This city located in the mountains in the south has always had many names.
It is regarded as a holy city by believers of the Church of Light.
Because here is not only the core of the Church of Light, but also the largest church on the continent, St. George's Cathedral, and the Lateran Palace, the residence of the pope and cardinals.
It is said that the "Book of Angel Rachel", known as "the first scripture in the world", is also preserved in the star cave located under the Lateran Palace. Devout believers can experience dreams and experiences in the star cave.
Communicate with the gods and receive the will of the gods.
It is also known as Spring City by the world.
Perhaps because the continuous mountains block the cold winds in winter, or perhaps because there are abundant geothermal resources around Bethlehem, this land among the mountains can be said to be like spring all year round, and the ambient temperature remains above zero degrees Celsius all year round.
It is precisely for this reason that many ignorant civilians regard this as a miracle in this world, and have established unshakable devout beliefs since childhood.
On a construction site outside the city.
The warm morning breeze blew through the evergreen treetops. Although the sky had just brightened, the civilians on the construction site had already started a new day of work under the whips of the supervisors.
The construction site where the Colossus was built did not seem to be significantly different from the past. At most, the number of people there had quadrupled and the scale was several times larger.
Although the workers from the Idar Territory had died and escaped, and many were imprisoned in dungeons, the construction methods from the eastern part of the continent were preserved by the Church of Light.
certainly,
Reserved, reserved,
Whips, shackles and intimidation are still the most commonly used and most effective methods of supervision by supervisors.
Russell is considered an old man on the construction site.
Although this construction site has only been under construction for a few years, the workers on the construction site have almost completely changed.
The harsh living environment, extremely poor food, and the work that must be done every day...
Not to mention that the civilians who were recruited were already sallow and skinny. Even the civilians who were originally strong and physically strong would probably have a hard time sustaining such a heavy workload.
so……
Regarding the fact that I can survive until now,
In fact, even Russell himself was surprised by his tenacious vitality!
only……
If there is anyone who cheers for the victory of the Church of Light on the front line, the workers on the construction site, including Russell, are definitely one of them!
The reason is simple,
As the Church of Light gained successive victories, more and more prisoners and civilians were involuntarily transported to this construction site.
There is strength in numbers. Although these newcomers to the construction site will not directly share the construction tasks that are on Russell and others, they have also slightly reduced Russell's daily workload.
leave.
This may be the first time in the hundreds of days and nights that Russell has been on the construction site that he sees hope of survival.
The overseers' whips would still hurt their bodies, but fortunately there were more people, so the probability of everyone getting hit was smaller.
After all...supervisors will also get tired and tired.
Russell was pulling a huge stone behind him, and the rough hemp rope left a bloody mark on his shoulder.
While the supervisor on one side was walking towards the other side, he secretly stopped and wiped the sweat from his forehead, then raised his head and looked up.
The giant statue not far away has been mostly completed. If he can survive for another half a year, he may be able to see the end of this nightmare.
Because according to the rules previously given by the Church of Light, as long as the construction of the Colossus is completed, workers like themselves can go home with their travel expenses!
actually……
Russell no longer counted on travel expenses or anything like that.
During the days of working outside Bethlehem, he had clearly realized the brutality of the Crusaders' overseers and the hypocrisy of the priests and bishops.
Even if you have travel expenses, you will definitely not be able to get them to yourself.
The only thing Russell begged for was that after these years of war and famine, his family could still live safely in the world.
Although the hope is somewhat slim, this is the only belief that can support Russell to persevere.
"Crack!"
While thinking,
Russell felt a sudden burning pain on his back.
He endured the pain and turned around, only to see the Holy Army supervisor holding the whip in his hand and staring at him fiercely: "What are you looking at?! Work!"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was another whip.
Fortunately, he was blocked by the thick hemp rope wrapped around Russell's back, otherwise, the continuous whipping would have left his skin and flesh torn.
