Lily sat cross-legged on top of a giant banyan tree.
This plant is about forty meters tall, with a huge canopy that stretches for miles, like a dark green hill. It has been hundreds of years old since it was born, perhaps older than September.
” Much older.
It is located deep in the Breeze Forest, only a few miles away from Golden Spike City. However, many top Elna sentries came and went from below, and nature messengers flew directly overhead, but no one could spot her.
Through the magical network all over the continent, she transformed her consciousness into many clones and integrated into each individual chosen by her. She saw with those people's eyes, listened with their ears, and shared some superficial thoughts. She
Knowing that with just a flash of thought, she can take the life of anyone, or drive them into temporary or permanent madness with information that mortals cannot understand.
This is the power of the "divine messenger" - it belongs only to Ada, and it is also her power.
…
Hakum stared north.
The wind moved southward along the wasteland, and the dust and sand in the sky obscured his sight, making it impossible for him to see the direction of his home clearly.
Two months ago, he was semi-forced to accept the order of "that woman" - Jill Windwhisper, and migrated to the east of the wasteland. They left their hometown that was no longer safe, crossed the desert with harsh climate, and headed for hundreds of places.
A wilderness that has been uninhabited for years.
Even with the help from the empire, more than 20% of the elderly, weak and sick still left their bones on this journey forever.
The first month of opening up the wasteland was difficult and full of dangers. The Sachi people had long adapted to the heat and cold of the wasteland, as well as the day and night travel method, but food became the first problem. The unfamiliar environment and creatures made gathering and
Hunting was difficult; they had to hunt insects to satisfy their hunger until the potatoes they planted could bear fruit.
The water source was a bigger problem. "That woman" helped find several underground waterways, but the supply to all the tribes was still insufficient. And the worst of all - an unexplained fever suddenly spread from men to men.
Before it could be controlled and cured, more than 10% of the young and middle-aged labor force of the tribe was killed, including one of Hakom's sons.
They mined minerals according to the instructions of "that woman", signed an agreement with the Theocracy, exchanged cloth, food, seeds and other necessities, and established a stronghold that could accommodate tens of thousands of people. But just as everything was settled, the other party brought new ones -
—In other words, the originally agreed upon instructions.
So he gathered half of the young tribesmen and went south with other Saqi tribes to fight against their dead compatriots and the "initiator" of this war.
Golden Rock City is not far from the North. There is a familiar dry smell in the air, mixed with the faint smell of death... or it may be just his illusion. Hakum clenched the scimitar in his hand, feeling sweat seeping out from his palm, soaking it.
A strip of rough cloth wrapped around the handle of the knife.
"Hmph, you're shaking, coward." A familiar, disgusting voice came from one side, "Are you scared?"
"Don't tell me you're not afraid, Gulton. Those are the dead." The dead are resurrected and the living are overthrown. This is one of the worst prophecies. Maybe the end of the Sachi people is today, Hacum thought to himself. "You
If you die, don't expect me to help you collect the body."
The man whom he called by his first name put his ax and gun on the ground and slowly moved his shoulders. His naked upper body was as strong as Hakum, his face was hard and ferocious, and a dark brown scar ran across his chest.
Until under the ribs.
In a fight two years ago, Hakum almost killed his opponent, and those were the traces left behind at that time.
In the barren wasteland, the two tribes of Sand Scorpions and Salamanders have been fighting for decades at least, and countless tribesmen have died at the hands of the other side. Hakum has dreamed of the demise of the other side many times, but has never thought about it.
, I actually had a moment of fighting together with their clan leader—and even the entire tribe.
"I will return this sentence to you unchanged." Gulton sneered in a low voice, and then exhaled heavily, "The Saqi people are already unlucky, so don't worry about the fucking prophecy. No matter what, you will die on the battlefield.
It is better to die in the mouth of a wolf than to die in the mouth of a wolf."
"It's up to you." Hakum frowned and clenched his fist vigorously, "Where's the leader? Where did she go at this time?"
"Don't ask me." Gulton shook his head, "Maybe there is something more troublesome for her to deal with, and that has nothing to do with me. Let me tell you, Hakum—" He grinned, raised his axe, and fired with all his strength.
With a wave of his hand, he left a deep ravine on the ground, "If I can't see your death, even if I become an undead... I can't close my eyes!"
Hakoum wanted to say something else, but the atmosphere in front of him suddenly became oppressive, and the silence behind him suddenly fell silent. He looked back and saw that the tribesmen were raising their weapons one after another, with a mixture of fear and excitement in their eyes.
As a hunter, Hakum knew they were coming.
