Chapter 130: Dawn: The Last Dream [VIP]
"Boy! Who do you think you are!"
The Black Demon was furious and grabbed Leno who suddenly appeared, intending to kill the servants to vent his anger.
Leno jumped to avoid the attack, took out a flute from his arms, and started playing it "woo woo woo".
"You are..."
Dark Demon U couldn't understand Leno's behavior.
The stone man beside him cried out in pain: "Friend, friend, are you leaving me? No! No! No! No——"
With a heart-wrenching roar, the stone slabs in the large square flew up one after another, and as if attracted by some force, they landed on the stone man in an orderly and rapid manner, arming his already tall and strong body into a giant of five meters in height.
"This is--"
The Seagod Priest gasped, "As expected of a cult that's been around for thousands of years, they still have this kind of trick up their sleeve!"
"I didn't expect you to have mastered the technique of controlling the stone men. It's a shame it's too late!"
Dark Demon U licked the broken end of his wrist, ready to fight Leno to the death.
At this moment, the ascetics surrounding the square suddenly sat down cross-legged in unison, reciting scriptures in ecstasy. The sacred power of the scriptures enveloped the square and continued to spread, trying to cover the nearby large temple!
“These people…”
The Black Demon was furious and yelled at his companions, "Come and help immediately!"
"Sorry, in order to appease the Lord's wrath and consume his power, we have unanimously decided to sacrifice you."
Edmund said slowly, taking a step back.
The "Priest of Poseidon" and the "Mentor of the Dark Night" took a step back.
In an instant, the huge sacred barrier formed by the ascetics at the cost of their lives fell on the Black Demon like a meteorite.
"You bastards!"
The Black Demon U was unwilling to give in, so he melted his body into tar and tried to devour this group of ignorant ascetics and the stone giant who was following Reiner's footsteps towards him.
"bring it on!"
…
…
"Your Highness—"
Kyliel walked into the room. "Reiner is currently commanding the Stone Giants and the Dark Demons with the help of the Ascetics. I hope this will ease your burden."
"I see."
Yaris's eyes were gentle: "How is the situation outside?"
"Most of the civilians have retreated to the basement of the temple building. Pregnant women and children under the age of twelve have entered the secret passages and will soon be able to leave Denos."
"This is a battle we have no chance of winning. All we can do is delay it as much as possible so that more people and children can be rescued."
"Your Highness, I think as long as we delay long enough, until His Majesty receives the news and leads the army back or to the area around Denos—"
"It's already the limit for Denos to hold out until sunset."
Yaris whispered.
"Your Highness..."
"Go open the curtains and the windows. I want to hear the sounds outside."
"Outside……"
Kelly choked up.
"Has the attack begun?"
"I'm sorry."
Kelly reported gloomily, "Williams led a force of about 5,000 men and suddenly appeared southeast of the outer city of Denos. Although we transferred the patients from the Charity Hospital before the attack, but, but..."
"A lot of people died?"
"Yes."
"really……"
Yaris's eyes were gloomy as he muttered, "Lance has arrived at the front line. He is an experienced commander. His command can delay more time, allowing more people to take refuge in the underground area... Pregnant women and children will also have more time to leave Denos through the secret passage..."
"Your Highness, you, you..."
"Has the box containing the message crystal been sent out?"
"Yes."
Kelly fought back tears and said, "I'll ask Lord Richard and a few young men to protect it. If nothing goes wrong, we can deliver it to His Majesty before dark tomorrow."
"It's a pity that Romila is trapped in the capital... If it was Romila... No, no, no, it absolutely cannot be Romila who delivered the message crystal... I can't let him receive the crystal before the fall of Denos. That would give him the illusion that he still has time to return, and then..."
Yaris smiled and looked out the window where screams were coming from.
"The ascetics won't be able to hold out for much longer, but I no longer have the strength to support them...Kelier, gather everyone in the Grand Temple who hasn't left yet."
"yes."
Kelly wiped his tears and walked out of the room quickly.