The stone being pulled behind him was already heavy, and coupled with the stabbing pain that came from time to time on his back, Russell's steps became even more staggering.
But he didn't dare to stop, because if he couldn't finish today's work, a more brutal beating would definitely be inevitable.
Drops of sweat mixed with blood stains gradually seeped out from the clothes on his back. The workers on the side looked at him with pity from time to time, but no one dared to leave his post or even take a break.
They are used to this.
But at this moment, some desperate guy was the first to let out a exclamation.
But they saw a huge thing floating in the air, gradually crossing the towering mountain peaks on one side, and appeared in front of everyone's eyes.
"What is that?"
There was an uproar on the construction site.
Even Russell, who had just been whipped a few times, couldn't help but slow down the movements of his hands.
However, at this moment, the supervisors of the Crusaders present could not care about these side issues.
Because even they were in a daze at this moment.
What is that?
Most Crusader soldiers know about hot air balloons.
Just like the Idar people have always regarded the Church of Light as their biggest threat, the Church of Light has also infiltrated and explored the land in the eastern part of the continent.
Especially after the Kingdom of Basel was annexed!
The terrifying action and execution ability displayed by the Idar army has attracted the great attention of the Church of Light.
The hot-air balloon reconnaissance battalion, which has appeared in many wars, is naturally also well-known.
But that thing is obviously not the legendary hot air balloon!
The war airship belonging to the Idar Air Force is much larger than an ordinary hot air balloon. Its size alone is equivalent to dozens of hot air balloons!
And now, through the hazy morning mist, three airships appeared in the sight of everyone on the ground.
"The Idars are coming!"
After a moment of hesitation,
The Crusaders soldiers on the construction site finally let out panicked shouts one after another.
Even though they don't know what that thing flying in the sky is,
but……
They all know the Idar flag printed on both sides of the airship, they all know the Stuart family emblem with the gryphon pattern as its core, and they all know the magical creatures roaming on both sides of the airship!
Griffin!
It is no longer a secret that only the Idar army possesses adult griffons.
so……
The answer is already coming! The Idar people are attacking!
Looking at the huge thing floating in the sky, Russell was filled with awe.
After all, he had worked on the construction site with the Idar people, so a few years ago, he had listened to his co-workers at that time telling about the unusual features of that country located in the eastern part of the continent.
However, as the labor on the construction site became more and more onerous and his body became thinner, Russell did not recall the words that the Idar people said to him for a long, long time.
Although they were on the construction site, Russell and others were able to vaguely hear some gossip about the current situation on the mainland from the words of the holy soldiers during their work breaks.
The Principality of Idar (not a typo) located in the eastern part of the continent has become the sworn enemy of the Church of Light and a pivotal player on the continent!
And now... they're here!
Not only did the Idar people come, but they also flew in front of everyone in a way that was far beyond ordinary people's imagination!
It's too late, it's fast then,
Just when most people were still in a state of confusion, the "Solenberg" airship flying at the front finally dropped the first upgraded version of the magic crystal bomb!
Everyone just watched helplessly as a dark thing fell from the sky, and then gradually became closer and closer...
The moment the bomb touched the ground, a dazzling light lit up in an instant, then expanded rapidly and merged with the surrounding smoke, dust and sand.
Rumble!
It was at this moment,
The roar caused by the explosion of the magic crystal bomb echoed among the mountains in the southern part of the continent for the first time!
The earth is trembling,
There was a smoky smell in the air.
The holy city of Bethlehem, the holy place in the hearts of all believers of the Church of Light, finally faced the impact of the war at this moment.
…
on the airship,
After the order to drop the bomb was officially issued, Major General Rolf Hawthorne stared closely at the giant statue under construction.
Of course he saw it,
There were countless civilian workers around the Colossus, but... he also saw the Holy Soldiers surrounding the Colossus!
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War is undoubtedly cruel.
At this moment, all Idar airmen have only one common goal in mind: destroying the Colossus!