A group of thin figures emerged from the dust and fog, holding sharp axes in their hands, silently. Those were their kindred... who once died at the hands of the "gods", and now they have returned as the dead. Because of this, this battle will never end.
, and cannot surrender - if you don't annihilate the opponent, you can only wait for destruction.
He raised his left palm, waved his right hand, and cut the sharp scimitar deeply into the palm of his hand. Blood poured out of the wound, covering the blade, igniting red light, like a raging flame. The tribesmen around him followed suit. Gurton
The tribe, Lokli's tribe, and every Sachi warrior on the battlefield followed suit, and then raised their weapons high.
Red flames rose and enveloped the military formation, like thousands of lights.
This is not the witchcraft of the Saqi people. Not long ago, a blue girl brought by the commander-in-chief taught them this simple and crude method with several carts of herbs with strange aroma. And the girl was then
He remembered exactly what was said.
"This is... a medicine secretly taught by the church that I improved with the knowledge left behind by my friends. It can turn will into power and dissolve it into your blood and flesh. The Sachi people's beliefs prohibit the resurrection of the dead, so,
If it is your blood, it should be able to restrain those... undead souls who are not afraid of swords and axes."
In the blink of an eye, the enemy had arrived. Hakum threw away all unnecessary thoughts, ran as fast as he could, and swung his arms with all his strength. The sharp blade cut the air, screamed, and cut the two dead men in half. They fell to the ground.
It struggled to crawl towards him, but the red flames instantly spread from the fracture to the whole body of the corpse, eventually engulfing it completely, leaving only a handful of flying ash.
After one blow, the scimitar faded away, and enemies continued to come.
The dense military formation soon began to fall apart. The Saqi people were good at melee fighting, and the enemy army also had no formations at all, making the battlefield suddenly a mess. Hakum tried hard to search for the figures of his tribe and family, but among thousands of people
On the battlefield, this is simply impossible.
The dangerous instinct suddenly made his heart skip a beat. He subconsciously crossed the blade to block the two oncoming axes, then held the knife in both hands and slashed horizontally, cutting off the arm and the weapon. But the corpse without the arm was straight away.
It hit him with such force that he couldn't believe it. He staggered back, and his ankle was caught by something. He saw another dead body approaching, and the ax flashed with cold light and went straight to his head——
The long-handled ax gun whizzed in, bringing with it a dull impact and even the crisp sound of bones breaking. The corpse seemed to be hit by a heavy hammer, and flew more than ten meters covered in red flames, falling into the middle of the 'enemy' battle group.
.The red flames spread to those bodies at the same time, igniting raging fire and turning them into ashes.
Gulton retracted his ax gun, snorted coldly, and rushed forward without looking back.
A wave of reluctance and shame suddenly gripped Hakum, temporarily erasing his fear. He narrowed his eyes and looked around - the war cry resounded through the wilderness, the sharp sound of metal collision, and the breath of blood intertwined. That
It was a familiar smell. The enemy's appearance changed, but everything else was the same as before. He raised his left palm and wiped the blade again.
The red flames rekindled. The undead fell before his eyes, and more quickly filled the gaps, seemingly endless.
Another dead person was chopped into several pieces by him. He had long forgotten to count the number of people it was, nor did he remember how many times he had covered the weapon with blood. Many people in the tribe died, and everyone who remained was injured. A flying ax seized him
Two of his left fingers were lost, and he was hit by a blow on the outside of his right leg. The pink muscles rolled out, but there was no pain. Guldo was no longer around - after the 'magic' on the weapon failed one time,
The two dead bodies hugged each other's arms and legs. In the next second, Hakum watched with his own eyes as the ax was swung down, the head shattered like an egg, and the liquid spilled to the ground.
His former enemy died before his eyes, but Hakum didn't feel the slightest joy. A familiar scream came from behind him. He subconsciously turned his head and saw several corpses hugging his daughter, chewing her to pieces.
"You bunch of dead people...just go to hell for me!!"
Sudden fury engulfed him. The scimitar drew a sad arc, cutting everything in front of him into pieces. More dead people gathered, trapping Hakum inside. He waved the weapon frantically,
But the distance of only a few dozen steps was as big as a natural chasm.
Suddenly, he felt dizzy. For a moment, his arm seemed to be firmly grasped by something. Then there was a sudden cold in his elbow, which then turned into a burning pain. Hakum staggered back, only to realize that his entire left forearm was gone.
, blood is spilling like a fountain.
This is such a waste, he thought, and at the same time he raised his left elbow and placed it across the top of the scimitar. The liquid flowed down like a waterfall, and the sharp blade burst into flames, reflecting the four directions in red. The dead seemed to feel threatened and instinctively stopped, but
Still tightly surrounding him.
