The Paladin and his troops left the marketplace immediately without wasting a second. The sound of metal from their armor mixed with the screams of panicked people as they began running toward the church. At the same time, Lane was trying to reach the church by circling around the village. Instead of entering directly, he was moving from the outskirts, aiming to reach the center of the battle from the most suitable point. Every second of delay meant more blood being spilled inside.
The battle on the church side was going heavily. Edwick was resisting with all his strength, but the defense he faced was far tougher than he had expected. The church soldiers were well-trained; their formations did not break, and they followed orders without hesitation. Edwick's biggest problem was his own men. These villagers, gathered hastily and lacking proper training, were vastly different from the disciplined soldiers of the church. The trained soldiers advanced in organized ranks, while the villagers fought purely on instinct. This difference became clearer with every clash.
Despite this, Edwick tried to resist without giving up. He raised his shield, held the front line with his sword, and constantly shouted to keep his men standing. His breathing had grown heavy, and the armor on his shoulders felt as if it weighed tons, but retreat never even crossed his mind.
Edwick shouted,"Hold the defenses! Support each other! No one abandons their position!"
The village soldiers were struggling greatly. Many of them had never been in such a battle before. Arrows rained down on them, and screams filled the air. Edwick realized that even resisting had become difficult. Every time he raised his shield, his arm trembled, and his breath caught in his throat.
At that moment, Lane's words echoed in his mind.
"If you are losing a battle quickly, always fight until the very end. Do not try to retreat. The more you resist, the more your confidence grows. Tactical retreat is meaningless if you are taking heavy losses quickly, because the moment you decide to retreat, morale collapses, the army's faith breaks, and everyone begins to focus only on surviving. If you have one last chance in your hands, retreating will make you lose that as well. In that situation, if they attack you, then you must attack them the same way."
Those words became clear in Edwick's mind. There would be no retreat. No waiting. Either they would break here, or they would break the enemy.
Edwick raised his sword high and shouted with all his strength:"Brothers in arms! There is death, but no turning back! Charge!"
This shout was more than an order; it was a challenge. Edwick lunged forward. Seeing his determination, the villagers suppressed their fear. Their confidence grew. Disorganized but resolute, they charged forward behind Edwick.
The holy soldiers immediately brought their archers into action. Arrows tore through the air, cutting down the village soldiers. Screams rose everywhere. Edwick swung his sword, trying to stop as many arrows as possible. Using his aura, he deflected some arrows and shattered others. Casualties increased, but at the same time, the fear in the villagers' eyes turned into rage.
They were getting closer to the gate.
Edwick saw the opportunity."Prepare the incendiaries! Throw them at the holy soldiers!" he commanded.
Without hesitation, the villagers hurled the bags toward the holy soldiers. At first, the soldiers could not understand what had fallen on them. They tried to avoid the bags, but the moment they hit the ground, a dense and poisonous stench spread from within. A sharp, suffocating smoke filled the area.
The holy soldiers began shouting:"Stay back! It's poisonous!"
At that moment, Edwick realized that luck had finally turned in their favor. He turned back, raised his hand, and signaled Sara's forces waiting in the distance.
Sara had been waiting for that signal.
The dynamite placed at the rear entrance detonated. The sound of the explosion echoed throughout the village. The church shook as if struck by an earthquake. Walls cracked, stones shifted from their places. The holy soldiers were thrown into complete shock for a brief moment. They could not understand what was happening or where the attack was coming from.
Edwick's village soldiers had now regained their composure. Two or three of them attacked a single holy soldier at once, knocking the heavily armored troops to the ground and killing them. Sara and her soldiers attacked from behind, fully trapping the holy soldiers in a pincer.
The heavy armor now became a disadvantage. Against the fast and agile village soldiers, the holy troops fell one by one. Edwick and Sara could now see each other. Despite the initial struggle, Edwick's decision to attack after remembering Lane's advice completely changed the course of the battle.
The church was now captured.
The remaining twelve holy soldiers dropped their weapons and surrendered. Edwick turned to the villagers and said in a cold voice,"Tie them up and stand guard over them. If anyone moves, kill them."
One of the villagers approached Edwick."Sir, your head is bleeding. Here, take this cloth." he said.
Edwick smiled and took it."Thank you," he said.
After wiping the blood from his forehead, he raised his sword toward the sky and shouted:"This village has now been cleansed of the Goddess Arianna and her religious beliefs! HURRAAA!"
The villagers shouted together with Edwick:"HURRAAA!"
The captured holy soldiers trembled with fear. Some were on the verge of a nervous breakdown; their faces turned purple with rage, and they bit their lips until they bled.
Edwick entered the church. He activated his aura. With a single strike, he shattered the statue of the Goddess Arianna into pieces. Then he tore down the banners of the Holy Empire and the Solarin Empire and threw them onto the ground.
Turning to the village soldiers, he said in a cold voice,"Take these banners. Put them into a box. I do not want to see them anymore."
The church fell into silence.