Chapter 312: The Intentions of the Sacred Kingdom and the Theocracy, the "Weak" are the Humans
2025-04-17 Author: Amnesty L
*Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!*
A sacred white light appeared once more.
Fifty Guardian Angels were summoned by the Cleric Corps and immediately dispersed to the perimeter.
This time, the Guardian Angels did not completely spread out to actively attack the undead. Instead, they positioned themselves around the elite legion, forming a perimeter.
They served as both illumination and a simple, outermost defensive line!
With the reminders from both Tang Zheng and Kelart.
Everyone realized that the undead that had attacked them before were not attacking mindlessly but were being manipulated in a harassing strike.
This proved that their presence had already been discovered by the enemy behind the scenes. If they remained stationary, they would only be met with a ceaseless tide of undead!
The movement speed of low-tier undead was slow; they needed to keep moving to ensure they wouldn't be completely surrounded by a massive army of undead!
Clementine and Gagaran led the way at the very front.
Tang Zheng's Free Will squad, along with "Black" Pavel and "Red" Orland, were positioned at the rear of the formation to guard against any surprise attacks!
Under the faint light of the half-moon, the entire elite force moved quickly through the deep night, like a sailboat on a dark sea.
Only the fifty Guardian Angels hovering above their heads, emitting a sacred light, were like candlelight in a ship's cabin, preventing the entire troop from being completely swallowed by the darkness!
Wherever they passed.
A few scattered undead were swiftly eliminated by the members of the Holy Knight Order on the outer perimeter, without the Guardian Angels even needing to act.
At the forefront of the "Holy Knight Order" and the "Cleric Corps."
"Kelart."
Remedios pressed one hand on her sword hilt, preventing the holy sword from clanging against her armor as she moved. Her face was flushed with irritation.
"We're being too passive right now! Can't you use detection magic to pinpoint the enemy's location?"
Compared to this desperate flight!
Remedios would rather charge directly at the enemy. She didn't think they needed the cooperation of those demi-humans.
"Also, why are we cooperating with that adventurer named Tang? I don't think traveling through the night is a good idea. It will drain the soldiers' stamina."
"Especially your Cleric Corps!"
The Holy Knight Order had undergone years of training; their will and physique were the best among all the warriors in the Sacred Kingdom. Marching through the night was nothing to them.
But for the Cleric Corps, a group of magic casters, their stamina might not be able to keep up. Although magic casters relied on magic power for combat, stamina was still important.
*Pant, pant.*
Kelart's breathing was slightly ragged. After years of working as a secretary, this kind of military march was indeed something she was not used to.
"The members of the Cleric Corps who have mastered detection magic have already scouted the area with it, sister."
"Aside from the undead, no enemies were found. Right now, the other party is in the dark, while we are the ones in the open."
As Kelart marched quickly, she tucked a stray lock of her long brown hair behind her ear and spoke helplessly.
"Even so."
"Why cooperate with that Tang?" Remedios said, displeased.
In her eyes, her younger sister possessed the most brilliant mind in the entire Sacred Kingdom. She had always believed her sister was a gift from God to the Sacred Kingdom.
Intelligence, talent, and beauty!
Even Her Majesty, Holy Queen Calca, acknowledged these three gifts.
Remedios didn't believe that Kelart couldn't come up with a more appropriate solution.
"Do you know who our enemy is?"
Kelart's expression became secretive as she spoke softly, "It's a magic caster who can control a legendary undead, the 'Death Knight'—far more powerful than I am."
"Facing such an enemy head-on would result in too great a loss."
Publicly, Kelart was known as a caster who could use fourth-tier faith-based magic, but Remedios, being close to her, knew the truth.
Her sister could use the power of fifth-tier magic—she had reached the realm of heroes!
"But..." Remedios tried to speak again.
Kelart tilted her head up slightly. The corners of her eyes on her feigned gentle face narrowed, revealing a sinister look. "Sister, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
"An opportunity to completely annihilate the demi-humans of the Abelion Hills. We need to make those demi-humans die for us, and then we can seize the chance to wipe them all out."
"If we can end the centuries of hatred between our country and the demi-humans, Her Majesty Calca will surely become the greatest Holy Queen in history... no... a Holy Queen that no one in the future can ever surpass!"
As she spoke.
