"What are the Nightfall Monsters?"
Faced with this question, the middle-aged warrior Hidd opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to answer, but found himself unable to say anything at all. He froze in place, while the other two looked at Andrew with curious, perplexed eyes.
A thousand words crowded his lips, but he did not know where to begin.
It was as if he were on Earth, and someone asked about the physical features of Pangu or Nuwa—there was simply no standard answer.
"He really has lost his memory," the three exchanged glances, ever more convinced of their guess. Meanwhile, the little girl beside them turned pale at the words 'Nightfall Monsters,' her lips trembling as she tightly hugged her father Hidd's leg, shutting her long-lashed eyes, not even daring to listen.
She was utterly terrified.
"Huff, huff."
She pursed her lips in silent grievance, hiding her head behind her father Hidd, but couldn't help peeking at the extraordinary-looking Andrew.
Andrew, clad in a green robe, stood with his hands behind his back on the pink grass. The dim light fell across his face, making him seem like a deity descended from the heavens.
At least, that's how the little girl saw it in her heart.
The wind whispered.
A cool breeze drifted by from time to time. Hidd glanced at the other two, then looked back at the busy central avenue of the town, where occasionally six-hoofed, fiery-red beasts passed by, their riders all warriors or battlemaster.
The town's central avenue connected north and south, bustling with traffic.
"Here's how it is,"
Hidd gently covered his daughter's ears before he began to speak.
Long, long ago, War-Armor Continent already had terrifying legends about the Nightfall Monsters.
According to the tales, the Nightfall Monsters feed on blood and souls, eerie and sinister, devouring life. They emerge only at night, arriving silently, and then return to the nether space beneath War-Armor Continent. No one can withstand the Nightfall Monsters.
Except for the churches.
The Ten Great Churches of War-Armor Continent shelter most of its people!
Ordinary people who become warriors, or even cultivate to battlemaster or battleking, still vanish without a trace before the Nightfall Monsters, as if they never existed... But those warriors nurtured by the churches and blessed by the gods can fight the Nightfall Monsters on equal footing, neither side gaining the upper hand!
People call them: God's Warriors.
Put simply, it means adding the prefix 'God's' before their title.
As time went on, people gradually became accustomed to the terror and disasters brought by the Nightfall Monsters, placing all their hopes in the Ten Great Churches. The churches grew ever more sanctified, their authority towering above all, while royal power declined and human rights withered—divine authority reigned supreme.
There could be no nation, no home—
But there absolutely could not be a world without the churches!
Each of the Ten Great Churches has its own strengths; all can stand against the Nightfall Monsters. Mysterious, profound, unfathomable—the churches stand above all.
Unfortunately, the blessings of the Ten Great Churches cannot cover the entire War-Armor Continent.
For example, most areas of the Tutz Principality receive no protection from the churches. Whenever the Nightfall Monsters descend, people can only resign themselves to fate.
"So, that's what the Nightfall Monsters are."
Hidd thought for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating smile. His blue eyes looked at Andrew: "What exactly are the Nightfall Monsters, what do they look like? No one can say for sure, and no one can describe them accurately."
Even as the town's protector, Hidd felt fear.
However, when the Nightfall Monsters do appear, they usually target densely populated towns. Hidd's town is small, and for many years, the Nightfall Monsters have never visited.
"Oh?" Andrew asked, "The churches fight the Nightfall Monsters—do they not know what they are?"
Hidd shook his head, "The churches have a holy edict: one must never speak the monsters' true name, or the world will be doomed. Besides, what right do ordinary people like us have to question the churches? Even the great nobles must remain respectful."
"I see."
After hearing Hidd's explanation, Andrew grew thoughtful.
A brief reflection revealed a glaring problem: after so many years, no one had discovered the Nightfall Monsters' form or origin? It was simply illogical.
Things that defy logic are always suspicious!
Of course, Andrew didn't dwell on it. People like Hidd were just constructs of the illusion, their thinking rigid—at best, like artificial intelligence. Vague answers were only to be expected.
One can't hold an illusion to the highest standards.