Chapter 290 - 288: Slaughter

Chapter 290: Chapter 288: Slaughter

Orisien and Thomsen were convinced that Duane genuinely wanted them to kill each other, which would give him leverage over the survivor.

Thus, they had both prepared killing blows, ready to end the other’s life.

However, they hadn’t expected Duane to intervene and stop them at the last moment.

"What the hell do you want?"

Orisien demanded through gritted teeth. He had just abandoned all dignity just to cling to life.

The same went for Thomsen. For him, the Chief Judge, to kill the Holy Son would be a violation of the Church Court’s rules.

However, if they were held accountable, they could plead for the Church Court’s forgiveness using the excuse that they were "forced by Duane and had no other choice."

With such an external conflict, everyone would prioritize directing their ire at Duane rather than making things difficult for the one who survived.

Duane had realized this as well.

This move seemed to give him leverage over them, but the risk was too great. If he mishandled it, it would be tantamount to detonating a devastating diplomatic crisis.

That was why he had planned to stop them from the very beginning. He was only doing this to deepen the animosity between the two.

He wasn’t sure if he could ultimately turn the two into mortal enemies, but at the very least, he could mess with them for now.

Facing Orisien’s question, Duane replied calmly, "You are both pivotal figures in the Holy Court. What right does a humble Baron of the Island like me have to pass judgment on you?"

He flashed to Orisien’s side, and before the man could react, he kicked and broke his ribs, then used a blast of Fighting Qi to shatter the bones in his arms and legs.

Orisien coughed up blood unceasingly. Now, just like Thomsen, he was completely unable to move.

However, as Star Realm warriors, their tenacious Life Force was enough to keep them from dying.

At this moment, Orisien’s mind was completely consumed by terror. He had never before experienced this feeling of his life being completely in someone else’s control.

From the large crater, Thomsen’s voice called out in question, "Duane, if you’re going to kill us, then kill us. Why bother torturing us?"

"I told you, I’m not going to kill you."

Duane’s gaze swept past the two men, landing on the Black Armor Knight Squad that had already retreated behind the city wall’s gate.

He announced in a cold voice, "The ones who killed my people, step forward. Otherwise, all of you will die!"

A murderous aura enveloped the group. They felt like a lone boat on the open sea, liable to sink at any moment.

The Black Armor Knight Order had plenty of elites, but the group on this mission wasn’t the entire Knight Order. It was just a five-man squad, plus some recently recruited warriors.

The strongest among them was merely a single Earth Tier.

After all, with Thomsen and Orisien present, how could they fail to intimidate Duane?

"No one’s talking? In that case, I’ll assume all of you were involved in this matter."

Duane used Magic, telekinetically taking the Memory Ball from Simone’s hand.

At the same time, he raised the Longsword in his hand and commanded in a loud voice, "All of you, hear my order! Execute these enemies who slaughtered my people on the spot!"

"Kill!"

Simone was the first to respond, with Raymond, Lune, and the others following close behind.

The Lord Level battle was over. Now, it was their turn to take the stage.

Everyone surged through the gate like a flood, and the sounds of slaughter erupted.

Watching the immense spectacle unfold, Duane couldn’t help a surge of feeling.

’I never thought I’d be leading an assault on this castle for a second time.’

’Looks like this place is truly inauspicious.’

A fierce battle unfolded, and Duane’s men instantly gained the upper hand.

The people inside had already been scared witless by Duane’s power. Faced with the thunderous, high-spirited battle cries of so many people, many were so terrified they lost the strength to resist.

In fact, only the Black Armor Knight Squad had the ability to resist.

But it would have been better if they hadn’t moved. The moment they made a move, they "stood out from the crowd" and were targeted by Duane’s Tier Realm Warriors, who instantly surrounded them.

However, these warriors from the Black Armor Knight Order were well-trained and possessed methods for coordinated attacks. Lune, Simone, and the others actually found themselves in a stalemate.

Relying on his Starlight Eye’s Insight into Extraordinary Energy, Duane could clearly see that the Fighting Qi of the enemy warriors was in a state of "synchronization."

It was as if they were a single entity, able to borrow each other’s strength to display even greater power.

’The Holy Radiance Court of the Sunset Continent really has some tricks up its sleeve. Their special techniques are endless.’

’I happen to have a joint defensive technique as well.’

The "Shield of Defense" Skill, which Duane had obtained after bringing his Basic Shield Skill to Perfection, was a Combat Technique that could be executed jointly.

