The ice and rain drifted down, diluting the blood-stained air in the holy city. Aelisha stood with her greatsword, gasping heavily.
Though not new to the Battle of the Helmeus Line, she never imagined the New Holy City might one day fall too.
The walls are completely gone.
Ariehia had never seen such a terrifying creature. A colossal insect-like hybrid emerged from the earth, its body clinging to the glacial cliffside. Its bony claws, hooked like barbed nails, embedded into the wall, and it climbed step by step to the top of the fortress, its body still partially hidden beneath the surface.
The sheer size of the creature was one thing, but no one expected it to open its gaping maw and spew out a swarm of hybrid monsters. The city walls erupted in chaos.
The once-organized ranks were shattered by the demonic beasts, and the Inquisition Army's vanguard camp where Airexia stood was torn apart. She watched helplessly as her comrades fell one by one, swallowed by the creatures. Warm human blood mingled with the monsters' black blood, trickling through the cracks of the stone floor.
As the retreat signal sounded, the catapults in the Holy City were activated, hurling half-human-sized granite boulders down from the sky, heedless of the fact that the city walls still held many of their own and the kingdom's troops.
All Elisa could recall was a massive boulder striking Captain Decatur, who had been guarding her. When she rose from the ground, she saw him and his armor wedged into the cracked stone slab. His body lay like a crumpled parchment, with blood gushing from the abdominal fissure, forming a small pool beneath him as it gushed out in a pungent, steaming stream.
She thought, if she hadn't leaped before the stone hit the ground, she might have met the same fate.
Ariehia could hardly recall how she had finally broken through the encirclement and retreated to the base of the city walls. The air was thick with screams and curses as everyone swung weapons in frenzied attacks, their motives unclear—whether fighting the demonic beasts or battling their own comrades.
Of the Inquisition Army's hundred-strong unit, only twelve survived—including the leader himself.
"What's next, Captain!" "Captain Airexia!" Airexia abruptly turned around. As per the Inquisition Army's regulations, if a captain perishes in battle, the deputy captain must assume command and lead the team to continue fighting.
She bit her lip until the metallic stench filled her mouth. "We must go to the North Gate of the Holy City. The evil beast needs to pass through there to invade the New Holy City." This order meant surrendering all residential areas between the city walls and the inner city, but she had no choice. Nothing was more crucial than the Church's central hub—the Cathedral of Hermes.
There was one thing she didn't say: even the glacier cliffs couldn't stop these monsters. What good would she and the eleven others be?
Perhaps today is the day she dedicates herself to the Heavenly Kingdom. May you be merciful. She prays in her heart and shouts, 'The Inquisition Army never gives up! We set out!' 'The Inquisition Army never gives up!' The others echo in unison.
Twelve men marched in a column toward the north gate, their rapid pace fading as the sounds of battle in the walled area gradually subsided, finally merging into the murmur of wind and rain.
Upon reaching the North Gate, Airexia noticed a sizable contingent of the Inquisition Army had assembled before the suspension bridge. The shared resolve among them brought a slight solace to her heart.
Yet at this critical moment, the drawbridge was lowered. Aelisha frowned and approached a handsome warrior clad in the Chief Judge's red robe, bowing with clenched fists. "Chief Judge, I'm Captain Aelisha Quinn of the Fourth Vanguard Squad!" "I'm Tucker Thor, the North Gate Defense Commander. Thank you for your efforts," the man nodded. "We've set up an emergency station behind the North Gate. If your unit has wounded, they can be sent there." "Sir, I don't understand why we're not raising the drawbridge now. The monstrous beasts on the walls could swarm at any moment. We must protect the inner city." "Stay calm, Captain. I know you and your men are unafraid of sacrifice, but pointless sacrifice means nothing. The Church is far from its final hour," he said, wiping rain from his forehead. "Wait at the assembly point. If the Cold-Dispelling Pills run out, remember to ask the quartermaster." The Chief Judge's words made Aelisha realize how severely she was freezing. After leaving the battlefield, the mixture of sweat and icy rain had nearly frozen her entire body. The bone-chilling wind blew in her face, making her shiver uncontrollably.
She pulled out the sheepskin bag from her undergarment pocket and shook it in her palm, but only a viscous liquid oozed out. It appeared that she had accidentally crushed the pill during the battle. She sighed, looked up, and found a brownish-red Cold-Dispelling Pill placed before her.
"Take mine first," Tucker Thor said with a grin, "and you'll pay me later." Airexia didn't hesitate. She took the pill, crushed it, and swallowed it whole. "We might never get to eat this again." "Yeah, that's a good idea," Tucker nodded approvingly. "This stuff is just too awful." As soon as he finished speaking, a pungent stench rose from Airexia's stomach. Even a battlefield littered with corpses couldn't produce such revolting odor. She realized she wasn't eating pills but a rotting mixture of flesh and blood. An unbearable sourness surged through her abdomen, then the cold suddenly dissipated, replaced by a warm, searing sensation coursing through her veins. Her body temperature gradually returned, frozen sweat began to trickle down, steam rose from her forehead, and her numb toes regained sensation.
"But not today," the presiding judge waved his hand after seeing her swallow the cold-eliminating pill. "The God Punishment Army is advancing from the cathedral. The demonic beasts can't breach the north gate. Your men must head to the assembly point and verify their pills. Don't be like you—only to discover they're gone when it matters most." The God Punishment Army, the Church's most elite force! Airexia had heard of it for years but never seen it in person. Yet... even if the God Punishment Army were as formidable as rumored, they were still human. With their physical limitations, no matter how rigorously trained, they couldn't easily defeat a horde of hybrid demonic beasts.
Since the presiding judge had made that statement, she had no choice but to lead the eleven team members out through the north gate and head toward the assembly point in the west.
Hundreds of the Inquisition Army, having retreated, had gathered here. They stood in small groups under the rain, letting the water run down their faces, while some sat on the ground, looking listless. Only a few remained in orderly formation, ready to face any enemy that might appear.
Had it been just days ago, Aelisia would have stood up to rebuke them, but now she too was utterly bewildered. Countless compatriots had perished here to build this new holy city—every brick and tile here, one might say, was forged from the blood of believers and the Inquisition Army. Bishop often declared that to occupy Hermes was to claim the earthly kingdom of God.
Yet today, the Kingdom of God appears to be falling into the Devil's grasp.
"The evil beast is here!" someone shouted. "Get ready!" Aelisha summoned her divine power, raised her massive sword, and stared at the dark shadow approaching swiftly. She cried out, "For Hermes!" "For the New Holy City!"