Volume 2: Empire Chapter 48 The Truth
After nightfall, Saint Lun City is very different from Raging Waves City.
The citizens of Nutao City are very willing to enjoy some nightlife after work, so Nutao City will be bustling for a long time at night, and some entertainment venues will be open all night long.
Saint Lun used to have a strict curfew, and ordinary citizens were not allowed to go out after 10 p.m. Although the curfew has been relaxed now, most Saint Lun citizens who are used to going home at night will not stay outside for too long.
The lonely street lamp illuminated the quiet street, and only a few windows of the houses on both sides were still lit. From time to time, wandering night crows made calls. Suddenly, the sound of a truck engine disturbed the quiet night, and the heavy wheels pressed on the cobblestone road, making a rhythmic sound.
The fierce dog barked wildly.
Many citizens were awakened. They opened their windows and looked outside, and saw military trucks carrying fully armed city garrison soldiers speeding past.
Something big happened!
The panicked citizens immediately closed the windows and turned off all the lights.
There was no warning, no one was informed... Near the early morning, a city garrison suddenly entered the city and blocked and controlled some streets and urban areas.
The City Security Bureau was the first to respond, but before they could send anyone to inquire, the garrison troops produced the Crown Prince's order.
"General Sinclair Augustine is leading his troops to cooperate with the Secret Service's Sixth Division to eliminate enemy spies lurking in the Imperial Capital. Please fully cooperate with the City Security Department!"
The city's Sheriff's Department immediately dispatched sheriff's officers to assist.
The freed-up city guards concentrated their forces to blockade and encircle all targets, and the house of grain merchant Austin was surrounded by heavy siege.
Heavy war machines were at the forefront, and technical soldiers quickly assembled puppets for the charge. Some magicians released buffs for the soldiers preparing to attack, providing them with mental protection, while others prepared spells for the attack.
Five airships were circling in the sky, with high-powered searchlights shooting beams of light that swept across the entire construction area. Under the airship's pod, dozens of meters of towing ropes were hanging elite soldiers in glider suits, who could drop into battle at any point within the flight range at any time.
Sinclair, who commanded the garrison, stood in front of the building's outer door. He was wearing light metal armor, a general's metal cap, and holding a beautifully forged broadsword.
Sinclair waited for his men to prepare for battle.
A soldier squeezed through the rear guard and whispered to Sinclair, "Your Highness, Miss Qingkong is here with five Oulu mages."
Sinclair said happily, "Please ask Miss Clear Sky to come over!"
After a while, Qingkong arrived with five Oulu mages. Except for Qingkong who was wearing her distinctive combat uniform, the other five Oulu mages were all wearing magic robes and wide-brimmed hoods to cover their faces.
Sinclair immediately performed the knight's salute upon seeing Qingkong: "Thank you Miss Qingkong and the Oulu mages for your support. This will save us some sacrifices."
"The origin of the Abyss Temple and the Oulu Academy. It is the duty of every Oulu mage to destroy the Abyss Mage. Your Highness Sinclair, are you and your soldiers ready?"
Qingkong said modestly while observing the current situation.
The grain merchant Austin's house covers a large area, with open lawns and gardens around the main building, and an iron fence outside. Facing the siege of the city garrison, the people in the room did not react at all. They extinguished all the light sources inside and waited for the attack.
Sinclair's army had completed preparations for the attack.
The type and rank of the city garrison can be seen from their clothing and equipment. Soldiers with obvious physical features or wearing high-level armor are elite with certain military strength.
Sinclair also looked at the troops he brought with him. He was very satisfied with the Saint Len City Garrison composed of veterans of the Northern Legion.
He took out his pocket watch and checked the time.
"Ms. Clear Sky, my army is ready for battle, and the time agreed with Governor Meteorite has arrived... We can attack!"
Qingkong looked back at the Olu Mage he had brought with him, and his gaze lingered on the two people who were obviously women. He said to Sinclair, "Attack! Leave Abyss Apostle Morris to us."
"He's yours!" Sinclair showed Qingkong a smile that he thought was very handsome, then waved his hand and ordered: "All troops, listen up! Encircle and destroy the Abyss Temple... Attack!"
