xvii

*** ***

The moment the man smiled, Soleton knew something was wrong.

Although he didn't feel the fluctuation of magic, the smile was a little too weird. His gaze seemed to be drawn by something, and he was fixed on that smile, and he could not take it off again. He noticed with his peripheral vision that it was not only his eyes nailed to this person, but the eyes of everyone in the room were nailed to him. From the elderly to children, from men to women.

Wrong...... Something is completely wrong. He clutched the bottle of holy water in his hand that he was going to take to disinfect the others, and used his willpower to fight the mysterious power, trying to make his eyes roll.

Carry out your will. Do what you want to do. Do what you think is right. He should be an amazing person, and he can't be controlled by such people here!

Such thoughts conflicted in the boy's mind, but he could not break the shackles. His pupils, still fixed, could only look at the man's smile.

Why? Is my life really like this...... Is there no hope? Is it really ...... Will nothing come of it?

Negative pessimistic thoughts of self-pity surged uncontrollably from the bottom of his heart, and he only felt a flower in front of him, and he could no longer think about anything.

Soleton watched in amazement as the man took off his hood, only to realize that he was a handsome and graceful young man—but that meant nothing to him. He seemed to hear what the man was saying, but he couldn't understand what it meant, and all he knew was that he should do what made sense.

"You are all good citizens, and you all yearn for a peaceful life. But do you hear the song? the song of wrath! The evil army is killing the people, and you must stop them with your strength! Join in this battle, it will bring you peace, and with your flesh and blood, stop the atrocities of the iron monsters!"

"Bringing ...... Peace"

"Bringing ...... Peace"

Repeating the words of the beautiful boy, the people stood up and gathered around him. People are pushing and surging like a swarm of aimless ants. Soleton was among them, moving slowly forward. Around him, there were those who had beaten him just now, the monks of the church, those who had shouted long live the Savior, and even the rout of the coup army that had just killed the townspeople. But the boy was unaware of this, for he had been controlled by the prospect of peace......

"You scoundrels!

Suddenly, angry denunciations rang out in the crowd! The old priest, who was not amazing-looking, had resisted this powerful awe-inspiring magic!

"Sleep forever, Lightphobia!"

He threw the holy water bottle in his hand with all his might, and threw it at the vampire. Seeing that it was about to be thrown, suddenly a figure stepped forward, just between the holy water and the beautiful boy. The fragile vial shattered when it touched him, dousing the man with holy water – to no avail.

The old priest was taken aback: "You're not an undead?!Why do you want to help ......?"

"Because I'm the 'first tax collector'. The unassuming man replied, drawing a new silver sword from his waist. Seeing this, the priest hurriedly tried to fight back with magic, but was struck by a wave of fatigue - just now, he had used so much healing magic that he had no strength to resist the sword. The "First Tax Collector" stepped forward quickly, and pierced the old priest's heart with a sword.

The old man gripped the blade of his sword with his hand, as if he refused to fall, refused to admit this reality. The tax collector glanced at him and drew his sword, but the old man's weak body did not fall. He kicked impatiently, and the old man's body fell to the ground with reluctance and anger in his eyes.

"Look, this is the end of blocking peace!" said the beautiful boy vampire who escaped the catastrophe, "This will not end well!

"Death ...... those who stand in the way of peace"

"Death ...... those who stand in the way of peace"

The people repeated in a low voice, stepping over the corpse and blood of the old priest. The white clergyman's robes were stained with blood and trampled to black and red.

This scene was all reflected in Soleton's vain eyes. The boy's shoulders shook uncontrollably.

"If you're confused, do what you think. Don't care what other people think, do what you can. ”

The old man's voice echoed in his mind not long ago, calling him back from the void.

I... No... OK... At... Over here... Only... Succumb.

I... No... Here's how... Succumb.

I can't... Here it is to give in.

I can't just give in here!

- In this world, the spirit determines the strength. If a person has a strong enough spirit and firm belief to insist on his own independent thinking, he will never be swayed by others.

Soleton continued to follow the crowd forward, forward, forward, on his own will.

He hesitated as he walked up to the old priest's body, but stepped on it anyway, of his own volition.

