Chapter 122: Flame Part 1: The Joy of Victory [VIP]
After the main force went to Ebola Bridge to rescue the trapped team, the people who stayed in the Sin Tower and the surrounding areas also began to make final preparations for the night retreat, such as counting supplies and packing bags, preparing cloth strips to wrap horse hooves, and sharpening weapons.
——The people who responded to the call and gathered near the Sin Tower already knew that they would be embarking on a long journey, so most of them had no cumbersome luggage and were ready to set off at any time.
"Are you ready?"
"Everything is almost ready."
"Everyone, take advantage of the daylight to rest. We'll officially set off after dark."
"Hurry up! Hurry up! Don't waste time!"
"If you can't bear to leave your family, it's not too late to leave the team now!"
“…”
The team prepared intensively and in an orderly manner, waiting for nightfall to officially leave the increasingly dangerous capital and head for the holy city of Denos.
In the room of the Tower of Sin, Yaris's servants were also preparing for their master's departure.
Yaris sat by the window, nervously looking towards the Ebola Bridge where the flames of war were raging.
“…I don’t know what their current situation is.”
"If the battle at the Ebola Bridge today is still a conspiracy against us, what can we do to ensure that everyone is safe..."
"Perhaps, I should—"
"Your Highness—"
A servant rushed into the room, interrupting Yaris's muttering: "The spies report that two battalions of the Royal Knights are heading towards the Sin Tower!"
"Sure enough...it happened..."
Yaris turned around, his expression indifferent. "—Block the news from the Sin Tower. I mean, wait until the outcome of the battle at Ebola Bridge is decided before telling my brother that Edmund's army is heading towards the Sin Tower, so that he won't be distracted during the battle."
"Yes, sir."
"If the enemy uses a battering ram, it means they are determined to annihilate us. If they merely fire arrows in a threatening manner, it means they have received orders to surround us without attacking. Leave the specific response to Ansel."
"yes."
"Including Ansel, you must not reveal my physical condition to anyone, so as not to shake morale."
"Understood! I'll do it right away!"
"Go ahead..."
Yaris sighed wearily.
After the attendants withdrew, he summoned the magicians from the shadows and said, "Go to the Ebola Bridge. The barrier surrounding the capital is almost complete. They are likely to be intercepted by magicians when they leave the city."
"We'll set off immediately."
The mages answered with low, hoarse voices.
"Thanks for your hard work."
After the mages left, Yaris pulled a map of the capital from a drawer and circled the Imperial Palace, the Tower of Sin, the Ebola Bridge, and the North and West Gates, which would be used at night. He muttered, "We're already short on manpower, and now we're being coerced by Him into splitting up and breaking out... A flaw in any of these areas could lead to... what I'm most worried about..."
"Your Highness!"
The attendant pushed the door open again, holding a sharp arrow with a letter tied to it. "The longbowmen of the Royal Knights have shot a letter from the Emperor."
"Open--"
"yes."
To prevent the silk used for the letter from being smeared with poison, the servant untied the letter and spread it flat on the table.
Yaris stepped forward, read the entire thing quickly, and said sarcastically, "It's come to this, and he still doesn't forget to sow discord."
It turned out that although "Edmund" called the troops entrenched near the Sin Tower rebels in his letter, he generously stated that as long as the rebels laid down their weapons and left the Sin Tower before tomorrow's sunrise, he would forgive all those involved in the incident.
He also emphasized in the letter that Yaris was an innocent hostage held by the rebels, not the so-called rebel leader, and demanded that the rebels immediately release Yaris and not use Yaris's name to gather the masses who were unaware of the truth.
"—Do you need a response?"
"Response?"
Yaris sneered, "More than half of the ordinary people gathered here are either witnesses to the Sacred Square Massacre or relatives and friends of witnesses. Having experienced such a tragic event, yet still believing in the Emperor's promise of forgiveness, such a naive and idiotic person should really leave the team as soon as possible to avoid dragging others down!"
After saying this, Yaris asked the servant to keep the handwritten letter from "Edmund".
"...Rather than leaving the crisis-ridden capital as quickly as possible, I'm more concerned with proving to the public the existence of the lizard monsters and the existence of numerous mutant monsters within Edmund's army."
"This matter..."
The servants were then in a dilemma.
Even those who had witnessed it would feel unreal and trance-like when recalling the scene of the lizard monster slaughtering people in the sacred square, not to mention...
"It would be great if we could catch him alive."
Yaris said self-deprecatingly, "However, the encounter at Lilia Lake has already taught us that lizard monsters are basically impossible to serve as witnesses... If someone who has transformed into a lizard monster regains consciousness while in lizard form, they will instantly fall into mental confusion and be torn apart by the power beyond their limit, exploding into a mixture of flesh, blood, and mud..."
"Anyway—"
Yaris looked up, and it would become the longest day of many people's lives."
