Chapter 214: Deserted Island

The battle in Sacheno City has been raging for over three days.

Demons have surged in from almost all four directions—north, south, east, and west—launching an incessant, tempestuous assault on this small city standing on the western bank of the Star River.

Among them, the attacks from the south and north near the river have been the most ferocious.

After months of lurking in the Sanos Province and Keller Province, the demons seem to have transported a vast amount of troops from their homeland, showcasing a power that has even surpassed previous large-scale wars with the lords uniting, reaching the most brutal record in the Holy Nation’s history.

With over a million of them on the battlefield merely as cannon fodder, they resemble an endless ocean, with the black and gray forms never disappearing from beneath the walls of Sacheno City for a full three days and seventy hours.

Their relentless day-and-night assault has placed immense pressure on the defending troops, forcing the Holy Nation’s guards to repeatedly burn the corpses at the city gates with holy flames; otherwise, the accumulated remains would have easily reached the height of the city walls by now.

The Holy Empire is a nation that practices a strategy of elite forces, and even in such large-scale warfare, they have only deployed a mere one hundred thousand as the real backbone of this holy war.

While this grants them considerable advantages in various ways, such as stronger individual strength that effectively curbs the spread of “unclean” diseases in the army and allowing them to swiftly seize control of Sacheno City despite being ambushed, the disadvantages of insufficient combat numbers are just as prominent.

For instance, now, the enemy can continuously drain the soldiers’ stamina using the demons as cannon fodder, while the truly powerful mid- to high-tier demons linger on the periphery, occasionally charging and attacking, making it quite challenging for the defenders to respond.

It’s not that they cannot be resisted; it’s simply a matter of human limits.

Though the demon beasts are merely the basic troops among the demons, they are still far more formidable than ordinary humans. Although an average temple knight can battle three or four of these creatures simultaneously, the latter’s claws are more than capable of slicing open the vulnerable necks of the holy knights, while priests and such professions are especially wary of close confrontations with enemies.

As a result, the Holy Nation has to take every attack from demons seriously, rotating troops to ensure the stability of the front lines.

While the demons have suffered far heavier casualties than the Holy Empire’s forces, three days and nights of relentless assaults have greatly weakened the defense of Sacheno City’s soldiers.

It’s not broken yet, but they are indeed at a disadvantage.

The reason for this, besides the ferocity of the demons, is that the Redeeming Saintess-led healing team and the rear support have yet to arrive, leaving the city lacking sufficient medical forces to match the over one hundred thousand troops. Now, the casualty situation has begun to worsen along with the decline in morale.

On the southern city wall.

“It’s been three days.”

“Yeah, three days.”

The Holy Knight, clad in white armor, stood on the battlements, responding to the mutterings of the Miss White Fox beside her.

“How are you holding up? This is your first time in such a war, right?”

Edwina Cecilia shook her head. In just three days, the remnants of her youthful face had faded, and she had matured into a truly resilient figure. The divine aura she radiated only intensified in the midst of the bloody battle, firmly stabilizing at a transcendent level pushed by the blood of the gods.

The golden flames rising from her holy sword instantly incinerated the blood of the demons it stained but did not return to its sheath. The Holy Knight merely turned her gaze to the surrounding city walls, which, even under the reinforced protection of faith-based magic, were already quite battered.

“I’m not too bothered. After all, the enemies we have encountered so far are fairly standard. Compared to the troubles I faced during my training, it’s nothing, and I’ve actually benefited a lot. However, the others, and this city…”

“True enough.”

Miss White Fox did not continue to look at her; she merely gazed at the surging waves of demon beasts in the distance, nodding slightly.

Edwina Cecilia, known as a descendant of the gods and having undergone numerous trials, received the blessing of the level 9 magic ‘Kiss of Light’. Within the Holy Nation’s army, she is likely second only to the Saint of Bright Light, Yuna, as the strongest.

If even someone like her crumbled under pressure, this island beneath the sea of demons would have long been submerged.

“What are your plans next?”

Though it involved classified military intelligence, Edwina naturally had no intention of concealing it from the priestess, stepping back a few paces and lowering her voice to speak frankly.

“Actually, it’s not overly complicated. Before the battle began, Yuna and I were already prepared for great sacrifices.”

“Sacheno City may be small, but it absolutely cannot be lost. Not only is it the last stronghold protecting our interior, but it’s also an important foothold for advancing eastward and reclaiming lost territories. We must use lives to resist this well-planned demon offensive, no matter what.”

“The most urgent issue now is reinforcements.”

“Healing and sustained combat capabilities were originally our strong points, but due to the absence of the Redeeming Saintess, it has now become a disadvantage. So, we must hurry to reunite with her.”

“Boom!!!”

A type of long-range attack from the demons suddenly exploded on the city wall beneath the feet of the two, sending a thick cloud of dust and a loud bang into the sky. However, Edwina, who had become accustomed to such disturbances, seemed unfazed and continued to explain in a volume only the nearby girl could hear.

“Right now, the demons have surrounded the city completely. Sacheno is like a deserted island; even if reinforcements led by Philomina arrive, they’ll likely struggle to break through the siege and join our forces. Any minor misstep could draw the notice of other demon armies from different directions, putting them in jeopardy.”

“The current plan is to lead a contingent of elite cavalry under the pretense of breaking out, temporarily diverting the main enemy forces at the west gate before they notice the approaching Redeeming Saintess. Once they’ve entered the city, we’ll use our speed advantage to retreat. Miss Xī, what do you think?”

“Hmmm… a feigned breakout.”

Miss Vilyric pondered for a moment with her chin resting on her hand.

“It sounds simple, but I suspect that back and forth, even an elite unit would sustain over half casualties. You might even be in danger yourself… After all, there are transcendent level experts among this demon army and not just one.”

Hearing Miss White Fox pinpoint the key difficulty, Edwina couldn’t help but show a wry smile.

“You’re absolutely right. The retreat is merely our anticipated outcome; in the worst-case scenario, total annihilation is entirely possible. But the Redeeming Saintess is far too important. We must ensure her safety at all costs, and Yuna, as the overall commander, must remain to control the situation. I’m the only one suited to take this risk.”

Seeing Miss Vilyric fall silent, the Holy Knight placed her hand solemnly on her chest.

“Before stepping onto the battlefield, every one of us disciples made the commitment to sacrifice ourselves for the holy war. It’s an honor.”

“Honor, huh… Edwina, have you considered what would happen to the thousands of refugees infected with illnesses that you saved if you… died?”

Miss White Fox said with a light chuckle.

“Surely, you don’t think that if you can’t handle it, I’m going to take on that mess, right?”

“Ah? N-no! I would never…”

The blonde girl turned pale in shock and hurriedly tried to explain, but Miss Vilyric just patted her shoulder, halting her actions.

“Alright, don’t be so pessimistic. I know you want to give it your all, that’s why you’re taking all the pressure on yourself, but sometimes it’s okay to rely on others… I’ve said it before, I’ll help you within ‘appropriate’ limits.”

“Uh, what do you mean by appropriate…?”

Miss Vilyric didn’t immediately reply to Edwina’s confusion and suddenly changed the subject, bringing up something seemingly unrelated.

“By the way, I heard that the Redeeming Saintess wields resurrection magic capable of bringing the dead back to life. Is that true?”

   

---