However, this Combat Technique was not easy to learn. Especially when used jointly, it generally required the Fighting Qi reserves of an Advanced Warrior to sustain.

In the past, Black Forest Island didn’t have that many Advanced Warriors, so only Kaelon and a few others were able to master it.

But things were different now. Duane had more than a dozen warriors at the Advanced Level or higher under his command, more than enough to have it taught widely.

Duane made a mental note of this, planning to make arrangements after the current situation was resolved.

While he was mulling this over, Lune’s Sword broke through an enemy’s block, sending the man’s Longsword flying. His blade then thrust forward, slipping into a gap in the enemy’s Armor and piercing his throat.

’What a beautiful move!’

Duane’s eyes lit up. It was easy to see that Lune possessed some genuine skill.

This was, in fact, related to the training of the Holmes Clan.

After all, Lune’s grandfather and father were both Earth Tier Warriors. To ensure the clan would have greater combat strength, their training for Lune had been exceptionally harsh since he was a child.

This training included not only technical practice but also a great deal of live combat.

For Duane to have earned Lune’s loyalty was like gaining a capable general.

’I really need to brew that Intoxicating Honey Wine sooner rather than later!’

This medicinal wine could stimulate the latent potential within an Earth Tier Warrior, allowing them to achieve twice the results with half the effort when tempering their bodies.

Simply put, it could accelerate an Earth Tier Warrior’s training progress, allowing them to achieve a breakthrough sooner.

If it were combined with the "Blessing" Magic, the difficulty of advancing from the Earth Tier to the Celestial Tier would be drastically reduced.

Although Duane was currently allied with Count Kais, and their defensive capabilities were impressive, someone else’s strength was ultimately their own. At a critical moment, he had to rely on himself.

What he currently lacked were warriors at the Celestial Tier and above.

With the fall of the lead Black Armored Knight, the remaining enemies were quickly routed.

Since Duane had given the order to kill, no one held back. Wails echoed through the area as rivers of blood began to flow.

Some, who were scared witless, had already fallen to their knees, bitterly pleading for mercy.

Take Priestess Sara, for example. She hadn’t had any intention of resisting from the very beginning.

It was just that one of the newcomers was a bit thoughtless, piercing her slender body with a single sword thrust and taking her life.

Only after all of these key people were dead did Duane shout for them to stop.

"Everything I’ve done today has been to seek justice for my deceased people. But I am not a belligerent man by nature, and I take no pleasure in wanton slaughter. Therefore, I will spare your lives for the time being."

He then commanded, "Take them into custody. I will report this to His Majesty the King and ask him to grant me justice!"

Orisien’s face was pale. He hadn’t expected Duane to bring up the King of his own accord, let alone to seek justice from him.

’Does Duane really think that after doing something like this, King Eric will side with him?’

’The Holy Radiance Court works for the King!’

"Duane, you want the King to grant you justice? Heh, do you really think His Majesty will help you?"

Thomsen could only hear his voice. Lying at the bottom of the crater, he couldn’t see Orisien’s expression, but that didn’t stop him from mentally cursing the man for being an idiot.

’In this situation, the best choice is to shut up and be a quiet prisoner.’

’As long as we wait for the King to intervene, we have a chance to live, no matter the outcome. Why provoke him now and ask for trouble?’

Sure enough, Orisien’s words immediately attracted Duane’s attention.

He stopped the Memory Ball’s recording, placed it into the Void Space, and then slowly walked over to Orisien, looking down at the pathetic, immobile Holy Son on the ground.

"If I were you, I’d have the sense to shut my mouth right about now."

But Orisien paid him no mind. "I know you don’t dare to kill me. Otherwise, you would have done it already."

Duane didn’t want to waste any more words. He slowly raised the Longsword that was supposed to be Orisien’s.

"You... What are you trying to do?" Orisien was getting scared.

Duane looked at his own face reflected on the blade and asked softly, "Didn’t you want a marriage alliance with Natalia?"

Orisien had a very bad feeling, and his voice grew sharp. "What exactly are you trying to do?"

Duane snorted coldly, and a flash of Sword Aura shot out, landing precisely on the man’s crotch.

Orisien felt a sudden warmth below him. Realizing what had happened, his eyes instantly lost their focus.

"A marriage alliance is definitely off the table now. Perhaps you could be sisters. Then again, I imagine Natalia would find you disgusting."

As Duane used a Healing Technique to stop the bleeding, he chuckled and asked, "How about you marry Thomsen instead?"