"Ten, twenty, thirty...... Hey, thirty-nine Heavy Artillery Golems, it looks like Delane really had some blood this time. ”

The eagle-headed and lion-like bird of prey spread its wings and glided leisurely over the sky outside the City of Glow. The knight on the back of the griffin wears a close-fitting tanned leather armor, a light black helmet, and holds a light and tough air combat rifle nearly seven meters long and made entirely of mythril—the standard equipment she received after she temporarily "joined" the Order a few days ago.

Lynn likes this outfit, light and handsome. But she didn't like war, even if it was forced to do so.

Griffin riders don't need to be tall, so finding the right armor model for her isn't too hard. The girl raised her hand, straightened a few strands of blonde hair that exposed her helmet, and narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at the camp dotted outside the city.

They were nearly two thousand meters above the ground, and ordinary scouts could barely count the number of camps. But Lin could not only see the weapons of war moored in the camp, but also the movements of each soldier at a glance. It was almost noon at this time, and the sergeants outside the city had put down their weapons, set up pots and fires, and prepared the first meal of the day - several young soldiers tried to steal food from the pot in advance, but were kicked over by middle-aged men who looked like non-commissioned officers, and then hurriedly bowed down to apologize.

"Anyway, if you want to capture Glowlight City, it's still far from relying on these dozens of cannons." Lin turned her head and cast her gaze further away, "Hey, there are tin golems, log golems, and ...... Mud Golem? How much inventory did the engineering wizards at home take this opportunity to clear out? ”

Wizards have always needed money for their research, and when it comes to spending money, engineering wizards have always been at the top. The cost of making a golem can range from hundreds of silver coins to thousands of gold dollars. Whether it's a spur of the moment, or a training and apprenticeship, it didn't take long for the Federation's engineering library to be filled with strange golems that had no merit other than 'rare' -

Thanks to the Empire's civil war, these unpopular constructs were finally turned back into money, and the Federation's financial situation improved.

"Anyway, it's impossible to sell the powerful ones, otherwise they will have good fruits to eat. I could have asked...... Oh yes? ”

The girl stopped talking to herself. The familiar sound of flapping wings approached from behind—she didn't have to look back to confirm that it was two other griffons, carrying the knights on their backs, chasing after her, one left and one right.

DELION's Griffin Knight.

As one of the most important symbols of imperial power, the Empire never granted permission to domesticate griffons to a duke or prince. And the fact that griffins must be raised from a young age also means that Delanene's coveting of the throne, and even preparing for it, is no longer a matter of months.

"This is the third time." Lin sighed, shook the spear in his hand, and looked slightly gloomy, "It is very dangerous to chase down a lone knight, why can't these children learn well?" ”

She leaned down and patted the griffon's neck. Grace knowingly spread her wings and tilted her body to create an elegant arc beneath the clouds. The sound of wings flapping behind them suddenly sped up a little, as if they didn't want to be thrown out of the distance—but it wasn't easy for them to catch up with Grace, who was the spirit of the arcane.

'Die!' 'Lackeys of the Blood Thorns'——! ”

The clouds overhead were suddenly knocked apart. A third griffon knight swooped down from above, spear pointed straight at the path in front of her. It's a clever tool - the griffin is fierce and good at flying with weights, and its maneuverability is relatively limited. Once you are forced to lose altitude and speed, in a one-to-three situation, it is basically a dead end.

Except for Grace.

Lynn grabbed her mount by the neck, causing the griffon to dive down almost straight, then somersaulted backwards, taking advantage of the momentum to climb up again. The pursuer behind her swept over her head, and the griffon rider above tried to imitate her movements, but it nearly caused the mount to crash to the ground, and it was only with great difficulty that she regained control of her posture-

And Grace has returned to a higher place. Then it lowered its head, gathered its wings, and turned into a golden-black bolt of lightning.

"No—"

Before the third knight could utter a single word, the blade of the air combat rifle sliced through the chain mail, piercing his heart from behind, and a string of blood came out as it was withdrawn. The knight's body shook twice, broke away from the back of his mount, and fell silently to the ground.

