You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 213 Paladin

King of Sinnoh is also known as King of the Fjords.

The capital of Sinnoh is called Sinnoh Castle.

Located in a fjord, it enjoys a superior geographical location and a thriving commercial sector. By controlling the fjord, it has amassed enormous wealth through trade.

The Holy City and the Citadel of the Papacy face each other across the sea, forming a strategic defensive position.

The Holy City is the headquarters of the Papacy, nestled against the Twilight Mountains, and holds an extremely high position.

This holy city, constructed of white marble, is built against a mountain and is a tiered city—a pyramid structure, with the base having the largest area and decreasing in size as you go up.

The outermost perimeter is a circular wall built of marble, pure white and beautiful.

Each city wall was higher and thicker than the one in front of it, clearly indicating the social hierarchy.

At the very top is the church sanctuary.

The believers throughout the entire world of gods, with their blood-and-sweat tithes, have made this holy city a paradise on earth.

Ivy covers the marble walls, grapevines carpet the green corridors, creating a lush and verdant landscape, with ancient buildings covered in vines.

Artificial gardens adorn the mountain town, with statues, fountains, and marble columns, and walls covered with murals, exuding a sense of sacredness and beauty...

……

In the latter half of the second month of autumn.

The night was deep.

The stars and moon have disappeared.

The enemies of the Holy City launched an attack.

A giant eagle flapped its wings and soared in, riding the howling night wind.

On land, the nuns, disguised as a choir on a pilgrimage, tore off their nun's robes, put on witch's black robes, and rushed to the upper part of the holy city.

Meanwhile, witches disguised in other forms also began to take action.

They rushed up from the base of the holy city, and facing the six-meter-high city wall, they simply leaped over it, using the middle as leverage.

They surged towards the top of the holy city, layer upon layer.

When they encountered the Holy City guards, the witches joined forces and quickly eliminated them.

Among them, a wisp of black mist flickered in the darkness, moving unpredictably like a ghost.

Shasta moved with incredible speed. Wherever the black mist swept by, only corpses fell one after another, and the dead did not even have time to utter a scream.

The numerous witches advanced with unstoppable momentum, fighting their way to the middle level of the holy city.

At this moment, the Holy City's defenses also reacted.

The city guard was terrified.

The holy city has been built for about three hundred years. It is located on the opposite bank of the fortress and has never been attacked. The inhabitants of the city are all devout believers.

What enemy is this, daring to oppose the gods?

“Woo…” He immediately blew the horn of the Holy City.

The mournful bugle call echoed through the night sky, awakening all the sleeping combat units.

Deng!Deng!Deng!
The tall, slender towers shone with a dazzling light, as bright as day, while a hundred fist-sized luminous pearls emitted a powerful glow, illuminating the entire holy city.

It also illuminated all the witches who were rushing towards the temple.

Even without this sudden light, their thrusts would have been thwarted.

Because the higher you go, the stronger the Holy City's guards become.

Third- and fourth-order extraordinary individuals are emerging in large numbers.

The Holy City Guards gripped their greatswords tightly, having heard the commotion before the witch arrived, and had already assumed their fighting stances.

It would be difficult for the witches to catch them off guard.

"It's a witch!!" The high-ranking Holy City guard recognized the attackers and flew into a rage.

Shasta was extremely agile, crouching down to dodge the horizontal slash of the orbium greatsword that tore through the air.

Her legs were like springs; she squatted down to the extreme and then suddenly sprang up.

As the two passed each other, Shasta slashed open the guard's neck and neck, splattering blood and air.

The other witches also dealt with the remaining guards.

"Hurry! There's no time to waste!"

Shasta leaped several times, stepping on the city walls and stone steps, soaring upwards like a swallow.

The other witches were a step behind her.

"Stop them! Stop the witches!" roared the heavily wounded guard who had fallen to the ground.

A group of heavily armored knights charged from the distance of the passage.

They were clad in silver armor and snow-white cloaks, numbering about ten. Their speed was as swift as the wind, no less than that of warhorses, and they closed the distance in the blink of an eye.

“Templar Knights!” Shasta warned.

“Don’t stop!” Two witches who looked alike stepped forward.

The twins stood side by side, their fingers interlocked, each holding a sapphire in their other hand.

The two shouted in unison, "The Seal of Ita!"

A powerful surge of energy erupted, transforming into a beam of light that shot forward!

Boom!

The corridor collapsed on the spot, blocking the Templars' path.

Without hesitation, the dozen or so Templar Knights chose to bypass the enemy via a side path and filed out to continue the pursuit.

The two sides chased each other relentlessly!

At this point, there's nothing more to say.