Yaris lowered his head, gently stroked the Love God Ring on his index finger, sighed, and whispered, "I don't know why, Denos is about to be trampled, but my heart is unusually calm. I even feel that everything happening now is a dream..."
"When did this dream begin? Was it when he and I put rings on each other's fingers in the Little Palace of Love... or when he answered my prayer and opened his eyes... or was it long, long ago... This should be the last time... In fact, it is the last dream for me..."
"I don't know why, but at this moment I'm actually starting to miss it..."
"Your Highness!"
One squire runs an army!"
"Many people?"
“It’s not a large number of people, but…”
"But what?"
"More than half of the members are lizard monsters up to three meters tall!"
"Um."
Yaris nodded: Some. "
what? "
"It's terrible,
"What about the Grand Plaza?"
"The ascetics have already..."
The servant did not continue speaking, his tears said it all.
"I see."
Yaris sighed and said to his attendants, "Notify everyone that the civilians in the area of responsibility can leave the battlefield after completing the evacuation. Don't make unnecessary sacrifices. This is not a situation they can handle!"
"But……"
"You too, leave now that you've been notified."
Yaris said quietly: "Only by living can there be a future."
“I, I…”
The servant wiped his tears and ran out.
Yaris stayed alone in the bedroom that had not been affected by the war so far, listening to the continuous sounds outside - the whistling of the army, the sound of cavalry horses' hooves, the crackling of flames burning in the temple, the screams of the dying, the cries of pain... and gradually closed his eyes.
…
…
"Lord Lance!"
Hearing the familiar shout, Lance turned around and saw the servant: "Why are you coming to me instead of staying with His Highness?"
"His Highness said that once the civilians in the area have completed their evacuation, the army can leave on its own. This is not a war we can handle..."
"What did you say!"
Lance was angry: "How could he——"
"Lord Lance..."
"Who else is around His Highness now?"
"Keliel is gathering all the living people in the Great Temple. I will return soon. We all swear to give our lives for His Highness!"
At this point, the attendant bit his lip in embarrassment. "Although His Highness said that his life would not be in danger even if he was captured, we feel that His Highness should not fall into their hands no matter what... I would like to ask Lord Lance to forcibly take His Highness away from Denos."
"I'll go with you."
Lance nodded without hesitation and said to the deputy commander beside him: "After completing the mission of assisting the retreat, you will-"
"I will defend to the death!"
The deputy commander gritted his teeth and said, "My family has died in the capital. Even if everyone leaves, I will stay!"
"Okay, let's meet up for a drink underground!"
Lance raised his hand, patted the deputy commander's shoulder, and said to the people who were receiving simple bandages in the makeshift trench, "You all heard the conversation just now. Those who want to leave can leave at any time, and no one is allowed to stop you!"
After saying that, without waiting for anyone's response, Lance followed his attendants out of the war zone, entered the inner city through the secret passage, and prepared for the final battle.
…
…
"Your Highness Yaris!"
The servant led Lance into the bedroom.
Yaris looked up, and when he saw Lance, he was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Are you going to take me away by force?"
"It's a terrible situation out there."
Lance spoke quickly, "Whether it's the Holy Land Knights, the Citizen Volunteer Corps, or the civilians and former mercenaries who were temporarily armed, everyone... Fortunately, the women, children, the elderly, and the sick have been successfully evacuated, and the messengers sent to the surrounding areas to request reinforcements have also... However... the battle line could collapse at any time, and the ascetics in the square..."
"I know."
Yaris smiled calmly: "I knew from the beginning that resistance would fail, but I still ask you to organize resistance, because only by organizing resistance and delaying time can more civilians be evacuated safely... even if the price is that when the sun rises tomorrow, Denos no longer exists in this world..."
"As long as the tower is still there, Denos can rebuild it at any time!"
"Yes, Denos can be rebuilt at any time. You should leave quickly and participate in the reconstruction of Denos in the future."
"Aren't you leaving?"
Lance asked.
Yaris shook his head: "I won't leave, I want to stay here——"
"That won't do! I must ensure your safety! This is a joint order from my two masters!"
