Several hours ago at the Holy Army tabernacle.
"Are we going to accept the offer from that priestess?"
"Don't joke, it's the same as giving up your life."
"Shouldn't we send the spies over there before we go back to Primis."
"Don't forget the Lich's tricks. The worst of the darkness is trickery."
"That priestess is also unnatural, why bother convincing us that the Lich is not there anymore. This really isn't the way of the beastman, more like someone moving behind her."
The bishops were still arguing with each other and Philip was still sitting on the head chair supporting his chin with both hands. After a long silence, he finally spoke up.
"Ahem. Okay, that's enough. I understand what you are worried about. But don't forget that this is the sacred duty of Goddess Astra. Now that you guys rest, we'll be there this morning. The meeting is closed." Philip rose from his chair and entered his tent.
Philip originally wanted to accept the offer from the priestess of the Goddess Kali temple, that's why he allowed the priestess to just go home. He could feel a sacred element in her and made him want to believe in her. But it takes courage to be able to trust someone, especially if that someone is from the opposite side, and Philip doesn't have that courage.
Believe it or not, whether it is true or not, everything will prove itself. The holy army with its sacred duties must not be afraid to fight the darkness. He only needed to interrogate the beastmen and Philip believed in the abilities of the Holy Army.
°°°
The former black village's gate
Holy soldiers in glittering and all-white armor were lined up there. Cardinal Philip rode a horse with the holy magicians behind the soldiers. After seeing the 7 foot tall beastman from the wolf tribe he considered the leader of the beastmen. Philip got off his horse.
"I wish to meet your Messenger."
Cardinal Phillip didn't hear what Fenrir said, he focused on the woman who had just come out of her tent and joined the beastman horde. He kept a close eye on the woman's movements before giving orders to the holy soldiers.
"Surround them, arrest them and interrogate where the Lich is!"
The Holy Soldiers began to spread out to the side surrounding the wooden fence. And take up their weapons.
"Give up or die!" Philip shouted from the top of his horse at the beastmen.
"Hahaha, so this is your answer hooman ?." Fenrir asked.
But Philip answered with an order. "Charge !."
"Hahaha, step back! Don't let yourselves be surrounded." Fenrir said as he swung his large sword at the approaching holy army.
"Leo, get the princess out of here, I will hold them." Fenrir ordered.
"Mm, okay. don't die!." Leo quickly caught the confused Giaru and dragged her away.
"Hahaha, I am a Fenrir Warrior! Heyaa ~." Fenrir swept to his right with the sword that the holy soldiers easily dodged.
Giaru saw the situation around her, the beastmen continued to fall and the holy soldiers seemed not at all scratched. Even so, the beastmen don't seem to have lost their morale and still protect Giaru from the Holy Soldiers at any cost.
After Leo emerged from the encirclement of the holy army, he gave a whistle as a signal to Fenrir who was slowly retreating. Fenrir raised his sword high in the air in response when he heard that.
With Leo escaping from the encirclement of the Holy Army, Fenrir retreated swiftly with the beastmen causing the triangle formation they were using to turn horizontal.
"Stand back! Close ranks! Don't let them pass!" Fenrir ordered.
Tch, I can't hold on any longer.
Fenrir looked at the beastman army that was half lying on the ground, with the Sacred Soldiers' abilities and numbers double. The reduction in beastman warriors under his command made things even more uncertain.
Fenrir never underestimated humans and he believed what Giaru said about their abilities. But this time their mission was to catch Lich and his men, totaling 16 people. Not against the 200 Holy Soldiers fully equipped down to the teeth.
Whatever preparation Fenrir takes, he will need time. He could not just bring up troops just like that, for that he sent his subordinate Panther tribe to call for reinforcements. Fenrir could only breathe a sigh of relief when he saw the Panther envoy in the corner of his eye, which 'probably' meant that their reinforcements were coming. But Fenrir believed that after all this time on the battlefield, Panther was the right hand he could rely on the most.
"Hey, humans! Did you forget where you were!" Fenrir confidently challenged Philips who was still on his horse.
Fenrir drew a spear from a beastman's body and threw it at Philip which he could easily catch.
"Hump, an attack like that wouldn't be able to scratch me." Philip raised the spear in his hand and threw it back at Fenrir and stabbed at the beastman beside him.
"Reinforcements have arrived, it's time for us to drive the humans out of this forest. CHARGE !!." Fenrir loudly gave command to the beastmen.
At the same time as Fenrir's words, from the trees one kilometer away began to see the various beastman tribes around them and surrounded the holy army that was besieging Fenrir's group.
One hundred, two hundred, three hundred, beastmen did not stop appearing until their number reached five hundred and most of them consisted of tribes whose villages were not far from there.
After the tribe of foxes, rabbits, cats and dogs joined in, the situation was turned upside down. The holy army that originally had the superiority due to their double number of beastmen were now being attacked from the front and rear making it difficult for them to distinguish between enemies and friends.
The Holy Soldiers were getting overwhelmed, after a long time of fighting, their stamina was also reaching its limit, in addition to the suicide attacks that were carried out by beastmen who didn't care about their own lives, casualties began to fall no matter what their abilities were.
"Tch, retreat with me. Make way!" Philip shouted and lunged at the beastman horde with his horse while swinging the sword he was carrying.
The holy magicians did not stand still, they cast magic after magic at the beastmen to open their way.
"Hey, hey where are you guys going. We haven't had enough fun yet!" Fenrir said.
°°°
Philip already ignored what Fenrir said and only focused on getting out of there. At first he thought he would solve it all with one sweep. After capturing the beastmen and interrogating them he would know exactly what was going on in the Barbarian Wasteland and he would know where the lich really was. He did not expect that things will turn out to be like now.
"What made you defend the Lich so? Are you really under Lich's control? Answer me!" Philip said between his breaths.
"Heh, this has nothing to do with Lich. You guys just attack even though we've lowered our heads and tried to convince you. You need to remember, Beastman is never afraid of humans. We just obey Goddess Kali and find a peaceful way to solve the problem of dark creature. " Fenrir replied.
Is it true that they are not under the Lich's control? Is it true that the lich was not in this forest? Oh Goddess Astra, give me Your way.
"Then where is he now!" Philip clenched his teeth.
Philip's hoarse and trembling voice revealed his emotions. His red eyes showed that he was angry, upset and sorry. He was annoyed because he knew that he had failed in a sacred duty and he regretted not being able to do his job properly.
The remaining 70 Holy Soldiers gathered around him. The siege of beastmen is getting closer, making Philip desperate and praying to the Goddess Astra for their safety.
°°°
An hour later Giaru on his horse accompanied by Leo and Fenrir walked through the former black village to see the remains of the war.
"Is it okay to just let them go." Leo said.
"Yes, even though we are numerous, the abilities of beastmen cannot be compared to the Holy Soldiers. Haven't you seen it and felt it." Fenrir replied who then looked at Giaru with a sad face.
"Hahaha, how is it Princess? This is the real war. What do you think ?." Fenrir tries to open Giaru's eyes by exposing the dark side of life.
"I .." Giaru was speechless.
"Hahaha, as I promised. I'll take care of everything." Fenrir replied proudly.
"But more than a hundred people as victims. Did not you think about it ?." Giaru glared at Fenrir.
Fenrir stopped his horse and turned around, making his horse stand beside Giaru's horse and face her.
"No princess, we are the God Shiba Warriors. We are always ready to defend the ancestral forest even though our lives are at stake. Don't you ever stain a knight's soul with the word 'pity'!" Fenrir looked Giaru straight in the eye before he turned around and continued his inspection of the rest of the black village.