I'm sorry. The young man apologized to the old man in his heart, clenched the holy water bottle in his hand, and relied on his own will.

*** ***

The crowd squirmed, walked out of the Cathedral of Fertila, and walked out into the street in a daze. Similar crowds were concentrated on almost all of Lenny's main roads, and if they had been called by politicians, they would have been dubbed the "50,000-strong anti-war demonstrations."

Soleton cautiously huddled through the crowd, slowly approaching the two men. Soon, he could hear their conversation.

"How many roads are there to pass, Second Knight on the Left Wing?" asked the First Tax Collector his companion.

"There are still two left, and all the roads to the east are blocked. The north side is also ready, as long as the order arrives, you can start acting at any time......" The beautiful boy vampire codenamed "Second Knight of the Left Wing" counted on his fingers, "plus the number of people here, you can almost completely block the enemy." But isn't it going to be a little too flamboyant this time? Is it necessary?"

"That was the direct order of the 'king'......"

While they were talking, suddenly, a divine wave came from nearby. The vampire was slightly surprised, took two steps back, and was interrupted.

"In the name of the Covenant, please sleep forever, right?"

Very beautiful black-haired female priest, speaking in an authentic Teresan accent, reciting the Orthodox exorcism prayer. Soleton recognized her as one of the few adventurers he had met in the hotel before.

"I didn't expect that in the southern capital, undead creatures are allowed to run around the streets. Is there still a royal law here?" and of course, her companion was right next to her. The handsome knight in shining chain mail had already drawn his sword and pointed at the "tax collector" and "knight" in the center of the crowd.

"There should be no royal law in the south, they use federal law. A burly middle-aged man reminded him that he was wearing a striking priest's robe. With a wave of his hand, he threw out a healing ray—a lethal kill ray for the undead.

"All concentrated, dense array!" the vampire hurriedly raised his hand, ordering the crowd to move closer to him. The people immediately gathered obediently and moved closer in his direction, and the healing ray struck the crowd, bounced a few times, and vanished without a trace.

"Nosy fellow!" the tax collector cursed through gritted teeth, "gather the crowd, move forward, and get rid of them!" even if they have two priests, as long as there are civilians in the way, there is no danger......

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd controlled by the awe-inspiring magic suddenly collapsed, making way for a path.

"Fast, knockout, enough. "The boy who knocked them down, holding a magic wand that shimmered with electric light. He said only three words, and then he retreated into the darkness again.

Seeing that this was not good, the beautiful boy vampire summoned his blood servants again: "Stop them!"

Several beautiful young men jumped out of the crowd, holding swords of all colors, brightly dressed, and extremely gorgeous and dazzling. In their eyes, they all shimmered with the same red glow.

Seeing so many beautiful young men at once, the female priest of the beauty god Muska blushed, and hurriedly reminded the knight who was charging forward: "Xiulan!"

"Got it. The knight named Xiulan put away his sword a little helplessly, "I don't use a weapon." ”

Seeing that he had put away his weapons, the beautiful young blood servants with red-eyed eyes immediately rushed forward.

For the next minute, Soleton was dumbfounded, and even stopped unconsciously.

The knight's movements can only be described as "fast as a ghost". His form flickered between the Blood Servants, avoiding the tip of the sword with incredible movements, unloading their wrists and shoulders with marvelous grappling moves.

Blood servants are not ordinary humans, they have more strength than humans, but these beautiful young men with strong wrist strength are like lambs without the ability to resist in front of this knight. The sound of broken bones and dislocated joints continued, and it only took a minute for all the swords to fall to the ground weakly.

"Good skills. The new first tax collector also stopped, "It seems that it is impossible to move forward without blocking it." Knight, you hurry up and complete the mission, leave it to me here. ”

"Leave the two of them behind!" the black-haired priestess screamed, pointing to the beautiful boy in the distance.

"If you can do it. The unremarkable man shook his hand, and in an instant a ghost covered the entire street, and the corpses on the side of the street slowly stood up.

“...... Necromancer. The burly middle-aged man's pupils constricted, and he pulled out the hammer from behind his back.

*** ***

Around the same time, in the East 1st district.

