This heretic cannot be burned, he must be hung up and whipped!

"Purgatory... No, Bishop Marburg, if that day really comes, please allow me to die and be martyred with you!"

Ever since the first Crusaders retreated from the front lines, the city's highest official, the Bishop of Malbork, had anticipated the current situation. As well-equipped Crusader armies continued to retreat, the Hungarian Plain proved virtually defenseless against the heretical land-based ships.

Even as powerful as the Shrine Hermit, he could not withstand the siege of the heretic's advanced combat units. The pilgrims following him fell like grass. The Catherine Wheel crushed one heretic after another, but there were always dozens of fearless heretics who rushed forward.

The combination of barbed wire, trenches, mines and machine guns failed for the first time. The severe lack of explosives resulted in the Crusaders lacking sufficient artillery shells for this long line of defense. Currently, most of the damage caused by the Crusaders to the heretic armored forces was caused by suicide attacks by death squads holding martyrdom bombs.

"We can't even reach the edge of the heretic landship. Look at my old bones. I look like I'm about to meet God. I can't even carry a bomb."

Bishop Marburg chuckled and pointed to the street below the church bell tower. The street was already filled with various obstacles piled up by the Crusaders.

Sandbags, barbed wire, bricks, dirt piles, cars and carriages, furniture...

There was a flat road, with bunkers every ten meters or less. There were firing points on every street corner and in every room. The sewer exits had been blown down in advance. Weapons were hidden in every manhole in the city, mostly homemade explosives and grenades.

The suicide squad is ready. As long as the heretics' tanks drive onto the road, the manhole covers underneath will definitely create a big firework for the heretics!

All the green plants in the street parks have been cut down and used as fuel. On the flat squares, large-caliber artillery and mortars have already adjusted their firing parameters. The fire cover of each square can cover all the main roads in the city.

Observation posts have been set up on top of all buildings in the city that are higher than six stories high, and sniper priests pray on the rooftops, ready to kill the heretic command units at any time.

"Is the anti-aircraft gun working properly? I'm very worried that the heretic planes will blow up all the guns in the square."

Bishop Marburg glanced at the square and suddenly asked.

"It's fine! We lack clothes, medicine, food, fuel, and beds, but we don't lack guns and artillery!"

The adjutant pointed to the anti-aircraft gun next to the bell tower. At this time, the pastor of the church was praying to the anti-aircraft gun, hoping that God's blessing would allow them to shoot down more enemy aircraft.

"Then how many days can we hold out?"

"If no more food arrives, we can only hold out for three days at most with our current rations. Soldiers on the front lines can eat 300 grams of bread a day, and civilians 150 grams. We can't reduce the rations any further—if we do, we won't be able to maintain even the most basic combat effectiveness!"

"Can we break out? What does Rome say? Where is the help that Pope Benedict claimed? What about the Holy Roman Empire? Where is our support?"

Bishop Marburg walked back to the hall from the windowsill and looked at the hanging map.

If Budapest is lost, Vienna in the rear will become the next target. If Vienna is lost, the heretic troops will be able to enter the territory of the Holy Roman Empire.

Do these people really want to watch more than 400,000 elite soldiers die here?

"Bishop, you forgot that the telephone lines have been cut by the heretics. We lost contact with the outside world the day before yesterday. The Strategic Prophecy Committee claims that their communication with the Lord was severed the day before yesterday."

"Has the central broadcast signal tower not been repaired yet?"

"The Tech-Priests can't rebuild it from a pile of shattered rubble. You might as well expect God to show up and let the Tech-Priests build the signal tower. You might as well expect them to rebuild the Tower of Babel now."

The adjutant shrugged.

"Have we really been abandoned by God..." Bishop Marburg tightly grasped a corner of the map, gritted his teeth, and said:

"Prepare to break out! We'll wait two more days. If there's still no support the day after tomorrow, we'll fight to the death! Leave the wounded and sick on the periphery of the team, and send as many healthy veterans as possible back to the rear—I can't become a sinner of humanity!"

"Should we give them the martyrdom bombs?"

