Luring the Enemy into a Trap

Catherine quickly realized something was wrong.

Although she had never fought alongside Angela, Catherine was quite familiar with Angela's style. In her opinion, if Angela were truly as angry as she appeared, she should have charged forward right now, trampling Gabriel and that man under her feet, instilling utter despair and fear in the allied army, and then laughing triumphantly as these courageless and demoralized troops perished. But she didn't do that. Instead, she simply stood quietly at the rear, letting her undead army launch wave after wave of almost pointless assaults on the city walls before her—clearly not a wise move.

In the past, this method would have been very effective. The undead creatures' immense strength and speed would have easily overwhelmed the city's defenders. The city walls, several meters high, were practically nonexistent in their eyes. With their immense strength and speed, they could leap over the walls in a few bounds and easily tear through the human defenses.

But this time, the undead failed again.

Because that man made a move.

No one saw clearly what the man did. They only saw him reach out his hand, then shout loudly. With that shout, the undead creatures that had been leaping rapidly all seemed to be slammed to the ground by something. When they stood up again, everything they had done before had vanished without a trace. They could no longer leap several meters high, nor could they use their claws to climb walls. At that moment, they seemed to have truly become walking corpses, exhibiting no other behavior whatsoever.

Thus, the outcome of the battle quickly became a foregone conclusion.

Soldiers threw down barrels of oil, followed by the launch of burning rockets that ignited the undead army. The undead, far less agile than before, proved remarkably vulnerable to the flames. Coupled with the Divine Radiance emanating from Gabriel and Catherine, and the relentless prayers and divine attacks of the clergy on the city walls, the once surging tide of the undead had become much more disorganized. Although they continued their frenzied charge, attempting to create a breach, having lost their former speed and power, these undead creatures had lost their former ferocity. Lacking any siege weapons, they quickly succumbed to the rain of arrows and the sea of fire.

Finally, after a three-hour stalemate, the other side seemed to realize that continuing in this manner would only result in pointless losses. Thus, with Angela's departure, the undead army withdrew from the city they had intended to conquer—their first retreat.

The entire battle was flawless in both its process and outcome. The enemy had a formidable army of 50,000 undead, while our side had less than 20,000. Despite such a vast disparity in numbers, only 500 died (after all, not everyone is so lucky), and 1,200 were wounded. This was arguably the best result against the undead army since the resurgence of the Magic Empire!

This battle report sent the entire United Kingdom into a frenzy. If before the Allied forces had only been fighting the scattered remnants of the Undead Legion, this time they were facing the entire regular army of the Undead Legion! And it was an organized attack led by the Magic Empire! Yet, even so, they still achieved victory. What did this mean?

Of course, the mysterious man also became known to all along with these battle reports. If he hadn't possessed the power to subdue the undead, defeating these terrifying monsters would have been no easy feat. Catherine, in her reports to the council and the Temple, also emphasized the man's importance. She skillfully used her writing to explain that this mysterious man possessed immense power bestowed by the God of Justice; he could suppress all the characteristics of the undead and revert them back to fragile zombies. These characteristics were described in detail in Catherine's report. Ultimately, however, she maintained neutrality in her dual capacity as both a saint and a princess, believing that while a single victory was encouraging, the undead army's advance remained threatening, and absolute composure was essential. This was, of course, Catherine paving the way for her own future; the astute woman had already foreseen the outcome of the war, and what she was doing now was preparing for that outcome.

In the fervor of victory, any attempt to dampen enthusiasm is naturally ignored. Although Catherine's noble status prevents her from being openly contradicted, many in the United Kingdom do not take the saint's words to heart. In their eyes, it is merely a woman's characteristic caution and meticulousness, which is why they cannot accomplish anything significant. Since it is war, there will naturally be all sorts of changes, and always shrinking back is certainly not a good thing.

However, Catherine's report caused the United Government to split into two factions once again.

One faction believes that since the man has such abilities, he should be given the task. After all, although Catherine and Gabriel also possess the ability to weaken undead creatures, their power is clearly not as great as this man's. Since he can suppress the power of tens of thousands of undead, he should be given a sufficient army to fight back and wipe out the evil undead army in one fell swoop, thereby defeating the Magic Empire.