The remaining two knights fled in a hurry, hovering in the distance, no longer intending to come closer. The griffon, who had lost its owner, tried to pounce on Lynn, until she deftly avoided it and released a little dragon breath, and then she reluctantly turned away.

"The one who started the war may be at fault, but the griffin is always innocent." The girl looked at the birds of prey that flew away, and told herself with satisfaction.

A few days ago, Lynn had never killed anyone with her own hands - even if indirect things were included, it was unclear whether Gid Sheen could be considered a human being. In recent days, she has been attacked three times while scouting the enemy, and has killed four of Delane's knights.

War is not a game, and there is no perfect ending. If you are too merciful to your enemies, you are irresponsible to your allies, Lynn thought.

If her performance can make the enemy suspicious of the 'Griffon Knight of the Royal Family', she may be able to reduce unnecessary fights and casualties. The griffons that were let go were not a problem - the Knight Master had told her that even the griffons that had been domesticated by the royal family since childhood would never be able to set foot on the battlefield again without the knight who grew up with them.

Lynn flew more than half a circle over the enemy camp, counting the livestock, baggage, and war equipment in her sight. She saw three rams in the process of being assembled, two half-finished ladders, four cannons that appeared to be made by the Perons, twenty-seven griffons on foot, and enough equipment and horses for about six hundred cavalry.

She also saw several kamals dressed in robes, with small bags around their waists for storing scrolls. Lynn had only confirmed a few days ago that no member of the syndicate had accepted de Laine's employment or solicitation. Most of the apprentices were taken in by wizards, but for some reason left the path of research and chose to serve the lords - like Kent who had been under his father's command.

On the battlefield of thousands of people, their strength is not enough to change the situation. On the other hand, the monks of St. Leon did not participate in the civil war, and the knights and nobles may have learned a few simple magic techniques, but only to slightly increase their strength.

Counting the pile of miscellaneous constructs, it is obvious that it is not all of Delane's belongings in front of him. It's a pity that today's Glowlight City also lacks soldiers who have the ability to open the city and defeat the enemy. Whether it is the forbidden army of the royal family or the elite guards belonging to Maroline, they are almost not in the city at this time.

It was all thanks to the plague that was spreading.

From outside of Glow City, the initial case reports were from six days ago. As a starting point, similar patients were found in more than a dozen towns in the territory of the royal family and Maroline. The patients had high fever, hunger and thirst, vomiting, emaciation, and ...... Until he suddenly fell into a coma, lasted for half a day to a day, and then woke up again.

At that time, they no longer understood the language, they no longer recognized their former friends, and they lost most of their rationality as 'humans'. They are tireless, they are not afraid of pain, but they never cease to grab, bite, and devour everything that is edible in front of them—bread and flour, cooked or raw meat, fruits and vegetables, weeds, garbage, livestock, and even living humans.

And the vast majority of means that are effective against the living cannot stop their actions. Their blood becomes unusually viscous and does not flow out even if the blood vessels are cut. A blow to the back of the head won't knock them out, and it's useless to slice open the stomach or pierce the heart. Even if the head is cut off, the rest of the body still knows how to walk, and the head will still bite at the living creatures that come close.

What's worse is that, according to previous experience and research, if you are bitten or scratched by them, you will be infected with the same disease and become one of them a few days later.

In order to prevent the situation from getting completely out of control, Maroline sent her elite to the north four days ago, and at the same time asked the Federation for emergency assistance. The less affected towns were closely monitored, and all the injured villagers were gathered in several estates belonging to the Empress, guarded day and night by the Iron Guard. The three villages in the most serious situation have been reduced to ashes from beginning to end in the raging flames caused by the alchemy oil.

As for the treatment plan after that-

The Empress's orders were communicated to every guard. Anyone who fell unconscious, or showed the slightest intent to attack, was to be immediately killed, burned with oil, and then buried.

Such a decision may provoke resentment, but Lynn has never seen a decent resistance. After all, in the face of elite sergeants who are heavily armed, even afraid of muskets and crossbows, silence is the only option.

For the whole country, the Empress may have made the right decision, Lynn thought. But that's because they're not good enough.

Or rather, she didn't do it well enough.

