Chapter 43

Regarding the launch of the Holy Vanguard, the quartermaster had a dispute with Leonard.

"The Silver Coin Guildmaster is deep in the enemy camp investigating the situation. Launching now would put him in danger," the quartermaster said.

Leonard waved his hand, nonchalantly saying, "It's fine. He's over ninety years old, he can take care of himself. Even if something really happens, consider it his dedication to the light."

The quartermaster understood the meaning of these words, 'If he dies at over ninety, it's fine; he's of no value anymore.' However, this wasn't the first time Leonard had shown such disregard for others' lives. The quartermaster was already used to it and continued, "But we haven't figured out the source of the Holy Essence Liquid. If something goes wrong, we'll lose this supply."

The quartermaster didn't understand why Leonard suddenly changed his mind. If they couldn't secure the supply, it would be better to maintain the status quo, at least they could still make nine times the profit, dilute it a bit, and get to fifteen or sixteen times the profit.

"What could go wrong? Capture someone and torture them, and we'll get the information. With such a large amount of essence liquid and such high purity, there must be a vast forest of native holy mushrooms. It's not something a few hundred people can handle. Capturing three or five of them will be enough to get the information," Leonard said dismissively.

"But..." The quartermaster wanted to say more but received the latest message from Silver Coin. There was a periodic storm in the area that affected the entire abyss, and no living being could survive in it. They had to find a place to hide, which would severely disrupt the continuity of the war.

"Stop with all these 'buts.' Purifying the abyss, eliminating heresy, spreading the light, and delivering the gospel—aren't these the goals of the Holy Vanguard? With the sacred vanguard, we cleanse the filth. If someone sacrifices themselves for this, it is their glory. Go!" Leonard's tone was already showing impatience.

The quartermaster didn't dare to say anything more and left with a lowered head.

Lying there lazily for a while, Leonard took out his Holy Vanguard badge. A strange symbol was slowly flashing on it.

The Holy Vanguard badge is the highest symbol of power in the Holy Vanguard. Each symbol has its own meaning. This symbol is called the Supreme Mobilization Order. When this symbol appears, the Holy Vanguard must be prepared for the highest mobilization, ready to engage in battle at any time.

Since taking over the position of Divine Knight in the Holy Vanguard, Leonard never thought this symbol would ever light up. He had paid a high price to transfer to the Holy Vanguard, ostensibly to guard the abyss, but he considered it a place to retire.

The Holy Vanguard was stationed in a remote area, far from the center of power. The only good thing was the ability to get some abyssal specialties and play with a few village girls. He had just found a way to make money, and now he received the mobilization order. What a joke.

Leonard couldn't wait any longer. He needed to secure the money-making opportunity and grab as much as he could. He didn't know what the mobilization order represented, but if it was too dangerous, he would try to find a safer place.

But preparations required money, and making money was the most practical. As for a few more deaths? Just some commoners and peasants, no big deal. The mission of the Holy Vanguard was to cleanse the abyss. Dying for the mission was their glory.

...

When Ang was dragged to the new district of the underground city by Phyllin, he saw tens of thousands of wailing refugees.

Only a hundred Holy Vanguard soldiers were deployed. Under the combined efforts of two Holy Servants, the hundred Holy Vanguard soldiers were suddenly teleported to the square in front of the Ice City gate. The 150 tons of grain and the three Silver Coins were also teleported to this location.

Teleportation is more demanding of space than a teleportation array. The square in front of the Ice City gate was the most suitable location.

When the grain was teleported, the Ice City was prepared, with weapons and personnel ready to prevent any accidents. But in the morning, Anna and Lan had just left, and because they were with Silver Coin, they didn't think the enemy would attack, so they didn't increase the alert level.

When the two Holy Servants reached the square and began the positioning ritual, the Ice City guards didn't know what was happening. The situation was reported layer by layer, and by the time there was a response, a bright light flashed, and a hundred fully armed Holy Vanguard soldiers appeared in the center of the square.

Faced with fully armed enemies, the guards knew what to do without waiting for orders. They quickly adjusted the ballistae to prepare to fire, and then they witnessed a highly professional siege.

Ten tall and strong heavy shield bearers carried shields taller than a person, standing at the front of the formation. They locked their shields together, and the pointed ends were inserted into the ground, providing a stable defense.

Ten priests cast Holy Shields, which were layered on the heavy shields, making the surface of the heavy shields appear with translucent shields.

Two Holy Knights inserted their two-handed swords into the ground, knelt on one knee, and held the sword handles with both hands. A halo radiated from their bodies, and wherever the halo reached, small stars of light appeared on everyone's bodies.

The Aura of Piety, which increased the defense of the team within the aura.

With the heavy shields, Holy Shields, and Aura of Piety, the entire formation was impregnable.

The rest of the team began to prepare. Eight of the Holy Knights summoned their warhorses. Only Holy Knights could summon warhorses, and there were only ten Holy Knights in this team, meaning there were at most ten cavalry.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Three bowstring sounds, two thick city defense bolts nailed to the heavy shields, and one missed. The bolts that hit shattered, and the shafts splintered into countless pieces.

The Holy Shields on the surface of the heavy shield wall broke first, and then the bolts hit the heavy shields. The shield bearers and those on either side were hit as if by lightning, spitting out blood.

The priests immediately treated them, using an emergency healing spell to cure the internal injuries, followed by a Blessing of Holy Light to slowly heal more damage.

Among the eight Holy Knights who summoned their warhorses, one had a red cloak. He shouted, "Shield wall, advance!"

The heavy shield bearers lifted their shields and moved forward step by step, slowly and steadily.

"Hallelujah—Messiah—Bosia—Sisima—Anmaka—" Everyone chanted hymns in unison, with three notes per phrase, coordinating everyone's steps to maintain a uniform rhythm, ensuring the shield wall was seamless.

The content of the hymns was about praising the god, praising the lord, providing clothes, providing food, and being free from disasters.

Seeing the bolts reloaded, the red-cloaked Holy Knight shouted, "Halt! Shield!"

The bolt operators in the wall holes didn't know what to do, unsure whether to shoot or not.

Seeing the bolts not fired, the red-cloaked Holy Knight immediately changed the order, "Shield wall! Alternate advance."

The shield wall split into two halves, one half stationary, the other advancing a distance, stopping, and then the other half advancing. This alternation slowly brought the team closer to the wall.

Chaos erupted on the wall. They had never seen such a professional attack.

Due to the Resting Wind, this world had not seen large-scale wars for over a thousand years, and regular siege battles were almost non-existent. The defensive capabilities of the Ice City guards were like those of village militiamen compared to the Holy Vanguard.

When they approached the range of the bows, the red-cloaked knight waved his hand, "Bolts, suppress."

Almost half of the team carried bolts, firing fifty at a time in waves, pinning down the defenders in the wall holes.

The red-cloaked knight mounted his horse, leading the formation forward. With each step, the holy light on their bodies grew brighter. Led by the red-cloaked knight, the eight Holy Knights exuded the momentum of a thousand troops, an invisible force stirring before them, culminating in a thunderous shout: "Holy! Charge!"

The combined strength of the eight Holy Knights crashed into the city gate, splintering wood and breaking through. The Ice City was breached.