"What? Talulah sent you all back and went to fight a landship with the Guerrillas herself? Dammit, if I had known this, I would have followed her no matter what!"
Jeanne felt a wave of speechlessness. She had taken one day off and deactivated her "Revelation," and that silly dragon actually dared to do something so reckless! In that situation, a single artillery shell could literally turn her into "Talulah-jam!"
But hadn't the Revelation said this meeting would make things move in a positive direction? Could Talulah being in danger be part of the plan?
Still, she understood Talulah's reasoning. Choosing to advance alongside the Guerrillas against such an enemy was perfectly in character for her. Or rather, if Talulah had actually abandoned the Guerrillas and run back, Jeanne would have doubted whether she was truly Talulah or the Black Snake (Kashchey) occupying her body.
"Go and guard the village first. If enemies break in, lead the villagers to retreat. If anyone causes trouble, lock them up and wait for me to return and deal with it!" Jeanne told the members who had rushed back. She had to get to the battlefield; this was no small matter. The enemy was clearly well-prepared, and Talulah might truly be in a life-or-death crisis right now.
Watching them obey and leave quickly, Jeanne immediately set out. If she hurried, she might still make it in time.
"Jeanne, I just saw the members who went out rushing back, but Talulah wasn't with them. Has something happened?" Alina ran over hurriedly, her face etched with worry. She had just finished teaching the children when she saw the patrol members searching for Jeanne in a panic. Seeing Talulah missing, she knew something was wrong.
"Talulah and the Guerrillas encountered the military and engaged in battle. Our team couldn't provide enough support, so she had them return first." As Jeanne explained the situation to Alina, her armor gradually turned black, and her hair shifted to a platinum blonde.
"Don't worry, I will bring Talulah back safely no matter what! Until then, I'm entrusting you to lead them."
Jeanne waved her Dragon Witch's banner, and a violent storm descended upon the area. When the gale subsided, a massive and majestic Wyvern appeared before their eyes. Jeanne leaped onto its back as the beast beat its wings and took flight.
"Return safely, Jeanne! Don't worry, I will protect this place." Alina nodded, saying nothing that would add to Jeanne's mental burden. She believed in Jeanne, and she believed Talulah would return safely. However, she was just a civilian; she lacked their immense power and couldn't fight alongside them. She could only offer her blessings and pray for their safety.
Jeanne nodded with a smile and vanished like a gust of wind. At this moment, Alina could only see a small black speck in the sky. Recalling Jeanne's appearance when she prayed, Alina clasped the crucifix Jeanne had given her and prayed silently in her heart. As she closed her eyes, the crucifix emitted a faint light, and an invisible wave of energy shrouded the village.
In the sky, Jeanne flew rapidly along the path provided by her Revelation. Nineteen more Wyverns appeared around her. Counting the one she was riding, a total of twenty Wyverns now dominated the sky. Five of them, summoned from Pure Originium, were exceptionally robust with darker scales—the elites of the pack.
These Wyverns were the source of Jeanne's confidence against the Ursus army. With them, as long as she didn't care about casualties, she could achieve the feat of toppling a nomadic city single-handedly.
While Jeanne was rushing to support her, the battle between Talulah, the Guerrillas, and the Varyag had been raging for some time. Talulah witnessed the sheer might of the Shieldguards and Patriot; even in such a disadvantageous position, they managed to defend while seeking a counter-offensive.
Patriot and his Shieldguards resisted the landship's attacks with everything they had, while Frostnova and Talulah unleashed their Originium Arts to disrupt the enemy's assault. They were facing a hundred-meter-tall Ursus combat landship equipped with heavy weaponry firing from a high vantage point, yet they managed to dodge. Meanwhile, the ground auxiliary troops were watching them like hungry wolves.
During a lull in the artillery fire, the ground infantry began their advance. These were former members of the Inspection Teams, now turned into beasts ravaging the countryside.
"Shieldguards... advance..." Patriot commanded. His massive halberd swept the enemies in front of him away. His towering frame exerted immense pressure on the battlefield. The Yeti Squad coordinated with Frostnova, bringing a frigid blizzard to the land that froze the approaching enemies.
On the other side, Talulah presented a contrasting scene: flames swept through the battlefield, melting everything in her path. By now, both women were exhausted. This kind of continuous, high-intensity Arts usage was incredibly taxing on a caster's stamina. A weaker Infected's body would have likely ruptured under this level of stress long ago.
With the help of the Shieldguards, Talulah pushed forward. Her flames became the best support for the line, even intercepting and destroying numerous crossbow bolts in mid-air.
As they neared the landship, artillery fire suddenly rained down from above. The soldiers on the ship didn't care if their own auxiliary troops were still below; they were just expendable cannon fodder. Amidst the roar of explosions and the curses of the dying auxiliary soldiers, the Guerrillas managed to endure this round of attack through the protection of their casters and their own timely defenses.
Suddenly, the four main cannons—designed to combat other landships—began to charge, aiming simultaneously at a point in the sky. A black speck was growing larger and larger. The main cannons fired into the air, but the expected sight of an enemy being hit didn't happen.
Instead, everyone saw massive fireballs collide head-on with the shells, causing titanic explosions. Immediately following this, over a dozen fireballs slammed directly into the main cannons.
Finally, everyone saw the true face of the behemoths: a group of winged, lizard-like monsters. They looked like the national guardian spirits depicted in murals from the ancient Victorian era.
On the back of the largest beast stood a figure clad in black armor, holding a banner and commanding the dragons. From the back of the beast, a voice rang out:
—"Talulah! Spit fire!"
—"Rua!"