Chapter 622: Flames and Lightning
Early the next morning, just as Roland was heading to the command post with breakfast in hand, he received a report from Maggie.
"The Church has moved, goo!" Her excited voice came from the magic stone. "A team has left the Coldwind Ridge and is advancing towards the defense line, goo!"
"How many people?"
"One, two, three... a total of five!"
Roland, who was preparing to convene a frontline operations meeting, sat back down. "What? Five?"
"And they're dressed in glittering gold, and they're holding the Holy City flag, very ostentatious, goo! Do you need a report for artillery marking?"
"Uh... no need, just keep an eye on the Coldwind Ridge." He stuffed the bread into his mouth. What was the Church trying to do?
"Maybe they're coming to beg for mercy?" Nightingale pouted.
"If that's really the case, the Holy City shouldn't have sent a large army to occupy the Coldwind Ridge," Roland frowned.
A day and a half later, this small team arrived at the forefront of the defense line. The leading priest claimed they were envoys sent by the Church, wanting to meet with His Majesty Roland and also deliver a letter from the Pope to the young king of Graycastle.
"What do you think?" Roland asked, gathering the staff and witches together. "Could this be a trick of the Pure?"
"Before that, I'd like to ask your opinion first," Edith said first. "If the Church wants to surrender, would you accept their peace talks?"
Roland rejected this possibility without hesitation. "Unless they disband the Divine Army and hand over all the high-level officials and those stained with the blood of innocents to be tried, but I don't think the Church will accept such conditions."
"Indeed," Edith immediately replied. "Then you shouldn't meet with the envoy. Not to mention whether the other party has a conspiracy, the negotiation process may also shake your determination."
"I agree with this view," Agatha nodded. "Although there is no magic reaction on these five people, the abilities of witches are strange and varied, and no one can guarantee what will happen next."
"Or just grab them, interrogate them, find out their intentions, and then secretly dispose of them," Iron Axe made a throat-cutting gesture.
"Your Majesty, Graycastle is not Iron Sand City," Sir Seerut quickly advised. "It's better not to do this kind of thing, it will damage your reputation."
"I understand," Roland pondered for a moment and looked at Iron Axe. "Let them leave the letter and drive them away."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
He couldn't help but be curious, what would the highest ruler of Hermes say to him at this time?
Admonishment or enticement?
After layers of inspection by Sylvie and Agatha, the letter written by the Pope of the Holy City was delivered to his hand.
Opening the exquisite cover, the handwriting on the letter was surprisingly delicate.
And the content of the letter shocked Roland.
It described the origin and purpose of the Church in a frank tone, and revealed the existence of the great enemy of mankind—the devils.
If he hadn't known the secrets of four hundred years ago, this content would probably have been enough to make him feel confused and incredible.
Is this the strategy the enemy came up with?
Use the long-sealed true history to confuse the opponent and treat it as the sincerity of peace talks?
As a result, when the first team returned, the Coldwind Ridge sent out another team, also five people.
Roland naturally did not meet them, but left the letter alone.
This time, the content mentioned in the letter was more in-depth. In addition to briefly introducing the Union, the predecessor of the Church, it even mentioned the term War of Divine Will—the Pope believed that this war of alien races, with a cycle of four hundred years, was a test of God for the world.
He sneered at this view, but a sense of unease inexplicably arose in his heart.
In the following week, the Coldwind Ridge successively sent several envoy groups to deliver the Pope's letter to the front camp. These letters did not reveal too many new things, and the content was also
getting shorter and shorter. As for the suggestion on the back of the letter that both sides should cooperate to fight against the devils, he simply turned a blind eye.
It wasn't until the scorching summer day arrived that the Holy City stopped sending new envoys.
This time, the enemy moved out in full force.
*******************
"This is Lightning, the enemy has entered Area Nine! Repeat, the enemy has entered Area Nine!"
Listening to the voice coming from the rune, Cat's Claw nervously flipped through the booklet in his hand, "Uh... Nine, Nine..."
"Hurry up!" Rodney yelled, "The shells are loaded!"
"It's already the fastest speed!" Cat's Claw shouted, "Ah... here, angle twenty-six, elevation fifteen!"
Nelson quickly turned the knob, "Twenty-six... Fifteen, complete!"
"Ready to fire!"
Hearing the order, Cat's Claw quickly covered his ears.
"Fire!"
Pomelo Peel violently pulled the fire rope, and the 152mm fortress gun instantly let out a shocking roar. The sound wave mixed with the airflow hit his face, like a hammer hitting Cat's Claw's chest, making him feel excited. Under the huge recoil, he felt the earth under his feet tremble.
This is power, Cat's Claw thought. Compared to the short twelve-pound small iron pipe, the fortress gun is the weapon suitable for men to operate.
The only regret is that he can't see the scene when the shell lands.
Mustering his courage, Cat's Claw approached the magic stone in Leaf's hand, "Uh... Lightning xiaojie, did we hit it?"
"Ah ha... right on target," the little girl replied.
……
Compared to the gunners in the rear, Lightning and Maggie can more directly observe the enemy's movements and the damage they suffered.
She floated at an absolutely safe altitude, looking down through her binoculars. The just now howitzer shell landed in the western part of Area Nine, with a deviation of about four meters from the expected landing point, probably due to changes in wind force. But the actual effect was no different. The Church's mighty army filled the entire mountain road. As long as it could hit the top of the team, you could immediately see a scarlet flower bloom instantly.
That was the case with the last strike.
She couldn't see the process of the shell flying to landing. The first thing she saw was a dark red light, followed by rising smoke and dust. A fleeting ripple spread from the light, and dust flew wherever it passed. The sound of the explosion would come after a while, as if the two didn't happen at the same time.
When the smoke was blown away, only a scorched earth remained at the center of the landing point, and the surrounding area was full of scattered corpses. Limbs and broken arms were everywhere, and the sticky internal organs and hot blood stained the shiny armor with a touch of bright red. The Judgment Warriors further away were in another state. They didn't seem to have any obvious wounds on their bodies, but they still vomited blood and fell to the ground. Some could still insist on walking a few meters before falling, and their crooked steps were like being drunk.
Only one shelling had caused the Church to lose at least nearly fifty people.
Lightning waved her fist happily. You deserve it!
Then she turned her gaze to the next shelling area.
"Attention, the enemy is passing through Area Twelve, you can fire, repeat, you can fire!"