Chapter 83: You Think I’m Afraid of You?

Chapter 83: Chapter 83: You Think I’m Afraid of You?

Shen Yun was truly, exceptionally angry.

He had only been gone for a single night. Yet upon his return, he found that before he could even officially become the prince consort, the kingdom had nearly been wiped out by someone else.

This was simply pushing things too far!

Surrounded by crackling lightning, Shen Yun stood tall between heaven and earth, unleashing his full aura. He made absolutely no effort to conceal his inner fury.

Bill’s heart sank.

A Great Saint. And an incredibly powerful one at that.

Just by looking at the thunderclouds stretching for dozens of miles, he could tell that the other party’s comprehension of the laws was far stronger than his own. He wondered where on earth this Great Saint had come from.

Bill flew forward, his gloomy voice echoing across the sky. "The Holy Hall’s pursuit of Black Mages is a matter of utmost importance concerning the safety of the world. No matter who you are, sir, do not make a mistake you will regret."

"The safety of the world!?" Shen Yun scoffed. "You threaten to destroy a city on a whim. How are your actions any different from those of the Demon King? If the Ancestor of Holy Light were to resurrect, I’m afraid he would personally eradicate you disgraceful descendants all over again."

"How bold—!" Bill’s face flushed bright red.

The rest of the Paladins also glared furiously at Shen Yun. After all, was there anyone in this world who did not hold the utmost respect for the Ancestor of Holy Light, the savior of the world?

"It seems the evidence of the Violet Kingdom’s collusion with Black Mages is irrefutable and beyond doubt!" Bill suppressed his inner rage. "Don’t think you can run amok just because you are a Great Saint. The Holy Hall possesses the authority to rally the entire world!"

Eight hundred years ago, the Ancestor of Holy Light signed a pact with the major factions and kingdoms of the world: if darkness were ever to return, the Holy Hall would have the right to summon all those in the Saint Realm across the world to collectively fend off the darkness.

Shen Yun had heard Vierlia mention this pact before. However...

"Do you think I can’t see through you?" Shen Yun chuckled coldly. "The people of the Holy Hall are supposed to abide by four great principles: selflessness, dedication, justice, and courage. Which of those do you still possess? You are nothing more than a bunch of mongrels who have succumbed to the darkness, yet you dare to speak of rallying the world? Are you even worthy?"

While ordinary people might not be able to tell, Xiao Jiu could see it clear as day. Bill’s eyes were drowning in base desires. His condition was even more severe than Alberta’s.

There was no mistaking it. They were a group of people already corrupted by darkness. Once their long-suppressed desires were finally unleashed, they became even more twisted and terrifying than average Black Mages.

"PANT... PANT..."

As if his disguise had suddenly been torn away, Bill gasped heavily. Beneath his hood, his eyes bulged so wide they were nearly perfectly round, looking as if they were shooting flames.

"To dare... insult us like this... You’re dead, you are absolutely dead!"

As if trying to brand Shen Yun’s figure into his mind, he stared fiercely at him, muttering inaudible curses. Desire, justice, and guilt—the moment they obtained the emotions they had longed for, it brought them nothing but a painful, twisted sensation. This only made them more paranoid, desperate to seek out the pleasure that the Demon King had promised them.

But at this moment, the surge of anger and cowardice welling up within him made him want to flee this place immediately.

"Await your judgment!"

Leaving that final sentence echoing in the air, the group darted off into the distance, preparing to retreat.

Vierlia watched them closely, her gaze filled with conflict, anger, and unease. Given the Holy Hall’s immense prestige in this world, compounded by the ancient pact, even if the Demon King never appeared, the Violet Kingdom and Shen Yun would likely become the public enemies of the entire world.

BOOM—!

However, at that very moment, explosive orange flames suddenly swept across the sky, completely engulfing the retreating members of the Holy Hall. A bald man, with his palm raised toward the front, floated quietly before them.

"My Lord did not give you permission to leave." His voice was incredibly calm, devoid of any discernible emotion, as if he were stating the most natural fact in the world.

"Get lost!"

