After discussing this matter, Roland cleared his throat and said in a serious tone, "Next are the news about the devils and the ruins."
He informed Tilly about the recent discoveries behind the Snow Mountain and in the Misty Forest near Border Town, "I originally planned to send witches and First Army soldiers to bring the trapped people in the ruins back to town, but the heavy snow, which arrived more than a month early, disrupted all the plans."
"The legendary devil army is actually so close, and there are still people alive in the ruins from over four hundred years ago..." Tilly was stunned. "I'm starting to believe what you told me..."
Anna tilted her head to look at Roland, who coughed twice. "According to the observations on the scene and the reactions of the other party, the devils have been entrenched behind the Snow Mountain for many years. I guess they are limited by the range of the Red Mist and cannot continue to expand to the kingdom's mainland, so they will not pose a threat to Border Town for the time being. I will establish coastal outposts in the next two years to monitor their movements." He paused. "However, the sealed person in the ruins may hold the truth about the collapse of Taqila Holy City and the church."
"I think so too," Tilly closed her eyes and thought for a while. "Is there a way to go directly from the air without taking the land route? Ashes said you have a tool that can carry people by filling it with hot air."
"You want to bring her out of the ruins on the Day of the Demonic Moon?" Roland frowned. "The Remote Viewing hot air balloon can carry ten people, or even be made larger to accommodate fifteen, but either way, it can't carry the First Army soldiers. If we encounter devils, the witches may suffer casualties, plus the ubiquitous demonic beasts... It's too dangerous."
"If we rely solely on the Cooperative Association, it is indeed very dangerous," Tilly nodded. "But now that we have Sylvie and Ashes, the level of danger has been greatly reduced. According to your previous statement, the main attack methods of the devils are long-range spear throws and close combat with strength far exceeding ordinary people. In this regard, Sylvie's invisible barrier can block several spear throws, and Ashes can suppress enemies in close combat. Now that the Demonic Moon has just arrived, the power of the demonic beasts is not strong. If we go to the ruins, now is the best time."
Roland felt a little hesitant. The last time he fought the devils, he suffered a disadvantage in aerial combat. The thought of flying over again made him feel uneasy. However, what Tilly said made sense. Sylvie's magic eye can guarantee early detection of the enemy. As long as the hot air balloon stays at a height of ten to fifteen meters, that is, flying close to the treetops, they are confident that they can land before the enemy approaches. With Nightingale and Ashes's powerful attack capabilities, a devil squad of about ten people would be completely wiped out. Even if there are stragglers, Sylvie and Anna's dual shields can ensure the team's safety.
He pondered for a moment, "Are you really sure you want to go?"
"I think this may be an opportunity to solve the mystery," Tilly said frankly. "The early arrival of this year's Demonic Moon and the emergence of demonic beasts in the Southern Sea give me a bad feeling."
Roland felt a slight chill in his heart. He also had this feeling. The Demonic Moon was unlikely to be an anomaly caused by climate change. He vaguely felt that these were related to the devils and the church.
"Then what about the team?"
"I'm not very familiar with the witches in Border Town, but I will go there myself," Tilly said without hesitation.
...
Snowflakes danced in the gray sky as Maine and Teflun slowly ascended the Hermes city walls, which had just experienced a major battle.
Black and warm blood flowed beneath their feet, melting the white snow into a viscous slurry. Fortunately, it was all flowing from the enemies. Hundreds of God's Punishment Army soldiers stood straight on the city walls, waiting for the next wave of attacks launched by the demonic beasts.
"Bishop!" The Inquisition warriors assisting the God's Punishment Army saluted with clenched fists. Most of them looked young, with a mixture of fear and excitement in their eyes.
"They are still children," Maine said, walking to an open space and looking towards the wasteland. "When I was their age, I was still grinding flour for the noble lords in the mill."
