Once they had cut loose, the Frankish army, which had been advancing slowly, suddenly picked up speed.
But slaughter could become intoxicating too.
At first, it had been revenge. By the later stages, more and more of the killing had been driven by wealth.
As commander, Marquis Sunil was powerless to stop his subordinates from escalating their actions.
Military plunder was a tradition on the Aslant Continent.
Massacres served both to conceal their crimes and to secure the army's rear.
The bloody scenes terrified many people.
The fanatics remained crazed, but more ordinary people became afraid.
Upon hearing that the Frankish army was coming, they fled with their families. Many of those leading the flight were local clergy, while the common people at the bottom were the ones who participated most in the resistance.
Only after the Church's upper ranks used ruthless measures to make examples of a few did they curb the tide of fleeing. By then, however, the enemy army had already reached the foot of Sacred Mountain.
The battle to defend Sacred Mountain was about to begin, and the entire continent's attention had focused on it. Now, it depended on whether the Franks truly dared to attack Sacred Mountain.
"Where have the reinforcements reached?"
Pope Pius VII asked anxiously.
He no longer had the mind to pay attention to the outside world's discussions. Others might doubt the Franks' courage, but the Church's upper ranks would not.
One look at the Frankish army's conduct along the way was enough to tell. To save time, they had slaughtered their way forward. If they were not coming for Sacred Mountain, why would they willingly bear the infamy of being "butchers"?
The intimidating banner of the "gods" could only frighten outsiders.
Civil wars among believers were hardly unprecedented. The Church's