Hakum took a deep breath, extracted the last strength from his body, and stepped forward.
…
Dis McCann hadn't slept for a long time.
The news of the defeat of the Sachi people came yesterday, and the Bedin Kingdom Army, commanded by him and stationed on the south side of the castle, had been under attack from the machine puppets and golem legions since midnight three days ago.
Endlessly, until now.
Farmers and civilians around Golden Rock City had already evacuated. The castle itself could not accommodate all the coalition forces, so they spread out and stationed themselves among vacant farmhouses and fields. About one-third of the troops led by Dis could live in wooden houses.
The rest were tents made of oil-soaked canvas and simple fences built, forming a dozen camps of similar sizes.
Each camp has thousands of soldiers, plus dozens of "magic armors" of various shapes - said to be inheritance from the "previous era". The royal family's construction workshop holds the blueprints of these creations.
However, due to scarcity of craftsmen and materials, their output has never been high.
I don’t know what promise Kylo Russell made that made the royal family take out all their capital. At least for the war situation and the soldiers, this is a good thing - I am afraid that only the wizards of the Elna people
, and these reconstructed structures are capable of fighting against the Federation creations in the hands of Fimmel Stark, Dis thought.
An emissary opened the curtain and walked into the camp. He extended his arms and saluted Dis, and then reported the current battle situation from other camps, relayed in real time by "Hummingbird".
"Report to the general, the Second Army is once again engaged by the enemy. The enemy only has machine puppets, which is similar in number to six hours ago. We have the upper hand temporarily."
"Very good, use "Storm" and "Sea King" to maintain the front line and consume the opponent's combat power. Be careful and don't rush in."
Dis McCann waved the order to return, and then turned his attention back to the table. The terrain map around Golden Rock City was spread out on the table. He set his sights on the east side and picked up a black 'Sea Monster' chess piece.
, placed two centimeters to the right.
As the military minister of the Bedin Kingdom, he had a share of the credit for the alliance between the kingdom and the Kamal people. When some Fritz people thought that the Oren Empire was seriously weakened and could take advantage of the opportunity to seek benefits, Dis was vaguely aware of it.
, it is not feasible to take advantage of the situation - if the alliance between the Kamal people and the Elna people wins, the kingdom will face revenge from both groups at the same time; even if Femir wins, I'm afraid... the fruits will have nothing to do with them.
"General, report from the Third Army. The enemy's machine puppets are arranged in a square formation, and we cannot break through the joint shield. Requesting heavy fire support——"
"I understand. Fire six "Godly Crossbows" over there, and fire two in groups. It should be enough to penetrate that level of joint shield... Remember to protect them, we don't have too many left."
After ordering the envoy to leave quickly, Dis closed his eyes and rubbed the corners of his eyebrows vigorously, trying to drive away the lingering tiredness.
However, he could no longer predict whether the covenant would bring about a good outcome. The enemy did not try to capture the city, but instead used a tireless array of puppets to fight a tug-of-war with them. The puppets with no thinking ability were unknown to whom.
Under their command, they have excellent tactics and even more terrifying execution: they can always make a quick surprise attack when the troops relax, engage in a rigorous formation, and then withdraw without hesitation - leaving behind shocked and increasingly exhausted soldiers.
them.
He has tried many tactics and traps, but none of them have really seriously damaged the enemy. So far, the battle losses on both sides are not high, but Dis knows that the morale of the army, which was relatively high a few days ago, has almost hit the bottom now.
"General, the rear of the Fourth Army was attacked! We don't know the number of enemy troops, but... there are at least a dozen Iron Golems! We are trying our best to defend and ask for support!"
"Iron Golem? How did you get around that thing? Send a team... No, four "Swordfish" are enough to get past it. Confirm the opponent's number and specific movements, and then report to me immediately!"
Dis stood up. Before he could think of his next command, the curtain of the tent opened inward again.
"The Sixth Army... The Sixth Army is in danger! The enemy suddenly attacked... Tens of thousands of puppets surrounded us, and we can't tell the authenticity from the fake!"
"It's just a mirror image technique. Let the "Iron Curtain"——"
His words stopped abruptly. A deafening roar came from outside, and the violent impact made the entire camp tremble. Dis pushed the commander to one side, opened the curtain, and looked into the camp.
What came into view was a raging fire.
The entire camp was burning. Tent, food, corral, and even the magic armor made of steel, no one was spared. The soldiers panicked and fled in all directions; some non-commissioned officers tried hard to gather the troops, while others stood still and looked up.
The sky above seemed to be possessed by some secret technique of immobilization.