…
…
The arrival of reinforcements further strengthened the already low-level combat effectiveness.
Especially when they saw that the two-meter-tall lizard monster not only had its head chopped off by a long sword as gorgeous as gold, but also exploded into a cloud of bloody mist on the spot due to the wand wave of the wrinkled black-robed magician who followed His Majesty Lucien -
"Long live! Long live!"
"This way!"
Victory is coming!"
"Fight! Keep going! Keep going!"
Royce, with half of his body stained with blood, shouted loudly. His two deputy commanders lost their lives in the battle, and more than half of the members of the Knights Protector fell into the Ebola River below because of being hacked and killed by the Royal Guards. However, their morale was still high - before, it was because they knew that if they retreated, everyone in the lower city would face the knife, and now it was because they knew victory was coming!
"The lizard monsters are retreating! Everyone, hurry up and open the passage. Cross the bridge! Cross the bridge!"
"Cross the bridge!"
Amidst the desperate shouting, everyone in the lower city united as never before, fighting to the death in order to avoid being killed.
Their enemies, the overwhelmingly superior Royal Guards, saw their reinforcements arrive like sharp swords, and their accompanying lizard monster army was quickly annihilated and defeated like fallen leaves in the autumn wind. They immediately collapsed and retreated all the way. Some of them who had lost their will to fight even took off their armor and threw away their weapons to blend into the crowd of people in the lower city.
…
As dusk fell, the coalition forces successfully drove away the lizard monsters and the Royal Guards entrenched in the area and regained control of the Ebola Bridge.
Malus intended to pursue the victory, but when he saw the corpses and wounded all over the ground——
"...The situation here is more serious than expected."
"The number of survivors is also much greater than we expected."
Xiao Yun said with feigned optimism, walked up to Joanna, and paid silent tribute to this brave and fearless lady.
"I regret not being able to get here sooner or faster..."
"She left this world with the joy of victory."
Royce, who lost an eye and left hand in the battle, said solemnly: "She is a true hero..."
"It's a pity that we don't have time to mourn for them, nor can we hold a grand funeral for them."
"When a person dies, only the body remains. It doesn't matter how it's handled. I believe that those who died for their beliefs and for the people wouldn't care about these things."
Royce whispered.
Xiao Yun nodded in agreement and asked everyone to hurry up and treat the injured.
As for those who were seriously injured in the battle and unable to move independently—
"Please leave us here and don't burden everyone because of us."
"But--"
"We'll stay too!"
The old, weak, women and children in the team raised their hands together: "People like us will only become a burden to everyone if we go to the battlefield. It is better for us to stay and take care of the wounded."
"Aren't you afraid—"
"We're not even afraid of death, so why should we be afraid of these man-eating lizard monsters? The worst that can happen is we'll perish together with them!"
An energetic old man said it proudly.
"We just saw it all! Lizard monsters will bleed even if they're stabbed by a knife! They'll die even if their heads are chopped off! They're just a bunch of people with lizard heads, at most a little taller, stronger, and harder to kill than us!"
"If ten people can't kill a lizard monster, then one hundred people! Two hundred people! As long as we're willing to sacrifice lives, we can definitely kill them all!"
"Go ahead and do the important things you are going to do. Leave the wounded here and let us take care of them."
The elderly, the weak, women and children who were determined to stay and take care of the wounded gave a lot of suggestions.
While receiving bandages, the wounded soldiers firmly stated: "If we become an obstacle to the battle, it will go against the original intention of our participation in the battle!"
"……I see!"
Xiao Yun looked around solemnly and announced, "Everyone, take care of the wounded as quickly as possible. No matter if they are injured civilians, injured knights, or even injured enemies... We cannot abandon them. They are all our compatriots."
"yes!"
"The rest of you will gather in front of the Ebola Bridge after you pack your luggage, then leave the capital through the west gate. Our destination is Denos."
At this point, Xiao Yun turned to Royce, who had decided to stay and lead the underground resistance, and said, "Royce, thank you! If you can't obtain items through normal channels, you can ask Madam Sonya for help. She's the capital's premier socialite and has an extremely extensive network of contacts."
"I remember that."
Royce's expression was serious, and his one eye sparkled with firm faith.
Xiao Yun then instructed the accompanying magicians, "You stay and protect Madam Sonya. Her network of contacts and intelligence in the capital is very important to everyone."
"yes."
"at last--"
Xiao Yun looked up at the gradually setting sun and the increasingly dark sky: "Get ready to go!"
…
…
As the sky gradually darkened, the teams stationed around the Tower of Sin followed the instructions and left through the back door one after another, holding magic lighting and detoured to the north gate of the royal capital.
A black carriage without any decoration was mixed in the team.
Surrounded by his personal guards, Yaris walked out of the tower and said to Ansel, who was left behind: "Ansel, I will wait for you in Denos. Don't keep me waiting for long."