Several magic signals were launched into the sky, and the airships in the sky also sent out attack signals. Soon, the sky of Saint Lun City was filled with magic signals flying everywhere and exploding into gorgeous fireworks.
The order to attack was given, and the magicians on the army took the lead in casting the prepared magic. Dark clouds quickly formed within the building area, rain poured down, and then lightning struck from the sky.
The magicians accompanying the army did not target the main building as their primary target of attack, but instead controlled the lightning to form a lightning net that swept through the garden around the main building.
The falling rain sent electric currents running wildly across the ground, causing magic traps to explode one after another.
The fire clearance was completed and the power grid was closed to the main building.
The heavy war machines, controlled by their drivers, carried thick shields and headed towards the main building. The iron fences in front of them were bent and broken like noodles.
The soldiers who followed up formed a line and followed behind the tall body of the war machine.
The entire offensive coordination was smooth and everyone did what they were supposed to do in their own positions, demonstrating extremely high military qualities.
The magic traps on the periphery were completely destroyed, and the war machines successfully approached the main building. The abyss mages hidden inside could not help but attack the imperial soldiers.
The tightly closed windows opened, and countless monsters made of flesh and blood crawled out from inside. Each one looked ferocious, like the mutant zombies in the biochemical crisis.
These monsters crawled twistedly and pounced on the imperial soldiers. Then magic fireballs and crossbow arrows shot out from the windows, and there were crackling sounds of muskets.
The tall war machine held the shield on its head to protect the driver and provide cover for the soldiers behind. The imperial soldiers pushed the mechanical puppets beside them to the side, using the puppets to attract the monsters' attacks, and then drew their swords to kill the monsters when the opportunity arose.
The attacking team continued to advance.
At this time, the soil on the ground rolled up, and a huge earthworm with a diameter of two meters drilled out from the ground and swallowed an imperial soldier in one bite. Then the giant earthworm twisted its body and crushed, knocking a breakthrough in the neat team. The fearless monster broke in, and a team of imperial soldiers immediately fell into a bitter battle.
Sinclair, who was standing on the periphery, waved his hand, and a team of elite soldiers rushed in. These soldiers worked well together and had rich combat experience, and they quickly gained the upper hand against the monsters that only had the killing instinct.
A soldier cut the giant earthworm into two pieces with one sword. The two pieces regrew their heads and tails and continued to attack, but were quickly cut into irregenerable pieces under the attack of the elite squad.
The Abyss Mage's counterattack did not cause too many casualties to the Imperial soldiers. The war machines led the team to the wall of the main building, and professional soldiers stepped forward to prepare for the blast.
A steam-powered airship flew over the main building, and more than a dozen cylindrical objects were dropped from the gondola. The elite soldiers untied the ropes tied around their bodies and dived down.
The cylinder broke through the roof of the main building, leaving a hole in it that people could enter; the outer wall exploded, and armed imperial soldiers swarmed in; airborne imperial soldiers landed on the roof and attacked through the opened hole.
A fierce battle broke out in the main building.
Sinclair looked at the time and was very satisfied with the speed of his army's attack. He asked the follow-up soldiers to follow up, and then said to Qingkong: "Miss Qingkong, do you want to go in now, or wait for my soldiers to find the entrance ?"
"Go in now! I can feel the smell of the abyss here getting stronger and stronger. The Abyss Mage must be preparing a large-scale secret spell. If it is released, it will destroy this entire city."
Qingkong led the Olu mages towards the battlefield.
Sinclair followed with a team of elite soldiers. He swung out a sword and split a sneak attacking monster into two pieces. Then he said earnestly, "Miss Qingkong, you can deal with Morris without worry. I will take care of the other miscellaneous soldiers."
Qingkong walked through the ruined garden and into the main building, as if entering another world.
The inner wall of the building is full of bulges that look like blood vessels, and you can see black liquid flowing inside. Tumors grow where the blood vessels converge, and when the tumors burst, a monster will jump out from inside.
The monsters were generated very quickly, and the attacking imperial soldiers were locked in a tough battle with them.
Clear Sky summoned a spirit orb, and the spirit weapon fired fireballs like a turret with infinite firepower, burning all monsters and tumors within the attack range.