The scorching air was blowing into his face along with billowing smoke, but Dis couldn't care about it at all. He saw a huge, strange-shaped sphere floating in the center of the camp, tens of meters above the ground. Hundreds of blue-purple,
Translucent and long 'arms' stretched out from its body, like tangible and insubstantial whips. Wherever they were swung, they shattered, cracked, and ignited with blazing red flames.
Two "Shield Guardians" stood in front of Dis, one on the left and one on the right, and two 'arms' waved down after them. The solid steel was meaningless in front of them. Dis looked at the two heavy shields, together with the structure.
The body of the suit, and even the driver inside, were cut open as easily as butter. No blood was shed.
He drew his saber and brought the whip to his head.
…
Vanir Hyperbrian stood on the top of the tower on the north side of Golden Rock City, squinting his eyes, his sight strengthened by magic spanning nearly 10,000 meters and falling to the earth——
Everywhere you look, there are enemies.
Since a week ago, he has been using magic to try to grasp every movement of the enemy. Fimmel Stark brought countless giant insects catalyzed by the power of life; there were as many as hundreds of thousands, driven by the Saatchi people.
The "Undead Army" formed by them; numerous mercenaries from the Phil Federation... and other countries; nearly 10,000 machine puppets left by the White Tower Wizard; and the Federation's legacy - various powerful and rare magical creations.
As for the "settlers" of Luglan Forest, the three giant dragons who still obeyed Fimmel's orders, as well as Lily Ada, who warned them the most, are still missing at this time.
The Elna people boast of a long heritage, but when it comes to wealth and resources, the federation with nearly 10,000 wizards is indeed superior. It is said that in addition to their wealth of gold and silver, they also own several fine gold golems.
Dragon Golems, and even the legendary Source Golems. Those guys are not known for their expensiveness—ordinary people, let alone buying them, even seeing them once is almost a luxury; and according to the records left in the book, only one or two are needed.
Such a creation is enough to destroy a city-state inhabited by tens of thousands of people.
Vanier originally thought that the opponents of the Elna people should be those powerful enemies that ordinary people cannot fight against. However, as of now, the dragon and the "immigrants" have not yet appeared, but he cannot wait for the battle to continue.
He casually jumped down from the tower. The wind formed invisible wings and carried him down to the west wall. Soldiers came and went on the wall, carrying barrels and kerosene, adjusting the crossbows, and hurriedly conveying the commander's message. Magic caused
The explosion, the sharp sound of metal collision, and the cry of killing came from outside the city, mixed together, so that they were blurred. In the city behind them, the glorious knights were carefully checking their horses and weapons, waiting for the imminent attack order.
.
Vanier raised his hand, and the magic power formed invisible ripples, spreading outward one after another, across the entire city, through towns and forests, and eventually throughout the entire continent. Then he calmly put down his arms and counted silently in his heart.
time.
Doors opened all around him, and the Elna people in silver robes, alone or in groups, came out and gathered in front of him one after another. Two-thirds of them were silver-white, and the rest belonged to the forest.
The greenery. Some people gathered together and talked in low voices, while more stared at him in silence.
Vanier took a slow breath.
"One thousand and thirty people, including me. Seven hundred and twenty-five are from the north, and the rest are from the south." He swallowed, "Thank you... for being willing to participate in this battle. For being willing... to serve as Al
Accept people.”
"Don't say it so seriously, as if you are about to die." Elga, who was in the front row, spread her hands, "We don't like war. But to be honest, if we really want to fight, who is afraid of whom?"
"The White Tower is gone, and the entire Federation has been destroyed. I have to say that that little guy did it really neatly." An Lyle snorted coldly, "I'm afraid Morgan underestimated the enemy. With his ability, he shouldn't lose at all.
It’s worthless.”
"It's a pity that the old guy died, and we have to clean up the mess left behind." Kasha, who had a pale complexion, pursed her lips, "The lich is nothing, but Ada is a big problem. With Tiana's current state, I'm very worried
I doubt how long she can hold Lily off. It's best to deal with it before then."
Vanier clapped his hands gently, and the crisp sound spread, temporarily suspending the surrounding discussions.
"Everyone forms a formation." He looked at everyone in the queue in turn and immediately came up with the answer in his mind, "There are 730 fourth-level wizards, in groups of two; there are 321 third-level wizards,
Groups of three; one hundred and ten second-level wizards, divided into groups of five; first-level wizards...Kasha, Anler, Elga, you will be divided into three groups——"
"Humph, it's serious." Elga chuckled, with a hint of excitement in her expression, "Vaniel, this is your 'first time', is it okay?"