Yuffie had discovered the source of the disease a week earlier, and the cure for the disease had not yet been found. The effect of the common magic potion is almost zero; Poisonous potions can weaken the source of the disease, but kill the patient earlier; The potion that breaks the curse is equally unsatisfactory - after all, it is only effective against a few simple curses; Vitality supplements can make patients more comfortable and prolong their stay awake, but they are tantamount to drinking doves to quench their thirst.

The only useful discovery was that giving the final dose to the "original patients" – the prematurely aged soldiers – would improve their physical and mental strength, while reducing their ability to 'make the disease'. Maroline used this as an opportunity to gather most of the 'veterans' in a newly established town, claiming that it was to further heal them.

And they do. But even though she has always been optimistic, she does not have the confidence to heal those people. Crafting that potion required a lot of rare materials, and even if the Federation provided assistance, it would not be able to sustain it for too long.

Let's take it one step at a time. The maiden returned Grace to the Griffon's Garden, reported the results of the reconnaissance to the Commander of the Knights, gathered away her spear, leather armor, and helmet, changed it into a cotton coat for ease of movement, and ascended the tower that belonged to them.

"I'm back." My friend's smile was soft and indifferent, like the aroma of herbs in the air, "What did you find?" ”

"They're building siege engines, but it's still a while before they're finished." Lynn replied, "Are you going to dismantle them in advance?" ”

"Leave it to the Empress to figure it out, and besides, Barak is here. What about the others? ”

"The Federation sold them a lot of golems, but they didn't make much use of them." Lynn pouted, "I almost thought they could sell the mushroom golem as well - that thing was at least tasty." ”

"Wizards are very shrewd, especially when it comes to protecting themselves." Yuffie nodded his chin, revealing a look that he had already expected, "In this situation, they will find a way to make some gold at most, so that they will not stand on a certain side casually." ”

"Speak as if you're not a wizard." The blonde girl stretched, walked over to her friend, and straightened her look, "How is your body?" ”

Yuffie closed her eyes, put her right hand on her chest for a moment, and shook her head slightly.

"Nothing is a problem. There was no discomfort, it was as if it was asleep. ”

Lin frowned slightly, "If I'm not mistaken, that's not what the test results say." ”

"It's still replicating itself, much slower than the previous patients, and barely spreading to others." Yuffie was as calm as if he was talking about someone else's business, "It may be that my constitution has slowed its expansion - more likely, it has undergone some changes." ”

It's not a good word for epidemics. "Change?"

"It's like, 'it' realizes that blind erosion only kills the host, and begins to try to coexist with me. This isn't necessarily a bad thing – if we can find a reason for 'it' to change, we can at least get more time, or stop the patients from becoming like that. ”

Become a living corpse, Lynn thought. It's not cruel to the patients – they're already dead in a coma, and everything else has nothing to do with it. However, for their surviving relatives and friends, as well as more people around them, this is not something that can be easily accepted.

"You're risking yourself again. Every time. Lin shook her head and put on a disgruntled expression, "Only you can cure this disease now." To be on the safe side, can't you change the subject? ”

"Like you?"

"Of course – if possible." The blonde girl rolled her eyes. She'd tried it before, but even if her body was anatoxically human, her magical blood would dissolve any intruding foreign matter. In fact, with the exception of a handful of curses that erode magical power, the true dragon was almost invulnerable, "What about Kasha or Famir?" ”

"It's hard for me to be fully sure of their physical condition, and words are very limited in what they can convey." Yuffie shook her head and smiled soothingly at her, "My gut tells me that what I'm doing now is meaningful and can save a lot of lives. ”

It's a killer feature. Yuffie would never make such a joke with her instincts, and she couldn't continue to persuade her.

"Okay. Then you should rest more during this time. If you want to go out, remember to call me along. ”

"Don't worry." The pink girl stood up and clapped her hands gently, "Don't think too much, today's business is not finished yet." ”

They spent the whole morning continuing to develop and refine medicines. Yuffie borrowed stacks of research notes from the federation – most of which were never published – to find ideas to draw from. Lynn captures some inspiration from her friend's discoveries, writes down every possible recipe, and hands it over to three apprentices to try out the finished product.

