Brain bloom

Admittedly, the coffin bearers are the true gods of the human world, possessing a vast following, and should rightfully offer protection. However, that is merely an ideal scenario. Humans should also have their own dignity and understand that the path one chooses must be forged by oneself. If one cannot rely on others, one must be prepared to fight on one's own.

B nodded in agreement, his hand remaining fixed on the newly acquired sword of the gods.

“Prayers go unanswered, that’s just the way things are in the world…” she said. “For me, the appearance of the coffin bearers is a dreamlike miracle, and whether or not God helps is entirely His prerogative.”

"Don't be so down. After all, this is a disaster for the human world. I've invited the Great Guardian of my Chaos Land."

"Is it that Primordial Calamity Dragon?" As a member of the Holy Coffin Kingdom's power structure, B was quite knowledgeable about it. "But if the Primordial Calamity Dragon were to make a move, it would bring considerable disaster..."

"Yes, that's why Aunt Fernanda will only help when the time is right."

She glanced at the thousand or so mages around her and continued:

"As it stands, the combined strength of our two nations is enough to deal with Hodge... I think our chances of winning are quite high. At least against so many mages, even if you and I joined forces, we would probably still lose."

Currently, there are already two thousand mages gathered in the square, and many more will surely arrive from various countries and regions later. The adventurers recruited with gold coins have not yet fully arrived either; by nightfall, Melia predicts that the final number will reach three thousand.

Three thousand farmers can cultivate a city; three thousand warriors can wage a great war; and three thousand mages gathered together... the significance is even more terrifying.

Even if a team of so many mages were all of poor, low-level skill, each casting an ice arrow would be enough to pierce most monsters in the world. But these mages were absolutely elite.

If used in a real war, this force could easily sweep away most of the world's countries.

After letting out a sigh of relief, Melia looked into the distance, sweeping over the crowd, and looked toward another important group. This plan required more than just mages.

That was a procession of hundreds of believers.

Each of them is a devout and doctrinal saint who will recite sacred texts, using faith and divine power to elevate the magicians' power and transform it into a sacred quality.

Such a blow would be devastating against an evil god.

In order to achieve precise strikes and preserve strength, the operational plan set by the national conference was to launch long-range attacks. To achieve this, there was another group of people with a strange atmosphere.

There were eight people in total, all dressed in black robes that covered their entire bodies, with only their expressionless faces visible, most of them looking old.

This is one of the trump cards of the Holy Coffin Kingdom.

Each of them is a master magician who has reached the pinnacle of their craft. When the eight of them are together, they can even join forces to unleash spatial magic, which, in Melia's father's words, is magic of strategic significance.

It is with this power that they have carried out countless strange, secretive, and unspeakable missions.

They are key, just as they are now.

Once the operation begins, the team of mages will open a portal-like structure based on the coordinates, connecting to the top of Hodge's head. What awaits Hodge is not a torrential downpour, but a merciless holy strike.

Suddenly, Melia's succubus instincts kicked in, causing a faint pang in her heart. She felt uneasy, but couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong...

"Are the people you've gathered to protect the Blade of Chaos reliable?" Melia asked in a low voice, trying to eliminate any potential dangers as much as possible.

“Of course they’re reliable and experienced.” B named a few people, all of whom were very famous. “These people have fought Hodge before. They must be very excited to have the chance to annihilate it.”

“Oh right… I remember… your previous pope, that old monster, once fought a so-called holy war against the evil god Hodge.”

"Please respect our country's heroes and don't refer to the previous pope as an old monster."

Melia shrugged and stuck out her tongue in apology. B, having no other recourse, could only slowly answer the question.

"Getting back to the main point, there was indeed a holy war between us and Hodge. We were the agents of the coffin bearers, while Hodge was like a local evil god, personally leading a bunch of sea monsters to fight us. After the holy war, we divided and established our respective belief and cultural spheres, which built up many years of stability for us afterward."

