Does the mechanical girl dream of the Messiah?

As for the other side, the "centipede" that was originally given to Ella to deal with was now being bombarded by two "Conqueror Marduk"s in turn, making a deafening howl. Even if it could occasionally raise its body under the impact of the high-temperature particle flow and fight back with bone spurs, it could not hit Ashtherin who was able to fly freely.

In this way, Lunicia can focus all her attention on the last half of the "centipede".

On the giant evil creature that was charging at her with its head full of eyeballs.

All obstacles on the road were overturned, and the floor separating this floor from the one above was also broken by its huge body, falling continuously as it charged. It was such a huge monster, but its speed was as fast as a train running at full speed. Should it fall to the ground unconscious, or scream and ask for help from an empty place? Neither of these options would Lunicia consider. What she did was no different from before. She stood still with both feet, tightly grasped the hilt of the white blade, and slowly raised it upwards.

“Hiss——!!!”

With loud shattering noises and whistling wind, the terrifying evil spirit rushed forward, and every eyeball on its head was fixed on Lunicia, staring at the annoying insect that it had failed to prey on many times, wanting to swallow it up in one gulp.

"call--"

Random thoughts and foul air were exhaled from the lungs, blowing away the miasma that was sweeping in.

Then, the huge sword filled with holy power slashed down directly -

boom------!

The light is shining, the light is agitating, the light is expanding, and the light turns into pure glass that flies and scatters, burning all unclean things.

Under the evil-breaking "Supreme Slash", the remaining half of the "Hundred-legged Creature"'s body scattered and dissolved into flying white chips.

Chapter 67: Decline

The three of them were clearly divided into three different battlefields, but they seemed to be performing a dance that they had rehearsed countless times. When Lunisia's giant sword drew down the curtain of victory, "Sin and Punishment" split the centipede in the middle, and the light stream of "Conqueror Marduk" turned his opponent into charcoal. The ending of the three was almost flawless, like a perfect curtain call.

"Ella, are you okay?"

After confirming that no one in the building was killed or in need of help, Lunicia nimbly jumped down from the opening in the wall and landed in front of Ella Hepper - the latter also looked completely uninjured, and was performing sword arts and sheathing the purple and black long swords.

Seeing that Lunicia was safe and sound, Ella seemed to relax and nodded to Lunicia with a smile: "Well, I solved it successfully here. I'm glad that Lady Luna is not injured."

"Ella is the one... It seems that Ashe's problem has also been resolved?"

The sound of fighting from the other side had stopped, indicating that Asheselin's crusade against the centipede had also come to an end. At least there were no enemies nearby for the time being. Just as Lunicia was thinking about what to do next, Asheselin also landed lightly, retracting the tail flame of the thruster while performing a classic noble salute to Lunicia.

"Anything else you need?"

"Ashe, go help the passengers trapped in the car. We can't leave them hanging there. Ella and I will clean up the battlefield and see if we can recover something from the 'centipede'..."

The first thing to do next is to go to the northeast area and contact the city police again. If possible, Lunisia also hopes to complete this goal as soon as possible. After all, after knowing where the problem lies, the sense of urgency has been lingering in her heart, urging her to take steps. But even if you know what the goal is, even if time is not sufficient, there are still some things that must be done - such as rescuing the people in need.

If only she could fly, Lunicia would have such thoughts sometimes. Not only could she rely on her flying ability to gain an advantage in battle like Ashetherin, but she could also take the initiative to do something when faced with a situation like now, instead of just praying for Ashetherin on the ground.

The joy of victory was not enough to completely dispel Lunisia's worries: besides here, fighting seemed to be going on in other places in the city. The sound of cannons and the hissing of "centipedes" could be heard faintly. It seemed that the monsters that broke through the blockade in the northeast area had spread to the entire city, turning every place in Muirand into a battlefield. The black smoke mentioned by Asheselin and Ella before was probably the trace of fighting in other places.

Just thinking about the possible sacrifices made Lunicia feel heavy-hearted.

Ashlee's operation was much faster than Lunisia expected. She did not consider transporting the trapped passengers one by one, but chose to directly dismantle the entire skytrain from the rails and place it on the road piece by piece. In this way, even without her assistance, the passengers in the carriages could leave on their own and go to a safe place for refuge. It seemed that it was not based on pure brute force, but perhaps some special technology of the mechanism.

"Next we have to rush to the Northeast District."

Lunicia raised the holy emblem and cast "Summon Mount", causing her warhorse companion with beautiful gray fur to appear out of thin air. She picked up Ella and helped her onto the horse's back amid the latter's shy exclamation. In this situation, it was definitely impossible to use public transportation. They didn't have a vehicle or a flying carpet, so they could only move by riding horses, which was the most primitive way. Lunicia could only pray that they wouldn't encounter any more difficult enemies than the "centipede". If it was a "centipede", it would be fine. She, Ella and Asheselin could easily deal with it, but if they encountered a more powerful guy, she didn't have the second-ring spell slot to cast the "Holy Slash" with all her strength.