The apprentices' styles are also very different. Sura's mind is soft and flexible, and even if the original recipe is flawed, she can adjust it on the spot with experience; Kasha is serious and rigorous, and every operation seems to come from a mold, whether it succeeds or fails, it can be reproduced almost identically.

Farmier, on the other hand, has a ...... that is far beyond the average Guts. He was accustomed to letting the cauldron probe on the verge of imbalance, even causing an explosion. He's quite justified in this—

"Master Vanka Collens said that explosions are the mother of creation. Besides, if we just want to make something mundane, where is the use of us? You're right, Mentor Campbell? ”

Only this time, Lynn agreed with Famil. They've tried most of the usual methods, and now they need creative – even impactful – ideas more than they continue to do their research step by step.

That wasn't what the two of them expected. The magical nature of magic is simpler than that of occult arts, and in general, the means of cracking it are more straightforward. However, the facts have repeatedly subverted Lynn's cognition: they have found formulas with some effects more than once, but within half a day at most, the potion will no longer have any effect.

Perhaps, as Yuffie guessed, 'it' is changing, and it doesn't stop for a moment.

They had a brief lunch in the lab. Lynn then left the tower and rode Grace alone to the village where the 'retired soldiers' were gathered. Yuffie remained in the lab—she had stopped using any magic since she had made herself a vector of the plague, and she had almost never stepped out of the tower.

Compared to the barren landscape of a few days ago, this small village named 'Frost Leaf' has a bit of a look. With the help of the city guards, the village erected a simple fence, rammed out simple dirt roads, and built shelters from the wind and rain with planks and thatch. Two earth dogs lay on their backs in the sun, while the chickens jumped around a pile of chaff, leaning down from time to time to peck at two mouthfuls. Lin also heard that the soldiers had sent dozens of half-sized pigs two days earlier to keep in pens in each household to dispose of daily food residues.

Grace landed in the village square, puffed out her chest, and gathered her wings. The chickens fled in a panic, and the villagers gathered around them, watching the girl who slipped off the back of the griffin, and their eyes were mostly expectant and longing.

Lynn knew what they were expecting, so she shook her head slightly, sorting out what she had to say.

"The medicine I gave you last time hasn't expired." She explains as easily as she can, "No matter what the drug, an overdose is harmful. At the moment, bi-weekly works best. ”

"Lord Campbell, you didn't lie to us, did you?" One of the more 'younger' soldiers scratched his neck and looked at her distrustfully, "What about the other person you're with?" ”

In terms of value for money, she's telling the truth. "Yuffie is improving the medicine that heals you." This is true, Lin sighed softly, putting away her thoughts about her friend, "I need to take a little blood from you to verify the effect of the medicine." ”

"There's nothing wrong with blood." The other 'old man' frowned, "Your Excellency...... Just for this matter, a special trip? ”

"One more thing." Lin turned around, took a long sword from one of the guards, and swung it casually twice, "This time, I'm here to teach you swordsmanship." ”

When seeing her movements, the suspicion on the faces of the crowd turned to fear for a moment; And after hearing her words, it quickly turned into confusion.

"Swordsmanship?" The old man asked, puzzled, "What's the use of that?" ”

"The civil war has begun." Lin cast a glance in the direction of Glowlight City, "There's no real safety now. If you want to live well, you need to protect your life with your own hands. ”

"But we're just a few remnants of the army—"

"The enemy isn't all elite, either. Compared to this, most of the other villages are still women and children. Lynn threw her sword into the air and gripped the hilt of her sword with her backhand, "You've learned spears, you've been on battle, and you've probably killed demons or humans. The girl raised her blade to her eyes, "Eda has given you false guts, and this time, you should be brave for yourselves. ”

Lynn wasn't sure if she said it well enough, but the words touched at least some people. Half of them stayed, picking up the long swords that wrapped the tip in thick cloth. She taught them sword wielding and slashing, basic footwork, plus simple blocks and stance—

It's not Pfister's whimsical swordsmanship, but the simplified Imperial Battle Array swordsmanship that her mother taught her when she was a child.

