A "Victorious" Ambush

The moon is halfway up in the sky.

White clouds, like a veil, veiled the moon. Deep within the forest, in the dark shadows where moonlight couldn't reach, a faint sound could be heard.

Then, pairs of bright red eyes emerged from the darkness.

The immortal beings, unaware of the danger before them, were utterly incapable of feeling anything in their dead state. They marched with disordered steps, yet in orderly formation, deeper into the forest. The thick aura of death had long since enveloped the entire forest; wild beasts and birds had vanished. Even the grass and trees were now silent, not uttering a sound; not even the wind rustling through the treetops made a whisper.

"They're here!"

Lying prone in the pit, gazing at the sea of red dots faintly visible in the darkness, the paladins tensed. They felt the evil and death permeating the air, a heavy, terrifying presence like the calm before a tsunami. Each of them silently recited sacred words and prayed, trying to dispel their fear and regain their courage.

The location Catherine chose was right in front of the undead army. The terrain here was narrow, and even a large undead army couldn't climb over the steep cliffs on both sides. Therefore, their only option was to pass through the canyon in the middle. And if they seized the right moment to open the river channel, the cascading water could directly wash away these undead creatures. Now, the project was nearing completion, and the undead army had clearly arrived.

Your Highness.

Standing on the steep mountainside, gazing at the terrifying undead that were darker than darkness itself, the commander frowned and looked at the saintess beside him.

"I suggest you go to the rear. After all, this is the front line, and besides, if anything unexpected happens..."

"We have no rear base here, and we have no land to abandon."

Catherine politely but firmly declined the other party's offer.

"This is my plan, and I have a responsibility to oversee it until the moment it's completed..."

At this point, Catherine paused slightly before asking a question.

"Are the paladins all ready?"

"Yes, Your Highness, but..."

At this point, the commander's expression turned somewhat grim.

"Lord Henderson did not follow your orders and led his squad off somewhere unknown."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Catherine's expression changed slightly, then she shook her head and sighed.

"Now is not the time to assign blame. At least for now, all we can do is what we can."

Where did that madman Henderson take the boy? Catherine's original plan was for Henderson to lead the boy to the front lines... but it seems the madman has no intention of following Catherine's wishes. Although she doesn't know what he's suspecting, Catherine doesn't need to accuse or slander him too much right now. In fact, if she just maintains her hurt expression, rumors detrimental to Henderson will quickly spread. After all, in such a serious battle, acting without authorization is a grave offense. Moreover, Catherine is a highly respected saint.

Thinking of this, Catherine couldn't help but look down at the ring on her hand. It was a magical item that Angela had given her, prepared by Li Lin Angela. With its power, Catherine could unleash powerful holy energy, enough to destroy these undead creatures. Catherine also knew very well that this would further enhance her reputation, making her position within the Temple unparalleled. After all, with the God of Justice gone, most clergy had lost the ability to use holy power, while she still possessed it.

Master, I will do everything you wish me to do.

Thinking of this, Catherine gripped the ring in her hand tightly and stared intently into the darkness before her.

Although no torches were lit anywhere in the vast valley for fear of being discovered by the undead, and the undead army was almost invisible in the shadows of the forest, everyone seemed to be able to see and feel a darkness deeper than darkness itself, slowly rolling forward and devouring everything it saw.

Finally, the undead army arrived at the canyon.

As Catherine had predicted, the undead army did not continue its advance. Instead, it rapidly converged and headed towards the path in the middle of the canyon. Although many undead creatures attempted to continue their journey by climbing the rock walls, they all failed. After all, the valleys on both sides were far too steep for even the undead to easily traverse.

"Your Highness!"

Watching the undead army enter the canyon, the commander grew increasingly tense. He stared at Catherine, awaiting the final command. But Catherine shook her head.

"Wait a little longer, now is not the time."

The undead army has only just entered the canyon. Although releasing the water now will take some time, it won't inflict maximum damage. Catherine is still waiting for the perfect moment. Moreover, she needs to use this current to do some things she must do.