As he spoke, Lance strode towards Yaris: "Your Highness, please forgive my mistake--"
"If I wanted to be safe, I could go to the ninth floor of the God Tower, but I chose to stay because I have something I must do."
Yaris looked at Lance sternly. "Whether you understand my choice or not, please respect my orders! If you don't want to leave, take those who also refuse to leave and guard the underground entrance to prevent the enemy from entering the underground area and killing the civilians hiding there!"
"Your Highness—"
“Please!”
"yes!"
Realizing that this might be a once-in-a-lifetime meeting, Lance gripped the sword with both hands, made a gesture similar to an oath, and then walked out of the bedroom with gritted teeth.
The bedroom fell into silence again.
The attendant looked at Yaris with sobs: "Your Highness, please forgive me——"
"I know you made this decision because you love me, so I don't blame you. I'm just sad that you're about to lose your life because of this..."
Yaris sighed and looked out the window at the large square.
There are only a few ascetics left, and the barrier they have been maintaining with all their might is about to collapse.
"Finally, everything is coming to an end."
…
“Ahhh…Ah!”
The bloody fight was coming to an end. With the fall of the last ascetic monk, the barrier covering the square was completely shattered.
The stone giant with the red eyes on its head was already crumbling, but it still used its stone body to tightly grasp the whole body of the Black Demon. Leno, who was sitting on the stone giant, did not move with his eyes closed, as if he had lost consciousness.
"Die! You bunch of—"
"My friend said, 'We can't defeat you, but we will take you away... We will definitely take you away...'"
The stone giant opened his mouth and spoke in a stuttering voice.
"Xiaobai, don't be afraid, we will always be together."
Leno, who was sitting on the stone giant, also opened his eyes at this time. He was very young, and his eyes were very clear, exuding the divinity of martyrdom.
"It's time to end it."
Leno clasped his hands together, a sacred object wrapped around them.
"Gods! Please strike me with divine punishment and take us and our enemies away!"
"——Are you, are you crazy?!"
The Black Demon let out a sharp cry, and his body tried to turn into tar to break free from the stone man's control.
However, the mysterious creature that gave the stone man life, which appeared as white vines, had already gradually infiltrated the black magician's body during the battle, tightly binding the black magician's body and the stone man's body together. No matter how the black magician struggled, he could not break free.
Realizing he was about to face true death, the Dark Demon roared at his "companions," "You bastards! Sacrifice me to please your enemies!"
"Rest in peace. I will miss you."
Edmund said expressionlessly.
Crash——
An extremely thick beam of light suddenly struck down, hitting Leno who triggered the light beam, the stone giant under Leno, and the black magician held tightly in the arms of the stone giant, and they all turned into salt stone pillars.
"So this is divine punishment."
Edmund whispered softly, looking towards the Great Temple which no longer had any power.
…
…
At the same time when the Dark Demon U was struck by divine punishment, Williams, who was commanding the army to cut into Denos from the southeast, was riding his horse triumphantly through the outer city littered with corpses, and stepped into the inner city filled with temples, shrines, and palaces and villas donated by royal nobles from various countries.
This religious city planned and built with the sacred tower and the great temple as its center was so beautiful and dignified that Williams, who led his army into the inner city, felt like he was walking in a beautiful dream.
"I can't believe that someone like me can actually ride into the inner city of Dinos on horseback."
Williams muttered loudly, looking around with great curiosity.
The soldiers at this moment behaved in an unprecedented manner - most of them were believers of the Two Gods religion, and they did not dare to plunder the holy city in the name of war, for fear of being punished by God afterwards.
In fact, they had already felt uneasy deep down in their hearts as early as when they fought against the Knights of the Holy Land.
(Why? Why are we fighting the Holy Land Knights?)
(Didn’t they say that the attack on Denos was to recapture His Highness Yaris who was kidnapped by the rebels?!)
(Could it be that the Holy Land Knights have also become rebels? But...)
(What are we doing... why...)
