The Expeditionary Army

The central square of the frontline fortress, 【Radiant Fortress】, was no longer the peaceful place where the faithful of the Rhine Holy Church prayed and merchants gathered.

It had been transformed into a massive, boiling crucible of war.

The air in the fortress was thick with the smell of rust, leather, burning holy incense, and an almost tangible fanaticism.

In the center of the square, beneath the base of a pure white holy statue dozens of meters high, a large platform adorned with a gold-trimmed holy emblem had been temporarily erected.

Beside it stood more statues, though only five or six meters tall.

They silently looked down upon the masses, incarnations of the most powerful heroic souls of Heroes commemorated by the Holy Church throughout the ages.

One statue was particularly striking—a female figure with a vigorous posture and a delicate, beautiful face that radiated a flawless brilliance.

She held a longsword, her stance as if still charging forward.

It was none other than the “Daughter of Light”—Lucia, who had just fallen not long ago.

Her statue, at this moment, attracted the gazes and attention of countless people, and also ignited their endless grief and indignation.

And on the platform, a figure stood like an unshakable pillar, drawing all eyes.

It was the Hero, 【The Radiant Blade】, Garen.

He was the same as before, with a head of dazzling blond hair and a handsome yet serious face.

An ancient longsword was slung diagonally across his back.

His gaze was incomparably sharp.

As he scanned the dense, endless ranks below, there was no excitement, only a thick, iron-like sense of solemnity and death.

And in the square were the most elite forces of the Rhine Holy Church—at the forefront was a squad of 【Gospel Holy Knights】, clad in exaggerated armor and weapons filled with religious symbolism, their faces covered by slightly grotesque, golden smiling masks.

The golden masks covering their faces—all bore a fixed “smile,” with the corners of the mouth stretched to the ears.

This grotesque “holy smile” exuded a chilling strangeness amidst the murderous atmosphere.

And behind the Holy Knights was a phalanx of the Knights of Light, clad in silver-white heavy armor, holding sturdy shields and long spears.

Their silver-white heavy armor reflected a cold glint under the sunlight, like a forest of steel, solemn and silent, with only the dull hum of their armor plates rubbing together.

At the same time, there was also a corps of battle priests, dressed in red and white holy robes, holding holy books and staves.

They shook holy bells that emitted a clear, fragrant scent, and waved incense smoke imbued with divine power.

They chanted ancient and powerful prayers, and a visible pale golden radiance flowed around them, converging into a warm yet immensely oppressive field of holy power.

At the rear of the procession were the fanatics who believed in the Rhine Holy Church—composed of the most devout and fearless believers.

Their equipment varied, but their eyes burned with the fire of self-sacrifice, their weapons thirsting to drink the blood of “heretics” and “abominations.”

Further away were a large number of conscripted infantry, crossbowmen, and logistics teams.

Heads bobbed, and banners were as numerous as trees in a forest.

Among them, a few noble house sigils, such as a lion, a unicorn, or a thorny rose, were particularly eye-catching, marking the private soldiers or representatives sent by certain powerful families.

And on the very fringes were the summoned adventurer and mercenary parties.

Their eyes were a mixture of greed, excitement, and a thirst for rich rewards, adding a touch of worldly clamor and chaos to this holy expeditionary army.

This was the expeditionary army that was about to set out against the Demon Lord of Evernight.

“Children of the Holy Light!”

Garen’s voice was not high-pitched, yet it pierced the clamor of the entire square as clearly as rolling thunder.

The square fell silent in an instant, leaving only heavy breathing and the whistling of banners in the wind.

“The shadow of evil has never ceased its coveting of the world of light!”

Garen’s voice suddenly rose, filled with a righteous fury.

“That daughter of the abyss who lurks in the Territory of Evernight, Vivian, the Demon Lord of Evernight!

She blasphemes the sacred, slaughters the living, and spreads corruption and despair!

Under her demonic claws, how many innocent homes have been turned to scorched earth?

How many devout souls have been devoured by darkness?!”

“Even!

Even our great, holy, and as-brilliant-as-the-morning-star Hero, Lady Lucia!

Was also tragically deceived by that venomous woman!

And in the end… fell!”

The last two words, Garen practically spat out through gritted teeth, filled with an unspoken hatred.

“Now!”

Garen clenched his fist and slammed it heavily on the edge of the stone platform before him, letting out a loud “thump” that boomed like a war drum.

“This blasphemer, this spawn of the abyss, dares to think she can remain safe and sound after murdering the great Lady Lucia?

To rest easy?

By the Holy Light, by the Rhine!

How can we tolerate this?!”

“WE CANNOT!!!”

A tsunami-like roar erupted from the chests of tens of thousands of people.

The legion of fanatics raised their weapons, letting out beast-like howls.

Even the most composed Knights of Light struck the ground heavily with the pommels of their swords, creating a uniform, thunderous boom.

In an instant, the entire square shook, the air so charged it felt as if it had been ignited, making one’s blood boil.

Kill!

They would kill those ugly and filthy demons!

They would kill those foul things born of darkness!

They would kill those insidious and cunning abominations!

They would have their revenge!

They would have revenge for their villages that were destroyed by the demons, for their relatives who were killed or taken away!

The vast majority of those gathered here, whether knights or fanatics, were filled with a bone-deep hatred for the Demon Clan!

They would use the heads of the demons to pay tribute to their relatives and comrades!

They would use the blood of the abominations to wash away the shame of Lucia’s fall!

“The horn of the holy war has been sounded!”

Garen opened his arms as if to embrace this boiling will of the Holy Light.

“The expeditionary army—is fully assembled!

We will uphold the will of the Most High God, in the name of the Holy Light, with iron and fire!

We will purify every inch of the Territory of Evernight!

We will utterly crush the Demon Lord Vivian, along with all the evil within her territory!

We will let the Holy Light shine once more upon the corners that have been shrouded in darkness!”

“Purify!

Crush!

May the Holy Light shine forever!”

The slogans rose wave after wave, their sound shaking the heavens.

Countless faces were contorted with fanaticism, their eyes filled only with a bone-deep hatred for the “Demon Lord” and the supreme glory of the mission of “purification.”

In an instant, the air was filled with an almost tangible fanaticism, a desire to burn all “non-kindred” to ashes.

Just as this fanatical atmosphere reached its peak, Garen, with a straight face, stepped down from the platform.

“An inspiring speech.

Very well done, Lord Garen.”

“Bishop Lester.”

The Hero Garen and the Bishop, dressed in a pale gold robe and wearing a holy symbol of a sun intertwined with thorns on his chest, looked at each other.

Bishop Lester’s face wore a perfectly measured faint smile, a mixture of compassion and determination.

He piously held a golden cross inlaid with a large, pure gemstone and elegantly bowed to Garen in greeting.