Lily sat cross-legged on top of a giant banyan tree.

The plant is about 40 meters tall, with a huge canopy that stretches for miles, resembling a green hill. It has been hundreds of years since it was born, perhaps much older than September.

It is located deep in the Breeze Forest, just a few miles away from Golden Spike City. However, many of the top Elna guards came and went from beneath her feet, and there were natural messengers flying directly overhead, but none of them noticed her.

Through a network of divine arts across the continent, she transforms her consciousness into a multitude of clones, blending into each individual she chooses. She sees with the eyes of those people, hears with her ears, and shares a few superficial thoughts. She knew that with a single thought, she could take the life of any human being, or send them into temporary or permanent madness with information beyond mortal comprehension.

This is the power of the Divine Messenger—a power that belongs only to Edda, and it is also a power that belongs to her.

……

Hakum stared to the north.

The wind was moving south along the wasteland, and the dust and sand obscured his vision, making it impossible for him to see the direction of his home.

Two months ago, he was half-forced to accept orders from "that woman", Jill Windwhisper, to move to the eastern part of the wasteland. Leaving their homeland, which is no longer safe, they travel through the harsh desert to the wilderness that has been uninhabited for centuries.

Even with the help of the Empire, more than half of the old and sick still left their bones forever on this journey.

The first month of land reclamation was arduous and full of dangers. The Thatchi had long since adapted to the heat and cold of the wilderness, as well as the nocturnal way of traveling, but food was the first problem. Unfamiliar environments and creatures make it difficult to gather and hunt. Before the planted potatoes could bear fruit, they had to catch insects to feed their hunger.

Water is a bigger problem, and "the woman" has helped find several underground waterways, but supplies for all the tribes are still stretched. Worst of all, a fever of unknown cause suddenly spread among the males, killing more than a tenth of the tribe's young and middle-aged laborers, including one of Hakum's sons, before it could be brought under control and cured.

They followed the instructions of "the woman" to dig minerals, sign an agreement with the Church in exchange for cloth, food, seeds, and other necessities, and build a stronghold large enough to hold tens of thousands of people. And as soon as everything was settled, the other party brought a new – or rather, the originally agreed directive.

So he gathered half of his young people and marched south with the rest of the Sachi tribe to fight against their dead compatriots and the "initiators" of the war.

Golden Rock City is not far from the north. The familiar smell of dryness was in the air, mixed with a faint smell of death...... Or maybe it's just his delusion. Hakum gripped the scimitar in his hand, feeling sweat seep from his palm, soaking through the rough strip of cloth that wrapped around the hilt.

"Hmph, you're shaking, coward." A familiar, disgusting voice came from one side, "Scared?" ”

"Don't tell me you're not afraid, Gulton. Those are dead people. "The resurrection of the dead and the overthrow of the living is one of the worst prophecies. Perhaps the end of the Thatchians is today, Hakum thought to himself. "If you're dead, don't expect me to collect your body."

The man he called by his name held his axe and gun to the ground, slowly moving his shoulders. His naked upper body was as muscular as Hakum's, his face was hard and fierce, and a hideous dark brown scar stretched across his chest and down his ribs.

In a fight two years ago, Hakum almost took the other man's life, and that was the trace left at that time.

In the barren wasteland, the two tribes of Sand Scorpion and Salamander have been fighting for decades, not to mention the others, and countless people have died at the hands of the other. Hakum had dreamed of the demise of the other party many times, but he never imagined that he would have a moment to fight with their patriarch, or even the entire clan.

"I'll give you back this sentence as it is." Gulton sneered, then exhaled heavily, "The Thatchs have fallen out of blood mold, so leave the fucking prophecy alone." In any case, it is better to die on the battlefield than to die in the mouth of a wolf. ”

"Whatever you want." Hakum frowned and clenched his fists hard, "What about the Great Chief, where did she go at this time?" ”

"Don't ask me." Gulton shook his head, "Maybe there's something more troublesome for her to deal with, and it has nothing to do with Lao Tzu." I say, Hakum—" he grinned, raised his axe, and swung it violently, leaving a deep ravine in the ground, "if I don't see your death, I'll become an undead...... I can't close my eyes! ”

Hakum wanted to say something, but the aura in front of him suddenly became oppressive, and there was silence behind him for a moment. He looked back, and his people were raising their weapons, their eyes mixed with fear and excitement.

As a hunter, Hakum understands that they are coming.

