Chapter 192: The Venom Named Protection

Riding at full speed to the military camp on the outskirts of the city, after meeting with the Saint of Bright Light, Yuna quickly informed Vilyric of the more detailed situation.

This was a long-planned attack.

The demons likely had their strategy in place since the very beginning of this invasion.

Ultimately, the defeat on the front lines wasn’t due to any issues within the Holy Knights or the Holy City, nor was it because the defenders were careless or the Holy Church failed to take it seriously, but rather due to the more apparent external factors.

The gap in strength between the two sides was just too vast.

The scale of this demon invasion was far greater than anyone had initially estimated, and it certainly wasn’t just a matter of the army under “Killing” being the main force based on past battlefield encounters.

Among the four Demon Lords of the Demon Realm, aside from the “Chaos” King who has no forces and doesn’t care about external situations, the three other Kings—”Killing,” “Corruption,” and “Impurity”—were all involved in this war!

According to the last intelligence reports sent back in the early morning before the fall of the Holy City, it seems that the followers of “Corruption” had already begun infiltrating the Holy City concurrently with the demon army’s occupation of the two eastern provinces.

They were not only secretly spreading corruption within the city, interfering with and controlling the city’s various operational nodes, but also using the powers of “Impurity” to intentionally implant self-spreading epidemics within many of the residents.

As for the overt military force, the army under “Killing” feigned shyness, pretending to show no interest in further expansion to lull the Holy Kingdom into a false sense of security.

Yuna even suspected that the demons were also staging events west of the Holy Kingdom… of course, mainly in the Holy Bergen Mountains, likely to divert the Church’s higher-ups’ attention in order to break through the relatively weak Holy City and achieve their invasion strategy against the Province of Fran.

In history’s three demon wars, regardless of where the flames of conflict first ignited or how brutal they were, the Holy City, regarded as the last gateway to the Eastern Capital, had never fallen.

The situation was already nearing collapse; if the Province of Fran truly fell entirely, the blade of the demons would be poised to strike at the heart of the Holy Empire.

In the military meeting, including the Saint of Bright Light, Yuna Summerfield, and Acting Captain Edwina Cecelia, the attendees all wore grim expressions.

Clearly, the sudden deterioration of the situation caught them all off guard.

“We can no longer afford to wait. The army must immediately set off for the Province of Fran. No matter what, we must prevent the demons from completely controlling this vital eastern region; otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable.”

The Saintess’s sudden remarks broke the prolonged silence, and after a long moment, an archbishop from the Holy Court tentatively suggested.

“But Princess Redeeming Saintess Philomina Lambert’s forces are still at least three hundred kilometers away from the Holy Capital. Our initial estimate of them arriving within three days was already a rush; if the army sets off now, they might not even catch up by the time they confront the demons.”

“Without the support of the Holy Healing Corps, the intense battles in the initial days will lead to skyrocketing casualties, and the integration of the eastern and western forces is still unsettled…”

Before the words even faded, the Holy Knight Kleisius, who had come to see a certain Miss White Fox yesterday and was now fully armored for the meeting, immediately retorted.

“…Don’t you understand? We no longer have the luxury of time for thorough preparations! The Province of Fran is one of our top three most developed provinces, with a population of over a hundred million. Can you imagine how much their power would surge if the demons devoured this essential resource?”

“Furthermore, once they control the Province of Fran, they could use its extensive road network to launch large-scale assaults on any surrounding province, and we wouldn’t have a fortress like the Holy City to gather our strength and defend; instead, we’d be exhausted trying to chase after their main forces!”

The Holy Knight struck the table forcefully with his knuckles, producing a warning sound of “dudu.”

“We are the Guardians, while they are the invaders! We are at a natural disadvantage! We have already lost once; now is the critical moment to seize initiative—the moment of survival where we can’t afford to retreat even one step, even if it means dying on the battlefield!”

“The Holy War began the moment the blood-red light pierced the sky at the Barrier! The situation has now taken a rapid turn for the worse. What are we still worrying about losses? Your family or my family, three hundred years of peace and stability, the goddess’s protective power—has it rusted your brains?”

“…”

Kleisius’s furious denunciation plunged the conference back into a deathly silence.

Everyone understood he was right; the Province of Fran was indeed that important, and the urgency of the situation had certainly reached a critical point, but at the end of the day…

“The Demon Lords have historically never been on the same page; ‘Killing,’ ‘Corruption,’ and ‘Impurity’ joining forces is unprecedented in historical records! With the Holy City now fallen, if we rush in with a haphazard army, I fear the survivors would be…”

Following that concern, another attendee from the eastern faction chimed in.

“Princess Bright Light, I have heard… that during the ‘Disaster of Blood’ in the Holy Bergen Mountains, a holy white dragon representing light appeared to offer support, and even the goddess herself granted miracles to stave off further casualties. I wonder, this time…”

Though somewhat hesitant, it was clear to everyone, including him, that many people’s gazes subtly shifted toward the White Fox Girl silently listening by the side of the Saint of Bright Light and Acting Captain Edwina Cecelia, who hadn’t spoken a word.

The intent was already quite obvious.

“Haah…”

Noticing she had inexplicably become the center of attention, Miss White Fox let out a quiet sigh.

So it has come to this.

This was the price to pay for exhibiting overwhelming power and obtaining enough respect and status.

Biological beings are inherently dependent; not everyone is like this, but at least a considerable number… once they received help, would naturally start expecting that entity who helped them to step in again when they encounter similar difficulties, rather than bearing that risk themselves.

【After all, you could solve it before, and it would merely be a simple act for you, right? Why can’t you just help us out?】

That is likely the sentiment in many people’s hearts.

Even if they can’t threaten more powerful existences, all the admiration and gratitude they previously poured in would at this moment turn into invisible shackles, compelling the other party to deal with troubles they initially had no intention of engaging with.

And each act of assistance, while earning more respect, would further solidify this relationship, making the shackles heavier… until such an existence becomes weary and decides to ruthlessly refuse entirely.

The long-standing protection was like a flower in a greenhouse suddenly exposed to a storm; it could only meet destruction, and the survivors would attribute it to “abandonment,” turning against each other.

This was entirely a possibility.

So, unless faced with a large-scale, virtually unstoppable disaster and destruction, Vilyric rarely intervened in the operations of a nation and would never linger in any particular place, overly showcasing her true power.

Thus, the divine beings do not listen to every follower’s wish, instead engaging in exchanges of faith and grace, maintaining a relationship nearly as simple as a business transaction.

Unconditional giving is, in itself, a form of deadly poison.

   

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