"Don't worry, Your Highness. Once I'm sure your carriage has safely passed through the north gate, I'll immediately set fire to the area around the Sin Tower to divert the Royal Knights' attention. Then, I'll lead my men out of the capital through the west gate."
Ansel smiled and promised Yaris.
Yaris was very depressed because this separation might be forever.
He held Ansel's hand tightly and reminded him: "If you and your men are besieged, surrender to Edmund! No matter what, I hope you can survive!"
"Don't worry, Your Highness. I have always cherished my life and will not easily seek death."
Ansel smiled confidently.
Yaris thought for a moment, then handed the golden gem to Ansel along with a cipher written in his own blood. "If you are unable to escape and the enemy refuses to surrender, wrap the gem in this cipher, light it, and summon the Tower Master to help you escape."
"clear."
Ansel solemnly took the gem and the secret message and watched Yaris get on the carriage.
"at last--"
As the car door was about to close, Yaris suddenly said, "We brothers were all your students. No student wants you to sacrifice your life for us."
"Yes, I will be able to catch up with His Highness's team by noon tomorrow at the latest."
After saying that, Ansel stepped forward and closed the carriage door for Yaris.
Accompanied by about two thousand people, including personal guards, accompanying knights, and members of the citizen volunteer group who had arrived from all directions of the royal capital in recent days, the carriage slowly left the Tower of Sin along the brick and stone passage and headed for the north gate of the royal capital.
…
…
Under the cover of night, Xiao Yun's team quickly arrived near the west gate.
"Your Majesty, all the priests and divinities of Denos have received the news and are gathered in the Great Temple awaiting your arrival. The Holy Land Knights responsible for guarding Denos will also officially set out to welcome your Majesty after dawn."
"His Highness Yaris's carriage and entourage have safely passed through the north gate of the royal capital. They are expected to rendezvous with His Majesty near Wolf's Head Hill after daybreak."
A magician who works part-time as a messenger appears and reports the good news to Xiao Yun.
"I see."
Xiao Yun nodded with satisfaction.
My brother's team's successful breakthrough and the full support of the Denos Priests were all expected, although -
(The Denos priests support me not because they agree with me, but because the Twin Gods' high priest system forces them to support me... If my brother, the high priest, encounters an accident, they will be held jointly responsible by the Tower...)
(…Rather than pondering how much of Denos's loyalty is genuine, I'm more curious about what he's actually up to… Ever since the tragedy at the Sacred Square, everything has… seemingly been turbulent, but has actually been surprisingly smooth. Especially today… He hasn't strictly sealed off the area around the Tower of Sin, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving. The Royal Guards sent to fight at Ebola Bridge only had a battalion of troops, and even after the tide of battle turned, he didn't send any reinforcements…)
(I originally thought that the Ebola Bridge rescue went so smoothly because He was trying to lure the enemy away, but the situation on my brother's side was even more complicated... According to the mage's report, He didn't send two battalions to the Sin Tower until dusk... The journey out of the city was also unusually quiet, as if the entire city had fallen into a deep sleep...)
(He is an extremely powerful mage, and the emperor of the True Human Empire. His army cannot cross the Great Desert of Death to reach the Western Continent, but he can mobilize powerful generals or mage masters from within the country... In fact, he did secretly train a lizard monster army in the royal capital, with several powerful mage masters under his command...)
(I've already prepared myself for the worst, but the situation is developing... It seems like He has absolutely no intention of taking us seriously... Because His ultimate goal is to devour my brother and me, and—)
Thinking of this, Xiao Yun looked up and gazed into the distance.
Illuminated by the slightly bluish moon, Ximen stood quietly at the end of the field of vision, as docile as a wife waiting for her husband's return, or as if he were a monster with its long-planned bloody mouth open.
In an instant——
Lightning flashed through Xiao Yun's mind and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"--I see!"
(We've fallen into a trap! Including the tragedy at the Sacred Plaza, the lizard monster group blocking the Ebola Bridge... Everything that has happened so far is under His control! But I naively believed that every step I took was my own will! My own choice!)
(Even making me realize that I was unknowingly falling into His control was part of His plan. He was trying to use this method to make me lose confidence and become anxious and uneasy... Unfortunately...)
Xiao Yun gradually figured things out. He closed his eyes slightly facing the night breeze, loosened the reins with his right hand temporarily, stroked the Goddess of Justice ring on his left ring finger, and a confident smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
(He is indeed very clever and cunning. He knows that the gods are behind my brother—although the gods' attitude towards my brother is not so much doting and protecting him as it is treating him as their private property that no one else can touch—with his current power, he is not enough to fight against the gods, so he has set me as his short-term target, constantly creating trouble to alienate my brother and me.)
