"A God's Servant?"
The smile froze on Liwen's face instantly.
He took the credentials from Karen's hand and looked down.
*Position: Staff Member, Pavaro Inquisitorial Office.*
*Realm: God's Servant.*
It really was God's Servant!
Hearing that realm, the other trainees exchanged glances, their faces either straining tight or dipping slightly with muted coughs as they forced themselves to stay solemn and keep from laughing out loud.
Among them, they were either members of Karen's squad or witnesses who had watched Karen lead his team during the final trials. Not a single person believed Karen was merely a God's Servant.
However, credentials were the kind of thing where, once issued, nothing changed unless you took the initiative to update them.
A few days earlier, right after the final trials concluded, an administrative mandate had come down alongside the Holy See's other documents, requiring grassroots church branches to conduct an audit and renewal of all clergy credentials.
Yet that directive had only recently been issued, and its initial phase targeted the youth scattered throughout the various departments.
That demographic, after all, was the most prone to slacking off in this regard.
Someone like Ventura, for example, updated his credentials frequently. Even though he had previously been attending church school without an official post, he could claim a monthly stipend based on his realm advancements—a stipend he could never bring himself to forgo.
True scions of established families, on the other hand, looked down on such meager stipends. They often waited until formal employment or a job reassignment before bothering to update their papers.
So, while this audit had been spurred by the Cardinal reviewing Karen's profile in the first place, Karen himself had slipped through the cracks.
Karen stood there in silence.
Earlier, he had offered several times to report something beforehand. Now, he did not say another word.
In truth, if someone genuinely wished to speak, they could still get the words out no matter how many times they were interrupted simply by skipping the preamble. Repeating the preface every single time only proved there was no sincere desire to inform the other party.
Analyzing the old man's psychology and predicting his actions was actually quite simple, because the man was straightforward to a fault.
Compared to other simple people, he had only one extra quality: he was simply powerful.
In short, Karen had already achieved the best possible outcome. If anyone expected him to offer an explanation, build a ladder for the man to climb down, or smooth over the awkwardness...
Sorry, not happening.
Besides, Karen could think of no reason to persuade himself to ease the tension. What would easing it accomplish—getting himself beaten up?
"Are you truly only a God's Servant?" Liwen asked, asking an utterly useless question.
How could a God's Servant be here? How could one stand before him?
"Instructor, this is certified by the region. As stated on the credentials, I am a God's Servant," Karen replied with an equally useless answer.
"Heh." Liwen gave a dry laugh. "Young men shouldn't be so lazy. If everyone neglected to update their information like you, the church wouldn't be able to mobilize enough personnel when needed. How could we serve the faith then? How could we serve the God of Order?"
"You are entirely right to lecture me, Instructor. Once we return, I will immediately go to the Church Affairs Building to update my credentials."
"Mm, so you really..."
"Yet often, whenever I see 'God's Servant' on my credentials, I feel a heartfelt reminder from within, warning me against arrogance and rashness, urging me to devote myself entirely to being a good servant of the God of Order and serving the great God of Order.
"So right now, my credentials clearly state: God's Servant."
Saying this, Karen looked down at everyone present and said:
"We are forever the servants of God. Praise the great God of Order!"
Karen's squad immediately crossed their arms over their chests. Muri's group followed suit in seamless coordination, and everyone chanted together:
"Praise the God of Order!"
Liwen had no choice but to do the same. "Praise the God of Order."
Right then, another assist arrived.
Muri turned his head and asked Yilaman, a squadmate hailing from the knight order, "Yilaman, what rank does a God's Servant correspond to in the knight order?"
Yilaman answered, "Rank one, of course."
"Ah, rank one."
Karen glanced at Muri from the corner of his eye and gave a subtle nod of acknowledgement.
The corner of Muri's mouth curved slightly.
He knew very well that stepping up to cut off their instructor's retreat might earn him extra "care" when it was his turn to take the field. But he wasn't afraid. Even if he did nothing, what awaited him was still being floored by this instructor and having his performance critiqued under the heel of a boot on his back.
Rather than that, he might as well help dig a pit for the instructor.
The young masters of the Dinge Region stood a cut above those of other regions. Because the Holy See was located here, they had far more backbone no matter what they did.
"Hehehe." Liwen chuckled. "Karen, God's Servant. I shall use the strength of rank one, without alteration."
Hearing that, Karen was relieved.
Those below grew expectant.
Liwen swept his gaze across the room and continued, "Do you truly believe the strength of rank one is so weak? Some things cannot be measured so simply: experience, awareness, and the fine control of power.
"Two God's Servants, two in God's Revelation, two in God's Shepherd, and so on up each tier—even with the exact same realm, there can be a vast disparity in actual combat strength. You should all be well aware of this.
"Today, I will show you... strength that exists outside the conventional meaning of realms.
"I hope you will gain something from this."
Liwen waved his hand, and the floor tiles beside him flipped over. A weapon rack rose from beneath, displaying a full array of standard armaments, with spellcasting firearms tucked in the corner. All of them were well-crafted... low-grade implements.
This underwater courtyard had originally been built as a teaching ground for close-quarters combat, so the equipment was naturally fully stocked.
