Chapter 1454: Flames of War (2)

The warhorse beneath him was the same, obeying Samuel with full submission.

Nord watched Samuel’s departing figure, and his words seemed more like a provocation than a decision.

Fulfill your duty or run away like those panicked soldiers.

Nord didn’t hesitate long. He tightened the reins and followed closely behind Samuel, struggling to push through the crowd and advancing side by side with him.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Samuel asked with a hint of curiosity, “I can see the fear in your eyes.”

“I know, I know.”

Nord forced himself to stay composed and continued speaking.

“But I’ve also lived through that night.”

“The Night of the Holy Arrival?”

Samuel uttered the forbidden term, his expression even more surprised, not expecting to encounter someone who had experienced it firsthand.

“Yes, because I’ve been through it, I know if we don’t extinguish these disasters in their cradle, we’ll eventually face an apocalypse.”

Nord breathed effortfully, perhaps due to traveling with Samuel, he was not as terrified as he was before.

Demon Hunters are powerful, beyond ordinary imagination. Though born of darkness, at this moment, they are the only torches within it. Walking alongside Samuel, Nord felt a rare lightness.

At least… at least with Samuel here, with this Demon Hunter, he wouldn’t suddenly die from a Demon’s attack.

“I’m not like those cowards, scared or not, it’s irrelevant,” Nord muttered, “I’m a member of the Holy Hall Knight Order, guarding our noble God.”

“God… is it?”

Samuel spoke softly, a strange gleam in his eyes, but he said no more.

“But, Demon Hunter, within the Seven Hills…”

Nord attempted to inquire about all of this but received only a cold response from Samuel.

“Don’t ask, Nord, you wouldn’t want to know.”

Samuel drew the Nail Sword, its silvery blade emitting a chilling light.

They were getting closer to the turmoil amidst the firelight, and Nord only felt unease. But Samuel could sense the pervading corruption in the air, exuding a smell akin to blood, spreading relentlessly, leading everyone who inhaled it into a trance of madness.

“By the way, Nord, what’s your position in the Holy Hall Knight Order?”

As they drew nearer, Samuel suddenly asked.

“Other soldiers and Holy Hall Knights aren’t likely to follow my orders; they probably aren’t even aware of the existence of Demon Hunters.”

“Oh? That?”

Upon hearing this, Nord picked up his firearm again, holding a gun in one hand and drawing his Knight’s Sword with the other.

“I’m a Centurion.”

“A Centurion?”

This time it was Samuel who was taken aback. This position in the Holy Hall Knight Order was second only to the Grand Commanders and the Pope, serving as the highest independent commander capable of leading forces into combat.

“Surprised? Don’t be too surprised. If you could survive that dreadful night, you might have been promoted to this position too.”

Nord cracked a strange joke, then charged forward with his horse, shouting and breaking through the crowded masses.

“Let’s go! Demon Hunter! Years ago I was your enemy, now I fight alongside you!”

Samuel caught up with him, facing the fierce wind, he asked.

“How does it feel? Nord!”

“Pretty good, compared to an out-of-control Demon Hunter, these monsters seem friendly!”

Amidst cheers, chaotic gunshots rang out, blood splattered, bodies fell, and the roars of beasts joined with the wails of the crowd in concert.

Under the pressure of corruption, some people finally lost their sanity, plunging into madness, the dark side of their hearts infinitely magnified, raising weapons against surrounding citizens. Fortunately, they were only going mad, not yet transforming into Demons.

Swords and bullets descended, easily tearing their bodies to pieces.

Violence begets violence simply, but controlling the spread of fear clearly only has the opposite effect, not to mention there is no time or energy now for the knights to preach love and peace.

“Control the scene! Don’t go soft, if they aren’t killed, they’ll become a hindrance and affect us!”

Samuel gave a cold order, and Nord followed with loud shouts and gunfire.

Nord unexpectedly cooperated with Samuel’s orders without unnecessary words, likely because he once battled against these Demon Hunters or perhaps because the lessons of blood and pain taught him that combating Evil Anomalies should be left to the experts.

“Leave the minimum personnel to maintain order, the rest follow us.” Samuel continued speaking.

“Then this place will sooner or later spiral out of control again,” Nord said.

“Doesn’t matter, people’s instinct is survival. Though cruel, they’ll still strive to escape, the further from here, the better. It’s not much different from our intention.”

Samuel continued speaking.

“Signs have already appeared here, with the range of corruptive influence, Demons will first manifest near the Seven Hills location. We must reinforce there in advance!”

“Demons” and “corruption” were terms that sounded like cryptic language among Demon Hunters, but as a Holy Hall Knight, Nord nonetheless perceived from these words the darkness they represented.

In times like these, what is needed is not Holy Hall Knights but professional Demon Hunters. Nord only needed to follow Samuel.

“But why is there only one Demon Hunter!”

Nord pursued the question.

“I told you, Nord, knowing too much about some things is not good.”

Samuel responded coldly, and indeed, Nord shouldn’t know these things. Even if Samuel wanted to tell him, he didn’t have the courage to speak of them.

What could he say? All of the Demon Hunters, except himself, were within the Seven Hills, their fate unknown.

Samuel couldn’t do it, the present circumstances were enough to shake one’s heart; he couldn’t be certain whether, after knowing all this, Nord would flee like other soldiers.

For now, Nord still had utility value, Samuel needed him to command the Holy Hall Knights, to control the disaster as much as possible.

As they talked, bursts of firelight flared up, rising from distant places, cascading into the night sky, illuminating more than half of the darkness.

Signal flares rose one after another, encircling the Seven Hills, surrounding this city set aflame.

“This is…”

Samuel’s voice trembled, and Nord beside him was also entirely stunned, forcing words from his throat.

“The legions have engaged, the stationed legions have engaged.”

This was the signal of war, marking that the Holy Hall Knights stationed outside of the Seven Hills had engaged the enemy, and it also meant that Demons had broken through the sealed prison and escaped the Holy City’s encirclement.

“The Priest…”

Samuel fretted, well aware of Anthony’s uncompromising nature. As long as there was a breath left, they would never allow a single Demon to escape. And now that the battle had begun, what about the Demon Hunters within the Holy City?

He dared not think further.

In a moment of distraction, Samuel completely forgot about the surroundings; all the sounds and lights seemed to be fading away. Vaguely, he could hear Nord shouting something, and in the next instant, the world began to spin, the pain coming only as an afterthought.

“What are you daydreaming about!”

Nord shouted, quickly scrambling from the ground. He had no time to draw his gun, only managing to raise the Knight’s Sword to block an attack. Amidst a piercing screech, Samuel’s consciousness gradually returned, facing the horde of sinister-faced people.

“The transformation… has begun.”

Samuel felt numb, realizing he had been too optimistic. When corruption truly descended, everything only got worse.

As the signal flares rose into the sky, the fierce flames seeped from the Seven Hills, igniting the nearby Florence.

“Kill them all!”

Samuel raged, filling his chest with anger, fiercely dispelling the fear, and swung his sword, slaughtering.