4th of May.
Outside of Lennaz Canyon, Bard Sentry Post.
As it was only about a hundred kilometers away from the Holy Cathedral, all the sentry posts in the nearby territories were under the control of the Rose Cross. The authority of the feudal lords was greatly weakened by the theocracy here. However, many nobles had to rely on the Rose Cross for their income, so they had no right to be picky in military matters. Thus, they acquiesced to such a situation.
As the last checkpoint outside of the Briar Forest, the number of soldiers at Bard Sentry Post was always more than two hundred. They were well-equipped and could easily deal with small groups of heretics.
But today … they suffered an unprecedented blow.
The soldiers gathered together and coordinated with the cavalry in front of them to launch an assault. However, what came in front of them was a large group of "Shadow Guards" covered in purplish black smoke. The priests' divine spells were almost completely ineffective. After the rumbling sound, the soldiers of the Rose Cross were instantly thrown off their horses. What happened next was a one-sided massacre. The dozens of "Shadow Guards" who were more than two meters tall were holding purple swords. They dealt with the knights of the Holy Cathedral with each strike. In just a few minutes, the small sentry post was completely flattened.
"Purify all heretics!"
Bishop Goethe, who was dressed in a black robe, suddenly raised the scepter in his hand. A sudden burst of shadow power instantly covered the entire sentry post, causing spikes to appear on the body of the 'Shadow Guards', and their bodies suddenly became three times stronger …
Hundreds of soldiers of the Rose Cross were killed almost without any resistance. The entire battle from start to end only took a short fifteen minutes. When everything was over, Bishop Goethe, who stood in the ruins, did not show much satisfaction. Instead, he frowned and looked at the "Viper's Kiss" scepter in his hand.
"This shouldn't have happened …"
As the Cardinal Bishop of the "Viper Cross", Goethe's strength was ranked first in the church. According to the player classification, he had already advanced to level 35. He was a powerful figure who had crossed the first threshold.
Goethe's understanding of Shadow Spells was much better than Snake Fang Gallup's, but the more it was so, the more disappointed he was with the legendary "scepter" in his hand.
It was indeed powerful. The shadow element it contained was far more than all the scepters Goethe had come into contact with in the past, but this seemed to be the only advantage it had. Other than that, this scepter did not show any characteristics that a "divine artifact" should have. Goethe could feel the faint "will" contained within the scepter, but it had been in a "deep sleep" for a few days after the seal was broken, and it did not have any intention of communicating with him.
In other words, this scepter was just a tool that could amplify the power of magic. It was completely inconsistent with the Pope's initial description …
"Do we still need more time?"
Grasping the scepter tightly, Goethe closed his eyes and carefully felt the power within the scepter. He immediately realized that after the battle, the energy contained in the Viper's Kiss did not decrease. Instead, it had increased.
This discovery alleviated the discomfort in Goethe's heart. In any case, the feeling of power when he held the scepter was indeed something he had never felt before. He took a deep breath and then asked the subordinate beside him, "How is the team in Briar Forest?"
"Sir, we just received news that all the platoons have arrived at their predetermined positions and are awaiting orders."
Goethe nodded and raised his eyes to look at the sun above his head. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Get to the battlefield before the sixth. We will leave after we settle things here."
"Everything will proceed according to plan."
*****
5th May.
The heavy rain in Briar Forest had finally stopped.
"Report the damage."
"Roy is here!"
"Bart is here!"
"Charlton is here!"
…
Voices came from all around. After confirming that there were no casualties in the team, Sally finally heaved a sigh of relief and leaned weakly against a tree trunk.
This should be the largest battle that had occurred in the past few days. Although the 'Viper Cross' had made it seem as though they were retreating, in reality, there were still a few suicidal teams in the forest. Although their battle strength was not considered strong, their suicidal attacks had caused a lot of trouble for the 'Rose Cross' teams.
If it was two or three months ago, Sally was confident that she could handle this kind of battle skillfully and easily, but at this moment, she felt an indescribable exhaustion from the bottom of her heart. The conditions in the forest were too harsh, and the lack of sufficient rest, the continuous high-intensity battles, terrible food supplies, and various other factors made Sally realize that this team had basically reached the critical point of their bodies and willpower.
They needed rest, not to continue fighting.
"How many days do we have left with the supplies?"
"Captain Sally, there is only one day's worth of food left. The supplies that should have been delivered two days ago have not arrived."
"Got it." Sally furrowed her brows and tucked her messy and wet hair behind her ear. Two months ago, it would have been impossible for the supplies to be late. But now, the small teams were scattered all over the forest, and the supply line was too long. Similar situations often happened, and complaining was useless. She could only try her best to think of a solution. "Reduce the food rations by one-third and wait for orders from the higher-ups."