The Oulu wizards also cast magic to help the trapped imperial soldiers.
Qingkong said to Sinclair who followed him in, "You take your people to guard here and don't let these monsters escape. Let's go find Morris. Only by killing him and destroying the altar can we stop these monsters from growing.
Be careful, there are Abyss Mages hiding in there in the form of monsters, they can rely on these veins to move and attack quickly."
Sinclair asked in surprise: "How could the Abyss Mage become such a monster?"
These monsters made of flesh and blood hardly look like humans. Who would turn themselves into this?
Qingkong raised his hand and shot out an ice cone, pinning a monster to the wall. Unlike other monsters, the monster did not turn into blood and be absorbed by blood vessels after death. Instead, it struggled a few times before its limbs became limp.
"This is the effect of the abyss on a person. They become like this before they even face the abyss. Those who face the abyss will give up everything that makes them human."
Sinclair knew that Qingkong was hinting at Emperor Augustine, so he immediately became serious: "Miss Qingkong, don't worry... leave this to me."
"Do your best, I won't keep you waiting too long."
Qingkong led the Olu mages deeper into the main building, where there were imperial soldiers fighting monsters everywhere.
They killed monsters at will and reached the middle room as if they were in an empty space.
It was a square room with no disgusting blood vessels on the walls, no monsters, and naturally no soldiers.
"Jennifer, close the door."
Jennifer lifted her hood and turned to close the door.
The others also took off their hoods.
The four people are Bruce Ban, Princess Dale, Princess Agatha and Agatha's lady-in-waiting.
Qingkong asked Princess Dai'er, "Did you see anyone familiar?"
Dai'er looked very serious, as if she was unwilling to believe the facts she had discovered. Finally, she nodded and said, "I saw the people who attacked me inside. Although I didn't see what they looked like at the time, they revealed many characteristics when they retreated.
Brother Fania, he...how could he..."
The cruel reality dealt a great blow to Dai'er. She could not imagine that the person who wanted to kill her was actually her own brother in order to harm his other sister.
Agatha stroked Dale's hair and said softly, "Dale, this is the cruel struggle of the royal family. There are too many such things in history. For the throne, some people can do anything."
Tears flowed from Dale's eyes. She leaned on Agatha's arms and cried, "But that is history. I never thought that the stories in those books would happen to me. Agatha, I'm afraid..."
Agatha embraced Dale, her expression very sad: "Don't be afraid, I will protect you. You are the last kindness of the Augustine family, the princess I want to be but cannot be, I will not let you suffer any harm again.
I think Miss Clear Sky will protect you too. And Governor Meteorite will make those who bully you pay the price. "
Qingkong looked at the princesses hugging each other and showing their deep sisterly love. At this moment, Agatha did not have any sharpness at all, she was just an older sister who cared for her younger sister.
But the clear sky broke this warm scene.
"If Princess Dale is willing, you can apply to His Majesty to continue studying at Oulu College when you return to the palace. You are very smart and will definitely become an excellent master of the secret arts.
Now we have to find Morris as soon as possible. If we don't kill him, there will be more and more monsters here. No matter what Fania did, your nephew Sinclair should not die here."
Thinking of having to deal with the Abyss Mage, Agatha wiped away Dale's tears and put on her hood: "It is the responsibility of the Augustine family to guard the imperial capital and protect the subjects of the empire. You are the princess of the empire, do what you should do."
"Yes, Sister Agatha."
Agatha put on her hood, drew her sword with one hand, held Dale with the other, and said to Qingkong: "Let's go kill Morris!"
Qingkong said, "Then float up!"
Qingkong chanted the spell, and immediately the sound of mechanical gears turning was heard around him, and then the whole room turned upside down.
The six people used levitation skills, and after the room stopped moving, they landed on the ground which was originally the ceiling.
Jennifer, who was standing at the door, opened it. Outside was no longer a chaotic battle scene, but a quiet and dark underground passage.
Without Qingkong's order, Jennifer walked out with her magic wand. As she chanted the spell, ghosts emerged from the walls on both sides of the passage.
Then Jennifer uttered a sharp, piercing cry, and the ghost flew forward along the tunnel.
