Chapter 696: The Stalemated Battlefield

Loren wasn’t worried that any soldiers might actually agree to follow them. He knew what Bountiful followers were like. Not one of them had any backbone.

He had realized this a long time ago. They even needed Ligoss to give them courage.

Besides, even if someone really did agree to follow them, it wouldn’t matter. Loren could just kill them then.

As expected, Luna waited a long time, but no one answered.

“What a bunch of cowards. I’m ashamed to have ever stood among you!”

With just a few words, Luna had established her persona as a chivalrous, righteous Bountiful follower.

In truth, Luna didn’t need to go to so much trouble. The Church wasn’t that cautious, and Loren’s arrangements had been somewhat excessive.

They didn’t need to fake her death. Even if they took Jessica away outright, the Church wouldn’t pay much attention. It had too many other things to deal with right now. One Jessica simply didn’t matter.

Still, it was good to be cautious. Seeing Luna take such care now gave Loren some comfort.

“Let’s go.”

Luna sounded angry as she turned and left.

Jessica understood what Luna meant, too. She deliberately put on a pained expression. After all, in everyone else’s eyes, this trip really was a suicide mission.

……

“I actually… really got out…”

Even now, Jessica still felt as if she were in a dream. As soon as she woke up, she had seen Luna and Loren, and then they had helped her escape. Her parents could even be saved. None of it felt real.

Along the way, she had pinched herself more than once, afraid she was dreaming.

While Jessica was still dazed, Loren finally rejoined the other witches.

“I found the Desolation Deer’s location. It’s right here.”

Loren showed the map to Starnight. She nodded, then transformed into a Dragon.

It was only when a Dragon suddenly appeared before her that Jessica came back to her senses.

She didn’t ask how the Dragon had gotten there. With it, her chances of saving her parents could only improve.

Loren was already doing her a tremendous favor by helping her. Naturally, she wouldn’t ask unnecessary questions.

“When we reach the location, I’ll put you down ahead of time. You two can join the battle and attack the Desolation Deer directly.

“After that, I’ll use an illusion to make it look as though Jessica died in battle.”

As he said this, Loren glanced at Veronica.

Veronica nodded to show that she understood.

Loren didn’t have any way to create illusions right now, so he would have to rely on Veronica’s Arcane Ability.

Veronica had kept her Arcane Ability active all these years, and her control over it had reached a terrifying level.

She could create other illusions without affecting her ability to interfere with the Crystal Balls used to detect witches.

“After that, I’ll make my appearance under my own identity.

“I’ll bring Luna’s current identity to an end. At the same time, I’ll kill that King and get what I want.”

Veronica nodded again. She knew this would require her help, too.

“Good. That’s the plan. Get ready to move.”

Once the plan was confirmed, Starnight suddenly sped up and flew toward their destination.

When Loren arrived, the battle was still raging.

It was a siege. The Plague Believers’ military camp stood not far from the city gates, and they could send in reinforcements at any time.

Many Guards stood atop the Bountiful Church’s city walls. They used Abundant Magic to repel the Plague Believers who tried to approach.

At the same time, they kept watch on the giant deer in the distance. That was the Desolation Deer Loren had come to find.

The Desolation Deer looked like a stone statue, but its body was split open in many places, revealing the fur beneath.

It was enormous. Including its antlers, it stood more than ten meters tall, making it easy to spot. The Bountiful followers would notice even the slightest movement.

Almost all the fur had fallen from its exposed skin, leaving only half-rotted flesh. From time to time, maggots dropped out of it.

Normally, the Desolation Deer slept in the form of a stone statue, which also helped it avoid corruption.

But it had evaded corruption, not the Plague Believers’ abuse.

The rot on its body wasn’t caused by corruption, but by the Plague Believers’ control.

Loren guessed there wasn’t a single patch of healthy flesh left inside it. The Plague Believers didn’t have many ways to control others. To control a massive creature like the Desolation Deer, they could only make its insides rot until it met the requirements of the plague.

Even from this far away, Loren could feel the Desolation Deer’s pain.

Like Dawn Magpie back then, the Desolation Deer had almost no reason left. It desperately wanted to die, but its body was still under the Plague Believers’ control.

“Let’s do it now.”

Loren couldn’t bear to watch anymore. He planned to put the Desolation Deer out of its misery as soon as possible.

The Ember-Ash Worm’s ability could indeed burn away the plague inside it, but by then, there probably wouldn’t be much left of it. It wouldn’t survive.

“We’ll land nearby. You two should first blend in with the Bountiful followers’ army, then suddenly attack the Desolation Deer.”

Loren studied the battlefield. The battle was at a stalemate. Only the low-ranking soldiers were fighting, while the stronger combatants held back.

“Okay.”

Luna answered. Unlike the calm Luna, Jessica looked flustered. She was afraid of making a mistake. She wasn’t afraid of dying, but she was afraid of dragging Loren and her parents into trouble.

“Don’t be afraid. Stay close to me. If anything happens, I can protect you.”

“Mm…”

Jessica answered and followed Luna into the battlefield.

“Veronica, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

After giving Veronica that instruction, Loren followed them.

The battle remained at a stalemate. The Mages in the execution squad watched as ordinary people went to their deaths one by one. Their only duty was to intercept the corpses thrown over by the Plague Believers.

Those corpses were packed with viruses. They were no different from bombs, and even more terrifying.

Quite a few soldiers had come into contact with the corpses, but it didn’t matter. Those soldiers weren’t going to survive anyway.

But just then, something changed on the battlefield. Two people suddenly charged out from the Bountiful followers’ side. The one in front carried a greatsword, and every swing sent a group of Plague Believers flying.

A Mage followed behind her, using Abundant Magic with pinpoint accuracy to reap the lives of the Plague Believers.

The Plague Believers were terrified and began to retreat. Seeing this, the Bountiful followers charged after the two.

And they were charging toward the Desolation Deer.

“Wait!”

The execution squad realized something was wrong, but there was no way they could stop the Bountiful followers.

When stopping a retreat, they could simply kill the soldiers who fell back. But they couldn’t stop soldiers who were charging forward.

As they charged, the Plague Believers finally deployed the Desolation Deer. The stones covering its body began to fall away.