(After failing to sow discord between us many times, He forced us to raise our flags early by causing the tragedy at the Sacred Square, then plotted against us step by step, using the "Mentor of Dark Night" to deliver intelligence that the capital was about to be shrouded by a double barrier, leading us to retreat to Denos... He wanted us to go to Denos more than anyone else... Because at this stage, His core purpose had shifted from devouring me to gain power to driving us to Denos to gain access to the ninth floor of the God Tower and spy on the secrets of God!)
(No! Entering the ninth floor of the God Tower to peek into God’s secrets is what He desires most!)
(But He forgot that there is a most special existence in the world called "miracle", and - from the beginning to the end, the information He possessed was incomplete, missing the most crucial part... The system power within my body is as infinite as an entire star, and the true relationship between the gods and my brother is known only to my brother and the gods themselves...)
(No matter how many schemes and calculations there are, they are nothing compared to absolute power!)
…
As the moon rose higher, the group continued to move forward, passing through the west gate with the ease of strolling in a garden and heading towards Denos along the "Road of the Gods".
Looking at the houses on both sides of the road immersed in darkness, Xiao Yun sighed deeply.
"It seems that most of the wealthy merchants and nobles have already left the capital with their families. They are afraid of death and are unwilling to bear the risks of war."
But this silence was a reassuring blessing for the team, which had more than 5,000 members joining along the way and whose total number exceeded 5,000 when they passed through the west gate.
"Sure enough, the gods are on our side. We didn't even meet anyone along the way."
"Yes...we will soon reach Denos safely..."
"I can't help laughing when I think of Edmund II's army finding us completely wiped out at daybreak!"
“…”
The soldiers, obviously relieved, chatted quietly, completely unaware that tonight's easy escape was actually the enemy leader's deeper calculations against them.
…
…
As the moon rose higher and higher, the houses on both sides of the road became fewer and fewer, and finally only trees swaying in the wind were left.
Yaris sat in the carriage, listening to the intermittent laughter and whistles coming from outside. He lowered his head and his eyes fell again on the ring of the goddess of love that was paired with his brother's ring of the goddess of justice.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. We will reach a safe area soon."
The servant, worried that Yaris's fragile body could not withstand the bumpy ride of the carriage, spoke comfortingly.
"It's okay, I already—"
Da da da!
There was a loud and sharp sound of horse hooves outside.
"Report--"
"What's up?"
The attendant opened the carriage curtains.
"Your Highness—"
The messenger, with a bandage on his head, bowed and reported, "Shortly after Your Highness left the Sin Tower, the enemy immediately launched a full-scale attack."
"What!"
Yaris was shocked and said to the attendant, "Stop."
"Yes, sir."
In the blink of an eye, the team stopped.
Yaris stepped out of the carriage and looked towards the sky of the royal capital.
The night was so dark that nothing could be seen clearly, but there was an unexpectedly bright spot in the direction of the royal capital.
"That bright ball... that is, is..."
"After His Highness left, Lord Ansel led us to set fire and prepare for evacuation as planned. However... we didn't expect the enemy's actual strength to be... six battalions. Moreover, they brought battering rams and blocked all the exits of the Sin Tower..."
The messenger knelt before Yaris, tears rolling down his eyes.
"Don't talk about the process! Just tell me the result! What is the result! Ansel, Ansel teacher, is he... is he still alive?"
"Feel sorry……"
"so……"
Yaris's face turned pale in an instant and his body was shaking.
The attendants quickly supported him: "Your Highness——"
"It's okay, I... I..."
Yaris stood up straight with difficulty and asked cautiously: "He was caught, right?"
“S-Sorry…”
"Being caught is good... At least I can save my life... I can redeem myself in the future..."
Yaris muttered to himself, his lips losing color: "Let's continue our journey to Denos, gather our troops, and then find a chance to redeem Ansel..."
"Your Highness—"
The messenger bit his lip and sobbed as he pulled out a blood-stained cloth from his bosom. He unfolded it, revealing an intact golden gem and a coded note: "This is what Lord Ansel promised to exchange for you after we successfully break through. He said he was happy to serve Your Highness for the rest of his life. These are too precious and should be used for more valuable purposes... He and all those who unfortunately died in this battle will forever guard Your Highness..."
"Ansel..."
Yaris took the gem and the note with trembling hands and placed them on his heart: "Teacher Ansel, I can sense your heart... Your soul will always be with me..."
"Yes, Your Highness! All of us will always be by your side."
The messenger answered loudly with tears in his eyes.
The attendant stepped forward and took the messenger down to rest.
The others also lowered their heads, trying to hold back their tears.
Snap!
Yaris's tears flowed down, like crystals shattering on the golden gems wrapped around the cipher note, melting the cipher written in blood on the note.
The moment tears mixed with blood seeped into the gem, a shocking phenomenon appeared in the direction of the royal capital.
A giant black snake rose into the air!
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