Chapter 129: Dawn: Firm Faith [VIP]
Lance returned to the carriage and found that there was another carriage behind Su Weilt's carriage that looked almost exactly the same. Even the color of the horses pulling the carriage was exactly the same. He couldn't help but feel alert.
"Who is in this carriage?"
"This is a spare carriage in case of an attack."
The driver said confidently, "After all, there are a lot of people gathered in the outer city of Denos who sympathize with the rebels and even join them."
"All right."
Lance smiled nonchalantly, then turned serious: "The attendant said His Highness is resting."
"I can wait for him here."
Inside the carriage, the woman's voice was soft and gentle: "Please."
"impossible!"
Lance shouted without hesitation, "Your Highness must fast and bathe this afternoon and enter the sacred tower before sunset, so—please return."
"I've come here, risking becoming a hostage and even my own life, hoping to impress His Highness the High Priest with my sincerity and help our country end the civil war and restore peace as soon as possible. Can't you just give me a chance?"
"terribly sorry."
Lance turned around to leave when he suddenly felt something was wrong.
(Feet! My feet!)
Lance lowered his head and saw that the hard stone slab under his feet suddenly grew upward like a stalagmite, wrapping around his left leg tightly like water grass.
(I only know one person named Sue Welt, a black witch from the East.)
Yaris's words flashed through Lance's mind, and he realized that something was wrong.
The woman in the carriage is——
(The Black Witch Suvelt!)
Thinking of this, Lance shouted to his subordinates: "Retreat! Retreat quickly! Report to His Highness! The woman in the carriage is the Dark Witch!"
"Follow—"
“It’s too late!”
A cold and ruthless voice sounded, and mounds of earth suddenly grew on the ground one after another, fixing many of Lance's subordinates in place.
Lance was horrified. He drew his heavy sword and slashed at the pile of mud covering his left leg while shouting to his screaming men, "Calm down! Calm down! Everyone, stay calm! Anyone who's not trapped, run and report to His Highness! Quick!"
“Yes! Yes!”
The subordinates quickly regained their senses and rushed towards the entrance of the great temple.
"Heh! Do you think Maleficent is your only enemy?"
Another carriage slowly opened, and out walked a person who made everyone present gasp.
"His Majesty!"
"No! He's not Edmund III! He's—"
Lance tried to uncover the other person's true identity, but the moment he tried to say the name, he felt a sharp pain in his brain and his body fell uncontrollably.
"ah--"
"Even with a body this strong, he's still just an ordinary human."
"Edmund" said slowly, took off his hood, revealing his pale and haggard face.
In an instant, not only Lance's subordinates were occupied by the extreme fear that was as violent and irresistible as a tsunami, but also the ascetics who were passing through the square in groups, the priests who got up early to pray towards the direction of the tower, and the novice monks who knelt on the ground to wipe the floor of the temple in the early morning - all felt their hair stand on end, their bodies trembled and chilled uncontrollably as if they had fallen into endless darkness, their brains felt as if they were struck by lightning and repeatedly stabbed by ice spikes, and the buzzing screams from hell echoed in their ears.
“Ahhhhhh—”
The people, in excruciating pain, rolled on the ground wailing, their bodies and minds consumed by a madness on the verge of collapse.
"Your Majesty is worthy of being called His Majesty, as he has caused so many people to fall into despair and terror with just a little release."
The "Dark Night Mentor" walked out from the shadows, his face covered with layers of wrinkles like dirt, showing a docility and rigidity that had lost itself.
"However, this alone cannot bring His Royal Highness to his knees, nor can it extinguish the glory of the Divine Tower."
"Edmund" raised his head and looked irritably at the divine tower behind the great temple that was always shining regardless of day or night.
"As long as the four of us work together, and with our army pressing in, even if the prince is isolated and helpless with his back to the divine tower, he will be forced to surrender to us!"
The Black Witch Su Weilt said arrogantly as she stepped out of the carriage.
Seeing this scene, Lance, who was trapped in the pile of earth, was furious.
"you--"
"I won't kill you, I want you to be a witness!"
Following these words, a dark magician appeared on the scene. His body was dark green and blue and translucent in the sunlight. He was none other than the "Sea Priest" who had cruelly ruled Kukuchia for hundreds of years with his magic.
He turned sideways and saluted Edmund: "--Your Majesty, let's officially begin!"
…
…
"Your Highness!"
The chief priest Code led several high-ranking priests into Yaris's room in panic and found that Yaris's room was full of people.