For the Templars, the top is the Temple!
Either the invaders will die here, or they will die here.

The witch actually fought her way all the way to the central government of the Papacy!

This is a shame!

Their glory has been tarnished.

All the Templar Knights were seething with anger and resentment!
Another group of Templar Knights charged in from another direction.

"Get out of my way!" the twin witches shouted in unison.

The two of them combined their magic, and it was incredibly powerful!
The leading Templar commander tried to dodge the impact, but the area it covered was too large. Half of his body was hit, as if he had been struck head-on by a battering ram, which also knocked down the two Templars behind him.

But they quickly got back up.

Their scales showed some signs of wear, but it was nothing serious.

The remaining seven Templar Knights, who escaped unscathed, moved with ferocity and speed, charging forward like a bolt of lightning.

Spears, heavy swords, and light swords all thrust towards them simultaneously.

No one doubted the power of the Templars.

They can even split rocks and city walls!

Buzz!

It was an imperceptible sound.

It's like a gear that's stuck and malfunctioning, like everything that's stopped and frozen in place.

The seven Templar Knights stared intently at the two witches...

next second!
They were hit from the side without any warning, simply because the spell was incredibly fast.

When it is realized, immense power follows.

In an instant, all seven Templar Knights were sent flying!

Two Templar Knights even crashed into marble columns, sending rubble flying. They coughed up blood as they got up, having been severely beaten.

"What happened!" they exclaimed in fear.

“It’s time… A witch slowed down your time and rescued them… You didn’t know you moved as slowly as an old man,” the knight commander said.

“Her power is area-of-effect, but the area she can slow down isn’t large. Let’s split up and fight!” another knight commander said.

"Those damned witches are getting close to the temple!"

"Go quickly and protect His Holiness the Pope!"

"They're courting death!"

The Templar Knights said bitterly.

"Protect the Holy See! Protect the Holy See! Do not let these filthy rats disturb the Holy See!" This was the oath they took when they became Knights Templar.

"With the Holy Knight guarding the Holy Throne, those female rats will not succeed!"

The Templar Knights quickly returned to defend!
The temple is also the residence of the Pope.

The Pope is the human being furthest from humanity and closest to the gods.

The Pope also possesses titles such as Near to God, Protector of the Gods, and Holy See. Now all the Knights Templar have discovered this.

Those damned witches are after the Holy See!

How dare they!
How dare they!
……

The Knights Templar have a total of 330 members.

The Holy City's regular forces consist of nearly two thousand Holy City Guards, the entire Templar Knights, and one serving Paladin.

Guards are responsible for the lower levels, knights for the middle levels, and paladins for the temple.

The witches' side consisted of over five hundred people.

They disguised themselves under various identities and infiltrated the holy city.

These are the backbone of the witch forest, all possessing powerful spellcasting abilities.

They used to hide in the shadows, unknown to anyone, but now they've exposed their deadly, sharp fangs.
Even though the Holy See reacted quickly, it couldn't stop more than five hundred witches skilled in magic from rushing up to the highest level of the Holy City.

The Knights Templar are rapidly assembling to protect the Holy Throne.

The Holy City guards rushed up the stone steps in a disorderly manner.

At that moment, the witches who had rushed to the temple stopped in their tracks and did not rush in.

Because someone was blocking their way.

The paladin stopped the witch.

Even as more and more witches rushed up.

But they were still stopped.

Because there is more than one paladin standing here.

Five paladins stood before the temple.

These people stood tall and imposing, their entire bodies seemingly glowing, forming a wall of light.

They varied in height and weight, but their attire was remarkably consistent and perfectly fitted to their bodies.

Clad in gleaming golden armor, draped in a milky-white cloak, and wielding a golden greatsword in silver gloves, he stood upright on the white stone floor.

Mande Meg is the current paladin.

He was 1.8 meters tall and didn't look like a paladin nearing forty; he looked more like a young man.

With golden hair and bright eyes, fair skin, tall and upright figure, and a heroic air, he looked exactly like the prototype of the story in the ballad and legend.

Mande stood on the far left, with the former paladin Danny Philip to his right.

To the right of Knight Danny is Marcus, the former Paladin.

Marcus's right is Quintus, one of the three previous presidents.

To Quintus' right is Aulus, the fourth in command.

There is only one paladin in each generation, and their term of office is twenty-five years.

Today, the four previous Paladins, Aurus, are over 160 years old.

His body was large, nearly two meters tall, and the years were deeply etched on his face. His body was old but strong, without any signs of decay.

“You should not have come here; the temple is not your home,” Aulus told them.

"The witch has nowhere to retreat; she's either here or at the bottom of the cliff," Mona the witch said in a faint voice.

