Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

But if Liu Xia used some means to make her, as the daughter of two Heavenly Rank beings, feel fear...

This heretical youth was even more terrifying and dangerous than they had imagined!

In an instant, Joe Harvey felt that this matter had far exceeded his and Elias's expectations! His blood turned cold, and his change made Adela guess something, her body involuntarily retreating backward.

If Ryūka is truly a heretic, then those of them who know this secret today are all in great danger!

"It's true! Why don't you all believe me! Just come with me into the cathedral! You'll understand when you see Lady Hinatil, who's unconscious!!!"

Rocco, seeing the tense expressions on the faces of the group, couldn't help but grow anxious. He pulled on Paladin Cohen's reins and shook them repeatedly, his excited voice echoing softly in the silent scene…

But Cohen did not draw his sword and rush to defend the goddess's doctrine as Rocco had expected. Instead, he coldly shouted at Rocco:

"Shut up!"

"King Cohen?"

“I told you to shut up, Lord Rocco…”

Cohen's eyes turned dangerous. This fool! The Vatican has lost its former dignity and power because it has too many idiots like him who only know how to engage in empty rhetoric, verbal battles, and believe that finding fault with each other is victory. They're just like those secular nobles who attack and frame each other!

Assuming Rocco's words are true, then Ryusha's decision to confine Sochi Cathedral for three whole months without making a move was precisely to prevent his secret from being leaked to the outside world through Sinatiel. Yet, despite his strength being sufficient to storm the cathedral and eliminate Sinatiel and her companions, he refrained from doing so.

Cohen's first thought was that this heretical youth didn't want to attract the attention of the Vatican, but his arrival and Rocco's speech had completely ruined that.

Or perhaps... there's an even bigger conspiracy at play...

Cohen hesitated.

The knights of judgment behind him were on edge.

Adela and Joe Harvey are scared.

At that moment, one of the city guards behind Megan, as if he had accidentally fired his weapon, pulled the trigger...

BOOM!!! A crisp, violent explosion shattered the deathly silence as the bullet flew toward a Judgment Knight behind Cohen!

*Crack!* The metal bullet failed to penetrate the Judgment Knight's armor, which was covered in holy magic, but the shattered fragments splattered like sparks onto the Judgment Knight's face, causing him to instinctively swing his sword!

"No!" You miss me, I miss you, Lin is here...

Amid Cohen's shout, the holy white sword energy slashed towards the city guard, striking him heavily on the shoulder!

Blood splattered everywhere, and the soldier flew backward, but Cohen caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye…

He's laughing!

In an instant, a bad feeling swept over Cohen's entire body.

He's laughing? Why? He's clearly so badly injured. Blood is splattering everywhere. Is he doing it on purpose?

and many more!

Fresh blood?

Cohen suddenly felt a sense of unease. As a high-ranking Judgment Knight, even a panicked counterattack would be enough to cut an ordinary soldier in half!

But he was only seriously injured!

Before Cohen could even think, Megan's shout froze his thoughts completely!

"Protect His Highness!!! His Highness is injured!!!"

Your Highness...?

Boom! A thunderclap seemed to resound in Cohen's mind as he watched Megan and the other city guards rush towards the wounded soldier! At the same time, countless soldiers instantly appeared in the quiet Sochi Academy, surrounding the Judgment Knight and Adela and the others!

"Hetia Tartu? Melanie Snowfield? And Hafran Alvarez... How is this possible! Weren't you all transferred out of the city by Ryukyu?!"

As Joe Harvey saw the group of people appearing from different directions, he felt a wave of dizziness.

"Oh dear~ Don't you know? Harvey, today is the day that His Highness the Third Prince Clovis is visiting Sochi Province to inspect and experience the new city defense army established by the Governor of Ryukyu..."

Like a bright rose, Hetia looked at Joe Harvey, her classmate from Imperial Academy, with a sly smile. Her playful voice directly shattered Joe Harvey's psychological defenses.

The Third Prince Clovis? Visiting the Sochi province? Inspecting and experiencing the army?

He stared blankly at the fallen soldier, receiving treatment under the protection of the medic and the mage. The soldier smiled and took off his helmet, revealing Clovis's somewhat ordinary and haggard face hidden by a few strands of hair. Blood loss and pain had made his lips pale, but his expression was more like that of someone who had won the lottery than someone who was injured.

