Offense and Defense Reversal

The melodious sacred song echoed above the church, intertwining with the chaotic scene within Harbor Town, creating a particularly bizarre atmosphere.

Adrian, caught within it, felt his soul cleansed by the sacred song, recalling the teachings from the Bible.

Life and death are not truly important; everywhere is the Lord's pasture. These sacrificed townsfolk have merely returned to the Lord's embrace ahead of schedule.

After the sacred song concluded, Antioch surveyed the crowd and said softly.

"The great Eternal God [Ella] will be with you and me!"

Perhaps it was the Archbishop's words that took effect, or perhaps the radiance of [Ella] had already spread to this remote border town. Outside the church, the chaos was rapidly subsiding.

Antioch, quite surprised, walked to the window and gazed down at the northwest side of Harbor Town. The fire that had been burning above the granary earlier had been extinguished, and the townsfolk were being orderly evacuated from the combat zones.

He couldn't directly see the figures of the two Wizard Apprentices, but judging by the flight path of the grey crows in the sky, Antioch quickly deduced that the two had fallen into trouble and were being driven away from densely populated areas.

The route seemed to end at Harbor Town's dock?

"Who is in charge of command on the front lines now?" Antioch asked with surprise.

"It should be Danny and Pastor Albert," Adrian replied.

The Archbishop pondered the usual behavior of these two priests. He didn't recall them possessing such outstanding command abilities. Could it be that a Guard Captain from Harbor Town had made the judgment call?

Thinking of this, Antioch couldn't help but feel a desire to recruit talent, so he sent the guards at the door to inquire.

Two to three minutes later, a guard pushed the door open and walked in. He cast a subtle glance at Adrian beside him and responded with a peculiar expression.

"Reporting to Lord Bishop, according to those militiamen responsible for evacuation, it is currently..."

"Pastor Adrian is issuing the orders!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present turned their gaze to Adrian. He was also bewildered, having been in the church the entire time and never having left.

Antioch's expression immediately turned grim. In his dozen years as Bishop in Nordland Territory, he had encountered Wizards proficient in Shaping Magic and knew very well the chaos they could cause.

Under the suspicious gazes of the crowd, Adrian appeared somewhat flustered and took a step back, but quickly regained his composure and cast a first-circle Divine Spell [Holy Word: Shield]!

Witnessing the holy shield, radiating Divine Spell light, condense in mid-air, the priests present immediately dispelled their doubts.

But then, a chill shot up from the soles of their feet to their brains.

If the real Adrian was here, then who was currently commanding the front lines?

The commander whom the priests were thinking of was currently sitting in a temporary outpost in the northern part of Harbor Town, sipping clear tea while listening to his 'subordinate's' report.

"Lord Adrian, as per your instructions, the temporarily formed militia has begun evacuating the townsfolk. It won't be long before a clear area is established. The fire at the granary has also been brought under control; the isolation method you taught us is very effective..."

Priest Danny quickly relayed the current situation in Harbor Town, his gaze towards Lynn filled with admiration.

Those damned Demon's Followers were setting fires everywhere, darting through dense alleys, and even burning the granary, leaving them in a state of utter chaos.

After all, Bishop Antioch had only assigned them eight hundred troops. These soldiers had to be responsible for apprehending the two Witches, as well as evacuating townsfolk and fighting fires, resulting in a severe shortage of personnel.

After repeatedly requesting reinforcements from the elite guard, only to be refused by Antioch, Danny could only continuously divert personnel originally assigned to firefighting and civilian rescue to pursue the Demon's Followers, lest they escape.

However, this chaotic situation immediately changed after the arrival of 'Lord Adrian.'

First, he directed them to use Divine Spells to pacify a group of fleeing townsfolk, forcibly extracting able-bodied men from them. Then, a small squad of regular soldiers was dispersed, with commanders appointed to form temporary militia units, instantly expanding their usable manpower severalfold.

These untrained militiamen, if used for combat, would likely crumble at the first sign of resistance, but they were barely competent enough for firefighting and rescue work.

The isolation method and the sand-firefighting method he mentioned were also very effective...

Thinking of this, Priest Danny felt a bit ashamed. Previously, he had complained about Bishop Antioch giving him too few personnel to handle the complex situation.

But now, he no longer felt that way, because 'Adrian,' wielding the same resources, had easily quelled the chaos.

Truly worthy of being 'Lord Adrian,' the Bishop's right-hand man!

Lynn, sitting in the chair, listened to the priest's words with a smile and said approvingly, "You've done very well, Priest Danny. After tonight, I will commend your achievements to Lord Antioch."

"Thank you, Lord Adrian. I merely did some small things within my capabilities. This is all thanks to you!" Priest Danny responded excitedly.

Lynn waved his hand, changing the subject, and asked, "Alright, let's not talk about this. Have the instructions I gave you earlier been passed down?"

Danny nodded. According to 'Lord Adrian's' plan, their current task was to force the two Witches into the open area of Harbor Town's dock. The Holy See had already ambushed over a thousand crossbowmen there; a single volley would turn them into hedgehogs.

This approach would minimize casualties to the greatest extent possible.

Given 'Adrian's' previous excellent command, Danny harbored no doubts about this plan.

"Then, Danny, your mission has been perfectly accomplished," Lynn said, standing up and patting Danny's shoulder. "Now it's time to send you to see Pastor Albert!"

Albert? What happened to him?

Danny paused. Before he could even process it, a blinding silver light flashed across his neck. Bright red blood spurted from the wound. The young priest clutched his gaping neck, his face filled with disbelief, and then collapsed heavily onto the ground.

Lynn looked at the corpse before him and shook his head helplessly. He picked up a piece of tattered cloth from the table and wiped the bloodstains from the dagger.

Thus, the two pawns sent by Antioch to fish had all been dealt with. However, Lynn's face didn't show much joy.

After all, his opponent was not a fool. If he continued to issue orders using Adrian's identity, Antioch would likely soon realize something was amiss and deduce that he possessed the ability to disguise himself as others.

But this was precisely what Lynn intended to achieve!

Since ordinary priests could not decipher this kind of magic, Antioch... would have to personally step in!

Although it was a roundabout way, Lynn had ultimately used the enemy's strength to draw out the Archbishop and redirect the next battlefield back to Harbor Town's docks!

(PS: Seeking everything for the new book!)