Upon seeing the face of the dead man lying on the floor, Arthur experienced the greatest shock of his life. The person who lay there lifeless was none other than Archbishop Gregor of the Holy Church.
The very sa man who was the second most powerful and influential figure in the Holy Church, second only to the Pope. He had been unrivaled in Holy Magic—the most sacred and powerful form of magic—and was capable of summoning Holy Spirits to vanquish any foe.
Yet now, that legendary figure lay dead on the cold marble floor of the Imperial Throne Hall. His body was split clean in half, leaving a grueso gash across the pristine flooring. All his limbs were missing, as if soone had ripped them from his body before executing him in the most brutal way imaginable.
He had been tortured before his death—and from the expression frozen on his face, Arthur could feel the sheer agony Gregor must have endured before his soul departed for the afterlife.
'Even demons wouldn't torture soone like this… He must've suffered so much before leaving this world… How could this have happened?!' Arthur scread in his mind, overwheld by disbelief and horror.
His entire body trembled at the sight of Archbishop Gregor's mutilated corpse. Around him, silence reigned in the Throne Hall. Not a single word was uttered; everyone simply watched his reaction.
With a heavy heart, Arthur stepped forward, slowly approaching the group of summoned Heroes who surrounded the Archbishop's body. They were tending to Kael, who lay unconscious, his body covered in injuries.
Arthur's eyes then fell on Zane, who stood stiffly with an enraged expression as he glared in the direction of Emperor Philip. Arthur decided to ask him directly what had transpired here—who was behind this atrocity, and how Kael had ended up in such a dire state.
"Can you tell how Archbishop Gregor ended up like this? And how Kael was injured? Who did this?" Arthur asked in a low but serious voice, fixing his gaze on Hero Zane, desperate for answers.
Zane snapped out of his daze, startled to see Arthur beside him. For a mont, the boiling rage inside him softened, replaced by a flicker of relief. His expression eased slightly.
"Lord Arthur… you're safe. Thank goodness nothing happened to you. I'm truly relieved to see you alive," Zane said with a faint, grateful smile. But that relief quickly faded, and his face darkened again as mories of the battle resurfaced.
His hands clenched into fists. He looked down at the ground, ashad.
"I'm sorry… I failed."
After taking a deep breath, Zane sighed and began to recall the entire event. His anger flared as he started to speak, "A lot has happened while you weren't here, Lord Arthur. We lost the Archbishop. He was killed by that red-haired, vicious bitch! She tortured him before ending his life in the most brutal way imaginable!"
"Wait a mont… Who are you talking about? There are plenty of won in this empire with red hair. Can you be more specific?" Arthur interjected, his expression tightening in confusion as he tried to identify the woman responsible for killing Archbishop Gregor.
"She was a woman with a muscular build, but also sexy. She had a beautiful face and a very powerful presence," Zane replied quickly, recalling Valeria's features. Just thinking about her made his body tense. He was terrified of that woman.
Not only did she possess monstrous strength, but she was also incredibly ruthless—perhaps even more wicked than the devil himself. Her image still haunted his mind, sending chills down his spine and making him sweat profusely.
Seeing the terrified expression on Zane's face, Arthur imdiately realized who the killer was. There was no doubt in his mind—it had to be War General Valeria, the Princess of the Lionheart Empire and elder sister to the current Emperor—Valeria Lionheart.
'So it was Valeria Lionheart who snuffed out the life of Archbishop Gregor—The Ruthless Lioness! She's just as vicious and rciless as the rumors claim…'
Upon learning the identity of the person who had killed Archbishop Gregor, Arthur began to sweat as well. He felt deeply intimidated, even though it was just the mory of her. That was the kind of fear Valeria instilled in others.
"I see… And what about Kael? Was he also beaten by her?" Arthur asked, glancing at Kael with a sympathetic look. Seeing the bruises and swelling on Kael's face made him wince as if he could feel every punch, even though he hadn't taken the beating himself.
"No," Zane shook his head and sighed. "He was beaten by an unprincipled bastard. That guy was also unbelievably strong—and just as ruthless."
"Yuan… So he's the bastard responsible for Kael's condition… I figured as much. He's the type to poke his nose into other people's affairs," Arthur muttered, his voice filled with burning hatred for Yuan, as though he'd kill the man on the spot if given the chance.
'From that expression… I'm sure Lord Arthur hates that bastard just as much as I do. He could be a great ally in bringing him down. I'll discuss this with him later.' Zane smiled inwardly, a small flicker of relief blooming inside him.
He had found soone who shared his rage—soone who would help him exact revenge on Yuan for brutally beating a Hero. And in Zane's mind, there could be no forgiveness for a cri as grave as that—striking down the very saviors of this world.
"So, Arthur. What do you think about the surprise I've prepared for you? Did you like it?" Emperor Philip suddenly spoke with a wide grin on his face, carefully studying Arthur's expression.
He was pleased to witness the despair carved into Arthur's face. It amused him greatly—there was no trace of the arrogance Arthur once had. He looked almost broken.
'This is what you get for ssing with the laws of my empire and the lives of my people. I've tolerated the arrogance of the Holy Church long enough. No more. From now on, I'll respond in kind and make sure they pay dearly for their monopoly of power.'
Emperor Philip and the officials of the Empire couldn't help but smile upon seeing the despair in Arthur's face. They had waited a long ti for this mont.
Soon, the Holy Church would be brought to its knees for all the evil deeds it had committed over the last fifty years. So many heinous acts had been done in the na of God and Justice that the scale of their cris could no longer be asured.
The Holy Church was built upon the sacrifice of tens of thousands of lives. They had taken countless innocent lives in the na of justice, with no remorse. There was no forgiveness left for them in this world.