She didn't expect these people to go into battle again to kill the enemy, or even expect them to repel the invading enemy forces. However, based on her and Yuffie's assumptions, such a teaching would help them regain their confidence, which would have a positive impact on the treatment.

As the sun set, she took a small amount of blood from several volunteer 'villagers' and put it in a test tube that she carried with her. Then she made a promise that she would bring the potion in a few days, mounted a griffon, and returned to the imperial capital, which was shrouded in the clouds of war.

The city remained calm. Guards patrolled the streets back and forth, residents worried, but not panicked. Lynn asked Grace to lower her height and pricked up her ears to hear two women discussing what to buy to fill her husband, who worked in the foundry.

As Mallorine said, Glow City isn't safe, but it's no more dangerous than any other place.

When she returned to the tower, it seemed as if in the blink of an eye the sky had darkened, and in the blink of an eye it was late at night. She and Yuffie analysed the retrieved blood to find something in common, but the results were still not satisfactory.

"Let's go rest first." The blonde girl yawned and waved at Kasha and Sura, who hadn't left yet, "Speaking of which, how are you guys fighting?" ”

"It's okay." Kasha replied with a blank look, "Sura is better than me. Do you want us to attack the enemy? ”

"The soldiers are in charge of defending the city, and you don't need your strength yet." Yuffie took over the conversation appropriately, "If something happens, protect yourself and wait for us to deal with it." ”

Kasha was stunned, as if he realized something, "Mentor, you mean ......"

"Just maybe." The pink girl replied, "Don't worry, you'll be safe no matter what." ”

The world sank into darkness. Lynn washed up briefly and went back to her bedroom to sleep in the same bed with her friends. Outside the window, the heavy footsteps of the guards could be faintly heard, and in the distance there were hammers and anvils, and the Foundry Bureau was still working all night.

The enemy must be planning something, too.

It is impossible for a few battering rams to destroy the walls of a city reinforced by secret arts, and even the heavy artillery golem does not have the ability to do so. All gates are guarded by Thorn Iron Guards, who will not be afraid of a small number of griffon knights. It's almost winter, and the Bresson River is at a low level; The oil could have done some damage, but the city guards had plenty of frost and sand flasks to quickly extinguish a few fires.

Maybe Delane had some unexpected reinforcements - like some secret wizard, a money-hungry dragon, or Cullen Dahl?

Yuffie tells her to prepare. She trusts her friend's judgment.

But they still have the whole federation, and most of the former "Brigade" is on their side, so there is nothing to worry about. Lynn struggled to let go of the unrest and let sleepiness envelop her, leading her to sleep.

When she opened her eyes again, it was still dark outside the window. Someone squeezed her hand and whispered her name. She pricked up her ears to hear a faint noise outside—a mixture of swearing and yelling, cries and screams, a jumble of footsteps, and some indescribable sounds.

Something terrible must have happened. Lynn sat up quickly, lighting a soft light in her palm. In the light, her friend's brows furrowed and her face turned pale, and cold sweat oozed from her forehead and slid down her cheeks to the pillow.

"Yuffie!?" Lynn heard her own somewhat panicked voice, "Are you okay?" Need me—"

"Take me outside." The pink girl raised her hand to touch her cheek, gasping softly, her voice was weak but steady, "Hurry up...... Don't worry, I'm fine. ”

She had to trust Yufie, it was a promise. Lin gritted her teeth, quickly put on a robe and picked each other up as gently as she could. My friend's clothes were soaked with sweat, and her body was hot, but she was still trembling slightly.

"Don't be too pushy, tell me immediately if you have a problem." The blonde girl pushed open the door with her feet, ran all the way down the spiral staircase, spread her wings and rose into the air, crossing the walls of the palace, "Alright, we'll ...... in time"

The sight in front of her almost made Lynn forget how to fly, and the world seemed to slow down. Heavy clouds covered the overhead, and a drizzle made the gloomy morning even more gloomy. The streets that should have been empty were now like battlefields—the townspeople were disheveled and frightened, screaming and fleeing; The sheriff and the city guards tried to maintain order, but were easily dispersed by the panicked populace.

