Standing on the newly built city wall, Ophis nodded with satisfaction.
"Very solid."
To prove her point, she stomped her feet on the wall, causing it to shake several times, which made Siduri's eyes twitch.
"Hiduri, have the bodies of the shrine maidens been taken care of?"
"Yes, according to the king's instructions, they've been placed in the underground space of the temple and separated from the people of Kuta City… King, those priestesses…"
The way those witches died was exactly like the residents of Kuta City...
"They were already dead before I arrived."
Hearing this for the first time, Siduri looked up in surprise.
"This… could it be that?"
"The goddess did it."
"Goddess… even the miko?"
Siduri was shocked by this information.
She wasn't sure about the shamans in other places, but she was very familiar with the shamanic office in Uruk.
They were like fanatics. Even if the whole world betrayed God, they would never doubt their own beliefs or deviate from God's commandments.
To think that even such loyal people were inexplicably killed by the gods...
Gods… really, you are going a bit too far.
"That's why I have some doubts about her motives…"
"King?"
Hearing Ophis mumble to herself, Siduri asked with some confusion.
"No… nothing."
"But why preserve the bodies?"
"It's just a glimmer of hope."
"Yeah…"
Hearing Ophis's answer, Siduri nodded, somewhat disappointed.
"Also, stop exploring the southern jungle and don't send any more people in."
"King…?"
"That is God's domain. It's impossible for ordinary people to explore it."
"…Yes."
Although Siduri still cared about the residents of the southern cities, she could see the bigger picture.
"But, can Lord Merlin really hold back all the monsters?"
Siduri, trying to ignore her somewhat annoying questions, looked towards the battlefield.
In the end, the three leaders on the front line had asked Merlin for help.
After all, withdrawing the troops under constant enemy harassment, especially with most soldiers already exhausted, would cause incalculable damage.
If they weren't careful, they might suffer a complete defeat.
"Yes, I should say that only he can do it."
Ophis also walked to the edge of the city wall and looked at the battle line formed by Uruk.
"Even I can't manage to make the Uruk army retreat to the city walls unscathed under these conditions. Only Merlin can do it."
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Hundreds of arrows swooped down, hitting the ground and sparking countless blue flames that eventually formed a wall of fire, blocking both humans and monsters.
"Everyone, please retreat. Be careful not to disrupt your formation. Don't rush; retreat slowly. The monsters can't get close."
Jeanne of Arc, holding a flag, shouted loudly in the center of the army.
"Thank you for your hard work, Ms. Altira."
The army began to retreat in an orderly manner, and Jeanne finally had a moment to speak with Altira, who was standing beside her with a smile.
"No, this is my job."
"Is that so? Even so, Ms. Altira, you've been a great help."
Although Altira's response was somewhat cold, Jeanne had grown accustomed to her after spending a few days together.
She also understood that the 'work' Altira referred to was not the task assigned by Ophis.
She was referring to the killing and destruction itself.
Attila the Destroyer—this was her name during her lifetime.
Now it seemed that destruction was the only meaning of her existence.
Though it felt a bit sad, Jeanne had no time to ponder this during the war.
"But can Lord Merlin really stop the monsters successfully?"
"If it doesn't work, I'll handle it."
Although Jeanne knew that Ophis could solve the problem, she still worried about the potential casualties...
Jeanne gave a bitter smile, but before she could say anything else, the wall of fire was breached by numerous monsters.
It wasn't so much that it was broken through.
Originally, the fire barrier didn't have a very high physical defense; its main purpose was to intimidate the monsters. However, the enemy realized this was an opportunity to severely damage Uruk and decisively ordered a frontal assault.
The first wave of monsters was consumed by the fierce flames as they broke through the wall of fire, but before the flames could return to their original state, the second wave rushed in.
Thus, the monsters advanced one after another and successfully crossed the fire barrier set up by Arjuna.
Although the damage seemed severe, it was just a drop in the bucket compared to the casualties among the monsters so far or their overall numbers.
Sensing the approach of the beasts, the Uruk army began to waver.
"Don't be afraid; the monsters can't get close!"
Jeanne was actually a bit nervous inside, but she didn't show it. Instead, she held the flag high and loudly encouraged the troops.
"Well, it looks really menacing and a little scary."
Merlin, dressed in a white robe, stood in the open space between the Uruk forces and the monsters. Though he said this, he didn't look particularly frightened.
At this moment, the monsters were charging towards him, and a large part of the front line was still surrounded by blue flames that had not yet extinguished.
"If I just run away like this... I don't think I'll be allowed to do that. So, let's stretch our muscles a little bit."
With a relaxed smile, white mist began to emanate from Merlin's body, thickening as it spread.
Wherever the white mist passed, flowers of various colors began to bloom.
Viewed from a distance, it looked as beautiful as a dream.
Or perhaps it was a beauty that could only exist in dreams.
The white mist quickly spread and surrounded all the monsters in the front row.
"Well, reality is too cruel after all. Maybe that's not without its fun. But now please immerse yourself in a more beautiful dream… Although such beauty may be more cruel to you… But, it's also more fun, isn't it?"
Accompanied by these extremely malicious words, the monsters in the front suddenly paused. Then, as if seeing something terrifying, they turned and fled, colliding and entangling with their companions.
The white mist continued to spread. As its range grew larger, the monsters displayed various reactions.
Some lay down and fell asleep, only to be trampled by their comrades.
Some turned and launched frenzied attacks on their companions, furthering the chaos.
Some stood still, dancing meaningless steps.
The once orderly monster army was now on the verge of collapse.
Dreams and illusions—this was the power of Merlin, the flower magician who was worthy of being called a grand master.