(Is this really okay? Aren’t our enemies the rebels?)
But no one dared to speak out their inner doubts.
They were afraid of the lizard monster that was at least three meters tall and was fighting with them under the emperor's order, and they were afraid of the emperor who was becoming more and more mysterious and brutal!
(Perhaps... His Highness Yaris is not crazy, nor is he talking nonsense...)
(Our emperor has truly become a monster. In the name of saving His Majesty Yaris, he ordered us to trample on the Holy City...)
(I don't know what exactly happened, but I think I should leave the army after this battle...)
(I can't stand this kind of thing...)
The soldiers looked up at Williams on horseback and the great temple and the glittering ziggurat in the distance, their eyes filled with suspicion, fear, and a strong sense of uneasiness about the future.
Williams sensed the soldiers' hesitation but decided not to take any action.
Because he had similar thoughts in his mind.
"Report--"
The messenger came running: "Enemy attack appears!"
"Enemy attack? Even at this point, are there still rebels seeking death?"
Williams let out a bravado laugh.
"Yes, and there are rebels..."
The messenger's expression was strange, almost tinged with unease. "Only a handful of the newly emerged rebels are wearing armor. The rest are monks and civilians, including men, women, and the elderly. Some even carry walking sticks... They're running out of temples large and small, gathering at the Grand Temple, ready to defend the city of Denos to the death..."
"What did you say!"
Williams gasped.
As an army commander, he should have been happy to hear that the enemy was a group of monks and civilians with no combat experience who could be easily crushed by the army. However, after hearing the messenger's report, his body trembled, and a fear too strong to ignore surged in his heart.
Why! Why have they reached this point? What is it that sustains these rebels? What is it that they are willing to sacrifice their lives to protect and believe in?
(Could it be that... we are the ones who are wrong? We are supporting evil...)
(No! No! Impossible! We can’t be wrong! We, we…)
"Sir, should we also go to the Great Temple?"
The herald asked cautiously, his voice trembling and his eyes without light.
“I, I…”
Williams thought for a long time and hesitantly said, "Don't worry about the Great Temple. Our mission is to control the inner city of Denos!"
Hearing this, the soldiers breathed a sigh of relief.
For them, who had received professional training, were fully armed and had the advantage in numbers, even the Holy Land Knights responsible for guarding Denos were not a difficult enemy to deal with. The remnants of the soldiers, monks and civilians gathered in the square at this moment could be easily defeated.
Yet they are not beasts ignorant of honor.
The more they understood the fragility of the "rebels" gathered at the Great Temple, the more easily they were shocked by their fearless bravery.
Moreover, deep down in their hearts, they had already begun to doubt their emperor...
…
…
Snap! Snap!
The sound of neat and rough footsteps mixed with the sound of horse hooves rang out in the square in front of the great temple. A terrifying army, mainly composed of lizard monsters over three meters tall, was gathering.
The people gathered in front of the Great Temple looked at the terrifying enemy from another world and cried out in despair.
"We will never surrender!"
"The gods will protect us!"
"Protect the holy land! Protect His Highness!"
"The Divine Tower will record everything that happens at this moment!"
…
They knew they had no chance of winning, and they also knew clearly that they should not disobey orders and run out of their hiding area to fight these invincible monsters, but -
Rather than hiding in the underground area and watching the enemy break into the Grand Temple through the cracks, trample on the beautiful holy land, and take away the sacred bloodline, they would rather be destroyed along with the city!
“Is this your enlightenment?”
"Edmund" narrowed his eyes fiercely and looked at everything in front of him with mockery.
"You surprise me. You have no weapons, no formation, and few of you have even received proper military training, yet you still want to block my way!"
"Your Majesty, do not underestimate these people. Although they are weak and can be easily crushed, they will never surrender and can only be eliminated."
The Poseidon Priest made an indescribable sound: “I’m not kidding.”
"Yeah?"
Edmund sneered.
He acknowledged that these people possessed unwavering faith and unconquerable loyalty, but unfortunately, in the face of the absolute power of the war machine, their lives were as humble as roadside weeds.