The other faction held the opposite view. In their opinion, since only this man possessed such great power, it would be extremely unwise to let him venture out into the world. They reasoned that, apart from him, the other armies of the United Kingdom had not yet tested their combat capabilities against the Undead Legion. What if those armies couldn't hold them off? What if this man led a large army to destroy the evil legions of the Magic Empire, only to have his home base attacked from the rear instead? Therefore, they demanded that this man be assigned to the defensive duties of the United Kingdom, rather than being sent on offensive missions.

While this argument is reasonable, it has been met with considerable criticism. After all, the previous three battles against the undead legions had led people to believe that undead creatures were utterly useless except for their strength, speed, and numbers. They argued that these undead creatures could not possibly possess intelligence, let alone military concepts like "surprise attacks behind enemy lines." Some even accused those who proposed this argument of being cowardly, self-serving cowards who disregarded the greater good.

The Temple naturally remained silent. In fact, the bishops of the Temple no longer had any say. The Temple had long since become the Temple of Catherine and Gabriel. After all, one was an angel of God and the other was an archangel of God. Before them, no believer of the God of Justice could refute or resist their opinions.

The rear was in chaos, and the front lines were far from peaceful. After their first direct defeat of the Undead Legion's regular army (at least that's what they thought), the officers who had initially opposed the offensive quickly changed their tune. Soon, most of the soldiers believed that an immediate attack should be launched, a sustained pursuit should be undertaken, and the majority of the enemy's main force should be annihilated before they could react. Although the Magic Empire might not be destroyed as a result, losing most of their fighting strength would make it impossible for them to launch another attack on the United Kingdom, at least in the short term.

Catherine remained as calm as ever regarding this proposal, while Gabriel clearly frowned. As a lawful angel, she disliked such an overly aggressive tactic. While being proactive was sometimes necessary from a propaganda perspective, Gabriel was clearly leaning towards a conservative approach from a tactical standpoint.

As expected, after arguing without reaching a conclusion, the officers unanimously approached Gabriel and Catherine, demanding a decision on whether to continue the attack or shift towards defense. Gabriel remained silent, as she needed to hear the mysterious man's opinion before making a decision. However, Catherine's answer surprised everyone.

"I admit, the situation is currently very favorable, and I understand everyone's feelings. However, this is a war, not just a brutal brawl. We should be prepared in every aspect. Although I personally believe that the undead are unlikely to employ tactics like sneak attacks behind enemy lines—after all, they have no intelligence whatsoever and are merely manipulated pawns—we cannot ignore the possibility of such a scenario. My personal suggestion is not to send all troops to the front lines. We need some to stay behind and prepare for the logistical defense of the troops. While this may not necessarily be effective, it is certainly better than regretting it later."

Even the most impulsive officer had to admit that Catherine's words made sense, and after consulting with the mysterious man, Gabriel finally made his decision. In the ensuing battle, she and the mysterious man would lead the main force to continue the attack on the undead legion, while Catherine would lead a smaller force to handle reconnaissance and logistical support. After all, she was a saint and an angel, and her holy light possessed considerable destructive power against undead creatures.

After another rest, the main force quickly set off again, and Catherine breathed a long sigh of relief at the man's departure. She no longer had to worry about strange things as before.

Moreover, she was finally able to find time to contact her master.

"Well done."

Gazing at the smiling Li Lin in her illusion, Catherine felt so excited she couldn't speak. Although it had only been a short time since she had seen her master, to her, the world seemed to have turned into a colorless, desolate wasteland, utterly tasteless.

"In the end, they still decided to send troops?"

Li Lin's smile held an undisguised mockery.

"Yes, Master, I think Gabriel wasn't actually willing to do this, but that man insisted on sending troops. In their private meetings, he seemed quite interested in Miss Angela... I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I always feel like he's expecting something. And so far, I haven't been able to see his power clearly, but I'm certain it doesn't belong to any god, it's definitely not even divine power..."

"No need to say anything, I know what it is."

Li Lin smiled and interrupted Catherine's report. This made Catherine's eyes widen in surprise.

You know?

