The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 208 Using Reality to Strike at Illusion
After a siege of nearly five days, the demons launched a surprise attack before dawn.

A huge rock was thrown into the air, and after a short flight, it crashed heavily onto the city wall. The loud noise instantly woke up the soldiers who were sleeping or half-asleep on and off the city wall.

"Enemy attack——"

The sound of bugles and the screams of the defenders quickly spread throughout the camp, followed closely by the catapult attacks from outside the city.

boom!
The boulders continued to bombard various parts of the city wall, their accuracy increasing, and the defenders on the wall soon suffered casualties.

"Quick! Quick!"

The mages crouched low and spread outwards along the city wall to both sides. Some of the mages who had already taken their positions extended their staffs from the crenellations and threw out cold flames.

The darkness outside the city was quickly illuminated, and the guards on the city walls could see a large number of demons gathered along the moat.

"Archers! Are the archers in position? Fire a volley downwards!"

Scattered arrows rained down from the city walls, and soon, the mages' attacks followed.

"Slingers are coming! Form defensive formation!"

A mage shouted, and the mages nearby immediately raised their staffs and shouted, "Form a defensive array!"

"Form defensive formation!"

Semi-transparent magical shields lit up one after another on the city wall, connecting with each other and quickly forming a whole as more and more mages joined in.

boom!
The volley of stones was indeed aimed at the city wall, and the group defensive shield cast by the mages actually blocked the attack, even though the shield quickly became shaky.

"It's blocked! It's blocked!"

"Stop shouting! Look at the demons below! Where are the archers? Shoot them!"

Catapults require time to reload, so the attack cannot be continuous. The defenders on the city wall seized this opportunity and immediately began firing at the demons along the moat below the city.

Inside the city, the garrison also had its own catapults, and they were currently taking the time to adjust their angles.

"Higher! Higher! Do you want to reach the city walls?"

Whoosh!
The catapult arm was constantly adjusted until it was finally at an angle that would ensure it would not hit the defenders on the city wall. A large stone was then thrown as a test.

"It flew over!"

The defenders observing the outcome of the hurdles from the city wall immediately shouted down, "They've broken through!"

"Where did it hit?"

"It's too dark... Oh, it's not so dark anymore, but I still can't see anything. Anyway, we've reached the demon's territory!"

The soldiers operating the catapult below cheered and immediately began the second loading.

Just then, a mage rushed over, shouting, "Quick, fire a fireball!"

"Then keep it under control, don't burn the catapult..."

"Do you even need to tell me that?!" the monk said, increasingly annoyed.

The soldiers operating the catapult exchanged glances, shrugged, raised their eyebrows, loaded a stone slightly larger than a human head onto the ammunition belt, and then became tense again.

The mage raised his staff and aimed it at the rock, shouting, "Rockfire Burst!"

The spell wasn't completed instantly. He aimed it at the stone and continued casting it for a while. The stone began to smoke faintly, revealing mottled dark flames.

This was originally a magical trap that could turn stones into invisible bombs that would explode when stepped on. The way it is used now was developed long ago during the Imperial Civil War.

"Alright, launch it and see where it hits."

The mage put down his staff. "We need to deal with the catapults on the demon's position as soon as possible; they're too much of a threat. Those winged people are incredibly stupid. They can't even drop some incendiary bombs from the air. They've wasted so many materials over the past few days just to burn down one catapult!"

“The demons also have archers. They can’t get too close, or they’ll be shot down,” an imperial soldier said.

"I said launch immediately!" The mage glared at him irritably.

Whoosh!
The stone, whose nature had changed, was projected at the same angle, drawing a faint arc of light in the dim dawn.

"Keep an eye on them!" he shouted to his fellow mages on the city wall.

Before the latter could reply, his gaze followed the arc of light until the thrown stone crashed heavily into the demon's territory.

boom!
The sudden explosion and flashes were particularly noticeable at that moment, drawing the attention of many people both inside and outside the city walls.

