At the very moment the cathedral collapsed, a resounding horn suddenly blared from the west of the city, amplified by magic until it spread throughout war-torn Rhine City.
The herald's voice rang out as well after being amplified.
"All troops, retreat—!"
In the sky, the mages had just finished another exchange of fire with the priest forces. Upon receiving the order, Joanna could not help casting the enemy a regretful glance—by now, the priests' ranks had become sparse, reduced to roughly half their original numbers, and the bishop looked rather bedraggled as well. After crushing who knew how many crosses in succession, the Holy Light around him had finally thinned. Perhaps in another ten minutes, they would be beaten to the point of exhausting every last resource.
Meanwhile, Joanna's mages still had strength to spare.
What a pity. We were so close to wiping them all out...
However, that had been the plan from the start, and Joanna knew The Church's reinforcements would arrive soon. Thus, they swiftly turned and sped off in the predetermined direction.
At the same time, the armies locked in chaotic battle below underwent an abrupt change. The Black Nightmare army, which had originally held the numerical advantage, now disengaged from the fighting one after another. From above, they looked like a receding tide, withdrawing through street after street and surging toward the breached western gate.
In comparison, The Church and the Kingdom Army were clearly much slower to react.
"Did we... drive them back?"
In the sky, the bishop stared uncertainly at the retreating army. For a moment, he did not even entertain the slightest thought of pursuit, feeling only faint relief.
The clash with the mage force had nearly shattered his confidence within a mere dozen minutes. He had studied divine arts for who