"Oh...you must be Harvey's youngest son? We met at the banquet...hiss...I never imagined you were in cahoots with the papal lackeys who tried to assassinate me!"

"W-what...assassination..."

Joe Harvey and the Judgement Knight were instantly stunned; they stared blankly at everything, completely bewildered as to how it had all happened.

Adela had already retreated to her carriage. As she passed Esther, a slight smile on the pink-haired girl's lips made her instantly realize the betrayal and treachery she had suffered. Her beautiful face twisted in anger, but Adela disregarded it all and shouted at her maid, Julia:

"Yulina! Hurry up!"

"Don't think about it!"

Melanie and Hafley, who had just appeared, rushed towards them instantly! Faced with the sudden attack of the two high-ranking officials, Cohen knew that words were useless at this moment, and he immediately drew his longsword. The other Judgment Knights and Joe Harvey did the same.

Seeing the tense situation, Adela gritted her teeth, abandoned her personal maid who was about to arrive, and slammed the car door shut, leaving Yurina in shock.

"Little...Miss?"

A dazzling burst of magical light erupted from the carriage, and Yurina realized that Adela had activated the internal magical device. Protected by the magic circle, even a Celestial-level expert wouldn't be able to break through the defenses before the teleportation spell took effect, but this also meant the carriage doors could no longer be opened from the outside.

Although she had never been valued by Adela, Yurina's heart was still cold and desperate when she truly faced abandonment. She watched Adela hide in the carriage, and in the changing expressions, a desperate smile appeared on her face.

"Have a safe journey... Miss... Let me buy you some time..."

With that, she turned and raised her staff, joining the Judgment Knights in facing the approaching army of Ryukyu!

Yes, Miss is safe now... This carriage will soon disappear and be moved to a safe place unknown to anyone. Rather than despair, it's better to show the loyalty and composure expected of a maid and face her fate.

However, the brilliance shifted and subsided after a brief burst of light, but the carriage behind her remained stationary.

With a creak, the car door opened. Yulina, who was surprised and shocked, heard the sound and thought that Adela inside the car had changed her mind, canceled the magic, and was going to take her with her.

But the scene she saw when she turned around left her frozen in place.

"Wow, teleportation magic is so convenient! Once you set up a beacon, getting anywhere is so easy!"

The smiling young man who stepped out of the carriage with one hand around Adela's neck was none other than Ryuka!

Chapter 36 Nowhere to Escape

"Why...why..."

Yulina stared blankly at everything as she watched Adela's slender neck being gripped in Ryūka's hand, being dragged out of the carriage that symbolized safety like an animal.

Golden hair cascaded to the ground, revealing Adela's shocked, fearful, and incredulous eyes through the strands. She watched as the young man stepped out of the carriage with a confident smile, showing no fear even with the Judgment Knight's longsword at his side. Everyone around him was stunned by Ryūka's sudden appearance. Cohen and the Judgment Knights remained silent and wary, while Rocco stumbled to the ground in fright and retreated repeatedly. Only Adela stared at the magic staff in Ryūka's hand with hatred.

"Hayden!!!" A resentful growl burst from her throat, but she still couldn't understand how Ryūka had appeared in her carriage, even with Hayden's staff and teleportation magic.

The answer was right before her eyes. Adela, who was lying on the ground, soon discovered that in the gap inside her carriage, a carved rune beacon was slowly fading in color after losing its magic, revealing a pink background.

"This...this is impossible...when did this happen..."

No one else had ever approached his carriage. The driver and guards were all trusted confidants of the Merchant Guild, except…

Her eyes instantly fell on Esther beside her. The crudely drawn runes were the same color as the makeup on Esther's lips! It was her! The only outsider who had ever been near her carriage was Esther, who had ridden with her today!

Esther merely glanced at her, then silently pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and threw it at Adela's face.

That was the message Zona left for Beth when she infiltrated Esther's territory. It contained instructions on how to inscribe the teleportation magic beacon and a request for her to find an opportunity to carve the rune into Adela's carriage. For Esther, this was a very dangerous move, especially since Adela had become quite vigilant after discovering that the magic interference device had been damaged.

But she still found an opportunity today.

The only time Adela relaxed her guard was when she felt victory was assured. Just moments before, as Adela and Yulina stepped down from the carriage to speak with Megan, Esther used her personal makeup palette, mixed with some magical crystal powder, to swiftly draw guiding runes for teleportation magic inside the carriage!