Countless innocents were executed simply because they were suspected of witchcraft. Young children perished. Families were destroyed—crushed under the Holy Church's rciless hand.
Now, it was finally ti for the Holy Church to suffer the consequences of its vile actions against those who once placed their faith in them.
The war against the Holy Church… had officially begun.
"You! You will pay for killing our Archbishop Gregor! The Holy Church won't take this humiliation and cri lightly! This Empire will be destroyed by our Holy Church!" Arthur shouted furiously, his voice echoing with rage through the vast Throne Hall of the Imperial Palace.
"The Holy Church is going to destroy this Empire? Don't make laugh, Arthur! Do you even realize your current situation? Do you even know what's going to happen to you?" Emperor Philip laughed, mocking the broken Holy Son of the Holy Church with contempt gleaming in his eyes.
Emperor Philip continued, "You don't even understand your own fate, yet you dare speak of my Empire's future. What a pathetic sight."
"Do you honestly believe you'll leave here alive? Do you think Yuan will let you walk out of this place? Even if I allowed you to go, your fate is already sealed. I'll just sit back and enjoy the show, because either way—you're going to die."
"Agh! That bastard! Do you think he can take on all the Heroes by himself? He'll be dead before he even realizes what's happening! Hahaha!" Arthur laughed with false confidence, trying to mask the fear rising in his chest.
"Is that so? So you think these fools can save you from ? How amusing to hear that…"
Suddenly, a chilling voice echoed from behind, and everyone imdiately recognized it. Shock rippled across their faces, freezing the air in the Throne Hall.
How long has he been standing there? How much did he hear?
Fear swept through the room like a cold wind—every single person, including the Heroes, felt a deep chill in their spine at Yuan's sudden presence.
"Y-Yuan… What the hell are you doing here?! Shouldn't you have left by now?" Zane shouted, his voice filled with anger as his eyes locked onto Yuan.
"Why shouldn't I be here?" Yuan responded casually. "After all, there's quite the entertaining show going on here. I wouldn't want to miss it." He said with a sarcastic tone, his grin widening as he looked at Zane and Arthur.
"You've gone too far, Yuan! Don't you dare interfere, or the consequences will be dire…" Zane snapped, gritting his teeth in frustration, fury burning in his gaze.
"Heh!" Yuan smirked—and in the blink of an eye, he vanished from his spot, stunning everyone inside the Throne Hall.
"Do you really think you've got what it takes to defeat ? Don't make laugh, you arrogant fool." Yuan's voice suddenly ca from right behind Zane, sending his heart into a frenzy as he realized the threat was directly at his back.
"Behind you!" Arthur shouted frantically, his face pale with panic and disbelief as he quickly tried to warn Zane of the danger.
The mont Arthur shouted, Zane instinctively poured all his mana into his legs, trying to escape with boosted speed.
"Too late…" Yuan whispered coldly, his voice laced with mockery.
Before Zane could react, Yuan's hand was already around his neck—gripping it tightly and lifting him off the ground with terrifying ease, leaving the entire Throne Hall in stunned silence.
"Now shut up and don't interfere with my work," Yuan said with a vicious grin, his voice chillingly calm. "I have an important task—taking the life of a certain soone. I've let him live far longer than he deserved. Now, it's my turn to end it."
Without another word, Yuan slamd Zane's body into the marble floor with trendous force.
Bang!
A deafening sound echoed through the Throne Hall as Zane's head collided with the solid marble, leaving a massive crater in the ground. Blood spilled from his skull, painting the floor in red.
"Agh! Cough! Cough!" Zane coughed up mouthfuls of blood before finally passing out, collapsing limply on the floor. The other Heroes stood frozen in shock, unable to process the brutality of what they had just witnessed.
'That idiot… What was he thinking, picking a fight with Yuan? He's a damn monster!' Ayumi sighed inwardly, watching Zane's unconscious body with apathy. At this point, she had no sympathy for him.
Yuan now turned his attention toward Arthur, his wicked smile growing wider. Arthur's body trembled involuntarily, a cold sweat breaking across his skin as he felt an overwhelming sense of dread wash over him.
'Let's put my training into practice… With my current mastery, I should be able to forge a sword using only my Sword Aura.'
Yuan's fingertips glowed as his Sword Aura surged outwards, crackling with sharp energy. The air itself seed to bend around it.
Within seconds, the aura condensed and solidified into a glowing blade—short, yet impossibly dense and sharp. It radiated a power that seed capable of cutting through anything.
'What… What is this feeling?' Arthur's heart raced as he watched the blade form. 'Why do I feel such fear? This… This is death itself!'
[Ding! Your mastery over the Sword Aura has reached a new height!]
[You have reached the highest level of Sword Aura. You are now qualified to learn: Enhanced Sword Aura!]
Yuan's eyes briefly widened at the unexpected ssage, then a grin curled his lips again.
'Enhanced Sword Aura? I wonder how much more powerful it is than normal Sword Aura…' He chuckled softly, already anticipating what was to co.
'But first… let's end this show swiftly.'
Yuan's killing intent surged, suffocating the atmosphere in the room. Arthur could barely breathe under the crushing pressure.
Swish!
In a single instant, Yuan unleashed a devastating slash of Sword Aura—so fast, so precise, that Arthur didn't even have the chance to blink.
A heartbeat later, Arthur's body was cleaved clean in two, the halves collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud.
The entire Throne Hall fell into an eerie silence.
No one dared to move. No one dared to speak. They had just witnessed the impossible.
The Holy Son of the Holy Church—killed in a single strike.
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