……
Icy rain drifted, diluting the bloody stench in the Holy City. Ailexiya leaned on her greatsword, breathing heavily.
She wasn't participating in the Battle of Hermes Defense Line for the first time, but she never thought the New Holy City might fall one day.
The city wall was completely done for.
Ailexiya had never seen such a terrifying monster. The giant insectoid hybrid beast shot out from the ground, its body pressed against the glacier cliffs, its bony claws embedded in the wall like barbs, climbing step by step to the top of the city wall, while its body was not completely exposed on the ground.
If it was just a huge body, that would be fine, but no one expected that the monster would open its bloody mouth and spit out a large pile of hybrid evil beasts, and the city wall exploded instantly.
The originally orderly team was shattered by the impact of the evil beasts, and Ailexiya's vanguard camp of the Inquisition was also divided. She watched helplessly as her comrades were swallowed by the evil beasts, but she was powerless. Warm human blood and the black blood of the monsters mixed together, flowing along the cracks in the stone slabs.
Along with the sound of the retreat horn, the catapults installed in the Holy City were also activated, and half-person-high granite blocks fell from the sky, completely disregarding the fact that there were still many of their own people and royal army on the city head.
Ailexiya only remembered that a boulder hit Captain Dikato, who was guarding her side. After she got up from the ground, she saw that he and his armor had been embedded in the cracked and recessed stone slab. His body was like a piece of parchment full of wrinkles, and his intestines flowed out of the cracks in his abdomen, and steaming blood formed a small puddle under him.
If she hadn't jumped away before the stone landed, she would probably have ended up like him, she thought.
As for how she finally broke through the encirclement and retreated to the bottom of the city wall, Ailexiya couldn't remember clearly. There were screams and curses everywhere. Everyone waved their weapons and slashed wildly, not knowing whether they were fighting the evil beasts or killing their companions.
Of the Inquisition army of more than a hundred people, only twelve survived, including herself.
"What's next, Captain!"
"Captain Ailexiya!"
Ailexiya suddenly came back to her senses. According to the regulations of the Inquisition, if the captain is killed in battle, the vice-captain should take over the captain's position and lead the team to continue fighting.
She bit her lip tightly until a metallic taste filled her mouth. "We're going to the north gate of the Holy City. If the evil beasts want to attack the New Holy City, they must pass through there." This order meant giving up all the residential areas between the city wall and the inner city, but she had no choice. No place was more important than the central church—Hermes Cathedral.
And there was one more thing she didn't say. The glacier cliffs couldn't stop these monsters, so what role could she and the remaining eleven play?
Perhaps today was the day she dedicated herself to the kingdom of heaven. May you be merciful, she prayed in her heart, while shouting, "The Inquisition will never give up! Let's go!"
"The Inquisition will never give up!" the others shouted in unison.
The twelve people lined up in a column and trotted all the way to the north gate. The sound of fighting in the city wall area gradually weakened and eventually disappeared in the sound of wind and rain.
After arriving at the north gate, Ailexiya saw that many Inquisition soldiers had gathered in front of the drawbridge. It seemed that everyone had the same idea, which made her feel a little better.
However, at this critical moment, the drawbridge was lowered. Ailexiya frowned and walked to a handsome warrior in the red robe of the Grand Inquisitor. She made a fist and saluted: "Grand Inquisitor, I am the captain of the fourth squad of the vanguard camp, Ailexiya. Kuiyin!"
"I am Take. Tuoer, the person in charge of the defense of the north gate. Thank you for your hard work," the man nodded and said, "We have set up a hospital behind the north gate. If there are wounded in your team, you can send them there."
"Sir, I don't understand, why not raise the drawbridge at this time? The evil beasts on the city wall may swarm in at any time, we must ensure that the inner city is not lost."
"Calm down, Captain, I know that you and your team are not afraid of sacrifice, but unnecessary sacrifices are meaningless. The church is far from the final moment," he reached out and wiped the rain from his forehead. "Go to the assembly point and wait for orders. If the Cold Dispelling Pill is used up, remember to ask the quartermaster for it."
After the Grand Inquisitor said this, Ailexiya realized that she was terribly cold. After leaving the battlefield, the sweat on her body mixed with the cold rain, almost freezing her whole body in the ice. The biting cold wind blew on her face, and she couldn't help shivering.
She took out the sheepskin bag in her underwear pocket and shook it into her palm, but only some viscous liquid flowed out. It seemed that she had accidentally crushed the pill during the battle. She sighed, raised her head, and found that a brownish-red Cold Dispelling Pill had been handed to her.
"Take mine first," Take. Tuoer smiled at her, "You can pay me back later."
Ailexiya was not polite. She took the pill, crushed it, and swallowed it. "Maybe we won't have another chance to eat this stuff."
"Yeah, that would be pretty good," Take actually nodded in agreement, "This thing is really too unpalatable."
As soon as he finished speaking, a strong stench rushed up from Ailexiya's stomach. Even the battlefield full of corpses would not emit such a nauseating smell. She felt that what she had eaten was not a pill, but a mass of rotten flesh. The unbearable sourness and numbness kept surging from her abdomen to her whole body. The cold suddenly receded, followed by a scorching warm current flowing along her blood vessels. Her body temperature gradually recovered, and the frozen sweat began to slip again. White gas rose from the top of her head, and her numb toes regained their feeling.
"But not today," Seeing her take the Cold Dispelling Pill, the Grand Inquisitor waved his hand and said, "The God's Punishment Army is rushing from the Cathedral, and the evil beasts will not be able to pass through the north gate. Take your people to the assembly point, and remember to check their pills. Don't be like you, only to find out that you don't have any when you need them."
God's Punishment Army, the most elite troops in the hands of the church! Ailexiya had heard of it for a long time, but had never seen it with her own eyes. But... even if the God's Punishment Army is as powerful as the rumors say, they are still human beings after all. With this body, no matter how hard they train, it is impossible to easily defeat a large group of hybrid evil beasts.
But since the Grand Inquisitor said so, she had no choice but to take the eleven team members away from the north gate and head towards the assembly point in the west.
Hundreds of Inquisition soldiers who had retreated had gathered here. They stood in the rain in twos and threes, letting the rain flow over their faces. Some even sat directly on the ground, looking listless. Only a small number of people were still standing in neat ranks, waiting for the enemy that might appear at any time.
If it were a few days ago, Ailexiya would have stood up and scolded them, but now, she was also at a loss. Countless compatriots were buried here in order to build this New Holy City. It can be said that every brick and tile here condenses the blood of believers and the Inquisition. The bishop often said that occupying Hermes is equivalent to possessing the kingdom of God on earth.
But today, the kingdom of God seems to be about to fall into the clutches of demons.
"The evil beasts are coming!" someone yelled, "Prepare to meet the enemy!"
Ailexiya cheered up, raised her greatsword, stared at the black shadows rapidly approaching in the sky, and shouted loudly: "For Hermes!"
"—For the New Holy City!"