Chapter 78: Chapter 78

“Ron!”

Morris called out Ron’s name from afar. Among the other four riders, one was also an Apprentice Instructor, and he called out the names of the Apprentices he led.

“By the Lord’s orders, immediately organize the territorial subjects to seek temporary shelter at Sis Castle!”

“Yes.”

The scene he least wanted to see had finally happened. Ron originally thought the night would pass peacefully, but to his surprise, dawn was already breaking, and this was still unfolding.

However, he was still very supportive of the orders from above.

Without exchanging pleasantries with Morris or trying to pry for information, he immediately found the rest of his squad and swiftly relayed the orders from above.

With both squads, a total of ten people, acting simultaneously, the orders spread throughout the entire Apprentice body in no time, followed by transmission to the territorial subjects.

In this step, they didn’t wait to finish passing the message before executing it; they executed it while spreading the word.

In fact, when the territorial subjects in the area closest to the castle got up and started moving, everyone else had already guessed what was going on. Coupled with the fact that there were currently no visible enemies, everyone’s emotions remained calm.

The evacuation of over twenty thousand people couldn’t be accomplished in a short while. The main bottleneck was the bridge north of the Bell Tower that led to the castle, which restricted the flow of people.

During this time, Ron finally had a moment to ask Morris about the situation outside. “Instructor, how are things out there? Are we evacuating because the enemy might breach the territory?”

“The enemies have all been exposed now. Exposed enemies aren’t terrifying. You have to believe in the territory’s strength.”

Morris was brimming with confidence as he said this. Even though these enemies included Senior Knights, their numbers were simply too small. In terms of threat, they might not even match the annual midsummer Aberrant Beast invasions!

Compared to Aberrant Beasts, the only advantage these enemies had was intelligence.

If they had remained hidden, midsummer would arrive in just half a year, and that would be the territory’s most dangerous time. Judging from the abilities these enemies had already revealed, they could control Aberrant Beasts.

If they were to launch an attack during the midsummer Aberrant Beast invasion, it would likely be a disaster.

This was exactly why the territory was making such a massive effort this time, determined to wipe out this group of cultists completely.

“As for the reason for evacuating the territorial subjects, it is indeed because the enemy has broken into the territory, and the castle can provide better shelter. The evacuation is just standard procedure. You don’t really think the enemy can fight their way to the castle, do you?”

It was the same point: the enemy was strong enough, but their numbers were truly too few. The greatest advantage a Senior Knight had over an Intermediate Knight was Transcendent Perception; in terms of raw power, it wasn’t enough to create an overwhelming crushing effect.

Fundamentally, both had undergone their second limit breakthrough.

While Transcendent Perception could ensure that a Senior Knight almost never lost to an Intermediate Knight in a one-on-one duel, the human body itself had its limits.

When attacked by multiple people simultaneously, a Senior Knight couldn’t just sprout a few extra arms to defend themselves.

Therefore, if a Senior Knight wanted to truly unleash their advantages, they couldn’t do without Battle Formations. But unless every member of the formation was a Senior Knight, vulnerabilities would still exist.

Clearly, the enemy hadn’t reached a level where everyone was a Senior Knight.

Based on the results of the probing so far, the enemy only had two Senior Knights. For the Sis Territory, this was simply the best possible outcome, because if there were even one more, it could trigger a qualitative shift.

Right now, with only two Senior Knights, as long as they were willing to pay the price, they could definitely be slain.

If the enemies were normal people, the territory’s leadership might have hesitated over whether to pay the price, but the enemies were cultists. This left no room for anyone to hesitate.

This was not only a kingdom decree but also a practical necessity.

There could be no compromise between normal people and cultists. As long as they didn’t want to be killed or sacrificed, they had no choice but to fight back with all their might. As for joining the cult, that wasn’t even a thought a normal person would have.

…

With Morris’s explanation, Ron felt much more at ease. Then, another thought occurred to him, so he asked, “Then will you be participating in the upcoming battle, Instructor?”

“Not for the time being. Several of us are injured, and joining the battle rashly isn’t appropriate. That would be irresponsible not only to ourselves but also to the others. But if the situation becomes dire, we will fight to our last breath!”

At this point, Morris stared at Ron with a solemn expression and continued, “Even including you. If necessary, you must participate in the battle. Remember, never compromise with cultists!”

Smart people always had various thoughts, and the most dangerous among them was “I think.” If they thought cultists could be won over or negotiated with, that would be an absolute disaster.

Morris solemnly reminded Ron, hoping the young man wouldn’t take a single wrong step.

“Yes, Instructor, I know.”

Ron understood Morris’s warning. He was indeed somewhat curious about the existence of cultists and had some doubts about the Kingdom of Helios’s absolute kill order against them, but he also knew:

Without enough certainty, it was best not to question the decisions of the strong. Sometimes, the act of questioning itself was a transgression that could invite misfortune.

The best approach was what his ancestors had taught him: “Harmonizing with the Light and Dust.” He should even appear more supportive of this policy than any other Helios citizen. [1]

This would greatly increase his chances of survival in this new world.

…

After parting ways with Morris, Ron returned to his companions. Later, they evacuated with the crowd to the square in front of the castle’s main keep. Compared to the Bell Tower Square, this place was undoubtedly much more cramped.

It wasn’t until the Lord’s butler stepped forward and arranged for some of the territorial subjects to enter the buildings that the situation eased a little, at least so that they weren’t packed shoulder-to-shoulder.

Afterward, the Lord’s butler arranged for people to prepare food. After all, it was already dawn. The territorial subjects had suffered from the cold and fright all night, and food was needed to comfort them.

During this process, Ron behaved quite calmly, but his heart remained constantly worried about the battle in the east.

…

At this exact moment, near the residential area west of the Bell Tower Square.

Athanasi continuously urged his companions: “Can you keep up with my pace? They don’t have a Senior Knight. As long as you can maintain the Battle Formation, won’t these country bumpkins be at my mercy!”

As members of the Salvation Cult’s Knight order, it was impossible for Athanasi and the others not to have mastered Battle Formations, but they mostly utilized the tactical advantages of formations.

For Knights outside the Cult, the greatest advantage of Battle Formations was actually to condense the power of Order to resist external mental pressure or the corruption of the Sources of Chaos.

Yet, to the Cult Knights, this became a form of shackle instead.

Because of this shackle, many Cult Knights usually neglected their Battle Formation training. Athanasi’s current companions were exactly such people.

After multiple failed attempts to force a breakthrough, he finally couldn’t help but erupt in frustration. At the same time, he began to miss his true companions, the ones he had trained with for so long in the Knight order.

It was just a pity that those people hadn’t managed to hold on until now; they had all died on the way to the eastern borders of Helios.

“Ahhh!”

Athanasi now felt like he had strength but nowhere to exert it. He was clearly stronger, and his weapons and equipment were clearly superior, yet because of the drag from these terrible teammates, he couldn’t unleash his true strength.

At this moment, his heart was full of indignant resentment, so much so that he even began to hate Bishop Ioneel, who had ordered him to carry out this surprise attack:

You have the power to hold off so many people, so why didn’t you carry out the attack yourself!

……

[1]: “Harmonizing with the Light and Dust” translates 和光同尘, a Daoist concept from the Tao Te Ching advocating for blending in with one’s surroundings, keeping a low profile, and conforming to societal norms to avoid unwanted attention.