Read Novel Full Chapter 658: You Want to Get In? Then I’ll Let You In [1]
Chapter 658: You Want to Get In? Then I’ll Let You In [1]
“Since they want us to move our people out, then we’ll give them exactly what they want.”
After Gabriel spoke, the dozen or so elves around him failed to react for a moment.
The Fifth Outpost Sector had come under attack. More than eight hundred goblins had appeared at the Seventh Outer Outpost. Violent battle fluctuations had also erupted from the southeast.
In less than a minute, enemies had appeared from at least three directions simultaneously, and those were merely the reports that had reached them so far. No one knew whether even more goblin forces were approaching from other regions of the Sacred Forest.
At a time like this, the natural response should have been to immediately send reinforcements.
Yet Gabriel clearly meant something else.
The leading elf frowned and could not help asking, “You mean we should ignore the outer outposts?”
“When did I say that?”
Gabriel hoisted Matthew, whose face had already turned deathly pale from the pain, back onto his shoulder. His gaze, however, remained fixed on the distant forest canopy, where startled birds were constantly taking flight.
His voice was calm, as though the news he had just received was not that several regions had simultaneously come under attack, but something he had expected all along.
“The goblins suddenly launched attacks from three directions at once, and the Holy Church just happened to confirm that Sophie is inside the Sacred Forest at the same time. Their real objective is to draw the elves’ fighting forces away from the interior. Since that’s the case, the stupidest thing we could do right now would be to follow their plan and send every available fighter to the perimeter.”
The expressions of several elves shifted slightly.
Gabriel continued, “Of course the defensive lines have to be held. Not only do you have to hold them, you also have to make the enemy believe that you’ve already sent out every force you can mobilize. But the ones who truly need to remain behind are those capable of dealing with the infiltrators.”
The leading elf quickly understood.
“You want to let them in?”
“It’s not that I want to.”
Gabriel raised his eyes.
“We have to let them in.”
Matthew’s body visibly stiffened on his shoulder.
Only now did he finally realize that Gabriel had never intended to completely follow the rhythm created by the Holy Church.
Instead, he intended to turn the chaos created by the Holy Church against them and force the people who had remained hidden in the shadows to reveal themselves.
It was dangerous. But it was also the fastest method.
The Sacred Forest was simply too vast. If the enemy remained hidden and refused to move, they had no way of determining how many people had already entered the forest, much less discovering where spatial coordinates, teleportation formations, or even secret passages unknown to the elves themselves might have been prepared in advance.
But as long as Sophie remained their most important target, once large portions of the outer defensive forces were drawn away, those people would inevitably make their move.
And the moment they moved, they would leave traces.
Matthew gritted his teeth.
“You think that will be enough to catch them? The people truly responsible for this would never show themselves openly like I did. They wouldn’t even let you know they belonged to the Holy Church.”
“That’s exactly why I’ve kept you alive.”
Gabriel did not even turn his head.
Matthew face darkened. “What do you mean?”
“It’s simple.” Gabriel said, “You might not know them, but that doesn’t mean they don’t know you.”
Matthew’s pupils contracted slightly.
Only then did Gabriel glance sideways at him.
“A cardinal has been captured alive. Even if you’re only an external representative excluded from the true inner circle and know only part of the intelligence, as long as you remain alive, you’re still a risk to certain people.”
Gabriel thought of the three black clad men who had attacked them not long ago.
After their mission failed, all three had swallowed poison and committed suicide without hesitation.
Even now, Gabriel still could not determine whether their true target had been him or Matthew on his shoulder.
But at the very least, it proved that Matthew might already have become someone certain people needed eliminated.
“They want Sophie, but at the same time, they may also want you silenced forever.”
The corner of Gabriel’s mouth lifted slightly.
“So from now on, you’re not just a prisoner.”
“You’re bait.”
“You…”
Matthew’s face instantly became even paler, while the nearby elves began looking at him strangely.
Just moments ago, they had thought traveling with a cardinal whose legs had already been broken would be extremely troublesome.
Now, however, it seemed this man was indeed far more valuable alive than dead.
At that moment, footsteps came from deeper within the forest. Only a few seconds later, a figure passed through the canopy and landed before them.
It was Edgar.
He had clearly just returned from the settlement, and the mana around his body had yet to completely settle, still fluctuating faintly.
Seeing that the surrounding elves had already entered a state of alert, he wasted no time on greetings and looked directly at Gabriel.
“You already know?”
“What’s the situation now?”
“Three directions were attacked simultaneously. The confirmed number of goblins has already exceeded two thousand five hundred, and it’s still increasing. Large numbers of enemies have also been spotted near the Third Defensive Line again.”
Edgar quickly continued, “Aelira’s previous lockdown orders remain in effect. The settlement has been completely sealed, and every forest patrol is on maximum alert. Any non elven lifeform approaching the core region will be restrained first. The Third Defensive Line is also maintaining its original deployment. She’s currently mobilizing additional warriors from other regions to reinforce the newly attacked outposts, but she hasn’t sent away all the guards protecting the core region.”
Gabriel nodded.
At least that woman wasn’t stupid.
According to his original plan, he was supposed to enter the goblins’ underground nest tomorrow and use the goblins inside to obtain a massive number of Extraction Points.
But now, the goblins had voluntarily poured out from underground, saving him the trouble of searching for them through the complicated subterranean tunnels.
As long as the elves could hold back these exposed goblin armies, he could focus his attention on the Holy Church infiltrators, who were fewer in number but potentially much higher in level.
“What about Sophie?”