Our Family Has Fallen

William knew this mercenary, but only barely; they hadn’t interacted much. However, his arrival meant he proactively engaged one Heretic. Although two others remained…

As William turned to look at the other two emerging Heretics, someone suddenly burst out from the street—it was Boudica, wielding her War Halberd.

Without caring for anything else, she charged at a Heretic as soon as she appeared. Her War Halberd tip stabbed into its chest, lifting the creature right off the ground.

With a backhand throw, she slammed the Heretic to the ground, then swiftly withdrew her War Halberd and brought it down on the creature’s neck. This combination of moves ended its life, leaving only a twitching, headless corpse.

”WAAAGH!!!”

Far from being scared by this blood-splattered scene, she felt her blood boil and let out a battle cry.

Meanwhile, Tadiff had also dispatched his Heretic. Having encountered such enemies before, he knew how to deal with them and was quick to learn from these encounters.

He could even sense that the strength of these enemies was not as formidable as those he had encountered inside the Beast Lair, whether in terms of power or regenerative abilities. Just chopping off their heads would do the job.

Soon, he too finished the battle and turned back to see that all three of them had dealt with their enemies.

Among them, William was in a worse state. Facing two Heretics in a row, both he and Fergus were breathing slightly heavily.

These Heretics were stronger than those William had previously encountered. If not for their uncoordinated movements and mindless attacks, they would have been far more challenging.

”What in the blazes is going on?” Boudica came over, carrying her War Halberd, looking entirely unfazed by the ordeal of the Beast Lair.

Tadiff, too, approached after shaking the blood off his axe, but he remained silent, just quietly standing to one side.

Truth be told, they didn’t have to bear as much pressure as Lance did. They also had periods of rest during their mission, and a full night’s sleep had been enough to restore their energy. Even the ordeal of the Beast Lair seemed to have made them more formidable; people do grow stronger.

”The farm outside Hamlet was attacked. The Lord and Reynard led the Cavalry to the rescue, and then the Heretics invaded…” William quickly explained the situation as he understood it.

”I’m going to find the Boss,” Boudica declared, unconcerned with the details; her main focus was Lance. Not to mention, there should be more enemies ahead, providing a chance for a great battle!

William, hearing this, felt somewhat helpless but could only offer advice. ”My Lord will deal with those enemies. Right now, the army and militia are holding most of the Heretics back outside, but many have slipped in amidst the chaos. We must protect Hamlet; otherwise, My Lord will be very displeased with the losses upon his return.”

Boudica obviously understood this, and despite her reluctance, she agreed, knowing all too well the serious consequences of the Boss getting angry.

”What about you?” William asked Tadiff. ”I will explain the situation to the Lord, and you won’t miss out on your reward.” He knew what Bounty Hunters pursued.

Tadiff, without uttering a word, just nodded silently in agreement.

”Alright, my good boy will lead us to the enemies.” William squatted down and stroked Fergus’s head gently. The fight isn’t over yet; I need to find them fast.

”Sniff carefully—we can always track our quarry!”

”WOOF WOOF!” Fergus immediately began searching, quickly finding a direction.

”Brothers, the hunt continues!” William declared, standing up and signaling the others.

「...」

「In the Wilderness Development Area, at the Outpost.」

It wasn’t until the beacon smoke rose under the morning sun that the long-waiting Saintess finally spoke.

”Send a batch of people up first; I need sacrifices.”

This statement, combined with the abilities of the Ascension Sect, clearly meant sending a group to their deaths in exchange for stronger powers.

But the man didn’t refuse. He selected a group of the weaker cultists and commanded them to ’ascend’ first, while the elites were to be held back for the main assault on the fortifications.

The believers, likely just converted from refugees, were pushed forward with fervor boiling inside them.

The forests around the Outpost had been cleared, and even the shrubs and weeds were removed to ensure a clear line of sight. From atop the watchtower, one could easily oversee the surroundings.

The people at the Outpost had just been roused by the beacon smoke when followers of the Ascension Sect appeared in the vicinity.

The clanging of bells and the striking of gongs, accompanied by the shouts of the sentries, echoed throughout the entire Outpost.

”Heretics attacking from the north!”

”Prepare for battle!”

The previous continuous harassment and attacks by the Heretics had brought immense pressure but had also acclimated the soldiers.

They quickly assembled the troops in the face of the enemy and orderly entered a state of combat readiness.

”Fire at will! Aim carefully and do not waste ammunition!” the duty captain ordered. He saw the Heretics’ disorganized formation and knew they were deliberately trying to counter the firepower of the Musket Array.

Stringent training and high-intensity combat continuously honed their combat prowess and even produced several Sharpshooters.

”Watch this!” a soldier shouted, then took aim and pulled the trigger.

Amidst the smoke and flash, a bullet flew out and blew the head off a Heretic who had charged within fifty yards.

The power of the large-caliber round nearly burst its head open like a watermelon, sending the top of its skull flying.

That body collapsed to the ground, thoroughly dead, as brain matter mixed with blood smeared across the fanatical face, seeming to freeze in that moment.

DRIP!

Blood dripped onto the ground, nourishing the evil that lay dormant…

Meanwhile, inside the Council Hall of the Outpost, Balistan and a few others were discussing the situation. Although they weren’t clear on the exact problem, they too had seen the beacon smoke. And right after that came the sporadic incursions by Heretics. They didn’t think this was a coincidence, nor did they consider it just ordinary harassment; they felt it was a sign that a great war was beginning. The Heretics were probing the Outpost’s situation.

Balistan stated, ”With My Lord in town, there shouldn’t be any problems. Right now, we just need to hold the Outpost and keep those Heretics out.” He then turned to several captains responsible for different tasks. ”What’s the situation inside the Outpost now?”

”The soldiers are valiant, none are missing!”

”Ammunition is plentiful, feel free to use it!”

”If they dare to attack, we’ll surely make them retreat in utter defeat!”

The soldiers’ morale was still surging; they were not afraid of the Heretics and instead longed to eliminate more enemies for their Lord.

To ensure the safety of the Development Zone, Lance and the military’s upper echelons had deployed two hundred soldiers throughout the zone. One hundred were stationed here, highlighting its importance, and the remaining hundred were divided into five squads deployed at various labor camps. This was not only for protection but also to keep an eye on those individuals. One shouldn’t assume humans to be so simple; many times, once control is lost, corruption can breed. Because this was Hamlet, and that insidious power constantly influenced everyone here.

It’s just that our forces are still too few… Balistan thought with a helpless sigh, looking at the simple Map before him. He didn’t find holding the Outpost difficult, but he realized there was a serious problem with the Wilderness Development Zone: many of the newly recruited refugees were directly placed here. If they caused trouble, he wasn’t sure if the soldiers and some administrators could suppress it. But sending out troops would also be unwise. Most of the soldiers had now transitioned to Musketeers. Relying on the Outpost’s defenses, they could withstand an enemy force a hundred times their number. However, in an open field battle, the outcome would be uncertain. If only he had a unit of Cavalry at his disposal, then he could support those camps…

Just then, a loud BOOM suddenly came from outside, resembling a mountain collapsing, making the ground itself shake.

”What’s happening?!” Balistan’s thoughts were shattered. He grabbed his weapon and rushed outside without a second thought.

He saw the fortress, which was supposed to be impregnable, breached. The large stone outer wall was collapsing inwards as if kicked open by a giant. Although the fortress was old and in disrepair, its main structure had weathered many storms and remained sturdy.

What kind of malevolent force could have shaken it so?

But reality didn’t allow him much time to ponder, as the figures of Heretics began pouring through the breach in the fallen wall…