Chapter 115: Sudden betrayal

“They’re nothing but filthy rats.”

Milani snapped her fan open and sent out ballista-sized feathered arrows. Each one struck deep into the wall, embedding itself firmly and forming a path all the way to the top of the battlements. With a light lift of her body, she stepped gracefully onto the arrows and leapt into the fortress.

“Damn… no wonder she’s so arrogant. She really has the strength to back it up.” Phield was astonished. Then he gave a soft sound of confusion. “Wait—who was that woman on the wall?”

He had the distinct feeling that a familiar figure had flashed past.

The moment Milani landed atop the wall, a faint but unmistakable sense of danger crept over her. She swept away the soldiers rushing to surround her with a single swing of her fan and was about to leap down from the wall when a curtain of light materialized out of thin air, blocking her path.

The air distorted.

In the next instant, Milani found herself inside an ornate cathedral, carved beams and painted rafters overhead. Holy murals surrounded her on every side. The vaulted dome stretched infinitely upward, like heaven itself.

“What is this?”

“Since you’re so eager to die, you may as well serve as one of the sacrifices.”

A faint laugh sounded from behind her. Milani’s body stiffened. She slowly turned her head and saw two Divine Chosen radiating holy light.

“That aura… the Holy Light Church? My God… so the so-called flaw was a trap.”

Eliza, veiled and bearing a massive divine artifact cross on her shoulder, spoke in a disguised voice. “Correct. Your reward is death.”

Milani’s face drained of color. Her heart pounded wildly. She had never imagined that the Church would interfere—on the enemy’s side, no less.

She turned to flee, but a graceful figure blocked her path. Silver, immaculate star-like eyes regarded her with a trace of pity.

“You cannot leave the domain of the Immaculate Cathedral. Struggling is useless.”

“So fast…” Milani inhaled sharply. A shadow fell over her heart. Her arrogance had led her into trouble. Gritting her teeth, she assumed a defensive stance. “The outcome isn’t decided yet. I never thought the mighty Holy Light Church would turn against its own. We pay you immeasurable taxes every year—what do we receive in return?”

Eliza took out an assortment of strange materials and began inscribing runes on the ground. Without looking up, she said, “Cardolian, don’t waste words. Judge her sins swiftly.”

“Yes. May the countless innocent souls she has slain rest in peace.”

Cardolian crossed his arms and flung them outward. Two exquisitely crafted white divine twin blades rang out with a golden hum. “Accept the Church’s judgment.”

“Judgment my ass! Aminos!”

With nothing left to fear, Milani cursed furiously. Surging divine power erupted from her. She flipped her feather fan, and seven feathered arrows rippled through space, blasting forward.

“Under judgment, you have no right to resist.”

Cardolian crossed his twin blades in a slashing arc. With a crisp ring of steel, the entire space seemed to come alive. The murals on the walls animated, sacred parables unfolding in holy yet grotesque scenes.

Clang—

Space trembled. Radiant divine powers collided violently. The explosive shockwaves carried into the real world. A group of rebel soldiers nearby suddenly heard a sharp buzzing sound—then their heads burst apart in unison.

“Huh?!”

The surrounding rebels stared in horror and instinctively retreated. They might be frenzied madmen, but they weren’t fools. Who could have imagined their comrades exploding without warning?

In that brief moment of shock, Allied troops surged onto the wall. Regin noticed Milani’s disappearance and immediately led the other Divine Chosen to the front line to rescue her.

For Divine Chosen, climbing the wall was easy. The true difficulty lay in withstanding the enemy Divine Chosen’s bombardment.

Sure enough, the rebel Divine Chosen intercepted them at once. Both sides clashed fiercely at the spot where Milani had vanished. Brilliant skills were hurled back and forth, blasting nearly half the wall into rubble. Countless people were crushed to dust. Chaos engulfed the battlefield.

“There’s a chance!” Through his divine artifact telescope, Phield saw rebel reinforcements rushing toward the breach, leaving other sections of the defense dangerously thin. “Are we about to take this fortress?”

“Phield, let’s attack as well! I feel it… if we capture this city, I may find the opportunity to advance.” Rosalia suddenly spoke. “The entire city is steeped in fear and chaos. The scent is so sweet I can hardly look away.”

“Really? That’s excellent.”

Phield was overjoyed. The method by which Divine Chosen advanced had always been a mystery. Territorial development was not something accomplished overnight, and it often left him anxious.

Rosalia’s words ignited his excitement. He still didn’t fully understand, but he wouldn’t miss even the faintest chance.

“Warriors of Nightfall Domain—advance!”

“Yes, my lord!” Sam and the others roared in response.

Without hesitation, Phield selected a section of wall far from the main battlefield and pushed forward a siege tower, launching his assault decisively.

Blood spread and pooled, flowing in rivulets. Severed limbs littered the ground. Countless maimed or gravely wounded soldiers crawled helplessly.

Ignoring the hellish scene, they silently pushed the siege tower toward the wall.

Buzz—

Ballista bolts as thick as arms shot toward them, slamming into the tower. The reinforced structure absorbed part of the impact, but some men were still skewered through and killed.

“Hold steady! Keep pushing!”

They shoved aside fallen comrades and pressed forward through arrow fire. Fortunately, the chaotic melee of Divine Chosen had drawn away most of the enemy’s strength. Phield’s force reached the base of the wall with minimal losses.

“Watch the boiling oil!”

A soldier shouted, his voice trembling. If the oil seeped through the cracks of the siege tower, it would burn them alive. And once the enemy followed with flaming arrows, it would become a catastrophe.

“Arlya!”

“Leave it to me.” Arlya showed no fear. She leapt lightly onto the top of the siege tower, aura surging. “Dragon’s Roar—Invisible Impact.”

The boiling oil seemed to crash into an unseen massive hand and was forced backward.

“What the—?!”

The rebels pouring the oil stared in disbelief as it flew back toward them.

“First-Tier Magic: Fireball.”

Arlya casually added a burst of flame. The boiling oil became a mass of molten magma, roaring as it splashed across the battlements.

“Ahhh!”

The defensive line was instantly engulfed in flames. Burning rebels flailed like moths stripped of light, writhing and tumbling off the wall.

“Now’s our chance.”

They pushed the siege tower against an unburned section of wall and climbed up. Phield swung the Greatsword of Gluttony like a whirlwind, cutting through enemies as if slicing melons. After carving a bloody path and helping the Nightfall Domain troops secure footing, they quickly formed ranks atop the broad wall.

Phield swept his gaze forward and saw a black mass of rebels surging toward them, intent on driving them back off the battlements.

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