Chapter 142: The Curtain Falls on the Blood Disaster

Upon learning that Lucas is, in fact, a spiritual life form, many previously inexplicable aspects suddenly became crystal clear.

For instance, why he can be summoned as a creature and, even if killed by enemies, can reappear completely unharmed during the next summoning; also, why he always appears clad in golden armor, not revealing an inch of skin, regardless of place or time.

Because — this golden armor is actually Lucas’s body; there is no real flesh inside. Thus, he is immune to nearly all negative states and environmental effects, and can endure any beating, fulfilling the role of a meat shield perfectly.

What I had thought was just a random gameplay element now seems… absurdly reasonable!

Suppressing the urge to voice my sarcastic thoughts, Miss Vilyric maintained a facade of calmness.

“Well then, speaking of demons, since we are acquainted, have you fought other demons before?”

To this question, Lucas displayed no hesitation or doubt and nodded affirmatively.

“To report to my Lord, in order to hone our skills and spirit, we Guardians of Heaven respond to calls from the noble beings across various worlds to battle strong foes, many of whom are demons eager to invade other worlds.”

“Before I grew strong enough to become a commander of the Sacred Army and contract with you, my Lord, I answered summons from other beings several times and fought these guys. One could say, in a certain sense, we Guardians of Heaven and the demon race are essentially arch-enemies.”

“Is that so…”

Miss Vilyric nodded thoughtfully.

If that’s the case, then there must truly be a world called Heaven somewhere out there, and living within it… at least a significant portion of them are likely eternal spiritual life forms like Lucas, with a very strict and formal organizational structure, known as the Guardians of Heaven and Sacred Army.

Initially, upon hearing that Lucas is a spiritual entity, the Priestess thought he came from that so-called foundational world, the “Upper Plane,” but it’s quite evident that this isn’t the case at all.

Since there are titles like Sacred Army and Guardians, there must also exist a “God” that they protect and serve. I wonder what kind of existence that unknown “God” of Heaven actually is?

However, considering the actions of the Guardians of Heaven preserving order and their attributes, that deity likely isn’t some kind of malicious god like Musk, so let’s not delve deeper into that.

After all, how Heaven operates doesn’t really relate to her, Miss Vilyric. For a completely unknown world, dragging such a topic on would lead to endless discussions.

Once the summoning concluded and the Guardian of Heaven returned, the Priestess turned her gaze to her pet, who had been quietly listening by her side, tiptoed, and gently rubbed the head that was hurriedly lowered in response.

“You’ve worked hard, Xiao Guang. So, was that enemy difficult to handle? Did you get hurt?”

After enjoying her owner’s affectionate caress, the Blonde Girl rarely showed a hint of a smile on her face and gently shook her head.

“Just a bunch of nameless scrubs that didn’t even dare to show their faces. If the main body had personally appeared, we might’ve had a proper fight, but using the power of the barrier to perform those playful antics poses no threat at all.”

“How about you, my master? Was that magic earlier [Relief]? It’s rare to see you use such an obscure ability; did you encounter some heinously evil entity?”

“Hehehe, different occasions, different applications~”

Without further explanation on the topic, the Priestess donned her mask again and patted her pet’s shoulder.

“Let’s go; we should find Yuna. I imagine she’s probably already taken action by now.”

…

Five days later.

The first holy war battle that erupted suddenly in the Saint Belgen Mountain Range was gradually drawing to a close.

Though the demons came fiercely, creating significant troubles for the Expeditionary Army, after the blood barrier was shattered by a miracle, the demons hiding deep within the heavenly barrier were forced into face-to-face confrontations with the Temple Knights.

In no time, various skirmishes erupted simultaneously among the mountains, creating quite a lively scene.

As the main force dispatched into the mountains to exterminate the demon influence, the Saint of Bright Light also split off reinforcements coming from the rear, sending teams to villages and towns on the Saint Belgen Plain to investigate the populace affected by the [Blood of the Reverse Cross], providing relief and assistance to the disaster victims.

This massive disaster undoubtedly inflicted severe damage on the Holy Nation, particularly in the Saint Belgen Plain area, radiating from the center where the Expeditionary Army was stationed. The Saint Belgen Mountain Range spans hundreds of kilometers north to south, and tens of kilometers east to west, leaving millions of civilians affected to varying degrees by this event officially termed the [Blood Disaster].

As of now, investigations indicate that at least several hundred thousand innocents have lost their lives because of it. Some small cities and settlements neighboring the mountains were entirely unscathed, and by the time the Temple Knights arrived, only lifeless ghost towns remained.

The majority of these casualties were drained of blood during the first wave of the [Blood Disaster]. After all, in a small place without strong figures like the Saint of Bright Light to hold ground, the Holy Nation’s citizens had no more resistance than livestock when faced with the Temple Knights.

Fortunately, there were no densely populated mega-cities near the Saint Belgen Mountain Range, and shortly after the disaster broke out, the miraculous acts of the “Light Goddess” along with her followers descended from the skies, destroying the abhorrent evil ritual, thus preventing more lives from suffering.

Under the call of the Saint of Bright Light, those cities located further away, which were fortunate to evade disaster, also mobilized quickly, sending troops and rescuers to the disaster areas surrounding the Saint Belgen Plain, working alongside the Expeditionary Army to manage subsequent affairs.

Such events are hardly worth mentioning.

At this moment, within the now-darkened Saint Belgen Mountain Range.

“Report! Your Highness the Saintess, frontline battle report: as of tonight, our forces have completed the sweeping and investigation of all areas where blood columns appeared during the [Blood Disaster], destroying all evil marks, and the victims have been gathered, awaiting verification of identities before burial!”

In the brightly lit campsite under the night’s shadow, a Holy Knight clad in white armor rushed over, bringing the latest updates on the battle.

“Mm, well done.”

Turning back from where she had been discussing the next step of the operational plan with several bishops and senior Holy Knights around a laid-out map, the Saintess glanced at her subordinate, who knelt with one knee on the ground and still bore traces of dark green blood, and got right to the point.

“What about the demons lurking in the mountains? Have they been completely cleared? What about the suspicious individuals mentioned by the vanguard?”

The Holy Knight answered immediately.

“To report, Your Highness, according to the latest news from various fronts, most of the demons have been purified, their bodies burned on-site. A small number of high-level demons have retreated to the eastern side of the Saint Belgen Mountain Range, and our forces are currently cooperating with the eastern Temple Knights to pursue them. However, the information about the villains who conspired with the demons in orchestrating the [Blood Disaster]…”

Seeing the hesitation on his face as he got to this point, Yuna, who had been in high positions for a long time, surely understood what he meant.

“Is that so, you haven’t found them…”

   

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