“You didn’t show up in the Valley of Silence,” Quintus said.

“If we had shown up then, you would have suffered an even greater defeat!” said the purple-eyed Thunder Witch.

Her face was rugged, as if carved by a knife and axe, and her attitude was tough, exuding an imposing aura even without anger.

“When the Conquerors perished in the Dark Sea, not all of you appeared; it is said that you are stained with the Conquerors’ blood,” Marcus said.

"The Papacy has no right to say that. If the Papacy hadn't diverted His Majesty's attention, he would still be sitting on his throne, and those traitors would be dying in wailing and remorse."

“We are not traitors, we are paladins,” Danny said.

"Paladins have always been of noble character!" The youngest paladin finally spoke.

His voice was pleasant to hear, yet resolute.

Paladins do not marry, do not have children, have no special titles, dedicate their lives to glory, and cannot have any blemishes; otherwise, they are not paladins.

“Then you should move the statues of the gods away and stand on them,” said the Thunder Witch. “There will only be stone, no stains.”

“The five generations ago, the Papal Knight—Lord Arthur Misell—followed him and never returned,” Quintus pointed out.

"Lord Arthur was a man of noble character and impeccable virtue throughout his life," Mona the witch nodded. "You, as his successors, are unworthy."

“Because there is only one conqueror,” Oulus said.

“His time is over,” Quintus said. “I saw it with my own eyes.”

“It’s nothing more than a fleeting reflection of the Iron Age in the water, the afterglow of a setting sun,” Marcus continued.

He drew his golden greatsword with a clang.

“The paladins are protected by the gods; we swore an oath where you stand now.” Philip drew his sword at the same time.

"Paladins must keep their oaths and never set foot in the temple!" said the youngest, Meg.

"Otherwise, half of you will die..."

Hundreds of witches stood before the spacious hall, all gazing at the golden light emanating from the five paladins, forming a wall of light.

That thin, low wall of light resembled an insurmountable mountain.

Meanwhile, more and more Templar Knights and Holy City Guards gathered behind them.

“We will not act unless you set foot in the temple, I swear.” The oldest of the men, Aurus, did not move.

“I swear too,” Quintus said.

Marcus said, "Paladins always keep their oaths."

“But you have disappointed me,” Mona said.

“Because the oath of a paladin does not include a witch, you are not human,” the paladins all said.

"Is this the end, or the beginning?" Mona asked.

“It’s the beginning! It has to be the beginning!” Thunder Witch declared resolutely.

The Thunder Witch raised her hand, and purple lightning exploded in her palm.

A ten-meter-high lightning chain instantly burst forth, its branches spreading out in a tree-like shape.

It's not an attack, it's a signal.

They first heard the cry of a giant eagle, followed by a sharp whistling sound, like the sound of a meteorite breaking through the atmosphere.

Five paladins, hundreds of knights of the temple, and over a thousand guards all looked up at the same time.

The sky above the luminous pearl was as bright as day.

It was a huge, solid block of ice, as bright as snow, that kept falling from the sky and growing larger as it fell!

Boom! !

The entire holy city trembled the moment it landed.

The base of the temple is flattened, hard, and stable mountain rock.

Now, however, a huge meteorite crater, ten meters wide and two meters deep, has appeared.

Numerous pebbles and ice blocks were scattered all around.

The five paladins were immediately moved. The gathered Templar Knights and Holy City Guards suffered heavy casualties from this attack, with cries of despair filling the air and losing nearly half of their fighting strength.

In the center of the pit, a tall figure emerged from the dust, the ground covered with ice shards, like flowers in ice crystals.

She was taller and more robust than Aurus.

Standing at 2.2 meters tall, he resembled a giant.

Her armor was pure white, covering her entire body, and was finely forged with a precise structure.

She moves with ease, like a swift yet impenetrable tank.

The well-informed paladins recognized it as platinum armor.

That metal was rarer, harder, more malleable, and more terrifying than gold.

It may also contain a large amount of mithril, which has excellent elasticity, is light and bright, and emits a shining pure white luster.

But the paladins' focus at this moment was definitely not on the platinum armor that was so expensive it could buy a fifth of the Citadel.
Their focus was on the equipment held by the other party's five-fingered platinum gloves.

An item called the Shield of Immortality. A family heirloom of the Rift Armor.

The other is called the Sword of Glory. A family heirloom made of oak.

They both recalled the legend, which was especially vivid in the minds of Aulus and Quintus.

……

"The conqueror brought back three artifacts from the land of the fallen gods and entrusted them to his followers for safekeeping. This act determined the future fate of humanity."

(End of this chapter)