"It's hard for the wounded and sick to carry bombs on their backs. Give them martyrdom potions and anti-ship grenades. Once they're all dead, let the new recruits carry the bombs. Once the new recruits are dead, let the civilians... No, there are no civilians anymore. They're all militia. Let the militia cover them."

“But…but—!”

The adjutant pursed his lips, his eyes full of pity.

"You go with the main force. I will stay behind and bear all the consequences. Leave me a martyrdom potion and a spear. I'm not a good shooter."

"I obey your orders." The adjutant saluted.

—————————〧鹨〔Flags in the frontier? (eight) (four)〧IVVIII? Group———————

—Boom! Boom!! Boom!

"Fire! Fire!" "Grenade!" "Flammer--!!"

Neos stood in the muddy trench, gripping his submachine gun tightly. The air was filled with the pungent smell of dampness, decay, and gun smoke.

Overhead, the deafening roar of artillery fire caused the earthen walls of the trenches to fall down, and mud hit his helmet from time to time.

"How far are we from Budapest?" "Master Mage—2,400 meters to go! We're about to enter the city!"

A pilgrim held up a trench periscope and peered out from the sandbags, carefully compared the scales, and gave an estimate.

"call----"

He took a deep breath to calm his rapid breathing, then took the periscope and looked through the edge of the trench, gazing at the city of Budapest in the distance, which was shrouded in flames of war.

The 60,000-strong regiment marched to the outskirts of Budapest and engaged in a firefight with the heretic troops. 40 kilometers, 20 kilometers, 15 kilometers, 10 kilometers, 5 kilometers...

A marathon is only about 40 kilometers. For athletes with good physical strength, they can run to the city to receive the trophy in a few hours.

But for the more than 60,000-man legion and the more than 400,000 Crusaders in the city, this distance has truly become a death marathon.

The temporary fortifications built by the heretics were quickly destroyed with the support of the regiment's heavy artillery and the long-range artillery in the city. The regiment advanced smoothly until the last few thousand meters when it encountered the fiercest resistance of the heretic legion.

This period of time was enough for the heretics to dig trenches, set up barbed wire, machine guns, and flamethrowers, and wait for the rescue troops to come and die.

Captain Ogsger refused to believe it and tried to repeat the old trick, using artillery and poison gas to eliminate the trenches in front of him. However, the attempt at a ground attack turned into a bloody nightmare.

The heretics used up all the Crusader supplies they had seized in their blitzkrieg. Circles of accordion-shaped barbed wire formed a ferocious giant net, and the firepower network composed of machine guns and artillery mercilessly reaped the lives of the Crusader soldiers.

As soon as the attack horn sounded, the soldiers of the regiment rushed towards the enemy like a tide, but they were greeted by dense bullets and exploding shells. In just one morning, the heretic barbed wire was covered with corpses, and blood dyed the muddy ground red. Every charge ended in heavy casualties.

"Damn heretics! Their defenses are like a fortress of steel!"

Tom, one of Neos's officers, cursed under his breath, his face covered in dirt and sweat, his eyes filled with anger and fatigue.

"Don't complain, Tom. Think about the miserable situation in the city." Neos patted his shoulder and whispered soothingly. Although his voice was calm, it couldn't hide the heaviness in his heart.

When the regiment reached a distance of five kilometers, they finally got through to the city's radio - the Bishop of Marburg stationed in the city told the reinforcements that they only had enough food for a day and a half, and they would organize the wounded and militia to cooperate with the reinforcements as much as possible.

How much strength do the "militiamen" - no, civilians - who only eat more than 150 grams of bread a day have to fire even if they pick up rifles?

This was to commit suicide in order to reduce food consumption. Everyone understood this, whether they were the civilians charging, the wounded soldiers, or the Crusaders covering and shooting from behind them. They all knew it.

The Bishop of Marburg did not deceive them. He simply told the wounded and civilians the current situation, so they voluntarily stood up and faced the national crisis together.

“This isn’t a national disaster; it’s a national tragedy…”

Neos looked at Budapest, 2,500 meters away. Within the city, ragged, pale-faced civilians, wearing protective helmets, silently charged toward the heretics' positions. They were too hungry to even scream, and most were forced to rely on injections of martyrdom potions to squeeze out their last bit of strength, fighting for a glimmer of hope for the soldiers within.