"Faith can't be turned into a weapon to help you defeat your enemies, right?"
“This…ah…”
The "Night Priest" looked up and looked at the "rebels" opposite him, whose faces were full of fear and most of them only had kitchen knives or even crutches in their hands but still did not retreat a single step. He also looked at the majestic alien army next to him, which was mainly composed of lizard monsters, and felt extremely surprised.
(These people are so weak and will die soon, so why are they acting so brave? Don’t they care about their lives?)
(What supports them? Why do they...?)
This shocking scene made his heart beat uncontrollably!
…
An eerie silence fell over the square strewn with corpses.
Edmund raised his hand and gave the order: "Break through the defenses head-on and enter the Grand Temple! Kill everyone who stands in your way, but don't touch Yaris! I emphasize that no one can kill Yaris or give him the chance to commit suicide! He must be kept alive!"
"Yes, sir!"
"If possible, try not to destroy the Great Temple! Okay, the attack begins!"
Following these words, the army led by the lizard monster roared and launched an all-out charge, killing them ferociously like a beast pouncing on a lamb!
"ah!"
“Don’t retreat!”
“Wow—”
"Long live the motherland! Long live the gods!"
“…”
The people gathered in the Great Temple let out terrible screams.
Their resistance was doomed to be futile from the beginning, but none of them chose to retreat. Like ants, they resolutely and desperately used their lives to block the enemy's attack. Even those without weapons fought with their hands, teeth, and bodies...
The lizard monsters were stunned.
These weak humans seemed to be unaware of pain and fear, desperately rushing over to grab their legs, pull their tails, and bite their hands, even if the price was that they would be ruthlessly thrown away by their strong bodies the next moment, and their bodies would be smashed against the walls and floor of the great temple, causing their brains to burst and blood to spurt out!
(Why! Why!)
The "Dark Night Mentor" stared at the hellish scene in front of him with wide eyes. Blood formed a river and continued to flow out of the great temple with broken corpses and flowed to his feet.
(…Why do I feel pain when I look at these things… Ah! I, I… I remember!)
(I am not His slave!)
(I am the "Dark Night Mentor," the leader of the world's three greatest magicians. I was plotted against by Him, lost my mind, and became His puppet...)
(You actually want to enslave me...)
The "Dark Night Mentor" gradually regained his consciousness and held the wand tightly in his hand.
…
On the other hand, the one-sided massacre continues.
"Edmund" walked intoxicatedly along the corridor covered with blood and body parts, heading towards Yaris's bedroom.
Sudden--
"demon!"
The young servant rushed out from the corner with a sword in hand and tried to attack Edmund, but was thrown into the pile of lizard monsters by Him.
"ah!"
After a heartbreaking scream, the servant's body was torn to pieces by the lizard monster.
However, the next second, more servants rushed out!
"—Protect His Highness!"
"So he's nearby, right?"
Edmund licked his fingers excitedly, and tore away the servants who were blocking his way with each hand. He grabbed the youngest servant by the neck and said, "Lead the way!"
"Don't even think about it!"
The boy, who was no more than fifteen years old, roared and tried with all his strength to stab the dagger in his hand into Edmund's body.
"hateful!"
"Edmund" tightened his fingers, and the young servant's head instantly separated from his body.
"What a bunch of fools who are not afraid of death."
Muttering, "Edmund" continued to move forward, shouting as he walked.
"Yaris, have you already hidden in the divine tower?! In order to buy time to enter the divine tower, you let the people of the entire city die for you! You are indeed the most selfish and self-righteous lord in the world!"
"His Majesty--"
A soft voice sounded from the front.
Edmund narrowed his eyes and looked at the source: "Who are you?"
"I am His Highness's chief attendant, Kelly. His Highness has ordered me to take you to see him, on the condition that you stop the massacre and spare everyone."
Kelly spoke calmly, a proper smile on his face and a decorative dagger at his waist.
"If you refuse, you will never be able to see His Highness, including the corpse."
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