Faith at first was very irrelevant during the development and expansion of man. The gods never showed any direct influence, and man did not face any difficulties because the creatures of the forest were very passive and always chose to flee rather than to fight. At the height of human expansion and the formation of early kingdoms and the different wars, the first angel descended.
It wreaked absolute havoc, killing millions of humans, and in that desperation, they prayed and thus were gifted with magic. These people became the basis of the first churches and the holy kingdom; they quickly gained traction and support, solidifying themselves as one of the first kingdoms. No one dared to wage war against them since it was deemed direct disrespect to the very gods who empowered them.
The holy kingdom then expanded its influence politically and thus established the different churches in the empire and the different kingdoms. Credoa was the only exception, who early on decided to pray to the god of war and selected their own bishop.
The churches themselves were built by the holy kingdom; with this, they were able to dig vast underground tunnels and bunkers which stored weapons and provided shelter in extreme circumstances. In this instance, the artifact was stored here, an item with great power and importance.
Florence made his way down the stairs as the torches mounted on the walls automatically lit. At the end, there was a long corridor which looked like a prison with some skeletons still chained to the wall; he ignored them and continued walking, lighting the dark hallway. He suddenly stopped in front of another wall; with another look around, he pressed one of the brick walls as it glowed, then started to part, revealing a small box. Florence started a prayer as he reached for the box, then slowly opened it, revealing a small silver tablet. He picked it up, then admired it.
“The tablet of transfer.”
This was Florence’s last hope if things turned dire; one chant, and he would teleport back to the holy kingdom. He slid the silver tablet into his robes, then closed the box. He pressed the loose brick, then turned as everything returned to normal. He walked towards the exit as the torches extinguished themselves. He walked up the staircase, then slowly opened the bookshelf and confirmed no one was there, then closed it behind him with a click. He adjusted his clothing, making sure everything was proper, then exited his office, where one of the black scriptures awaited him.
“Your holiness, shall we start the closed prayers?”
“Yes, close the church and bring all the scriptures so we could steel our faith.”
“Right away, your holiness.”
Florence, together with his scriptures, prayed for six days straight and spent the seventh getting their armor and weapons ready and coordinated with Deon to make sure they attacked at the same time. With that set, the dawn of the eighth day came to light as Florence stood at the church stairs, staring down at his army. He had amassed forty black scriptures and one hundred white scriptures. He also added fifty more mercenaries, making it a total of one hundred and fifty mercenaries and adventurers. To his right were three siege weapons. One was a large trebuchet which would hurl large boulders covered in oil and set ablaze to burn down the forest. He also had two large ballista that could fire arrows the size of a tree; he would use this to take care of the balowicks and hydras. He was satisfied with his large two hundred and ninety army; this would be enough to cause real damage.
“Today we strike the demons and the monsters who once again plan to plague humanity. I would like to thank everyone for your service and commitment to this subjugation. Now we march!”
Florence walked down the steps as several black scriptures held his white horse. He got on and started to ride through the army. He was shortly joined by the blindfolded woman, who was being escorted by two other clergy on horses. He stopped right in the middle of the army as those behind started to pull the siege weapons. He waved his arm, and the army started to march in unison. The large army slowly made its way through the empty streets, with only the peasants remaining now taking shelter in the abandoned houses. Florence looked away in disgust as he approached the exit leading to the western forest of Arbegon. At the door, Fronza could be seen standing, waiting for him.
“Will this be enough?” Fronza asked as he stared at the army with dissatisfaction.
“Strength isn’t in numbers but in quality. I assure you this will be more than enough.”
The blind woman suddenly tugged Florence’s arm while staring up. Her body slightly shook as she took shallow breaths. Florence understood what this meant: an evil presence was approaching. He stared up at the clear blue skies, puzzled.
“I don’t see anything?”
“They are approaching very fast from the north. I don’t know the exact number, but they are very strong.”
The woman started to sweat and pant, then fainted as she fell off her horse, with one of the scriptures catching her.
“Battle positions!” Florence screamed.
Fronza had already started to flee away as he headed towards his mansion. Florence clicked his tongue as the inexperienced mercenaries and adventurers started looking around in a panic. Suddenly, a thick red mist emerged, covering the entire area as more panic ensued. The weakest fell to their knees, grasping their throats as blood flowed upwards from their bodies, forming a huge blood ball.
“How nice of you to gather in one area.”
Florence heard the alluring female voice as he stared up once again. A figure clad in black armor with massive black wings, carrying a sword almost the same size as a human which was curved like a half-moon, could be seen.
“Fire the ballistic arrows!”
Florence wasted no time as two powerful arrows were launched at the figure, who swatted the large arrows away with one hand with ease.
“You are wearing religious robes. I wonder, are you some type of priest, or just another nun like that woman I killed?”
With that statement, Florence confirmed that this demon was Adeline, the one who caused all these problems. A thought invaded his mind.
‘If she is here, who is protecting Arbegon? Is it that other demon? I need to critically injure her at the very least.’
Florence simply stared at her as he assessed the best way to attack her. She too looked around the area, taking in the different scriptures and some of the mercenaries. Her head slowly turned back to Florence, who was still quiet and just staring at her.
“Are you mute or something?”
“I simply do not converse with demons.”
“These must be your fabled knights.”
“They are knights, you filth; they are scriptures. They carry out the will of the gods.”
“Now you’re talking. I will be upfront; you are all the same to me. Risin, take care of the small fries; don’t disappoint me.”
Suddenly, a man wearing black armor descended from the sky and started attacking the adventurers and mercenaries who were caught off guard. Different weapons levitated around him as he advanced, cutting them down mercilessly. Those who got too close were instantly impaled by the flying swords. Chaos broke out as Adeline descended and faced one of the white scriptures who remained planted, unwavering. The large ball of blood, which had grown even bigger, started to produce long red spears which floated above the battlefield.
“Begin the prayers.”
The two remaining clergy got on their knees and started to pray as a golden barrier spread out, pushing the red mist in front of Adeline. Florence was confused; why were there only two of them? The other one in question was a human. Was Adeline being overconfident with this, or was this a trick? Adeline placed her hand on the golden dome. Florence watched carefully. She slightly pushed as it started to fluctuate. She increased the pressure and advanced. Florence’s eyes widened as Adeline stepped into the dome as her red mist followed her. With one swing from her red moon sword, the white scripture was cut in half as she absorbed his blood, leaving him dry.
“The gods won’t save you from my wrath.”
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