In the midst of the chaos, the other group of people stood out like ink in the water. With stiff steps, they chased after the fleeing crowd, knocking each other to the ground and biting them to the ground.

Lynn had seen something similar. In the prison of the North Tower, and in the village reduced to ashes. However, looking at the whole city, the current scale is dozens of times that of those...... And no matter how you think about it, it is impossible to burn down the capital.

"What the hell is this—" She subconsciously raised her voice and suddenly looked at her friend in her arms, "Wait, you won't-"

"It's not the same. Time is too short, they are alive for the time being. Yuffie gripped her hand, still not answering her question, "Feel it carefully, Lynn." ”

That's true. She wasn't as sensitive to magic as her friends, but she could at least tell the difference between the living and the dead. Lynn swallowed, swallowing all her worries, "Okay, I'll listen to you. What do you want me to do? ”

"Find a place to put me down, give me some time. As for you......" Yuffie opened his eyes, looked left and right, and quickly closed them again, "to guard the riverside gate." It's a residential area over there, and I'm afraid it's the most troublesome place. ”

As soon as she heard 'Linhe Gate', she spread her wings again and flew at full speed in the direction her friend had pointed out.

The sudden riots seemed to have spread to every corner of the outer city, and the densely populated Dongcheng District was the most critical. She saw about three-quarters of the doors closed, and the breath of a living man peeked from behind the curtains; Most of the rest were open, and some had been split in half by something—

People wake up from their sleep, put on only a pair of shoes or even barefoot, and are forced or subconsciously rushed into the streets. As if countless streams converged into a river, the crowd spontaneously reoriented itself towards the gate due east of the city.

The golden young dragon turned into a morning streamer, and in a dozen breaths, it overtook the crowd spreading on the road and landed at the top of the eastern city wall. In front of the city gate at her feet, she saw several "living corpses" split into several pieces, and the blades still had scorch marks; Guards were begged to open the door, the sheriffs who arrived to support were hesitant, but Maroline's elite guards remained unchanged.

Lynn gently placed her friend behind the wall stack. She leapt straight down from the top of the thirty-meter-high wall and landed almost silently, grabbing a halberd that was stabbing at her from behind.

"Don't panic, it's your own people." The girl let go of her hand, turned around, and nodded to the guard named Connor, who had trained together a few days ago, "How's it going?" ”

"Okay, Mr. Campbell." The captain of the guard clenched the cold iron halberd in his hand, and looked past her, staring at his colleagues who were trying to stop the citizens in front of him, "The problem is ...... What's going on? We...... What to do? ”

She wasn't sure either, but she couldn't show it.

"Protect the gates and keep them safe from anyone." Lynn exclaimed, "Just hold on for a few minutes." She closed her eyes, "Allow you to use force freely if necessary." ”

The guards responded one after another. Lin rose into the air, gathered her spirit, and began to perform her secret magic like an ordinary wizard. She covered the ground in front of the guards with slimy grease, and pulled out huge white nets between the houses on both sides of the street. As for the wide space on either side of the gate, she directly caused two three-meter-high earthen walls to rise from the ground, and heard curses coming from the other side.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

Soon she didn't have time to think about that. This kind of spell casting is more like what Yuffie is good at, and she doesn't do it very well. Lynn saw someone shoot a shotgun, the flames from the muzzle of the gun igniting the cobwebs - she flew over, summoned a fountain of ice to extinguish it, and snatched the gun from the other's hand.

"You can't kill them with a gun." She hugged each other and lifted into the air, watching the 'people' rushing with teeth and claws crash into the giant net, howling and struggling in it, "Fire is okay, but it will also burn yourselves." She placed the other man on the roof of a small two-story building, and glanced at her friend, who seemed to be praying with her eyes closed, "There is an enemy outside the city." You stay here first, and we'll take care of the rest. ”

She didn't bother to listen to the other person's answer. In fact, whatever he did, it did not help to affect the whole situation. The crowd gathered like a torrent, and the spider silk created by the magic was broken down layer by layer, and then torn into large white shards.

Several young and strong citizens climbed over the earthen wall she had built and charged the heavily armed Thorn Guards in an attempt to snatch their halberds. Several others crossed over them, struggling to move the heavy latches.

