The Infinite Dragon God Cannot Find Silence

"The monster army should arrive in about ten minutes. Based on my observations of the forest, the monsters are probably still gathering for their next attack... and it will be more than three times the size of this one!"

"Thirty thousand...?"

Orpheus nodded.

With this, there are only about 60,000 remaining magical beasts in the cedar forest, which will increase the chances of successfully reaching the location of the magical beast goddess.

"But... if we just barge in openly, won't the monsters come and hunt us down?"

Ritsuka frowned and voiced the question that had been troubling her for a long time.

Even if monsters are mindless, that fake Enkidu wouldn't let them easily get close to the Monster Goddess, would he?

"rest assured."

However, Orpheus shook his head slightly.

"If I'm not mistaken, once you successfully break through the encirclement of the North Wall and enter the Cedar Forest, unless you cause any trouble yourself, there won't be any armies of magical beasts to deal with you."

"Um... what if you guessed wrong?"

Ritsuka's lips twitched as she asked.

"I will avenge you."

Orpheus responded seriously.

"Really... Well then, thank you?"

Seeing that Orpheus didn't seem to be joking at all, Ritsuka sighed.

Orpheus's guess was not without reason.

This dragging on is not a solution, and Jin Gu must also be looking to make a breakthrough.

It's just that due to various conflicts, she can't take the initiative. If a situation is created that restrains her and allows the monster to break through, Jin Gu probably won't control the monster to stop her.

but……

The group walked back to the city wall, and Orpheus looked at Merlin.

"Is the fusion complete? Let him fight and hold off Enkidu."

Given Kingo's conflicted feelings, he could convince himself not to control the monsters to stop them by reasoning that "a bunch of cannon fodder is useless," but if he couldn't hold Kingo back...

Because of Enkidu's physical body, Orpheus might have to carefully consider whether or not to seek revenge.

"I'll handle it."

Merlin was clearly much more serious now... Perhaps he was serious all along, but it was hidden by that cynical mask.

"Arjuna provided cover on the city wall, Joan of Arc's first cavalry unit was responsible for opening the breach, and Lily's second cavalry unit escorted Chaldea into the forest."

Orpheus quickly assigned tasks to everyone.

"To be on the safe side, the Uruk troops will hold off the monsters after your assault to prevent them from returning to reinforce. If all goes well, they can lure out even more monsters. Altira is responsible for holding off the monster troops before the Uruk formation is stabilized... and then help deal with Enkidu."

"Ishtar, who's been extorting money from the soldiers over there, can be borrowed for now. As for Quetzal..."

Upon hearing this, Quetzal tilted his head.

"I was just about to say this. My original plan was to stay on the North Wall and wait for Merlin to give the signal before throwing Marduk's Axe. In that case, it wouldn't be a problem for me to also hold off Kingo, right?"

"Do not."

Orpheus shook his head and refused.

“With Ishtar by my side, Chaldea’s fighting strength might not be enough. It would be safer if you went with me… Although you can’t fight because of the alliance, you should be able to protect these people if necessary, right? As for Marduk’s Axe…”

Orpheus suddenly disappeared, and when he reappeared, he was carrying a giant axe that had originally been on the back of Quetzalcoatl's pet pterosaur.

With a whoosh, Orpheus placed the axe on Dingil's cannon platform amidst the speechless gazes of everyone.

"That's fine. Merlin can use this to send the signal. Merlin's staff can be used for positioning anyway, so it doesn't matter if the aim isn't perfect."

"That would be perfect! This is fine too. I also want to stay by Master's side as much as possible!"

"Ugh!?"

Quetzal laughed heartily, then pulled Ritsuka into his arms.

"Please help me."

Ignoring the scene, Orpheus said softly.

"May your military prowess flourish."

Chapter 88 The Saintess's Love and Sin

The horde of monsters roared and charged toward their prey, which dared to step out of the city walls and face away from the north wall.

They were of low intelligence, and although their individual strength was slightly stronger than that of ordinary soldiers, they were far inferior to the two hundred warriors beside Ritsuka.

However, with thousands of such weaklings piled together, even with the imposing presence of two hundred strong men, Ritsuka still felt somewhat uncomfortable under that pressure.

But that's all. Even the scene of tens of thousands of troops fighting was not the first time Ritsuka had seen it.

Lily rode a white warhorse covered in silver-white horse armor, looking back at her temporary subordinates.