Thin figures emerge from the dust and mist, axe in hand, silent. That's their kindred...... Once at the hands of the gods, now he has returned as a dead. Because of this, there will be no end to this battle, and there will be no surrender – if you don't annihilate the other side, you can only wait for destruction.

He raised his left palm and with a wave of his right hand, he sliced the sharp scimitar deep into his palm. Blood gushed out of the wound, climbing over the blade, igniting red like a raging flame. The people beside him did the same. Gulton's clan, Lockley's clan, and every Saatchi warrior on the battlefield followed suit, then raised their weapons.

The red flame rose and enveloped the military formation, like thousands of lights.

This is not the witchcraft of the Thatchies. Not long ago, a blue-haired girl brought by the Grand Commander taught them a whole cartload of herbs with strange aromas and this simple and brutal method. And what the girl said at that time, he remembered clearly.

"It's ...... I used the knowledge left by my friends to improve it, the secret medicine of the Church. It can turn will into power and dissolve it into your flesh and blood. The Saatchi faith forbids the resurrection of the dead, so if it were your blood, it should be possible to restrain those ...... Don't be afraid of the undead with swords and axes. ”

In the blink of an eye, the enemy army has arrived. Hakum shook off all superfluous thoughts, and ran with all his might, waving his arms with all his might. The blade sliced through the air and let out a wail, slicing the two dead who rushed at him in two. They tumbled to the ground, struggling to crawl towards him, but the red flames spread from the breach to the corpse's body, eventually engulfing it entirely, leaving only a handful of flying ashes.

After the first blow, the scimitar faded, and the enemy was still in flux.

The dense military formation soon began to disperse. The Thatchians are adept at melee, and the enemy forces have no formation to speak of, making the battlefield a mess. Hakum searched for his people and family, but with thousands of people on the battlefield, this was simply impossible.

The instinct of danger suddenly made his heart skip a beat. He subconsciously crossed the blade to block the two oncoming axes, and then slashed horizontally with both hands, cutting off his arm along with the weapon. But the corpse that had lost its arm slammed into him with incredible force. He staggered back, his ankle grabbing him again, and watched another dead man approach, his axe flashing with a cold light, heading straight for his skull—

The axe roared in, with a dull impact and even the crunch of bones cracking. The corpse seemed to have been hit by a hammer, and flew out more than ten meters wrapped in red flames, falling into the 'enemy' battle group. The red flames spread to the bodies at the same time, igniting a raging fire and reducing it to ashes.

Gulton withdrew his axe, snorted coldly, and rushed forward without looking back.

A wave of reluctance and shame suddenly grabbed Hakum, briefly erasing his fear. He narrowed his eyes and looked around—the battle cry echoed through the wilderness, the sharp sound of metal colliding, the breath of blood mingling. It was a familiar smell, the enemy had changed, and everything else was the same. He raised his left palm and brushed the blade again.

The red flame reignited. The undead fell before his eyes, and more quickly filled the void, as if endlessly.

Another deceased was chopped into several pieces by him. He had long since forgotten to count the number of men, and he couldn't remember how many times he had smeared his blades with blood. Many of the people died, and the rest were wounded. A throwing axe snatched away two of his left fingers, and he was also hit on the outside of his right leg, and the pink muscles rolled out, but there was no pain. Guldo was no longer with him—after the 'magic' on one of the blades failed, the two dead clasped each other's arms and legs, and the next second, Hakum watched as the axe swung down, shattering his head like an egg and spilling liquid on the ground.

The death of his former enemies was in sight, but Hakum felt no joy. With a familiar scream behind him, he subconsciously turned his head to see several corpses hugging his daughter, gnawing her into a bloody blur.

"You dead people...... Just give it to Lao Tzu...... Go to hell!! ”

A sudden fury engulfed him. The scimitar sliced through a terrible arc, slicing everything that stood in its way to pieces. More of the dead gathered and trapped Hakum in it. He waved his blade frantically, but at a distance of only a few dozen paces, it was like a moat at this moment.

Suddenly, his mind was dizzy, and for a moment his arm seemed to be firmly grasped by something, and then there was a sudden chill between his elbows, which then turned into a burning sting. Hakum staggered back, only to find that his entire forearm was gone, and blood was pouring out.

It was a waste, he thought, as he raised his left elbow across the scimitar. Liquid cascades down, blades blazing, turning all directions red. As if sensing a threat, the dead instinctively stopped, but still surrounded him.

Hakum took a deep breath, extracted the last of his strength, and stepped forward.

