“Look at them...”
“Are they crazy?”
“There are tens of thousands of enemy troops outside the city!”
When the defenders on the city walls saw the Order of Light daring to charge out of the city to face the enemy with a mere thirty riders, they were utterly stunned.
Some mocked their foolish overconfidence, while others admired their bravery, but not a single person was willing to believe in them.
“Open the gates,” Teresa said, her tone biting cold as she looked at the soldiers guarding the city gates.
Hearing this, the soldier hesitated slightly. “Are you... sure?”
Just then, a booming voice rang out:
“Open it for her!”
Teresa turned her head and saw a familiar figure clad in silver armor standing atop the wall, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Legion Commander Eleanor's current deputy and secretary-general, High Knight Genevieve, stood on the wall, gazing down at her former best friend with a complex expression.
Years ago, the two had parted ways due to a disagreement. Genevieve joined the Templar Knights, which was the largest and most promising knight order in the Holy Court at the time, while Teresa remained at her local church.
After many years of no contact, times had changed. One had become the deputy to a Legion Commander, while the other had risen to become a knight commander. Neither of them was the naive, reckless, and hot-blooded girl they once were.
When Genevieve learned that the commander of the Order of Light was her childhood friend, she had been wondering what to say to her when they finally met.
Should she advise her not to act on impulse, or should she tease her mercilessly? After all, after wasting so many years, she had finally returned to action, only for her first mission to be leading some twenty-odd knights to their deaths on the front line.
Yet, when the moment of meeting finally arrived, the thousands of words in Genevieve's heart ultimately condensed into a single sentence:
“Come back alive.”
“Hmph!” Teresa sneered, but she could not suppress the curling of her lips. “I won't die even if you do!”
With that, she stopped looking at Genevieve. Instead, she drew the longsword from her waist and roared with all her might, as if trying to vent all the frustration she had accumulated over the years:
“All members of the Order of Light! Charge with me!!!”
As her words fell, the knights roared battle cries and charged out of the gates. Thirty riders galloped forward, somehow generating the momentum of a vast army.
Although Celine preferred direct, straightforward tactics in battle, she had one saving grace: she never underestimated any opponent.
Even when facing a knight order of only thirty people, she still dispatched an army of thousands.
“Capture them alive if possible,” she ordered.
“Understood!” The messenger acknowledged and left.
Celine wanted to capture these thirty knights alive. She intended to deal a devastating blow to the morale of the Holy State's army by shattering their faith, ideally forcing them to retreat without a fight.
On the open plains, the dense, dark mass of the enemy surged toward the Order of Light like a tidal wave.
The sight made the hearts of the defenders on the wall leap into their throats. Had they been the ones facing such a scene, never mind launching a charge—simply managing not to wet their pants would have been enough to proudly call themselves “heroes.”
Thirty against thousands—yet the advantage was on her side!
Teresa grinned, but before she could laugh, her mouth was filled with wind and sand. She quickly spat it out, and her gaze grew a few degrees colder.
“To stop us from basking in the glory of the Holy See, have these heretics stooped so low as to mix sand into the wind?”
“Purify them! For the glory of the Holy See!”
Teresa summarily convicted the Northland army just like that, and then fearlessly clashed with the iron torrent of miracle power armor.
“For the glory of the Holy See!”
“Purify them!”
The members of the Order of Light refused to be left behind, eagerly following their commander's lead as they roared and charged into the fray.
As the two sides clashed in close quarters, the sharp blade in Teresa's hand instantly tore through the steel shell of a suit of miracle power armor, piercing the soldier inside with a single thrust.
Confronted by these self-important iron puppets, she could not help but sneer.
The swords in their hands were sacred weapons specifically forged for executing heretics. Let alone iron armor, even the bodies of demons could be easily pierced.
Seeing the Order of Light slay dozens of enemy soldiers in the very first clash, the defenders on the walls were deeply shocked.
Genevieve grew increasingly astonished as she watched. She had initially believed Teresa's purpose for this trip was merely “martyrdom,” which was why she had so easily let her out of the city. But now, seeing how remarkably powerful their combat capabilities were, a trace of regret welled up in her heart.
“Lady Eleanor...” Genevieve glanced at the stern-faced Legion Commander beside her and suggested tentatively, “If we deploy our forces now, there might still be hope to save them and bring them back.”
Eleanor did not look at her, her eyes fixed entirely on that tiny silver vessel navigating the dark, surging tide.
“Wait a little longer,” she said calmly.
Wait a little longer?
If they waited any longer, they would all be dead!
Genevieve was anxious, but she did not dare urge her.
Yet, at that very moment, the Northland army suddenly changed its formation. A squad consisting of Resurrection Armor pierced through the Order of Light's ranks like a sharp blade, splitting them in half.
“It's over!”
“Their formation has been broken!”
“Despicable Northlanders!”
...
Gasps and cries rang out across the walls. Almost everyone was certain that the total annihilation of the Order of Light was imminent.
At the same time, Eleanor, who was watching the battle, could not help but sigh. Was it ultimately impossible after all?
She had originally thought that if this small squad of knights truly had the ability to charge back and forth a couple of times, disrupting the Northland army's formation and forcing Celine to enter the field herself, then she might as well take another gamble, ordering the entire army to attack and intercept Celine for them.
But given the current situation, defeat was clearly inevitable for them. Even with backup from her side, they would not be able to break out successfully.
Yet, the Order of Light still did not give up. They continued to slay the enemy, even as some of their own were repeatedly run through by enemy blades and thrown from their mounts.
As their numbers dwindled and total annihilation loomed, a horrifying spectacle unfolded.
Those knights who had been stabbed through the chest and thrown from their horses actually staggered back to their feet, one by one!
“What is that?”
“How is this possible?”
“A-Am I seeing things?! That knight back there was just cut in half!”
“The dead... have come back to life?!?”
...
Every single defender on the wall watched this scene in utter disbelief.
The shock was not limited to them; Eleanor, Genevieve, and the others were equally dumbfounded.
The habitually swift-acting Legion Commander stood up abruptly. After a brief moment of shock, a flash of excitement lit up her eyes.
“It's a miracle! It must be a miracle!”
“The Lord has not abandoned us!”
In just an instant, Eleanor accepted this reality. She finally understood why the holy capital had sent a cavalry squad of only thirty people.
So that was why!
They were children blessed by the Lord; they would bring glory and victory to the Holy State!
“Pass down my order: we bathe in the glory of the Lord, and victory shall ultimately be ours! All forces, attack!”
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