A Saint Realm knight charged out of the flames, brandishing a greatsword and slashing at Xiao Jie with masterfully forged Sword Skills.

CLANG—!

A deafening collision sent shockwaves rolling outward. Xiao Jie didn’t even try to dodge, allowing the sword to strike directly against his bald head. That was where his armor was the thickest.

Immediately after, he reached out with his left hand and grabbed the knight’s arm. Making a fist with his right hand, orange flames jettisoned backward from his elbow as he smashed it down with full force.

SMASH—!

With a single punch, armor shattered, bones pulverized, eyeballs bulged, and the knight’s body twisted grotesquely.

Just one punch. A Saint Realm knight was dead!

The entire scene fell into dead silence. It wasn’t until the corpse of the Saint Realm powerhouse plummeted from the sky that the others finally grasped reality.

"A Great Saint—!" Bill forced the words out through gritted teeth.

He could feel his heart trembling. It was fear.

He had paid every possible price—sacrificing his faith, his sense of self, and his reason—all to reclaim his lost emotions. However, the unprecedented terror currently flooding his heart was absolutely not what he had sought.

It wasn’t just him. The remaining two Paladins were also slowly backing away. In this moment, their countless battles’ worth of experience was not enough to withstand the sheer dread of death welling up inside them. It was as though the emotions from the countless times they had skirted the edge of peril in the past had all concentrated and erupted at once.

"My Lord, how should I dispose of the rest?" Xiao Jie asked in his mind.

The Bodhi Branch established a peculiar connection that allowed them to communicate telepathically without any barriers.

Shen Yun pondered for only a brief moment before declaring aloud, "Capture that Great Saint alive. As for the rest, leave no survivors."

"Understood!" Xiao Jie replied without a moment’s hesitation. He was fundamentally a weapon; slaughtering enemies was one of his core purposes for existing.

However, the citizens below were far from calm, and some had even begun to panic. These were Saint Realm powerhouses from the Holy Hall, including a Vice Hall Master! These were exalted figures who could ordinarily dictate the survival of an entire kingdom with ease—lords whose mere names could frighten people into falling to their knees!

And yet, they were just being slaughtered without a second thought!?

"My subjects, there is no need to panic," Vierlia’s voice echoed far and wide. "The Holy Hall has succumbed to darkness and intends to destroy our Violet Kingdom. I shall resist to the bitter end, and I swear to protect your safety."

That’s right. Many people instantly snapped back to their senses. The despair from mere moments ago hadn’t even fully dissipated—these people from the Holy Hall had wanted to abduct their queen and obliterate their city!

Someone took a fierce gulp of beer, mustered his courage, and shouted loudly: "Kill them!"

"Exactly! How dare they call the Violet Kingdom a first-class sinful nation!"

"Long live the Queen! Long live the Violet Kingdom!"

"Wipe them all out!"

"Is the one fighting our future prince consort?"

"Long live the prince consort! Kill them!"

Even though the Holy Hall had accumulated a thousand years of formidable prestige across the continent, when the blade was already pressed against their necks, rebellion was a basic instinct of survival. Whether nobles or commoners, they were now united like never before.

With the hearing of Saint Realm powerhouses, the voices from the city below could be heard with absolute clarity. Indescribable emotions churned within them.

In the past, Temple Knights would be met with love and respect no matter where they went. Except, back then, they had suppressed their emotions. They couldn’t reap any joy from those voices of praise, merely rigidly adhering to the rules. But now, amid this cacophony of curses, they could feel anger, along with tiny slivers of remorse.

"Sir, do you truly dare to make an enemy out of the Holy Hall!?" Bill rasped, gripping his greatsword tightly as he stared at the lightning-wreathed figure not far away.

"Why wouldn’t I?" Shen Yun’s clear voice carried across the entire city. "Once I dispose of you, the Holy Hall will only have two Great Saints left. I have two on my side as well, so why would we possibly fear you?"

Naturally, comparing the balance of power wasn’t quite that simple.

However—

For the mostly uneducated commoners of the Violet Kingdom, these were words they could understand. Moving forward, their Violet Kingdom would actually be protected by two Great Saints!