Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon

"Woo woo woo woo——————"

The dull sound of the horn blared... A vast army finally appeared in the Northern Suburbs, almost at the appointed time. The soldiers’ chest Armor gleamed in the setting sun’s afterglow, seen from afar, they looked like a long serpent with twinkling orange light.

Surely the Longjiu Family hadn’t prepared for battle, had they?

From the activity in the Northern City District, one could tell, the residents were still busily going about their lives, the police were still focused on petty thieves and vendors... As for the army? The patrolling soldiers on the main roads had long been taken care of by an elite squad, while the main force of the Longjiu Army was still concentrated in the Inner City District, guarding against rebellions from the nobility, undoubtedly handing over the suburbs to the Alliance Army, allowing the latter ample time to arrange their troops.

The Royal Capital that had been under occupation for nearly a year was finally about to return to its rightful owner.

Just as Mekefa had anticipated, forty minutes had passed since the appearance of the large army outside the Northern City District in an offensive posture, with the sun leaving only a corner in the sky, while the Longjiu Army had still not reacted. The locals, however, showed their rich experience; shortly after the horn sounded, they scattered cleanly, all retreating back into their homes and locking their doors and windows.

"We’ve taken control of the trenches outside," Moses climbed up the Clock Tower at this moment, "The army didn’t encounter any resistance. I originally thought a fierce battle would erupt in the suburbs—I guess I overthought it."

"Those Longjiu sons must be as anxious as ants on a hot pan now, right?" Mekefa said indifferently, "Without Wilson’s protection, these so-called aristocratic elites are nothing much."

But even if Duke Longjiu was still around, so what if it came to a head-on clash?

This army... had already been transformed.

In the past, the Kingdom Army had lost the protection of the Goddess of Abundance.

And they... had been bathed in divinity’s light once more.

"Please give the order, Duke Luoxia, to launch the final assault, this city is ours."

...

"Why won’t you let me lead the troops into battle? Big brother, what are you thinking!?" Zigwey yelled at his elder brother Qibo, who, however, sat on the throne in Jinsui Palace, looking like a statue.

The other ministers who had heard the news looked at each other in bewilderment, unsure of what the legal heir had planned next.

By now, everyone had realized that the attack with the Blooming Excalibur against Duke Longjiu was not an isolated incident—several assassinations targeting Longjiu nobles had taken place in the city in the past few days, causing widespread panic. Before they could catch the killer, an army bearing the flag of the Winter Country suddenly appeared in the northern suburbs of the Kingdom. These sequential events were clearly well planned: their enemy had come for revenge.

This was definitely not good news for the Longjiu Family, which had just lost its backbone.

But weren’t the scions born at Longjiu Peak all raised amidst adversity?

The more one showed weakness, the more rampant the enemy would become—Qibo must understand this principle!

Yet he had insisted on ordering the remaining forces left by their father not to act rashly, to take refuge in the Royal Palace, while the military was to use the Inner City District walls as the boundary, focusing on defense. This strategy of handing over the initiative was something Zigwey had never heard of before! Furthermore, in the eyes of the locals, the Longjiu Army was an outsider; if they so easily surrendered the entire outer city district to the enemy, not to mention becoming like fish in a barrel, what would the watching citizens think?

They would likely immediately turn their support to this "liberating army"!

By then, even if they wanted to break out, it would be difficult!

"You still remember what father had entrusted to us, right?" Qibo lifted his head to look at Zigwey, his eyes revealing a trace of exhaustion. "He tasked us with managing Gao Feng Company well. The company’s main mission is to make a profit and expand production. War is something we shouldn’t be involved in..." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Zigwey was stunned. Were these the words a family head should say?

Hadn’t the Longjiu Family developed from a small corner to what it was today by battling all over the place?

Moreover, this eldest brother often participated in battles abroad, and he was certainly not a coward.

No... He had felt that something was off with Qibo before. After their father’s death, Qibo left the funeral arrangements to the elders of the family, and locked himself in the study with that thing called Weiden, nearly disappearing for the whole day. When he saw his big brother again, his countenance appeared extremely haggard, as if his very essence had been drained from him.

Right, shortly after Duke Longjiu had been attacked, the robot butler had given him a key...

"Qibo Longjiu, could it be that father entrusted you with something in private?" Zigwey asked seriously. "Or are you... enchanted by that humanoid hunk of iron? If so..." He drew his sword from his waist and looked towards Weiden, "then I’ll cleave it right now!"

"Father indeed did make arrangements," Qibo said after a moment of silence. "Rest assured, I ordered the army to defend the Inner City to prevent people like Mekefa from launching a sneak attack on our rear. As for the war, someone else is in charge."

"Who?"

"The new king," he replied succinctly.

...

Just as the Alliance Army began to enter the Outer City District in succession, the soldier at the very front of the formation suddenly came under attack!

Several violent explosions burst forth in the center of the column, sending columns of smoke billowing up more than ten meters high — for infantry, such a magnitude of explosion was undoubtedly devastating; the shockwave alone could rupture the organs of anyone within seven to eight meters, causing death.

The first thing that came to everyone’s mind was artillery fire.

Mekefa was no exception, and he immediately looked towards the Inner City District, but he couldn’t find the source of the enemy’s artillery fire. Speaking of which, the city wasn’t a suitable battlefield for artillery, as the multitude of three- and four-story buildings would severely affect the trajectory of the shells, making it extremely difficult to accurately hit a target on a specific street.

However, the Alliance Army quickly adjusted their strategy. They dispersed, either advancing along the edges of the streets or winding through the crisscrossing alleys, further expanding the contact front with the enemy to avoid being hit by unseen artillery fire.

Yet, the situation did not improve.

Wherever there was a slightly larger group of troops, they would be met with deadly explosions. This mode of attack was highly efficient; after every earth-shaking boom, the Alliance Army suffered casualties of dozens of soldiers! Even if they took refuge under eaves or even in the houses of locals, the situation did not change. Balls of fire erupted and vanished in an instant on the streets of the Northern City District, with dismembered bodies and heart-wrenching screams assailing the frontline troops wave after wave, causing the advancing formation of the Alliance Army to visibly falter.

No... something wasn’t right. What exactly were they battling against?

Mekefa was bewildered.

This was no ordinary army! The Alliance Army had now been blessed by the divinities, with every soldier undergoing tremendous changes compared to the past, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say each could take on ten opponents! In a sense, these were troops who all qualified for the martial warrior certification; even the least among them was equivalent to an elite warrior. Such formidable individual strength, combined with the structured training of an army, was the foundation of the Winter Country’s confidence in taking the Royal City head-on! The Blooming Excalibur believed that even if the Longjiu Army dispatched the Steam Ironclad Knights again to face them, the Alliance Army would not be at a disadvantage! However, as the enemy was fiercely attacking, they found themselves unable to fight back - observing from a high vantage point, it was evident that the soldiers hadn’t identified where the attacks were coming from!