The Final Battle with Faith Order Headquarters, Part Eight
In the end, the group compromised. They all knew that the Third Apostle was right; there weren't many options at the moment, and it was better to seize the present than to focus on the future.
If they cannot withstand the enemy's attack, the Faith Order will be finished, and what future can they talk about?
Soon, a large number of believers were dispatched to the front lines of the Faith Order's battlefield.
But they were not facing the same terrifying enemy soldiers as before, but rather enemy weapons that were even more terrifying.
The deafening roar of cannons echoed throughout the valley and town. Buildings within the Faith Order's controlled area were Artillery, collapsing and being destroyed one after another, burying the believers' soldiers among the rocks and rubble.
When facing large buildings that are difficult to destroy even with Artillery, the Expeditionary Army's engineering units can play a crucial role.
The Expeditionary Army included an engineering unit, which was a relatively new unit, but Victor placed great importance on Victor as it was a new type of unit personally overseen by him.
In particular, these engineers not only mastered the ability to build individual shelters and fortifications in battlefield environments facing Artillery and Muskets, but they also mastered unconventional combat techniques such as explosives demolition.
Currently, the gunpowder used by the Golden Sunflower Family is mainly Blazefire Gel. This unstable explosive is very dangerous, and mastering the blasting technique is very difficult. Those sappers who have mastered the relevant technology are all treasures.
Santos brought this new unit with him at Victor's request. Victor believed they would be useful in this battle and would also allow him to see their effectiveness in actual combat.
Santos had initially thought he might use this force when attacking the valley fortress, but in the end, he didn't. The fortress walls were weaker than he had imagined and didn't need to be blown up at all.
But now, in this chaotic urban warfare battlefield, this unit is actually proving effective.
The engineers skillfully used the explosives they carried to clear out the large buildings in the Faith Order- occupied area. With the help of Artillery, the Expeditionary Army was able to blast all the buildings that might contain enemy forces to the ground, thus opening up a safe passage for the Expeditionary Army to move deeper into the valley.
Meanwhile, the Faith Order was also intimidated by the Expeditionary Army's tactics. They were already at a disadvantage against the Artillery and could only rely on hiding in rooms and buildings to fire arrows at the Expeditionary Army soldiers in a counterattack.
But now, with the combined power of Artillery and explosives, they can no longer even hide indoors and shoot arrows. Once they peek out, the building they are in will immediately be bombarded by Artillery, and if it is not destroyed, it will face explosive detonation.
The buildings in the Faith Order's city were mostly made of wood and stone, which could not withstand Artillery bombardment at all. The small number of brick and stone structures could not withstand explosive blasts either.
With the barrier gone, the fanatical army of Faith Order could only retreat step by step.
The apostles were all very frustrated with the state of the battle.
This unfamiliar army appeared here, and in just three days, the entire Faith Order was almost completely destroyed overnight.
The deaths of many loyal followers and Order Warriors, along with the wanton destruction Faith Order Headquarters the Hot Spring Valley that was once a paradise on earth, by the enemy, were truly unbearable for them.
What's even more troubling is that this enemy has never revealed their identity, and to this day, they still don't know where this enemy comes from.
Unfortunately, since the Faith Order retreated to the Ice Field, Faith Order intelligence network has become increasingly weak, and it knows very little about the areas outside the grasslands. Otherwise, the Faith Order would not be so unfamiliar with Artillery, which has made its mark in the continental war.
In this situation, both the Fourth Apostle and Fifth Apostles felt a slight regret, wondering why they hadn't listened to the Third Apostle's advice and retreated earlier.
But then they thought, if they really left, all the foundations the Faith Order had built would be gone, which would be a huge loss for the Faith Order. They couldn't do that, and they couldn't allow themselves to do it.
With this in mind, the two became more determined, and in order to break the deadlock, they looked once again at the Third Apostle.
"Third Apostle, it's time for you to act. While our troops can still fight the enemy for a while, send out the Purple-Robed Warrior Corps."
There's no need to wait any longer. Once we're completely driven out of the city, we won't be able to use 'Judgment' anymore."
The Third Apostle's expression was grave. He said, "The Purple-Robed Warrior Corps need time to set up 'Judgment,' and the Believers' must hold off the enemies during this time. But what will happen to the Believers who are currently engaged in battle if 'Judgment' is released?"