Yaris looked very uncomfortable, his face was pale and his body was cold. He sat up with his upper body against the head of the bed and was drinking water slowly with a straw with the help of his servant.
He raised his head, glanced at Code and others, and said softly.
"The situation outside..."
“He is coming.”
Yaris's voice was a little hoarse. "This is the Holy City of Dinos, after all. The power of the black magicians is suppressed by the divine power, and they can only exert 10% at most. So even though there are four of them, I can still fight them from a distance... You don't have to worry about them breaking into the Great Temple for now, but "He" may have brought an army this time..."
Cord shuddered.
“He is perfect.”
Hearing this, he lowered his head.
"Your Highness, we..."
"This isn't entirely your fault. Although you are high priests of the Twin Gods, you've never encountered true darkness or otherworldliness. Your minds are bound by common sense, unable to see the truth... More than your mistakes, I'm more concerned about... the perfect timing. My brother had just left Denos with his army, completing the first round of the breakout, when He arrived with two of the three great magicians and the Eastern Black Witch, most likely followed by an army..."
"Your Highness, I will immediately send someone to report the situation here—"
"It's too late."
Yaris said calmly, "Even if my brother receives the news and leads the army back immediately, it will still take some time to arrive if the road is clear. So we can only rely on ourselves now."
Hearing this, Code turned around and shouted sternly, "Go to the outer city immediately! Inform the leader of the Holy Land Knights to prepare for battle before the enemy army appears!"
"The citizens' volunteer group can also provide combat power, although they are not as strong as regular troops in any aspect," Yaris said wearily. "Also, many of the believers who have lived in the outer city of Denos for a long time were former mercenaries. To cleanse their past sins, they voluntarily stayed in Denos to serve the public. Find these masters and distribute weapons to them."
"yes."
"As for the elderly, the sick, women, and children...if there's time to send them away, send them away. If you can't, find a place to hide them. Every building in Denos has basements and mezzanines...but you can't hide them in the Great Temple..."
Yaris said sullenly, "The Great Temple is the primary target of those four creatures outside... Even you, as high-ranking priests, can't withstand their dark power, let alone ordinary people... To be honest, I guessed they might make a move against Denos, but I didn't expect it to happen so quickly and so violently..."
“…Your Highness!”
Code burst into tears.
"Pray that the army attacking Denos is composed of humans," Yaris said quietly. "If there are lizard monsters or other creatures from other worlds among them, I will be powerless."
"Your Highness, what are you going to do next?"
"Why do you ask this question?"
Yaris looked at Kord strangely: "Are you trying to suggest that I run away?"
"yes……"
Code said softly: "As long as you enter the ninth floor of the divine tower, no force can harm Your Highness, right?"
"Yes, if I hide on the ninth floor of the God Tower, I will be absolutely safe under the protection of the gods. But... I have achieved absolute safety by hiding on the ninth floor of the God Tower. What will you do?"
"We are willing to die for what we believe in!"
The priests shouted with pale faces.
"Do you think that all you have to face is death?"
Yaris looked at everyone calmly, with a gentle smile on his pale face.
"The one who's now issuing orders from Edmund's body is a demon king from another world. Furthermore, Edmund's armies have long been transformed into monsters by him. Once they invade Denos, they will not only immediately begin a massacre, but may also transform the dead into zombie-like monsters! Even if their strength is suppressed by 90% by divine power, the remaining 10% is enough for the four guys in the square to destroy the Great Temple... But because I'm here, they don't dare to charge in directly and are fighting me from a distance."
Having said that, Yaris's body trembled, and he almost fell down, with beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
"Your Highness—"
Kelly quickly hugged him and covered him with a blanket: "Would you like some water?"
"Need not."
Yaris shook his head.
"but……"
"I must stay. Only if I stay can Denos avoid utter destruction."
Yaris raised Yu, stopping the priests from trying to persuade him. "I know you don't like me and think I'm too scheming. I'm trying every way to limit your power. But if you knew as much about the world as I do, you'd understand that everything I do is necessary... I must concentrate your power in Yu, just as I must stay here with you..."
"We, we..."
Everyone, including Cord, had tears in their eyes.
"Dry your tears and prepare to face your fate."
Yaris said calmly, "Before the army starts moving, quickly use the underground passage to the outer city to organize the evacuation of civilians and relocate women, children, the elderly, and the sick... Fortunately, it's daytime now, the sun has risen, and most people have woken up... Finally, tell everyone that I will not enter the divine tower. I will stay in the Great Temple and fight this nightmare together with them!"
