Observing the petrified individuals closely, Xiao Xun noticed their bodies gradually stiffening, their skin turning a silvery-gray, then rapidly shifting to a stone-blue hue.
Xiao Xun stood and looked at the priest. "Can the curse not be dispelled?"
The priest shook his head. "Apologies, Your Highness. My blessing spells are ineffective; a higher-level priest is required."
Xiao Xun pointed outside. "Go find one immediately."
One of Xiao Xun's Twelve Star Envoys stepped forward. "My Lord, allow me to try!"
His hands emitted golden light, enveloping the petrified individuals. The golden light then shattered like glass, falling onto them.
The hardened shell melted away like powdered glass, shedding downwards.
The people then sat up, inexplicably terrified by the giant human face before them, and fled like madmen.
Xiao Xun looked at the snake head on the human face. "It seems the problem lies here. Petrified, snake heads... Medusa?"
The others didn't understand who Xiao Xun's Medusa was, but Xiao Xun had already guessed that the serpentine beauty before them likely possessed the same ability as Medusa.
That is, to petrify people. But such a massive face was clearly man-made. The source of the magic must be those two shining yellow magic stones.
Xiao Xun pointed at the magic stones on the snake head. "Taurus, go and remove the snake eyes from the snake head. Remember, be quick, and try not to touch the magic stones with your hands, nor stare directly at them. Who was it that dispelled the petrification just now?"
"My Lord, I am Virgo."
Xiao Xun turned and glanced at Virgo. "Good. You will provide cover for Taurus."
The two Star Envoys leaped onto the giant human face, one after the other. As Taurus, wearing iron gloves, prepared to extract the gems, the snake head suddenly opened its mouth, spewing out nine greenish-blue serpents with crimson glowing eyes, their forked tongues flickering as they lunged at Taurus.
Xiao Xun shouted, "Be careful."
At that moment, Pisces activated his magic, conjuring nine eagles within a magic circle. They swooped down, seizing the serpents and tearing them into pieces in mid-air with their sharp talons.
Xiao Xun looked at Pisces in surprise. He was a summoner, a fact Xiao Xun had never witnessed before.
With Pisces's assistance, Taurus successfully retrieved one of the yellow gems. Unexpectedly, as the magic stone was removed, the entire grand hall began to tremble, as if the hall and the serpentine beauty before them were one. Removing the magic stone caused it immense pain.
Xiao Xun noticed that the scorpion legs, which had been in a resting position, were now raised, as if ready to strike at any moment.
"Taurus, speed up."
Taurus placed the retrieved yellow magic stone into a leather pouch on his belt, then leaped onto the snake's head and bent down to extract the other magic stone.
At this point, the scorpion legs began to move forward. As they shifted, the entire floor of the grand hall started to loosen, and soon, its full form emerged from the earth: a colossal monster with the lower body of a giant scorpion, a human face in the middle, and a snake head on top, its serpentine body encased within the scorpion's form.
The tremors caused Taurus to lose his balance, nearly falling from the snake's head.
Leo, bold and skilled, leaped up, grabbed Taurus, and tossed him onto the scorpion's back. He then reached out and forcibly pried off the magic stone, tossing it to Virgo, who was not far away.
Virgo quickly placed the magic stone into the cloth pouch at his waist and rushed towards Xiao Xun.
Xiao Xun roared at everyone, "We have what we came for, retreat quickly."
Just then, the scorpion's tail stinger lashed out towards them, a deathly aura engulfing the entire hall.
Taurus leaped forward, landing on the scorpion's stinger, attempting to use his own weight to swing the scorpion away. However, the stinger alone was larger than Taurus himself. The power disparity was too great. A mere flick of the tail sent Taurus flying off the stinger and out of the hall.
The two Grand Legion Commanders plunged their swords into the ground and unleashed "Flame Storm" upon the monster before them. A wall of immense fire erupted, blocking the monster's path. Although the beast was powerful, its primary attribute was its scorpion nature, and insects have always feared fire. Before even reaching the flames, the sheer heat caused the colossal monster to halt its advance.
Upon exiting the hall, Xiao Xun directly ordered it to be set ablaze.
As they say, King Midoya was willing to spend money. The fire raged for three days and three nights before finally subsiding, a testament to the ample materials used in the palace's construction.
