Even though Jieruolu’er had gone against the grain and lost part of the people’s support, with the years she had controlled the Holy Capital and those fanatics completely brainwashed by her, she should never have been this fragile!
The figures of the guards on the city walls moved stiffly, their reactions sluggish, as if… as if they were nothing more than bait!
A terrifying vision flashed suddenly through Irene’s mind—Jieruolu’er’s mad plan, and those monsters warped utterly by dark power, burning their own lives to gain strength!
“No!” Irene spun around abruptly, grabbing General Hohen’s armplate, her voice carrying unprecedented urgency. “General! Order the attack to stop immediately! Pull back the vanguard! Now!”
General Hohen was stunned by her action, then his face twisted into irritation and impatience. “Miss Irene! What do you mean by this? Our army’s morale is soaring, our offense is going smoothly, and we’re about to breach the city! You’re just a noblewoman who knows nothing about warfare—don’t disrupt the troops and give reckless commands!”
“This is not going smoothly! It’s a trap!” Irene’s voice rose, sharp and resolute. “Jieruolu’er intends to lure our entire army into the city! She’s using the entire Holy Capital as fuel to burn us all alive inside! Just like what she tried in the Raven Territory underground, but on a scale a thousand times greater! Order a retreat! If we delay any longer, it’ll be too late!”
“Burn the city? Ridiculous!” General Hohen sneered, shaking off Irene’s hand. “She’d have to be crazy to burn her own nest! Besides, the Holy Capital is enormous—how would she even do it? Miss Irene, you’re terrified out of your wits! Just watch as we crush…”
Before he could finish, everything changed at once!
“Boom—! Rumble rumble rumble––!!!”
A series of earth-shaking explosions erupted suddenly from inside the Holy Capital, from beneath the city walls, and from every corner of the city!
The sound wasn’t the roar of cannons—it resembled the terrifying thunder of the ley lines being torn apart, some vast energy detonating all at once!
Then came the towering flames!
Crimson red, sickly green, eerie blue… countless pillars of fire mixed with strange energy burst forth wildly like fountains from the city streets, buildings, even cracks in the walls!
In an instant, wooden houses, towers, and bridges were engulfed in flames! The fire wasn’t an ordinary orange-red, but a viscous, horrifying color that flowed like molten lava or living creatures! It spread with alarming speed, reeking of sulfur and burnt flesh, greedily devouring everything! The air instantly became scorching hot!
“Ah—!”
“Help! Somebody help!”
“Fire! Such a huge fire!”
“Devils! It’s the fire of devils!”
The Imperial Soldiers and Restoration Knights at the front lines were instantly swallowed by the flames erupting from all directions!
Screams of agony, wails of despair, and the terrified neighing of warhorses mixed with the thunder of collapsing buildings quickly drowned out the cries of battle!
The entire Holy Capital seemed like a massive powder keg ignited, turning into a horrifying inferno in moments! The towering flames painted the dusk sky a deep blood-red!
The cruel smile on General Hohen’s face froze instantly, replaced by sheer terror and disbelief! He gaped, staring blankly at the apocalyptic scene before him.
“Ret—retreat! Sound the retreat! Now!!” he finally snapped back, roaring with a heart-wrenching howl, his voice breaking!
The sharp, piercing sound of the retreat horn rang out in panic, but it was already too late!
Over half of the vanguard forces that had stormed into the city were trapped and cut off by the wildly spreading strange flames, caught in the inferno!
Only those near the city gates, who reacted faster, crawled out blackened and burnt, their faces twisted with utmost fear and confusion, having paid a heavy price.
Irene’s heart sank to the bottom.
She was right, but even so, she couldn’t stop this tragedy.
Jieruolu’er—the mad pope—had truly been ruthless enough to use the entire Holy Capital, along with any innocent believers still inside, as a gigantic trap and altar to bury the allied forces!
Yet the disaster was far from over.
Just as the allied army was thrown into utter chaos by the sudden fire assault, their soldiers still shaken and their formations broken, more unnatural, more savage roars suddenly echoed from shadowed areas on both sides of the burning city walls, untouched by the flames!
“Roar—!!!”
“Awooo—!!!”