"Of course, it's just a scavenger; you don't need to worry about it so much."

"Yes..."

Although she didn't understand what Li Lin was talking about, Catherine still hesitated before responding.

"Then, Master, what's next...?"

"Now that idiot has fallen for it, the show is nearing its end, and you continue your mission... I've seen what you've done from Nia, very good, just keep it up. These people think they can destroy the Magic Empire after just a few victories? What wishful thinking... Perhaps I should use them as test subjects for new weapons..."

At this point, Li Lin made a gesture.

"Remember your mission: don't get too close to the front lines. I think you understand what I mean."

"Yes, Master."

Catherine nodded vigorously.

"I will do as you say."

Then, she bowed deeply to indicate that the call was over.

"It seems everything is going very smoothly."

Watching Catherine disappear, Li Lin stretched.

"Suoxiate did a very good job, but unfortunately, it's not perfect."

The Infinite Corridor —one of Suoxiate's abilities—allows her to transform into any person she has ever seen, perfectly mimicking their aura, tone of voice, and personality. However, this is not without its flaws; she cannot perfectly replicate the attack abilities of those she imitates. As the only Weapon Spirit among the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys without offensive capabilities, even though Suoxiate can imitate others with unparalleled skill, she still cannot display even the slightest bit of offensive power.

Just like the battle a few days ago, even if that mysterious man didn't intervene, as long as Gabriel joined the fight, Suoxiate would probably have to turn and run away after just one move. After all, her attack power was only at the level of an ordinary person, and she couldn't even protect herself against these powerful figures, let alone injure them. It was precisely because of this that Li Lin felt there was still a slight flaw—after all, the little guy's greatest deterrent wasn't the undead army, but her terrifying power capable of destroying everything head-on. She didn't need schemes or traps; even if the timing, location, and people were all against her, the little guy could still shatter everything while letting out an arrogant laugh. This was Angela's true strength, not just empty words.

Fortunately, neither Gabriel nor the mysterious man had a deep understanding of Angela, and although Catherine might have sensed something, given her personality, she naturally wouldn't voice any questions.

Everything is going very smoothly.

Although Li Lin had lost approximately 100,000 undead soldiers in the battles of the past few days, he did not abandon his plan. After completely mastering the undead army left behind by the little guy, Li Lin realized just how massive this terrifying Scourge Legion truly was, making these small sacrifices insignificant. In fact, the reason he lured that man to his territory was to prevent the God of Justice from interfering again. Now that he had received news from Catherine that the man had already set off on his expedition, his plan was already half successful.

And that man certainly did not disappoint Li Lin's expectations.

Over the next month and a half, he led his army in a swift and unstoppable advance into the Federation, destroying every undead army's assembly point. Li Lin, however, manipulated these undead armies to completely disperse. Unlike Angela, he didn't have the same abilities, nor did Li Lin fully trust the strength of these undead armies. Angela could have her undead army launch continuous attacks until they overwhelmed the enemy with sheer numbers. But Li Lin didn't do that. Instead, after dispersing his undead army, he began a wave-like offensive. Each time, he sent only one wave of undead to meet the enemy head-on. After they were wiped out, Li Lin would send out another wave, and after those were wiped out, Li Lin would then repeat his previous actions. Although this tactic, if timed correctly, could inflict considerable damage on the enemy, Li Lin's timing in deploying the Undead Army varied each time, giving the enemy ample time to rest. Moreover, the mysterious man had devised a method of alternating combat and rest, which repeatedly thwarted Li Lin's offensives. Angela, played by Suoxiate, also changed. After several defeats, she was no longer as arrogant and ferocious as usual; instead, she began to show signs of panic and evasion. Every time she saw the allied army, she would hurriedly flee while simultaneously dispatching the Undead Army to meet them. After the Undead Army was defeated, she would immediately leave.

Clearly, this had the effect of boosting the morale of the allied forces. They even believed that they had completely instilled fear in the Magic Empire, and that their current task was to annihilate this evil legion!

Under this psychological influence, the allied forces advanced all the way, and under Suoxiate's conscious guidance, they finally arrived at the battlefield that Li Lin had arranged.

The City of the Federation.

What follows is of utmost importance.