Although Lunicia didn't know the road at all, she knew the approximate location of the northeast area. As long as she followed the road, she could still get there. This celestial horse would hardly feel tired and could carry Ella and Lunicia all the way from one end of the city to the other. As for Ashetherin, she just flew beside the warhorse with a leisurely look on her face, and from time to time she would take out weapons to escort Lunicia and Ella.

Lunisia's judgment was indeed correct: the northeast area had been completely lost. Perhaps the defense line had not collapsed, but the monsters that were originally bound in the northeast area had already used their own means to slip out, penetrated through the gaps in the defense line, and wreaked havoc in the city. At least along the way, Lunisia and her group had encountered many monsters similar to zombies. They were not pollution, but just byproducts of pollution. They were a little breath escaping from the lightless zone, but they should not be underestimated. Fortunately, they did not encounter a being of the same level as the "centipede". Asheselin could deal with it alone, and at least it would give Lunisia and her group a chance to bypass it through other routes.

It was because of this that Lunicia had the opportunity to tell Ella and Ashetherin everything on the way.

Having done this twice and tempered by three death experiences, Lunisia's mentality seemed to have made great progress compared to before, and her ability to explain also improved. This time, she not only roughly recounted what happened in the previous "three times", but also gave some details and omissions in her narration, skipping some content that she already knew was not important, leaving only those parts that she confirmed "still had problems", and also added her own opinions and inferences about the events that happened in Mulande.

First, the source of everything: further north of Myulander, a huge shadow is approaching the northern defense line. It is the remains of an evil god left in the ancient Hyperborean War. For some reason, it has regained its mobility and is heading south with the north wind. Even if the remains of the evil god itself can't do anything, the severe cold and natural disasters it brings are enough to destroy the entire southern part of the continent. The "Sword of Time" and many elite members of the Church of Alexandria have rushed there, but it seems that they can't stop the opponent's advance.

Perhaps they could not find an effective method, or perhaps they could not afford the risks of other options. The four ruling families of Muirand, Howard, Stuart, Byron, and Stock, finally chose to activate an ancient ritual buried deep in Muirand, offering Colette S. Caroline as a sacrifice in exchange for the enormous power of the gods to defeat the approaching disaster in one fell swoop.

That was a legendary technique that was used by the sages who gathered here in the distant past, before the founding of Myrand, to stop the aftermath of the collapse of the magic network. Although that ritual saved the area around Myrand from being destroyed by the collapse of the magic network, it also tore open a poison nest in Myrand that would never heal, called the poison nest in the northeast area, from which things similar to divine disaster pollution would pour out at night. The ritual of the four major families would not only tear open a similar or even larger hole in Myrand again, but what they invited was not the power of the gods, but the end of everything that destroyed it.

The moment the ritual is completed, everything will come to an end.

It is for this reason that all the forces that can be mustered muster muster muster to stop the ceremony of the four major families before the end of the third day, otherwise everything will come to an end in the end.

“…That’s probably what happened.”

Even though her ability to summarize had improved significantly, Lunicia still felt exhausted trying to recount such a long experience in one breath, so she had to let Ella, who was sitting in her arms, take over the reins temporarily.

She really didn't want to recall her memories at all - those seemed to be just painful memories to her. She didn't want to replay the scene of Ella's death over and over in her mind, recalling the temperature of the body that gradually dissipated at her fingertips. The mere recollection would make her feel scared, and because of the fear she couldn't help but look at Ella again and again, the Ella Heper who was not an illusion or a ghost, but just leaning in her arms. So, she had the courage to step into fear again and again.

The curse of death in three days.

The end of the world's destruction.

Everything would end this time, she was so sure of it, so sure of it, so sure of it.

"..."

"..."

Neither Ashlee nor Ella said anything right away.

The last time they were like this, it seemed that it was because they were near the station and there were too many people around, so they were worried that the news would leak out. As for this time, Lunicia felt that it was probably because of surprise and the need to analyze the information immersed in the conversation.

As the war horses galloped, the surrounding scenery was constantly changing.

The height of the houses is gradually decreasing, as if symbolizing the gradual approach from the bustling city center to the almost unmentionable northeastern district, a poisonous nest where disasters lurk, and it is also a synonym for chaos, poverty, and danger. It almost makes people doubt whether one area is a prosperous city with tall buildings, and the other is a fortress ruin surrounded by high walls. Are these two areas really the same world connected to each other?