"Choose one," Liwen said, gesturing toward the rack.
Karen walked straight to the section holding various spellcasting firearms. He picked up a long one and felt it, then took a three-barreled one and wiped it down.
With arms crossed, Liwen watched Karen's actions, noting inwardly: *This youth specializes in spells, so he leans toward firearms that can discharge effects directly.*
In truth, there were indeed many priests out in the world who used firearms, yet they remained a minority within a minority. Guns merely reduced the activation time of spells; beyond that, they were rather awkward and impractical. Priests who used firearms generally held support roles within their teams.
Karen hesitated before the firearms section for a long time, then asked, "Instructor, does this pistol come in a pair?"
"I can permit you a pair."
"Thank you, Instructor."
Karen bent down, a trace of hesitation crossing his face. Then he stood up, reached over, and pulled a greatsword off the rack.
*Clang!*
As if misjudging the greatsword's weight, Karen lost his grip, and it crashed to the ground.
Still, Karen bent down, scooped the greatsword back into his arms, and walked back slowly.
Paxio leaned in close to Muri's ear and whispered, "He would have been better off picking a spell gun."
Muri frowned slightly. He felt things weren't that simple.
Neither of the previous two trials had permitted weapons, and even the use of sacred relics had been strictly curtailed, as carrying such items made cheating far too blatant.
Consequently, Karen had never used the Sword of Arius before their eyes, and the abilities he had consistently demonstrated were more akin to those of a spellcaster.
Muri tilted his head to look at Karen's squadmates standing on the other side. He noticed their expressions were even more solemn than before.
*Hm?*
Were they more solemn, or were they struggling not to burst out laughing?
Mars whispered, "Even if it's close combat, Captain shouldn't have chosen..."
"Shut up first," Blanche cut in.
Mars snapped to attention, looked at the other three in the squad, and hastily added, "I believe in the captain."
This wasn't just to cover his tracks; last night he hadn't believed in the captain, and the result had been tumbling off the cliff with Blanche.
Ventura, Aisli, and Bart were having an excruciating time holding back their laughter. They had assembled at the funeral parlor before setting out and had watched with their own eyes as Karen brought along a long case in addition to his luggage.
In the hearse, they had asked for the captain's permission to open the case and look inside: it was a greatsword.
Unfortunately, the Dinge Region was too far from the York City Region, and this vice commander instructor likely had no interest in youthful gossip. Otherwise, he would have known of the rumor that had once circulated through York City: the princess of Dark Moon Island had become pregnant with the child of a Whip of Order squad member, and she had given him a treasured sword as a keepsake so that he could one day bring the blade to the island to recognize his child.
Karen held the hilt with both hands, balancing the greatsword with its tip pointed down, taking deep breaths continuously to steady his nervous mood.
Liwen opened his hand. A spear from the weapon rack flew into his grasp, and a faint black glow radiated from his body—the strength of rank one.
Liwen asked, "Are you ready?"
Hearing this, Karen immediately dragged the greatsword and began retreating—stepping back, back, and back again. Once he had opened up a considerable distance, he stood the greatsword upright again, wedging it into a seam between the floor tiles, and responded:
"I am ready, Instructor."
*You think opening up this distance will help?*
Liwen looked at the trainees below and said, "Watch closely. Put yourselves in Karen's shoes."
With that, Liwen leveled his spear and charged toward Karen, his figure blurring into afterimages along the way.
Karen did not move the greatsword, treating it more like a barrier in front of him.
"Order — Cage!"
A cube appeared beneath Liwen's figure, but with a flick of his spear tip, Liwen pried away the cage and used the recoil to veer obliquely to the side.
"Order—Guardian Wall!"
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
Three walls slammed down, yet Liwen anticipated their landing positions every time and skirted around them in advance. Though he lacked the "power" to shatter the walls, they failed to obstruct him in the slightest.
Karen dropped into a crouch and slapped one hand onto the ground.
In an instant, a dense thicket of black barbs sprouted across the floor tiles before him.
"Dropping to your knees? Foolish!"
Liwen used the spear as a vaulting pole, planting it forward and flipping his body over. In the same motion, he whipped the spear around and thrust straight down toward Karen.
Karen immediately summoned an apparition in front of himself, a technique akin to a substitute phantom.
Liwen's spear pierced the substitute, but instead of pressing deeper, he allowed the spear tip to slide along its body, showering sparks until the point glowed red at the very bottom.
Pressing with his right hand and twisting with his left, Liwen levered the spear's upper half upward, thrusting directly at Karen's true body like a venomous serpent lunging for prey.
Karen's gaze narrowed. The power of the Dark Moon Blade and the Sea God's Armor circulated within him without manifesting externally, as he had no wish to expose them. While this greatly dampened their effectiveness, the opponent before him was operating on the strength of a God's Servant!
With a hum, the greatsword sprang from the floor. Karen gripped the hilt with his left hand and swept it forward. Spear tip and sword point clashed in midair in rapid succession, producing a dense flurry of shrill metallic shrieks.
