novelODS Chapter 22 Evacuation
Chapter 22 Evacuation
Spearmen have sturdy armor and high defense, but centaurs are faster and stronger.
Margaret brought eight spearmen, fewer in number than centaurs, but as both are Tier 1 units, spearmen and centaurs are roughly equal in combat strength.
Soon, two spearmen fell to the ground, and a centaur was also pierced by a spear.
In addition, Olivia was also firing her short bow.
Because they were outnumbered, the spearmen were starting to struggle.
Margaret's face turned ashen.
She never expected that this seemingly delicate girl would be so difficult to deal with.
Although she is mentally unstable, she is definitely not stupid.
"Retreat," she said through gritted teeth.
The remaining spearmen regrouped and escorted Margaret as she retreated.
"This isn't over yet," her voice came from afar, somewhat exasperated. "You've betrayed God; you'll all go to hell."
Olivia did not pursue, as she could not be sure if the enemy had reinforcements.
On the other side, Noah and Liam slumped to the ground, trembling all over.
"Olivia..." Noah's voice was a little hoarse, "Thank you."
Olivia shook her head and said nothing. She crouched down; a centaur's chest was pierced by a spear, and blood was gushing out uncontrollably.
Olivia sighed.
She only has this one stable, and her gold coins are limited. If she loses a centaur, she will have one less.
More than the loss, she wanted to find out what was going on with that crazy woman.
Noah and Liam told them what they knew, including the sanctuary where they could escape monster attacks and the spearman's watchtower controlled by Margaret.
After asking about the location of the shelter, Olivia's expression turned somewhat grim.
"Too close!"
According to Liam and Noah, the refuge was only a little over a kilometer away from her centaur stable.
Even on foot, it only takes about ten minutes to get there.
Living so close to such a crazy woman, Olivia naturally felt threatened.
In fact, Margaret was thinking the same thing at that moment.
After she returned, she immediately took stock of the troops at her disposal.
She had occupied the watchtower for two days and recruited a total of 28 spearmen. However, she lost 3 in the previous battles with some monsters, and 2 more were killed by the centaurs. She only had 23 spearmen left.
"That blasphemous woman probably doesn't have as many centaurs as my spearmen, and besides..." Margaret looked at the many survivors hiding in the shelter, a smile appearing on her face.
There are at least fifty survivors.
In her eyes, this was also a 'force' that could be utilized.
And shouldn't those who have received protection do something for themselves and for God?
"I can't give her and those two traitors a chance to breathe." Margaret's eyes flashed with malice, and she immediately ordered her most loyal followers to gather all the survivors.
Once everyone had assembled, Margaret stood on the steps of the shelter's main entrance, flanked by spearmen carrying long spears, exuding an air of authority.
"There are traitors among us. They have even colluded with a heretic. I heard the holy voice, and God told me that He will not allow such a thing to happen. Therefore, we must punish those people. If they are willing to correct their mistakes, God is willing to forgive them. But if they insist on going down the wrong path, then hell is their only fate. And you..."
Margaret then declared passionately, "And through this, prove your piety! Tell me, are you truly pious?"
"Yes!" Joseph, wearing a baseball cap, was the first to shout, quite enthusiastically.
More and more people responded, and eventually, no one dared to remain even neutral.
Because they're not stupid; if they don't take sides at this point, they'll definitely be targeted by Margaret.
"Take up your weapons and let's go together to defeat those guys, in the name of God..." Margaret looked at the 'army' in front of her with great satisfaction. At this moment, she felt that she was in control of everything.
......
"Leave? Why should we leave?" Noah asked, somewhat confused.
Just minutes before, after learning about the situation at the shelter and the forces under Margaret's control, Olivia made the decision to 'evacuate' almost immediately.
"Do you think I want to leave?" Olivia's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.
Of course she didn't want to leave.
Because that would mean she was giving up the centaur stable.
But she had no other choice.
Margaret is a madwoman, and her stronghold is only a little over a kilometer away from here. In addition, she has at least twenty gunmen under her command, and most importantly, there are many ordinary people as well.
It is almost certain that the other side will retaliate immediately, and most likely they will send out their entire force, bringing the survivors with them.
On the other hand, they only had fifteen centaur warriors, a severe disparity in troop strength.
There was absolutely no possibility of fighting back; Olivia had no other option but to temporarily retreat.
Beside him, Liam had also come to terms with the situation, and his mood was somewhat downcast: "We've dragged you into this."
Olivia didn't blame the two classmates.
"It has nothing to do with you. On the contrary, I want to thank you for letting me know in advance that there is such a dangerous neighbor around!" By this time, she had already collected the supplies into several backpacks and ordered several centaur warriors to be responsible for transporting them.
"Besides, although this world is full of dangers, it's also full of opportunities." Olivia's eyes shone. "Just two days ago, I saw a streak of light fall down. When I rushed over, guess what I saw?"
"What?" Liam and Noah's curiosity was piqued.
"A ball of light, but the point isn't the ball of light itself. The point is, I saw a person, and he was leading a large group of skeleton soldiers, more than twenty of them. At that time, I only had one centaur with me." Olivia's breathing became noticeably rapid as she said this.
"This new world is full of opportunities; it's just a matter of whether we can seize them. Once we're strong enough, we'll come back and get rid of that crazy woman, Margaret." Olivia was someone who could take things in stride.
After leaving the house, she looked back at the stable with some reluctance.
Finally, with unwavering resolve, he left with fifteen centaur warriors, along with Liam and Noah.
Just ten minutes after they left, Margaret arrived with her men.
She didn't find the person she was looking for, but she wasn't angry; on the contrary, she was quite pleased.
Because she occupied a 'centaur stable' without suffering any losses.
"This place can produce 12 centaur warriors every day. Sure enough, God is helping me." Margaret was extremely excited. At this moment, she felt incredibly lucky, which further strengthened her belief that she was God's chosen one.
At the same time, there is an even more urgent need for 'gold coins'. Without this currency, even if units are produced in the building, they cannot be recruited.
She entrusted this task to several devout followers, instructing them to each lead a search party to the surrounding area. If they found anything, they were to report back immediately, and she would then lead her troops to seize it.
In addition, she also arranged for people to go around looking for other survivors, to "preach" and spread the gospel of the "Lord", so that they would take refuge in her.
In just a few days, the reputation of the Church of Judgment grew.