……

Dees McCann hadn't closed his eyes in a long time.

The news of the Saatchi rout came yesterday, and the Bedin Kingdom Army, which was stationed on the south side of the castle under his command, had been under attack from the puppets and golems since midnight three days earlier.

Endlessly, until the present.

The farmers and civilians around Jinyan City have long since been evacuated. The castle itself could not contain all the allied troops, so they scattered and camped among vacant farmhouses and fields. About a third of Dies's troops were able to live in wooden huts, while the rest were tented with oil-soaked canvas and rudimentary fences to form a dozen camps of similar size.

Each camp has thousands of soldiers, plus dozens of "magic armors" of different shapes—said to be inherited from the "last era". The royal family's construction workshops held the drawings of these creations, but due to the scarcity of craftsmen and materials, they were never produced in high quantities.

I don't know what promises Kylo Russell made to get the royal family to take out all the old books. At least for the battle and the soldiers, it's a good thing - I'm afraid it's only the wizarding regiment of the Elna people, and these reconstructed outfits, that have the power to stand up to the Confederation creations in the hands of Fermir Stark, Dis thought to himself.

An envoy lifted the curtain and entered the tent. He saluted Diess and reported back from other camps on the current situation as the Hummingbird relayed in real time.

"Report to the general, the Second Army is again engaged by the enemy. The enemy forces only have puppets, similar to the number they had six hours earlier. We have the upper hand for the time being. ”

"Very good, use "Storm" and "Aquaman" to maintain the line and consume the opponent's combat power. Be cautious and don't rush in. ”

Dees McCann waved the envoy back, then turned his gaze back to the table. The topography map of the area around Jinyan City was spread out on the table, and he set his eyes on the east side, picked up a black 'sea monster' chess piece, and placed it two centimeters to the right.

As the military minister of the Kingdom of Badin, he has a part to play in the covenant between the kingdom and the Kamals. While some of the Fritzians thought that the Oren Empire was too weak to take advantage of it, Dyce was vaguely aware that it was not feasible to take advantage of the fire—if the alliance between the Kamals and the Elna would win, the kingdom would face retaliation from both clans; Even if Fermir wins, I'm afraid ...... The fruit has nothing to do with them.

"General, the Third Army reports. The enemy's puppets formed a phalanx, and we couldn't break through the combined shield. Request for heavy fire support—"

"I see. Shooting six "Divine Crossbows" and firing in a group of two should be enough to penetrate that level of combined shield...... Remember to protect them, we don't have too many left. ”

The envoy quickly left, and Dees closed his eyes and rubbed the corners of his brow vigorously, trying to drive away the difficult tiredness.

However, he could not predict whether the covenant would bring about a good ending. Instead of attempting to capture the city, the enemy used an array of tireless puppets to engage them in a tug-of-war. The non-thinking puppets of the apparatus have a brilliant tactic and even more terrifying execution under the command of an unknown person: they can always make a quick surprise attack when the troops are slack, engage in a rigorous array, and then withdraw without hesitation - leaving behind the terrified and increasingly tired soldiers.

He tried many tactics and traps, but none of them really inflicted heavy damage on his enemies. Up to now, the battle losses of both sides are not high, but Dees knows that the morale of the army, which was high a few days ago, is now falling to the bottom.

"General, the rear of the Fourth Army is under attack! It is not clear how many enemy troops there are, to ...... At least a dozen Iron Golems! We're doing our best to defend, call for help! ”

"The Iron Golem? How did that thing get around? Tune in to a team...... No, four Swordfish are enough. Check the number and specific movements of the other party, and report back to me immediately! ”

Dees stood up. Before he could think of the next command, the curtain of the tent was lifted inward again.

"Six Legions...... The Six Legions are in a hurry! The enemy suddenly attacked...... Tens of thousands of puppets surrounded us, and we couldn't tell the real from the fake! ”

"It's just mirroring, so that the Iron Curtain—"

His words came to an abrupt end. A deafening roar came from outside, and the violent impact made the entire camp tremble. Dees jerked the envoy to the side, lifted the curtain, and looked into the camp.

What catches your eye is a raging fire.

The whole camp was burning. Tents, grass, corrals, and even magical armor made of steel were not spared. The soldiers panicked and fled in all directions; Some of the non-commissioned officers struggled to gather their troops, while others stood still, looking up at the sky as if they had been caught in some secret technique.

