Chapter 311 War of Mortals (Part 1)
Seeing this scene, one of the other prisoners turned and ran away which caused Zero to look somewhat disappointed.
She turned into a ray of light and entered the fleeing captive’s body, who immediately stopped his steps. The captive’s eyes turned white, and his body began to undergo strange changes – this wasn’t Mayne’s first time seeing such a scene, but no matter how often he saw it, he couldn’t prevent a chill from arising within his heart.
A dim ray of light burst out from within the captive’s body and his body began to twist and deform until finally changed into the very appearance of the Purified who had entered him.
He knew that this wasn’t a simple act of replacing and slaughtering, but what exactly happened during this transformation process, Mayne was afraid that only the Pope or the people involved could fully understand.
Zero took a deep breath and went back to the last prisoner.
He was the youngest of three captured spies, probably only fourteen to fifteen years old. His young and inexperienced eyes were filled with shock and fear, unable to accept what had happened just now.
“Now, you’re the only one left,” she whispered, “Eyre.”
Hearing these words, the trembling boy who had originally wanted to pick up the machete froze in shock and started to stammer, “H-how…”
“G.o.d told me everything. Actually, you were merely a farmer’s child living in the outskirts, but because of the Wolf King’s order, you and the other village people were forced to move into the city, and became responsible for repairing the city walls, creating the military supplies, transporting the army’s provision and so on. In other words, forced labor. Instead of letting you go because of your young age, they rather decided to recruit you into the investigation troops. In reality they’ve planned for you to emerge and perish on your own,” she reached out and touched his cheeks, “The best evidence for this is that at the time you sent back the intelligence about the large military operation of the Church, the captain of the guards didn’t even let you enter the camp. Instead, after listening to your report he immediately sent you back to us, right?”
“I…” Eyre opened his mouth, but couldn’t find any words.
“Of course, they couldn’t let you enter, because your family had already ceased to exist. Your parents were accepted, while your brother was the same as you, merely consumables for the Wolf King. So, if you were allowed to return, wouldn’t it make all the other scouts know about it?” Zero said, “Your father fell to his death while trying to fill a gap in the wall. Your mother, trying to find the workplace overseer had to suffer punishment with a whip and is now on the verge of death. In a world where G.o.d doesn’t examine everything, evil always wantonly flows around like sewage. Are you sure you really want to fight for such a ruler?”
The young boy stared with wide eyes at her, unable to mask his sorrow, “This… is impossible, you’re lying to me!”
“G.o.d never lies,” the Purified shook her head. “And in the bottom of your heart, you know that I’m telling the truth. The root of all this evil is the n.o.bility. They never regarded you as one of their own kind, they merely see you as livestock. What the Church is trying to do is to put an end to all this evil and injustice, they want to build a new world under the care and watchful eyes of G.o.d.”
With a plopping sound, Eyre sank to his knees, lowered his head and began to cry bitterly, “What should I do?”
“Follow your heart, only G.o.d can issue the ruling.”
He choked with sobs and said, “I was wrong. I am willing to tell you everything I know, I will do anything I can to save my mother.”
“Such a clever child,” Zero patted his head then took out a plant with slender leaves from her pocket and held it in front of him, “Eat this, and you will have a good sleep. It will also help you stabilize your mood.” She tore off half a leaf, put it into her mouth, and began to chew, before saying, “Just like me. Wait until tomorrow, after breaking through the walls of Wolfsheart City you might be able to see your mother again.”
Mayne puckered his brows, the Peacefully Sleeping Bracken was something used in the making of Dream Water. It didn’t show any effect on witches, but when taken by ordinary people it was a very severe poison, which required that they intake the Winterflower to neutralize its toxicity. Sure enough, after eating it, it didn’t take long until the prisoner’s face turned ashen. He forcefully gripped his throat, and looked with an expression of absolute disbelief at the smiling Purified, only able to release some incomprehensible ‘och och’ sounds. His own fingernails quickly tore open his skin and blood vessels before the blood that came splas.h.i.+ng out dyed his neck bright red. His painful struggle continued for half an hour until his body gradually turned limp and he finally stopped breathing.
“It’s such a pity that G.o.d didn’t forgive your sins,” Zero said while smiling. Then she walked over toward the Archbishop and bowed in greeting, “Your Excellency, how do you feel about the trial? Did it have the same elegant manner of Excellency Heather?”
“Why must you deceive him into eating the Peacefully Sleeping Bracken?” Mayen asked with a heavy tone, “If it had been Heather, we could have added one devote believer to our ranks. Rather than making him kill himself while thinking he is moving back on the right path.”
“If the situation of the captive’s loved ones were like I had said, I would naturally have recruited him as a believer, but unfortunately I do not know what really happened to his parents. Those words of mine were nothing more than me talking nonsense.” She said in a carefree voice while shrugging, “The moment he discovers that my words were all lies, he would obviously turn against the Church. Believe me, I serve the Church wholeheartedly.”
If you served the Church wholeheartedly, you would have properly waited for my orders in the tent, Mayne thought while impatiently turning his head and stating, “The attack will begin soon. You must immediately prepare yourself and move according to the plan, the Wolf King and the Queen of Clear Water —”
“—Must die, Your Excellency,” the Purified said, “If it was me alone, I might not have been able to do it. But since even Isabella has come with me, they absolutely won’t be able to run away.”
*
“Woo-woo-”
The bugle horn’s trumpet, which was the signal to attack, rolled across the horizon. Under the pressuring dark clouds and in the middle of the rustling autumn wind, it raised the curtain to the second act of the siege against Wolfsheart City.
One mile away, the frame of the ‘Siege Beast’ that launched the spears gave out rays of magical light. The moment the light was as bright as the sun, the iron spear suddenly burst straight toward the walls. Flying as though it had been thrown by a giant’s hand, it reached a speed that made it difficult to sight, and a moment later was followed by an earsplitting roar.
After crossing such a long distance the spear had hardly lost any of its might. The moment it hit the wall, it crushed the stone into powder. Even the house-sized boulders were easily pulverized and the soldiers standing behind the wall were coincidentally also shot dead. After merely three rounds of fire, the city gate was completely smashed, and the surrounding walls utterly broken.
Even though the firing rate of the Devil’s siege weapon was equivalent to an ordinary catapult, its range was several times further. Against this kind of offensive, it was absolutely impossible for the garrison force to try and strike back. Unable to see the trajectory of the launch, they weren’t even able to determine where the next attack would be hitting, The Church’s army hadn’t moved, yet the defensive line was already in imminent danger.
Just then, a world-shaking loud boom suddenly sounded behind the wall!
Seeing a ma.s.sive fireball soar into the sky, the people on the battlefield all felt the earth starting to shake beneath their feet. Then, accompanied by black smoke and fire, the wall collapsed with a loud rumble. Finally creating an opening in this mottled wolf’s tooth.
The sharp horn sounded again, the mixed forces composed of the Army of Judges and G.o.d’s Punishment Army initiated their charge against the city wall. Looking at it from afar, they looked like a flowing reddish-gold ocean, mercilessly swallowing everyone who even dared to stand against it.
Now Wolfsheart’s defenders would have to rely on their own flesh and blood in order to withstand these soldiers who stood apart from the mortal world.