Ignoring Adela's hateful and resentful gaze, Ryuga disregarded the watchful Judgment Knight beside him and asked Hetia:

"So, did you record the scene just now?"

"Of course, I know perfectly well."

Hetia smiled slightly and took out a crystal ball, which showed the scene of Cohen's Judgment Knight swinging his sword at Clovie, while Megan and the others shouted to protect His Highness.

There was no cause, no effect, just this scene. But even so, Cohen and the others instantly realized how tricky things had become.

The Papacy's knights of judgment wounded the third prince of the Otus Empire!

No matter how they try to explain, this is an undeniable fact. Once this video is released, it will cause a huge uproar. At that time, no matter how they explain the cause and effect of the matter, Liu Xia and the others will probably not admit it.

"Hmm, let me think... Shocking! The Holy See's knights have groundlessly accused an imperial governor of being a heretic. They were arrogant and refused to listen to advice, insisting on breaking into the Sochi branch of the Imperial Military Academy, which was built by order of His Majesty the Emperor himself, and even injured the Third Prince Clovis, who was there to experience life at the grassroots level of the army... I wonder if such an event can be included in the annals of the Otus Empire?"

Ryūka's malicious smile grew increasingly repulsive in Korn's eyes. Although he hadn't witnessed the boy display any heretical magic, the paladin was absolutely certain of this demonic scheming and malice towards the Church! Whether Ryūka himself was a heretic or not was no longer important!

"Lord Cohen..." the Judgment Knight behind him asked in a low voice, giving Cohen a look of inquiry.

A cold laugh, a hint of helplessness... Cohen's lips twitched slightly as he coldly asked Ryūka:

"What do you want?"

Even surrounded by enemies hundreds of times their number, Cohen struggled to remain calm. The only real danger at hand was probably the young man, Ryūka, and his women. So far, he hadn't seen the Third Prince, Clovis, with any powerful guards, meaning his side still held the numerical advantage among the high-ranking officials. If they completely abandoned the clergy inside Sochi Cathedral, the ten Judgment Knights still had a chance to break out.

And then what? Regardless of how many of their own men would survive, once they made their move, the crimes Ryūka had fabricated for them would be impossible to clear. What unsettled Cohen even more was that Ryūka was right in front of his sword, and he still had no idea what this boy intended to do!

Ryūka simply clapped his hands with a smile, and one of his subordinates immediately pushed out a handcart with a neat row of carefully sealed magic scrolls on it.

High-level slave contract!

"As long as everyone signs this willingly—of course, the success rate is very low if you're unwilling—it's something that's extremely rare and expensive, but considering your precious lives, we're willing to offer it. These high-level contraband items, especially those used by high-ranking officials, are not easy to obtain, and we're very grateful for His Highness Clovis's connections."

Meanwhile, Clovis, who had finished tending to her wounds, stood up with some support and smiled at Ryuka, enduring the excruciating pain.

"Don't be shy. Don't forget our agreement: the Judgment Knights will each get half, and I want to choose first!"

Five Grand Masters! This is a rare fighting force in any faction, especially since they have signed slave contracts guaranteeing their loyalty! They are not comparable to vassals who only pay lip service! After all, Grand Masters are usually nobles with families, territories, or positions, and it takes a great deal of time and effort to train a slave into a Grand Master.

"This is impossible!"

Cohen sneered at Ryukyu's conditions. They were to betray the Papacy? They might as well be dead! As for the ripples their rebellion would cause between the Papacy and Otus…

That's not something a devout paladin should be concerned with...

"Let's do it!"

At a command, the knights of judgment immediately unleashed astonishing holy light, and Cohen, adhering to the principle of capturing the leader first, charged towards Ryuka, who was only a few steps away from him!

The powerful holy energy struck a solid ice shield instantly, and the collision of forces sent Adela and Joe Harvey flying.

But Cohen couldn't care less about his two allies; after all, this foolish plan was a joint effort between the Fourth Prince and the Merchant Guild. He didn't care how things turned out now; all he wanted was to get his people back to the Holy City alive. As for cleaning up the mess, he'd leave that to Lady Carmela…

In an instant, the other Judgment Knights also launched an attack on Ryusha and his companions. Hafulen immediately rushed forward, her spear like a dragon as she clashed with the two Judgment Knights, while Megan attacked from behind. Her tall figure, ferocious battle axe, and reckless knighthood directly engaged the two Judgment Knights in battle.