Immediately after, Karen layered three Order-series body-reinforcement spells onto himself, boosting his strength and speed further. Previously, when he could freely deploy the Dark Moon Blade and the Sea God's Armor, such spells had never had a chance to see the light of day.
Now, with internal and external enhancements overlapping, Karen's physical conditioning was elevated to an impressive level.
In Liwen's eyes, however, the boost to Karen's strength and speed was secondary. What truly mattered was his technique with the greatsword and the combat experience he displayed!
He had been acting earlier!
He had been played for a fool by his own student!
After the rapid exchange of blows, Liwen chose to pull back; the strength he was utilizing could not sustain an extended offensive. Karen, however, chose this exact moment to press forward, denying him any chance to catch his breath.
The greatsword swung again and again, each strike landing on the steadiest possible rhythm. Karen's assault prioritized stability above all else, without the slightest intention of taking risks.
The opponent's "power" was far beneath his own, and while the opponent's experience and awareness were superior, Karen was hardly incompetent. Thus, if the opponent wanted to win, he had to take risks to find an opening; if Karen wanted to win, it was best not to take any risks at all.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Instructor Liwen—who had initially been on the attack—was steadily forced backward by Karen, step by step.
Several times, Instructor Liwen's offensive lines and simple spellcraft produced effects that drew silent admiration from the spectators below. Yet no matter how the instructor performed, Karen maintained a firm grip on the battle.
Once he had thoroughly worn down the opponent's attempts, Karen began ramping up the pressure, bearing down layer upon layer through sheer force of impact.
The exchange between them turned remarkably straightforward: Karen advanced, Liwen parried; after two or three clashes, Liwen fell back, Karen advanced again, and Liwen parried once more, in an endless cycle.
What appeared to be intermittent exchanges delivered pronounced pressure every single time, ultimately snowballing into an overwhelming cumulative effect.
A similar scene had once played out when the captain clashed with Ophelia on Snake Island, where he had used the exact same method to batter Ophelia until she practically closed her eyes in surrender.
Liwen, of course, would not surrender, for his honor demanded it;
Liwen would not raise the rank of strength he was using, for his honor demanded it;
Liwen would certainly not plead for mercy or ask Karen to pause the offensive, for his honor demanded it.
He was not a good teacher, but he was undeniably a true knight.
Finally, once the accumulated force reached its tipping point:
*Bang!*
The spear in Liwen's hands was batted away by Karen's greatsword.
Disarmed, Liwen still refused to concede. His form shifted rapidly as the phantom of a black panther pounced out from his back.
Karen flung his left hand open to the side, and in an instant, dozens of chains of Order materialized, binding the panther phantom tightly.
Clearly, Karen had anticipated this all along. He knew very well how terrifying individuals of this caliber were; even compressed to the level of a God's Servant, their repertoire of methods and capabilities remained exceptionally rich.
As for the prime moment to turn the tables?
It was precisely when one believed victory was assured.
Karen was acutely sensitive to this, because it was a method he often favored himself.
The greatsword whipped down, smashing squarely into Liwen's shoulder. Liwen's defenses shattered, and he collapsed to the floor.
Karen raised the greatsword and thrust downward.
Liwen did not move, remaining still until the blade pierced deep into the floor tiles beside his face.
Karen released his grip on the hilt, took three steps back, and bowed.
"My apologies, Instructor."
Liwen slowly stood up and brushed the dust from his shoulder. His right cheek was swollen from the sword energy, and several teeth on that side were loose, yet there wasn't a shred of anger in his eyes as he looked at Karen.
He raised a hand and pointed at Karen, seemingly wanting to say something, but couldn't find the right words. So he turned toward the other trainees and said:
"Listen well, all of you: learn from him!
"Remember, chivalry is meant to govern your soul, not to constrain your conduct on the battlefield.
"He acted well, fooled me completely, and floored me fair and square.
"Someone like him is the kind of opponent you would least want to face on the battlefield.
"Yet at the same time,
"you would wish above all else to have a companion like him at your side!
"Do you all understand!"
Every trainee below stood at attention and shouted in unison:
"Yes, Instructor!"
Seeing Instructor Liwen take the loss with such grace, Karen felt compelled to speak: "Everyone, what happened in class today must not be shared outside. The instructor did this to teach us, and we must show gratitude."
"No need for that. A loss is a loss," Liwen waved a hand.
Karen said, "No, we must be responsible for your honor. Only then can we, and the generations of young people who follow us, receive even better guidance."
Muri barked, "Did you all hear that!"
The members of both Muri's and Karen's squads called out in unison, "Yes, Captain!"
Liwen breathed a long sigh of relief inwardly, and even his teeth didn't throb quite as painfully anymore.
...
"Hahahahaha!"
"I can't—this is killing me! I'm dying of laughter, hahahaha!"
"Damn! It's practically triggering my asthma, haha!"
A group of old men sat before a scrying mirror, rocking back and forth with laughter. The mirror displayed the scene from the underwater martial grounds. Piro was seated among them as well; he had casually set up this scrying array the night before.
Still chuckling, Piro waved his hand and said:
"Haha, come on, spread the word quickly: our Vice Commander Liwen just got floored by a God's Servant!"
Chapter 339