Linley had only been back from the mysterious mountain village for a few days when battle reports arrived from the south.
The Radiant Church and the Dark Church joined forces, sending tens of thousands of troops to invade from the northeast, heading straight for the newly discovered mine in the Baruch Kingdom. Leading the army were Cardinal Geluman of the Radiant Church and High Priest Jialong of the Dark Church.
The news was brought by Haeru, who had crawled back from underground. When it emerged from the ground, its fur was still covered in mud.
"Master, the two sects are serious this time," Haeru said in a low voice. "The new mine in the Northeast is too far from the mountain city; our scouts were intercepted halfway there, so I had to go underground to deliver the message."
Linley, wearing only a thin robe, stood in front of the hall. After looking at the map, he glanced back at his brothers below.
"We'll split into three groups," Linley said. " Gates, you lead a battalion to the northeast to hold them off. Hazer, you guard the old mine. Boone, you stay with me in the mountain city."
Gates grinned. "Third brother, don't worry, if those bastards from the Radiant Church dare to step in, I'll send them back to the Temple to eat vegetarian food."
"Don't try to be a hero." Linley glanced at him. "Tens of thousands of allied troops aren't street thugs. Hold them off. Don't do anything that will put you at a disadvantage."
Before dawn, the various armies quietly dispersed.
Gates was the most ruthless of the five brothers. When he led his troops to the northeastern mines, he didn't rush to meet the enemy. Instead, he spent the whole night scouting out the terrain, water sources, and places where ambushes could be set up on both sides of the valley.
The old scout squatted beside him, pointing to the dark valley in the distance. "Commander, the allied forces of the two religions are stationed over there, less than twenty miles from the mine. Although they outnumber us, they've been burning and killing their way here, so their supplies are loose and their camps are scattered."
Gates stared at the darkness, rubbing his hands together. "Let's move first, before they do."
He withdrew his suicide squad overnight and hid them in the dense forests on both sides of the valley. When the combined forces of the two religions entered the valley, they walked right into a trap.
As dawn approached, the morning mist lingered. Gates crouched atop the cliff, watching the procession below wind its way into the valley, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists.
"Boys," Gates drew his sword, his voice low, "Our Baruch territory isn't something anyone can just gnaw on."
Before he could finish speaking, shouts of battle erupted from the dense forest on three sides. The allied forces had just arrived, their formation was scattered, and with the morning mist, they had no time to form ranks. Before the vanguard commander could react, Gates had already cut him down with a single stroke.
The two teams' forwards suffered a loss and retreated ten miles to set up camp again and discuss the matter.
This discussion, ironically, went awry first.
Cardinal Geluman was eager to seize the mine and return to the temple to claim his reward. High Priest Jialong, however, wanted to use the opportunity to expand his territory westward.
" Geluman, mobilizing such a large army just for a mine?" Jialong twirled his withered fingers. "You're really worthless."
" Jialong, His Holiness the Pope can withdraw his troops once this mine is secured." Geluman said grimly, "You want to encroach on territory? That's your Dark Church's business."
"That's not what you said when we formed the alliance."
"Alliance is alliance, territory is territory."
The two men started arguing in front of their respective armies, their arguments growing increasingly heated as they revealed their true intentions regarding the ownership of the mines and the division of territory. The two generals stood behind their commanders, their faces contorted with tension, and they nearly came to blows on the spot.
Gates ' scouts, hiding in the brambles outside the Allied camp, overheard everything clearly and sneaked back that very night to report back to Gates without missing a single word.
After hearing this, Gates slapped his thigh and laughed until his face was full of wrinkles, "Good heavens! I was wondering why these two families got together. Turns out they each had their own agendas. One was eager to go home and collect their reward, while the other wanted to take advantage of the chaos. This isn't a joint effort; it's more like two old men sitting at the same table, each eating their own meal."
He wrote to Linley overnight.
Linley stood on the city wall, read the secret letter by the light of the torch, and slowly put the letter into his pocket.
"They're not of one mind after all," he murmured, then turned to his guards and said, "Send a message to Gates: don't fight them head-on, just stall them. The longer the better. Once they've fallen out on their own, we'll close in."
This waiting eventually led to an opportunity.
The two allied forces remained deadlocked at the mine for several days, neither able to persuade the other. Geluman was determined to withdraw, while Jialong was determined to attack. The two armies were at odds, and morale was waning day by day. First, they argued over the allocation of provisions, with Geluman complaining that Jialong withheld rations, Jialong complaining that Geluman was hoarding elite troops. Later, even the barracks and sentry posts became obstacles for each other. When night patrols bumped into each other, they would give way with cold faces.