"They're coming! Fast! Hurry up! It's over here! The men cursed and screamed, "If we don't open the door, we're done!" ”

Lynn landed in front of the man who screamed the loudest and punched him in the abdomen, sending him to the ground like a shrimp. A muffled grunt rang out from the other side at the same time - several men entangled a sheriff, one of whom drew his dagger and stabbed him in the abdomen without hesitation.

"The Bitch Empress tricked us into staying, and let us bury her with us!!" The man drew his dagger, stepped onto the sheriff's body, and shouted, "Edda, that slut's retribution has arrived!" Kill them and open the gates! Delaine is the true king! ”

More people gathered around. The girl looked up and saw Connor lay down his halberd, and a dull light flashed in her eyes.

"For the Empress." He said, "I'm sorry. ”

The magic flowed along the etching on the iron armor, like a raging flame, dyeing the halberd as red as the setting sun. The Guardian turned the halberd upside down and slammed into the ground. Countless lines of fire stretched out from the pierced soil, like poisonous snakes and thorny vines.

They bypassed Lynn and the guards, climbing onto the legs and torsos of the rest. Then the flames ignited, turning them into pillars of fire and rolling on the ground with a wail.

Connor half-knelt and gasped under his breath - using the power of his armor to unleash the blow that weighed heavily on himself. Lin looked away from the screams one after another. There must be innocents among those people, but that is the price of mistrusting others.

She ran into the distance, once again laying down a wall of spider silk and dirt, trying to separate the "living corpses" from the people. The four children were being chased by an adult female when one of them suddenly tripped and fell. Lynn quickly cut between the two, grabbed the woman's swinging arm, and easily threw her to the ground.

"Don't kill my mother——!"

A young man's shouts came from behind. The woman looked up and bit Lynn's wrist, and she pressed the other's head to the ground, letting the dirt form a shackle and firmly hold the other's hands, feet, and neck.

"She's not going to die."

Lynn turned to her feet, blocking the girl who was trying to pounce on her mother, "It's not safe here. She said as succinctly as she could, "I'll send you away, and then I'll pick you up—"

The girl subconsciously raised her head and interrupted the unfinished words. A griffon pierced through the heavy clouds and flew over the eastern walls of the city with a red-robed rider with a spear in his hand.

The Griffon Knight of Delaine.

The commotion in the city had apparently attracted the attention of the enemy, and it was the scouts who had come to find out. Lynn saw the griffin turn back, as if she had noticed something unusual on the wall; Her friend's eyes were closed, unaware of the approaching danger.

Under normal circumstances, two more griffons would not hurt Yufie, but now she can't help but worry. The soldiers above the walls threw down their shields and took up their firearms and crossbows, but only a few feathers were killed.

Lynn rose into the air as fast as she could, took a deep breath, and decided to make sure she knocked down the enemy who was trying to hurt her friend, even at the risk of accidentally injuring someone.

The griffon rider circled halfway through, hovered for a moment, and then swooped—

"Dog thing, your Grandpa Bell is here!"

Familiar voices descended from the sky. Dressed in heavy armor, Peron slammed down in front of Yuffie, slashing the oncoming spear with a single sword, and then blocking the griffon's swift claw strike with the blade. The knight leaps from the wall with his mount, and the broadsword whistles down, cutting off the griffin's tail.

“Elvensante！”

The wind whipped up the sand and dust, and the earth turned into a storm. The sand around the gate was so thick that people could barely open their eyes. A man shouted Ada's name and rushed to the gate, stabbed through the heart by the blonde youth standing in front of him, and intimidated everyone with similar thoughts.

Lynn let out a long breath.

"Bell and Sean? It's a rare combination. That is to say—"

The girl cast another glance at the city. As expected, the brown-haired mercenary sat cross-legged beside Yuffie and shook her friend's hand with one hand. The humanoid Alphonse stood on one side, silver-white scepter in hand, staring intently beyond the walls.

This time she was relieved. She heard the roar of artillery, and the mechanics erected an invisible barrier to block the shells that were being fired at several people. The royal griffons finally arrived, carrying the knights and landing at the head of the city one after another, waiting for the enemy troops under the city.