Even so, the Knights of Judgment still outnumbered the others. Melanie was about to go and help when Hetia stopped her:

"Ice Block Girl! Mage, move to the back! Take over my command position!"

With that, Hetia tossed the crystal ball to her subordinates, then charged forward on her warhorse. Melanie, without hesitation, immediately moved to the rear amidst swirling ice crystals, relentlessly launching ranged attacks on the Judgment Knights while decisively issuing orders to the army:

"Ranged attackers are responsible for harassing and forcing them back! Ensure that no more than two of them engage in local combat! Avoid friendly fire! Knights and warriors are responsible for defense! Don't let any of them escape!"

The Grand Masters were outnumbered, but as long as they could stall their breakout, their holy energy would eventually run out! The three female knights switched between a purely defensive stance and an offensive one, not aiming to kill or wound the Judgment Knights, but simply to slowly deplete their holy energy through the clashes of weapons. Meanwhile, the ranged mages and magic gunners seized the opportunity when the female knights created distance between themselves and the Judgment Knights, launching a frenzied attack. Bullets and magic rained down on the Judgment Knights' faces relentlessly. Even though each attack was insignificant to them, the hundreds and thousands of attacks falling like raindrops kept the Judgment Knights constantly on edge! (The last sentence appears to be unrelated and possibly a fragment from another text.)

Not to mention, there's also Ryuka on the field.

Korn's attack was easily neutralized in an instant, and the surging magic instantly caused sharp ice spikes to erupt from the ice shield, counterattacking Korn. The powerful magic that Ryusha unleashed instantly enveloped the entire battlefield, striking Korn heavily when he was caught off guard, and immediately engaged in a fierce battle with the Judgment Knights who came to Korn's aid.

The staff danced like a spear, the boy switching seamlessly between melee and ranged combat. His free hand continuously condensed magical energy into solid ice weapons, which he would shatter or throw, only to instantly reformat them. In an instant, Ryuka seemed to multiply, causing countless tiny ice crystals to swirl in the sweltering summer heat.

"Damn it! Doesn't he care about the magic consumption?!"

Korn had no idea that Ryūka's magical energy reserves were several times greater than theirs, and his frenzied attacks threw their formation into disarray. Ryūka, however, seemed to be playing around, even glancing to the other side and joking around:

Korn had no idea that Ryūka's magical energy reserves were several times greater than theirs, and his frenzied attacks threw their formation into disarray. Ryūka, however, seemed to be playing around, even glancing to the other side and joking around:

"Be careful, everyone, don't hurt Adela. I have a lot to settle with this lady from the Chamber of Commerce."

Upon hearing this, Adela, who had been knocked away, instantly turned deathly pale. A group of Ryūsha soldiers were surrounding her, while Yūrina was still struggling beside her, repelling the approaching knights and mages. As for Joe Harvey, the noble young master of the Harvey family and a confidant of the fourth prince, he simply gave up resisting after realizing that the situation was out of his control, and obediently allowed the Ryūsha knights to arrest him.

He was different from Adela and those stubborn knights of judgment; he had a family and the fourth prince backing him. He would surrender if he could…

"Lord Cohen! This can't go on! They're slowly wearing us down!"

His subordinate's words brought a pang of sorrow to Cohen's eyes. He realized that they were toying with him like a cat catching a mouse, and a full-scale charge was now impossible! The only option was to sacrifice some men so that others could carry out the truth! No matter how Ryūsha tried to frame them with conspiracies, he had to make sure his colleagues in the Vatican knew the truth!

"Blake! Ryan! Bed! Josh! Please!"

At his command, the four knights of judgment immediately retreated to the center under the protection of their companions, and knelt on one knee, silently chanting sacred verses.

"Noble believer, holy and unparalleled, crowned by the Kingdom of God, bestowing upon me glory..."

As they chanted, Cohen's eyes gradually filled with grief and rage. The holy aura emanating from his four subordinates grew increasingly dazzling, piercing through their armor like solidified flames, their hair and eyes ablaze. This was a holy spell that transformed life force and faith into power; once used, it granted a short-term surge in strength. However, even if they managed to break through, they would not escape Ryūsha's pursuit.