After being forced to step down, the once-annoying nun eloped with me.

Looking at the fanatical believers under the skeletal angels, Yang Hao knew that this battle would completely annihilate these fanatics, instead of worrying about them escaping and becoming bandits.

Chapter 3: The Cremation Incident in Shkur – 8K

On the morning of April 17, when the believers' army, composed of border residents, arrived at the mountainous area on the edge of the Shkur territory, led by angels descending from the sky, they all stopped on the mountaintops and halfway up the mountains.

Amidst the fervent cheers of the lower-ranking priests, they knelt devoutly on the ground, constantly worshipping the barren mountains and the dilapidated church atop them in the distance.

The God of Light revealed to them that beneath the church lay the most vile devil in the world, an evil soul that made its living by deceiving others. To help the people fight against that evil soul, the great God of Light commanded his angels to guide the believers who longed to change Roman's situation to the path of victory.

The believers witnessed these angels rise from the ground, grow wings wrapped in golden light, and slowly fly into the sky while chanting hymns—although they initially appeared to be the corpses of warriors left to rot in the wilderness, the believers understood their true nature through the interpretation of the priests.

"They are actually people who have already completed the mission of the God of Light! The reason they fell to the ground is simply because their souls have gone to heaven to enjoy countless honey and milk, countless fresh meat and pleasure! Now, under God's command, they have returned to reality to guide us forward with their blessed bodies! They are our role models, the banners of our Lord!"

Those are the devout believers who were summoned by the God of Light to go to Heaven! Those are the saints who, after enjoying countless blessings and glory in Heaven, are still willing to return to reality to lead us to Heaven!

At that time, almost all the believers knelt on the ground, tears streaming down their faces, offering their own prayers to the angels. For these believers, Heaven was arguably their greatest ideal in life—especially for some who had completely lost their possessions and loved ones, Heaven was the ultimate meaning of their lives.

Amidst the worship of the believers, the angels began to sing hymns praising the God of Light. Led by the angels, the morale of the believer army soared, and they arrived in the territory of Shkur in near perfection—if one ignored the fact that they were just a group of farmers, perhaps others would mistake this spirited group for an elite army from afar?

However, even with such a spirited army, before advancing toward divine revelation, they still need to receive Mass and prayers from priests so that they can ascend to heaven after dying for the God of Light and have all their sins forgiven by the God of Light.

"As long as we can defeat the culprits who plunged the Roman Empire into chaos under the guidance of the angels of Light, then even if each of us has committed heinous crimes, the God of Light will promise us entry into Heaven after death, and he will forgive all our sins!"

The border pastor, holding a sacred book, delivered a passionate sermon, while the angels above continued to chant hymns. Amidst the fervor of the crowd and the overwhelming hope for heaven among all believers, no one noticed the decaying flesh slowly falling from the angel's body, nor did anyone notice the bustling crowd on the distant hilltop.

They shouted, "Long live the God of Light!" They worshipped the ground with fervor, fantasizing that once the matter of the Shkur territory was resolved, their crimes of murder, cannibalism, or other even worse offenses would be forgiven.

Especially for those who want to go to heaven but are unwilling to die, they desperately need someone to lean on, so that they can find a place in life amidst their suffocating guilt.

The celestial beings floating in the sky praised the believers' spontaneous prayers with hymns. They hovered above the heads of a few of the most emotional believers, personally placing golden, illusory crowns of thorns on their heads. Then, amidst the cheers of the believers, they rose into the sky again, and faintly, a relaxed voice seemed to come from somewhere.

The God of Light seemed to be observing everything happening here through the eyes of the angels—on the invisible, floating ship, Yang Hao thoughtfully watched the faint golden lines above the angels' heads. Just then, Finn nudged his side and said, "The believers are making a move."

Following the direction Fen pointed, Yang Hao saw that the believers had indeed performed another kneeling ceremony before standing up devoutly to the pastor's hoarse shouts.

