Don't Disgrace... Him!

Although Blaizt's influence over Giragon had been broken, the fire had long since been ignited. Unless everything burned to ash, it could not be stopped at all, so whether the original spark still existed was no longer of any significance. Moreover, the Delan family on the hillside and Laura from the Church of the Abyss had not given up, continuing to pull and entice Giragon. Especially after sensing that the other formidable competing power attempting to control Giragon had vanished, they grew far more invigorated and aggressive. When Theisen's colossal phantasm appeared and his question rang out, both parties received it. *** "Laura, people from Order have appeared." "Laura, I think it's still not too late for us to pull our hands back now." Laura gazed toward the gigantic phantasm in the distance. The angel behind her mirrored her movements. "I feel like I'm close to succeeding. Once we regain full control over Giragon, we'll leave with it immediately. We can explain things to Order afterward." "I think if we stop now, we can save the Church a great deal of diplomatic trouble." "Yes, Laura, let's stop now. This matter has gotten a bit out of hand." The angel let out a low growl. "We are subduing this ferocious beast to protect the islanders here! What happened before has nothing to do with us!" *** "People from Order have appeared. They got here fast." A trace of anxiety surfaced on Millis's face. The hand gripping his cane was trembling. Celine spoke up. "And then? Are we supposed to just stop? The three of our families have paid such an enormous price for this beast! Half of Fire Island has practically been destroyed! We must get this beast!" Millis glanced at the woman and nodded. Inwardly, he thought: *Idiot. Did you really think that just because we could clash with the Dark Moon Fleet—which is backed by the God of Order—we could afford an open confrontation with the Church of Order itself?* Millis turned around and said, "I'm leaving first." "Are you afraid?" Celine asked. "Yes, I'm afraid. I want to find somewhere quiet. May I?" "Heh, go ahead." Millis stepped into his carriage. Once the guards shut the door, he immediately unbuttoned his collar and began gasping for breath. "Patriarch, are we heading out to sea now to regroup with the evacuated clansmen?" the old butler asked. "Find a place. I want to take a bath and change into fresh clothes," Millis added. "Cold water will do." "Uh... yes, Patriarch." *** Theisen opened his hand and said, "Mavaglio, lend me the power of that scythe for a moment." Mavaglio answered, "Forcing yourself to act is already dangerous enough. If you borrow the power of the Scythe of War on top of that, your body and soul will never hold out." "Lend it to me." "I cannot." "Lend it to me, my lord." Mavaglio looked at Theisen with an immensely complicated gaze. "Why do I feel like your thoughts have shifted again?" "My thoughts have never changed, my lord." "You don't need to call me 'my lord.' I can't bear it." Mavaglio closed his eyes. From the Black Prison Castle before him, a heart-stopping, dark black light shimmered. "Theisen, have you truly made up your mind?" "At first I'd merely made up my mind. Now... I've let go completely." "What do you mean?" "You don't need to know." Theisen chuckled. "You know, when I was young, I loved to fight. It wasn't until I met him later on that I suddenly lost most of my interest in fighting. "So now, I can only rely on my realm and past accumulation to try swinging it around a bit. "If it looks clumsy... "...don't laugh." Mavaglio frowned slightly. He instinctively felt that Theisen's words sounded somewhat strange. Vic, however, began cursing loudly: "You shameless old bastard! It was bad enough that my teacher disappeared and left me in the gutter; "I spent so long flattering you, hoping that for my teacher's sake you'd help arrange a new job for me! Even if you retired, your connections should still be there! But now you're rushing straight into getting yourself killed! "Running into you two old bastards... how could I be so damned unlucky!" Vic cursed and wept at the same time. Then he turned to Karen, whom he was supporting, and asked: "Friend, do you have any vacancies on your payroll? Could you spare a bite to eat?" "I..." Karen felt a bit confused by the relationship between the three of them. Vic sniffled. "Friend, you have no idea how bitter my life is! Right now I truly can't find a proper job, when I was supposed to be walking with my head held high among this generation of youths in the Church!" "Is that so..." *** Theisen's colossal phantom reached out, plunging a hand into the Black Prison Castle, then pulled it out abruptly. A massive scythe—also formed from phantom light—was gripped in his hand. At the same time, Theisen's physical body below coughed up a mouthful of blood. He swayed slightly, but quickly straightened back up. In the next instant, Theisen's towering figure appeared directly above Giragon. The scythe in his hand cleaved straight down toward one of the canine heads. *Boom!