"Go a little further!" The mage on the city wall quickly returned to the other side and shouted to the people below.

"What about the distance?" the mage below asked in return.

"Hmm... about fifty meters!"

"Did you hear that?" The mage below looked at the soldier beside him.

"I heard you, Master, we're not on the city wall, you don't need to shout at us like that..."

The soldiers began adjusting the angle of the catapult arm. One of the soldiers suddenly noticed something and saluted as a figure hurriedly passed by.

"Your Highness the Saint!"

Eric turned his head and glanced casually, nodded, then his gaze fell on the mage before stopping.

"So, can the rock projectiles hit the demon's catapults?"

"I'm trying, Your Highness!" The monk was much more respectful to him.

Eric wanted to stop and watch them fire a shot, but the situation was tense and he didn't have time to linger. He nodded and ran back to the city wall.

Just as he climbed onto the city wall, there was a whooshing sound behind him. He turned around, then immediately looked up, his gaze following the arc of the rock projectile as it fell.

boom!
Another burst of fire erupted from the demon's position.

"Go a little further!" he heard someone shout to the people below.

Eric glanced at it again, then ignored it and peeked out from the crenellations to see what was happening below.

A large number of demon soldiers gathered by the moat, constantly throwing sandbags into it, while the flow rate of the river was significantly lower than usual.

It must be that the upstream is blocked.

He quickly guessed the reason, glanced at the defenders on the city wall who were attacking the River-Filling Demon Clan, said nothing more, and hurriedly went down the city wall.

Having ridden his horse to the commander's camp, Edgar, who hadn't had much rest in the past few days, immediately got up after the demons began their siege, his face showing undisguised exhaustion.

“The demons have blocked the upstream of the moat, and the water flow is decreasing,” Eric said quickly after his gaze lingered briefly on his uncle’s face.

“We saw this movement yesterday, and I had people keeping a close eye on that area. I didn’t expect them to launch an attack on the city overnight.” Edgar turned to look at the map behind him, his gaze falling on the section of river to the west of the city.

“Let me take some men over there and take a look,” Eric volunteered.

Edgar looked at him. "The demons have left a considerable number of troops there."

“I know, I will act according to the situation. Besides my knights, I also need some soldiers to follow my orders and be ready to leave the city at any time,” Eric said.

Edgar nodded, wrote a warrant and handed it to him, then lifted the curtain and glanced at the sky.

"It's almost dawn. Have the winged people cooperate with your actions. Don't take any risks."

"I see."

Eric mounted his horse and hurriedly departed, returning to the cathedral to gather the knights who were already prepared, and they galloped westward into the city.

The west gate of Lutia is the furthest from the demon army outside the east gate, and therefore bears the least pressure. It connects to the western suburbs, and apart from the upper reaches of the moat, the demons have little interest in this area.

Eric climbed the city wall and asked the garrison commander about the situation there.

"The Grand Marshal ordered us to keep a close eye on the demon soldiers here yesterday. Judging from the situation at the moat, they have already taken action and blocked the upstream!"

“That’s what I think too,” Eric said. “So I need some people to come with me out of the city to eliminate those demon soldiers and clear the river.”

"Your Highness, this might be a bit risky..."

Eric produced Edgar's warrant. "What, do you think there are any easy, enjoyable, and risk-free options on the battlefield?"

"That's not what I meant, Your Highness..."

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you die.” Eric took out a green flag and waved it a few times at the winged people scouting in mid-air. The latter noticed and began to circle down. “We will fight the demons left behind ourselves. Your job is to cooperate with our operation and restore the river to its former state as soon as possible.”

"I understand, Your Highness!"

Before the winged beings landed, Eric asked again, "How's the situation at the magic academy? Have the demons gone to harass them?"

The soldier captain smiled slightly, but seemed to realize it was inappropriate, and quickly shrugged it off with a serious expression.

