"We just entered the city, and already a magical beast has come after us. Are the beasts really this densely packed in the city now?"
Seeing the magical beast with its head blown apart, Rudeus couldn't help but ask with a puzzled expression.
Meanwhile, Paul and the others, who were more experienced with magical beasts and had more adventuring experience, relaxed a bit upon seeing the dead beast.
Noticing Rudeus' confusion, Paul stepped in to explain: "Generally, when magical beasts form a horde, it's because of some kind of trigger.
This trigger could be something that attracts them, like food or other factors.
Once their goal is achieved, the horde will disperse, and the beasts will go their separate ways.
The fact that there are still so many beasts in the city means there are still plenty of survivors. With an abundance of food, the beasts aren't willing to leave just yet."
Hearing Paul's explanation, Rudeus immediately understood. This meant there were still many survivors in the capital. And since the Latria family was one of the top families in the Holy Kingdom of Millis, the chances of his grandmother Claire and aunt Therese surviving were quite high.
"Sirs, are you also heading to the Latria estate for protection?
Could you please take us with you? Although the Latria estate is in the city, there are still many beasts along the way, and we can't make it through on our own."
Just as Rudeus had effortlessly killed the beast that attacked them and the group was about to split up to head to the Church and the Latria estate, a few figures emerged from a nearby ruined building, pleading with Paul and the others.
These were clearly citizens of the Holy Kingdom of Millis who had managed to survive by hiding when the beast horde arrived.
As their stored food dwindled and the beasts showed no signs of leaving, they had nearly given up hope.
But to their surprise, just as they were on the brink of despair, an adventurer team like Rudeus's appeared before them, displaying impressive strength.
From the way Rudeus had instantly killed the beast with a single spell, it was clear that these adventurers were at least high-level.
Coincidentally, these adventurers also seemed to be heading to the Latria estate, which led to the current situation.
"That's great! The Latria family is still safe.
But if you're seeking protection, shouldn't you be heading to the Church? What can the Latria estate offer you?"
Hearing the survivors' words, Zenith asked with a puzzled expression.
As the second daughter of the Latria family, Zenith was well aware of her family's capabilities, even after being away for so many years.
In the capital of Millis, the strongest force should be the Church, with the Pope, Holy Knights, and numerous priests.
While the Latria family was one of the top families in the Holy Kingdom of Millis, their combat strength wasn't particularly impressive.
As a noble family, they certainly had guards, but their strength and numbers were only average.
The only notable fighters in the Latria family were her mother, Claire, and her sister, Therese.
But as far as Zenith knew, even with her mother and sister's strength, along with the family guards, holding off the beast horde and protecting the Latria estate would be a challenge, let alone offering protection to others.
"The Church? What good is the Church now? No, I should say the Church is practically nonexistent now. After all, even the Pope is dead.
The remaining Holy Knights and priests either died in battle or defected to the rebel faction. The Church can't protect us anymore."
Hearing this, Zenith and the others were stunned. Cliff, who was part of their group, suddenly lost control and rushed forward, grabbing the survivor by the collar and demanding, "What do you mean the Church is nonexistent? What happened to the Pope?"
When Cliff had been sent to the Ranoa Magic University by his grandfather, the Old Pope, he had known about the internal strife within the Church. But his grandfather had assured him it wasn't a big deal and told him to focus on his studies.
Cliff never expected that his grandfather, who was so powerful, would end up dead at the hands of the rebels.
"Who are you people? You're not from the Holy Kingdom of Millis, are you?"
Seeing Cliff's emotional outburst, the survivor began to show fear.
They had initially thought Rudeus and the others were just ordinary adventurers, but now it was clear that wasn't the case.
Given the danger in the Holy Kingdom of Millis, why would any adventurer come here at a time like this?
And their intense reaction to the news of the Pope's death and the Church's situation made it obvious that this group had come with a purpose.
"Could you please tell us more about what happened to the Church and the Pope, as well as the Latria family?
Don't worry, we're not suspicious characters. Although we're outsiders, some of us are from the Holy Kingdom of Millis.
This is my friend Cliff. He's the grandson of the Old Pope, which is why he's so upset. And this is my mother, Zenith, the second daughter of the Latria family."
Seeing Cliff's emotional state, Rudeus quickly stepped in to calm him down and explained the situation to the survivors in a friendly manner.
Hearing that Cliff was the Pope's grandson and Zenith was the second daughter of the Latria family, the survivors were shocked. After a moment of hesitation, they began to explain what had happened.
About two days ago, a massive beast horde had attacked from all directions, breaching the capital's defenses. Once inside, the beasts began slaughtering indiscriminately.
Facing the terrifying beasts, the helpless citizens of Millis naturally turned to the Church for protection, just as Zenith had thought.