Whether it was the paladins lying in ambush or the warriors awaiting their final orders, this moment felt incredibly long. The undead army moved slowly yet powerfully, their crimson eyes filled with terror, resentful rage, and the chilling prospect of death. Clad in tattered clothes, they traversed the narrow canyon, not even the loose rocks able to halt their progress. Occasionally, an undead creature would stumble over a stone, but it never had a chance to rise before becoming a pile of mangled flesh at the feet of the other undead.

A putrid, foul odor slowly spread in the night breeze, making one want to vomit.

After an unknown amount of time, the undead army finally reached the center of the canyon.

"Now!!"

Catherine gave the order.

Bright torches were immediately lit and began to sway according to the pre-arranged signal. The soldiers who received the signal began to frantically dig the last channel of the river. They forcefully smashed the huge, blocking rocks. Then, the surging river, having lost its last dam, finally began to change course.

Sensing the presence of light, the undead creatures curiously raised their heads, gazing at the firelight on the mountaintop, not understanding what it was. But soon, the earth began to tremble, and then, a rushing, roaring river gushed forth from the mountainside.

The undead offered no resistance to the relentless torrent. They simply stood there, letting the flowing water wash over their bodies. The power of nature was something even the undead could not completely ignore. The immense force tore apart their already fragile bodies and shattered their formation. In the blink of an eye, the once pitch-black undead army was submerged by the river.

It worked!!

Gazing at the scene before him, the commander couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. He had never imagined that he could actually defeat these terrifying undead creatures! Look at them! Though they were still struggling, the sloping river relentlessly toppled them. And look at those foolish undead creatures—they didn't even know to retreat! Facing such raging waters, they still pressed forward! Such foolish behavior was utterly pointless!!

"Your Highness, we succeeded! Saint..."

The commander didn't finish his sentence, because when he turned to look at Catherine, he was completely stunned.

Her pure white wings unfurled, radiating an inviolable holiness under the glow of divine light. Catherine slowly soared into the sky, flapping her wings to reach above the undead creature. The radiance emanating from her beautiful body was like the morning star in the darkness, bringing hope and courage.

In the name of God!

Catherine spoke up.

"In the name of the gods, you sorrowful undead, fall into eternal slumber under the holy light!"

As she spoke, she raised her right hand.

In an instant, everyone squinted, as a light as bright as the sun filled the entire world. Under the illumination of this divine power, the undead began to waver and retreat. They felt pain from the depths of their souls; the once invincible army began to retreat. Moreover, under the light, the undead realized that the originally harmless river water beneath them was gradually bringing them unspeakable pain.

"Attack!!"

Without a signal, bathed in divine light, all the paladins drew their longswords and, guided by Catherine, charged towards the undead army before them... Never before had they been so certain of their victory, so grateful to the great god, and so filled with courage and hope.

The war ended at dawn.

Under the scouring of the river, Catherine's Holy Light, and the charge of the paladins, the undead army, suppressed to its lowest point, had no chance to resist. In this battle, the Xialuo Kingdom and Dideyasi only paid the price of about two thousand people to completely annihilate this undead army that numbered in the tens of thousands.

This is a victory!

This is the first victory for the Five-Nation Alliance since the Magic Empire returned to this world!

News of the victory quickly spread to every corner of the Five-Nation Alliance. The people of the Xialuo Kingdom and Dideyasi rejoiced at the triumph, seeing hope—the hope of the undead army's destruction. Saintess Catherine's reputation soared to unprecedented heights thanks to this victory. Some even said she was the daughter of God, the spokesperson of the divine; as long as she was there, the Five-Nation Alliance would not perish. They believed that as long as she was there, the undead army would eventually be annihilated. This saintess was not only beautiful but also possessed immense divine power and was exceptionally intelligent. All of this reassured the people.

By this time, Catherine's status within the Temple was unparalleled; she even surpassed the Temple's archbishop, becoming the most authoritative figure in the entire Temple. Everyone who had experienced that battle praised Catherine's courage and conviction, and felt immense pride in her. The gods had not abandoned these poor lambs; they continued to help the people fight against the evil Magic Empire in their own way!

Such propaganda spread immediately. It is foreseeable that the Temple, whose reputation had plummeted due to its defeat in the previous Federation war, was eager to use this victory to rebuild its influence.

Some are happy, some are sad.