"Da da da--"

In response, they were fired with countless bullets.

Neos reluctantly put down the periscope.

At this time, the company commander's urgent voice came from the other end of the trench: "Attention everyone! The main force's ground attack has been blocked. We will change our strategy and dig tunnels close to the enemy trenches and launch an attack from underground!"

"Tunnel warfare?" Tom frowned, a hint of uneasiness in his voice. "That's hand-to-hand combat. Master Mage, please stay behind us. My shield might not be enough to protect you."

Neos said nothing, but nodded silently. He knew this was a battle with no way out.

...

After several hours of digging, even using precious explosives, the tunnel of the supporting regiment finally extended to the bottom of the heretic trench.

　Umbrella 4 Ming Qi 2 Hiss (Eight) ^/Death "Ding!! Ding Ding!" The enemy's bullets kept hitting the shield.

The soldiers holding heavy shields on their heads were exhausted. The heretics' trenches were just a few meters ahead. As long as they could cross them... or walk another thousand meters, they would win!

This is the longest kilometer in the world.

The tunnel was dark and damp, the air was filled with the smell of dirt and sweat, and the narrow space dug out temporarily was only wide enough for one or two people to pass through.

In order to prevent the vanguard from being defeated by the elite heretics, Neos and the garrison troops assigned to him by the chapter leader were selected as the vanguard, responsible for engaging in firefights with the enemy in the tunnels.

Their equipment included submachine guns, shotguns, grenades, flamethrowers, as well as trench clubs and bayonets for close combat. Everyone's face was full of seriousness, as they knew that this battle would determine the direction of the war.

"Are you ready, battle brothers?"

Sergeant William, the captain of the guard, asked in a low voice. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle, revealing an unquestionable determination.

"Ready, sir!" Neos and his other comrades answered in unison, their voices low but resolute.

Neos knew neither tactics nor strategy, so he handed over the command to the officers and went to the front line as the sharpest spear to deal with the (一;)lingqi (八)飼qi{丝V柳 heresy.

He believed that his psychic magic would be able to bring many surprises to the heretics.

Sergeant William nodded and waved his hand, signaling for them to advance. The soldiers crouched and cautiously advanced along the tunnel, their weapons gripped tightly, their knuckles white from the strain. The tunnel walls were rough and uneven, and dirt occasionally fell from overhead, hitting their helmets with a dull thud.

"Demolition team, prepare!"

Several combat engineers buried the explosives, and as soon as the earth wall in front of them collapsed, they would rush into the heretics' trenches and fight.

“Ding——” “Lava bomb——” “Uh ah ah ah ah ah!!!”

A bottle was suddenly thrown out of the heretic's trench in front of him and smashed against the wall. Fuel from the Hellfire Lake splashed out, and the burning hellfire seeped into the gaps in the combat engineer's armor. The engineer wailed miserably, his armor burned red and steamed.

"Tsk." Neos held up a shield above him. "Hurry up! I'm not very proficient in this spell! I don't know if this shield can protect you all!"

"Demolition Team Two, prepare!" "Boom!"

Suddenly, there was a loud noise in front. The combat engineer lying on the ground pressed the detonator. Dust flew up. The soldiers holding shields stared at the smoke in front of them.

No flamethrowers, no heresy.

"Why is there no one here?" Sergeant William lowered his voice and gestured for everyone to stop.

Before he could finish his words, a blinding light shot out from the front, followed by a series of rapid gunshots and the roar of a demon.

"Fire!" Sergeant William roared, pulled the trigger first, and flames spurted out from the submachine gun.

Neos quickly raised his gun and took aim. The bullet whizzed through the narrow tunnel and hit the chest of a heretic soldier in front of him. Originally, under the powerful force of the Lord of Hell, their armor could block the bullets from the submachine gun.

But Neos' power can make all people equal.

Under his power, no matter who was hit by a bullet in the chest, he would have to lie down, and if he was hit by a bullet in the head, he would most likely ascend to the heaven trench on the spot.