The number of evil spirits encountered was gradually increasing. The residents around seemed to have been emptied out, and no one knew where they had gone to shelter. Burning steam locomotives and severely damaged houses could be seen everywhere on the streets. Hunters who were not sure whether they were looking for food or fun always surrounded them, and even tore and devoured each other for the rare corpses of citizens. To those bloodthirsty aliens, Lunicia and her group were like moving fresh meat, which attracted their attention.

Fortunately, there aren't only monsters here.

The Guards Division - those human soldiers who might become enemies later - set up a defense line. The closer you get to the northeast area, the easier it is to see those figures wearing mail armor and holding weapons. The white cloth on their chests is embroidered with patterns of raspberry roses, oleanders, irises, and purple pansies, and the middle is divided by a cross made of gold thread, which is the national emblem of Myuland. They are loyal to their duties to intercept and sweep away the evil spirits they find, and use their numerical advantage to surround and annihilate them. As for the Lunicia group rushing past, they seem to be too lazy to care.

Why should we care? They seem to be heading towards the northeastern district. If they want to cause trouble, they will go to the city guard and the First Division Headquarters. Anyway, they don't look like ordinary citizens. They are carrying a mechanical puppet that looks very expensive. They can fight their way here from the city center. Their fighting power will definitely not be able to encounter any trouble.

This may become one of the decisions they regret the most or are most grateful for in their lives in the future.

As for the City Garrison Headquarters - it looks quite different from before.

Naturally, no one was maintaining the cordon, as if they no longer had the energy to do such things. The biggest change was of course the office building of the city police. That unique three-story building with a plaque hanging at the door had now become a pile of ruins. If it wasn't for the fact that only this building collapsed, Lunisia would even suspect that there had been an earthquake here. Many striking marks caused by swords could be seen, plus the scattered body parts around, and an evil body shaped like some strange fish nailed to the middle of the ruins by steel bars. Obviously, a fierce battle had taken place here before.

"This place was attacked..."

Lunicia was a little dazed.

Based on the situation in the city, she could indeed directly judge that the situation here at the City Guard Headquarters would not be very good, but she never expected it to be such a tragic scene.

"There aren't many human corpses." After just a glance, Ashlee came to the conclusion: "This may be the first place outside the defense line to be attacked. It seems that the commander here - the man Luna called Galezo - immediately began to command the troops to counterattack. It was very effective and full of brilliant glory, but the situation is irreversible."

"Lady Luna, just charge into the isolation wall."

"Well, that's all."

This situation gave Lunicia a headache.

She couldn't even guarantee that the other party would be willing to meet her and her group, so trying to force her way in seemed to be the best way. As for whether she could get Galezo's assistance after that, Lunicia was unsure: With the war situation in the northeast region becoming like this, would Galezo really have the energy to interfere with the ceremony?

In fact, just as Lunicia estimated, Galezo is now extremely busy.

"Not enough shells?! If we only have a base supply, they will run out soon. Send the baggage train to deliver new ones immediately!... The supply of ammunition cannot be stopped! If there is no more in the warehouse, go to the First Division and requisition them. They won't dare to refuse in this situation!... All the wounded soldiers of the Second Garrison Squadron should be withdrawn. We cannot let them fight to the death. Send the reserve team to take over... The reserve team is not enough?! Send the Second Infantry Squadron to reinforce! At least two squads!..."

Almost every line of defense was in a state of emergency, with only one heavy firepower squadron that was unable to cope with so many centipede-like demons crawling out of the abyss. When necessary, he even had to temporarily put aside his command work and personally carry a scimitar to the front line to kill the enemy and eliminate the most difficult ones to prevent the troops from suffering heavy casualties.

"Damn it, what the hell is this!?"

He was almost going crazy.

Gian was injured in the initial raid and his right arm was broken, so Galeazzo had to take over part of the command tasks to prevent him from being too burdened. As for Leopold, he was now personally fighting at the front line. It was precisely because of the addition of this professional that the battle line was barely forced back to behind the first isolation wall. If the first isolation wall was lost, it would be difficult for them to use the magic trap between the second isolation wall and the first isolation wall.

Even so, the ammunition was running out, the number of wounded increased, and all kinds of unfavorable news still made him irritable. He thought that the defeat was only a matter of time. The reinforcements of the Guards Division could not be counted on for the time being. They were also running back and forth to clean up the evil demons that kept appearing in the city. There was no possibility of transferring troops for the time being, so the city guard had to rely on the strength of their own battalion to stop the erosion of pollution.

"Report! Commander!"

Just as he was giving the order, a messenger hurried over and saluted him.

"what's up?"

"Three ladies want to see you..."

"Ma'am?" Even in this critical situation, Galeazzo couldn't help but be stunned, "Where are you from? The Imperial Guard Division?"

"No, there are three strange women who asked to see you."