Amidst these hair-raising howls, squads of knights radiating dense black miasma, their eyes glowing blood-red and their bodies grotesquely deformed, lunged from the flanks like demons crawling up from the abyss of hell!
Some had arms twisted into massive bone blades, others sprouted tattered flesh wings, some were covered in hard bone armor, their speed and strength far beyond human! These were the fanatical church knights thoroughly demonized by Jieruolu’er’s forbidden rituals—the “Abyss Blades”!
“Monsters!!”
“Abyss Knights! They’re coming!”
“Hold the formation! Defend! Defend!”
Caught off guard, the allied forces, already terrified by the firestorm, now faced these fearless, monstrously powerful demonized knights and faltered!
Brutal close combat erupted instantly! Swords and blades clanged against bone armor, sparking fiery sparks; claws tore through steel and flesh, blood-curdling screams ringing out continuously! Ordinary Imperial Soldiers and Restoration Knights looked feeble and fragile before these creatures!
“Hold! For the Empire! For the Holy Light!” General Hohen’s eyes burned with rage as he waved his battle sword, shouting in a desperate attempt to stabilize the situation.
“Winged Dragon cavalry! Take to the skies! Suppress the flanks!” The Imperial commander finally remembered air support.
A shrill whistle pierced the air as dozens of black Winged Dragons, clad in light metal armor with massive wingspans, took off from behind, carrying elite Imperial crossbowmen and javelin throwers.
They emitted piercing screeches, like black reapers’ scythes, sweeping over the chaotic battlefield below.
“Fire arrows!”
“Throw javelins!”
Dense volleys of arrows and heavy javelins rained down like a storm, inflicting massive damage on the demonized knights below, who lacked effective anti-air defenses!
Many Abyss Knights were pinned to the ground or turned into porcupines by the rain of arrows.
The arrival of the Winged Dragon cavalry temporarily stemmed the “Abyss Blades’” rampage, buying precious breathing room for the scattered ground troops to regroup.
However, the individual strength of these demonized knights was overwhelming, and their vitality incredibly resilient.
Even when pierced in vital spots, unless their core—usually the heart or head—was destroyed completely, they would drag their broken bodies onward in battle.
Like maggots in bone, they clung tightly to the allied army’s flanks, plunging the fight into a gruesome, grueling stalemate. The Winged Dragon cavalry’s ammunition and stamina were not unlimited, while the monsters seemed endless!
This situation caused Irene to frown deeply.
*****
Meanwhile, in the heart of the burning Holy Capital—the square before the Cathedral of the Holy Light.
Serena followed closely behind the Empire’s most elite vanguard. Just before the firestorm engulfed the area, relying on agile skill and sharp instincts for danger, she barely slipped inside the cathedral’s relatively open interior.
Her original mission had been to strike at the heart, to find and assassinate Jieruolu’er.
Yet what awaited her was not the expected Papal Hall, but a far stranger space.
The great dome of the central cathedral had been burned through by fierce flames; shattered stained glass lay scattered like frozen blood tears on the ground.
Serena’s boots crushed the glass shards beneath her feet, emitting soft, sorrowful cries.
The holy sword in her hand shimmered with liquid golden radiance in the firelight, its tip trailing a burning streak.
The gilded doors of the Papal Hall collapsed with a thunderous crash before her, heat and ashes rolling forward like a wave.
Serena’s pupils contracted sharply—seated on the golden throne was not the anticipated Jieruolu’er, but an orange-haired knight, legs crossed elegantly.
The hem of her bloodstained church uniform was torn to shreds, the exposed skin glowing red in the firelight.
“You’re so slow, you’ve kept me waiting forever!”
Yanas leaned her sword on the molten golden floor tiles; the black miasma coiling around the blade was already eating away at it with sizzling pits.
Her fiery red hair whipped wildly in the firestorm, her knight’s helmet casually tossed at her feet.
She wasn’t even wearing battle boots; her bare toes flicked lightly, pointing directly at Serena, lips curled in a mocking smile.
Though smiling, Serena could feel the palpable, nearly tangible killing intent sweeping toward her! Even surrounded by flames, there was not a hint of warmth.
Serena’s grip on her sword’s hilt cracked.
Behind her, the Imperial Soldiers’ breathing grew heavy, unable to face such terrifying malice head-on, sweat beading across their faces.