I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 233 Atonement (Part Two)
As Aranka continued walking towards the western part of the city, he realized most profoundly the irreparable damage that the jihad had inflicted on the people there.

Chaos reigned in the streets, a cacophony of firelight, shouts, and cries. The flames of jihad had engulfed the entire city, indistinguishable from the innocent amidst the mob.

He walked through the narrow alley and saw a mob besieging a small shop, from which came the screams of a woman.

Araka rushed over and shouted to stop them. As the high priest of the Earth Mother Goddess Cult, he commanded the mob to cease their evil deeds. However, all he received in return was the mob's mockery and their even more blatant crimes.

"Priest, we are hungry. Do you have any food for us?"

Arkansas did not do that. All he could do was grab his scepter and rush over to give these thugs a loving "caress" so that they could "sweetly" drift off to "dreams".

None of the rescued civilians thanked Araka; instead, they all fled the scene as quickly as possible.

When Aranka arrived not far from the western district and made contact with the Jihad Army, he discovered that the complexity of the situation there far exceeded his expectations.

The garrison of Wattradnoy has become the enemy. The intentions of this third-party force are unclear, but they are clearly not good people. They have been trying to seize the city gates, while the real target of their holy war... Prince Chris's army, has already occupied a section of the city wall.

What angered Aranka the most was that very few of the leaders, big and small, of the Jihad Army were willing to listen to his orders and obey his will.

With no other option, Aranka once again picked up his scepter and began the "High Priest's Judgment" on each of these rebellious heads.

……

The players watching from the city walls quickly realized something was wrong, because the chaotic Holy War army, which had been like a multi-headed serpent, suddenly became normal. Instead of their frenzied and useless repeated attacks, they gathered their forces, avoided the garrison's range, and marched towards the area where the prince was located.

Their goal is obvious.

"what's going on?"

Connie was very puzzled, and no one could answer her question... But this was only temporary, as the adjutant walked over quickly, bringing with him the answer.

"Sir, our men have successfully entered the city!"

"What do you mean, 'our people'..."

Connie's question stunned the adjutant, who then realized that he had "forgotten" to tell his superior the orders he had given to the captain. The adjutant quickly explained.

"So, what did the captain encounter after he went inside?"

"Sir, the captain went in and captured several prisoners..."

As the adjutant slowly explained, Connie finally learned who the so-called third-party force was... it really was the people of the Kingdom of Minicia.

Their goal was to control the city walls.

As for what to do after taking control of the city walls, the captain's captured prisoners of war had no idea, and Connie was too lazy to ask, because in the chaotic battle last night, they, who had the fewest numbers, had basically retreated.

Secondly, regarding the changes that had occurred within the Jihad Army, the captain also sent men to investigate the Jihad Army and learned that... a high priest named Araka had arrived and taken control of the Jihad Army.

"Alanka!?"

Connie flew into a rage upon hearing the name.

"traitor!!!"

"...For Mother Earth, for the Republic, for resistance against tyranny..."

Arak shouted as he led the procession at the head of the column, dressed in a white robe and holding a scepter, with the regrouped jihadist army behind him.

Though their eyes still held confusion and hunger, they were no longer as frantic and chaotic as before. Aranka's voice echoed in the wind, each word seeming to infuse the weary army with new strength.

"Fire..."

A shout came from the end of the street, followed by a barrage of gunfire that abruptly silenced Aranka, replaced by wails of agony… The jihadists following him were only wearing simple cloth armor, which was no match for the volley of flintlock muskets.

It was the last moment before dawn, the darkest night. Amidst the sudden burst of gunfire, the jihadists were thrown into chaos. Those holding torches frantically dropped them on the ground, so much so that no one knew how many had been hit by the gunfire.

Arkansas was also shot; a bullet struck his neck with a clanging sound. He staggered for a moment, then regained his balance and looked back at the chaotic crowd.

Arkansas knew nothing about military affairs, but in this situation, he knew he had to do something, so he loudly praised Mother Earth.

"All things are born of Gaia and return to Gaia; the embrace of Mother Earth is the beginning and the end of life..."

Shouting, Aranka grabbed the scepter and charged forward.

Seeing the troops firing at the end of the street launch an attack, the player in charge quickly waved his hand, ordering his NPC troops to retreat. At the same time, he and two companions grabbed their weapons and rushed forward to meet them.

Players who knew about Araka's exploits in the Bolas Fortress dared not underestimate him. Before he even got close, someone raised a flintlock pistol and opened fire on him.

The gun fired, and the lead bullet landed on Aranka, only causing his robe to tremble slightly.

"Take my javelin!"

Ye Aonai shouted, twisting his waist and hurling the javelin at Aranka. The javelin arced through the air, whistling as it hurtled towards Aranka's chest.

The javelin tip struck Aranka's collarbone, sparks flying as the metal shaft twisted like noodles. Ye Aonai's pupils constricted sharply. He knew his javelin was made of fine steel and had a long-needle armor-piercing structure; even against plate armor, it should inflict a penetrating wound.

However, it has now been bounced off?
Holy crap, this doesn't make sense!

"That guy's cheating! We'd better get out of here!"

"A mother's wrath!"

Ye Aonai shouted, warning his two teammates to be careful, but it was too late. Aranka's scepter had already crashed into the ground with a whooshing sound. The bluestone slab cracked into a spiderweb pattern under the impact, and three pieces of gravel flew out with a violent whooshing sound towards the three of them.

With a crack, flying stones slammed into them. Whether it was plate armor, scale armor, or cotton armor, they were all as fragile as paper in front of these heavy and violent stones.

The flying stones struck them, instantly sending them flying and crashing heavily to the ground, groaning in pain.

Ye Aonai reacted quickly, barely managing to avoid a fatal blow by turning to the side, but his shoulder blade was still grazed. He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing into the stone wall behind him. The pain was so intense that he almost cried out.

Seeing Aranka raise his scepter once again, Ye Aonai reacted quickly, scrambled to his feet, and ran away.

"Damn, guys, a big boss has arrived!"

(End of this chapter)