"I talked with An. In her history, 'you' used this secret technique a year later, but unfortunately it resulted in a dead city that lasted for two hundred years." Kasha's fair face showed a trace of rosy, "I hope this
Don’t choose the wrong target this time.”
"Don't worry, if he messes up, I'll be here. Even if I'm gone, you'll still be here." An Laer said expressionlessly, "The Erna people will not perish."
"Very good. Thank you for your trust." Vanier raised his head and looked beyond everyone, pointing directly into the distance. "Now, with me as the core - perform the third ceremony."
…
Lily stood up and stretched slightly. This was the first time in two weeks.
Since the beginning of the war, she has always just watched. She has witnessed the destruction or disintegration of troops one after another, some of them are Femir's troops, and most of them are "enemies" - people who are enemies of Femir. She has witnessed the disappearance of countless lives, and also
Regret for every extinguished fire of life.
Everything is valuable, she told herself, in order to realize her ideal...necessary sacrifice.
Ann, Elena, and Kailuo seemed to have planned some means to fight against her. She tried to get the answer from their minds, but failed to do so - reading thoughts is not Ada's strong point... that is more like
The "Lord of the Heart" is good at it. But Lily always felt that it was more than that. If her intuition didn't lie to her, there must be other powers guarding them.
Could it be Mal? Protodis who insists on not interfering in the mortal world? Nolan mentioned by Gil? Or Artias whose whereabouts are always unknown?
That doesn't matter. She never wanted to harm them from the beginning - rather, she planned to use her current power to ensure that they survived the war. Then, through the "Mirror Realm", she won the victory in Fimir
On this occasion, all her "members" were forcibly sent back to their original era.
This is her only remaining responsibility as the leader of the "Lilinono Group".
And after that, maybe it will be goodbye forever.
But she has no regrets.
She turned her head in the direction of Jinyan City. A wave of magic power was gathering at an unusual speed. In just a few breaths, the power could almost rival hers. It was at the end of the last era, on the chaotic battlefield where the gods descended one after another.
A battle-level spell that had left a heavy mark. The memory inherited from Ada told her that the spell in front of her was not as good as the original one, but it was still capable of severely injuring her and turning the tide of the battle with one blow.
"The final holy war...?" Lily narrowed her eyes and licked her lower lip with her tongue, "Finally, it's our turn to appear?"
She blinked, regained most of her scattered will, and then stretched out her hand forward——
But nothing happened. It was as if there was an invisible barrier preventing her incarnation from descending into Golden Rock City.
"Huh?"
Lily frowned and tried again to get closer, but still failed.
The female mercenary squinted her eyes, sniffed hard, and noticed a familiar...and disgusting smell. She raised her hand without hesitation, a blue light spear appeared in her palm, and then threw it with all her strength.
out--
This time there was no one to stop him. The light spear streaked across the sky without any stagnation, and landed in the forest hundreds of meters away. The blue magic spread, covering the flowers, plants, trees, and even the earth and soil within a radius of dozens of meters.
All turned into pure magic power. Pillars of light rose from the ground, crossed the sky, and finally merged into the body of the current "Edda".
Lily had no time to care about that. She turned around and locked her gaze on the tall woman in a black dress a few meters away. On the other person's chest, blue crystal fragments alternated between bright and dark, as if matching the frequency of her heartbeat.
It is indeed her, just as Fimmel expected, Lily thought to herself.
"Tiana." She said as calmly as possible, while secretly constructing the most powerful magic she could control, "You... want to fight?"
The woman in black slowly shook her head.
"I just want to talk to you while we can still see each other." She said softly, "For example, about Alex and what it means to be an angel."
A dazzling white light suddenly filled the field of vision, and the world seemed to be shaking - it was a violent magic explosion that could affect the "network". Lily squinted her eyes and stared at the direction of the light.
Hundreds of thousands of fires of life—mostly mutated insects "catalyzed" by her—scattered and disappeared in this attack. This was not enough to shake Femir's advantage, but she did not want to allow this to happen again.
"We're not interested... chatting with an old woman who's hundreds of years old." Lily turned her head away and stepped towards the south, "If you block our way again, don't blame me——"
An invisible and sharp "death" streaked past her, crossing hundreds of miles of space in an instant and sinking into the body of Vanir Hyperbrian. Lily felt a stabbing pain in her head, and that person was the "Final Holy War"
The core—the Erna wizard she had planned to eliminate—the fire of life has completely disappeared from this world.
She couldn't help but stop, turned around, and looked at the woman in black with a normal expression.
"You...why, na?"
"Those who meddle with the realm of God should be punished. Of course, it will also help you relieve some troubles." Tiana said calmly, "Now, are you free to talk?"