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During this time, Rosalind remained silent, gazing at the pitch-black environment, her eyes revealing an undisguised sense of gloom.
Chapter 313: Another Battlefield (Part Two)
At this moment, on the other side.
"Hmm? This firework is the master's signal; the master wants me to retreat from here."
Gazing at the magnificent fireworks above the capital, Olivia spoke to herself, then looked at the nuns and bishops locked in a stalemate in the distance, exhaled slightly, and slowly shrank the constantly moving shadows around her, letting them retreat back into her body.
"In addition... my master also instructed me not to reveal too many traces when I retreat, and to preserve some strength so that the enemies would fight against me and not realize that I have already retreated."
Recalling Lius's previous instructions to her, Olivia nodded again, pointed to the shadows behind her, and then a figure exactly like herself slowly emerged from the shadows, brushed past Olivia, and appeared on the battlefield in her place.
"This place is now in your hands. Stand back against the crowd and fight against our enemies." "Yes."
"Once the power you retain here is completely exhausted, or upon receiving your master's command, you may disappear from here and return to my body. Remember your master's instructions to us: in this battle, you must make those enemies feel victory so that your master's actions can continue."
"I understand."
As she spoke, Olivia brushed past her own distraction, merging into the shadows behind her, and extending her reach into the surrounding darkness, returning to the direction of the mansion.
As for the remaining "Olivia", after her main body completely disappeared, she turned her gaze to the nuns and bishops who were ready to go in the distance, and took a step and slowly walked towards them.
"Hmm? She's made a move!"
Upon seeing the sudden action of the "monster" in the distance, Helen and the nuns beside her immediately became alert, each holding their wands and pointing them in Olivia's direction. "What do you want to do!"
Looking towards Olivia, Helen stepped forward and called out to the distant "monster," while Olivia slowly released her own magic, transmitting her words into the ears of each nun:
"My leader, the order has been given to me. The delay mission is complete. Now it's time to annihilate you." "Extinction... Is it finally time to make the move?"
Faced with Olivia's dangerous words, Helen seemed to have anticipated this situation. She swallowed hard, a cold sweat breaking out on her brow, and gripped the greatsword in her hand even tighter.
"Your Excellency, what do we do now? What battle formation should we use?"
At this moment, the nuns nearby also approached, looking somewhat nervous, and questioned Helen about this matter.
"Don't make any rash moves. She is very strong. Even if we all attack at the same time, we may not be able to break through her defenses... and we might even be annihilated by her."
"What should we do then... retreat? Or leave some people behind to buy time so the main force can retreat from here?" Hearing the nun's question, Helen pursed her lips again, seemingly pondering her next move. "With our current strength... the probability of defeating her is very small. Even if we could, it would definitely cause heavy casualties. At that time, the church's strength would be weakened, let alone fighting against cultists. We might even be attacked by some ill-intentioned people in the main country... that would be the real crisis." With these thoughts, Helen looked at the girls around her, and finally slowly extended her finger, pointing towards the direction of the surging giant monster in the distance, and said to everyone:
"Gentlemen... this monster is unlike anything we have ever encountered before. I believe you can sense the power it contains, and once you do, you will naturally understand the difference in strength between us and it."
"Bishop Helen," given this disparity, I now give everyone a definite answer—our chances of winning this battle are very small, perhaps even nonexistent. After the battle, we will most likely be wiped out, with no chance of survival.
After Helen's analysis of the situation, everyone, after a moment of silence, revealed a look of resentment and helplessness, seemingly agreeing with Helen's words and feeling pessimistic about their current situation.
"Could it be... there's really no way?" No, there is a way, but not a way to defeat the enemy, but rather... a way to preserve most of our strength. Looking at the crowd, amidst their pessimistic gazes, Helen took a deep breath, finally making up her mind, and spoke to the nuns before her once more:
"If we want to avoid total annihilation, the only way is to leave a portion of the troops to delay the monsters in the distance, while the rest of the main force retreats along the original route they came from, retreating to their respective territories to redeploy troops and gather strength to besiege the monsters here. This is the only way for us to win."