Fueled by the priests' encouragement, the followers of the God of Light roared for battle. Rising from the ground, they marched in dense, undisciplined ranks, brandishing various farm tools. As they advanced towards the church at the refuge, the dense ranks nearly caused a stampede. Had they not already engaged in combat, they would likely have suffered heavy losses during their frenzied march.

The two hundred soldiers of the United Nations stood dumbfounded at the scene unfolding before them from their makeshift machine gun emplacements in front of the church. They truly couldn't understand what these Romans were thinking. Guided by what were clearly rotting corpses—the "angels"—they had spontaneously abandoned all their knowledge and humanity. Was this really something a human being could do?

“I remember even the Light our ancestors worshipped wasn’t like this, was it?” A Bayernian smacked his lips. “It’s said that the Light only needs us to hold hope in our hearts to bless us, and there are no intimidating angels of decay to show off their authority... But what’s going on? Those Romans... it’s one thing that they betrayed us and took our holy city, but haven’t they made any progress in over a thousand years?!”

The Bayernians were furious at what Roman and his traitors had done back then, but they were now even more furious at the fact that the Romans had betrayed them, taken their holy city, and yet appeared utterly worthless and even regressed in their civilization.

The elves simply shrugged, saying there would be plenty of time to discuss that later—right now, they needed to focus... to attract the attention of the cultists, to appear weak and harmless, and most importantly, to incite their anger without intimidating them...

To be honest, this seems a bit difficult. But after thinking about it carefully, if we simply fire a few shots and then stop firing, wouldn't that achieve the goal of provoking the enemy without causing them to collapse?

The commander of the United Nations seemed to be deep in thought. He then ordered his soldiers to prepare to fire. After confirming that the enemy had entered the target range, he signaled the machine gunners to open fire on the few farmers at the forefront of the believer army.

Bang bang bang!

With a hasty burst of short bursts, bullets fired from the church position in the refugee camp pierced the bodies of the several emaciated, fanatical farmers without a doubt. The 12.7x108mm bullets not only tore apart the bodies of those in front, but also nonchalantly ripped apart the bones of the enemies behind them, until they had pierced through about twenty people before the bullets stopped firing due to loss of energy.

The United Nations had never expected the Believer Army's formation to be so dense. Yang Hao and his companions, who were already mentally prepared for this on the airship, turned pale when they noticed the Believer Army suddenly stop.

"Oh no?! I forgot! The Romans simply don't have the fighting spirit of the enemies we've encountered before... How could I forget that the vast majority of Romans are so fragile that they can't withstand even the slightest blow?!"

Yang Hao slapped his forehead in regret. Looking at the vanguard of the believers' army that had stopped advancing, and then at the Romans' cowering and terrified appearance, he admitted that his plan had encountered some minor problems.

The problem was that Yang Hao seemed to have overestimated the fighting spirit of the believers' army.

No matter how devout the followers of the God of Light on the border may be, there are virtually no warriors or professional mercenaries among them, and there are probably very few who even serve as city defense soldiers.

In this situation, the believers' army gained faith and short-term fanaticism much faster than Yang Hao had imagined, but they also collapsed much faster! After all, they were just a group of refugees who had never truly experienced war!

Driven by sheer fervor, they marched onto the battlefield, only to find their comrades torn to shreds by unseen weapons after just a few steps. Screams and groans filled the air, the pungent stench of blood assaulted their nostrils, and there wasn't even an officer to maintain order—under such circumstances, even soldiers who had undergone brutal training could easily succumb to demoralization, let alone a group of fanatical refugees.

Yang Hao's mistake was treating these refugees as enemies on the same level as the "Apostolic Guard" or the "Redeemer Army"—but even the latter two had a large number of thugs and ruffians as their basic force to maintain order, while the former... what else did they have besides those border priests? Those angels?!

"Damn it... is our only hope that those angels can boost the morale of the believers and lure them into a trap?! Immediately order the ground troops to cease fire! We can't keep fighting like this. If they lie in wait in the surrounding woods, it will cause problems for our future plans... Cease fire!"

