The People's God: Sacrificing Trillions to Ascend

The skeleton army’s movement was now irreconcilable. The four kingdoms, having no doubt that the skeletons were about to besiege the church, found themselves in a rare moment of total agreement: they would simply bide their time, sit back and observe.

If the church won, the four kingdoms would completely ignore Han Wu’s demands and swiftly move to aid the church in destroying the skeleton army. If the skeletons won, they would then honor the previously negotiated payment. The Pope, though keenly aware of these underlying motives, still chose to confront the undead.

The church was quite confident. None of their core clergy members had participated in the allied army’s fight against the undead; only a handful of priests had been deployed. More importantly, the church possessed the home-ground advantage, as the skeletons were targeting their holy land, the Radiant Harbor. Thus, the church quickly recalled their elite forces to join the battle.

The outcome of this battle remained entirely unknown. Han Wu’s army of 20 million skeletons marched for two days before finally arriving at Radiant Harbor. He remained concealed in the darkness, secretly observing the activities within the holy city.

Every part of Radiant Harbor was built from Light Stone, causing the city to radiate with light energy. It was like a colossal domain of pure light, effectively warding off undead.

Not only did the church benefit from fighting on its own turf, but it also possessed three formidable armies: the Radiant Army, the Thunder Army, and the Blazing Army. These armies represented the pinnacle of the church’s military might and were exceptionally powerful.

As a precaution, the church also recalled numerous clergy members who were stationed elsewhere, successfully amassing a fighting force of at least 2 million. Han Wu, however, decided to hold back, preferring to wait and observe rather than ordering his skeletons to charge in without a clear strategy; such a premature move would undoubtedly result in the annihilation of his entire skeleton army.

Radiant Harbor is like a massive impenetrable steel plate. I need to find a chink in their armor and disorient their forces before I can even consider attacking.

Unfortunately, Han Wu lacked a powerful unit under his command that could accomplish such a task. He pondered for a bit, then reached into his pocket and retrieved a Spectre Vine seed. The rare seed had been produced by his jade pot.

In Han Wu’s opinion, however, using up a single, precious Rank 6 seed to sow chaos within Radiant Harbor was a decidedly good price to pay. He then placed the precious seed into his mouth and began to chew it.

Gene Lock!

His cells began to assimilate the Spectre Vine’s genes, triggering a mutation within his body. Before long, he had incorporated the strength of the Spectre Vine into his body, feeling its raw power coursing through his veins.

With a single wave of his arm, numerous vines rapidly sprouted from the ground. He could now move through them with remarkable ease, much like a spectre. Each time he altered his position, he would unleash a powerful Spectral Dash in his wake.

Han Wu transformed into a vengeful spectre, and he charged into Radiant Harbor. He moved with such incredible speed that the guards found themselves utterly unable to stop him. He swiftly wove his way through them, mercilessly cutting down as many as he could.

Wielding the sword made from Anu, he dealt death with brutal swiftness—a simple touch against an enemy was enough. Those unfortunate enough to be grazed by the blade swiftly eroded away, their wounds rapidly transforming into a consuming rust that spread relentlessly throughout their bodies.

Ordinary cleansing spells proved insufficient, merely slowing the inevitable spread rather than completely eliminating the rust. In this horrific manner, countless soldiers perished as Han Wu relentlessly continued his assault.

Orders reached the three armies, and they swiftly moved to assist in the fight. The generals commanding each of these forces were seasoned experts, having once explored ancient ruins. Despite not completing the ruins’ trials, they had nonetheless gained some Divine Essence, which helped in strengthening their bodies. Furthermore, they possessed numerous powerful Runic Lexicons, making them formidable opponents, on par with High Lords.

Even then, they were no match for Han Wu’s overwhelming speed, and they ultimately suffered defeat. Their attacks, though powerful, were rendered completely useless as long as they failed to land a single hit on him. It finally became clear to them that they could do absolutely nothing against Han Wu in his current state.

Han Wu used his incredible speed to his advantage and unleashed a barrage of rapid attacks. He successfully managed to inflict injuries upon the generals of both the Blazing Army and the Thunder Army, yet he was unable to deliver a decisive blow to the Radiant Army’s general. This particular general was the only one among the three who successfully parried Han Wu’s attacks and even launched counterattacks of their own.

Realizing he couldn’t deal any significant damage to the Radiant Army’s general, Han Wu swiftly switched targets, focusing his attacks on the soldiers instead. The church’s carefully cultivated experts began to fall one by one under his relentless and ruthless strikes.

Having fought continuously for two hours within Radiant Harbor, he finally felt exhaustion seize his body. He swiftly made his escape from the area and immediately commanded his skeleton army to commence their attack on the holy city without delay.

The skeletons poured into Radiant Harbor, relentlessly engaging the already exhausted clergy, already disoriented from Han Wu’s previous actions. Among the fallen, many were swiftly resurrected by the little skeleton, becoming new Skeleton Knights.

Simultaneously, many skeletons were constantly being purified by the clergy members, rendering them permanently unable to be reanimated. Nevertheless, these purified skeletons unexpectedly served a secondary purpose for the skeletal army—the Osteomancers transformed those bone fragments into imposing giants or, in the case of the Greatsword Osteomancer, a formidable greatsword, and started a rampage. Four hours later, Radiant Harbor had been utterly reduced to ruins, and the casualties among the clergy had skyrocketed dramatically.

Yet, the skeleton army did not emerge unscathed, having lost a substantial number of units. Under the furious and sustained assault of the church’s forces, almost 15 million skeletons were permanently destroyed. Han Wu felt his numbers dwindling rapidly and commanded his forces to pull back. His skeleton army immediately complied, beginning their retreat.

Though the three armies yearned to chase the skeletons and exact retribution for their lost comrades, the general of the Radiant Army held them back. He argued that any attack now would be futile; their forces were too disorganized, severely wounded, and utterly exhausted. To pursue the skeletons in their current state would only result in their own meaningless deaths.

Their immediate priority shifted to rescuing the wounded and reducing further casualties. After the war, a detailed report was prepared and presented to the Pope, who was so shocked by its contents that he almost fainted. 1.6 million had perished, with an additional 300,000 severely injured and 150,000 sustaining minor wounds. Furthermore, the three armies were on the verge of collapse.

The church had suffered a crushing defeat. The Pope let out a heavy sigh, his gaze sweeping across the utterly ruined Radiant Harbor. He began to question his initial decision; had he consented to the reparations, he would not have incurred such devastating losses.

Yet, it was far too late for regrets. He faced two choices: completely surrender or wage a hopeless war. He found himself at a complete loss, utterly unaware that someone had materialized within his chambers.