"The winged people saw a group of demons trying to rush across the bridge in front of the academy, but they were all swept off the bridge by a gargoyle... It's really unbelievable, that strange thing can actually move. Last year on the anniversary of the exorcism, my little daughter even wanted to climb up it!"

Eric smiled, indicating that he didn't need to be so reserved. "So, the demons have temporarily abandoned their plans to target the magic academy?"

“Yes, Your Highness.” The winged man who landed overheard part of their conversation. “Some demon soldiers are guarding the lake near the academy, but they dare not get too close.”

Because the demons had not fared well on the front lines, and their attack on Lutia was not as smooth as they had expected, Eric thought to himself that they had to focus their attention on the present.

As the sky gradually brightened, Eric stood atop the city wall for the first time at sunrise, watching the red sun slowly rise from the eastern sky.

The winged man's face was bathed in the red glow of the rising sun. Using a map as a guide, he told Eric what he had seen in the sky.

Have you seen any cavalry?

"No, Your Highness, the demon camp is full of infantry. But I saw a demon with a staff. He raised the staff when I descended to scout, so I didn't dare to land too low."

“That’s a demon sorcerer,” Eric said, knowing that he had a clear target for this trip out of the city.

Having gathered sufficient information, he ordered the winged beings to take to the air to continue reconnaissance, maintaining communication between the upper and lower ranks. He then discussed the battle plan with Edward and the soldier captain.

The plan is simple: take advantage of their high mobility and near-omniscient vision to strike at their weakness. The demons' current weakness is their camp outside the western city—their main force is concentrated on the riverbank to prevent the imperial army from clearing the river.

"After the raid, at least some of the demons will retreat back to the camp via this route. We'll then observe the winged people's signal. If many return, we'll take another route to the riverbank and attack the demons left behind. If fewer return, we'll wipe out the reinforcements."

Edward expressed his understanding, "No problem, Your Highness."

Eric then looked at the soldier captain, "You're slower than us, so go straight to the river and wait for us to arrive before attacking together. Pay attention to the winged people's signals to avoid being exposed prematurely."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Eric descended from the city wall, the city gates opened, and the drawbridge was lowered. He led his knights ahead, followed closely by a squad of imperial soldiers. The two sides separated outside the city, each heading in a different direction.

The magic academy is located due west of Lutia, while the river connecting to the Lutia moat is in the northwest direction, and the demon camp is also located in one of the locations in this direction.

Eric led his men on a short journey and soon saw the magic academy on the isolated island in the lake. The gargoyle that had been standing motionless by the bridge was now standing in the middle of the road, holding a giant axe, blocking any force that might try to invade the academy.

Eric glanced at the gargoyle from afar; its red eyes were also looking in their direction. He guessed that one or more high-ranking mages were watching them through the gargoyle.

Without lingering, he bypassed the academy from the north and continued his advance towards the demon camp, which was still several miles away.

Not long after, a group of knights arrived outside the camp, quickly dispersed, surrounded the area, and then stormed into the camp, wiping out the few remaining demon guards.

"Your Highness, those demon soldiers who escaped are no longer visible."

“Let them run for a while.” Eric examined the corpses in the camp but did not find the demon sorcerer.

"Burn this place down... wait, don't burn it yet."

Eric inspected the supplies in the camp and found that a lot of them came from humans, probably looted during their southward journey.

He turned to a knight and said, “Mobley, go back to the city immediately and have the soldiers bring out the carts and move these supplies, especially the food, back.”

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Mowbray mounted his horse and galloped off toward Lutia.

"Your Highness, won't it be too late?" Edward asked with some concern.

Eric looked up at the sky. "They're not moving that fast, and the demons aren't that slow. We'll take control of the situation."

"Yes."

After waiting a while, a message came from the winged people in the sky: two green flags and one red flag, indicating that the number of demon soldiers returning to support the camp was not large.

Eric was somewhat disappointed. He hoped that the demons would send more people back so that they could eliminate the garrison left on the riverbank while the demons were busy running around, and then turn around and wipe them out.