She brought the children to safety and rescued eleven more from the sharp teeth of the "living corpses". Just as she hurried to the twelfth, a blazing sun ignited from the direction of her back, dispelling the clouds and haze, and in an instant the entire sky was illuminated.

Lynn looked back.

Lily and her friends stood side by side, a white glow radiating from them, barely making it impossible for her to look at them directly. The girl raised her head, as if she saw an infinite net stretching across the heavens and the earth, and at the same time connected with the two people on the city.

She knew that it was the true divine power—the unreserved power of the Divine Network.

The light dissipated in just five heartbeats, and time seemed to go backwards. Everyone's wounds, whether they were sick, civilian, or the guards guarding the city gates, healed in a few breaths, leaving no traces of blood on their bodies; There was no longer anger, panic, or frenzy in their expressions, except for a little confusion as if they had woken up from a big dream.

Lynn came to her senses sooner than most. She ran a few quick steps, soared into the air, and landed beside Yufie. Whether it is visual or magical perception, the friend's expression is tired, and his breath is slightly weak, in addition to that...... Everything seems to be in perfect condition.

"I'm sorry." She sighed, "It's good that you're okay, but you scared me just now." ”

"You wouldn't let me get hurt without Bell, would you?" Yuffie hugged her softly—this time, her friend's temperature returned to normal, "That's my instinct. ”

Whether this is true or not, the results are not bad. Lynn blinked and looked at Bell—the Peron's chest was puffed up, and he looked smug; Alphonse - the organist nodded, his expression reassuring; And finally Lily, "So you've been hiding in the sky?" ”

"We only arrived last night. I found that there were all soldiers outside, and I wanted to take a look at the situation. The mercenary pouted, "As a result, there is such a mess in the city, it seems that you have been working hard lately?" ”

"Not really." The blonde girl sighed again, "Good thing you're here." Anyway, what the hell did you two do with that magic just now? ”

"We're just helping out. It's kind of a bit of an accident...... Harvest it. The mercenary shook her head, her expression a little ambivalent, "You still ask her if it's better?" ”

Lynn turned her gaze to Yuffe, and the pink girl was silent for a moment and lowered her voice.

"I asked Eda for help. He responded to me. ”

It's something her friends have been reluctant to do. For wizards, divine powers are far less reliable than their own secret arts; And in the impression of the two, Eda herself is not very trustworthy. "The result?"

"There is good news, and bad news."

"Let's start with the one you want to talk about." Lynn didn't hesitate.

"Then say okay. The network of magic temporarily put the source of the disease to sleep. Thanks to Lily, it will probably stop for a long time. At least for nearly a month. ”

Lynn's heart sank slightly—her friend didn't use the word 'cure'. "Is it just this city, or is it the people of the entire empire?"

"It depends on what kind of disease they have." Her friend replied, "You've heard of cluster intelligence, right?" ”

Of course, the kind like wasps or ants – that's where the nickname 'brood consciousness' comes from. In fact, if you count magical creatures, some clusters even have intelligence beyond that of humans, "So...... 'it' too?" ”

"It is the creation of Edda. As long as there are enough of them, it is normal for wisdom to be born. "And what we just did was to 'convince' the 'it' that was born out of this city and possessed wisdom. ”

At least the problems for now are solved, and the rest of the ...... There will always be a way to deal with it. Lynn struggled to tell herself, "What about the bad news? ”

Yuffie was silent for a moment, then raised his hand to block out the sounds around him.

"The magic just now used up most of the remaining power in the network." The girl smiled slightly bitterly, "In a short period of time, I probably won't be able to use Ada's magic again. ”

She also thought that the power of the Internet was almost limitless. "That's not important, you're fine." Lynn replied almost instinctively, "But you said the remnant—"

"Someone has stolen the power of the Lord of Heaven." Yuffie whispered, "That's what he told me." He also said that even this epidemic happened because of this incident. ”

"Sounds familiar...... "The mercenary muttered, "let's talk about that man...... Isn't it called Femir, or Huruman? ”

"He didn't say." The pink girl replied, "But I don't think so." ”