind of mess. This isn't some dark and cruel world, it doesn't need to and shouldn't develop to that point."
"What does 'Hei Shencan' mean, Your Excellency?"
Looking at Lius, Ershu gave him a slightly bewildered look, while Lius continued to stroke her little head, saying:
"Um... this is a bit complicated to explain, so I won't go into details for now. In short, what I'm trying to say is that I want to save you all, every single one of you. I mean what I say, so you don't need to worry so much, just trust me."
"I have always believed in the leader, but... I still don't know how I can help you. If you want to resolve everything before everyone fights, the only possible way is to go directly to the bishop and have her contact the believers that only she can contact, so that everyone can return to the church. Only in this way can such a large-scale conflict be avoided."
“That’s right, that’s what I’ve been thinking about. If we can find the bishop and get her to retract her original order, we’ll have won most of the battle. Then, if we can get her to abandon her original plan to awaken the supreme god, our mission will be completely accomplished. I believe the bishop would also like me to achieve this.”
Lius nodded slightly, speaking casually to the black-robed girl beside him, while Ershu, still looking somewhat worried, continued to inquire:
"Then... from what you're saying, Leader, does that mean... you already know how to contact the Bishop? Really?" Please allow me to keep this a secret for now. As for you, Ershu... after a moment's thought, Lius finally nodded and spoke to the black-robed girl before him:
"As for you, Ershu, you can stay here for now. There's nothing else we need you for. If you want to do something, Ershu, you can go back to the church to help treat the wounded. I'll handle everything else, so don't worry."
"Your Excellency, is that what you mean?" Hearing Lius's words, Ershu pursed his lips, then, under Lius's trusting gaze, nodded vigorously. "In that case, I will do as you say, Your Excellency. I hope all your wishes will be fulfilled, and I wish that our church, under your leadership, will continue to prosper and flourish, and in the name of the Most High God, reign supreme in the world."
"Ha... That's a bit too far-sighted. We should solve the current problems first. What? You were quite worried before, Ershu, but now you're starting to think about the future?"
"Because... I trust the leader, that's why I said that. Since the leader told me not to think about the present, then of course I should think about the future. So... it's only right that I do this."
With a slightly flushed face, Ershu spoke these words, and Lius smiled and nodded, gazing with satisfaction at the earnest-looking girl in black robes, before uttering his final words to her:
"Well then, this place is yours, Ershu."
"Yes, please feel free to leave things to me, Your Excellency."
As she said this, Ershu smiled sweetly and nodded vigorously to the blond boy in front of her. Lius waved goodbye, turned and left the watchtower, entering the pre-prepared teleportation array to return to his residence...
Chapter 269: A Comfortable Interval (Part 1)
With a faint gust of wind, Lius returned to his mansion and sat on the bed in his room.
In the sunlight streaming through the window, he stretched out his arms and gently loosened his body, allowing his joints, which had been constantly chilled by the cold wind, to relax again.
"Lord Katsuda."
As always, once Lius returns from the outside world, there will always be a small white cat waiting by his side, offering his elder brother the most reassuring words upon his return—a gentle greeting to him.
"Brother, you're back! How did it go? Did you manage things well outside?"
With a concerned yet thoughtful look in her eyes, Lia looked at Lius's face, not questioning his actions too much, but simply expressing her concern for him, her eyes shining with earnestness.
As for Leah, in response to her greeting, he unusually did not smile and nod. Instead, he maintained a thoughtful expression, scrutinizing Leah from head to toe, his gaze carefully examining the girl's body, causing Leah's face to flush slightly.
“Brother, is there something on Lia’s face? I’m getting a little shy looking at her like this.” “Ha, don’t worry, it was just a fleeting thought, nothing serious.”
Reminded by Lia, Leus withdrew his probing gaze, then reached out and gently stroked the white-haired girl's head, continuing to speak:
Next, I have something very important to do, which is arguably the most important and most difficult task at present. Could you please come with me, Leah?