Yang Hao could only place his hopes on the angels of the God of Light—for the first time, he so desperately hoped that the enemy's will would be more resolute; this feeling was new to him!

While the United Nations was busily adjusting its strategies and ordering a cessation of fire on the ground, the believers' army was thrown into chaos by the sudden attack.

If it's a rain of arrows, they'll stand tall and proud. If it's magic, they'll feel fear, but they'll still charge forward—

But what's going on here?

With a series of sharp, cracking sounds, his companions suddenly and inexplicably turned into a pile of minced meat, dying meaninglessly, without even knowing what had happened.

That invisible force retained its killing power even after piercing through several people. The wounded clutched their severed limbs, screaming agonizingly, while their companions stood helplessly by, unsure of what to do. Should they advance or retreat? Would they still be shot at while retreating? If so, it was better to keep charging forward than to become targets!

Even if we must keep charging forward, who will draw the enemy's attacks? Who will be the next scapegoat? Why does the God of Light give us only suffering instead of blessings? Why?

The fervor that had just risen among the believers vanished. Faced with death, these fanatical yet unprofessional believers began to doubt the purpose of their journey—but just then, as angels descended slowly, chanting hymns, and then, in front of them all, gently touched the remaining pieces of flesh of the deceased before piecing them back together, the believers fell silent.

They watched as the angels performed acts incomprehensible to mortals, while the border priests screamed with ecstatic joy:

"Angels—angels are praying for the dead! Guiding their souls to heaven! Look! See the golden threads above the angels' heads! They point to the parish, to the holy city, to heaven! Every brave believer will go to heaven with the help of angels after death! And those cowardly cowards will be despised and scorned!"

So don't be discouraged! Even if we die, we can enjoy wealth and luxury in heaven, so why should we be afraid of death now?!

The border priests, holding incense burners, stood at the forefront, gazing upon the bodies of the fallen warriors after the angels had ascended back into the sky.

"Look, what beautiful bodies!" the priests exclaimed. In their eyes, the bones stitched together by angels radiated blissful smiles—these courageous believers, who died without feeling a single pain, had the right to ascend to heaven. How could one not feel envy, how could one not feel joy?!

The souls of these dead have ascended to heaven, and their bodies have naturally become sacred relics. Just like the crosses they wore on their chests—perhaps by dismantling those shells, the God of Light will further ensure the success of their divine revelation?

Talk is cheap; actions speak louder than words. As the people of the United Nations watched in stunned silence, the priest smashed the stitched-up corpse with his staff. Amidst the gushing blood, every believer rejoiced, for they saw the bodies of those ascending to heaven radiating a faint golden light: this was undoubtedly the best proof of the Light God's blessing!

"Everyone gets a share! Everyone gets a share!"

The pastor shouted at the top of his lungs, but how could tens of thousands of people be divided so that each person could get a piece of flesh or hair?

Naturally, the trampling occurred. Every believer eagerly pushed forward, wanting to receive the blessing of God's grace, and no one wanted to give any newcomers a chance to share. Everyone trampled on the bodies of their fellow believers, and amidst the cries of pain drowned out by the crowd, one life after another was trampled into the mud and disappeared without a trace.

The casualties from the ongoing stampede were even greater and more tragic than those from the United Nations' entrapment attacks—no one in the United Nations could comprehend how the parishioners were thinking, but they did understand that those corpses stitched together by the "angels" were originally meant to become the next "angel"...

And yet, it was torn down by a group of ignorant believers? They even wanted to dismantle the bodies that their own people had painstakingly pieced back together? And it seems they planned to take a piece of flesh from everyone? What on earth is going on?

Is the world insane, or is it just those Romans with mental problems who have gone mad?

Both elves and humans exchanged bewildered glances. Meanwhile, on the floating ship, the inexperienced black dragon of Ysgard covered his mouth in disbelief at the sight.

