Just as Tailun was recalling the sacred words spoken by Ed, the " Son of God," a priest darted past him.
Seeing that he was one of the few priests who had not been corrupted, Tailun quickly grabbed the other's arm:
"Stop right there!"
The priest turned his head blankly and said:
"Inspector, didn't you say they needed reinforcements over there...?"
We have enough people, no need to go anymore.
He looked at the priest in front of him, who was already middle-aged but had not yet been dragged into the mess:
"I need a few temporary guards with me."
"Sir, what about the defensive line...?"
The priest instinctively wanted to refuse. At that moment, he felt something was amiss. Why would a commander like Tailun, with his extensive combat experience and preference for frontline command, need to temporarily conscript someone like him as a bodyguard?
Putting aside his fighting ability, there were several tall and strong-looking men among the group he brought.
But he ultimately chose to accept the order. The fierce battle made him instinctively choose to trust the inspector. Although the inspector treated the priests badly, he was not negligent at all in building the city walls and defending against the Blood Corpse.
I imagine he's the kind of leader who has a fiery temper but is still capable of getting all the work done...
Tailun, accompanied by the middle-aged priest, began patrolling the hundred-meter-long earthen wall. Whenever he saw a Pure Ones on the roster, he would add them to his temporary team, while conveniently sending the cowardly Fallen One to their slaughterhouse.
On the other side of the city wall, there was a slaughterhouse.
Only after experiencing it firsthand did [ Aluode ] understand why every country in the world placed such importance on the development of city defense technology in ancient times.
Even though the earthen wall was only as tall as a person, he instinctively felt a sense of pressure when he looked up at it.
Fortunately, his companions, who were holding up thick wooden shields, saw his ID frame. Two of them pointed to a not-so-obvious gap, and [ Aluode ] immediately led the Blood Corpse in a fierce attack.
Unbridled, [ Aluode ] trampled a small group of incapacitated Blood Corpse under his feet and stomped onto the city wall.
In Bennett's view, [ Aluode ]'s ascent of the city wall was like a divine intervention. His claws embedded themselves in the weapons of two shield-bearing guards, and with a powerful swing of his thick arms, he threw the two men off the city wall.
The already narrow city wall was now completely torn open, and the Blood Corpse behind [ Aluode ] immediately rushed forward in a rush.
But this favorable situation did not last long. After [ Aluode ] dealt with the shield bearers, a group of warriors dressed in priest robes quickly arrived, and the two sides began a brutal meat grinder on the city walls.
In [ Aluode's] view, the priests before him had already been marked as [ Fallen One ] by other players. According to the previous plan, these guys who had betrayed the Tree God would be the stepping stones for him to gain Bennett's trust.
He immediately charged forward, brandishing his claws. Although the Fallen One showed fear, they did not lose their composure and used Directed Alienation, wielding a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, adopting a standard academic stance.
One side played methodically, while the other relied purely on bestial hunting instincts; the Blood Corpse and the Fallen One were locked in a fierce battle.
"Bang!"
A Fallen One was knocked away by [ Aluode ] and landed a few meters behind him.
A tall figure came into view in his bewildered eyes.
It's Tailun, it's Inspector Tailun, he can definitely save me!
"Grown ups!"
The Fallen One shouted, trying to attract Tailun's attention, who was standing nearby, but the tall, imposing inspector only gave him a cold look.
The next moment, a Blood Corpse broke through the Fallen One's defenses and plunged its claws into his abdomen.
A sharp pain suddenly struck, and the Fallen One, with his last vestiges of consciousness, uttered a venomous question:
Why are you just staring...?
Just watching?
Seeing the Fallen One before him breathe his last, Tailun's right hand instantly Alienation a longsword, and with a single strike, he sent the head of the Blood Corpse that had killed the Fallen One flying.
Looking at the Fallen One on the ground, their eyes wide open in death, he sighed with regret:
"Oh dear, I'm too late."
Tree Worship Church, Holy City, Holy Soul Hall.
The Soul Tree of all registered priests in the entire Tree Worship Church are arranged in a categorized manner according to the order of Holy City, province, and town.
Each of these Soul Tree carries a wisp of the soul of a clergyman. The Soul Tree and the priest live and die together, clearly displaying their health status at all times. This is why Ed does not intend to personally kill the Fallen One in the short term.
The Soul Tree does not need watering; it only needs the nourishment of sunlight to survive. Therefore, this is also a way for the Tree Worship Church to keep track of the situation throughout the Theocracy. As soon as any Soul Tree dies, it will immediately attract their attention, and a corresponding investigation will be launched immediately.
The guard of the Holy Soul Hall, who was on night watch, was startled awake by a sudden pang of fear. He pressed his hand to his chest, feeling his heart pounding violently, and a sense of foreboding washed over him.
He got out of bed and stretched out his right hand. At the same time, the Symbiotic Tree stretched forward rapidly, and within a few breaths, a wooden lantern appeared beside him. The lantern emitted a faint glow, illuminating the Holy Soul Hall, which was full of Soul Tree, in the darkness.
The Night Watchmen examined each Soul Tree, trying to discern the source of that palpitation.
He crossed the Holy City and several provinces near the central region, quickly arriving at the location of the Aduolin Province, where he began to observe each Soul Tree one by one.
The lantern swept across a spot, and the night watchman saw something he could hardly believe.
He saw a Soul Tree that was now dead beyond any doubt, and its state of death was unlike anything he had ever seen in his forty years of working in the Holy Soul Hall.
There was a clear crack in the middle of the Soul Tree, and the upper part of the tree was almost separated from the lower part.
The dark red claw marks are still faintly visible at the break, and each leaf is grayish-black rather than withered yellow, which is obviously related to some kind of toxin.
The Night Watchman nearly fell backward to the ground. If it weren't for the fact that the lamp in his hand was also Alienation of his Symbiotic Tree, it probably would have fallen to the ground by now.
He examined the dead state of the Soul Tree again carefully, then moved his gaze to the plaque beneath it:
[ Aduolin Province - Weeping Willow Town - First-Class Priest Kandel (Born in Fir City, Aduolin Province, in Royal Calendar 879)]
The night watch priest quickly picked up the potted Soul Tree and carried it to the bookshelf in the Holy Soul Hall.
He pulled a yellowed ancient book from the bookshelf and began to compare the causes of death of the Soul Tree recorded in it with the Soul Tree that had died in front of him.
The pages turned from back to front, and the Night's Watchman's expression grew increasingly grave.
Finally, his hand stopped on a page of a record from nearly a century ago:
[(Hand-drawn image): The Soul Tree trunk is visibly damaged, bearing tooth marks or scratches, with red residue on the cut surface. The leaves are grayish-black, and there is a strong bloody odor— Blood Corpse (a mutated vampire)]