…
…
Denos began to act.
The people gathered in the room either took the underground passage to the outside of the city to inform the organization of resistance, organize the incapable women, children, the elderly and the sick to evacuate and hide, or ran busily between large and small temples to hide precious sacred objects that could not be desecrated or destroyed.
However, no matter how much preparation was made, Dinos, as a noble religious holy city that had long enjoyed the beauty and prosperity brought by various privileges, was too fragile. It had neither a strong army to protect it nor a place suitable for fighting. It was like a peerless beauty covered in treasures but without the ability to protect herself, and was suddenly exposed to the enemy.
The anxious people even suspected that the holy city of Denos would completely disappear because of this sudden attack from another world. Although no one dared to say this out loud, similar fear and madness were burning deep in their hearts.
Yaris sat quietly in the room, surrounded by his servants.
"Are you very scared and nervous right now?"
Yaris suddenly spoke, his smile calm and peaceful.
The servants didn't know how to answer.
"Right now, everyone is at their respective posts carrying out their urgently assigned tasks. I am the only one who is free."
"No! Your Highness, you..."
"You are all still young. You shouldn't stay here and wait for me to die."
Yaris raised his hand, and a map floated out from the bookshelf. "This map records five secret passages leading to the outside world. Each of you should write down one of them, and take the women and children and escape from Denos through the secret passages before the enemy army reaches the inner city."
"Those members of the priesthood are devout, but they also genuinely believe their own lives are more important than others. That's why I don't let them know about the secret passage. If they learn of it, those who need it more than they do will lose their right to use it."
"Are you really not considering hiding on the ninth floor of the Divine Tower?"
Kelly asked cautiously.
"I never thought of hiding in the ninth floor of the God Tower from the beginning to the end."
Yaris smiled and told his attendants, "I anticipated this attack long ago, and I've already planned all the responses and consequences in my mind. Hiding on the ninth floor of the divine tower will indeed keep me safe, but..."
"Your Highness—"
"Since I was a child, I've been selfish and willful. I've relied on my intelligence to decide other people's fates, and this time was no exception... Thankfully, this is the last time. Thank you for always tolerating my arrogance, willfulness, and self-righteousness... I've caused you so much trouble over the years..."
"Your Majesty, please stop talking!"
The servants shed tears one after another. The tacit understanding they had developed from their long-term companionship gave them an ominous premonition.
"This is also true for this incident... My choice may violate the moral standards of most people, but it was a choice I made after repeated considerations and had no other choice, so I don't regret it at all, I don't think I was wrong, and I don't want to apologize to anyone who was unfortunately involved in this matter."
"Your Highness, why do you keep saying these strange things, as if you are about to..."
"Today may very well be the last day you stay with me."
Yaris lowered his eyes: "You have lost so much because of me, and you are even about to lose your life for me. I want to reduce the death toll as much as possible, at least, at least..."
"Your Highness, I have never regretted staying by your side as your attendant!"
Kelly bit back tears and said, "If you were ever to encounter misfortune, I would die for you without hesitation! For me, staying by your side and taking care of your daily life is the most perfect happiness I could ever have in this life!"
"That's not right..."
"No! That's what I consider happiness!"
"Maybe."
Yaris sighed and said, "Before the attack officially begins, you should lead the women and children hiding in the basement of the temple and leave the besieged Denos through the secret passage."
"yes."
The attendants who were named took over the tunnel with tears in their eyes.
"Kelil—"
"exist."
"Bring me the memory crystal in the box on the third shelf. I want to record a message for my brother... I have a feeling that Denos's tragedy will unite the entire Western Continent once again... At the very least, I hope he can gain something beneficial from this tragedy... If necessary, I don't mind sacrificing my own life."
"Your Highness, you, you..."
"After the coronation ceremony, I've given him everything I wanted to give him. As for the last part... I'll give him enough hints in my message. It depends on whether he can make up his mind..."
Yaris said in a calm voice, "Edmund himself doesn't want me to die, and he won't let me die before he finds a way to obtain what's inside me... As for the Demon Prince, well, I can use this opportunity to observe him up close..."
"This is too dangerous!"
Kelly said tremblingly.
"So I hope you all leave me. My life is not in danger for now, but you...if you are captured with me, you may suffer cruel treatment because of my refusal to cooperate..."
"It's okay, I'm not afraid."
Kelly smiled and carefully placed the memory crystal in Yaris's heart. "I don't know what others think, but for me, it is an honor to die for you and by your side."