However, after the fire died down, no trace of the monster was found in the ruins. It had likely burrowed underground and escaped.
The Grand Legion Commander said to Xiao Xun, "Midoya is now a dead city. With so many civilians dead, the King is likely dead as well!"
Xiao Xun pointed at the burning palace. "It's different. Since this palace was so formidable that even the Scourge Legion's locusts dared not enter, it means this King still had some tricks up his sleeve. But only just that. He probably has no problem ensuring his own survival, but I wonder where he is now."
With even the capital in such a state, it seemed Midoya's kingdom was also in dire straits.
Xiao Xun ascended the city walls and addressed the two Grand Legion Commanders. "We will hold here for now and assess the situation. We have seen that the Scourge Legion is indeed more troublesome than we imagined. With our current strength, the days ahead will not be easy. You must be mentally prepared."
The two Grand Legion Commanders immediately pledged, "Your Highness, please rest assured. Our positions within the kingdom were already precarious. If we were to fall on the battlefield in the future, it would be a fitting end for us."
Xiao Xun felt a sense of relief. "While I cannot guarantee zero casualties, given the situation today, I might not even be able to achieve a casualty rate within twenty percent. However, I hope that each of you will live well and return to a peaceful and stable life after the war."
The two Grand Legion Commanders lowered their heads in silence.
Xiao Xun patted their shoulders. "Each of you should select a few sharp scouts from your respective Grand Legions. They will operate stealthily, day and night, and must make contact with the Red Dragon Knight from the Scorching Moon Kingdom, as well as those two princes."
"Yes!"
Xiao Xun pointed to the area. "I believe the terrain here is quite good. Inform your people to reinforce the city walls, construct defensive fortifications, and search for all usable supplies within a hundred-mile radius, concentrating them all within the city. This will not be a matter of a day or two."
"Yes."
Xiao Xun then summoned a messenger and ordered him to urge the logistics department to expedite the supply of food and the construction of the arsenal.
He had discovered that this kingdom lacked long-range combat weapons, relying solely on magic. However, the casting range of their spells was not very far, not even as effective as ordinary arrows fired from a fully drawn bow. After all, without being a Grand Magus, one couldn't demand too much.
Therefore, the construction of long-range lethal magical weapons was a necessary undertaking, especially bows and arrows. Unlike magical cannons, they had no cooldown time. A swift archer could fire three arrows per second, and with improved speed, technique, and power, their range and destructive force would also increase.
The entire kingdom of Midoya was situated in a plateau environment. Consequently, the temperature was extremely low, both day and night. It was supposed to be the season of abundant harvest, but all the grains had been devoured by the man-eating locusts, leaving the wilderness barren for miles.
Kustu's Scourge Legion was likely to move here next. Their combat methods and strategies were unknown, so caution was necessary. According to the intelligence, they were likely to carry weapons of mass destruction, otherwise, they couldn't have conquered a country in a magical world in such a short period.
The existence of these two small countries was originally intended as a buffer zone for the Holy Roman Empire and the Scorching Moon Kingdom, to prevent friction between them and facilitate adjustments.
But now, because of these two small countries, the people of the Scorching Moon Kingdom were unable to advance, and the reinforcements from the Holy Roman Empire could not easily pass. The buffer zone had become an isolation zone.
Unbeknownst to Xiao Xun, a great catastrophe awaited him. The Scourge was only the first step. The eastern coast of the Holy Roman Empire was already churning with monstrous waves, and a storm was about to sweep across the entire Holy Roman Empire.
Meanwhile, Xiao Xun was still grappling with the immediate situation. The priority now was to address morale. After the battle with the man-eating locusts, people had lost all hope of defeating the Scourge Legion. After all, the man-eating locusts weren't even formal combat units of the Scourge Legion. Rumors began to spread, discipline became lax, and panic ensued.
If this continued, widespread desertions and routs were likely, leading to defeat before a single battle was even fought.
Xiao Xun sat in his chair, observing the soldiers in the military camp, contemplating how to boost their morale. He couldn't possibly summon those opera performers again for them, could he? That wasn't realistic. Perhaps at this moment, even the most beautiful actresses and the most melodious voices couldn't soothe the fear in their hearts.
He knew that his soldiers did not fear death itself, but they dreaded a meaningless death, the despair of seeing all their comrades perish without being able to stop the enemy's invasion.