Chapter 847: Chapter 25: Mutation

As the Sigh Barrier fell and Margaret was captured, the disastrous news of dozens of Secret Skill Level Fanatics being wiped out spread. The ruling system constructed by the Freemasonry Church in the Ancient Ruins started to crumble like a sandcastle with its foundation removed.

With the deterrence and command of their core high-end combat force gone, the morale of the remaining Church garrison troops everywhere collapsed, either surrendering at the first sign of trouble or collapsing at the first touch.

Many regions that had been forcibly subdued erupted in uprisings of varying scales. The remnants of the once-hidden Wizard Families and local forces dissatisfied with the Church’s harsh rule rose together, responding internally and externally.

Led by Lynch, the crusading army composed of the Jade Land and the Farlan Alliance Army, riding on the momentum of great victory, like a surging steel torrent, pushed unstoppably towards the heart of the Freemasonry Church—the former Water Capital, now the “Holy City” Eden.

Wherever the allied forces passed, they encountered almost no meaningful resistance. Cities and fortresses once controlled by the Freemasonry Church either opened their gates, with the garrison abandoning their armor and switching sides; or quickly crumbled under the fierce onslaught of the allied forces’ powerful blade and arcane might.

The flags representing the Jade Land and Fran were planted on the tops of key towns along the way, shooting up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

The main force of the allied army advanced with great speed, crossing the vast Central Plain, the former Kingdom’s border rivers, their blade aimed straight at the core region on the southeastern coast of the ruins.

Finally, after a series of crushing advances, the main corps of the allied army, like an endless metallic tide carrying billowing dust and a skyward killing aura, arrived at its final destination: Holy City Eden, the giant city that now stood beside the rippling waters of Emerald Bay, transformed beyond recognition by the Freemasonry Church.

From a distance, the former “Water Capital,” renowned for its crisscrossing waterways, graceful bridges, and white architectural clusters full of artistic charm, had disappeared without a trace.

In its place was a massive structure surrounded by towering, thick, uninspiring gray-white stone walls. The city walls were densely populated with defense towers, whose tops were embedded with huge crystals emitting a disturbing pale glow.

In the city center, the once luxurious Royal Palace had been completely razed, replaced by the imposing and eerie “Justice Cathedral,” a cold giant whose sharp spire overlooked the city, exuding an indelible sense of oppressive religious influence and subtle energy vibrations.

The entire Holy City was shrouded in a semi-transparent barrier flowing with countless small runes, the ultimate defensive barrier that the Freemasonry Church had spent years building, using the whole city as its foundation.

On the city walls, the hurried figures of the Libra Knights in silver-gray armor and priests in sacrificial robes were evident. Though their numbers were still considerable, their eyes no longer held the fanatic and unwavering look of before, only the despair of a last stand and a trace of forcibly suppressed fear remained.

The allied forces quickly set up their pre-planned assault positions on the outskirts of the Holy City. Countless tents sprang up like an iron forest, and the magic-guided cannon platforms were pushed to the fore, flashing with dangerous charging lights; the joint casting platform for the Wizard Team was swiftly assembled;

The elite warriors, knights, and archers from various races were arranged in neat battle formations, their weaponry reflecting the sky, the killing aura condensing tangible, colliding fiercely with the defensive force field of the Holy City, causing minute energy sparks to erupt continuously in the air.

Lynch hovered above the allied positions, calmly watching the Holy City, which resembled a giant turtle shell. Abbas, Gordon, and Meiweisi, three Rule Wizards, stood by his side, their expressions equally solemn. Further behind, Vanessa, Space, Messiah, Jeraf, Kalsa, Julia, and other powerful individuals, along with Fran’s Domain Wizards, were all prepared for action.

The clouds of the final battle weighed heavily over the former “Water Capital,” now the “Holy City.”

Everyone understood that breaching this city and destroying the last stronghold of the Freemasonry Church to confront the hidden “Father God” Erodion was the climax of this storm sweeping across the Ancient Ruins.

The allied front command was set on a hill overlooking the entirety of Holy City Eden. Inside a tent reinforced with strong magic, the atmosphere was tense and focused. On the enormous strategic sand table, the miniature model of the Holy City and its surrounding defenses was vividly displayed, with the glowing markers representing the various allied corps surrounding the city model as tightly as an iron barrel.

Duke Mars held a slender conductor’s baton, pointing to several pre-set attacking points marked on the sand table, explaining steadily to everyone in the tent: “Ladies and gentlemen, according to feedback from the engineers and reconnaissance units, the final defensive system constructed by the enemy relying on the city is exceptionally solid, especially the city-level shield, with energy reaction levels never seen before.”

“Our forces need at least three days to complete the final deployment of all heavy siege equipment, construct the forward spell suppression nodes, and perform concentrated energy analysis on the shield’s weak points. Launching a hasty assault, although possible to breach the city with our absolute advantage, would significantly increase casualties among our soldiers.”

His analysis was logical and detailed, reflecting a commander’s responsibility for the lives of soldiers. Most of the commanders in the tent, including the wizard leaders like Jeraf, nodded slightly in agreement. The final step of the war indeed required greater caution.

Sitting beside the main seat, Dean Abbas, who had his eyes closed resting, slowly opened them. His deep gaze seemed to hold the flow of a star river. He lightly tapped the armrest of his chair, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable pressure:

“Three days… isn’t that a bit too long? Erodion is unpredictable, and the more time we give him to prepare, the more variables there are. Can we go faster? Perhaps we can concentrate the power at the rule level for a strategic breakthrough?”

Duke Mars frowned slightly, clearly concerned. He was about to further explain the specific risks of forced advancement…

Right at that moment—

“Report—!”

An urgent, even frantic shout interrupted the discussion in the tent. A messenger rushed in, disregarding etiquette, his face pale with no trace of blood, breathing heavily, having even forgotten to salute, urgently shouting:

“Not, not good! Ladies and gentlemen! The west camp holding the prisoners… something happened!”

Every gaze in the tent instantly focused on the soldier. Duke Mars shouted sternly: “What’s the panic! Speak slowly, what happened?”

The soldier swallowed, trying to calm his trembling voice, still speaking rapidly: “It’s… it’s those Freemasonry Church prisoners! Especially those fanatics and knights captured earlier… they… they just showed sudden abnormal behavior with no warning!”

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.