"Leave some behind for the majority to retreat...?" Yes, just as everyone thought, once this plan is implemented, those left behind will inevitably face dire consequences; it's practically a one-way trip. For us, dedicating our lives to the Church is a creed we made when we joined, and even now, this creed remains in my heart, never fading. Therefore... looking at the crowd, Helen's eyes revealed a firm and devout gaze as she placed her hands on her chest, making a promise to the girls beside her:
"Next, I will personally lead this team to delay the monster and fight it in the distance. What I need are thirteen members to help me delay it. To that end, I want to know who among you is willing to fight alongside me and complete this one-way mission."
"Bishop Helen, you want to... sacrifice yourself!"
Hearing Helen's righteous words, the girls beside her were initially surprised, but then showed a touch of emotion. Their gazes toward Helen became more and more serious, filled with a feeling of "tragic heroism".
Chapter 314: Another Battlefield (Part 3)
Bishop Helen looked at the red-haired girl standing before her, her expression righteous and awe-inspiring. After a brief silence, the nuns erupted in a powerful cry: "Bishop Helen! This absolutely cannot happen! We cannot let you die for us. You are the one who gathered us here, and you are the one who leads us in fighting against the monster. If you die, our future battles will be completely directionless."
"I'll join the group that's delaying the monsters to take Bishop Helen's place so that she won't get hurt!"
"No matter what, we must ensure Bishop Helen's survival. Bishop Helen is our hope, and we absolutely cannot allow her to suffer any harm!"
The crowd continued to speak, crowding around Helen, trying to pull her away from the battlefield. Helen struggled to break free from their embrace and held the huge sword in front of her.
"No need to say more. I must participate in this battle. Among us, I am the most familiar with formations and know best how to use magic to block the enemy. Therefore, I must be here. That's the decision. There should be no further objections." But, Your Excellency, what you're saying will...
The crowd wanted to continue their persuasion, but Helen waved her hand again, silencing them. Her gaze swept over the approaching nuns, and she continued speaking to them:
"Regarding the selection of the next team members... I hope everyone can decide for themselves. Once you have decided, follow behind me. Only thirteen people are allowed to follow. The rest of you must retreat from here immediately without any hesitation. Do you understand?"
"Seeing Helen's resolute appearance, after initially pleading with the leader, everyone finally bit their lips and nodded, agreeing with the red-haired girl's idea."
"We understand."
“That’s good. Now, follow along and let’s fight our final battle…” With that, Helen waved her hand, shouldered her greatsword, and walked along the road toward the ever-surging monsters in the distance. The other thirteen nuns also exchanged glances before rushing to follow, as members of Helen’s team, to jointly block the seemingly enormous monsters.
"Keep up!" "Understood!"
Just as Helen was leading the group behind her, preparing to head to the front lines, the retreating troops suddenly stopped in their tracks. With surprised looks, they gazed at the path on the other side of the road, muttering tremblingly, "Bishop Helen! Reinforcements! Reinforcements! It's reinforcements!" "Hmm?"
With these excited and trembling words, Helen and the nuns behind her turned around and looked at the group of figures in nun's robes who had suddenly appeared behind them with a look of surprise.
In the dim light of the night, the figures of these reinforcements appeared very blurry, but in Helen's eyes, their arrival was dazzling at this moment.
The flowing nuns' robes also came into view at this moment, making their previously disappointed eyes shine again.
"Unexpectedly... there are reinforcements... and so many of them. If these people unite, there is a chance of winning this battle." With this thought in mind, the red-haired girl in the lead stared again at the reinforcements that were constantly arriving in the distance. Looking at these reinforcements covering the mountains and fields, she narrowed her eyes slightly, and a strange feeling suddenly came to her heart.
