Meien stood on an arched hillside, gazing at the city in the distance.
The last time he came, Wolfheart City was not at all like it is now. Its walls were built of snow stone from the Eternal Winter Kingdom, clean and white, like the newly grown teeth of a wolf. In just three months, it had completely changed its appearance. Damaged areas were filled with local black boulders, and places that could not be repaired in time were covered with wooden frames and baffles. Flowing blood soaked into the stone crevices, staining it with a brownish-red hue.
From a distance, the current city walls looked rough and covered in dirt, like the teeth of an old wolf weathered by the wind and frost. But compared to before, it looked more like the fangs of a predator. Only after tearing prey would it be even more terrifying.
The Church's army was stationed about five miles outside Wolfheart City. In order to prevent the Aqua Queen from dividing her forces to attack the Old Holy City, the scale of this operation was actually smaller than the last one. The Judgment Army and the supply train each had five thousand men, and the God's Punishment Army numbered around a hundred. But with the top-secret siege weapons and the Purified, Meien had full confidence in conquering this old wolf's lair.
"Bishop, the siege beasts are in place and ready to attack at any time," a cleric ran to the top of the slope and reported to him.
"What about the Purified who control them?"
"They are also ready."
Meien raised his telescope to observe the position of the siege beasts. He saw two huge steel beasts lying in the fields two miles away from the royal city, surrounded by baffles on both sides and covered with grass sheds on top. It was difficult to perceive the bizarre shape of this weapon without looking closely.
Moving his gaze forward, he saw the God's Punishment Army lined up. They were all transformed from the most devout believers of the Church, standing motionless in the autumn wind. Only enemies who had fought them knew the terrifying power of these extraordinary warriors. Unfortunately, they could not act independently and had to fight according to the orders issued by the commanders. These commanders never appeared publicly in the Church and also disguised themselves as members of the God's Punishment Army during combat, mixed in the ranks. Apart from the three archbishops and the Pope, no one knew their true identities.
"Very good," Meien nodded with satisfaction. "Return to your position and wait for the attack horn to sound."
"Yes, sir."
Next were His Holiness the Pope's Purified.
He couldn't help but frown when he thought of the two witches. They were completely different from the other witches raised by the Church. Even during military operations, they still went their own way. If it were his own Purified, they would definitely be punished with lashes, but they had the same rank as the bishop in the Church, and Meien could not order them. His Holiness the Pope had only sent two Purified to assist him in combat, not to obey his commands.
However, he also understood that it was necessary to use their power to completely eradicate the hidden dangers.
The bishop walked down the hillside and arrived at a tent on the outskirts of the camp. He lifted the curtain, and as expected, the tent was empty.
"Where are Jie Luo and Isabella?" he asked the Judgment Army guarding the door.
"The two adults are interrogating prisoners and should be on the east side of the camp now," the latter replied. "There is a flat open space there, and you can see it if you walk over. Do you need me to call them over?"
If you could call them, I wouldn't be here myself. And another prisoner game... Aren't they tired of it yet? Meien said with a sullen face, "No need, I'll go take a look."
...
He quickly found the place the guard had mentioned.
He saw two women standing in the center of the open space. One was leaning forward, whispering something into the ears of three prisoners with their hands tied behind their backs. Her expression was gentle and focused, and her long white hair and the corners of her robe danced in the wind, like a flawless elf. The other woman had an amazing figure and golden curly hair, and she occasionally let out crisp and pleasant laughter.
"Have the Judgment Army members around who are watching immediately leave this place," Meien instructed the Judgment Captain who was serving as his guard. "The people responsible for guarding the prisoners are also the same, tell them not to worry about this."
"Yes, sir."
The blonde witch also noticed the movement here. She greeted her partner and then walked over quickly.
"Bishop," she bowed slightly. "Why did you drive away all the audience? The trial is about to begin."
"Ms. Isabella," he nodded in return. "A full-scale attack on Wolfheart City is about to begin. There is no point in interrogating prisoners at this time, and these people are just scouts caught along the way and know very little information. If possible, I hope you and Jie Luo can go to the front line immediately."
"Don't worry, since we're here, it's impossible for us to let go of an important enemy," Isabella spread her hands. "As for the trial... I can't stop her. Why don't you act as an audience member, it won't take long anyway."
"The same as before?"
"Yes, the rules are basically the same," she smiled. "Jie Luo loves this game the most."
"Then let's start quickly." Damn it, Meien's face was expressionless, but he was furious in his heart. Calling it a trial game was not as appropriate as calling it cat and mouse. The prisoners had to escape the area designated by the other party or defeat the witch to gain a chance of survival. But this chance was extremely slim, just bait to lure the mice to fight desperately. It seemed easy to do, but it was actually out of reach.
His intention in dispersing the Judgment Army responsible for protecting and monitoring the Purified was also this. This process was not fair or just at all, and the other party's behavior was not related to purity at all. Seeing too much of it would probably shake their faith in the Church.
After he took over as Pope, he would definitely teach them the importance of obeying orders.
At this time, Jie Luo had untied the ropes on the prisoners and spread her hands at the same time, indicating that she was not carrying any weapons. In front of the prisoners were a long sword, a scimitar, and a light crossbow.
"Come on, fight or run, follow your heart," she said with a smile, her tone still gentle. "Only God can make a judgment."
One of them gritted his teeth and suddenly picked up the crossbow from the ground, shooting it directly at the Purified who was close at hand. Then, regardless of whether he hit her or not, he grabbed the long sword with his other hand and slashed forward. The whole movement was done in one go, obviously not something a militiaman could do.
However, the blade did not cut anything. The Purified took two steps back and easily avoided the surprise attack. When he looked up, he couldn't help but be stunned. He saw that the crossbow bolt was being bitten in the other party's mouth, like holding a harmless twig.
Jie Luo spat out the crossbow bolt and smiled. "Please continue."
The prisoner's eyes widened, and his hands trembled slightly. Meien could see that the courage he had finally gathered was running out. Even if he continued to fight, he would probably only have one last strike left.
Sure enough, after hesitating for a moment, he roared like he was venting and charged towards the unarmed woman with his sword.
But this strike was too stiff. Even with his eyes closed, Meien could guess the result. In the short half a month of contact with Jie Luo, this Purified's ability was simply unfathomable. She was not an extraordinary person, but she had a fighting talent that was no less than that of an extraordinary witch. This talent was not in strength or resistance to blows, but in superb skills.
Even without using magic power, she was a terrible enough warrior.
Jie Luo leaned her body slightly to easily avoid the opponent's chop. Then, her seemingly weak hands clamped the prisoner's head and gently pulled, using his forward momentum. Only a light click was heard, and the other party collapsed as if his bones had been removed from his body.
She turned her head and looked at the remaining two. "It's your turn next."
...(Jiu Ai Net)