Half a day later, late at night, there was a forest to the west of Riley City.
The lush branches and dim night become a natural invisibility cloak, hiding the densely packed people in the woods. However, if you are in it, you can find out how many mages there are in this forest.
At a glance, there are so many heads crowded together that no one can see the edges.
Although there are so many people hiding in the woods, the entire woods is still very quiet, and only Benjamin's voice echoes quietly here.
"Everyone may still be confused as to why I called you all to this forest." He stood on a big rock and said slowly, "Actually, the parade is just a fake news, the purpose is to lure the bishop. Come here. Just now, the news has been confirmed. In four hours, a group of priests and a thousand soldiers led by the bishop will approach Riley City. What we have to do is to ambush them so that the bishop can never return. Go to the palace."
He led his team of mages from Border Desert City and sent a message to the members of the resistance organization gathered around Riley City, asking them to gather in the woods and wait for Benjamin's arrangements.
Thus, the current scene emerged.
As soon as this was said, the mages of the resistance organization all showed expressions of astonishment.
Benjamin also knew very well that this move was a bit of a push into danger. These members always thought they were going to have a parade, but at this last moment they were told that the parade was fake and that the ambush of the bishop was real. This definitely made them unable to react.
There was no other way. In order to prevent the news from leaking in advance, the bishop was alert, so Benjamin had no choice but to do this.
"Is this...really?" a mage asked.
"Of course it's true, Jerome." Benjamin looked at the mage and replied with a smile, "But don't worry, we will win, and Freden will be saved because of our battle."
To be honest, he had never seen most of the approximately five to six hundred mages in front of him. However, the system stored information about each of them. Therefore, Benjamin can call everyone by name accurately.
- This can be regarded as a small way for him to get closer to these people.
Obviously, after being called by Benjamin's name, the mage was stunned, took a deep breath, and became much calmer.
Not only him, but many mages in the crowd looked a little excited. Although the news came unexpectedly, fighting the church head-on was actually something they had longed for. Otherwise, they would not want to join the resistance organization.
Although some people looked worried, they were just worried that things happened too hastily and that they were not fully prepared.
Only...the spies planted by the church would have a bad look on their faces at this moment.
"Master Hans, where do you want to go?"
Through the water element induction method, Benjamin observed a mage who looked hesitant and took a few steps back, as if he wanted to sneak away. Therefore, his face darkened, he looked over there, and spoke coldly.
Everyone was stunned, and the mage who was stopped by Benjamin also shook his body and looked at Benjamin tremblingly.
However, he did not defend himself, but suddenly turned around and fled out of the woods without hesitation before anyone else could react.
Seeing this, Benjamin also took action.
Without any spells or magic fluctuations, a cone of ice condensed out and went straight to the back of the spy mage!
The spy turned back in panic, threw a cross, and opened a barrier to protect himself. However, as soon as the ice pick hit, the shield fell apart, turned into little golden lights, and disappeared without a trace.
The spy himself was pierced by an ice pick in the blink of an eye, bleeding profusely. Before other mages could react, he kept his stunned expression and fell down.
When Benjamin saw this, he snorted coldly.
The cross that ran out of his hand had already proved this guy's identity, and he didn't need to explain anything else.
Among the other mages, someone threw a fireball, controlled the flames, and burned the opponent's body completely, as if this person had never appeared from the beginning.
"It's because of the existence of such people that I had to keep the plan a secret from everyone until now." Benjamin shook his head and continued, "Now, we don't have much time. Maybe everyone hasn't. Be prepared for battle, but I have prepared some potions and magic props for everyone, which you can use later."
As he spoke, he winked at the mercenary following him. The mercenary nodded, pushed several large boxes, and began to distribute potions and magic props to everyone.
The inventory of magic potions is sufficient, and he has prepared potions for everyone to increase their magic power, restore their mental power, and quickly heal them. There was nothing we could do with magic props. In the end, everyone just got a life-saving wooden sign, which, like a cross, could automatically trigger a shield.
This was the best equipment Benjamin could muster in a short period of time.
The mages took over their equipment one by one, took a deep breath, gradually came to their senses, regained their composure, and realized what they were going to do next.
—They are going to war.
For most people, this battle comes suddenly. But... from the death of the king to the emergence of the church, what news could not come suddenly
No one had any objections. They obeyed Benjamin's order, organized themselves, lined up in formation, and began to move towards the planned ambush location. There were only four hours left, and they couldn't afford to waste it.
An hour later they entered a valley.
Black Rock Valley is a remote trail from Snowy City to Riley City. It has narrow terrain, dense trees, and many magical beasts. News came from the Prime Minister that the Bishop would lead a team through here, and the spies in front also confirmed the news. Therefore, Benjamin designated this place as their ambush location.
Both the terrain and the vegetation here are very suitable for ambush, and the numerous traces of monsters can also cover up their unprofessional ambush traces. As for the possibility of being disturbed by monsters... Morris made a magic item in the desert that can drive away monsters, which can be used in this place.
The dark night was starless and moonless, and the sky was covered with clouds. They would probably never find such a perfect ambush environment again.
Benjamin knew nothing about marching and fighting. All actions related to the formation and ambush were arranged by Knight Commander Lance. Hidden among the vegetation, Lance couldn't help but patted Benjamin on the shoulder and sighed: "I never thought that one day I would actually lead an army of more than 500 mages."
"This can't really be called an army." Benjamin shook his head and replied helplessly.
Regarding the next battle deployment, they made very few arrangements. It was probably Benjamin who used his mind to cast spells first, but all the mages jumped out together, and the priority of targets ranged from bishops to priests to soldiers. As for the rest...it depends on the reaction on the spot.
There is really no way to use the word "army" to refer to them.
With their level of training, Benjamin didn’t dare to arrange anything more. The combat experience accumulated by the mages in the past is their only reliance at the moment.
"After all, we are a mage, so we can't ask for too much." Lance comforted him, "Don't worry, judging from my previous experience in marching and fighting, we will not lose this battle."
Benjamin smiled: "Then I'll lend you some good advice."
In fact, he still has confidence.
No matter what, they are all battle mages, and they still have basic combat literacy. There are only two hundred priests with the bishop, and there are many fishermen among them. Even if they are crushed by numbers, there should be no problems.
In this way, more than five hundred mages lurked in the woods of Black Rock Valley. Benjamin turned on the water element induction method and monitored the direction of the bishop's team in the distance, motionless, like an owl in the dark night.