Today is March 30, 1444 in the Second Age, the first day Griffith arrived in Raven.
According to the order of the former enemy committee composed of supernatural beings, Raven began martial law throughout the city, and all residents immediately returned home or went to designated locations.
At dusk, the extraordinary and extraordinary people from Beyelan had already gone to their respective locations. They are scattered in important strongholds, relying on the assembled army to control a large area with the Mage Tower and Raven's City Hall as the core. However, in order not to distract the mobile forces at hand, only a few sentries were sent to patrol the large lower city area, the farms and cemeteries in the western suburbs.
After dinner, Griffith came to the mage tower. Local officials and mage apprentice Miss Leila have prepared war horses and some weapons for him.
This is a strong black oriental war horse. It is naturally incomparable to the horses of Hepu and the war horses used by Bayerland to attack veterans, but it is still up to the standards of war horses. It can be used without charging and controlling the load. Carrying a cuirass-clad cavalryman over long distances.
"Pretty good." Griffith stroked the horse's back and neck with satisfaction. He is a Lancer, and even in the cavalry unit, it is a position that can only be occupied by those with the most superb riding and spear skills. Sonia has repeatedly praised his superb riding skills. However, after returning to the rear, he could only exercise at the horse farms of Bayerland and Homonworth, and there were very few combat opportunities on horseback.
Whenever he rides on this tame, strong, agile and beautiful animal, he feels particularly safe, as if he is reunited with an old friend.
Petite Layla handed him a few carrots.
"Thank you, Miss Layla," Griffith nodded to the mage apprentice with satisfaction and began to feed his war horse, "How much do you know about the lower city?"
"It's very chaotic and there are a lot of people," Leila replied. "When I went to the market there to buy things, I heard some uneasy rumors among the neighbors, saying that there was a mysterious noise underground, like hundreds of moles digging holes together. ."
"Recently?"
"It was there a month ago. Officials conducted an investigation, but nothing was found. The sewers there are very old and complicated, and no one wants to go deep."
What's terrible, an unknown intelligence and threat, what the temporarily appointed person in charge was most afraid of appeared...
Griffith almost blacked out. He had no idea about the sewers. After all, there were huge gaps in Raven's defense. If the Deathrattle Order is plotting something in the dark sewers, there is little the Council of Former Enemies can do to stop it.
Even with extraordinary beings, a well-trained extraordinary team and a large number of city defense troops, these forces are still not enough to control the entire city. They can keep an eye on the most important upper city, but what about the lower city where a large number of civilians live?
Even if the most powerful supreme wizards in the world and the great demigods came in person, they would not be able to have so many familiars and magic powers to dig into the sewers and alleys to find all the bad guys.
To eliminate the cult group hiding in the shadows, it is necessary to investigate house by house, cut off their access and access to supplies, and report suspicious persons and signs at any time. Only in this way can the danger be nipped in the bud.
This requires the mobilization of grassroots militias without public official establishment, the need for all landlords, hotels and shops to verify the identity of customers, the need for dedicated police officers to go deep into the slums, the need for vigilant housewives and children playing on the roadside...
In a word, this requires all citizens living in Raven.
Griffith pressed his forehead. This was beyond his scope of cognition. He had never seen or heard of such a large-scale operation.
He could only take a three-meter lance and rush to the lower city with a heavy heart to see the situation there first.
…
It was getting dark. Griffith walked on deserted streets and bridges. Martial law has been declared and cities are enforcing curfews.
There were still some people passing by in a hurry. They were either in a hurry to go home or busy preparing food. Griffith had no intention of caring about them. He moved quickly in the evening breeze, passing through beautiful streets and city walls, and soon came into view the outline of the low lower city.
The Raven River, which flows from east to west, divides the city into two parts, north and south. The lower lower city has no city walls and shows a black and yellow outline in the dusk, which makes people feel depressed when looking at it.
Bats and blackbirds flew through the night sky, lingering among spiers and chimneys. There were a lot of pedestrians in a hurry, carrying large and small bags of things and running towards their homes. The dark red cobblestones stretched toward the darkness, like the tongue of a giant beast.
A low and distant bell sounded in the evening wind, as if announcing an unknown prophecy.
Griffith's poor inspiration was touched. In the dim light and deep shadows, he seemed to see thorny tentacles wriggling on the walls and ground, and dim psychic lines spreading everywhere.
Griffith's heart palpitated. He stood on the stone arch bridge that spanned the River Raven. There is a square not far along the road under the bridge, where the administrative office of Xiacheng District is located.
However, he remained motionless.
The cult has obviously launched some arrangements in the lower city. Griffith doesn't know what they are, but he is sure there must be something. Why didn't the local government report such obvious signs? If the local area had not been infiltrated into a sieve by the cult, then this inspiring vision had just appeared.
"Erza? Mage Tower, do you hear that?" Griffith hurriedly contacted the rear through the echo crystal. However, the psychic echoes, whose communications had been clear, became noisy and unusable just as they had been during the Verona Incident.
The Deathrattle Order takes action! As soon as the paranormal commandos arrived, the cult took action, and the unreliable psychic echo was cut off again.
Turn around and run away? First retreat back to find Erza for help. But if we withdraw this time, we will not be able to grasp the situation in Xiacheng District.