On the fifth night, soldiers from both sides got into a fight over a water source, resulting in a small-scale brawl. More than a dozen people were injured, and neither side was willing to back down. They simply withdrew their troops, their faces dark, and glared at each other across the stream.
Gates had been observing coldly all along, but now he had finally had enough. He drew his sword and brandished it behind him. "The time has come! Charge with me!"
Baruch's army descended like tigers from the mountains, taking advantage of the two churches' mutual wariness and inability to support each other, and launched a three-pronged attack, storming into the allied camp in one fell swoop. The two armies, which had always operated under two sets of banners and commands, were now in complete disarray. The Radiant Church wanted to retreat, Dark Church wanted to advance; the two streams collided, throwing themselves into chaos. Within an hour, they were either killed or fled, their army utterly routed.
Geluman was chased by Gates for miles, losing even his cloak, and only survived by disappearing into a forest. Jialong's battle flag was torn off by a Stone-Eater Rat in the chaos of battle, and he retreated into the darkness, never daring to show his face again.
A long-planned joint attack was thus thwarted by the infighting between the two religions.
When the news reached the mountain city, the entire kingdom rejoiced. Linley stood atop the city wall, gazing south, and simply said, "This battle was won by luck. If those people in the Radiant Church hadn't fought amongst themselves, Gates alone might not have been able to hold them off."
He knew in his heart that the crack that had appeared within the Radiant Church was far more valuable than winning this battle.
A few days later, Desri arrived uninvited and climbed the mountain town.
He came up the mountain path alone, without any entourage, wearing only a moon-white robe, the hem of which was slightly damp with morning dew. Linley personally came down the mountain to greet him.
"My lord, you have come from afar; I have failed to greet you properly. I apologize for my rudeness."
"No need for formalities." Desri raised his hand. "I'm here precisely for the matter we agreed upon."
The two entered the council chamber and sat facing each other. Delia brewed tea and quietly withdrew.
"Sir," Linley began, "You must have heard about the alliance between the two religions. Although the victory was by chance, the Radiant Church is still intact, and it is still a long way from being destroyed."
Desri held his teacup but did not respond.
"This junior would like to ask," Linley raised his eyes, "Sir, have you come up with a solution?"
Desri then put down his teacup. " Linley, I've thought long and hard about the matter you entrusted to me, and I've agreed. But given your current situation, a single victory won't be enough to stabilize the foundation of the Radiant Church."
"What does Your Excellency mean?"
"The root of the old Radiant Church is not in the Temple," Desri said, "But in the hearts of those who believe in the light but are unaware that they are worshipping a soul-devouring black god. To eliminate it, you must first appease the hearts of millions of believers. If you merely kill the Pope and demolish the Temple, the believers will instantly turn to another 'light,' or even be taken advantage of by the Dark Church —that would be a true defeat."
Linley felt a slight tremor in his heart. He had only been thinking about defeating the Radiant Church's military power along the way, and had overlooked this most important aspect.
"You are right, sir," Linley said solemnly. "I was only thinking about eliminating the root of the problem, but I forgot to ask how to settle people's hearts after that."
"It's already quite remarkable that you've thought this far," Desri said, looking at him. "I've long planned for the new Radiant Church. Once the old Radiant Church falls, I will personally oversee the restoration of true 'light.' I will only preach faith, not devour souls. This is an agreement we made long ago, and I will not break it."
He paused, then continued, "There's only one condition—on the day the old Radiant Church falls, you must guarantee that those millions of believers won't turn to darkness because they have nowhere else to go. Otherwise, no matter how cleanly my new Radiant Church is established, it won't be able to hold onto a heart that has already grown cold."
Linley rose and bowed solemnly. "It is a blessing for the billions of living beings on the Yulan Continent that Your Excellency is willing to lend a hand. I guarantee with my life that I will safeguard this land and find a place where piety can find peace."
Desri accepted the greeting without saying anything, picked up his teacup, and slowly took a sip.
As they parted, Desri stood atop the city wall, gazing at the distant mountains, and suddenly turned back. " Linley, you are still young, and you have a long road ahead. The affairs of the Radiant Church cannot be rushed. Remember these words you spoke to me today—no matter how high you rise in the future, never forget the hearts of those you initially protected."
Linley solemnly agreed.
In the Northeast, Gates squatted amidst the spoils of war, grinning and cursing, "Hey, this battle has opened up the situation for Third Master. Now, let's see if those Radiant Church bastards dare to come and gnaw on our bones again."
In several major cities to the south, rumors of a transition between the old and new Radiant Church are quietly spreading.