The First Apostle, Fourth Apostle, and Fifth Apostles exchanged glances, then said, "There's no other way. Sacrificing for the Faith Order is their long-cherished wish. They will understand us."
Seeing that the other three had already agreed, the Third Apostle smiled. He didn't actually care about the lives of the believers; he was just emphasizing that sentence to deliberately annoy the three of them.
However, the Third Apostle also knew that time was of the essence. If they did not take advantage of the moment to give 'Judgment' a chance to form an array, they would retreat into the depths of the valley, and the enemy would not allow 'Judgment' to have any opportunity to perform.
Now, this urban area, still under the control of the Faith Order, is the best place to unleash the 'Judgment' array.
Soon, the Third Apostle's orders were issued, Purple-Robed Warrior Corps began to advance into the city.
These loyal Order Warriors were resolute at this moment. Even though they knew this might be a one-way trip, each of them marched forward without hesitation, bound by their oath to the Faith Order.
Their battle plan was to advance into the city in groups of three, looking for opportunities to set up 'Judgment' arrays in blind spots among buildings and ruins.
This time, the Faith Order is very determined. The purple-robed warriors have brought almost all of their 'Judgments'. Hundreds of Judgments will be released at once, and the resulting chain of lightning will be enough to cover half of the city. Everyone here, friend or foe, will be electrocuted into charred remains.
It is also the only way the Faith Order can think of to deal with the enemy. If successful, they can annihilate most of the Expeditionary Army that is launching an attack.
The Faith Order also commands a portion of its followers' army and nearly 2,000 Order Warriors. If they seize the opportunity to launch a counterattack, they will surely be able to reclaim the entire valley.
However, such a large-scale operation is difficult to avoid being noticed.
On the battlefield, while a small Expeditionary Army force was clearing houses, they discovered three enemy figures hiding under some rubble, doing something unknown.
The squad leader immediately ordered several soldiers to flank from the other side, while he led the remaining men in a frontal attack.
After a fierce battle, all three enemy samurai were killed. However, they were indeed formidable, resulting in injuries to everyone in the squad and the death of two men.
The team leader was extremely frustrated; a dozen men had fought against these three, yet they had suffered such heavy losses.
However, he also noticed something was amiss. After all, in the previous battles, the newly arrived Faith Order troops were not this difficult to deal with, and their attire and appearance were clearly different from the previous enemies.
He suddenly remembered something the Detachment Commander had told them when they went to the battlefield: if they saw enemies in purple robes, they should immediately report it and hand over the metal rods they were carrying.
Thinking of this, he hurriedly went to check the bodies of the three dead Order Warriors and found a purple robe under the armor of one of them.
He immediately understood what was going on, and then he led everyone to search the area around the ruins. Finally, they found a metal rod stuck in the ground in a small pile of stones.
Seeing the metal rod with its intricate patterns yet pristine finish, the squad leader quickly ordered his men to clear away the pile of stones and pull the metal rod out of the ground.
He then dared not delay and led his squad to protect the metal rod as they retreated.
Although he didn't know what these things represented, the fact that the Detachment Commander was emphasizing this matter so solemnly must have a very important reason.
When he brought the metal rod back to the camp and handed it to their Detachment Commander, the Detachment Commander's expression changed drastically. He immediately ordered someone to take the metal rod to the Regimental Commander, Santos, and also informed other nearby troops about the incident.
After receiving the intelligence, the other detachments of the Expeditionary Army immediately began to pay close attention. They quickly and successfully located several groups of purple-robed warriors and killed two of them, but only found a metal rod.
At the same time, Santos also received a report from his subordinates, who had personally witnessed the 'Judgment' metal rod that had been brought back.
He knew that the Faith Order most likely intended to use these apotheotic Sacred Artifacts.
At that very moment, the Expeditionary Army was fighting in that ruined city. If the Faith Order were to unleash the power of 'Judgment', the Expeditionary Army would certainly suffer heavy casualties.
Santos dared not allow his troops to fight under such dangerous weapons, so he quickly ordered all units of the Expeditionary Army to cease fighting and retreat immediately.
At the same time, he immediately sent Mizhene to his command post, since the Faith Order were certainly the ones who knew the most about this Sacred Artifact.
He was eager to know when these Sacred Artifacts would be set up and put into use.