Industrial Cthulhu, starting from the island lord

Chapter 363 The Banshee's Choice

The prince squinted at the monster in the distance, making no attempt to hide his shock.

Although he was once the empress of the empire, at the pinnacle of secular power, it was normal that he knew little about this monster—mortal regimes had long since reached a tacit understanding that the extraordinary belonged to the Papacy, and the secular to the king.

Even vast empires are no exception; lords have almost complete control over their territories, yet they do not reach out to the supernatural world.

It wasn't that they weren't interested; the greed of the nobility always exceeded everyone's expectations. Rather, it was that they simply couldn't bring themselves to do it.

Extraordinary knowledge is always tainted, and there is no systematic way to solve this problem; even simply understanding it can lead to its erosion.

Even with the Empress's power, she could only gain the loyalty of certain families, such as the Ruoan family, which had extraordinary individuals in almost every generation and were staunch supporters of the Emperor. However, those extraordinary individuals were ultimately still members of the Holy See.

If they were to choose between the Papacy and the Royal Family, the Ruoan family might waver, but the extraordinary members of the family would certainly side with the Papacy.

If a secular lord wants to come into contact with the supernatural, the only way is almost always through a cult, such as cooperating with a cult like Hughes.

The prince looked at Galahad and, unsurprisingly, found that he also had a bewildered expression.

She can use her power as empress to help her subordinates attain the extraordinary, but in terms of extraordinary knowledge and resources, the empire and the papacy cannot compare.

This is why Isabella was determined to overthrow the Papacy even if it meant starting all over again—as long as the Papacy existed, the empire could not transcend the boundaries of the secular world.

The prince didn't know much about the supernatural, but he couldn't help but think that a monster of this size was something no human could possibly contend with.

Therefore, he did not rush to get the Hong Kong Guards into the battle, but listened quietly to his mother-in-law's story.

Only after her mother-in-law finished speaking did she grit her teeth and look at her mother, a rare look of struggle on her face.

In the sea near Blood Harbor.

Several harbinger banshees huddled together, silent, but their expressions constantly shifting.

Although everything appeared quiet on the surface, a huge commotion was brewing within the spiritual connection.

"We must enter Bloodharbor immediately! You saw that monster, didn't you? The Guardians alone won't be able to hold it back!"

"Even with us, it won't be enough, will it?"

"Why can't we win? The reason the Holy See's army can't win is because their firepower is too weak. We have heavy firepower; we can win!"

This squad of banshees was specifically configured to prevent unforeseen circumstances. From the very beginning, they were prepared to face a large number of enemies, and their weapons and ammunition were almost all at maximum capacity. They not only had heavy firepower, but also a lot of it.

"Have you forgotten what Grandma just said? The situation isn't particularly urgent yet. The Guardians of the Church may not be able to defeat 'Mother', but they can still maneuver. Rashly revealing our presence will only bring trouble."

"Indeed, this is Blood Harbor, not Castel. The problem lies with that prince; we're not his caretakers. In an emergency, he can simply take our people with him!"

"How can we do this? Are we going to spend our whole lives holed up on this island? This is a perfect opportunity to show our strength, especially considering how many people are in Blood Harbor. Are we just going to watch them die like this?"

The banshees were in an uproar. In the past, they were slaves who fought only for themselves, and their only options were resistance or submission. They could easily reach a consensus.

Later, they joined Castel. They were both banshees of death and Castel's subjects, and none of them would back down in order to defend their homeland. But now, in a strange land, they were going to fight against an evil god summoned by a group of starving people. It was hard to say whether this was helping one group of strangers oppress another.

And in the end, they are banshees of death. The islanders of Castel fought alongside them, but the people of Bloodharbor did not. They are fighting for a group of aliens.

When the banshees pledged their allegiance, Hughes promised not to send them into wars of expansion. Now, their task is simply to support their own people in Bloodharbor. Whether or not they help the people of Bloodharbor fight against the "Mother of Mercy" is entirely up to them.

"Stop arguing. Same as always, let's open our hearts to each other."

The banshees fell silent, and they all looked at Ash.

Whether it's Hughes's will or Ash's command, they will choose to obey. At this moment, they decide to resolve the dispute using an ancient ritual—mind synchronization.

The succubi closed their eyes together, each with a different expression on their face, yet their hearts gradually merged into one.

Countless emotions, thoughts, and ideas flowed freely in everyone's hearts, and in that instant, everyone thoroughly understood each other's most subtle and complex thoughts.

Everything that could be spoken, everything that was difficult to say, and everything that could only be buried in one's heart converged at this moment, coalescing into a single will.

This is an innate talent of banshees; they are a race of the soul, naturally able to understand one another.

Just moments later, the banshees slowly opened their eyes. Now, they were no longer arguing and all looked at Ash.

She was the battlefield commander, wielding the highest authority in the squad, and could make decisions based on the situation—and this was the moment.

Ash slowly stretched her body, her joints cracking all over, her streamlined body exuding power. She surfaced and looked up at Blood Harbor not far away.

"Fellow tribesmen, let us follow our common will and head to the battlefield."

In the deep sea, dark shadows gradually emerged and then broke through the surface of the water.

A metal helmet, metal armor, with only a faint light shining through the gaps in the visor—the manifestation of extraordinary power.

Seawater slid down the edges of the heavy armor, dripping into the sea and leaving streaks on the Blood Harbor docks as the long, scaly tail snaked through the water.

Banshees are already tall, and when they wear full armor, they resemble giants. Moreover, they emerge from the sea, making them seem like deities from the ocean depths.

Moving through the sea in heavy armor would be tantamount to suicide for a human, but for a banshee, the armor, several fingers thick, was as light as a second layer of scales.

The sound of metal scraping against metal rang out as the steel giant walked across the land of Blood Harbor.

Various weapons were hanging on the six arms, including Gatling guns with combined barrels, steam rifles covered with mercury pipes, and several people carrying huge iron boxes filled with explosive charges inside waterproof compartments.

They marched forward through the streets of Blood Harbor, crushing everything in their path, whether it was ruins of houses or followers of the Mother Goddess.

The sky was overcast, and faint thunder could be heard from the clouds; it was raining in Blood Harbor.

(End of this chapter)