The Darkness Before Dawn!

Falling Leaf City, Temple.

The Holy Spirit Cleric, Milan, who was kneeling in prayer in the center of the temple, suddenly opened her eyes. A dazzling light shone in them, and she stood up instantly, exclaiming excitedly, "Prepare for the believers to move! Our My Lord is almost here!"

"Immediately arrange for Temple Guard to be deployed. We should first move our most devout believers to a safe place. Our My Lord has already led a large army here."

A wave of astonishment swept through the temple!

However, a priest immediately gave the order, and the temple's remaining Guard sprang into action, arranging for people to be moved here.

"They want to get rid of the most devout believers!"

Holy Spirit Cleric Milan stood up, his expression serious. "These people are the easiest to manage; they're willing to obey our orders. As for the others, we'll deal with them after the first group has left."

In just a few days.

This girl, who is only a teenager, has already matured a lot. Although she still looks young, she is much more experienced in handling things.

As the Church's only Holy Spirit Cleric, she has learned a great deal during this time!

"Yes!" the Temple Guard replied.

soon.

A cacophony of sounds erupted outside, many hesitant to leave immediately. However, a considerable number of devout believers prepared to depart together, for the siege of Falling Leaf City had terrified them, and the Dragon's majesty had imprinted the image of a Deity upon their hearts. According to the priests, their New Deity was a powerful Deity capable of commanding Dragon, and that once they left, the Deity would provide them with safety and protection.

In the crowd, a pale-faced mother hugged her child tightly.

Although the crisis in Falling Leaf City had been temporarily averted, food was still scarce, and a hint of panic lingered on her delicate face. She clutched the baby tightly in her arms and moved slowly with the crowd.

At this moment.

A man dressed as a militiaman approached and quickly walked to her side, urgently asking, "Elder Sister? Are you really planning to leave with them? The general said that Elven Race reinforcements will arrive soon, and we can repel those Orc!"

The beautiful woman turned to look at him, a tear glistening in the corner of her eye. She murmured, "How long?"

"Even if we can repel the Orc, how long will it take?"

"How much more blood will we lose? We've run out of food! I'm afraid my child and I won't make it that far!"

"I am not afraid of death."

"But I want him to live!"

The young mother looked at the wide-eyed baby in her arms. Her fingers bore numerous cuts, the result of feeding her child with her own blood during times of extreme food scarcity. The tiny infant was remarkably brave; despite the crowd and the chaos, he didn't cry, only staring intently at everything, as if he could sense something. The young mother's gaze softened as she looked at the baby. She shook her head firmly and whispered, "I'm sorry!"

"I plan to take him to a safe place and raise him slowly."

There is no hope of staying here.

"Even if I defeat the Orc, I can't possibly keep him alive until the end of autumn."

The militiamen nearby fell silent.

A hint of hesitation crossed his face, but he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Alright. I'll leave with you. I can't let you take the child so far away alone."

After speaking, the young Half-Elf looked towards the distant City Wall, a hint of sadness on his face.

He was a valiant Warrior.

If he could, he would never want to leave his homeland, but now he faced a difficult choice. One was to stay and protect his home, eventually finding a way to defeat the invading Orc; the other was to protect his Elder Sister and travel overseas, waiting for the day they could reclaim their homeland. On one side was his homeland, and on the other was his only surviving relative. In the end, he chose the latter.

The sound of hurried footsteps rang out.

A young figure rushed into the temple and shouted to the priests present, "Warship!"

"So many Warship!"

"The other side of the Agate River! It's full of Warship! We're saved!"

Scout.

In this situation, only scouts would leave Falling Leaf City. The young man, who clearly had more Elf blood, exclaimed excitedly, "The army! Our My Lord's army has arrived!"

God of Half-Elves and Rogues.

The Church's remaining strength consisted not only of priests, but also of many Half-Elf Rogue. Shortly after the Divine Oracle was delivered, the Church sent out many of these Rogue.

A slight smile appeared on the face of the Holy Spirit Cleric, Milan. He knelt on the ground in a devout prayer, then stood up and said, "Let's depart immediately!"

"Everyone pack your belongings and escort the believers away!"

Just then...

A middle-aged priest's voice rang out; he looked more like a nobleman than a priest. He said in a deep voice, "Just leave like this? There are Orc armies roaming nearby! What if we encounter them on the road? We can't hold out for long!"