Ritsuka, who experienced the previous singularity, can attest that King Arthur was a late bloomer in terms of appearance. Lily is now in her earliest form. Although her appearance in the early stages... will remain the same if nothing unexpected happens, Lily exudes a youthful feeling and does not evoke the word 'king' at all.

The sudden appearance of a cute little girl who looked no more than fifteen years old naturally gave these soldiers, each capable of holding their own against third-rate Servants, paused in the air.

However, their loyalty to Orpheus prevented them from expressing any discontent—neither in words nor in actions.

Even so, Lily, with the heart of an angel, still did not want these soldiers to enter the battlefield where survival was almost impossible, carrying their pent-up resentment.

"Gentlemen."

Lily switched the horses' positions, turning her back to the monster and looking intently at her soldiers.

"I know you're not convinced by me, and I am indeed quite inexperienced... As Master would say, right now I'm just a half-baked person with theoretical knowledge, aren't I?"

The cavalrymen did not respond, but simply stared at Lily expressionlessly.

"I cannot promise to protect each and every one of you and ensure that you can all return to your hometown alive... but that is probably not what you really want either."

Lily wasn't annoyed by the awkward silence; instead, she continued speaking with a determined expression.

"This is war, and there will inevitably be sacrifices, and sacrifices are necessary. What I can promise is that your sacrifices will not be in vain, and that you will reclaim what you desire most—victory!"

"So, please help me!"

After Lily uttered her last words, the soldier still did not respond, but seemingly unconsciously, he gripped his weapon even tighter.

Of course, Lily didn't think that her current verbal sparring would be very effective given her lack of leadership skills. However, she felt that she needed to make a promise, at least for the sake of these pioneers who risked their lives to pave the way for them.

Joan of Arc smiled at Lily and nodded gently.

This heavy cavalry force was trained by Joan of Arc herself, so commanding it was naturally a piece of cake for her.

only……

Joan of Arc unfurled the holy banner, which bore the symbol of the 'snake' representing Uruk, which Orpheus controlled (did city-states have such symbols at that time? Let's assume they did). She held it in her left hand, while her other hand gripped the spear she had found in Orpheus's treasury.

"Time is running out. I have nothing more to say. I reaffirm the promise Lady Lily made to you; I will protect Uruk until the very last moment! Prepare!"

Joan of Arc turned her horse's head to face the monster, while the knight behind her simultaneously lowered his visor.

As the approaching monster drew near, Joan of Arc's originally holy and gentle face turned cold.

During the Hundred Years' War between England and France, every battle and every killing was a sin for Joan of Arc.

Even if others see her as fighting to protect her homeland, that cannot be a reason for Joan of Arc to ignore her own sins.

In Joan of Arc's view, killing humans and allowing war to continue were all due to her own selfishness.

Therefore, Joan of Arc never acknowledged her status as a 'saint'.

Joan of Arc truly loved life, loved humanity, and loved her homeland.

Therefore, she bore sins that ordinary people could not imagine.

It wasn't anyone who imposed it on her; it was the sin she herself carried.

Now, the monsters, having lost their minds, are baring their fangs at humanity.

So the saintess raised the battle flag once more and rushed to the battlefield.

'Another sin to be repaid...'

Joan of Arc was feeling rather down.

Even if it was something she had to do, behind her, two hundred lives would soon be led into a vortex of death.

Holding her weapon to her chest, Joan of Arc felt the fire burning within her.

Those who commit crimes must make amends, and Joan of Arc was constantly paying for her sins.

"It's not the right time yet..."

With a soft murmur, Joan of Arc spurred her horse and pointed her spear forward.

"attack!"

A hundred figures shot straight towards the wave of monsters like arrows released from a bow!

One hundred versus ten thousand—if it were truly cavalry against infantry, the outcome would be somewhat uncertain, but facing such a massive number of magical beasts, anyone would feel utterly hopeless at first glance.

Even so, not a single one of the hundred cavalrymen hesitated in the slightest!

"Master of Chaldea, it's about time to get into the carriage."

Seeing that Ritsuka was still observing outside, Merlin resumed his playful demeanor and reminded her.

"Ah...yes, I understand."

"Don't worry, you can monitor the battle situation using magical beasts even from inside the carriage."

Seeing Ritsuka's worry, Merlin smiled and said.

"Then I'll ride in the same carriage with my Master~"

"Miss Quetzal... never mind, then Master, I will stand on the roof to block any attacks that may come!"

Ignoring Quetzalcoatl's lunge at Ritsuka, Mash jumped onto the top of the carriage.