After entering the winch room of the drawbridge, Landon wasted no time and swiftly severed the cables with consecutive strikes. This was another advantage of seizing control of the winch room for the drawbridge.
Compared to the winch mechanism of the gate’s iron portcullis, which required considerable effort to slowly raise it, the drawbridge, being suspended and under tension, would automatically lower once the cables were cut.
At the same time, the raised drawbridge towering over the moat trembled momentarily before gradually tilting towards the water, its descent gaining momentum.
“Boom!”
The entire drawbridge crashed down onto the ground with a thunderous impact.
Fortunately, the drawbridge was constructed robustly, so while it suffered significant damage from the impact, it remained passable. The hidden believers, led by two Templar knights, roared as they stormed across the drawbridge, launching a fierce assault on the gate.
These believers were mostly former members of the Third Patrol Brigade, with a few physically strong individuals selected from among the believers. Their equipment was simple, consisting of ordinary leather armor, assorted weapons such as knives, spears, swords, bows, and crossbows.
They appeared to be a motley group of misfits.
However, their morale was exceptionally high. Each of them was at least a true believer, with a significant number being devout believers. Stirred by the zealous Templar knights, their eyes were filled with fanaticism and determination.
“For the glory of our Lord!”
“The radiance of our Lord will once again envelop the land.”
Amidst their roaring cries, the fanatical and ferocious aura surged like a sharp sword, piercing the sky.
Even within the realm of the Divine Light, Wu Hui, who observed this scene through the Eye of God, couldn’t help but be infected by their overwhelming momentum, feeling a palpitation in his soul, a tingling sensation of “boiling blood.”
These soldier believers had gradually infiltrated Gru town in various ways over the past week. Each day, they dispersed and hid among the homes of the believers in Gru town.
To avoid detection by the town guards of Gru town, they could spend the entire day motionless, nestled in hidden places like woodsheds, under beds, or inside closets.
Without the strong support of their unwavering faith, they would never be able to accomplish such a feat.
And it was precisely because of this daily dedication to “all for our Lord” that their faith underwent constant refinement and consolidation, gradually becoming purer and more fervent.
During this process, some true believers gradually ascended to the status of devout believers.
Although none of the devout believers had yet advanced to become Fanatic Believers, as their faith became increasingly pure and their considerations for the Divine Light God Wu Hui grew, they would step by step move towards higher levels of faith.
Time and patience were both indispensable factors.
As the night fell, they quietly emerged from the homes of dozens of believers in Gru town, dressed in rudimentary leather armor, wielding various weapons, converging stealthily in front of Gru town Castle.
Hidden within the darkness, they silently accumulated their strength, patiently awaiting their opportunity.
No one doubted the success of the actions of the Holy Maiden and the Templar Knight Landon.
Under the “watchful gaze” of the Divine God of Light, how could they possibly fail? This would be a battle that would undoubtedly be recorded in the annals of the Divine God of Light’s history.
Their sole thought was to valiantly slay the enemy and offer their loyalty and lives to the great Divine God of Light.
And indeed, they were not disappointed.
The drawbridge came crashing down.
The hidden God of Light believers lurking in front of Gruberg Castle swarmed across the drawbridge, roaring ferociously as they charged into the gate passage. The sound of their battle cries shook the heavens, their momentum immensely grand.
Wu Hui, overlooking this scene through the Eye of God, felt his heart surge even more.
War, this was true war.
In the past, when reading novels on Earth, he would often come across scenes depicting battles between hundreds of thousands of troops.
But only when one found themselves on a real battlefield could they truly understand that the charge of two hundred soldiers already carried a tremendous force.
Looking at the densely packed crowd, with the God of Light believers continuously emerging from the darkness, it was a sight to behold.
“The drawbridge has fallen! Enemy attack, enemy attack!”
The archers on the arrow towers were also shocked by this sight. They desperately shouted while swiftly nocking their arrows.
“Swish, swish, swish!”
Several arrows pierced through the ranks of the God of Light believers, splattering blood in their wake.
The intense pain caused the believers to scream in agony, but not a single one of them fell. They continued to roar furiously as they pushed forward. They had only one thought: even if it meant death, they would break through the city gate before dying.
Some of the believers dispersed to both sides after crossing the drawbridge, using bows and crossbows to counterattack the two arrow towers. They were either archers from the Third Patrol Unit or hunters among the believers skilled in hunting.
There weren’t many believers capable of long-range attacks, only about a dozen. Moreover, compared to the archers on the elevated arrow towers, they were in a highly disadvantageous position.
Nevertheless, they managed to slightly suppress the archers on the towers, preventing them from arrogantly shooting and reducing their shooting frequency.
The long-range archers from both sides engaged in a duel in the darkness.
Occasionally, a believer’s arrows hit their mark, while others were struck directly in vital areas and fell to the ground. Despite their high morale, the casualty ratio reached a terrifying three to one.
There was no way to bridge the gap between the elevated arrow towers and the professionalism of the enemy archers with mere high morale.
Watching the believers fall to the ground, Wu Hui couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. Each fallen believers was at least a true believer and mostly devout believers. Devout believers had purer and stronger faith, were fearless of death, and charged faster, displaying greater courage in combat.
Naturally, they became the primary targets of the enemy archers’ focus.
The death of a devout believer was a tremendous loss for Wu Hui. However, he struggled and restrained himself from impulsively using healing magic from the divine realm.
Firstly, Wu Hui was not in a state of “conscious descent” but rather observing the live scene through the Eye of God. His soul and consciousness remained in the divine realm.
If he were to cast a divine spell directly from the divine realm, it would consume a significant amount of divine power. With only one point of divine power, he could only cast a few spells.
This was also the drawback of the Eye of God, a magic that conserves divine power.
Currently, divine power was severely depleted, and every bit had to be carefully rationed. He couldn’t afford to engage in activities with low cost-effectiveness.
Secondly, believers were expanding territory and spreading the faith on his behalf, which inevitably involved wars and sacrifices. If he personally intervened in every battle, not only would it diminish his image, but the believers would become overly reliant on him.
A military force could not become truly powerful without experiencing the baptism of cruel warfare.
Recruiting believers and expanding the army served the purpose of serving him as the God of Light, not him serving as a nanny or bodyguard for the believers. Over time, his divine blessings and favor would become less valuable.
Thirdly, Wu Hui had other considerations and contemplations regarding the sacrifices of devout believers.
Therefore, Wu Hui desperately admonished himself to endure the heartache. He had made up his mind that unless it was a matter of life and death, he would not intervene arbitrarily, no matter how significant the casualties.
Wu Hui refrained from taking action, but it didn’t mean that other believers didn’t act.
Two apprentice priests, Susan and Harry, each led two or three well-trained and skilled apprentices to provide battlefield rescue.
The apprentices used sharp knives to cut open wounds and extract arrows from the wounded. This method of treatment was crude and brutal, but under normal circumstances, those wounded soldiers would not only die from bleeding but also from wound infections.
But let’s not forget.
This is a world with gods.