The scorching air was filled with billowing smoke, but Diess didn't care about it. He saw a large, strangely shaped sphere floating in the center of the camp, dozens of meters above the ground. Hundreds of blue-purple, translucent 'arms' stretched out from its body, like long whips with no substance. Wherever they swung they, they shattered, shattered, and ignited red-hot flames.

Two "shield guards" stopped in front of Dies, one left and one right, and two 'arms' swung down after him. The sturdy steel was meaningless in front of them, and Diess watched as the two heavy shields, along with the body of the construct and the driver in it, were easily sliced through like butter. No blood was shed.

He drew his saber and came with a long whip.

……

Vanill Heblion stood at the top of the tower on the north side of Golden Rock City, squinting his eyes, his magically enhanced gaze spanning nearly 10,000 meters and falling to the earth—

Everywhere you look, there are enemies.

Since a week ago, he has been using magic to try to keep track of every movement of the enemy. Fermir Stark brought with him countless giant insects catalyzed by the divine power of life; as many as tens of thousands, the "undead army" composed of Saatchi people; From the Fleld-Flez ...... and a multitude of mercenaries from other nations; Nearly 10,000 puppets left behind by the wizards of the White Tower; and the legacy of the Federation, a variety of powerful and rare magical creations.

As for the "settlers" of the Lougland Forest, the three dragons who still obeyed Femir's orders, and Lily Edda, who was most vigilant of them, were still nowhere to be seen.

The Elna people boast a long heritage, but when it comes to wealth and resources, the federation of nearly 10,000 wizards is indeed superior. It is rumored that in addition to their rich gold and silver treasures, they also possess several Adamantite Gold Golems, Dragon Golems, and even the legendary Source Energy Golem. Those guys are not known for being expensive - ordinary people don't want to buy them, and even seeing them once is almost a luxury; And according to the records left in the books, just one or two such creations would be enough to destroy a city-state inhabited by tens of thousands of people.

Vanier had thought that the Arna would be a powerful enemy that ordinary people could not fight. It's just that now, the dragon and the "settler" have not yet appeared, and the battle situation cannot be left to wait for him to continue.

He leaped down the tower. The wind formed invisible wings and carried him down to the western wall. Soldiers came and went on the walls, carrying barrels and oil, adjusting crossbow machines, and hurriedly delivering messages from their commanders. The crackling of magic, the sharp clatter of metal, and the shouts of murder came from outside the city, mingling so much that they were indistinct. Behind them, the Shining Knights were carefully examining their horses and weapons, waiting for the order to attack.

Vanniel raised his hand, and his magic created invisible ripples that spread outward, slicing across the city, through towns and forests, and eventually across the continent. Then he calmly lowered his arm and counted the time in his mind.

Doors opened around him, and the silver-robed Erna men walked out of it, alone or in groups, and gathered before him one after another. Two-thirds of them have silver-white hair, and the rest are the verdant green of the forest. Some gathered to talk in low voices, others watched him in silence.

Vanill took a slow breath.

"One thousand and thirty people, including me. Seven hundred and twenty-five were from the north, and the rest from the south. He swallowed, "Thank you...... Willing to participate in this battle. Willing...... As an Elna native. ”

"Don't say it so heavy, like you're going to die." Elga, who was in the front row, spread his hands, "We don't like war. But to be honest, if you really want to fight, who is afraid of whom? ”

"The White Tower is gone, the federation is all destroyed, I have to say, that little guy did a really neat job." An Lai snorted coldly, "I'm afraid Morgan is too underestimated. With his ability, he shouldn't lose worthlessly. ”

"It's a pity that the old thing is dead, and we can only clean up the mess left behind." The pale-skinned Kasha pursed the corners of her mouth, "Lich is nothing, Eda is a big problem. With Tiana in her current state, I doubt she'll be able to hold Lily back for long. It's best to deal with it before then. ”

Vanill clapped his hands lightly, and a crisp sound rang out, temporarily halting the surrounding discussion.

"All hands on deck." He looked at everyone in the queue in turn, and immediately came to the answer in his heart, "Seven hundred and thirty fourth-level wizards, in groups of two; 321 third-level wizards, in groups of three; One hundred and ten second-level wizards, in groups of five; First-level wizard ...... Kasha, Anlyre, Elgar, led by you, divided into three groups—"

"Hmph, it's true." Elgar chuckled, but with a hint of excitement on her face, "Vannil, this is your 'first time', no problem, right?" ”

"I talked to Ann. In her history, 'you' used this secret technique a year later, but unfortunately in exchange for a dead city that lasted for two hundred years. A hint of ruddy appeared on Kashya's fair face, "I hope you don't choose the wrong target this time." ”

"Don't worry, if he messes up, I'm here. Even without me, there are still you. Anlyle was expressionless, "The Elna people will not perish. ”

"Good. Thank you for your trust. Vanier looked up and looked past the crowd to the distance. Now, with me at the core – performing the third ritual. ”

……

Lily stood up and stretched her body slightly. For the first time in two weeks.