Cleric Fina frowned as she glanced at him, then said in a deep voice, "Our My Lord will naturally come to our aid."

"Set off immediately!"

at this time.

It was nearly afternoon when, after a flurry of activity, thousands of believers quickly gathered. These were the Church's most devout followers, who, without hesitation, chose to leave together after the Divine Oracle was delivered.

The South Gate of Falling Leaf City has opened.

First came the temple guards, then a group of militia, followed by a large contingent of Commoner, and then the priests who brought up the rear.

On the City Wall.

A richly dressed nobleman silently watched the crowd depart, his cold gaze fixed on the figure of the Holy Spirit Cleric, Milan.

"Your Mightiness."

A middle-aged man who looked like a military officer approached him and said in a deep voice, "Are we just going to let them leave like this? If they leave, the morale of the people in the city will collapse."

"I'm afraid our situation will become even more difficult from now on!"

The richly dressed nobleman turned and glanced at him, his expression cold. "I know. Withdraw the men from the front lines. They can't reach the Agate River before nightfall. Once they leave, they'll be exposed to the Orc army."

At this point, his expression turned cold.

Yes.

Most of the believers were elderly, women, children, or ordinary Commoner. These people traveled very slowly, and it was impossible for them to cover a distance of twenty or thirty kilometers before nightfall. If the Orc army learned of their whereabouts, the outcome would be almost certain: how could a group of Commoner possibly stand against a powerful Orc army in the wild?

The middle-aged officer's face immediately turned ugly. After understanding why the nobleman had let them go, a trace of reluctance arose in his heart.

Unless someone quickly comes to their aid along the way, these people will likely meet a tragic end!

If they catch up, it will be a massacre.

If these people are slaughtered by the Orc army, the Commoner in Falling Leaf City will have no chance of leaving, which would be a major blow to the Church's prestige. In this situation, the Noble Council would have absolute control.

The sky gradually darkened.

The priests urged the crowd to quicken their pace as much as they could, but with so many elderly, weak, women, and children, it was impossible to walk very fast. Many were the orphans of Warrior, and the women carrying children hadn't had a proper meal in a long time, and were now utterly exhausted. It was already getting dark, and they had only covered about half the distance. If the Orc scouts spotted them, they would most likely be overtaken by the enemy.

"This is too slow!"

The elderly bishop glanced at the bloated, slow-moving procession and muttered, "I'm afraid the Orc have already discovered us."

"Prepare the Temple Guard for battle!"

"The militia will stay behind to protect the believers; the rest of you, prepare for battle with me!"

Half a day has already passed.

This massive army would be almost impossible to miss, and if it were discovered, enemy troops would likely appear very soon.

The old man bowed his head and prayed a few times, then slowly said, "Now we can only hope that our My Lord's reinforcements will come to our aid!"

"Otherwise."

"We might not make it to the Agate River."

Waaaaah!

A mournful bugle call sounded.

A sudden scream of panic erupted from the crowd. Countless people looked into the distance with terrified expressions. In the distance, the figures of Orc appeared. Although the darkness affected their vision, they could still see the enemy rapidly approaching.

"Prepare for battle!"

"Prepare for battle!"

"Temple Guard, follow me! The rest of you, take the Commoner and leave!"

The elderly man in his bishop's robes drew his Longsword, gripped a Steel Shield, and charged backward at lightning speed, shouting, "Don't panic! Head towards the Agate River! Our My Lord's reinforcements are just ahead!"

"Pastor, please stay!"

"Servants of the Church! Warriors of the Temple! We cannot abandon the believers!..."

"All those who can fight, follow me and hold back the enemy's advance!"

"This is the last darkness before dawn!... Our My Lord's army will soon arrive!... For the glory of our My Lord!..."

"Prepare for battle!"

Awooo!

A desolate wolf howl rang out.

As the dull war drums echoed, dozens of Orc Cavalry riding huge Worg charged out from the flank of the Orc army. Raising these ferocious beasts was more difficult than feeding a heavy cavalryman. Even with the entire Orc's strength, they could only train a small squad. Now, this squad of Wolf Rider had bypassed the flank and accelerated toward the retreating Commoner.

The Orc Warrior had already appeared before them.

Faced with the Wolf Rider getting closer and closer to the group, the Temple Guard left behind to cover the rear were unable to provide any support.

The distance is getting closer!

The shadow of death loomed over everyone; once the Wolf Rider charged into the crowd, it would be a massacre!!!

...(To be continued~^~)