“You…”
Yaris looked up and looked out the window: "What a pity, this is not Maga. There is no beautiful Lake Lilia outside the window, only the dazzling divine tower that makes people feel uncomfortable."
"Your Highness..."
"You've been by my side for so many years, you must have already realized that he is both him and not him. The feelings I place on him are not just those of a family member... He is indeed not him, but he is definitely him... He will inherit my will, save our world, and drive out forever the things that have threatened us for thousands of years... In the long run, all the sacrifices we are making now are necessary... This is what I have been doing all my life, and it is the only right thing I believe..."
"Your Highness..."
Kelly stammered, "I don't know why. Although I don't understand what you're saying, I feel like your words contain a huge secret. You look completely different from your past self, as transcendent as the statue of Ya that we've been worshipping for thousands of years... For some reason, seeing you like this, I feel incredibly sad. I, I..."
"Are you scared?"
"I just want to be with you until the last moment."
Kelly said tremblingly.
Yaris lowered his head, looking at the memory crystal that shone dimly like the moon. "Kellyer, can you help me close all the curtains? The light from the divine tower is too dazzling, my eyes can't bear it."
"Yes! Yes!"
Kelly walked to the window with a sob, closed it and lowered the curtains.
The room suddenly became dim.
"...This way, I can complete the important message for my brother in a closed environment where no one can hear me. Although it will take them a long time to break through the Holy Land Knights and the Citizens' Volunteer Corps and enter the inner city."
Yaris's voice was as gentle as the whisper of the sea, forming a sharp contrast with the clamor and haste outside the room that was like a flame that swept everyone in.
…
…
A strange and quiet atmosphere hung over Denos.
After receiving the news of the enemy attack, all the soldiers in the city - whether they were the knights of the Holy Land responsible for the defense of Denos, members of the citizen volunteer group who had just laid down their arms yesterday, or ordinary believers with devout faith - accepted this fact extremely calmly, carried out various combat tasks in an orderly manner, and waited for the overwhelmingly powerful enemies with a desperate heart.
Ascetic monks in gray-brown robes appeared in groups in the temple square, surrounding the invincible black magicians motionlessly. There was no sadness or tension on the faces under their hoods, and their whole bodies exuded the tranquility and peace that only those who were prepared for annihilation could possess.
"Is this Master crazy?"
Maleficent couldn't help but complain.
The ascetics' calmness in the face of death and destruction made her feel uncomfortable.
"They are not crazy. They are just trying to protect the temple and their faith, and are ready to sacrifice their lives at any time."
The Seagod Priest said sarcastically, looking up at the height of the Great Temple: "For an arrogant and selfish prince, is it worth it?"
"What do you know! A monster who relies on terror and tricks to deceive and rule the people!"
Lance, whose waist was fixed firmly by the black witch's mound, cursed bitterly: "Monsters like you will never understand what is noble! What is faith! What is a great cause worth sacrificing your life for!"
"Noble? Great? Faith!"
Maleficent was enraged by Lance and snorted coldly: "I will kill you now! To fulfill your great cause!"
"bring it on!"
Lance raised his head, ready to face death.
Maleficent lifted up——
boom--
After a creepy loud noise, a humanoid monster that seemed to be made of moss and mud emerged from the ground. The monster was surrounded by layers of vine-like white, and on the top was a red eye that looked like a whirlpool.
As soon as the monster appeared, it grabbed Maleficent's chest with its slimy upper limbs, opened its mouth-like thing, and stammered: "Y-You can't kill him! He is, he is, my good friend. He is a good friend, you can't hurt him."
"nausea!"
The Black Witch cursed and tried to shatter the monster and take back Yu, but her Yu was broken at the wrist and petrified at the break.
"It's a stone man! This thing is actually a stone man living in the crater of an ocean volcano!"
"Oh, so I'm a stone man."
The stupid stone man shook his clumsy body, and the silt and moss attached to the surface of the stone splashed like raindrops onto the solid mound that trapped Lance and others, and the mound immediately turned into mud and water and scattered.
"Thanks!"
Lance was overjoyed to regain his freedom and raised his heavy sword high: "Taste my power--"
"Lord Lance!"
Squire Lenno ran out from the group of ascetics and shouted at Lance, "Your battlefield is not here! His Highness wants you to go to the outer city immediately! Command everyone to resist Edmund III's army! It might also be the lizard monster's army!"
"Understood!"
Hearing this, Lance suddenly realized and ran towards the outer city dragging his heavy sword.
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