* Giragon raised its head, spewing molten lava to resist, but the scythe cut clean through the flames and struck its skull. *Roar!* A furious howl tore out. Theisen did not pause. Raising the scythe once more, he chopped down again. *Boom!* *Boom!* *Boom!* Under the relentless hacking, Giragon—newly awakened, lacking its bloodline memories, and fighting purely on animal instinct—was beaten back repeatedly. Bloody gouges appeared across its heads, and white bone was exposed in several places. Under normal circumstances, Giragon's reaction should have been to let its savagery erupt fully and fight this foe to the death. However, the Scythe of War possessed the effect of dispelling the 'fog of war.' The continuous strikes effectively severed the outside pulls and guidance warping its mind. As a result, rather than being driven wild by its wounds, Giragon grew increasingly lucid. In its mind, the image of a cat seemed to resurface, recalling what she had told it: not to harm people once it came out, and to find a place to hide. Giragon began backing away on its own. As it retreated, its eyes swept across the surroundings and took in the hellish devastation. An expression of stunned disbelief appeared on its face, as if it could not believe it had caused all this. *** "Huh? What's wrong with Giragon?" Vic noticed the three-headed dog's change. Pu'er said, "It's gentle by nature. It only caused destruction because it was bewitched just now." Vic looked down at Pu'er, then asked Karen, "Your monster beast?" "Yes." "Can it turn into a human? Heh heh, friend, you sure play wild." "She can't turn into a human." "Can't turn into a human? Heh heh, friend, you play even wilder." Pu'er grew angry, puffing out her cheeks. Vic pulled the conversation back to his earlier topic: "Friend, seriously, do you have room in your squad? I know for a fact you'll get promoted once you head back this time. You won this gamble—won huge! How about it? Count me in?" "No vacancies." "Really?" "I'm lying." "So that means you just don't want me in your squad?" "Yes." "Come on, friend, if you're rejecting me, at least find an excuse that sounds plausible!" "I'm tired. Don't feel like looking for one." Karen reached out and let Alfred catch him, freeing himself from Vic's support. Kevin ran over excitedly at that moment and crouched down before Pu'er. Still angry at Vic, Pu'er refused to get on. Seeing this, Kevin immediately turned toward Alfred's back: "Woof! Woof! Woof!" Karen asked Vic, "Which lord is that?" "He used to sit at the Round Table, but he's stepped down now. And as far as I know, he doesn't know how to fight." "I can tell." "But his cultivation realm is extraordinarily high." "I can tell that too." For someone who didn't know how to fight to drive back the Cerberus of Sin simply by hacking at it with a scythe, his realm had to be astonishingly high. In Karen's eyes, the old man's current conduct was like taking the finest rifle and swinging it like a club to bludgeon someone. However, why did the words he had spoken while standing out front earlier feel so odd? To lecture him? To show him what a true believer of Order looked like? In truth, when Theisen had called him an opportunist earlier, Karen had accepted it. His and Neo's actions this time were an absolute political gamble. Yet the old man's subsequent words gave Karen an uncomfortable prickle, like a pea tucked beneath a mattress. Mavaglio drifted forward, and the Black Prison Castle began to disperse. Before long, Mavaglio arrived before Giragon. He raised a hand, and the foundation of a Black Prison Castle began materializing beneath Giragon's feet. In this rapid process of construction, it bound Giragon's four legs directly. Giragon lay prostrate on the ground, making no further attempt to resist. Tears welled up in its canine eyes once more. "You won't be able to lock it down," Theisen said. Mavaglio replied, "But it doesn't seem to have any intention of breaking free." "I want to hack it to death." "I'm afraid you'll burn yourself out before you can manage that. Let's leave it here for now. If it goes berserk again, you can come chop it then. For now, you can rest. Truly." "Rest? We're barely getting started." Theisen turned around. "I could tell long ago: it is merely a tool. The ones truly responsible for this catastrophe are those who attempted to manipulate it." Theisen's colossal phantom turned and strode toward