"The specific details are still unclear, but it's certain that Greydel, the Garrison Commander, has been killed by our sleeper agent. The report says a blade pierced his heart, and he died on the spot!"
The Regional Bishop shook his head, his tone resolute. He had personally bribed the agent who killed Greydel, and he had several other moles who had confirmed the death.
"Get the full picture, and fast!" Bane's expression softened slightly, but his tone remained severe. "We launched this uprising in haste and are currently fighting on three fronts. Speed is our top priority. We cannot give the nobles of Valanfort any time to react."
"Understood. I'll send men to the East Gate immediately!" the Bishop replied with a nod.
"What's the status at the harbor? Have Bank and Razalo driven the Chris Pirates back?" Bane asked.
"The situation there isn't good. The Church's forces have taken heavy losses. Word is those pirates are literal monsters!" At this point, the Bishop's face flickered with a hint of fear. He suggested, "Since the pirates are pushing toward the harbor anyway, should we ease up on our assault and just maintain steady pressure instead?"
"Absolutely not!" Bane barked.
He glared at the Bishop, his voice heavy with gravity. "The Chris Pirates are not like those pampered nobles in Valanfort. If we ease our attack, we might reduce our losses, but the moment they see through our bluff, they will move to reinforce the Inner Keep."
"Our uprising was too rushed; many of our forces haven't been mobilized yet. If the plan fails to move quickly, we will never be able to hold Valanfort against the combat prowess of the Chris Pirates!"
The Regional Bishop broke into a cold sweat and nodded repeatedly. He hadn't realized the situation was so precarious.
Within Valanfort, the Church of the Night appeared powerful, but they were riddled with vulnerabilities. They had deliberately incited the populace to riot and attack the barracks and the Inner Keep specifically to buy time to dismantle the City Defense Force and the Garrison, and to seize the Keep itself.
Fanaticism has an expiration date. Once the rioting citizens calm down, the Church loses its main force. If they haven't secured victory by then, the Church members within Valanfort will be the ones facing the executioner's block.
The City Defense Force was the easiest to dismantle; more than half the soldiers and officers already worshipped the "Goddess of the Night." Others had simply been bought. Those truly loyal to the Valanfort nobles or the Kingdom of Bivins were few and far between.
The Garrison Force, however, only had two or three thousand believers, with even fewer fanatics. Bane's strategy for them involved throwing waves of civilians at the barracks, using moles to cause internal chaos, and finally, assassinating the commander.
If the plan succeeded, the leaderless, confused Garrison, under attack from all sides, would fall easily into the Church's hands.
With tens of thousands of troops from both the City Defense and the Garrison under their thumb, the Church would become the undisputed masters of Valanfort. The Inner Keep would fall, and even Dimitri's group would think twice before challenging them.
But the plan was still in motion, and Bane had to ensure its success. Originally, Bank and Razalo were supposed to be the "shield-breakers" used to clear out the toughest obstacles, like the Inner Keep or the Garrison.
But the unexpected arrival of Dimitri's crew had forced Bane to divert his strongest assets to deal with them, leading to this embarrassing shortage of elite manpower.
"Your Eminence, I will personally go to the East Gate. I will settle the Garrison!" the Bishop said fiercely.
"I have fifty Paladins left. They are yours," Bane nodded, his voice low.
The Paladins were the Church's primary martial force. Each had undergone grueling training, able to move freely in dozens of pounds of plate armor and master various weapons. While they couldn't match the elites of the Chris Pirates, they were significantly stronger than average Marine fodder.
There were originally six hundred Paladins in Valanfort. Two hundred had gone to intercept the Chris Pirates and were nearly wiped out. Another two hundred were currently assaulting the Inner Keep, suffering heavy casualties. The three gate-barracks had fifty each, leaving only these fifty as Bane's final reserve.
"I will not fail your expectations! The Goddess of the Night protects her most devout!"
The Bishop offered a final prayer and departed with the fifty knights clad in black-and-white cross-emblazoned armor.
Once the Bishop was gone, Bane retreated into the ruins of a nearby building. He reached into his robes and pulled out a small, white Den Den Mushi with multicolored spots. He hesitated for a moment before dialing.
"I need you to make your move," Bane whispered.
"It is not yet time for us to act," a deep voice replied through the receiver.
"I have no troops left! You don't want to see me fail, do you?" Bane's face soured.
"There are Revolutionary Army moles in the city, and even agents from the Chris Investigation Bureau (CIB). If we act now, we risk exposure!" The deep voice rejected him again.
"What does that matter?!" Bane hissed. "You are CP0! Those ordinary intelligence officers are no match for you. Just eliminate them!"
"Fool! Don't forget who is backing you!" the voice barked. After a pause, it continued: "We will act when the time is right. Do not underestimate anyone. Furthermore... a major figure from the CIB's Internal Affairs has arrived!"
…
On a tall clock tower near the harbor, a man wearing a Clown Mask (red and yellow) put down his Den Den Mushi. He picked up a pair of binoculars and focused on a tea house two streets away, centering on the figure of a beautiful woman.
"That troublesome woman actually showed up. It seems the news of the Revolutionary Army's involvement has caught that man's attention," said a man wearing a Tulip Mask. He tilted his head, a cold glint appearing in his eyes.
"If we kill this woman here, do you think that man would personally level the entire Kingdom of Bivins?" A burly man in a Kabuki Mask chuckled wickedly. "Hahahaha~ I really want to twist that pretty head of hers off!"
"I don't know if he'd level the kingdom," the man in the Clown Mask mused, his tone intrigued, "but I do know that if she dies, the CIB's External Affairs Department will be leaderless and fall into absolute chaos."