"It's just about taking over territory."

B nodded awkwardly. To put it bluntly, this was no different from street thugs fighting over territory.

She quickly changed the subject: "So, are your people reliable?"

"I hope they are reliable, and they will be as I wish."

While the two of them were talking—

Among the black-robed mages, one who had personally experienced the Holy War stirred. He was an extremely powerful authority on spatial magic, with a high reputation throughout the Holy Coffin Kingdom, and belonged to the older generation of strongmen.

He was awarded the title of "Legal Celebrity," which is how people usually address him.

The legal scholar pressed his temples, his expression as unchanging as a withered tree, but it was twitched by pain.

A junior immediately asked with concern, "What's wrong? You absolutely can't be hurt, a great battle is imminent..."

“That’s… a wound from the Holy War, is it flaring up again today, old friend?” A mage of the same generation as the Legalist Master recognized his old ailment at a glance.

The legal expert used a smile to mask his pain: "Yes, the wound is smiling, and I can fight Hodge again."

A group of people chuckled softly.

After chatting for a few more minutes, the legal expert wiped the sweat from his forehead and pretended to be nonchalant: "By the way, give me the world map. I need to double-check the coordinates, otherwise I won't be able to bring that big gift to Hodge."

"Haha, even a master like you is starting to be cautious? Then I can rest assured." The young man immediately handed it to him.

The Holy Coffin Kingdom possessed immense power, and its maps were naturally incredibly accurate. The Legalist's fingers tapped on the small island nation marked 1848 on the map, but his eyes silently shifted elsewhere.

Silver Ring City

Volume 1, Chapter 315: Girls Are Always Impulsive

Around four o'clock in the afternoon—

Whether they were gambling, playing cards, repairing equipment, sparring, exchanging magical experiences, or cuddling and confessing their love to each other and discussing the philosophy of life, the recruits all heard a series of extremely hurried footsteps.

The person who rushed over seemed to be a messenger.

His breathing was so heavy that it made others feel as if they were deep in a mine, hearing a group of slaves wielding picks and hammering iron ore. Because of his naturally loud voice, he could accurately transmit messages to the commander's ears even from a kilometer away.

"Something terrible has happened!!! The fleet of the Peda Empire!! They intend to land at Green Shell Port!!"

Everyone knows that the Peda Empire and the Holy Coffin Kingdom harbor a deep-seated hatred for each other.

They even waged a massive war over this, and of course, there were countless sporadic struggles and open and covert economic and political battles. If it weren't for the torment of the harsh winter, the Peda Empire might have had a chance to surpass it.

At this critical moment, the sudden appearance of a fleet from an enemy nation made everyone in the Holy Coffin Kingdom tense.

However, B waved his hand and said, "Login permitted."

"This……"

"We're here to help."

"Help..." The archbishop was quite surprised. "Could it be that they have also agreed to fight alongside us against the evil god and the calamity?"

B nodded. These decisions and negotiations had already been made at the meeting in the Demon Realm. The alliance established for this purpose was quite solid—at least until the primordial evil disappeared, there was no need to worry about problems arising from the alliance.

Their current capital city is the only holy site in modern times, and it is not located by the sea.

However, Green Shell, the auxiliary trading city used as a port, is only a few dozen miles away. Not long after, the Peda Empire's magician procession entered the holy land in a grand procession.

The hundred magicians, without any formation, were scattered like stars in the sky, yet they still possessed a powerful cohesion that firmly united them all.

Leading the way was the upright-backed Emperor Aureliano.

The mages behind them were all fierce and muscular, their bodies covered with scars and tattoos. Even though there were only a hundred of them, the aura they had forged in the bitter cold was enough to intimidate the entire holy land.

Upon entering the square, Aureliano raised his hand, and everyone stopped in response.

His voice, though not angry, carried an imposing authority: "I used to want to come here and see what the capital of the Holy Coffin Kingdom was really like."