the angel under the night sky. Though the phantom produced no sound of footsteps, his approach still carried a terrifying aura of dread. *** "You have violated the Code of Order." Blood was already trickling from the corner of Laura's mouth. Bloodstains also appeared upon the feathers of the angel behind her. The Scythe of War had shattered her connection to Giragon, inflicting severe backlash upon her. As Theisen drew near, the equally massive figures formed by the two Eternal Fallen of the Abyss, Bran and Deli, retreated half a step in deference. Laura spoke up: "Fire Island met with catastrophe. We came to rescue the residents of this island. This is a ferocious beast that escaped from the Abyss; we intended to guide it back so it would cause no further devastation in the outside world." Theisen continued, "My eyes are not blind." Hearing this, Laura replied, "My lord, the Abyss respects the Church of Order's qualification and authority to maintain the Code of Order. I believe there may be misunderstandings between us that require explanation." "Yes, my lord." "Indeed, my lord." Bran and Deli chimed in together. "You have violated the Code of Order." Theisen raised the scythe in his hand. "You should rightfully receive punishment." "My lord, we are willing to await our Church's arrival to negotiate with Order. Alternatively, we are willing to surrender and accompany you back to the Church of Order for investigation and questioning." "The facts are clear and the evidence sufficient; no further investigation or questioning is needed. In accordance with Chapter One, Article Twelve of the detailed regulations of the Code of Order, I hereby pass judgment upon you... Obliteration!" "My lord, you cannot do this! We respect the Church of Order, and we hope the Church of Order can grant equal respect! Otherwise, our Church of the Abyss will lodge a solemn protest with your church!" "The Church of Order's qualification to maintain the world's order does not derive from the respect and support of other churches. You are completely free not to respect or support it. Right now, I grant the three of you a chance: you may choose suicide, and I shall purify your remains and soul remnants." "My lord, you've gone mad!" The angel behind Laura spread its arms to embrace her tightly, then flapped its wings, preparing to fly backward in outright flight. Theisen swung the scythe down without the slightest hesitation. *Rip!* The halo radiating from the angel's wings ought to have been an exceptionally sturdy barrier, yet now it was sliced open by the scythe. One of its wings was instantly severed, and blood tinged with holy light sprayed across the sky. Seeing this, Bran and Deli rushed forward to intercept, but Theisen swept the scythe horizontally across. *Slash!* Bran's giant body was sheared in half at the waist. An incredulous cry escaped him. The toughness of an Eternal Fallen's body had always been their greatest pride and reliance. Deli's body slammed into Theisen, causing Theisen's phantasmal figure to lean to one side. Below, Theisen's own right arm twisted, and his chest visibly caved in. Yet he still held firm, his colossal phantom returning to an upright posture as he reversed his grip and swung the scythe once more. *Schlock!* This blow sheared down through Deli's forehead, cleaving him entirely in two. A divine artifact was a divine artifact after all. Even when used purely like an ordinary scythe, it still possessed peerless sharpness. Shortly after, the bodies of the two Eternal Fallen giants dissolved, and Deli's soul was annihilated alongside his physical form. The two halves of 'him' lay there quietly. Cut in half at the waist, Bran crawled on the ground with his hands. His lower torso had long been left behind in the distance; he could only drag his upper body forward in futile motion, leaving a long smear of blood across the rubble. In this state, they were no different from the residents they had crushed beneath buildings and streets when they first transformed. Her single remaining wing struggling to keep her aloft, Laura descended to the ground. She screeched almost hysterically: "You should be well aware of the precious status of angels and Eternal Fallen within the Church of the Abyss! Does this action of yours mean you intentionally wish to incite war between Order and the Abyss?!" Theisen forced down the mouthful of blood threatening to erupt from his throat, answering: "What you should be considering is whether the Abyss would truly dare wage war against Order over the three of you! "Our Church of Order will defend the Code of Order and defend the Light of Order at all costs!" The angel behind Laura spoke: "If the Church of Order acts with such tyranny, are you not afraid of inciting a boycott from the entire ecclesiastical circle against Order? Has Order already forgotten the lesson of Light?" Theisen raised the scythe once more. In a deep voice, he said: "I apologize. Yes, we were wrong. I don't know what happened to the Church of Order to make you forget... its original tyranny!" *Whoosh!