Sally's face was very pale. When a team member came over to ask if she was feeling unwell, she shook her head and said that she was fine. In the simple tent, she took out a map and confirmed her current position. Sally called for her adjutant and asked, "Did the flanks not fully extend their reconnaissance?"
"According to reports, they only carried out a small reconnaissance within a two-kilometer radius because the frontline reconnaissance reported that the enemy's main force had all left the forest …"
"What kind of logic is that? Don't tell me that if the enemy's main force left, the flanks won't have anyone left? "
Sally complained in a low voice. But she also understood that this arrangement was basically done by Bishop Mograine. He was not a general who was good at leading troops into battle. Now that he was' remotely 'commanding such a large battle, it was normal for him to not be able to attend to many things. But although this' negligence 'seemed insignificant, in Sally's eyes, it was not something that could be ignored.
She had witnessed her father's battle and had even followed Roddy through small-scale ambushes and escaped from the enemy's pursuit. She knew that any 'detail' could change the outcome of a battle.
"Roy, Bart, the two of you take some men with you and scout the perimeter of the entire team. Extend the range to ten kilometers."
"Captain, isn't this …"
"Meddling in other people's business?" Sally shook her head and said in a low voice, "I know this order is not appropriate, but there are people who do not care about our lives. We can only cherish it ourselves … Bring enough food and set off now."
"Yes, Captain!"
Sally's performance over the past few months had already convinced the team members, so two soldiers immediately went to make preparations. A few minutes later, a soldier on the other side came back with Mograine's latest order.
"Start the decisive battle outside the forest on the seventh?"
Sally stood up and narrowed her eyes. "The soldiers are in poor condition. They are not fit for battle at all. How can they fight the enemy head-on two days later?"
She knew that complaining was useless. The soldier who passed the order had a grim expression on his face. He said in a low voice, "Captain, perhaps Lord Mograine thinks that the enemy has no ability to resist …"
"Perhaps? The enemy may have set up a trap for us to jump into. There can't be any flukes in war. Otherwise, we won't even know how we died. "Sally sighed and asked," What about our reserve troops? Are there no reinforcements? "
"I heard that it's in Perth Town. The decisive battle this time did not mention them. Perhaps …"
He opened his mouth and looked at Sally's increasingly gloomy face. In the end, he did not say anything.
"Go and report. Just say that I understand. The team will arrive at the rendezvous point."
Sally sighed and turned to walk into the distance. Her figure slowly disappeared into the shadows of the trees.
*****
The battle in Brill Forest was coming to an end. Just as the final battle was about to begin, Cardinal Mograine, who was in the 'Holy Cathedral', did not care about this matter at all. He was more concerned about a piece of news that his subordinate had just reported …
"Roddy? What is he doing here? "
"He met up with Rubens in the inner city and left last night. His exact whereabouts are unknown. The people who followed him lost track of him after leaving the city …"
Mograine found this news very strange. The name 'Roddy' was just a symbol in his eyes. It represented Rubens' laughable plan and naive delusion. As for everything else, he did not feel the slightest 'threat'.
They were not on the same level. What 'threat' was there?
He shook his head and said, "Maybe Rubens is desperate. Pay attention to his movements. He won't have anything to say after this battle."
After giving the order, he felt that it was not very appropriate. He added, "Arrange for him to come see me once. I want to hear his opinion carefully."
This was, of course, a polite greeting. As for whether it was' listening to his opinion 'or slapping his opponent in the face, it was still unknown.
As for that Roddy, Mograine had already thrown him to the back of his mind … In any case, such a character would not affect his plans.
*****
Just as these thoughts popped up in Mograine's mind, in Perth Town, east of Brill Forest, the 'Rose Cross' reserve team, who were resting and reorganizing, suddenly received an urgent order.
"Prepare for battle and set off? But … "
The commander-in-chief of the reserve team was a parish bishop. At this moment, he was holding the letter with Bishop Mograine's signature in a daze. Why did they change the military order in the afternoon when they just received news that they did not need to participate in the possible decisive battle with the seventh?
"There are no 'buts'. This is Lord Mograine's order. If you choose to refuse, I will report it as it is."
The priest who came to deliver the letter was dressed in a blue and white robe. His face looked a little pale, but his expression was very calm, as if he was doing business according to the law.
"I … I will naturally follow your orders." After staring at each other for a moment, the bishop chose to compromise. He turned his head and ordered his subordinates, "All platoon leaders, assemble immediately. I want to see all the teams appear on the drill grounds within an hour!"
He turned his head and was about to speak when he looked into the sky in surprise. "What is that?"
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