"Nonsense! Do I look like I have time to meet with guests? And how did they end up in a place like this!?"

Galeazzo's eyebrows were almost twisted together.

"They said they were willing to help maintain the defense line..."

"…Three professionals?"

"Yes."

"Let them in immediately!"

Although he didn't know where the other party came from, Galezo's expression immediately improved a little when he heard that he could get reinforcements from three professionals.

"no need."

Before the messenger could reply, Lunicia's voice rang out from behind him.

"We're already here."

They were walking towards this hellish battlefield that no one wanted to approach.

Chapter 68: The Youth's Decision

"...Okay, I do believe that you are sincere enough."

Galezo looked at the evil remains nailed to the ground and twitching constantly, and it seemed that even the corners of his mouth could not help twitching.

He really wanted someone who could help ease the pressure on the front line, and who was also a professional with outstanding strength, but the whole thing gave off a feeling that made him feel confused.

It would be better to say that doubts have been lingering in his mind since this morning. Everything seems to be sliding towards another world he is unaware of as something happens, deviating from his usual common sense, and corresponding with the secret knowledge buried in the deep corners of his memory, announcing what is happening.

The arrival of the three girls in front of him seemed to herald something, like some kind of revelation from heaven, just like what the strong wind and snow indicated.

This made Galezo feel uneasy - or rather, more like boredom. The sultry heat before a rainstorm made people feel upset, as if everything around them was wrong. They wanted to do something to avoid the doomed disaster, but they had no idea what to do, like a headless fly spinning around.

"So, are you willing to listen to what we have to say?"

"..."

The young paladin's words caused Galazzo to fall into a rare silence.

Just listen, it won't be a big deal, the decision is up to me, they are strong, but not hostile, there won't be any problem - words like these, it seems that only this time they don't work. Yes, it doesn't work, he has a hunch that what the other party wants to say must be very important, so important that as long as he hears it, he can't ignore it, and he will definitely do something according to what the other party wants. This sounds like dreamlike nonsense, but now it is the most real feeling in his heart. He is hesitating, hesitating whether to open the box that contains confusion or hope.

"It's something related to the Northeast District."

Lunisia emphasized.

As someone who had dealt with Galeazzo de Barbacro before, she naturally knew what the other party cared about most.

It was a sense of responsibility, a sense of security for the Northeast, and also a sense of importance for Myurand. It was hard to say how different this feeling was from the views of the four major families on Myurand. One side was willing to sacrifice itself, while the other side only used others as a price? Lunisia couldn't be sure. After all, in her opinion, perhaps not every soldier in the city guard was willing to rebel for this responsibility, and not every member of the four major families was unwilling to really be buried with themselves. The ambiguous boundary between them made her feel extremely distressed, and perhaps this was also the reason why she seemed so inconsiderate.

What about her? Can she really be called perfect and flawless justice?

"……I see."

Galezo let out a long sigh, and Leopold beside him couldn't help but stare at him, trying to figure out what was wrong with this guy today.

"It just so happens that the enemy's offensive has temporarily weakened... I'd like to hear what you have to say."

……

Puff puff

The sound of leather falling echoed in the deep winter air, and the man's body fell heavily to the ground, splashing a cloud of snow.

Lunicia clapped her hands, looked at Galezo who was lying on the ground in a daze and said, "How about it? Does this make it more credible?"

"Hiss... Indeed, I believe it. I believe it all. This cannot be faked."

He climbed up from the ground with a grin on his face, not giving Lunicia any time to help him: being knocked down was embarrassing enough, and to let the other party show mercy to him was a great humiliation in his opinion.

This time, Lunisia described things in more detail than last time. She even almost explicitly stated that she had experienced time travel, just to enhance the persuasiveness of her words. The current situation in the Northeast Region would make Galezo waver, and he might not be able to spare the energy to take care of the affairs of the four major families. If Galezo really gave up, they would only be able to rely on the strength of three people to capture the Cathedral of Alexandria.

This worry is actually unnecessary.

Lunicia knew the side effects of the ceremony, after all, based on hindsight. She knew what would happen in advance, and then deduced the ceremony from the inevitable results. If she had not actually witnessed the layout of the ceremony and everything that happened after the ceremony was completed, what Lunicia said might not be tenable from the perspective of logical reasoning alone.

For Galeazzo, things were completely different.

His was an ancient family that had been passed down since before the founding of Myuland, and had not been extinct for a long time. That was why, in the family secrets, the legendary ritual that had saved Myuland was not a shining star in the past history as some people believed. On the contrary, it was blocked and buried because it was a taboo that people avoided, and eventually became unknown. Then, it emerged now because it was not taken seriously. Just because of the existence of the Northeast District, Galezo was sure that it was not something that the Myuland people should touch.