Chapter 107: Chapter 81: A Grand Anniversary, Rebels Land (2)
He might end up with a bruised and battered face.
He might even break his neck...
Kirk closed his eyes. The gentle breeze and the sound of laughter flowed through his heart like honey. He peacefully savored the faint sunlight of the Upper City District, enjoying a rare, brief moment of peace in his miserable life.
BOOM—
The energy from a landing beacon slammed into the ground with a muffled roar, like the grim beat of a war drum that struck fear into the hearts of all who heard it.
The celebratory atmosphere in the Desolate Wasteland Ruins was gradually drowned out by the thunderous noise.
When Kirk, the soon-to-be-retired Judge, opened his eyes, his pupils instantly shrank to the size of pinpricks. High above him, pillars of light from the Imperial Army’s landing beacons appeared one after another like a downpour, blasting through the thick cloud layer and slamming down toward the Desolate Wasteland Ruins!
Kirk shot to his feet.
In that instant, a deathly panic spread through the crowd like a plague.
The moment the first nobleman from the Upper City District realized the danger and started shoving people aside to flee home, the crowded street instantly erupted into utter chaos.
Trampling.
Shoving.
Screams.
Amidst the light of the landing beacons, one shot directly toward the Governor’s Mansion. As a Judge who had seen the world beyond, Kirk could tell at a glance. That distinctive beacon was the sign of Imperial Knights arriving on the battlefield!
The shadow of war and the fear it brought made his right hand tremble slightly.
The thought that Lady Rachel was still working at the Iron Rose Tavern filled him with a dire premonition. Forgetting all about evacuating the crowd, he broke into a run, heading for Midtown.
「Meanwhile.」
At the pulpit in Caster Monastery, Raphael’s brow was furrowed. Although he had known from the Demon’s prophecy that this day would come sooner or later, the rebels had arrived far too quickly...
He hadn’t had enough time to train more Imperial Knights, nor had the existing Battle Brothers of the Caster Battle Group had enough time to hone their skills and mature.
He looked down at the panicked crowd below the pulpit, his face expressionless, and continued his sermon, spreading the Divine Emperor’s Gospel.
"I swear to remain steadfast and absolutely loyal. Should I falter, may the darkness claim my soul.
O Divine Emperor! Grant me Your righteous fury and violent rage! Let me become the storm that drives the enemy from Your sight!"
Having recited the final prayer, Raphael closed the Holy Scripture in his hands. He looked up, his gaze fixed on the pillar of light descending upon the Governor’s Mansion, and said gravely, "Götz, inform Lord Reinhardt of what is happening here.
Everyone else, with me to the Governor’s Mansion."
Götz was a fierce, menacing young man with a face full of scars. Before joining the Caster Battle Group, he was a veteran of the Military Harbor World Defense Army who had seen many years of war.
He held a Two-star Military Rank. The attribute of his Power was Extraordinary Armament, manifesting as a spear with an Energy Blade. Although its destructive force was astonishing, its development was still rudimentary.
He knelt on one knee and asked, "Should we notify the Defense Army?"
Years of training and campaigning had honed Raphael’s Physique to be comparable to that of the followers in the training camps. However, perhaps due to his Wizard Bloodline and knowledge of Demons, he was unable to manifest a Power.
He was the Battle Group’s Priest, the bond that connected the Battle Brothers, but he was not an Imperial Knight. Because of this, Raphael was always deeply secretive about his bloodline and the Mighty Power he possessed, strictly forbidding any discussion of Wizards or Demons within the Battle Group.
This was not only for the sake of unity within the Battle Group, but also to protect these New Recruit Knights.
The National Church had never acknowledged the existence of the Four Gods or Demons. Any Low Tier Demons appearing in the Human World were classified and purged as Aliens or heretics.
Of course, the National Church’s refusal to acknowledge them didn’t mean Demons weren’t real.
Once a living being in the Real Cosmos becomes aware of a particular Demon’s existence, that Demon can also sense their gaze.
For an untrained Mortal or Imperial Knight to rashly learn of a specific Demon’s existence was an extremely dangerous act.
What’s more, Raphael’s mind was filled with knowledge from a Void Divine Artifact forged by the Formless Divine Monarch. Seductive sounds and Demonic whispers had been tormenting him for a full eight years.
Every day, he struggled on the verge of damnation, his soul teetering on the edge of returning to the Divine Emperor.
But only he and Reinhardt knew of these matters.
’A Combat Priest, a faithful follower of the Divine Emperor, is not only a heretic Wizard with an impure bloodline, but also wields a Mighty Power taught by a Demon.’
’How ironic.’
If the Judges of the National Church Court ever found out, Raphael wouldn’t even know how to begin to explain.
But now, protecting this world and completing the mission bestowed upon him by the Divine Emperor was the great force driving him onward. The Angel Holy Scripture was still unfinished, and he had far too much to do.
"I will speak with the Governor personally. After you’ve informed Lord Reinhardt, you are responsible for the Monastery’s security. Remember, do not engage until we can distinguish friend from foe."
...
「The Governor’s Mansion.」
Ulrich Turk.
He was the City Lord of the Desolate Wasteland Ruins and the Provincial Governor of the largest province on the Seventeenth Military Harbor World’s Southern Continent—a tall, thin, balding old man with heavy dark circles under his eyes.
Or rather, eleven years ago, he had been a robust, middle-aged man in his prime.
Years of dealing with rebellions and Demonic plots had drained him of all his vitality. Ulrich couldn’t even remember the last time he had sought pleasure with Miss Corina.
The only thing that relieved his stress now was collecting rare treasures. Only when he stepped into his private vault could his frayed nerves find a moment’s respite.
At that moment, a standard five-man tactical squad of Imperial Knights kicked open the main doors of the Governor’s Mansion. Their black-painted, Loyalty-class Anti-Magic Steel Armor was especially conspicuous.