Kelart reached for the magic belt at her waist, a hint of madness and fervor flashing in her eyes.
A faint whisper.
It sounded in Remedios's ear, causing her previously conflicted and dissatisfied expression to vanish without a trace.
On the other side.
The Sunlight Scripture unit was also advancing at a steady pace.
Captain Nigun was listening to a report from his subordinate.
"The scouting magic found nothing. The enemy likely possesses some means of anti-detection," a subordinate reported gravely.
Hearing this result.
Captain Nigun wasn't surprised, but his expression still turned ugly. He waved his hand, signaling his subordinate to keep watch, while his gaze fell in the direction of the Sacred Kingdom's forces.
"Troublesome."
He cursed under his breath.
Within the Theocracy, the Sunlight Scripture was a secretive unit that operated in the shadows, as they were primarily responsible for illegal activities and basic tasks like annihilating demi-human tribes.
Even though most countries were aware of their existence, cooperating with another country's forces like this...
...was a first for Captain Nigun.
*Perhaps this is a good experience, a new kind of training.*
Captain Nigun could only console himself with this thought. The most important reason they had to cooperate with the Sacred Kingdom on this mission wasn't just the threat of the undead.
It was also the awkward location of the hills!
There was another reason he couldn't tell anyone else—to ensure the demi-humans were not completely wiped out.
How laughable!
That's right, a unit responsible for annihilating demi-humans would one day have to protect them.
The corner of Captain Nigun's mouth twitched, but this was the joint decision of the Cardinals!
According to the Cardinals, the strategy of maintaining the demi-human presence in the hills was decided long ago.
If there were no demi-humans.
Then the hills would become unclaimed land, and the Slane Theocracy, the Sacred Kingdom, and the Re-Estize Kingdom would indirectly share a border.
Given the resources in the hills, no country would willingly give them up. This would inevitably lead to the possibility of a civil war among humans!
Rather than causing unavoidable losses for humans, it was better to leave this place to the demi-humans!
"The weak must always find ways to protect themselves."
Captain Nigun thought to himself, feeling both angry and helpless. This was a necessary strategic perspective.
This "weak" didn't refer to the demi-humans, but to them, the humans.
That woman, Clementine, was probably arranged specifically to deal with unexpected situations, like facing the Captain of the Holy Knight Order, Remedios.
In the rear of the formation.
Tang Zheng looked ahead with great interest at Kelart and Captain Nigun, who seemed united but were, in fact, each harboring their own intentions.
He might not have known their true plans, but he could guess some of it.
"The Sacred Kingdom, the Slane Theocracy, Zuranon, and even the heavily battered demi-humans... all of them probably have their own thoughts and schemes."
This thought flashed through Tang Zheng's mind, but he remained perfectly calm.
The real fools are those who believe everyone else is a fool!
Although he had built this stage, from the very beginning, Tang Zheng never intended to truly control or direct it.
Even the most meticulous plans have flaws. Rather than wasting time, it was better to let all parties act naturally. He just needed to reap the benefits.
"However."
A smile flickered across Tang Zheng's face. "I'm really curious to see which side will take the lead in the end."
"Lord Captain," Enri's voice came from the back of the Evil Spirit Hound. She spoke softly, "Would you like some water? It was boiled beforehand and has cooled down."
Tang Zheng let out a heavy breath, feigning a bit of exhaustion, and nodded as he accepted the waterskin and took a sip.
"Marching like this, isn't it too draining on our stamina?" Enri kept looking around at the pitch-black surroundings, where countless undead seemed to be hiding in the darkness, and asked nervously.
"We've already been discovered by the enemy."
"Only by moving can we prevent ourselves from being surrounded by a large number of undead. Fighting in a nighttime environment is not to our advantage."
Hearing Enri ask such a question for the first time, Tang Zheng put the wooden stopper back into the waterskin and answered patiently.
"The big ones are here!"
Suddenly, "Red" Orland's ears twitched, and he gave a low-voiced warning.
The ground trembled.
Three giant balls of flesh, seemingly composed entirely of corpses, appeared from the rear, chasing after them.
The stench of decay and the shrieks and wails of the undead instantly intensified!
*Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!*
Three intestine-like objects shot out from the giant flesh balls of corpses, first ensnaring the conspicuous Guardian Angels in the formation, pulling them from the sky, and smashing them heavily to the ground.
