While Greem slowly harvested his spoils, the Holy Light Chapel in the distance was already flowing with a river of blood and corpses.
The surviving holy knights retreated to the chapel, using its large gates as a barrier as they defended against the elementium magical machines’ attacks with sturdy shields. These small fries of no more than First and Second Grade couldn’t possibly be the match of the elementium magical machine. However, when their powers were combined into a strange Holy Light resonance, they managed to form a defense that the machine could not so quickly destroy.
Thus, the two parties were stuck in a bloody back and forth in front of the gates to the chapel.
The elementium magical machine might have constantly been slaughtering low-grade holy knights, but the ants standing in its way were still an entire army and could not be fully exterminated.
Too slow, I can’t wait any longer.
Greem cleaned up the battlefield and immediately walked toward the Holy Light Chapel. As he traveled to the Chapel, he casually gathered Vicious Fireballs in his hands and launched them into the crowd.
Without a Third Grade to hold him back, these weaklings were no more than toothless ants before his six-meter stature. As the fireballs exploded, dozens of holy knights started to fall in clouds of smoke and pools of blood.
If it weren’t out of concern for his powerful spells affecting the harvest of Holy Lights, Greem would not even treat these knights seriously.
Too weak!
Weakness itself was a sin in the planar worlds. It had to be cleansed with blood and fire.
It was a tradition that the adepts of the World of Adepts had always upheld!
A principle completely unrelated to justice.
Chapter 955 - Crime and Punishment
The holy knights of Hakans had already fallen into despair.
Regardless of how they resisted, and regardless of how they struggled, they still could not stop the attacks of this metal creature before them. While they used their life and their flesh to delay its steps, an even larger and more terrifying flame giant charged forward.
Its fireballs exploded into the crowd, the massive clusters of fires and flame shockwaves burning their bodies and charring their flesh. The metal creature roared and charged into their ranks while their formation was disrupted.
The defensive line of the knights finally collapsed!
Greem walked into the chapel over the bodies of the knights.
He cast out flames as he strode forward, turning the bodies of the dead knights into ashes. The milky-white holy light from their bodies then darted toward the crystal on Greem’s waist as if attracted by a magnet.
Several lines of poetry praising the Holy Light had been carved on top of the large and elegant gates of the chapel, along with decorative carvings and patterns. Barriers like these weren’t known for their defensive power!
The elementium magical machine tackled the gates lightly, and they fell backward, crushing some of the knights beneath them. Several knights charged out amidst all the shouting and floating dust, still covered in bloodstains as they raised their longswords.
Unfortunately, their meager strength was nothing in front of the ferocious elementium magical machine, regardless of how many blessings were upon them!
The elementium magical machine stepped forward, raising its two thick metal arms. A series of ice spears, crackling lightning webs, pillars of fire, and tornados shot forward.
These magical energies were not as powerful as the spells of the adepts, but they came like a torrent and a barrage. Their absolute numbers knocked down most of the still resisting knights. The occasional holy knight that managed to approach the elementium magical machine with a shield in hand would be blown away by a simple metal fist before he could even display his excellent combat technique.
Technique was so frail and meaningless before absolute strength. There was simply no room for it to come into play!
Inside the gate was a massive field. It seemed like this was the training grounds where the holy knights arranged their daily practice. Several wide corridors around the field led toward different areas in the chapel.
The road that went straight from the field led to the tall and majestic chapel.
It was the place where the holy knights sat and meditated as they communicated with the great Holy Light. It would typically only be opened to believers on the day of prayer, where they would be allowed to pray here and pay respects to the warriors who had given their lives in service of the Empire’s holy work.
To the left of the training grounds was a series of tall wooden houses. It was obvious that these were the quarters of the holy knights. There was also an extensive library and a dining hall within. To the right were the armory, prison, and other large military buildings.
Apart from the hundreds of holy knights, another two hundred trainee knights had been selected from all over the Empire to train here. In addition to all the servants and artisans, this place housed a minimum of a thousand individuals.
However, as the elementium magical machine and Greem rushed into the chapel, the Ring of Fire engulfed the place. The ordinary mortals were instantly turned to dust without even the chance to scream. Only the powerful holy knights could barely resist the burn of the magical flames with their holy blessings.
However, with their power, how long could they possibly last in the Ring of Fire?
When Greem walked forward, sparks flashed in the houses as he passed by. Dust and ashes then floated to the ground. There was simply no room for ordinary people to survive.
The groups of holy knights that raced out of the buildings shouted as they swarmed ahead, but were quickly knocked down by the elementium magical machine. When their numbers grew too large, such that the magical machine couldn’t take them down swiftly, Greem would toss a Vicious Fireball from behind, and the world would fall into silence in an instant!
The difference in power was too vast. Even with the knights’ fearless courage and determined will, they could not stop Greem.