The steel-forged gun carriage rolled forward along the avenue of green bricks, its tracks pressing against the ground with a creaking sound.

The oppressive 6-pounder shotgun fired from time to time, sweeping away the enemy's weak counterattacks. Unlike ordinary artillery, gun carriages with good protection for the gunner can be said to be a weapon that is very suitable for street fighting. Even the strongest street defense positions could not withstand the continuous bombardment of artillery. The coup army tried several times to set up temporary defensive positions to stabilize the situation, but all of them were easily breached.

"I have been a soldier for more than ten years in my life, and I have never fought such an easy battle. Just follow the artillery cart and search for the fish that slipped through the net, and you can achieve victory, which is a little too easy. A veteran of the guard platoon sighed as he followed the team to sweep the empty streets behind the passing of the chariots. The mercenaries of the coup army retreated to the east like crazy, and no one wanted to stay behind the palace.

"Speak as if you've fought hard battles before. The young company commander on the side smiled, "You are only forty years old, how can you have experienced the last war?"

"I was transferred back from the Mazu Army, and I participated in the defense of Chibaik six years ago. The battle turned into a street fight, and we fought street by street with the coalition of elves and pirates for two weeks before surrendering. The veteran explained, "If we had this weapon at that time, we wouldn't have had to surrender......

"Not necessarily, the most important thing should be morale. If the other side really has the heart to resist street by street and use civilians as a barrier, we will not be able to win with artillery trucks alone with insufficient troops......"

Just as he was mentioning civilians, the group suddenly stopped, and from the front team came the intermittent and sporadic sound of gunfire and sword strikes.

"It's all in close combat, could it be that they have been ambushed?" the company commander hurried forward with doubts about the fact that "the artillery did not fire."

What appeared before his eyes was an unbelievable sight. Hundreds of civilians with strange eyes emitting strange lights, mixed with soldiers of the coup army who also emitted strange lights, holding a mess of non-standard weapons in their hands, formed a dense phalanx human wall, and advanced towards his ranks.

"Sir, ask for permission to fire!" the dwarven gunner poked his head out of the gun carriage and shouted, "Otherwise, the troops will not be able to advance!"

The company commander bit his lip and bit until it bled out. Do you want to fire? Don't fire?

"No! If we open fire, won't we also become a coup army? Mind control can't be far away, all hands retreat, stop the senseless struggle, and regroup in a wide area!" he waved his hand heavily in the air, "Report to the command headquarters - the 7th Company is hindered by civilians and cannot advance, so it has to stop the pursuit on the spot and retreat!

Similar payoffs are happening in one place, and bad news is pouring into the hands of Will, the interim commander in front of the parliament building.

"The 7th Company is hindered by the crowd and has stopped advancing!

"The gun truck of the 9th Company fell into a pit and could not be started, and the 9th Company asked for support!"

"Car No. 4 was melted by unknown magic, and all the occupants died!"

One red cross after another is marked on the map with the arrival of the new report, forming a large semicircle. All the companies stopped at the edge of the semicircle, leaving the eastern city to the coup army.

"Sure enough, it's not time to celebrate victory. Did she anticipate that the enemy would counterattack?" remembering the advice of the female vampire hunter who had just left, Major Hull had to smile helplessly.

"Sir, the general wants you to lead your troops to Liberty Square. Another herald ran into the council hall and reported.

"Understood. Hull put away his military maps and notes, and walked out of the "Gate of Independence and Unity" with all the personnel of the Provisional Command, leaving behind a place that was full of death and rancidity. He didn't look back once.

*** ***

The gunfire gradually thinned out and stopped. Even the fires in the city were extinguished one by one. The Supreme Commander of the rebel army, who was regrouping his rout, stopped to listen, and his guards stopped with him. They were walking – or rather, retreating to the Supreme Court of the 3rd Ward of Lennydon, a 180-year-old building that stood for justice. The company that had been sent to occupy the place was looking at their embarrassed superiors in amazement.

Although it was a little unbelievable, the López army, which was advancing rapidly just now, did stop the pursuit. Had the plan been exhausted, or had the suppressive forces begun to extinguish the fire, or was there some other force stopping their advance?