“You’ve got your wish, Aureliano,” B greeted him.

“No, that was during wartime. If only things had gone as planned then.” He chuckled for a while before his arrogance subsided. “But that’s a story for another time. Let’s talk about dealing with Hodge.”

Even though the Peda Empire belonged to the sea god's cult, the number of true believers was decreasing year by year, and in the bitter cold, their prayers received no response. Moreover, they worshipped a benevolent god, not the evil god of today. An evil god who sought to destroy humanity was not worthy of their faith.

In addition, the innate fighting spirit in their blood makes raising a sword to strike the true God a challenge, rather than a rebellion against faith.

This time, the reinforcements brought by the Peda Empire are quite powerful. Even though there are only a hundred of them, they are all top-tier elites. After all, it is a great power in the world, and its strength is always formidable.

"Aureliano, thank you for coming."

"Queen of Demons and Banshees, there's no need for such formalities. We've heard that Princess Dawn and you have been childhood friends. In that case, after we slay the evil god, let's talk more about trade and cultural exchange between our two nations. I think in this world full of crises, having more allies is always a good thing."

“That’s a very good suggestion, I agree.”

This was an unexpected delight; Melia had never imagined that giving them the chance to survive the harsh winter would bring such benefits. In the past, the Peda Empire was a difficult market to penetrate, but now it was willing to take the initiative to show goodwill…

After the pleasantries between the nations were over, Aureliano adopted the posture befitting a warrior.

He shouted at B, "So, when are we going to make our move? In my opinion, the forces we've summoned are already quite formidable. Is it necessary to delay any longer?"

"...Don't be impatient. Since we are in charge of this matter, we will take responsibility."

"War is all about timing. A swift strike is far better than slow preparation. I hope you won't bring about the destruction of the entire human world."

"Logistics officer, don't neglect them. Bring the highest quality military rations so that these foreign guests, who go hungry in winter, can taste the richness of food."

After calmly finishing his statement, B quickly pulled Melia aside to whisper something, unable to hide his unease.

"Queen of Demons and Banshees, has there been any news from Princess Dawn?"

"Not yet... and I still can't get in touch with my Moritoki... wait, why can't I even get in touch with Yu?"

No matter what she wrote with the pen she used to communicate, she never received a reply. B also tried to contact Mori in her own way, but there was still no response. This unusual situation cast a dark shadow over the war effort.

B was somewhat undecided. Normally, she could calmly make the right judgment. But this matter involved the true god summoned after more than a hundred years of prayer... What if she didn't do something right and accidentally lost this precious true god?

"Should we... take action now, or wait and see?"

"do not know……"

Melia was even more flustered, not only because of her miraculous reunion with her father, but also because of her best friend of many years...

At that moment, both of them were struck hard on the head. The one who threw the punch was Fernanda, who couldn't stand it any longer. She had overheard the whole thing and was growing increasingly furious. As the only ancient being of true god rank in this place, she naturally wouldn't let these two emotional young girls take charge of things anymore.

"Entrusting the fate of the human world to you signifies that this world remains ignorant..."

She grabbed Melia's pointed ear and scolded her quite forcefully.

"You're just like your mother, stupid and always driven by emotions! Why didn't you inherit Sen's caution? That man, though always pessimistic, at least did things with extreme care and meticulousness..."

"We're out in the open! Give me some face!"

"Ancient Calamity Dragon, even you have no right to knock me on the head..." B, born a genius and with a smooth-sailing life, felt wronged. This was the first time in his life he had been treated like this.

"Let's stop waiting for the coffin bearer. Although I despise her, I have to admit she's very reliable. Her absence means she's secretly dealing with other problems. While the coffin bearer is keeping some danger at bay, we should make our move now."

They both fell silent, exchanged a glance, and agreed that this made perfect sense...

"Everyone, listen up! Stop idling and get into battle mode!"

……