"The God's Punishment Army must prioritize the defense of the New Holy City. I can only hand over the remnants of Wolfheart City that are still stubbornly resisting to the experienced Inquisition to clear, and these people have only recently been promoted. Before this,
they have never really been on the battlefield," Maine said helplessly. "The snow came too early."
Teflun hesitated for a moment. "There is no record of such a situation in the Holy Writings."
"The Holy Writings were also written by the Pope, so omissions are inevitable," the bishop supported himself on the cold battlements, overlooking the cliff below, which was piled with corpses. Ordinary demonic beasts could not climb such high walls. All those that could threaten the Holy City were mixed beasts. "As long as the general direction it points out is correct. Judging from the appearance of the Savage Beast last year, we have about ten years left."
"It will take two years to unify the Four Kingdoms, and then years to accumulate the God's Punishment Army. By then, the church will be able to have a huge force of over ten thousand people." He continued, "Using the solid walls and terrain of Hermes, we will hold out on this plateau until the strength of the enemy is reversed."
"I'm old, I'm afraid I won't see that time."
"It has nothing to do with age, Teflun," Maine comforted. "Too many people will not be able to see that moment, like Alan, Stone, Richie..."
"And Heather," Teflun added.
"Yes, and Heather." He nodded. "But in any case, there will be successors to inherit our mission and continue to move forward."
"Let's not talk so depressing," the old man shook his head and smiled. "By the way, how is the effect of the snow powder formula obtained by Jie Luo? Has the Secretariat District conducted tests?"
"It's a toy for dealing with mortals, it's not very helpful to the church," Maine said disdainfully. "Snow powder may be used to clear groups of demonic beasts, but our real enemies are the Abyss Devils. Its killing power in open areas is greatly reduced. If you want to make the power strong enough to injure devils wearing heavy armor, the volume must be very large. Except for the God's Punishment Army, no one can throw a snow powder pack the size of half a body."
"Is that so... What a pity."
"There is no possibility of taking shortcuts to defeat the devils," Maine said word by word. "Only by defeating them head-on can we survive."
Just then, a long horn sounded from the watchtower on one side of the city wall.
Woo—————————
One long blast, representing the arrival of demonic beasts.
"Let's go back to the Great Cathedral, there will be another battle here."
"Okay," Teflun nodded, and as soon as he turned around, the horn sounded again.
Woo——————— Woo———————
Two long blasts, meaning that there were a large number of mixed demonic beasts in the demonic beast swarm. Maine's heart trembled. There was no doubt that the God's Punishment Army would face a difficult battle next.
But... why so fast? It's only the first month of the Demonic Moon.
However, before the echo of the horn ended, the third horn sounded again, the muffled and continuous sound like thunder, rolling over Hermes, not stopping for a long time.
Woo—————————————— Woo————————————— Woo———————————————————
Maine could hardly believe his ears. He looked at Teflun, who was also looking at him with a shocked expression. Three horns meant that the situation was extremely urgent and the New Holy City was in imminent danger! Even the last time the demonic beasts broke into the outer area of the Great Cathedral, such a horn had never sounded.
What exactly did the watchman see?
Maine soon saw the answer.
Among the demonic beast swarms that surged like black tides, there were two extremely large monsters. They had four thick tusks, four legs and two hands, and were covered in jet-black fur. Just one foot was as thick as the torso of a wolf-shaped hybrid. From a distance, the giant beast looked like a mobile fortress, and every step left deep marks on the permafrost-covered plain. If the surrounding demonic beasts did not dodge in time, they would be trampled into the ground and turned into a pool of bloody mud.
It is recorded in the Holy Writings in many ways: the Bringer of Doom, the Hell Beast of Fear, the Devil's Fang... But what made Maine feel fear was not its terrifying appearance, but what it represented.
Why? His heart was completely occupied by
a terrified thought, why would a terrifying monster that the Holy Writings predicted would only appear five years before the arrival of the disaster appear in Hermes now?(。)