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

The Roman Empire's portal network is a creation that combines industry and magic.

Based on the existing ancient human ruins, the former regent provided the plan, the mage corps infused it with magic, and the steam factory provided the necessary parts—through the combination of these four factors, a costly teleportation portal was finally built.

Although it initially shone brightly for military and industrial applications, its commercial value has also become apparent. Furthermore, its ability to evacuate civilians in emergencies and to immediately dispatch troops from another city to reinforce a besieged city is also evident.

The portal in Khagad Town was originally intended to serve this purpose!

The problem is that there are just too many people in the town of Kargard!

When attacked by the enemy, the first thing the chaotic civilians think of is to escape through the portal.

Not to mention, there are just too many places for people in Kargard to go if they want to escape!

Some people wanted to go straight to the capital, some wanted to go to the military region, and some just wanted to go wherever they could...

Amidst this chaos, the portal's anchor point could be the royal capital one second, and the next second it could be the military region...

Not to mention, coupled with a lack of communication, merchants from other towns who wanted to participate in the celebration were also entering and exiting through the portal...

Furthermore, with the steam factory already demolished and the necessary parts for maintaining the portal having to be produced manually, the portal's condition has been deteriorating daily for a whole year... Even though the portal has a device called a "safety valve," it is completely ineffective without the steam factory for maintenance!

Under the influence of various unfavorable conditions, the portal finally succumbed to its strain and, amidst the chaotic flow of magic, transformed into a massive bomb, detonating directly among the crowd.

It started as a wisp of purple flame. The people, caught in the chaos, didn't notice the impending collapse of the portal; they simply surged forward like madmen, trampling over the wounded who had fallen to the ground.

Then came the scene of the portal's mirror suddenly shattering—a dazed merchant emerged from within, a farmer who had just squeezed half his body inside, and the supplies that hadn't been transported out or in time were instantly turned into countless smooth-faced fragments by the shattering mirror.

Finally, with those at the front unable to move forward or backward, purple smoke rose, and the portal exploded.

The entire land was bathed in purple light, turning the area around the portal into a purple hell. The purple magical flames were not only more lethal and threatening than ordinary fire, but they also burned the town's magic to ashes, turning it into [magical residue] that most mages could not use.

...Now, ordinary mages are useless. At the top of the cathedral tower, King Kargard III turned to look at his mage advisor, only to find that he was too engulfed by the raging magical flames to even cast a fireball. He gritted his teeth and gave his order to the messenger:

"Immediately order the city's police to maintain order at all costs! Don't let those burning things spread the fire! Now!"

After the herald hurriedly left, he knelt down humbly and then bowed his head to kiss the boots of the priest of Kargard.

"And... Your Excellency! Please cast a calming spell here, then proceed to the city walls immediately—we must hold off the enemy's attack before reinforcements arrive, or we may all die here, or be humiliated by the inability to advance further in our respective endeavors!"

"...No need to say more, I have my own plans."

The priest understood the gravity of the situation. If he failed to protect the Count of Kagard, he would face punishment from St. Petersburg—all priests aspired to become bishops, and punishment from the diocese could jeopardize their only path to advancement.

With a devout expression, he loudly praised the greatness of the God of Light, casting a calming spell on the entire town of Kargard to quell the chaos among the people. After the police restored order, the priest left the church with his retinue.

..........

When the priest and his retinue arrived at the city wall, the morale of the already precarious guard was immediately boosted to its peak.

The guards shouted the name of the God of Light and knelt before the priest, pleading with him to use his divine power to fight against the stone monsters slowly approaching from below the city.

"It's alright, please continue to perform your duties diligently."

The priest casually bypassed the kneeling guards, and with a low-level [Suffocation] spell, he enveloped the burning tower and extinguished the fire, further boosting the guards' morale.

They returned to their posts and used their crossbows to fire at the tall figures that were rapidly approaching the city walls.

The priest could tell at a glance that the other party was a magical creation. Magical creations could be easily broken with a [Dispel] spell—but judging from the destroyed defensive siege equipment on the city wall, the enemy commander must have had a backup plan. There should be more than 30 magical creations here, at least 50.

They are formidable enemies—but their stupidity lies in attacking Khadgar Town with magical constructs instead of flesh and blood.

The pastor sneered, raising his hands to recite verse 6 on page 27 of the holy book praising the God of Light—

"The Lord said that the created things should return to their mother body, rather than walk on the earth in a grotesque posture—"

This is a dispelling spell from the Church of Light.

A golden light appeared in his hand, and he hurled it at the figures below, expectantly waiting for these magical creations to turn into dust—but the golden light did nothing to them except cause a few of the smaller ones to sway slightly.

what happened?

The guards turned around and looked at the priest in astonishment. The priest, in turn, looked at the magical creations on the ground in surprise. He cast the dispel spell again and found that the magical creations were still almost completely still. He then realized the problem.

"Lord, grant me light!"

He immediately cast a spell called "Light" to illuminate the area. As the entire area was bathed in golden light, the priest finally discovered the problem.

Without a doubt, the stone giant staggering forward on the ground was indeed a magical creation.

The problem is, these magical creations are even wearing [armor]?!

On top of the stone, there was actually a layer of stone helmet armor that wasn't controlled by magic?! What genius came up with this plan?!