Griffith immediately began to hesitate. The danger is obvious, and temporary retreat is undoubtedly the safest plan. However, without the leadership of the Extraordinary in Xiacheng District, the situation is deteriorating rapidly and may get out of control at any time, followed by countless casualties.
He put his hand into his collar and held Galadia's mithril pendant tightly.
It's not possible to be foolproof all the time. It was the same when fighting the goblins, and it's the same this time. If I retreat, Lower City may be doomed. However, if this was a trap, I would jump right in without any reinforcements.
At this moment, bursts of screams and calls for help came from the streets in the distance. In the silent dusk, the sound was particularly terrifying. Immediately afterwards, ferocious and crazy figures emerged from the darkness and sewers, pounced on the crowds on the road like crazy wolves.
Trap, this is an obvious trap! These cultists knew I was coming.
Griffith screamed in his heart. The cult group knew that after martial law was activated, they would no longer hide, and used unknown means to block the psychic echo; they even started to attack citizens right in front of their eyes, making it clear that they would appear at the intersection. The armored knight could not turn back.
At this time, an extraordinary person appeared on the dim road. He was alone, wielding a silver battle staff, dashing left and right in the crowd, knocking down the living corpses that rushed towards him.
Some militiamen followed him in resistance.
However, this lone Beyonder does not seem to be powerful, and his militia is no more than that. The madness coming from the darkness is obviously superior. They have been planned for a long time and are ready to go. Black and gray living corpses emerged from the sewers one after another, attacking and killing everywhere.
A large, shambling shadow surged through the alley. A giant monster stitched together from corpses appears.
Streets and squares suddenly became slaughterhouses.
Terror is spreading and chaos is unstoppable. The citizens screamed and fled in all directions.
Griffith grabbed the pendant, kissed it gently, and carefully stuffed it back into his collar.
He raised his lance forward, the cold light swirled around him, and the bloody breath steamed up toward the sky.
The fierce momentum and murderous intent spread, and even the living corpses in the killing and the citizens who resisted desperately turned their heads subconsciously.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the armored knight on the stone bridge. The black war horse suddenly stood up, and almost substantial blood appeared under its ribs like wings. The war horses roared like dragons, piercing the chaotic darkness.
The knight on the war horse pointed his lance directly at the sky and let out a wild shout that shook the earth:
"In the name of Galadia,
"attack--!"
Griffith rode his horse and held a gun, rushing down the bridge like lightning.
The living corpses that were attacking the citizens all turned around at once, dropped their prey and rushed towards the armored knight.
Griffith leveled his lance, stepped on the cobblestone road, and rushed towards the center of the living corpses that were surrounding him from all sides.
The heavy hooves of the horse thundered, and his body, armor, and lance trembled. Ice blue light and air masses shimmered.
The two sides are getting closer. Griffith could already clearly see the rotting face and gray eyeballs of the living corpse with its teeth and claws. His spear was pointed directly at the huge stitched corpse monster deep in the zombie tide.
"Bang!"
The armored cavalry and the zombie tide collided violently.
The lance accurately penetrated the throat of one zombie, passed through the back of its head and penetrated the throat of the second zombie, tearing them apart together.
Several living corpses were hit by the heavy war horses and were broken into pieces and flew out. The monsters that followed were stacked on top of each other, stepping on each other's shoulders, pressing down like a tide.
They then hit the ice shield and flew out with a loud noise and sharp ice fragments all over the sky.
The icy air waves and ice spread in a circular shape, knocking down the dense living corpses in pieces. The tide of corpses crowding in front of Griffith was gone.
"Hungry - roar!"
The giant suture monster raised axes, hatchets, and chain weapons, and let out terrifying roars at the armored knights with its broken throat. The living corpses hidden in the lower city seemed to have received orders to fight, gathering from all directions like streams flowing into the sea.
"Knight, it is the leader of the undead!" The monk in the battle shouted to Griffith, pointing his staff at the terrifying Stitch Monster.
After he finished speaking, a shadow flashed before his eyes.
An ice gun tore through the air and penetrated the Stitch Monster's neck, knocking it back two steps. This powerful monster has a strong vitality, and it still does not fall under a blow that almost breaks its neck.
A terrifying breath of terror suddenly filled the air. A huge mountain monster phantom appeared behind the charging Griffith, roaring. He raised his lance and stabbed the Stitch Monster's neck, which was wrapped in thick carrion, with lightning-quick precision.
This blow sent out a roar that tore through the air, causing the situation to change. Immediately afterwards, the entire lower city heard a loud thunder-like noise.
The citizens who were fleeing were stunned. They stopped their escape one after another. Even the frightened residents poked their heads out from behind windows and attics, cautiously looking at the situation in the square.
Among the densely packed living corpses, the terrifying giant monster stood there as if petrified. The boiling square fell silent for a while. After a moment, the huge monster shook its body and fell to its knees with a roar.
The knight on the black horse raised his lance high and led the mount in a small circle with graceful steps like a champion in the arena. He did not charge, but stepped into the pool in the square, and raised his lance high amidst the splashing and kicking sounds.
The head of the terrifying Stitched Corpse Monster was hanging on the tip of the gun.
The monk who was still shouting just now was stunned. The citizens, militiamen and living corpses around him were frozen and lost the ability to speak and move for a while.
The armored cavalryman raised the lance with his head high, pulled the horse to raise its front hooves, and shouted like a thunder to the horrified audience:
"Follow me to attack!"