"Something's not right... I remember that all the church members in this area have been mobilized to this group. Although some members still remain in their respective churches, there shouldn't be so many more. Could it be that members from other regions have joined our group? I wonder which batch of nuns they are. I'll have to wait and see if they have any regional insignia on them..."
With these thoughts in mind, Helen took out the lantern from her bosom and placed it on a tree stump nearby. She then released more light magic to illuminate the surrounding area, thus revealing the identities of the reinforcements who were constantly arriving.
"Ok?"
Upon seeing this group of nuns, Helen's previously puzzled gaze became focused again, and her initial doubts gradually disappeared, replaced by shock.
Because she saw that the badges worn by the nuns were not emblems symbolizing churches in various places, but a symbol that did not belong to the church.
In Helen's memory, this symbol belonged to pagans—a symbol entwined with clusters of bright red lilies.
At this moment, the dazzling flower was constantly flashing in the red-haired girl's vision, causing her to freeze in place for a moment, feeling a strange, blinding sensation.
"You...this is..."
After glancing at him, Helen immediately realized what had happened. Her brows furrowed sharply, and the huge sword in her hand was instantly turned around, pointing towards the group of "heretics" who had come to the scene.
"Why are you here! Do you want to take this opportunity to annihilate us? Or have you already cooperated with those cultists and set up this trap to put us in a disadvantageous position?"
“Bishop Helen, calm down. They just helped us wipe out some of the monsters that surrounded us. They are genuinely here to assist us. Don’t be so resistant.”
Seeing Helen in this state, a young nun quickly grabbed her trembling arm and tried to persuade her. Several other nuns also stepped forward and gently pressed down the raised blade of her sword to prevent Helen from doing anything too extreme.
“Bishop Helen…we know that you are extremely disgusted with heretics, even more so than with cultists, but for now, we are cooperating with them for the time being. This is an order personally given by Her Majesty the Pope. In order to fight against the attacks of those cultists, this cooperation is necessary. Don’t get so agitated.”
Hearing the calls of the girls around her, Helen hesitated briefly before the excitement in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a calm and self-assured gaze. This caused the red-haired girl to stop trembling, and she slowly exhaled a deep breath.
"Hoo, even though the girl had regained her composure, her hostility toward these heretics had not diminished in the slightest. She had just managed to suppress it for the time being. This was something she had to endure in order to fight against the ever-writhing monster in the distance."
"When Bishop Helen saw Helen gradually stop struggling, the nuns beside her exchanged glances, then slowly released their grip on Helen's weapon and retreated from her side, allowing Helen to regain her freedom. As they retreated, the light remained focused on Helen's face, as if ready to respond to her next possible reaction."
"Alright, alright... I've calmed down now. You don't need to be so nervous. I know what's more important. I was just slightly affected by the sudden appearance of these heretics. It was just a normal reaction, nothing serious."
"A normal reaction?"
Hearing Helen's casual words, the nuns around her exchanged glances, then shrugged helplessly, suppressing their urge to complain, and headed towards the arriving reinforcements.
"Since Bishop Helen has said so, then we won't interfere any further. In any case, we must control our temper and not cause too much chaos."
"I know, I know... Am I that childish? Although I am indeed much younger than you, I am at least a bishop, so I won't do anything impulsive again. You can go ahead and do your work. As for me... I'll rest here for a bit and then come over soon."
"Alright... Bishop Helen, please rest for a while. We'll send people to conduct a final investigation of the monster. Once the monster makes any further moves, we'll come back to inform you... Speaking of the monster, it seems to have suddenly stopped earlier. I wonder if it's plotting something."
As they said this, the group looked towards the direction of the monster in the distance, glancing thoughtfully. They seemed puzzled by the monster's sudden waiting, but they didn't dwell on it too much and focused on doing what they were supposed to do.
"After everyone else had left, Helen was left alone on the cliff."
Looking at the scene around the observation post, she couldn't help but sigh slowly, feeling a sense of pessimism about her current situation.