“Ugh!” “The tyrant’s followers are rushing in!!”

The heretic screamed and fell backward, blood splattering on the tunnel wall. The sound of gunfire, shouts, and screams intertwined, and the tunnel was instantly plunged into chaos.

"Charge! Don't let them catch their breath!" Sergeant William commanded while shooting, his voice still clearly audible amid the gunfire.

Neos followed closely behind, his submachine gun blazing and raining bullets down upon the enemy. Unable to deploy in the cramped space, the heretic soldiers returned fire instinctively. The distance between the two sides rapidly closed, and bullets crisscrossed the air, whistling past their ears.

"Lava bomb!" Tom shouted suddenly, and saw a bottle rolling over from the front, with the fuse emitting faint sparks.

Neos, quick-witted and quick-handed, cast a psychic spell and hurled the lava bomb back. With a resounding bang, it exploded against the side of the tunnel, sending mud and rubble flying everywhere, making his ears ring. Fortunately, no one was injured.

"Well done, Master!" Sergeant William looked back at him, a glint of approval in his eyes.

The battle intensified, both sides unleashing their full might. Suddenly, an Anointed Heavy Infantryman emerged from the corner of the trench, and flames from the Hellfire Lake erupted, instantly filling the tunnel. Flames licked the walls, the air scalding, and Neos felt a stifling heat wash over him. He flung up his shield, blocking the flames, but it couldn't stop the heat that distorted the very air.

"Damn, their flamethrowers are coming!" a soldier shouted.

"Don't panic, our wizard will take action!" Sergeant William commanded calmly, "Master, light a lamp ahead! Tom, cover me, I'll take out that flamethrower!"

Tom quickly raised his gun and fired fiercely forward. The scattershot from the muzzle unleashed a storm of death in the tunnel. The heretic soldiers were blasted to pieces, buying Sergeant William time. Neos formed a small ball of light and hurled it toward the blazing flames!

“Ahhhhhhh!!! The cursed one————”

The cold blue-white sun's rays shone on the Anointed Heavy Infantryman's skin, which was scorched by the flames of hell. He screamed in pain and the flamethrower in his hand stopped.

William crouched down and approached the flamethrower silently. He blasted its visor into a sieve with a blaster, then chopped its eye socket with an axe. The Anointed Heavy Infantryman let out a short scream and fell to the ground.

"Well done!" Neos breathed a sigh of relief, cold sweat oozing from his forehead.

However, the battle was far from over. Elite heretic troops continued to pour into the tunnels, attempting to drive Neos and his men back. Hand-to-hand combat ensued in the cramped space, pitting trench clubs, bayonets, and pistols. The blood and sweat mingled in a gruesome scene that was horrifying.

Neos, holding a blue-white ball of light in one hand and a combat pistol in the other, followed the group forward. Suddenly, several heretics tumbled from the top of the trench, sparking a scuffle. The heretic, massive and powerful, punched Neos in the shoulder, barely able to hold his weapon. Just as he was about to lose the upper hand, Tom rushed in and struck the heretic in the back of the head with the butt of his rifle. The man groaned and collapsed to the ground.

"Thanks, Brother Tom!" Neos panted and looked at him gratefully.

"You're welcome, brother wizard." Tom grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, but his face was covered in blood.

The battle raged for hours, with both sides inflicting heavy losses. The support troops suffered mounting casualties, yet they pressed forward tenaciously. Neos's squad finally fought their way through the tunnels and reached the end.

"Quick, blow up the exit!" Sergeant William ordered, his voice hoarse from shouting for a long time.

The engineers quickly moved forward and placed the explosives. With a deafening roar, a large hole was blown open at the end of the tunnel. Sunlight streamed in, stinging Neos' eyes.

"Charge out!!" Sergeant William shouted and jumped out of the tunnel first.

Neos followed closely behind, climbing out of the trench. Ahead lay the friendly positions within Budapest. The heretic soldiers in the nearby positions panicked, caught off guard. Seeing the reinforcements approach, the city quickly launched an attack, using machine guns, rifles, and grenades. Several smoke bombs were launched near this section of the trench.