The priest was speechless, because the armor was indeed useful—after all, dispelling spells only work on creations controlled by magic, while the armor embedded in magical creations, which is not controlled by magic, can help the fragile flesh beneath to block the effects of divine magic.

This is really... I don't know what to say.

The priest shook his head, realizing that the dispel spell was ineffective against the stone giants, so he had no choice but to use another, more dangerous divine spell.

That is the [Spear of Light]. A divine spell capable of physically killing enemies and directly destroying magical artifacts.

However, this divine spell not only takes a long time to cast, but it also attracts considerable attention during its execution. Therefore, he must prepare for his own safety.

"My Lord..."

First, there is a sacred barrier—it can directly block the huge crossbow bolts fired by the ballista. Although it can only block one or two, it is enough.

Then, the priest, panting, looked down at the stone giant closest to the raised drawbridge below the city wall—the stone giant was holding a thick tree trunk high, intending to smash the hooks on the drawbridge with brute force!

If it succeeds, the consequences will be unimaginable!

"In the name of God—"

The priest shouted, and a spear made entirely of golden light appeared above his head. The guards behind him, who were of no help whatsoever, cheered, believing that as long as the priest was there, the battle would end in victory.

What happened next was exactly as they had hoped.

The priest cried out, "My Lord!" and hurled the golden spear. The golden spear of light pierced through the stone giant's thick stone armor, pinning the stone giant to the ground. At the same time, the remaining divine power continuously destroyed the fragile magical circuits of the magical creation.

The stone giant struggled a few times, then remained motionless and turned back into stone. The guards' morale soared, and the priests dared not slacken their efforts, continuing to hurl a relentless barrage of light lances while the divine spell was still in effect.

One, two.

Ten, twenty—

Under the illumination of the Light spell and the protection of the Holy Barrier, the priest, without stopping for a moment, used the Light Spear to pin all twenty stone giants to the ground in less than ten minutes.

Thanks to the inexhaustible power of the God of Light, the priest only needs to worry about his physical exhaustion, not about the God of Light's power suddenly ceasing like the depleted power of those totem gods.

He was panting, a slight smile playing on his lips: because if the opponent only had these slow-moving stone giants, then no matter how many came, they would all be defeated by him!

These stone giants will die at his hands, and the merit of protecting the town of Khagad will become the stepping stone for his promotion to bishop!

Is there anything more wonderful or joyful than this?!

of course not!

The priest laughed heartily, and another spear of light appeared above his head—but for some reason, his right eyebrow began to twitch incessantly.

What's going on? Is it physical fatigue caused by casting too many divine spells?

Before the priest could figure it out, he heard a whooshing sound in front of him.

"Wh-what?!"

Sizzle—!

A heavy javelin made of earth and stone burst forth from the shadows, its stone tip carving cracks into the golden shield of the sacred barrier, while the constantly spinning shaft seemed to be trying to push the tip even deeper.

boom--!

Not just one javelin, but two!

Another, slightly smaller javelin shot out from the ten remaining stone giants below. The stone spearheads might not have been as powerful as those made of iron, but the force, stronger than that of a ballista, put a tremendous strain on the priest's body.

He was now trapped, unable to move forward or backward. To move, he would have to remove the barrier impaled by the stone spears. But once the barrier was removed, he would undoubtedly be killed by the stone spears.

Were they not lambs to the slaughter, but rather gathering strength to kill themselves?!

The priest stared in despair at the stone giant beneath the city wall. He could clearly see two stone spears spinning on the head of an eight-meter-tall giant that had appeared out of nowhere, aimed directly at his body...

Slurp—!

Two javelins were fired simultaneously.

Under the stunned gaze of the guards and entourage, the two javelins shattered the priest's sacred barrier, one piercing his heart and the other his shoulder, sending him flying off the wall and pinning him to the outer wall of the church in the town square, where he was nailed to death.

The city's residents, who had finally managed to calm down and restore order, looked up in horror at the priest's body nailed to the wall.

This time, no one can calm the chaotic public sentiment.

......

"Keep going, smash the drawbridge's iron chains with javelins. You can't break those things with wood. Ignore the guards on the city wall; the only one who posed a threat to us, the priest, is dead. The rest are just a bunch of scum."

On the roof of the mill, Yang Hao turned around and gave an order to the Ling Clan Chief.

With another javelin fired.

At 11 p.m. sharp, the gates of Kargard were breached.

The fifty Golems at the rear caught up with the front line. Except for a small number that surrounded the other two entrances, the rest blasted into Khagard Town, bringing more chaos and rampages to the already chaotic town.

The Ling people are searching for their own kin while simultaneously seeking revenge.

Isn't Yang Hao the same?

He was so excited that his whole body was trembling.

But just as he was about to lose his mind and prepare to go and see for himself what kind of hell the town that had wronged him would fall into, Mother Teresa held his hands tightly.

Her gray eyes were filled with worry, but in the end, that worry turned into encouragement and love.

“Do what you want, little puppy,” she said. “Just don’t forget, we have to get the person out first—we’ll do everything else after that.”

"...I know. But Theresa, you—"

"Me? I'm not scared. Anyway, you'll always be my little puppy. Let's go in after Golem takes care of the threatening soldiers—oh, and this too."

She took out the surgical kit she had found at the farmer's house.

Yang Hao looked at the surgical kit and carefully put it into his pocket.

............

At the same time.

Originally, they were waiting in the cellar for their fate.