"Why has the situation developed to this point, forcing us to cooperate with these heretics... The God worshipped by the church is the only one, yet those heretics and cultists use the God's name to do despicable things, tarnishing the God's reputation... And now we are forced to cooperate with heretics, what is the Pope thinking... With these thoughts, the girl felt a little tired, and Helen rubbed her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, she felt someone gradually walking towards her."
"Huh? You've misjudged me again," Helen finally realized. There was indeed someone walking towards her, and it seemed to be a leader, followed by several heretical girls who were also walking with light steps, and they were coming towards her along the road.
"Faced with this scene, Helen tensed up again, and her body subconsciously assumed a fighting stance."
Meanwhile, the young woman who had been walking from afar with her face covered finally reached the red-haired girl, her figure fully revealed to Helen under the moonlight.
Just then, Helen noticed that the young woman who had come before her also had long, fiery red hair, just like herself. Her flame-like hair swayed gently in the wind, reflecting a translucent light under the moonlight, entering their field of vision…
Chapter 315 Another Battlefield (Part 4)
"You are watching this red-haired young woman who keeps walking towards you. Helen's gaze was instantly surprised by the hair color she displayed. After all, there are not many people in the kingdom with such fiery red hair. Apart from herself, only her mother who stayed in the kingdom has the same hair color."
After staring at the hair for a few seconds, Helen snapped out of her reverie, shook her head, and temporarily put the annoying and pointless matter aside, focusing instead on the red-haired young woman in front of her who appeared to be a pagan leader.
"...Who are you? Judging from your attire, you must be a member of the heretics, right? Have you come here specifically to see me to make a statement? To say some hypocritical sweet words to make this already sham cooperation between us even more fake?"
"Hey! How dare you speak like that! Our bishop came here specifically to check on your injuries, and you're acting like this? Even if there are differences between our two sects, there's no need to be so hostile when we're cooperating, is there?"
Faced with Helen's cold words, the nuns behind the red-haired woman could no longer sit still and frowned as they refuted her. The red-haired woman in front of them waved her hand slightly, generously stopping the nuns' hostile behavior.
"Stop arguing. Our cooperation this time is to fight against those cultists. This is a common will between me and your Pope. No matter how much Bishop Helen objects, this action must be carried out. This is the same intention of both me and Pope Rosalind."
"Are you trying to pressure me now by using the name of the Pope?" "I'm just telling the truth. I've heard rumors about you, Bishop Helen, and I must say, you are as stubborn as the legends say. Now that I've experienced it firsthand, I understand how strong your hatred for us is. In a sense, it has helped me understand you better."
The red-haired woman spoke in a tone that was less of a test and more of a teasing tone towards the girl. In front of the red-haired girl who shared the same hair color as her, she displayed a sense of ease befitting an adult.
"Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Nottica, the bishop of the heretics you mentioned. I am a leader-like figure. I am very pleased to meet you today, Miss Helen. Please take good care of me."
As she said this, Nottica maintained a friendly attitude, gently extending her hand towards Helen, seemingly wanting to shake hands with the girl in front of her.
Helen, seeing the slender hand reaching out to her, seemed to hesitate briefly, but ultimately made her decision quickly. She shook her head slightly, ignoring Nottica's right hand and pressing her face against Nottica's.
"For us, even a handshake can't make the relationship between the two sides friendly. In that case, we might as well ignore these tedious formalities and focus on the battle ahead. That's the best way to cooperate."
Faced with Helen's statement, the nuns opposite her once again showed their dissatisfaction, their gazes towards Helen filled with hostility. Nottica, on the other hand, tilted her head slightly at Helen's words, seemingly surprised by what she had said. After a few seconds of thought, a thoughtful smile appeared on her lips, as if she had gained a new appreciation for the red-haired girl in front of her.
"Ha... Since that's what you think, Bishop Helen, I won't stand on ceremony. I must say, your words are more straightforward than I expected, without any beating around the bush. Talking with you is much easier than talking with Pope Rosalind."
"Is this mocking me for not being able to hide my feelings?" Helen asked coldly.