Yang Hao and the others were already used to it. After all, the Romans had already divided human flesh into different classes, so now it was considered quite normal to dismantle corpses and use them as crosses.

However, considering his ally's fear, Yang Hao still took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Nia—under the somewhat displeased gazes of his two wives and Naruja.

"If you can't hold it in any longer, why don't you drink some water and calm down?" Yang Hao wiped the cold sweat from Nia's face with a handkerchief, indicating that she could handle the rest herself. He then handed her his own handkerchief: "This is actually quite normal in the Roman Empire... You don't know, back when we were fighting the diocese in the north, they even used people as military rations..."

"...It's a wonder you were able to lead this barbaric nation to the point where they developed steam-powered factories..." Nia gagged a few times, quickly wiping the saliva from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief. "I can't wait to go down and teach them a lesson, to show them what civilized people are... Ugh...? Are they... are they even starting to squeeze out their guts? No... what kind of opponent are we facing?! This kind of 'making the most of everything' is just too much!"

The envoys from Isgard were at a loss. As for Yang Hao and his group, although they were disgusted at first, they were generally relieved.

After all, the believers' numerous atrocities meant their morale had returned to its peak, and their "fire trap" plan could continue—but then again, the parish was truly outrageous...

To prevent the Church of Light from corrupting their country in the future... after saving [Light], is it really necessary to eliminate the Roman diocese before considering resolving the Ice Calamity and the Roman issue?

Yang Hao was deep in thought.

And in the army of believers.

After spitting fresh blood from the saint's remains onto their faces, the priests, holding incense burners, stood on a large rock. Surrounded by angels and enveloped in the fragrant smoke rising from the burners, they shouted:

"Brothers and sisters! In reality, our divinely revealed enemies are as weak as a candle flickering in the wind! If they could really kill us with the weapons of the devil at any time, then why don't they do it now, why don't they kill us, the spokespeople of God who sing hymns in heaven, immediately!?"

There's only one reason—they themselves can't execute multiple attacks in a row! That last attack might have been their last gasp! So as long as we hold fast to our beliefs and charge forward, reaching that church, victory will naturally be ours!

Brothers and sisters! Fellow believers! Do not be afraid of death—even in death we will ascend to heaven, so why not contribute as much as possible before we die?!

The God of Light is watching us! The God of Light loves us! So, for divine revelation, for Romance, for the God of Light—let us charge!

Accompanied by the priest's frantic shouts, the army of believers rallied and resumed their chaotic march. This time, their hearts were filled with fervent faith, especially after the angels performed the miracle of leading people to heaven and sanctification. Almost every believer no longer feared death and completely transformed into monsters who would stop at nothing for their faith.

The soldiers of the United Nations on the ground breathed a sigh of relief, because this meant their trap plan could proceed as scheduled. But seeing the fanatical demeanor of the believers, even the most composed commander couldn't help but order the machine gunners to fire a few more rounds—after all, the believers' actions had exceeded the limits of the Bayerzens' imagination, and if he didn't vent his anger before they entered the trap zone, he might develop a mental illness from holding it in.

On the airship, everyone was itching to get started. They were all waiting for the cultists to slowly approach the fire trap. Just then, Naruja, who had appeared before Yang Hao seemingly out of nowhere, was clinging to the almost transparent fence. She said she had a feeling those angels were something like golems...

"I have a feeling... that's actually a golem after being 'programmed'..." the Ling Clan Chief muttered, quite enjoying Yang Hao stroking her brown hair. She squinted and vaguely explained her conjecture: "If my children... studied the principles behind those 'angels'... perhaps we could create something similar—but the key point is... the method the 'God of Light' used to create these angels seems quite rudimentary..."

"Very low-class?"

"Hmm...it feels like they're trying to imitate our crafting methods like monkeys, resulting in something that's neither fish nor fowl. Compared to golems, the flesh of those angels is rotting, so it definitely can't be used for long...and their [strength and speed] also seem quite weak..."

