Tucker and Thor climbed the thick walls of the new Holy City and slowly walked to the mottled battlements.
This was probably the most tranquil Months of the Demons that the Stronghold had experienced since its establishment.
In order to resist the attacks of demonic beasts, no matter how heavy the snow was, there would be people cleaning and deicing. Therefore, the city wall always maintained its unique blue-gray color, which was particularly eye-catching against the white background. But now, he left a series of footprints in the flat snow.
There were no potholes on the stone pavement, and there were no bloodstains in the cracks. All the traces of the battle were covered by the snow, as if nothing had happened. This would have been an incredible scene in the past.
But there were so many changes recently that this inconceivable scene was not so surprising.
They thought that the Holy City of Hermes would be trampled to the ground by the wave of demonic beasts, and all the believers were ready to live and die with the cathedral. But they did not expect that there were only a few enemies in the snowfield, and they did not even have the intention to climb the city wall.
Before they had time to celebrate, God showed his impermanence in the most cruel way.
Because the conquest of Graycastle consumed too much of the church's power, the first task after winter was to re-elect the three archbishops and the corresponding high-level personnel. In order to stabilize the order of the Holy City and restore the believers' faith in God, many young believers became the backbone of the church. Thor also became one of the interim archbishops because of his previous identity as the Chief Justice.
However, just when the situation was slightly better, the cathedral suddenly collapsed on a windless night, and a group of high-level personnel fell into a deep pit in the ground. In an instant, everyone's feeling of survival was crushed. Thor happened to escape the disaster because he was patrolling the camp.
No one knew how it happened. Although they had heard that there was a fire in the core area of the cathedral and that it was invaded by demonic beasts, without the permission of the Pope, they could not enter the Pivotal Secret Agency, even if the Acting Pope Tayfun was missing.
It could be said that the collapse of the Cathedral of Hermes had a more serious impact on the Church than the crushing defeat of the army. The army's defeat could be attributed to the commander's fault, or it could be attributed to the enemy being too cunning. However, the Tower of Babel, which represented the unyielding will of the Church, was the symbol of the spirit of the Church. Its collapse was equivalent to God abandoning the Church.
When people's hearts were wavering and the situation was precarious, such an unforeseen event had almost become the last straw that broke the horse's back. Even if he had sealed off the scene immediately, it would be of no use. The residents of the Holy City began to flee from Hermes. First, it was a small number of craftsmen and merchants who did not have strong faith. Then, it was the outer city, the inner city … Fear spread like a demonic plague, but there was no antidote that could stop it.
He once organized all the Judgement Army and the priests to hold a devout prayer on the city wall, hoping that God would once again look at the last fortress of mankind and not let the thousands of creatures behind it be swallowed by the evil power of hell. However, he never received any response.
Tucker still remembered the teachings of Pope Mayne. If you want to fight against evil, you can only rely on strength. But apart from praying to God, he could not think of any other way to stop the collapse of faith.
"Your Excellency … So you're here." Suddenly, a woman's voice came from behind him. "The troops chasing the fugitives have returned, but …"
"Some of them have already dispersed, right?" Roland turned around and said softly.
The one who reported was the surviving commander of the Judgement Army, Farina, who had taken over his mission. On her face, Tucker saw a somewhat familiar shadow. After thinking for a moment, he remembered the warrior of the advance camp who had sacrificed herself for the church. Alicia was one of the few female Judgement Warriors. They both had the same unswerving character. Alicia was able to persist in fighting when more than half of her teammates were dead or injured, and when the demonic beasts approached the walls of the cathedral. Alicia took over the heavy responsibility of commanding the Judgement Army when the church was on the verge of collapse, and tried her best to keep the situation under control.
"Yes," Farina angrily stamped her feet. "Those new recruits were simply useless. There were more than 20 of them when they went out, but only one or two came back. Even if they neglected their training, they couldn't have been killed by the fugitives. If I find them, I'll definitely teach those traitors a lesson! "
"It's inevitable." Tucker sighed. "How many Judgement Army soldiers are left?"
"Five hundred and sixty-four of them. They're now guarding the gate of the inner wall of the Holy City. They should be able to prevent the residents of the inner city from escaping."
In addition to the hundreds of God's Punishment Army soldiers who were not trapped in the ruins of the cathedral, these were the last elites of the church … Roland clearly knew that it was impossible to stop the demons' attack with just these few people. The destruction of the human race was already a foregone conclusion.
Regarding this extremely powerful enemy, he had heard from His Holiness Mayne. All the efforts of the church were to protect the human race when the doomsday came, so that the fire of continuity would not be extinguished. That was why there were such powerful warriors as the God's Punishment Army. But this alone was not enough. Before the arrival of the war, the church must unify the four kingdoms and integrate the power of the entire human race to have a hope of winning.
Now that there was no hope left, what was the point of everyone still holding on to this plateau stronghold?
There was indeed not much he could do, but for these more than 500 people, it might be a kind of relief.
"Let's go to the east," Tucker said. "Whether to the Kingdom of Everwinter or the Kingdom of Wolfheart, try to get as close to the coast as possible. We can build the new Holy City there."
In this way, even if the demons attacked the four kingdoms, you could take a boat from the port and escape to a farther place. If you're lucky, you can live a safe life before the destruction of the human race.
"Leave the Hermes?" Farina was stunned. "But Your Excellency … if we leave, who will fight against the demonic beasts?"
"If the demonic beasts enter the hinterland of the mainland through the big gap, it's also a crime committed by Graycastle. The church's top priority is to preserve its strength. The cathedral can be rebuilt, but the believers can't bear the loss. When the demonic beasts become a disaster in the four kingdoms, people will remember our strength again. "
"The demonic beasts don't matter at all. They're not the real enemy. The fatal threat comes from the depths of hell, and you can't do anything about it. The last thing I can do is to keep you away from the battlefield as much as possible. In order to protect the human race, you've done enough.
Farina frowned and said, "Those who are determined to stay here are devout people who are willing to live and die with the Holy City. I'm afraid they won't agree to abandon the Hermes."
"The Holy City is where you are now, child. They'll agree as long as you persuade them. " Tucker paused for a moment. "And this is also the order of the acting Pope. Protect yourself and continue the church. Do you understand?"
The refugees would soon spread the news, and at that time, the King of Graycastle would probably be ready to make trouble again.
"I understand, Your Excellency … no, Your Holiness." Farina bit her lip, clenched her fist in front of her chest, and bowed to him.
At this moment, the gray sky suddenly had a touch of dusky yellow. He turned around and saw a crack in the clouds. The orange-red setting sun was slowly revealing itself, casting rays of light onto the pure white snowy plains.
"This is … the end of the Months of Demons?" Farina showed a hint of joy.
"Yes, the snow will melt soon. Let's hurry and tell everyone. If we start preparing now, we can leave in two or three weeks. "
"Yes, then I'll take my leave!" She nodded and ran toward the inner city.
At this moment, the bell that announced dusk came from the Holy City. The nine bell tolled not only to announce the time, but also the time when the believers closed their eyes and prayed to the gods.
But Tucker and Thor did not pray.
Because the gods could no longer hear them.
He took off the crown on his head and put it on the battlement. Then he climbed up the city wall and looked at the sunset in the distance.
If he wanted these people to completely abandon the Hermes, he still had one more thing to do.
But Tucker did not mind, because in this way, he could stay with his companions who had fought side by side.
This dusk was not only the sunset of the church, but also the sunset of all human beings.
He closed his eyes and leaned down.
…
Farina heard a slight crash behind her, as if something had slipped into the valley.
She looked back and saw that there was no one on the city wall.
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