In just fifteen minutes, the elementium magical machine had knocked down the last group of holy knights and entered the cathedral. Several dozen injured holy knights laid there on the ground, covered in wounds and on the brink of death. Most of them had severe injuries such as broken and severed limbs. It was evident that these were all critical patients that could not be saved.
Apart from these injured members, there were also several hundred ordinary people hiding in the corner of the cathedral. They looked at the giant metal creature and the demonic flame giant that had barged into their holy sanctuary as they shivered in fright.
Resistance? These otherworldly invaders possessed power and might beyond their imagination. They didn’t even have the right to stand in front of Greem, let alone resist.
The eyes of the people swelled with fear and despair as they looked upon the approaching crimson barrier. The children and the elderly embraced each other as tears streaked down their cheeks. Even the young men and women could only grit their teeth and wait for death to descend upon them.
“Wait.”
Just as their final fate was about to arrive, a young holy knight in an exquisite half-plate stood forward. The knight drew a longsword as tall as they were and pointed it at Greem as they shouted, “Demon, we are the people you want. These ordinary people are entirely unrelated. If you let them go, we…we will be willing to stop our resistance!”
The young knight’s voice was crisp yet loud, still with a trace of girlish childishness that had yet to fade away.
As she took off her helmet, a young and childish face was revealed, mired with a pained expression that was mixed with both confusion and determination.
A young trainee knight.
Though she had gathered the courage to step before Greem and the elementium magical machine, her trembling longsword was an indication of her tumultuous mental state.
With his six-meter height, Greem would never be able to success
fully enter the cathedral regardless of how large they had made it.
As such, flames surged around him as he forcefully burned an entrance through the side.
He couldn’t help but chuckle when he saw this young trainee knight stand in his way. He bent down slightly, and flames gathered in his eyes. A red blast of fire washed over the young girl’s sword, melting it in an instant and leaving only a short chunk of metal.
The girl cried out in surprise. The red-hot hilt in her hand dropped to the ground, burning small holes into the wooden floor and sending smoke into the air.
The girl’s weak body trembled before this towering flame giant. Due to how close they were, she could even feel the flames of the giant licking her hair and armor. Every time she breathed, it was not sweet air that entered her nose and lungs, but burning currents that felt as if they could melt her bones and char her flesh.
Her nostrils were burning, her chest was burning, and her entire body felt as if the intense fires were burning it. The girl’s face flushed bright red. She could barely breathe now.
Greem looked around the cathedral and finally stopped walking forward. He started to restrain the fire energy that continually radiated from his body. The temperature of the air within ten meters of him dropped from a terrifying three thousand degrees to a mere one thousand and two hundred degrees. It was a tremendous drop in temperature, but it was still more than lethal enough for mortals who lacked protection.
“Indeed, life should not be wasted so simply!” Greem said solemnly, “You may leave with these mortals! Everyone below the Iron level may leave. I will only give you three minutes.”
Greem spoke in Zambezian. The ordinary people hiding in the corner stopped crying when they heard this, and the light of hope returned to their faces.
“Three minutes…you only have three minutes! When the time is up, everyone here must die!”
The servants, craftsmen, and ordinary people that had come here to hide looked at each other when they heard the flame giant roar again. They didn’t know whether they should believe the words of this otherworldly demon.
Finally, a middle-aged man plucked up the courage to stand up and carefully walk around the flame giant. It wasn’t until he reached the doors of the cathedral that he started running with all he had.
With someone taking the lead, the rest of the people suddenly remembered the urgency of the situation. They helped each other up and nervously walked past Greem, fleeing out of the cathedral.
It was only because Greem had unsummoned his Ring of Fire and restrained the fire energy from his body that they had the chance to escape. Otherwise, the might of a Third Grade fire adept would have allowed him to kill everyone in the cathedral with just the energy aura he was radiating. He did not even require a spell.
Greem was not a man who enjoyed senseless slaughter to begin with. The reason he was killing the knights was only for the strange holy light that formed upon their death. There was no need for unnecessary slaughter if the ordinary people did not get in his way.
It was for the same reason that he allowed the trainee knights below Iron level to leave.
These trainees had yet to advance. Their bodies couldn’t possibly create sufficiently powerful holy light power, and killing them would yield nothing. As such, Greem didn’t mind letting them leave.
Greem had no considerations as to whether they would continue fighting against him in the future upon escaping.
Even a Third Grade Gold Knight would perish before him. What threat could these young knights that had yet to reach First Grade pose to him?
“No, I won’t leave.” Even though she was shivering in terror, the young girl insisted, “My life belongs to the Holy Light, and I am willing to sacrifice myself for it!”
Greem smiled and lifted his right hand. A tremendous amount of fire energy instantly gathered upon his palm.
Chapter 956 - The Crypt
“No, wait.”
A half-burned holy knight lifted his remaining arm to prop himself up as he shouted, “Leave, Catherine! The Holy Light teaches us to be willing to sacrifice, but our sacrifice must have value. If you don’t leave, then they will probably stay as well, just like you.”