The chieftain of the Ling clan surveyed the angels above the army of believers. She paused for a long time, racking her brains, before finally managing to find a single merit in the creation of the God of Light:

"On average, the divine power carried by each angel cannot compare to the magical power on Golem... If we have to say what the only advantage is, it's probably that he can talk."

In the eyes of the Ling tribe chief, the angels of the God of Light were not only very low-level, but their only advantage was that they could talk. Even if the angels could fly, a bunch of flying things that could only scare people and slash with their swords were no threat as much as the harpies of the Hutto Khanate.

At least the harpies know how to provide multi-pronged support based on the battle situation, how to carry different tools to fight the enemy when necessary, and even how to cooperate and conduct quiet reconnaissance. Even when it comes to propaganda, they don't act like the angels of the God of Light, constantly bothering the people with their incessant chatter...

In this situation, isn't the angel of the God of Light just trash? At least that's how Naruja sees it.

But Yang Hao only gave a wry smile: if the angels of the God of Light were a bunch of trash, then it meant something bad was about to happen...

"That means the God of Light is creating [angels] faster and in greater quantities than we imagined... Although these things, which are almost useless except for flying in the sky, may not be of much value in actual combat, we can't withstand their sheer numbers—moreover, the actual combat strength of the angels is still a mystery, we can't let our guard down, Naruja."

He ruffled the head of the little pet that was deliberately trying to make its presence known to the other girls once again, and just then, the positions in front of the sanctuary church fired another round of shots toward the center of the believers' army.

This shooting killed more believers but not a single priest. The believers showed greater resolve than during the last attack—though it's also possible that the incense burners filled with hallucinogens in the priests' hands finally took effect.

In the eyes of every believer, they were walking on a golden road. What appeared on the battlefield in front of the refuge church were no longer enemies, but countless gold and silver treasures or delicious food.

In their eyes, their companions weren't "dying tragically," but rather beaming with blissful smiles, surrounded by countless delicacies and treasures. They laughed heartily, trying to get a share from their companions, but hesitated for a moment when faced with the ever-growing piles of jewels or food in the distance. Ultimately, they continued marching proudly towards their goal.

The angels in the sky chanted hymns without stopping. Under the manipulation of an unknown force, the golden light emanating from them grew stronger and stronger, to the point that it was strong enough to allow all believers to advance while bathed in a faint divine power.

Even so, some believers will inevitably awaken from their confusion—but these awakened believers are ultimately swept away by the crowd and forced to choose between being trampled to death or moving forward. They have almost nowhere to go, and in the end, they can only place their hopes on a false faith and anxiously await the arrival of victory.

No one realized that the soil beneath their feet had somehow turned into wood, and no one noticed the massive airship looming in the air to their right. They had simply stepped onto the hillside further ahead of the sanctuary church's position, and upon discovering that only a few stone giants blocked their path, their morale soared.

"Only a few stone golems left?! It seems we'll definitely be able to complete the divine revelation from the God of Light this time and restore peace to Roman!"

"Who was attacking us just now? Ah—behind those stone golems! Someone's hiding in the pit! A bunch of shameless cowards, if you've got the guts, step out and fight us one-on-one!"

"There aren't even enough people to fill a gap between our teeth! Let's charge!"

The believers' army was visibly divided into three echelons. At the very front were the priests and fanatical believers who were most eager to complete the divine revelation of the God of Light and ascend to heaven.

In the middle are the believers who want to move forward, but can only slowly approach due to their physical exhaustion.

Finally, there are the thoughtful and hesitant, clear-headed individuals who are unsure whether to continue but can only move forward under the influence of the crowd's thoughts.

These three waves disrupted Yang Hao's plans, but he and the soldiers on the ground could wait, as could the Black Dragon, which was already prepared, and especially, the large amount of stone, earth, and barbed wire that Naruja had previously set up. They had to wait until the last of the "Awakened Ones" also stepped into the fire trap before launching their attack, but it was at this moment that a small accident occurred...