Seeing the House Demons drawing closer and closer, Mozo began seriously considering whether he should retreat into the ruins first.
Fortunately, at the very moment when the official Beyonders were beginning to despair, countless vines suddenly erupted from beneath the earth like geysers. Lush vegetation rapidly spread across every piece of rubble.
Even some of the House Demons found massive amounts of plant life growing directly from their bodies.
The Special Zone's strongest official Beyonder, Count Hearn, had finally made his move!
The House Demons that had given the officials so much trouble were effortlessly crushed before the gigantic plants. Cheers immediately broke out among the gathered Beyonders.
The Count had entered the battle.
As long as they could drag this out, the situation would only become more favorable for them.
It wasn't that the Count was guaranteed to win.
It was because this was the heartland of the Empire.
The capital had undoubtedly already learned of the disaster here, and powerful reinforcements were certainly on their way. As long as they held on long enough, the enemy was doomed.
Towering plants rose from the ground and began methodically crushing the House Demons advancing toward the Mayor's Residence, which also served as City Hall.
Watching the scene from atop the twisted fortress, the Green Angels spoke in perfect unison:
"A Sequence Three Druid King of the Nature Pathway! Ah, there is no mistake. This is the most common demigod among the elves! The damned elves! The damned Sun King!"
Their broken minds had completely forgotten that the Count stationed here was a pure-blooded human, even if his pathway happened to be the Nature Pathway favored by elves.
At this moment, they were convinced that everything was part of a conspiracy aimed at them, a scheme by an ancient king seeking to use their heads as sacrifices for His return.
After a brief outburst, the Green Angel formed from White Dove suddenly flew out of the fortress.
In the sky, it openly revealed its Mythical Form:
A Green-Winged Angel with only half of its wings remaining.
Most of its body still retained a human shape, but the moment that filthy green half-wing appeared, every Beyonder who looked directly at it immediately collapsed to the ground clutching their eyes and screaming in agony.
Though not a true god, the majesty and glory of an angel were still beyond what mortals could behold.
Those whose eyes merely bled were the lucky ones.
Lower-sequence Beyonders and those whose pathways were close to the Life Pathway suffered far worse.
Some developed grotesquely swollen tumors.
Others had rapidly expanding bones burst through their flesh, only for the wounds to heal instantly under the Green Angel's overflowing vitality, creating horrifying and nauseating distortions.
Still others grew entirely new arms, legs, eyes, noses, and other body parts.
Mozo and the officials reacted immediately.
Keeping their eyes lowered, they hurriedly drank the holy water prepared by the Inspectorate to counteract the Green Angel's unchecked life force.
Even so, Mozo could feel his hair and fingernails growing at an alarming speed.
This was the terror of high sequences.
Even if the angel had no intention of targeting him, its divinity and authority automatically crushed all lower beings simply by existing.
While staring at the ground, Mozo's heart sank slightly.
He tugged at the knight lady's sleeve and whispered:
"I'd like to ask you to escort me to the elven ruins."
Keeping her gaze lowered as well, though far less affected thanks to her Sequence Five characteristics, the knight lady frowned.
"What do you plan to do there?"
"Count Hearn is a Sequence Three of the Nature Pathway. That thing is a Sequence Two of the Life Pathway. They're not the same pathway, but adjacent pathways gain overwhelming advantages against lower sequences."
He paused before continuing.
"I'm worried the Count won't be able to hold out until reinforcements arrive."
"I know that," the knight lady replied. "But why go there? At least we still have plenty of Sealed Artifacts and resources here to barely hold the line. The ruins are an unknown elven relic site."
Mozo glanced around, making sure nobody was paying attention.
Then, using the roar of artillery as cover, he leaned close to her ear and whispered:
"I want to try activating the Golden Legion."
If possible, Mozo would rather not reveal this.
The odds of success might be low, but if he reached the ruins, the Golden Legion would almost certainly answer his call.
That would make his identity far more complicated.
Unfortunately, he had no choice.
The distance between the Old City and the Inspectorate was simply too great.
Without a Sequence Five bodyguard like the knight lady, he was afraid he'd be smashed into paste by a House Demon before taking more than a few steps.
A strange light flickered in the knight lady's eyes.
Then she asked solemnly:
"Are you confident?"
Mozo immediately answered:
"Yes. At the very least, it's worth trying. Besides, even if I fail, the ruins are safer than staying here."
The knight lady hesitated.
As a knight and an imperial noble, she should remain here and fight alongside her comrades.
But if Mozo succeeded, it could completely change the situation.
After a brief moment of indecision, she gritted her teeth and shouted toward the Captain and the burly officer:
"In the name of House Windsor, I order you to redirect the artillery toward Grindstone Street! I need a path cleared!"
The burly man stared at her in disbelief.
"Now? You're pulling this now?!"
The knight lady glared right back.
"Open fire. Clear the road."
The man's mouth twitched.
Then he ripped off his cap and roared to his subordinates:
"Redirect the guns! Grindstone Street! Blast us a path!"
The next moment, deafening explosions shook the entire street.
The House Demons blocking the route collapsed one after another, only to be swallowed by enormous plants.
Seizing the opportunity, the knight lady hoisted Mozo onto her shoulder once again and sprinted across Grindstone Street toward the Old City.
Meanwhile, the Green Angel White Dove continued unleashing attacks upon the city below.
Every strike toppled countless buildings and shattered enormous plants, causing violent tremors throughout the district.
Count Hearn no longer held back either.
Massive vines far larger than before burst from underground, reaching toward the Green Angel in the sky.
After only a few exchanges, the two high-sequence beings had already reduced much of Cromwell City to ruins.
One enormous vine suddenly trapped the Green Angel White Dove within a colossal cage of living plants.
But moments later, the cage collapsed on its own as the plants composing it grew uncontrollably beyond their limits.
Freed once more, the Green Angel White Dove screamed madly:
"Elves! Elves! You won't succeed! Just like when you fought that damned White Mask, I will not lose!"
The words White Mask instantly seized all of Mozo's attention.
Could this guy really have come from the Formless Court?