Since the beginning of the war, she has been a bystander. She witnessed the destruction or collapse of armies, some of them Femir's armies, and many more of them "enemies"—people who were enemies of him. She has witnessed the loss of countless lives and lamented the fire of life that has been extinguished.

Everything is valuable, she told herself, to achieve her ideals...... Necessary sacrifices.

Ann, Elena, and Kylo seem to have something planned against her. She tries to get answers from their heads, but she can't—reading thoughts isn't Edda's forte...... That's more like what the Lord of the Heart is good at. But Lily always felt that there was more to it than that. If intuition hadn't lied to her, there must have been other forces guarding them.

Could it be Mar? Protodis, who insisted on not interfering in the mortal world? Nolan mentioned by Jill? Or is it Etiath, who is always missing?

That's okay. From the beginning, she didn't want to hurt them - rather, she intended to use her current strength to ensure that they survived the war. Then, through the "Mirror Realm", when Femir was victorious, all her 'members' were forcibly sent back to their original era.

This is her only responsibility as the leader of the "Lilianor Regiment".

And after that, maybe it's goodbye.

But she doesn't regret it.

She turned her head in the direction of Golden Rock City. A wave of magic was gathering at an unusual rate, and in just a few breaths, the power was almost equal to hers. It was a battle-level spell that had left a lot of money on the chaotic battlefield where the gods descended one after another. Memories inherited from Edda told her that the spell in front of her was not as good as the original, but it was just as powerful as it could crush her and turn the tide of battle with a single blow.

"Final Jihad...... ? Lily narrowed her eyes and licked her lower lip with her tongue, "Finally, it's our turn?" ”

She blinked, retracted most of her scattered will, and reached forward—

But nothing happened. It was as if there was an invisible barrier preventing her avatar from descending on Golden Rock City.

"Huh?"

Lily frowned, and tried again to get a little closer, but failed.

The mercenary narrowed her eyes and sniffed hard, sensing a familiar ...... And the smell that disgusted her. Without hesitation, she raised her hand, a spear of blue light appeared in her palm, and then threw it with all her might—

This time, no one stood in the way. The spear of light sliced through the sky without pause, crashing into the forest hundreds of meters away. The blue magic spread, turning the flowers and trees, even the earth and the earth into pure magic within a radius of tens of meters. Pillars of light rose from the ground and crossed the sky, eventually merging into the body of the current "Edda".

Lily didn't have time to care about that. She turned, her gaze locked on a tall woman in a long black dress a few meters away. On the other's chest, blue crystal shards alternated between light and flicker, as if to match the frequency of her heartbeat.

Sure enough, it was her, as Femir had expected, Lily thought to herself.

"Tiana." She spoke as calmly as she could, while secretly constructing the strongest magic she could control, "Thou ...... Want to fight? ”

The woman in black shook her head slowly.

"I just wanted to talk to you while we can see each other." She said softly, "Like Alex, and what it means to be an oracle." ”

A dazzling white light suddenly filled the field of vision, and the heavens and the earth seemed to tremble—it was a violent burst of magic that was enough to affect the "network". Lily narrowed her eyes and stared in the direction the light was coming from.

More than hundreds of thousands of life fires—mostly mutant insects "catalyzed" by her—were scattered and vanished in this blow. It wasn't enough to shake Fermier's advantage, but she didn't want to allow that to happen again.

"We're not interested...... Chat with a hundred-year-old woman. Lily didn't look over the corner and took a step south, "If you get in our way again, don't blame us—"

An invisible and sharp "death" streaked past her, and in an instant it traveled hundreds of miles of space and sank into Vanill Hebrian's body. Lily felt a tingle in her head, and the flame of life at the heart of the Final Holy War, the Wizard of Elna she had intended to take off, had completely disappeared from this world.

She couldn't help but stop, and looked back at the woman in black with the usual expression.

"Thou ...... Why, na? ”

"Those who touch the realm of God should be punished. Of course, it also helps you relieve a little worry. Tiana said calmly, "Now, do you have time to talk?" ”

。