Chapter 286 - 284: Killing the Priest and Slaying the Congregation

Chapter 286: Chapter 284: Killing the Priest and Slaying the Congregation

The Medical Sanctuary.

Daniels’s castle was now in fine repair, and recently, it had changed to a new master.

Orisien sat upon the bishop’s throne above the church nave. He had the right to act as the representative for any branch of the court.

"Manny, you have truly disappointed everyone!"

Orisien’s voice was filled with majesty, sounding incomparably divine.

Down below in the nave, Manny stood and defended himself:

"Holy Son, I do not believe I have done anything wrong!"

Orisien chuckled. "You are a man of the Holy Court. Instead of spreading the faith and expanding the congregation, you debased yourself before Duane, obeyed his orders, and fought and killed for him."

He paused, then questioned, "Is that not betrayal?"

Manny questioned back, "The doctrine of the Holy Radiance Court is to spread love and peace, to heal the dying and aid the injured, to pursue the light and expel evil. Black Forest Island faces the threat of a Secret Realm. By accepting Count Duane’s invitation to eliminate Demon Beasts, I was putting our doctrine into practice!"

His personality leaned toward being a people-pleaser and a coward, but at this moment, the situation allowed for neither weakness nor sycophancy.

Priest Jesse, hanging outside the church, was a prime example.

Manny understood that if he didn’t fight for the right to speak, he would suffer the same fate as Jesse.

"Haha, what a fine ’putting our doctrine into practice.’"

Orisien stood up, as if mocking Manny’s ignorance and naivety. "Without a greater Church Court, what ’doctrine’ is there to put into practice?"

As he spoke, he glanced at the Chief Judge beside him.

Thomsen snorted coldly. "Knight Commander Manny, you have betrayed the Church Court. Under the witness of the Holy Son, I, in my capacity as Chief Judge, sentence you to the punishment of ’Exile’ and will administer chastisement!"

"I object!" Manny shouted.

But as his voice still echoed, a powerful blast of energy sent him flying, slamming him hard against a stone pillar behind him.

Thomsen strode forward coldly. Manny had just gotten to his feet and was about to throw a punch when Thomsen grabbed his wrist and, with a single fist, broke several of his ribs.

"To openly defy your punishment! Your crime is now greater!"

Thomsen shouted, "Guards! Bind him and hang him up with Priest Jesse for public display!"

Manny’s head was swimming. He never imagined that after coming back from the Secret Realm unscathed, he would be so severely injured here.

"I am the heir to a Viscount! You can’t do this to me!"

Thomsen coldly dismissed him. "Before me, you are merely a Knight Commander of the Holy Radiance Court."

After a few members of the Black Armor Knight Order escorted Manny away, the grand hall fell silent again.

Priestess Sarah was so frightened she didn’t dare to breathe.

Ordinarily, out of respect for Manny’s status, she was always very polite to him.

She never expected the Chief Judge to strike directly, let alone hang him for public display. For the Nobility, this was an immense humiliation.

What’s more, Manny was the heir of the Haydon Clan, a future Kingdom Viscount.

"Duane is back."

Orisien descended from the bishop’s throne on the dais. "And he’ll be here soon."

Thomsen was fearless. "Then let me meet this tournament champion."

"His strength is indeed formidable, I must admit."

Orisien reminded him, "You need to be careful."

"Don’t worry. I wouldn’t be afraid even if Duke Kelvin himself came, let alone Duane."

Thomsen was very confident about this.

"This time, we must completely extinguish Duane’s arrogant flame and rewrite the previously signed agreement. Hot Spring Mountain Tea, grain, minerals—we will levy a thirty-percent tax on all of it!"

Spreading the faith might show a benevolent face to the common people, but when vying for power with the Nobility, bloodshed was a highly probable outcome.

Meanwhile, Duane and his group left Forest Castle in a menacing procession, heading down the road toward Broken Wave Bay.

Before they had even left Forest Village, they ran straight into a group led by Otto.

They were shouting slogans, proclaiming the rewards of dedicating one’s faith to the Church Court and promising that the Church Court would grant everyone an equal opportunity to become Extraordinary Professionals.

Such rhetoric had indeed attracted a number of people. After two days of proselytizing, Otto had gathered twenty to thirty of Black Forest Island’s subjects behind him.

"Halt!"

Simone shot forward and barked the command, his deep, powerful voice booming like thunder, stunning the group into silence.

Otto’s face paled. To be honest, standing before Duane and the others, he felt a complete lack of confidence.

But the thought that he now had backers of his own immediately emboldened him.

He put on an air of importance. "Simone, I wish to speak with your master!"

Simone was about to erupt, but Raymond stopped him. This was a situation best left to the Lord; they would act according to his attitude.

If the Lord showed even the slightest inclination to thrash them, they would strike without hesitation.

Duane stepped forward. He swept his gaze over the people behind Otto and narrowed his eyes. "Is what I’ve given you not enough?"

Some of them lowered their heads timidly, looking ashamed.

But others were eager to show their loyalty to the Holy Radiance Court. After all, the Church Court’s people had defeated hundreds of the Lord’s men—they were far stronger than the Holy Hand Association or the Broken Wave Gang had ever been.

"Not enough!"

Someone clamored, "My Lord, we can get more!"

Duane shook his head in disappointment. He didn’t want to say anything more; given his status, he had no need to explain himself.

Gaius, however, was furious. As a former member of the Broken Wave Gang, his life, habits, and even his personality had changed after joining Duane’s ranks. He had found meaning and value in his life.

"You people! You enjoy the Lord’s protection day in and day out, yet you show no gratitude! Deceived and confused by a few bewitching words from the Church Court!"

Gaius cursed angrily, "Don’t you know what consequences await those who defy the Lord’s will?"

"Then please, Gaius, tell me. What consequences will that be?"

Otto finally spoke, a smug, triumphant grin on his face. "Baron, cooperating with the Holy Radiance Court is the wisest choice. Otherwise..."

A sharp gleam of light flashed. A Wind Blade sliced through Otto’s neck, sending his head tumbling from his shoulders. It rolled twice on the ground, his mouth opening and closing as if trying to finish his sentence, but no sound came out.

The whistle of the Wind Blade sent a shiver down the spines of Lune and the others. They stared in disbelief at the scene, never having imagined that this seemingly gentle Lord had such a domineering side.

At that moment, Duane gave a cold command: "Kill all Church Court members on the spot! Seize the others for now; they will be dealt with later!"

The scent of blood began to spread. The subjects and the Church Court members were all stunned.

Only when Simone, Raymond, and the others sprang into action did they realize what was happening.

It was too late to even think about running. Some were so terrified they wet themselves on the spot, falling to their knees and desperately begging for Duane’s forgiveness.

But the Lord gave them no response, just as he had given no response to the pleas of Kalina and the others at Judgment Crossroad back then.

SQUELCH!

SQUELCH!

SQUELCH!

The sound of sharp blades slicing through flesh echoed repeatedly. Everyone wearing the robes of the Holy Radiance Court ended up just like Priest Otto—headless.

Blood stained the road red. The sight was glaring and unsettling.

Duane’s heart, however, was as still as an ancient well. He didn’t know when it started, but killing had ceased to be anything strange or rare for him.

Soon, Simone turned and reported, "My Lord, it’s all been taken care of!"

"Mm."

Duane’s gaze focused. "Leave some Guards to take these traitors to the dungeons. The rest of you, with me! We press on!"

"Oh, right."

He remembered something. "Simone, bring Priest Otto’s head."