"Of course not. I just feel that your attitude is strangely familiar, as if I have met a similar acquaintance before. In particular, your straightforward and unpretentious personality makes me feel very familiar."
Helen's eyes widened as she listened to Nautica's words, and she seemed to be captivated for a moment. Especially when the word "familiar" was mentioned, a sense of familiarity welled up in Helen's heart for some reason. She shone her light on the face of the red-haired young woman in front of her and stared at her face, which was completely covered by a veil. This made Helen feel very complicated.
"What's going on... Why do I have such a familiar feeling, as if I've met this heretic before? And now, standing in front of her, I'm actually feeling a stirring in my heart. What's going on? Is this some kind of trick by this heretic?"
With this thought in mind, Helen looked at Nottica in front of her, bit her lip hard, and relaxed her somewhat flustered heart, returning to her usual calm state. After taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes again, and her gaze towards Nottica returned to the hostility and indifference she had shown at the beginning. She stood in confrontation with this red-haired "bishop" in front of her, as a bishop herself.
"Stop with the nonsense. Let's focus on that monster in the distance. If you're truly willing to cooperate with me, then demonstrate your abilities before considering further battles and collaboration."
"Yes, Helen, you're right. In that case, let's get down to business."
Looking at the red-haired girl in front of her, Nottica nodded slightly, then adopted a serious expression, turning her gaze to the monster in the distance, and slowly said:
"That monster, according to the Holy Son... cough, according to someone I know, is a monster from ancient times. It can merge into the shadows and release vast magical power to make the shadows around it constantly gather together, thereby increasing its power and attack range."
"So those constantly moving black shadows were all just shadows? Just being controlled by that monster?" Helen muttered thoughtfully.
“Indeed, it’s still nighttime, so the shadows around her are denser, and her power is amplified. Fighting her head-on would put us at a significant disadvantage. To win, we need special methods.” Special methods? Helen looked at Nautica, a searching glint in her eyes. “That monster uses shadow manipulation as its attack method. If we want to restrain her, we must reduce all the shadows around her to eliminate her. Otherwise, even a sliver of shadow can allow her to escape and infiltrate other places to ambush and attack us again. To resolve this crisis, we must completely eliminate her once and for all.”
"To diminish the shadows?" Helen muttered to Nautica, nodding slightly. Then, as if she had thought of something, she stretched out her fingers and gathered some subtle magic at her fingertips.
Light magic!
With a soft call, tiny lights shimmered on the girl's fingertips. Although the area covered by the light was relatively small, the brightness within it was dazzling, directly dispelling the shadow on Helen's palm and leaving only a pure white light.
“Light can dispel darkness; it is the most direct and effective method. In the current situation, without sufficient time for preparation, this is the only way we can completely dispel those shadows,” Nautica said, gazing at Helen’s gleaming fingertips.
“That’s right. Under the current circumstances, we can only use this direct method to dispel the shadow of that demon Zhou Guo. However, if we want to illuminate such a large area, we must consume a lot of magic power. We also need to cooperate with each other to succeed.”
"Yes... If our coordination fails, we may not be able to fully illuminate the entire area, and we might even run out of magic power. At that point, we won't be able to fight, let alone put up a fight."
Nottica said this, then seemed to remember something and continued to speak to Helen:
"By the way, Bishop Helen, you've been through a lot of travel, haven't you? How much magic power have you depleted? Are you able to use such powerful light magic now?"
"As for me... I can manage, but it's not enough for me alone. Based on my calculations, to truly achieve the desired effect, we need at least three collaborators who are of equal or greater strength than me. If we include you, then we'll need to find another suitable candidate to carry out this plan."
"I had the same suspicion, but right now, there aren't any powerful people around. I just checked everyone! Their magic power has been depleted to some extent. Under these circumstances, it's hard to say that there are any among them who can cooperate with us."
"Damn it, is there really no other way?" the red-haired girl clenched her small fists and said unwillingly. Just then, another voice came from the dense forest beside them: