Richard had originally thought the Church of the Moon God's fleet had returned in triumph. Only after Neo pointed it out did he realize it wasn't "their side" returning victorious, but rather "the enemy" knocking on their front door.
This shock startled him into a shiver.
Right at this moment, one of the warships in the Samsara fleet fired a test calibration shot. Fired high, the shell happened to land halfway up the mountain where the temporary palace stood.
*Boom!*
The violent tremor threw off Richard's balance—his composure already shattered. He tumbled forward, coming within a hair's breadth of having his face make intimate contact with his earlier "blessing and watering" of the Mipos Holy Ground.
Fortunately, at the critical juncture, Richard braced his hands on either side and stood on his tiptoes, executing a textbook gymnastic bridge.
Immediately twisting sideways out of the danger zone, he lay on the ground, panting in lingering dread.
Neo mocked, "The enemy fleet is practically at the door, and you're here matching wits with a puddle of piss."
"Captain, what should we do?"
"What should we do? Are you planning to stay here and die with the Mipos Archipelago?"
Richard scratched his head. "I don't think my feelings run that deep."
"Then run to the teleportation hall and flee!"
Neo really couldn't be bothered with him. If Karen were here, he definitely wouldn't ask such an idiotic question. In all likelihood, he wouldn't even ask at all, but simply spin on his heel and head straight for the teleportation hall.
Even if Neo caught up, Karen wouldn't wait for him; instead, he would play a game of "let's see who runs faster."
This was why Neo had always treated Karen differently, even before learning Karen's "secret." Dealing with smart people like himself might not foster warm affection, but at least it saved time and hassle.
Still, Neo couldn't just leave Richard here to fend for himself. A squad leader was also a big brother. While he had always loved being ruthless to outsiders, he harbored a heart of tolerance and protection toward his own people.
Reaching out, he seized Richard by the collar. His body misted over instantly, drifting down the mountain with Richard in tow.
En route, the full bombardment began.
Massive, thick beams of light erupted over the sea, but their impacts were all concentrated on the main island's coastal fortifications along the shore. So while explosions sounded incessantly and dust filled the sky, Neo did not encounter any major peril along the way.
However, just when Neo thought he was fast enough, he discovered someone—no, a whole group of people—had moved even faster.
Ranks of guards had already barred the entrance outside the teleportation hall, placing the area under lockdown. From outside, numerous figures in bishop robes could be seen within; Neo even spotted Chief Bishop Hilven of the Mipos Holy Ground.
Facing the guards blocking the entrance, Neo stated plainly, "I am with the Order observation delegation. Let me in."
A guard went inside to report.
While the guard was reporting, men and women who looked like family dependents passed through from both sides without hindrance.
Neo waited for a moment, noticing that the guard who had gone to report had not returned.
"I'll go in and speak to the Chief Bishop myself."
"Without permission, not a single outsider is allowed in!"
Neo moved forward, but the guards around him leveled their weapons at him, forcing him to halt.
After a standoff, the guard who had reported finally emerged and ordered his peers, "Let them in."
Richard was just about to step inside when Neo grabbed his shoulder. Once again dissolving into black mist, Neo pulled Richard backward in retreat.
At this sight, the guards exchanged glances, baffled by Neo's actions.
Richard was equally confused. Wrapped in Neo's black mist, he felt Neo carrying him deeper into the town.
"Captain, why didn't we go in?"
"Because if they really wanted to let us in, they wouldn't have deliberated so long. Right now, as far as the Moon God is concerned, dying during Samsara's assault on the Mipos Archipelago is the most advantageous outcome for the Church of the Moon God. That is our final value."
Of course, it was also possible that His Excellency Chief Bishop Hilven was simply coaxing his terrified, weeping grandchildren and hadn't replied to the guard in time, causing the delay.
Neo, however, refused to gamble with his life. He was fine with courting death by his own hand, but he had no desire to be played to death by others.
Neo landed atop a grand mansion in the city and began observing the surrounding buildings.
Richard scrambled up and crouched beside Neo. "Samsara's fleet attacked—so what about the Church of the Moon God's fleet?"
"Probably wiped out. Look how fast those bishops ran. They either got advance warning or lost contact with their fleet long ago and guessed the outcome, so they prepared their escape ahead of time. They know that without the fleet and the landing elites aboard it, the forces left on the island can't possibly hold this place."
"Then what about Karen and the others?"
Neo frowned. "Don't know, but most likely dead too."
"No way!"
"If you really have nothing else to do right now, you can pray for them. Pray that they survived."
"What's the point of praying now?"
"There is one: at least it'll keep you from bothering me."
Richard: "..."
From this vantage point, Neo surveyed the surrounding buildings and the panicking crowds fleeing through them. By now, the continuous bombardment had ceased, which meant the Samsara fleet was likely preparing to land.
Unable to enter the Church of the Moon God's official teleportation hall and unwilling to bet his life on it, his only hope now was finding a privately constructed teleportation array.
He was currently in the wealthy district. People of status and prestige, ancient families, smugglers, or even spy rings planted here by other churches might have secretly built a teleportation array.
The problem was, Neo hadn't found one...
"Tsk."
Neo rubbed the space between his eyebrows. He was certain private teleportation arrays existed here. Under normal circumstances, the owners would be hastily summoning their families and confidants to flee through the array.
He was looking for parties calling out for their people in the streets, and he had to discern their expressions—not those completely in despair, simply calling family members home to bolt the doors and take shelter.
However, he found none.
Neo soon understood why: he and Richard had been resting and recovering in the temporary palace for days, essentially severed from gathering outside information.
Considering how fast the bishops of the Mipos Archipelago had reacted, news of the Moon God fleet's potential disaster had likely ceased to be a secret among the Holy Ground's upper echelons.
They had probably gathered their families and confidants at home long before, ready to bolt at a moment's notice, with no need to call for anyone outside now.
There would be no hitching a ride.
Just then, the fluctuations of array energy surged from two directions, intense and chaotic. Neo remained unmoved. It was definitely too late to fight for a spot, and judging by the sheer violent disorder of the fluctuations, the arrays were being detonated to gain greater transport capacity and faster activation.
Besides, destroying the teleportation array during an escape was necessary—being private, the owners certainly wouldn't want their destination traced.
"Sigh... I wanted to lick some scraps off a plate, but there's not even a plate left."
Neo stood up helplessly. Crowds kept pouring into the main city entrance, instinctively believing the city could offer safety. What they didn't know was that the lords and masters who once lived here had long since fled.
Moreover, among the fleeing civilians were many wearing the armor and priestly robes of the Church of the Moon God. This meant the front lines had completely collapsed; they couldn't withstand Samsara's assault at all.
"Captain..."
Neo ignored Richard.
*Wuuu—wuuu—wuuu! Tolls of the horn echoed far and wide.*
The horn of attack sounded, deep and resonant.
Yet laced within it was an unmistakable savagery.
Normally, even in a church war, no matter how dirty the tactics, they would at least maintain a veneer of nobility on the surface to uphold the sacred dignity of their god.
Neo muttered in bewilderment, "How could this be?"
"Hahahahaha!"
"Kill! Kill, kill, kill!"
"Kill them, eat them, devour them! Hahaha!"
In Neo's sight appeared the first wave of Samsara soldiers. They looked like vicious beasts and fiends clawing their way out of hell.
This wasn't a conventional exaggeration used to describe an army, but a literal description, for they bore none of the semblance of normal humans.
Wielding weapons, they hacked down soldiers and priests while showing no mercy to civilians either. Perhaps in their eyes, "all life was truly equal."
They gnawed on human flesh, sucked on souls, and rampantly vented the fury long pent up within their depths.
"Is this... Samsara's army?" Richard could hardly believe it. "They're like evil spirits fresh out of hell possessing human bodies."
Neo remarked, "Barring any surprises, that's probably the truest thing you've said since taking that piss."
After the praise, Richard immediately reverted to form, asking a piece of nonsense that made Neo want to smack him down:
"Captain, what should we do next?"
Neo began to miss how it felt to be around Karen. Aside from reminding Neo not to take things too far, Karen was in lockstep with him the rest of the time.
*Why did I have to recuperate with this guy? It feels like dragging an overgrown baby around.*
"Richard, go out there and tell those Samsara folks that we're from the Order observation delegation. Demand that they treat us with utter deference and prepare fine wine, delicacies, and beauties to entertain us."
"Captain, I don't think they're in any state to listen to that."
"Oh, yes, exactly. In fact, I can tell you more: they aren't merely slaughtering; they're devouring. Look at that one, that one, and those over there. Having just consumed flesh and sucked down souls, haven't their bodies grown stronger?
"That Samsara priest who cast a fireball earlier—isn't his second fireball bigger than the first?
"Communication is out of the question. They're treating this island as a hunting ground for feeding and evolution.
"These people are corrupted.
"No.
"This is a Lost Legion."
"Captain, should we head to the back of the island to see if we can reach an auxiliary island? Find a boat and get out of here?"
"I don't want to waste the effort. I refuse to believe the enemy commander failed to account for encircling and blockading this place. There's no organized Moon God force left here, and I don't feel like rowing a dinghy out into the open sea only to get vaporized by a magic crystal cannon.
"The safest route, I'll tell you, is to go here, here, and into these wealthy homes right now to gather food. Then we find a building with a cellar or a tunnel, hide inside, set up an isolation barrier, and stay safe."
"Stay until the Church of the Moon God fights its way back?"
"No. Stay until Samsara sends normal people onto the island."
"But what if the Samsara people just kill us on the spot?"
"After Chief Bishop Hilven gets away, he'll announce that we were killed by Samsara. When Samsara's normal people see us walk out alive, I imagine they'll be thrilled to use us to slap the Church of the Moon God in the face.
"Alright, enough chitchat. Go gather food over there. It'll take some time before those Lost ones slaughter their way to that area. Remember, get a good variety. Don't you dare bring back nothing but flour. Look for cured meat, sausages, fruit, and the like. When hiding for a prolonged period, a variety of food is effective at alleviating claustrophobia-induced anxiety."
"Understood, Captain."
"See that carriage? Load the goods onto it, then drive toward the east gate. If you can get out through the east gate, do so; if not, I'll rendezvous with you at that spot."
"Got it, Captain."
"Go on, Richard. If you see any tobacco or psychoactive potions, grab those for me too."
"Captain, I don't think those are necessities!"
"Fine, don't bring them. If I'm cooped up with nothing to do and get bored, I'll just beat you to pass the time."
"I'll find them for you, absolutely! No matter the circumstances, we must never compromise on quality of life, or it would be a desecration of existence!"
Richard leapt down and landed atop the carriage. Its owner had vanished without a trace. Richard drove the carriage straight into the courtyard of a grand mansion and headed directly for the kitchen.
Neo hunched low and crept toward the area where the Samsara army was carrying out its slaughter.
He wasn't looking for thrills; he simply wanted to figure out what kind of "make" these fellows were.
Neo arrived above a residence where two figures clad in Samsara priestly robes were chasing a mother and her child. Clutched around her infant, the mother wept and screamed as she tried to dodge them.
After scanning the surroundings, Neo dropped down. He slapped a hand against the head of one of them. Flame of Order sank into the man's body, and black fire bled from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, melting him away completely.
Neo noted that the Samsara robe on this person was terribly shoddy... so shoddy it could barely be called a priestly robe, looking more like an imitation commissioned by ordinary believers.
Was this an ordinary believer?
Yet just as Neo thought he had disposed of one and could calmly examine the other, a streak of gray light burst from the charred corpse. Saturated with the stench of decay, the light coalesced into a man's twisted, furious face, and remarkably, he began channeling a spell, preparing to launch a Samsara spell attack against him.
"A soul strength completely disproportionate to the body's identity?"
Neo raised his hand. Fire of Light burst from his fingertips, incinerating the soul to ash before the spell could be cast.
The other person let out a low growl, condensing two gray chakrams of light in his hands as he pounced forward.
*Snap!*
Neo snapped his fingers. Black barbs sprouted from the ground, impaling the man's body and pinning him motionless.
"The soul is that of a priest devoted to Samsara as well. Did the Church of Samsara really open the Gate of Samsara and let the priests inside loose?"
Neo flicked the ring finger of his left hand against the man's glabella, murmuring:
"Light of Repose."
Soft radiance bathed him, washing away his restlessness and savagery. He quieted down, the bloodshot veins in his eyes receding as his gaze cleared.
He seemed to be pondering. Glancing at Neo, then at the gnawed corpses on the ground, memories appeared to rush back. He asked dazedly:
"Why... why have I become like this?"
He certainly had many questions, but the greatest was why he had butchered ordinary people.
It seemed he was a "good person"—at least he had been once—for Neo saw deep remorse in his eyes.
At least, putting himself in those shoes, Neo would only wonder how he had ended up like this; as for how many ordinary people he had killed... he wouldn't engage in any self-reproach.
"Did you come out from the Gate of Samsara?"
"Yes. Obeying the Gatekeeper's will, I came out from beyond the gate, heading toward freedom and miracles."
"Alright, I understand. What do you need me to do now?"
"Kill me. I feel like I've gone mad. Right now... I'm just a filthy demon."
"Alright."
Neo nodded, resting a palm on the man's crown. Fire of Light engulfed his entire body.
This time, Neo observed closely and noticed that the rot of his soul had only reached about a third. Unlike the first one whose soul was completely decomposed, this man still retained a degree of self-awareness.
Yet if the killing and devouring continued, the souls of these Samsara priests released from the Gate of Samsara would transform entirely into aberrant demons—true aberrant demons in every sense.
After burning for a while, the soul was finally extinguished.
"He held out against the fire quite well; his soul strength is fairly high. Was he unable to exert his full power to attack because the soul wasn't completely rotten yet?"
Neo could only interpret it this way.
Having confirmed the information, Neo prepared to leave. Just then, the woman clutching the child rushed over to him, pleading, "Please, my lord, save us! Save us!"
Neo didn't pause, waving a hand dismissively. "I don't know you."
"Then please, my lord, please save this child! Take her with you! Please, save this child!"
"None of my business. It's not like she's mine."
Despair saturating her plea, the woman begged, "My lord, please take my Elisa away! Please give her a chance to live! It's full of demons outside. I can't protect her—I can't protect my Elisa!"
Neo stopped in his tracks.
"What's her name?"
"Elisa. Elisa Sarao."
Neo almost laughed. To encounter an infant girl here with the exact same name as his late wife... He tilted his head back, looking toward the sky:
*Are you doing this on purpose? Are you just trying to mess with me?*
Neo reached out and took the baby girl from the woman's arms.
"Thank you, my lord! Thank you, my lord!"
The woman dropped to her knees before Neo, laughing through a torrent of tears.
The baby girl looked under a year old. Cradling her, Neo walked toward the exit. At the doorway, he stopped.
He asked the woman still kneeling back there:
"You still have milk, right?"
"Yes, yes!" the woman answered quickly. Then, misinterpreting his meaning and thinking he found it troublesome and wanted to back out, she added hastily, "You can feed her liquid food. She's very easy to feed, really."
"Then come along too. I have another kid over there—a baby boy."
Chapter 455