But when they finally reached the Church, they found that the Millis Church was also in chaos.
The rebel faction had ambushed the Old Pope, killing him. Without the Pope, the "Pope faction" was no match for the rebels and was quickly driven out of the Church.
Normally, the citizens wouldn't have cared much about who controlled the Church, as they worshipped Millis regardless of who was Pope.
But to their surprise, after taking control, the rebels demanded that they abandon their faith in Millis and instead worship something called the "Human God."
The Holy Kingdom of Millis had worshipped Millis for generations, and its citizens were devout followers.
Their lifelong faith wasn't something they could easily abandon. Moreover, they had never even heard of this so-called "Human God."
As a result, many citizens who refused to change their faith fled with the defeated "Pope faction," while a small number chose to convert to survive.
As for the Latria family, rumors had been spreading among the survivors in the city.
It was said that before the beast horde arrived, the great Millis had foreseen the disaster and sent a golden-haired boy as her divine emissary to the Holy Kingdom.
This "Divine Emissary" was incredibly powerful. When the beast horde arrived, he had single-handedly frozen an entire section of the horde with a god-like spell.
They also heard that the "Divine Emissary" was a beautiful boy of about thirteen or fourteen, with golden hair that shone like the sun and a crystalline sword.
The "Divine Emissary" was unmatched in combat, effortlessly slaughtering hundreds of beasts with both swordsmanship and magic.
Not only was he a formidable fighter, but as Millis's emissary, his healing magic was also unparalleled. It was said that even those on the brink of death could be fully healed in moments under his spells.
Since the "Divine Emissary" was apparently from the Latria family, he was now stationed at the Latria estate, making it the only safe haven in the capital.
The survivors shared a lot of information, and Rudeus and the others learned a great deal from their account.
First, it seemed the Old Pope of the Millis Church was indeed dead, as there were many witnesses. The Church was now controlled by the so-called "rebel faction."
Second, there was the mention of the "Human God." While Cliff and Elinalise reacted normally to this term, the Greyrat family's expressions darkened, and their eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Paul, what's going on? Do you know this so-called 'Human God'?"
Elinalise, sensing the Greyrat family's reaction, immediately asked.
"Know him? He's practically our family's mortal enemy!
We've never met this 'Human God,' but our other child died because of his schemes."
Hearing Paul's words, Elinalise and the others were stunned. While they didn't know the full story, they could tell from the Greyrat family's reaction that this "Human God" was an extremely dangerous and cunning figure.
"Cliff, calm down. I know you're furious about your grandfather's death.
But that's exactly why you need to stay calm. I've dealt with this Human God before. He excels at exploiting people's emotions and using their weaknesses to manipulate them, turning them into his puppets.
With the Human God involved, this situation has become far more dangerous. If we're not careful, not only will we fail to avenge your grandfather, but we might also become his playthings."
"Perhaps you don't realize just how dangerous this 'Human God' is or who he really is. Let me give you a brief explanation.
The 'Human God' we're talking about is the one who orchestrated the deaths of the First Dragon God and his four Dragon Kings, destroying the Beast, Sea, Sky, and Demon worlds.
He's the mortal enemy of the current Dragon God, Orsted, who has pursued him across over two hundred reincarnations, all ending in failure."
While the term "Human God" was unfamiliar to Cliff and the others, and even though Paul and Rudeus had described him as dangerous and powerful, they hadn't fully grasped the extent of his threat.
But after hearing Rudeus's explanation, both Cliff and Elinalise were left utterly stunned.
They hadn't heard of the "Human God," but they were familiar with the legends of Orsted, the Dragon God, one of the Seven Great Powers.
And yet, even such a powerful being as Orsted had failed to kill the Human God after over two hundred attempts. Moreover, the Human God was responsible for the destruction of the Beast, Sea, Sky, and Demon worlds.
Just hearing about the Human God's terrifying feats, Cliff and Elinalise, even without knowing him personally, could now sense just how dangerous he was.
"If the Human God is involved with the Church, we shouldn't confront him directly yet.
Facing such a mysterious and cunning foe, we need a more careful plan and preparation.
Mother, can you contact Orsted right now?"
Rudeus had dealt with the Human God the most and knew just how dangerous and cunning he was. He didn't dare to take any chances.
Honestly, their current team was one of the strongest on the continent.
But even with such a lineup, Rudeus doubted they could handle the Human God. That's why he turned to his mother, Zenith, asking if they could call in another powerful ally.
Orsted and the Human God were mortal enemies. With such deep-seated hatred, Orsted wouldn't remain indifferent upon learning of the Human God's whereabouts.
"Ever since we heard the Human God's name, I've been trying to contact him. But he's on another continent right now. Even at his fastest speed, it would take him at least a day to get here."
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