Path To Godhood Begins With Marrying Wife And Gaining SSS Rank Skill - Chapter 260:Cutting Down The Limbs

Chapter 260: 260:Cutting Down The Limbs

The bandit who was about to swing his sword did not even know when his hands had been cut off.

He stared at his bare shoulder, unbelieving. The cut was so clean that his mind could not register it at first. Blood spilled only a moment later, bursting out like a fountain.

Then his scream tore apart the night.

“KYAAAA!”

“AAAHHHHHH!”

“MY HANDSSSSS!”

He fell to the ground and rolled helplessly. Dirt mixed with blood as he writhed and kicked like a dying animal.

The remaining bandits froze. Their weapons shook.Then they saw them.

Knights.

Shining helmets. Silver plates. Cape flowing like storm clouds.

Their presence alone made the forest air heavy.

An oppressive feeling crushed the bandits’ courage.

One knight stepped forward.

“I am Richard, Captain of the 2nd Unit of Blade of Eternal Orders of Blanks.”

“Your protection will be our responsibility.”

His voice was deep and steady. It carried no hesitation.

“Men, untie the people.”

At once armored boots thundered over the dirt. Knights rushed to cages and ropes. Steel blades slid across bindings like cutting through thin paper. People stumbled out, shaking, crying, holding their children close. Many collapsed to their knees, hands trembling with relief.

Richard knelt slightly and held the blood-stained boy by the shoulders.The boy’s eyes shone like stars.

“Are you alright?” Richard asked gently.

“Hmm!”

He nodded again and again, too overwhelmed to speak. Tears rolled down his face yet he smiled. It was the smile of someone who tasted death and lived.

Another knight pointed his sword at the screaming armless bandit.

“What should we do with them? It would really feel good to butcher these fellows.”

The bandits trembled and their faces gone pale.

“NOooo!”

Richard raised his hand and stopped them.

“Don’t kill them.”

For one moment the bandits breathed.

Relief washed over them like cold water.

’Hehehe.. We knew it. You all don’t have the guts to kill us. Once we escape and tell the Adventure Guild it’s over.’

Their thoughts were loud in their eyes.

But the next words shattered them.

“Don’t kill them, but make sure to break each and every limb. To the point they can’t crawl.”

The bandits’ hearts stopped.

“Nooo!”

“You can’t do this!”

“You don’t know who we are.We are men—”

Bang!

A knight appeared beside one of them. His metal gauntlet clamped onto the bandit’s face and forced his jaw shut. The bone creaked under the pressure.

He stared at him with cold, dead eyes.

“I don’t fucking care who you are.”

“Even if you are the King’s men, you will not leave unstained.”

Then with one twist the knight bent the bandit’s arm backward. The limb snapped like dry wood.

“Kyaaaawaa!”

The man tried to scream but the knight’s hand muffled his voice. His legs drummed against the ground in pain.

Richard’s voice cracked through the chaos.

“What are you looking at?”

“Get them.”

“Yes!”

“Naahhjo!”

“Kyaaa!”

“Stop please!”

Screams filled the night. Bones snapped apart.

Begging voices echoed through the trees but mercy never arrived. Blood stained grass and skin turned cold under chains and broken limbs.

Yet in that horror, the rescued people watched with wide eyes.They were afraid, shocked, trembling.But also relieved.

A young mother hugged her child so tight her knuckles turned white.

An old man sobbed openly.

Another fell to Richard’s feet.

“Thank you… Thank you, My Lord’s men.”

“We thought we were dead.”

“May God bless you, bless Blanks, bless our Lord Ethan.”

“We are alive because of you.”

Tears fell like rain.

People whispered Ethan’s name like prayer.

Some cried loudly, some were silent and shaking yet all carried the same aching gratitude.

…

Such scenes spread across the entire Western region.

Wherever the knights went, screams followed for those who deserved suffering, and hope followed for those who had none.

Common people rejoiced and blessed the name of Blanks. Their voices spread through market streets and burned villages.

“Lord Ethan saved us!”

“He freed our children!”

“We are no longer prey!”

While curses flowed like rivers for mercenaries and adventurers disguised as bandits. They were dragged, chained, beaten. Their arms twisted. Their legs were crushed. No escape. No mercy. Yet most were not killed.

Instead they were imprisoned and tortured.

No one understood Ethan’s command completely.

Why keep these monsters alive?

The knights questioned deep inside but still obeyed.

They broke bones but stopped before death.

They tore pride but left breath.

And while the Blade of Eternal Order cleansed the land with ruthless light, the Black Thorns moved through shadows, unseen and unheard.

Their mission was quiet. Unknown to everyone except Ethan and Hall.

…….

Somewhere in the Western Region in Ruthiana.

A man stood alone on the watch platform as the cold night wind brushed past the stone tower. The moon hung behind dark racing clouds and only the sound of crickets filled the silence. Suddenly he caught sight of a crow circling above him. Its wings beat softly as it hovered, twisting with purpose, then descended down and perched on his shoulder.

“Kyaa.”

“Kyaa.”

The crow tapped its beak impatiently.

The man took out a handful of feed from a pouch at his waist and let the bird peck from his palm. Then he carefully untied a small parchment strapped to the crow’s feet. His eyes narrowed. Without wasting time he walked into the building and locked the door behind him.

Inside, a dim-lit room stretched before him. The place was carved in stone and smelled of oil lamps and damp wood. Maps of the Western region were spread over the table and sharpened daggers lay on corners to pin down flapping pages. A group of men sat together, their faces weary, their shoulders tense. Some had ink stains on fingers, others held short hidden blades under their sleeves.

This was a shadow relay point. Every whisper, every rumor, every movement across the Western region passed through here. On one side crows rested in wooden boxes. On another side vultures with leather message clips waited. The air was cold and heavy as if even words were afraid to move.

One man broke the silence.

“The Western region’s situation isn’t good.”

Another leaned forward, rubbing his tired eyes.

“We never thought Baron Blanks would strike back and that too with such intense power.”

A third man spat on the ground, clicking his tongue.

“Everywhere I am going, I hear his praise.”

“Damn. This is too much.”

“Hmm.”

The man who received the crow message quickly carved the information onto a fresh parchment using a thin metal stylus. His hands moved fast yet precise. He rolled it up, sealed it, and passed it to the next relay handler.

They tied the news to a vulture’s leg and walked out.

“Go. …Fly.”He spoke, throwing the vulture.

The vulture spread its heavy wings and jumped from the open hatch. It dipped once and was about to rise into the night sky when…

SWOOOSH!

An arrow cut through the air with terrifying force.

The vulture dropped instantly. Its wings collapsed mid flight as blood sprayed, and its body hit the ground with a dull thud.

“It has been shot down!”

“What? Damned… Who did it?”