Chapter 98: Rebirth (7)
“What… does this mean?”
The Captain of Knights was momentarily stunned, then squinted his eyes slightly.
He sensed that something was off.
Buzz—
A soft sound interrupted the silence, and out of nowhere, the figure of Cleric Larix appeared, his face twisted in discomfort, as if he were desperately holding back rage. He shook the Captain’s shoulder and whispered in his ear, “Hey, Knight bro, we can’t mess this up.”
“I know.”
The man nodded solemnly.
At this moment, due to the interruption of the “Chain of Divine Lock,” the team in the distance started to stir, unaware of what was happening. The Captain noticed the third and eighth squads were already mounting their steeds, heading over to find out what was going on.
In the sky ahead, with a cold wind rushing his way, the gigantic, dark sphere that resembled a black sun was writhing faster and faster. The “thump thump” of its heartbeat echoed ominously, making everyone uneasy, as if some terrifying creature was about to hatch out of it. He didn’t know why he had such a horrible premonition, but he was certain that they could not afford any more delay.
After all, faced with such an unknown, completely incomprehensible existence, nobody knew what would happen in the next second, or what kind of dreadful transformation could unfold, pushing the situation into unmanageable territory.
With that thought in mind, the Captain made a decision.
“Mr. Carlos.”
No matter what, the activation of the “Chain of Divine Lock” could no longer be influenced; they couldn’t defy orders based on someone’s word. Otherwise, if something did go wrong, the serious consequences aside, he and his squad would be the first to face them, possibly leading to the d*ath penalty, and their families might not escape unscathed either.
Orders were absolute, sacred, beyond question and defiance. The “Grace Scale” would never go against the will of the Church, which set them apart from the scattered group of the “Judgment Fist.”
As elite warriors chosen from countless saints, the most devout believers, the decisions of the Church hierarchy were paramount; they didn’t need to overthink things, nor harbor doubts about every little thing. Anything unclear could just stay buried deep inside, and they had to obey orders decisively, efficiently complete their tasks, then apply for merit, earn medals, gain reputation for themselves, and add glory to their families.
That was how the “Grace Scale” operated.
For the Captain of Knights, he only listened to the person officially appointed by the Church, namely, Bishop Aresta. Whether his orders were right or wrong, even if they were indeed wrong, the responsibility shouldn’t fall on him. His reputation wouldn’t suffer because of it; that was the rule of the “Grace Scale.”
The rules were different on the other side.
Thus, there was really no room for hesitation in the current situation.
If the person blocking his path were anyone but the Pope Knight, the Captain would have without hesitation issued orders to arrest him using force, and if worse came to worst, then eliminate him.
However, this man was indeed the Pope Knight, and a well-known one at that. He was a legendary new-generation hero, Carlos Gonzalez, whom even the Captain admired greatly.
There was no way the Captain could take a hard stance against him; that would only complicate matters further. So, suppressing his inner anxiety, he pondered for a moment and tentatively asked, “Are you trying to stop us from sealing that thing?”
“…Ah, you could interpret it that way.”
Clang—
Carlos swung his sword sharply to the side, signaling with a nod. The blade crackled with arcs of lightning, a stunning force warning or threatening something.
The Captain’s face suddenly darkened: “What’s your reason?”
“Reason, huh…”
What was the reason?
Carlos stared intently at the anxious Captain for a moment, then looked up.
He gazed into the pitch-black sky, and in his deep blue eyes, a fleeting trace of confusion flashed by.
Thud thud, thud thud, thud thud…
In the distance, the sound of beastly hooves approached.
“Don’t let him ruin everything—”
The other squad members were rushing over, and Aresta burst forth from the ruins on his steed, shrouded in holy light, shouting, “Carlos, what the hell do you want!”
The wounded swordsman named Carlos looked towards him, seeing the young bishop approach rapidly with the clerics, fiery eyes fixed on him as if he were about to burst into flames.
“Hah.”
The man suddenly chuckled.
…What do I really want?
“You snuck into the town without permission, contacted the heretics before anyone else, and nobody knows what you were doing here, but three times now! You’ve attempted to hinder the First Knights Order from sealing the Divine Fire Seed taken by the heretics! Do you understand what this means?!”
“I do…” Carlos murmured.
“You’ve been seduced by heretical thoughts, thinking you could become a traitor Knight—!!”
Bishop Aresta’s furious shout echoed across the barren land, instantly snapping everyone to attention.
Seduction by heretics…
The Divine Fire Seed?
That thing was— the seed stolen by heretics hundreds of years ago!?
The Captain felt his scalp tingle, as if his head was buzzing with confusion.
He stared incredulously at the Pope Knight standing just ahead, then looked up at the sphere in the sky, and finally turned to see Aresta desperately pulling the reins, the steed beneath him whinnying loudly, its front hooves lifting high. The Captain heard the words Aresta shouted.
“Mr. Carlos, if you think what I’m saying is untrue, step back immediately! I respect you as the hero who defeated the Abyss; I’ll arrange for someone to attend to your injuries, today’s actions can be overlooked! Otherwise, you know the consequences, right!”
Yet amidst Aresta’s stern and righteous shout, Carlos remained frozen in place, unwavering.
He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.
“Carlos Gonzalez! Are you trying to oppose the Church—!!”
The young bishop shouted while signaling to those behind him. A few moments later, with a flash of red light, the “Light of MaFa” surged into the gray sky, while knights rushing up from both sides arrived, still bewildered, looking around at one another.
From further away, the third, fifth, and eighth squads were also moving closer, more people rushing towards them through the chaos and howling wind.
“…The Grace Scale, listen up!”
After a brief wait, seeing that Carlos, who stood in front of everyone, said nothing and made no move, Aresta finally reached his limit. He raised his arm and shouted, “At this moment! The swordsman blocking your path has serious suspicion of heresy! His actions and intentions in the town lean towards the heretics! Now, as the direct responsible person for this extermination action, I order you—”
Buzz!
Divine miracles rang out as they suddenly blossomed in the sky. With the radiance swirling around Aresta, dazzling golden light fell like rain, a translucent Light Wall enveloping every warrior.
Wrapped in the sacred aura, the Captain exhaled a plume of white breath. Amid the chaos, he heard the resolute commands from the Church hierarchy.
“Do your utmost to capture Mr. Carlos Gonzalez!”
