Chapter 222: Prelude to the Final Act

“This should be the Sacred City… the final destination where Edwina and the others will charge.”

Floating in the sky as if standing on nothing, the White Fox Girl gazed down at the grand outline sprawling below, akin to a prehistoric beast sprawling on the earth, making such a judgment.

“Wow… it’s such a huge city, but from up here I can see everything clearly. Even though it’s not my first time, it’s still impressive!”

Beside her, the blue-haired girl with slender metallic wings struggled to maintain a stable hover while curiously darting her wide eyes downward, clearly moved by the sight.

Alongside the two girls, Little Dragon Daughter spread her wings while cradling a pink-haired loli, and further back, four familiar companions—two males and two females—also stabilized their hovering with artificial wings similar to those Tilysha equipped.

The formidable group of eight had arrived above this border fortress, which had already been conquered and occupied by demons.

By the way, Eudora, being a succubus, had already acquired flying abilities despite still being in her childhood form. However, to conceal her demonic identity, the White Fox Girl let Xiao Guang carry her during their travel.

After all, although the other four were familiar enough, they weren’t at the stage of revealing such secrets just yet.

“How is it? Is this the place?”

Vilyric turned her gaze back, and the Gray-clothed Swordsman, who had seven long swords hanging at his waist, immediately understood and stepped forward. He took out a pink pearl enclosed in a transparent crystal box from his ring. After carefully observing the change in its luster for a moment, he shook his head.

“There’s no reaction. The other half of the Enchantment Pearl should not be in this city. If that’s the case… Miss Xī, I fear the King of Corrosion’s minions have yet to locate it.”

“I see…”

So it seems it must still be hidden somewhere within Sanoth Province or Keller Province.

The White Fox Girl gazed into the distance, toward the edge of the earth.

The former of the two provinces, which had been conquered by demons, was the site of the fierce battle between the sixth Judging Saintess and the King of Corrosion during the Third Demon War, where they both sustained heavy losses.

It was said that the brutality of that battle was legendary, and to face the incarnation of Corrosion that descended upon the world, the Saintess had exhausted everything, paying with her life to unleash the unprecedented brilliance of the Crown of Uncrowned, demonstrating powers akin to a god, which ultimately vanquished the Corrosion.

Back then, the Judging Saintess was the unquestioned supreme leader of the Holy Empire.

Thus, the King of Corrosion’s medium, the Enchantment Pearl, was also shattered and scattered across the realm during that confrontation.

If one were to guess where the other half of the broken Enchantment Pearl might be, it would undoubtedly be in one of those two places that the demons aggressively occupied from the onset of their invasion.

However, that battle was over three hundred years ago, and no one knows where the Enchantment Pearl actually ended up, or if it has already been buried and sealed away, making it entirely reasonable that the demonic forces have not found it even until now.

The young miss Chloé, who was specifically responsible for searching for it, had long been captured by the Oracle and the Judging Saintess Yuna in a scheme. The item she carried meant for tracking the Enchantment Pearl, the Gaze of Eudora, still rests in the Priestess’s bag.

It’s time to check out those two provinces occupied by demons.

Finding the other half of the Enchantment Pearl and bringing it back was the task assigned to the Soul Squad, led by the Grim Reaper’s Scythe. Vilyric was merely tagging along, helping out as she could.

The true reason for leaving the main battlefield of Sacheno City at this time and sinking deep into enemy territory was Vilyric had yet to locate any truly extraordinary power among the demon army. In that case, the worldly war would let them act freely.

After the Redeeming Saintess Philomina successfully arrived at Sacheno City, the battlefield situation had begun to stabilize. It would be hard to determine a victor in the short run.

To put it another way, even if they managed to repulse the main force of the demons at Sacheno City, it would just be the beginning of this holy war, likely developing into a protracted tug-of-war with constant large and small skirmishes.

A war between races isn’t something that can be concluded in a few days or months.

On the other hand, she was still somewhat concerned about that Judging Saintess Fleidetrika Cecelia, who had reportedly gone missing on the battlefield, only to become an apostle of the Church of the Light, along with the mysterious Arbitrating Holy Sword that went missing with her.

Vilyric had a faint feeling that this holy war held the key related to the Holy Kingdom’s turmoil and was connected to those three artifacts of light.

Surely, it all began with the fallen Crown of Uncrowned of the Judging Saintess.

The story Yuna had told her back then, chronicled in the secret history of the Summerfield Family, about the “Tree” and the origins of the three artifacts, still piqued Vilyric’s curiosity.

Whether to uncover that answer or simply to help her friend Edwina, Vilyric deemed it necessary to find that missing Judging Saintess and the Arbitrating Holy Sword hidden deep in the demons’ territory.

Thinking this, the White Fox Girl looked once more at the colossal fortress city beneath her.

Soon enough, this place would probably become a battlefield again; at this very moment, Edwina must have already crossed the Star River, charging toward the city…

Though there was some worry for her and Renée, every fledgling must eventually learn to soar; it was time to let go.

The girl tilted her head slightly.

“So, what’s next? Should we split up, or continue moving together?”

In response to the White Fox Girl’s seemingly casual inquiry, the Souls exchanged glances, seriously communicating with their eyes for a moment before the Swordsman, as the leader, spoke up.

“If Miss Xī does not mind, we would like to continue escorting you; although you may not need it, we can still deal with any petty troubles.”

“I see, if that’s what you want, then go ahead… Oh, by the way, have you gained any new abilities since last time?”

Although she didn’t name him directly, the Soul immediately understood the White Fox Girl was asking him and hurriedly lowered his head a bit.

“I have greatly benefited; although it’s not quite mature yet, I’ve indeed made considerable breakthroughs, all thanks to…”

Vilyric raised her hand, interrupting the Gray-clothed Swordsman’s prolonged expressions of gratitude and explanation.

“If you get the chance, show it to me.”

“Ah…? Oh, yes! Of course!”

……

“How’s the situation?”

Skillfully retracting the wings behind her, Edwina dismantled them and stowed them into her Holy Emblem, then turned to look back at her loyal attendant, who was hastily approaching while handling similar matters.

“Lady… Acting Commander! We’ve counted the numbers; apart from the losses during a few skirmishes with the Demon Cavalry before crossing the river, all troops have made it through! We truly passed the Star River without anyone noticing. Bless the goddess… this is such an inconceivable ambush, it could definitely go down in history as a revolutionary campaign!”

As she spoke passionately, the Holy Knight couldn’t help but break into a big grin.

“Those foolish demons are probably still on the other side, turning around and searching for our whereabouts, hahaha!”

Nodding with a hint of emotion, the Holy Knight lady smiled.

“Indeed, blessed by the goddess, who would have guessed that our army of over three thousand could seamlessly cross the perilous Star River and delve deep into enemy territory in less than a moment?”

“And with such mobility, we can evade the demons’ main force in many situations, launching targeted guerrilla operations at their vital points. The Lord’s ideas and capabilities truly exceed the limits of us ordinary folk. Could it be that he had already thought of this from the very start…”

Seeming to reconsider her words, Edwina cleared her throat and shifted the topic.

“What about the two angel ladies? Have they made any appearances or left any signals?”

“Uh, reports show we haven’t received any communications from the two angel ladies yet. Second Miss, could they have encountered trouble? After all, among the demons we were pursuing…”

The blonde girl shook her head, her gaze drifting over the magnificent Star River behind her and then to the distant towering city shadows as she softly said.

“Let’s have faith in them; right now, we can only trust them. This is a trial from the gods, and after this war, everything in the Holy Kingdom will experience a tremendous rebirth…”

“…Praise the goddess.”

   

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