“The people by the river will have to wait a while longer.” Eric mounted his horse. “Let’s go and take out the reinforcements first.”

"Yes!"

The knights mounted their horses and, following the path indicated by the winged beings in the sky, charged head-on towards the demon reinforcements.

Before long, Eric, who was running at the front, saw the demon soldiers rushing towards them through the low trees.

"..."

Upon seeing each other from afar, the leading demon soldier turned and ran, almost making Eric burst out laughing.

"Chase after them! Surround them!"

"Yes!"

The demon soldiers reacted quickly, but they couldn't outrun four people on two legs, and were soon intercepted by the church knights from both sides.

Without further ado, the battle broke out immediately. Eric estimated that the demon garrison on the riverbank would not be able to send reinforcements, so he ordered his men to kill them all without exception.

The battle ended, and they did not linger. They mounted their horses and continued galloping towards the place where the demons were stationed on the riverbank.

The winged man suddenly landed en route and told Eric that the demon garrison on Eric's side had discovered the imperial soldiers who had arrived earlier, and the two sides had entered into battle.

"The fighting has already started?"

"Yes, Your Highness, I think it's probably because our appearance in the sky over there aroused the demons' suspicion..."

The demons weren't stupid; they already knew that the human faction was using the winged people to gather intelligence from the air. Eric had no choice but to order the knights to hurry over.

When they arrived at the riverbank, the two sides were locked in fierce fighting. Fortunately, the demon garrison was quite cautious and did not deploy its full force. The imperial army was still relatively intact at this time.

The sudden arrival of the church knights shattered this balance, and in one wave of their charge, most of the demons sent out were killed.

The two sides joined forces and charged together towards the remaining demon guards on the riverbank.

Give me the bow!

Eric drew his bow and aimed at the demon sorcerer who was hiding at the very back, holding a staff.

Whoosh!
An arrow was shot out, but it missed the sorcerer by more than ten meters and instead killed another demon warrior who was brandishing a weapon and shouting.

"Your Highness, your arrow is divine!"

"..."

Eric's face flushed. He tossed the bow back to the Imperial soldier, raised his sword, and shouted, "Charge—!"

There were still about two or three hundred demon soldiers left, almost twice their number, but the elite knights that Eric brought were worth three of them, so there was no major disadvantage, especially since they were charging forward on warhorses.

The first wave of attacks wiped out nearly a quarter of the demons. In close combat after dismounting, the demon soldiers fell even faster.

Eric's gaze never left the sorcerer hiding behind him, and his arrow, which had gone more than ten meters astray, had not aroused much suspicion from the sorcerer.

Therefore, when Eric dashed forward several times, bypassing the dozen or so demon warriors in front of him, and rushed to the sorcerer's face, the latter was shocked and hurriedly raised the staff in his hand, which looked like a withered branch, but it was too late.

But Eric changed his mind a second before he was about to cut off its head. He turned his sword and instead of slashing, he slapped it hard across the face.

"..."

The demon sorcerer's head lolled to the side after being slapped, and his face showed more disbelief and anger than relief at escaping death.

When it turned its head again, a fist encased in iron armor came crashing down on its face.

Having failed to knock him out with his first punch, Eric delivered another powerful blow to the demon sorcerer's stomach, causing the latter to collapse in spasms. Eric then kicked the sorcerer's staff away and pinned him to the ground, hand and all, with his sword. He then snatched a knife from a demon warrior nearby and rejoined the battle.

After a brief but fierce battle, at the cost of seven or eight imperial soldiers, the demons on the riverbank were completely annihilated.

Eric ordered his men to rush to treat the soldiers who could still be saved, and then to find a way to clear the river channel, which was mostly blocked by sandbags and trees.

"Your Highness, this demon sorcerer is trying to commit suicide!"

"Knock it out." Eric cut open the sandbag in the water without turning his head. "Tie it up and take it back to the city. I have a lot of questions to ask. Don't let it die."

(End of this chapter)