Chapter 272: Road Roller
It seemed the Prawa Theocracy’s defense system was taking shape.
The Warrior Monks, drawn from every possible corner, were diligently constructing their defenses.
Materials and supplies for the defense were being continuously transported to the Holy Capital. Massive logs were roughly processed and rapidly deployed as barricades against horses in the suburbs.
The Warrior Monks were fully utilizing their physical abilities to create defensive structures one after another.
After all, even the lowest-ranking among them possessed the strength of several adults. The efficiency of processing lumber alone was on a completely different level.
Furthermore, they demonstrated tremendous effectiveness in construction.
Digging up the ground, creating foundations, and assembling building materials. Each Warrior Monk worked as efficiently as five or ten ordinary people. They could erect a watchtower in a single day.
Thus, defensive installations for field battles were being deployed over a wide area.
Horse barricades and trenches to deflect arrows. The concept of trenches existed because their thrown spears could easily penetrate inferior shields. At close range, they possessed the power of Armor-Piercing Shells.
A Warrior Monk was an exceptional Combat Unit in its own right.
For example, they used a technique called magic to exhibit strength superior to ordinary people. As far as could be observed, depending on individual aptitude, they possessed three to ten times the strength of a normal man.
And they possessed toughness and endurance to match their strength.
Their capabilities were so impressive that the expressions “human heavy machinery” or “human tank” fit them perfectly. With thousands of them gathered, their combined strength was beyond estimation.
Furthermore, their abilities were not limited to mere strength.
They manipulated various phenomena that could only be described as magic.
For example, Wind Magic.
They didn’t just send gusts of wind; when shooting arrows or throwing spears, or even when leaping, they skillfully manipulated the wind to create calm conditions or tailwinds, achieving incredible range and accuracy.
For example, Fire Magic.
They used heat generation to boil water, create embers to start fires, and also directly attacked by igniting targets in their line of sight or burning them with flamethrowers.
Furthermore, they combined Fire Magic with Wind Magic. Flamethrowers became more extensive, longer-ranged, and hotter. By using it in collaboration with multiple people, they could even create wide-area attacks like fire whirlwinds.
Even more absurd was their Faith Magic.
They could heal minor wounds in a short time and recover from severe injuries in a single day. Furthermore, they seemed capable of suppressing the need for sleep, allowing them to perform incredible feats of continuous activity for days.
Even the reincarnated Amadio was taken aback by the excessively harsh working conditions.
But that aside.
There were thousands of these superhuman soldiers. Hundreds of priests to command them. And dozens of High Priests above them. This was the structure defending the Holy Capital.
＜Iris＞, based in the Prawa Theocracy, had numbered all of these units. Although the numbers fluctuated due to constant movement, the approximate troop strength was 30 High Priests, 450 Priests, and 6,000 Warrior Monks.
The Prawa Theocracy was a religious nation with Pravabog as its apex.
Their sole purpose was to reach the ＜Holy Land＞.
References within their scriptures were diverse, but their goal was singular.
The entire nation aimed for this, but one of its defining characteristics was its extreme exclusivism.
Without exception, they considered everyone outside their nation as enemies. Obstacles to be eliminated on the path to the ＜Holy Land＞.
Therefore, they accumulated power and made the decision to launch an external campaign. To seize everything and offer it as sustenance to Pravabog.
Their religious views were exclusivist, with a strong sense of chosen people. It was a powerful hierarchical society where everything was determined by the strength of ＜magic＞.
Unless one possessed exceptionally outstanding abilities, their rank was assigned based on the strength of their magic.
The lowest in status were the farmers. Unable to use magic, they were the ruled class positioned outside the hierarchical structure. Because they were the ones being governed, they possessed almost no sense of chosen people. They were taught that they were the unchosen.
The Clerics, called Dzieci, directly governed the farmers. They were the most numerous of the Warrior Monks. Although at the bottom of the hierarchy, they possessed about three times the strength of a typical adult male and could also wield magic. Also, because of their low status, they were generally earnest and did not resort to unreasonable violence.
Although there were occasionally mischievous individuals, they were usually educated by higher-ranking Clerics, so the internal governance of the Theocracy was relatively successful.
The farmers mainly produced food, and they were also confirmed to work in mines, make tools, and perform Iron production.
The Warrior Monks’ main jobs were maintaining public order and resolving disputes, but more than half of them were mobilized to subjugate Monsters in order to reach the ＜Holy Land＞. In fact, they were focusing more on this.
The conquest of the Demon Forest was effectively controlled by elite units called the Chimyera Clan. They were the elite of the elite, acting solely to clear the Demon Forest and reach the ＜Holy Land＞. They were also fanatical.
And numerous Warrior Monks were incorporated under the command of the Chimyera Clan. Their mission was to handle miscellaneous tasks in place of the Chimyera Clan. They transported supplies, built forward bases, cleared forests, and generally took care of all the chores so that the Chimyera Clan could concentrate on defeating the enemies in the Demon Forest.
This time, some of the Chimyera Clan and Warrior Monks had been drawn out to defend the Holy Capital.
Rumor had it that there was considerable resistance to this request.
However, they were reluctantly dispatched after being persuaded that the collapse of the Holy Capital, the central city of production, would make it difficult to maintain the front line in the Demon Forest.
Strategic AI ＜Iris＞ seemed to have found an opening to exploit here.
For the Chimyera Clan, the most important thing was the development of the Demon Forest, and ultimately, reaching the ＜Holy Land＞. The defense of the Holy Capital was merely a means to that end.
Of course, most of the Warrior Monks gathered in the Holy Capital aimed to defend the Prawa Theocracy itself. But the Chimyera Clan and its associates had different goals.
Basically, the Warrior Monks and Clerics of the Prawa Theocracy did not respond to persuasion. They had been calling for surrender in various villages and towns, but they wouldn’t even listen. Their exclusivism was too strong, and ＜Ringo＞ had given up on this from the start.
Therefore, the basic policy was to Zistroi all the Clerics.
However, there was a possibility of communication with the Chimyera Clan on one point.
Namely, the ＜Holy Land＞.
＜Iris＞’s assessment was that it was possible to form an agreement with them as long as they fully supported the project of pioneering the path to the ＜Holy Land＞.
＜Ringo＞ agreed with this, and ＜Eve＞ also affirmed it with some skepticism.
Therefore, they were planning to negotiate with the Chimyera Clan after demonstrating their power to some extent. Of course, since only the Chimyera Clan could be reasoned with, it would ultimately be necessary to Zistroi the other Clerics.
In such a situation.
＜Iris＞, having determined that all preparations were complete, instructed the Strategic AI under her command to begin the operation.
The ＜Decapitation (Road Roller)＞ Operation was about to begin.
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“Seriously, Road Roller is a terrible name, isn’t it?”
“I believe it is a very easy-to-understand operation name that succinctly expresses the situation.”
Eve frowned as she pressed the final judgment ＜GO!!＞ button.
Well, it wasn’t wrong to say it would flatten the direction of travel. But she thought that if Amadio Silverhead found out about this operation name, he would say something about it again.
This is an exposition dump chapter.
I wrote it while being excited.