"On guard!"
Remedios's roar echoed.
"It's not low-tier undead, it's an Organ Egg!" a Holy Knight shouted.
Kelart's voice followed immediately after: "Slow down! Deal with these three Organ Eggs first!"
"Leave one to me!"
"Red" Orland let out a loud laugh, stopped in his tracks, and turned to charge at one of the Organ Eggs behind him.
"I'll take the one on the left."
"Black" Pavel had already drawn the bow and arrow from his back, turning and drawing the bowstring taut.
"Cuiye, you handle the one on the right," Tang Zheng instructed.
"Yes!"
A cold glint appeared in the Green Leaf Witch's bright yellow pupils. She raised the staff in her hand and chanted in a low voice:
"Corrosive Destruction!"
The acidic liquid easily corroded more than half of the Organ Egg's body.
As they were being pursued by the three Organ Eggs from the rear, strange undead figures surged towards them from all directions, moving at speeds far exceeding ordinary low-tier undead.
"Holy Knights, prepare for battle."
Deputy Commander "Pink" Isidro gave the solemn command.
"All Clerics! Cast protective spells!"
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
These figures, moving far faster than normal low-tier undead, could be clearly seen under the light of the Guardian Angels. They were the corpses of various beasts and monsters.
This was a type of low-tier undead collectively known as "Beast Zombies"!
They were formed from the corpses of various animals such as wolves, snakes, and monsters. Although they were still low-tier undead, they were monsters that possessed the toughness of a zombie and the agility of an animal.
With the undead's ability to be unaffected by fatigue, these Beast Zombies were far more terrifying than they were in life!
Everyone's expression turned ugly in an instant.
They had overlooked a serious problem. The inhabitants of the hills were not just demi-humans, but also various wild beasts and monsters. The number of these creatures was even greater than that of the demi-humans!
If the Death Knight had also transformed these wild beasts and monsters into undead, then the number of undead they expected would likely multiply several times over!
"No wonder we haven't seen a single living creature along the way!" A look of unprecedented gravity appeared on Captain Nigun's face.
"Kill these undead!"
"For the Sacred Kingdom!"
"Drive out the evil!"
"...!"
The Holy Knights on the outermost perimeter were the first to clash with the horde of undead.
The crack of blades striking bone, the roars of the undead, and the shouts of the Holy Knights intertwined in an instant!
Tang Zheng stood beside the Evil Spirit Hound, his gaze constantly sweeping over the dense tide of undead surging in the darkness. "They changed their strategy after seeing us start to move?"
"The person controlling the undead must not be far from here!"
Realizing this, Tang Zheng first thought of the Alliance Leader, but then he dismissed the guess.
If it were the Alliance Leader, their methods would probably be more direct!
*It's those two from Zuranon.*
Through his shadow clone, Tang Zheng was aware of their existence, but to prevent the abnormality of the shadow clone from being discovered, he hadn't had much contact with them.
He didn't know much about them in terms of information.
Based on speculation alone, for the Alliance Leader to bring them in under these circumstances, their strength must have reached the realm of heroes.
"In that case!"
Tang Zheng's hand clenched inside his loose sleeve, and a Summon Angel scroll appeared in his palm.
He crushed it!
A dazzling holy light suddenly appeared overhead, transforming into the massive figure of a Dominion Authority.
Immediately after.
Tang Zheng then used his own magic power to summon another Dominion Authority.
Two massive figures flew from above Tang Zheng's head, positioning themselves at the highest point above the entire elite force.
「Mass Lesser Defense Enhancement」
「Mass Lesser Defense Enhancement」
The Holy Knights in the midst of battle immediately felt the reinforcement of this power.
The two Dominion Authorities activated this ability, which was enough to cover the entire squad. The only drawback was that the Dominion Authorities could not move while using this special ability.
[EXP: 362,396 / 630,000]
Tang Zheng called out his status panel and scanned the experience information on it.
The previous summoning had used "XP Casting," consuming 200,000 Experience points.
In his current situation, he needed to lower the level of his [Sword Saint] class as soon as possible. Although it was a bit of a shame that he couldn't kill these undead to gain experience, he had no choice. Otherwise, the higher his level, the higher the cost of de-leveling!
(end of chapter)