"It's a great opportunity. Reorganize the troops, prepare for the fifth attempt. Marshal Govar ordered.

"Regroup, sir, you mean, with this little force?" Dikau, Lemda looked around at the remnants of the defeated army. More than one company, plus the guards of the court, barely two companies, less than three hundred people.

"We may still have a chance. Gather the troops nearby, and we should be able to muster five or six hundred men. ”

"I have to warn you that this is probably impossible, and when we had two thousand men before, we did not withstand their fire. Lemda finally couldn't help it, and reminded solemnly, "What you should do is to leave the east gate immediately, and then rush from the outer city to the north gate to join the 10th Division. If that's the case, we might still have a chance to win......"

Govar shook his head: "It's definitely too late. From here, it takes 5 hours to walk and 3 hours to ride a horse from here. In five hours, the city would have been pacified—by then, I would have to face the intact walls of Lenny. What's more, your speculation is based on the fact that the main force of the 10th Division is still alive, and what if the 10th Division has been controlled or eliminated by the other side in some way?"

"By that time, you will flee to Fort Forti in the lower reaches of Metbisi, or to the Northern Military District. Both places will not hesitate to support you, Your Excellency. Only by reorganizing your army can you defeat the Emperor! You can't give up on yourself here!"

Lemda's voice was full of eagerness. As the former commander of the Northern Military Region, he is well aware of the current strength of the opposite side. It was no longer the old royal army that had been defeated by the Free Army in the past, but a mighty division built up with new artillery and rigorous drills. If the superiority of the troops was once on the southern side, now the balance is tilted in favor of the north, not to mention that the north also has a magical advantage.

After listening to Lemda's advice, the marshal raised his head. After this night, his gray hair was much more, but his eyes were still sharp.

"Yes, we staged this coup d'état for the sake of an army that could defeat Gustav, and that is why we arranged a bloodless coup d'état. But...... What do you think would happen if our coup d'état turned into a full-scale civil war? It's a very obvious fact. ”

Major General Lemda held his breath and did not answer for a while. That's a very obvious answer.

"Yes, Gustav will invade directly. What's the point of our efforts if this is the case? I'm not staging a coup d'état for personal gain. In any case, tonight must be decided, only in this city. ”

"But Your Excellency...... Defeat is death! Whether you die in battle or surrender, you will ...... no matter what."

"If I die, I will be able to give the burden of confronting the Emperor to those who have defeated me—and I will rest in peace. There could be no more civilians and soldiers, who should fight the Emperor instead of dying at the guns of their own people. I have a suicide note detailing my collusion with the Empire to subvert the government. In this way, even if I fail, I can provoke the anger of the people against the Empire. Govar pressed the pistol on his waist. His tone was detached, as if he had looked down on everything. "Do you still object to my decision to make one last charge, Lemda?"

Examining the commander in front of him, Lemda's eyes glistened. No matter what means he chooses, the man in front of him is still a real marshal of the Free Army. For the sake of the country he loves, this elder can bear all the stigma. Even if the methods he used are debatable, his motives are beyond reproach.

The major general took a deep breath and made the heaviest decision of his life. He jumped off his horse and gave his horse to the guards.

"You must protect Your Excellency the Marshal from outside the city to the north gate safely. ”

With that, he used the whip in his hand to slam the horse's hip under Govar's crotch. The horse was ached and galloped at once, and several soldiers, still on horseback, hurried to follow.

"What are you doing, Major General!" shouted the marshal, startled, trying to control his horse.

"I swear that I will draw all the enemy's forces and hold out until you return with your troops!

The marshal did not turn back. In his heart, he probably didn't want to lose like that.

After Govar and his guards disappeared from view, the Major General turned his head and surveyed the last of his three hundred soldiers. This is the East 3rd District, not far from that place. There, he laid an ambush for the last trump card. The major general touched his silver armor, and then touched the silver ring on his hand: indeed, it is not yet the end.

"Go to St. Grace's Welfare Home. Lemda ordered with some weariness.

It was 8:20 p.m., and history was completely distorted. At this moment, some people have not yet understood this – but some people have already understood.

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