The first bomb was more about finding the right location,
After the first bomb exploded on the left side of the Colossus, the "Solenberg" airship quickly adjusted its flight direction while dropping more magic crystal bombs one after another.
Rumble
At this moment, thunder seemed to resound in the mountains in the south, like a purple golden hammer that collapsed the sky and the earth, destroying all the buildings within the ground coverage with a deafening sound, taking away one fresh stream after another.
living life.
The division of labor among the three airships is very clear.
The "Solenberg" was responsible for destroying the Colossus, while the other two airships, the "Valens" and the "Basel" airship, were responsible for bombing the buildings in the holy city of Bethlehem.
The airship's unimaginable load capacity allows the Idar Air Force to carry more ammunition.
So this time,
Not only do they want to destroy the Colossus outside the city, but also the Lateran Palace, St. George's Cathedral and the important buildings of the Church of Light in the Holy City are also the targets of the Idar Air Force's key attacks!
It is rude to come and not reciprocate!
Before this, the Church of Light had launched an assassination attempt against Bruno. (Chapter 426-427)
But this time, Bruno wanted to retaliate in kind and let the Church of Light have a good taste of the air raid!
…
The construction site outside Bethlehem was already in chaos.
Bombs fell from the sky one after another, some falling around the Colossus, and some falling among the crowd, making the scene very chaotic for a time.
You know,
The explosion of the magic crystal bomb will not only set off a billowing heat wave, but will also eject countless shrapnel and rubble.
And this...
It's enough to make people lose their lives!
Many workers, including Russell, took advantage of the chaos and fled frantically outside the construction site.
If you don’t run now, when will you wait?
The Crusader soldiers present were no longer too lazy to suppress the workers who were fleeing, because at this time, they had too much to take care of themselves!
In this era, attacks from the air can be difficult to prevent.
The mage does have the ability to attack from a distance.
But the problem is...this is a holy city!
How could there be a mage in the headquarters of the Church of Light?
The Crusaders were unable to fight back, and naturally they were unable to protect the colossus they had built for several years.
The only thing they could do was to watch the magic crystal bombs pour down one after another, and then watch with their own eyes the giant statue that was tens of meters high, collapsed under the blow of violent explosions again and again!
At the moment when the Colossus collapsed, dust was flying on the ground. After a violent shaking, huge rocks fell from the sky and killed countless Crusader soldiers and unlucky workers around the Colossus.
The collapse of the Colossus was not the end, but more like the beginning of a bombing.
The Holy Soldiers stationed in the Holy City had already seen the trembling scene outside the city.
They want to warn, but they also want to escape,
But……
It's too late at this point!
In the sky above the holy city of Bethlehem, two other airships, one in the south and one in the north, began to rain down the bombs they carried without any scruples.
These upgraded and improved magic crystal bombs are already more powerful than the previous bombs.
barely a moment's work,
Thick gray-black smoke and blazing fires rose from the holy city.
What's even more exaggerated is...
For this bombing plan, each airship is equipped with at least one "T" type magic crystal bomb specially customized by the Idar Air Force. The damage caused by its explosion is even greater than the ordinary version of magic crystal.
The bomb is more than ten times higher!
The "Sorronborg" airship used this bomb to bomb the Colossus, and the "Valens" airship responsible for bombing the Holy City used this customized and improved bomb on the city center.
St. George's Cathedral!
so……
Almost at the moment when the "T" type magic crystal bomb landed,
An overwhelming heat wave exploded in the center of the city. Along with the fire that shot up into the sky and the sharp roar that tore the air, the earth-shattering explosion lifted the circular dome of St. George's Cathedral almost instantly...
…
Amidst the billowing smoke, a huge hole seemed to be torn open in the St. George's Cathedral. The entire church almost collapsed, and the temple was full of devastation.
And at the same time,
A huge mushroom cloud also slowly rose in the holy city...