Chapter 78: The Dead Inside and Outside

"Charge—"

Astro issued the order emotionlessly.

Suddenly, a steel musket emerged from the window, and the deafening explosion struck the mage's barrier, causing the bullet to clatter to the ground. This shot startled him.

A ragged, short man waved his fist at him, shouting with extraordinary anger:

"You faithless mortals! You council lackeys! You accomplices in imposing heavy taxes! You mad dogs, the True God will soon bring his Warren to this world, overthrowing your disgusting and hypocritical rule, toppling that tyrant empress's throne, and letting the ghouls devour your remains! We will be reborn in the ritual, while you will forever reside in the stomachs of ghouls, experiencing eternal agony! Go tax feces! Go mate with those black Moranth! ...Comrades, ignite the powder, begin the sacrifice ritual! Remember, the True God is always with us! We will find the sweetest joy in the Warren of the dream!"

The musket aimed at the mage once again emitted a thunderous explosion, but it couldn't penetrate the mage's illusionary barrier, serving merely as a scare tactic. Then, the window slammed shut with a bang.

After a moment, an eerie choral song emerged from the four-story building, sounding like a funeral dirge.

"Smash the windows and doors, and prepare the enchanted shields!" Astro finally ordered, then whispered to the mage, "Please protect my brothers."

The mage nodded, doing his best to maintain the barrier protecting the soldiers.

Under Astro's command, the soldiers surrounded the house from all directions. They climbed the ladders, wielding heavy weapons and sledgehammers, smashing the thick bars covering the windows and the protective panels on the doors.

The walls trembled, sporadic explosions echoed from within, accompanied by wild screams and shouts.

Yet, amidst the agonized cries from the fire and the thunderous roars of the powder kegs, a joyful yet eerie song also rang out.

Astro pushed aside the man blocking the window, ignoring his bloodshot eyes, and kicked him away, leading the charge into the house.

Inside was a scene of unimaginable ritual: hay, torches, and bark piled in many heaps, powder kegs scattered around, and the ground marked with a crisscrossing array of blood—its source unknown. Some ten-year-old children, unaware of what was happening, sat on benches, thrown onto the hay; their hands and feet, along with their clothes, were tied to the chair to prevent them from escaping, while their mouths were gagged with rags to keep them from shouting.

On the floor lay flammable spices, designed to release heavy smoke when ignited, facilitating a quick and easy suffocation.

A woman cradled a baby girl in her arms, sitting in the straw that was burning from the first floor to the second, singing a lullaby. The smoke rose, covering the baby's breathing, causing the infant to start wailing loudly.

Then, with a smile, she covered the baby's mouth.

People wore long robes stained red with the blood of wild beasts, kneeling in rows beside the torches and hay. They held candles in their hands, the flames gazing at them like the eyes of wolves, as if a slight shake would cause them to fall into the powder kegs or onto the hay.

The powder exploded, igniting the kindling, and flames leaped up the walls with a whooshing sound. The thick smoke from the spices engulfed the entire room like a fog, while the tongues of fire fluttered about wildly, as if becoming alive, licking at people's skin and then darting away like it was playing, emitting the sound of a baby giggling in an empty room.

Astro felt a twinge of unease—this fire was abnormal, very abnormal.

Some people, as if embracing their wives, held the powder kegs and were blown to pieces, while others, like joyful swimmers diving into a river, plunged into the fire. There were also those tied to chairs, sobbing loudly, their screams stifled by the rags...

The soldiers charged in together, with smoke swirling wildly and flames leaping onto their barriers, emitting slight explosions before dissipating. They used long poles to remove the hay and flammable materials, dragging out those who had lost consciousness due to the fire, and dousing those dragged outside with water. Some died immediately upon being pulled out, others, covered in blisters from severe burns, writhed in agony on the ground, their solemn expressions replaced by sheer terror. Still, others, just catching their breath, immediately became fanatically determined, drawing their knives to commit suicide before anyone could stop them.

Some who had been deceived and suffered minor burns managed to crawl out with the soldiers' assistance, falling to the ground, one atop another, crying out and begging to escape, climbing over the charred corpses.

Others sought to escape with the soldiers' help, but the deranged believers inside desperately tried to stop them. Near the collapsing wooden floor, a father reached for a soldier's arm to climb up, but his twenty-something-year-old son chopped off his arms with an axe, and then both fell down. A mother handed her daughter to a soldier, intending to crawl out herself, but the father pulled her leg, bringing her head close to a soon-to-explode powder keg, and then tossed a candle into the powder pile.

Then the explosion.

The smoke grew thicker, and the magical barrier trembled like fragile glass amidst the explosions of the powder. The flames scorched those yet to be rescued, emitting the stench of roasted meat, while the fragments of civilians flew everywhere in the blasts.

At that moment, another mage, hastily roused from sleep and finally showed up, squeezed in and climbed up to the third floor with the soldiers.

His chest heaved from the intense exertion, and dense water vapor emanated from his hands.

However, that short man suddenly appeared from somewhere. He raised the musket and aimed it at the back of the mage's head, and with a thunderous boom, he blew off the mage's head.

Rushed to extinguish the fire after just waking up, the mage hadn't had time to activate his protective shield, and his eyeballs and brain matter splattered everywhere.

"Another evil oppressor has fallen!" the short man exclaimed with exhilarated fervor.

Astro cursed loudly, calling the man a damned scoundrel as he charged forward with his sword raised.

"These damn bastards! Fighting the black Moranths is easier than dealing with these sons of bitches!"

......

A few children were bickering in the alley, dozens of meters away from the flames.

"Private Annie, we heard it was you who first discovered the cultists' plot, is that correct?"

A red-haired boy, adopting the demeanor of an officer, asked a serious question to a girl who appeared honest and well-behaved. She had black hair and blue eyes, looked about eleven or twelve years old, and was slender and petite.

"Well—that's true, Sir Frederick, I saw many people sneaking in here when I passed by," the girl said lazily, her expression not quite fitting that of a child soldier.

"Very good," Frederick nodded, "Although your attitude and posture aren't quite up to standard, you've made a significant contribution this time, so I represent the legion in giving you recognition—the higher-ups have already decided on your promotion!"

"I understand, so—could you have them leave for a moment?"

"Private Annie... do you mean...?" He seemed somewhat tempted and a bit shy.

"I have something I'd like to discuss with you, Sir Frederick," Annie said, extending a fair finger and tapping her delicate, petal-like lips, letting out a soft chuckle.

The young boy's face flushed red in an instant. He cautiously looked around, finding no one paying attention, and quickly ordered his subordinates to leave—he claimed that he had important matters to convey to Private Annie Sidonia, which were confidential and required a private conversation.

After ensuring his subordinates had all left, he turned his face away, nervously combing his short hair with his hands, and gazed at the pretty little girl—rumored to have been a quiet girl, even a new student at Francis this year, yet she suddenly joined their children's legion—it was unclear what her motives were.

There were rumors that her plump aunt was very panicked about this, but another soldier told the aunt that it was just prejudice.

To be honest, he had harbored feelings for Annie for a long time, but due to discipline and age issues, he only dared to communicate with her through official matters.

This time...

"Ann—"

A crimson blade pierced through his throat, cutting off the rest of his words.

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