As Catherine's reputation steadily rose, rumors about Grand Knight Commander Henderson began to circulate. Through the efforts of those with ulterior motives, many in the Temple learned that on the eve of the war, Henderson had disregarded Catherine's orders and led his men away from the front lines alone. This caused the Grand Knight Commander's reputation to plummet. Although Catherine herself did not comment on the matter, most people in the Temple held a critical attitude towards Henderson because of it. Although the Saintess and the Grand Knight Commander had always been at odds within the Temple, Catherine had previously chosen to yield. After becoming Li Lin's loyal servant, Catherine chose the most advantageous course of action to counteract the Grand Knight Commander's hostility. Therefore, many believed that the fanatical Grand Knight Commander's act of acting arbitrarily out of self-pity under these circumstances was not commendable.

Of course, many people expressed doubts about this victory. After all, although Catherine's strategy sounded clever, it wasn't actually that unique. In addition, in previous battles, although the Federation had various means, the Magic Empire still managed to advance unimpeded, eventually even capturing its capital. It's hard to imagine what kind of effect such a clever victory could bring.

Of course, this voice was in the minority. Under the current circumstances, most people chose to believe what they wanted to believe. Moreover, after that battle, the Magic Empire became much more restrained, and even the undead army that had been roaming in the distance retreated. They stopped carrying out massacres, and the people began to spread rumors that this was an action taken by the Magic Empire out of fear of Saintess Catherine.

Although there are many different opinions about the Magic Empire's actions, the real reason is probably only known to Catherine.

Compared to the massacre, Li Lin and Angela had more important things to do.

"It's already the fifth day."

Looking at the man hanging on the wall, Li Lin's brows relaxed considerably.

"It seems this experiment might yield good results."

"These muscle-bound idiots are definitely more useful than those civilians."

Angela a cold laugh.

In fact, Li Lin and Angela were also present that day. However, while Catherine's holy light enveloped the entire sky, they took the opportunity to abduct a small group of paladins. This was a gift Catherine had specially prepared for Li Lin, and also a tool for their experiments. The poor paladins didn't even realize what was happening before Li Lin cleanly extracted their souls and began the fusion experiment of the magic cores once again.

It must be said that the paladins' bodies, honed through long-term, self-torturing training, were indeed more resilient than those of the frail commoners. Although they almost all initially showed a rejection reaction to the fusion, they all eventually persevered. Currently, their bodies have entered a dormant period, undergoing modification within the magic core. Once the modification is complete, the next stage of the experiment can begin.

"Although things are going smoothly,... we can't keep going like this forever."

Watching the paladin's body constantly bulge and then return to its original state, Li Lin pondered and spoke.

"We still need to find a more convenient method to transfer the soul. After all, the number of paladins is also limited. Moreover, they were once servants of the gods and experienced divine power. We don't know what unpredictable consequences would occur if a mage's soul were transplanted into them. What we're doing now can only alleviate the immediate crisis."

"For those greedy, insatiable fools, this is enough, Master."

Angela looked away.

"So, what do you plan to do next? Although I can temporarily reduce the undead army, it would get quite boring if it were held back for too long."

I don't think so.

Li Lin reached out and stroked Angela's little head.

"You must still have things to do... don't you? According to the Dark Elf Matriarch's report, Lalia's recent actions have been somewhat beyond our control."

Although everything was progressing smoothly, at the same time, Li Lin received a less-than-pleasant report from the Dark Elf Matriarch. According to her, after driving out Kudel's occupying forces, Lalia's army had surprisingly turned its attention to the Dark Elf' underground world, launching a large-scale attack. Although the Dark Elf held the advantage underground, preventing Lalia's army from gaining any significant advantage, Lalia's actions were indeed beyond Li Lin's expectations. He and Angela had controlled Lalia only to contain Kudel, not to attack the Dark Elf. Clearly, all signs indicated that some people seemed unwilling to continue being pawns.

"I understand your meaning, Master."

Hearing this, Angela smiled slightly. Then, she took a few steps back, lifted her skirt, and bowed to Li Lin.

"Trash can't just be left unattended; it has to be cleaned up sooner or later."

Don't forget to recycle and reuse.