Edwick had been caught up in excitement at first. His heart was racing, and the echoes of the clash were still ringing in his ears. But after a few minutes passed, that excitement faded and was replaced by a heavy silence. And within that silence, only one thought remained, clinging to his mind.
Lane…
When they had spoken in the underground cave, they had almost laughed it off. Lane had explained everything as if he were joking. How the church would respond, from which direction the holy soldiers would advance, even the exact moment they would hesitate. At the time, Edwick had thought it was exaggeration. Now, everything was unfolding exactly as described.
He even explained how they would move, Edwick thought. How could he possibly know this?
While he was lost in thought, a hand touched his shoulder from behind. Edwick flinched sharply, almost reaching for his sword.
"What the hell are you doing?!" he snapped. "You scared the shit out of me. Who comes up from behind without making a sound?"
Sara started laughing."You were so deep in thought that I called you twice and you didn't answer. I had no choice but to get closer. What were you thinking about like that?"
Edwick hesitated for a moment, then exhaled."Nothing… Just what's happened. I didn't expect Lane's plan to work this perfectly. The losses are only in my group. The other teams got out with almost no casualties."
He lowered his gaze."If we had tried to do this on our own… we'd be dead by now."
After a brief pause, he added,"By the way… did you know there was acidic gas inside those bags?"
The smile vanished from Sara's face instantly. Her eyes widened."What? No. Did you know?"
Edwick slowly shook his head.
Sara's voice hardened."Is this kid insane? What if someone had been seriously injured? What would we have done then?"
Edwick immediately stepped in."Calm down. Those sandbags were made of very high-quality fabric. It wouldn't have been easy for the gas to leak out."Then he frowned."But that's not the real issue. We didn't know about any of this. He did. Every detail."
His voice dropped without him realizing it."I don't know how he pulled this off. All I know is this… this kid is the last person I'd ever want as an enemy."
He said it with a hint of fear.
At that moment, Lane was moving toward the church. He had deliberately taken a wider route, which meant he had to run to make up for the lost time. His breathing was steady, but time was working against him.
The Paladin and the holy soldiers were also trying to advance. However, the damage they had taken was heavy. They were carrying the wounded, trying to reorganize their formation. Every step cost them time.
Lane approached the church with ten villagers."Spread out," he ordered. "Don't stay in plain sight."
The villagers immediately separated. Lane accelerated and ran toward the church.
"EDWICK! SARAAA!"
His voice echoed against the stone walls of the church. Sara and Edwick flinched and rushed outside.
"What happened, Lane?" Edwick asked.
Lane was breathing heavily."Give me a second… I'm out of breath from running."He took a deep breath."I dealt a heavy blow to the Paladin's army, but it wasn't enough. They're regrouping. They're marching here right now."
His eyes hardened."We have to defend the church ourselves. There's no other option."
Without hesitation, Edwick shouted,"Everyone grab your weapons! The holy soldiers are coming! This is the final defense!"
The villagers panicked. The entrance gate had collapsed. Now they had to hold that position themselves. They hurried to their defensive spots.
Lane stepped forward."I have a plan for that area."He turned to Edwick."I told you to destroy Ariana's statue. Did you do it?"
Edwick frowned as he answered."Yes. I destroyed it just as you asked. But why?"
Lane paused briefly."You'll understand now."
He raised his voice."Everyone listen to me! We'll use Ariana's statue inside the church to block the door. Use the flags to cover the remaining gaps!"
Sara muttered in disbelief,"Is this man planning to use the statue as a wall and the flags as tools to throw stones…?"
No one asked questions. Everyone moved immediately. The statue was brought over. The nine remaining flags inside the church were wrapped around stones and prepared.
Lane spoke one last time."Everyone hide. When they arrive, they must not see us."His eyes glinted in the darkness."Suspicion is a worm that eats a person from the inside."
Everyone waited in ambush.
And very soon…
The church soldiers came into view.
There were wounded among them.
But the army was still standing.