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 successfully 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.