Judging from his armor, he was a Second Grade Silver Knight.
However, compared to the wounded knights around him, his wounds were also the most grievous. He was on the brink of death, and even his voice was hoarse now.
The young girl froze when she heard this. She finally looked around and discovered a hundred trainee knights just like herself slowly approaching the enemy and standing in-between them and the injured knights. In their eyes was fear, terror, confusion, but more than that, there was a determination that had not been there before.
“Take them and leave! Pass on the Holy Light forever. We must not let the Holy Light of the northern counties be extinguished.” The Silver Knight’s voice was drained of all strength now and could not continue.
Time continued to flow by, second by second. This trainee knight, known as Catherine, had never known such a painful and agonizing decision. Seeing as the time limit set by the blazing giant was approaching, she finally gritted her teeth and said, “Let’s go.”
She turned and took the initiative, leaving by the massive hole that had been burned into the building.
The other trainee knights exchanged glances at the sight of this and finally followed after her.
What are they doing? Why do they have to make me look like some big bad demon king?
Greem grumbled, dissatisfied in his mind. He was utterly oblivious to how much his appearance and behavior were no different from the terrifying big bad demon kings in the stories.
Greem had no interest in slaughtering these trainee knights that couldn’t be extracted for any value. The blinding fire elementium gathering in his hands turned into a giant flame halo as he chanted his incantations. The halo then spread to the bodies of the trainee knights.
The trainee knights immediately became nervous. They tensed up, believing that the flame giant had gone against his word. However, the flame halo simply shimmered around them and did not hurt them in any manner.
“You may leave now!” Greem’s thunderous voice boomed, “This halo has my soul aura. You will not be attacked by the dragons, flaming tigers, or the fire creatures while the halo is on you. Remember, leave this city immediately. Do not stop along the way. The fire halo will only last for fifteen minutes!”
The trainee knights looked at each other upon hearing this. They weren’t sure if they should hate this evil flame giant or be grateful to him. With complex emotions on their faces, they looked at each other once again with confusion and slowly left.
However, what they didn’t realize was a tiny and delicate fire rune landed on Catherine’s shoulder as the fire halo enveloped her. The rune flickered once and mysteriously disappeared.
She remained completely ignorant.
Greem couldn’t help but betray a mysterious smile on his fiery face as he watched these young knights leave.
He might not be bothered about these little fellows, but it didn’t mean he was ignorant of the small little tricks they had been pulling behind his back. Several important figures had been mixed among the first group of ordinary civilians to leave. They may have been dressed in peasant garb, but the Chip’s comprehensive spiritual scans revealed everything underneath. Their silk underwear and the seals and documents they were hiding exposed their identities.
It was obvious that they were prominent figures of Hakans, possibly the likes of the city lord and governor.
If Greem were Arms, he would definitely detain them. It would make raiding the city treasury much simpler and quicker.
Unfortunately, Greem couldn’t care less about these worldly treasures. What he wanted were these holy knights before him. That was why he did not stop these important individuals from escaping in the crowd.
Meanwhile, his decision to let the trainee knights leave was not just because of
his disinclination for unnecessary slaughter, but also to figure out where they were headed. Now that the most significant Holy Light Chapel of the north had been taken down, Greem would be traveling the region to clear out all the smaller chapels in the surrounding cities.
However, the Zambez Empire was a massive nation with vast lands, strong armies, and the protection of many holy knights. Though he might have defied their expectations and conquered one of their large cities, it didn’t mean that they were entirely without means of retaliation.
If they mobilized a group of high-grade holy knights, Greem would be in trouble. Just two or three Gold Knights would be able to stop him in his tracks. If he were to make any mistakes, he would be the one on the run.
It was a foreign plane, after all, and a nation filled with hostility toward him!
As long as he didn’t run into the two Fourth Grades, Greem’s Third Grade abilities should be enough for him to run amok in this land. Still, he had to be cautious of the traps that the plane’s natives could set up for him.
If he was lured into a trap and surrounded by multiple opponents of the same grade, there was a risk of dying here. He had to admit that possibility, as prideful as he was. That was why any opportunity to obtain information on the holy knights’ movements was invaluable.
This trainee knight known as Catherine might not be powerful, but she had an indomitable spirit and a pure heart. She was incredibly suited to walking the path of a holy knight. After all the hardship she had just endured, it was very likely for her to be accepted as a disciple of a high-grade holy knight. Thus, Greem would be able to obtain some private information on the movements and mobilization of holy knights with her as the medium.
It wasn’t just Catherine. Greem had silently planted fire runes in several promising individuals among the fleeing trainee knights. These fire runes were typically hidden and would not affect their hosts in any manner. However, if the host’s mental consciousness were to focus strongly on Greem, it would draw his attention from thousands of miles away.
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