* The scythe fell. Holy light erupted from the angel, attempting to block the strike, but the might of the sacred relic completely suppressed the resistance, compressing the light continuously. A pendant on Laura's chest flew out, projecting the phantom of an elderly figure clad in abyssal vestments. It was a mental imprint sealed within. Upon appearing, the elder immediately assessed the situation and spoke to Theisen: "I believe this is a misunderstanding." "The evidence is sufficient. There is no misunderstanding." "I believe we can still negotiate." "The Code of Order was the final result of negotiations between Order and the entire ecclesiastical circle." "Her status is vital to our Abyss. I hope you can spare her life." "The Church of the Abyss signed the document ratifying the Code of Order." "If she dies, our Church will send an official letter of protest to your High Priest Norton, and your High Priest will discipline you." "Our new High Priest dislikes me very much. But I am sorry to say, my status and rank are exceedingly elevated. I will most likely not live more than a few days anyway. Once I die and your protest arrives, no matter how much High Priest Norton dislikes me, he will stand against the Church of the Abyss over my death! "If you wish to go to war, I suggest making the wording in your official letter even fiercer. "Or, please state your name right now. I shall report to the Church that you were the mastermind behind this. You can wager on whether the Abyss will surrender you as a sacrificial offering." The elder closed his eyes and chose to dissolve his mental imprint, ultimately refusing to disclose his name. "Elder!" Laura let out a despairing shriek. Finally, the holy light radiating from the angel behind her collapsed completely. As the scythe fell, body and soul shattered into pieces. Pure white angel feathers drifted away like swirling snowflakes. Theisen turned around. The colossal figure carrying the scythe already showed signs of exhaustion, but when he arrived before the hillside, he still swept the scythe across, completely shattering the ancestor phantom belonging to the Delan family. Having done this, Theisen shouted: "In accordance with the Code of Order, the patriarch and three generations of direct kin of the pirate family participating in this evil ritual may choose suicide within three days to atone for their crime, surrendering their intact remains as proof. "Should any defy this, the Church of Order shall wipe out their entire family and every trace connected to them." With all this finished, Theisen looked at Giragon, who was still bound in place shedding tears, and then at the location of the ritual array hall. In the end, he gave up on the thought of attempting to hack this beast to death, for he could feel the scythe in his hand growing heavier and heavier, to the point he could barely swing it. The gigantic phantom returned to its starting point. Vic immediately called out, "Quick, disperse your dharma body and rest a bit! Maybe there's still a chance!" Theisen said, "Have you seen it?" Vic replied at once, "I saw it, I saw it! You're formidable—far too formidable!" Theisen said, "You should have seen it before." Vic answered, "Yes, yes, I've seen it, I've seen it! But even if my teacher hadn't vanished, he could only match half of your imposing might! "So can you end your dharma body now, come down to catch your breath, and swallow a few pills? Maybe you can hold on until the directors of the Church hospitals arrive to treat you and prolong your life! At least you could hold out long enough to leave your final wishes and mention what's on your mind—like how you can't stop worrying about a kid like me, and demand they reassign me to a new job?" Theisen said again, "Yet you've forgotten it. Otherwise, you wouldn't have turned into what you are now." Vic scratched his head. "I haven't forgotten my teacher's earnest teachings! I remember every single word he said—including how, if you meet a woman with a child at a brothel, you should give an extra tip." Theisen smiled faintly. "Remember this: this is what a believer of Order should truly look like!" Vic was practically wailing. "I beg of you, disperse your dharma body before talking, alright?! You're draining far too much right now! I know! I remember! I've memorized it for all my lives to come!" A trace of reminiscence surfaced in Theisen's eyes. He lowered his head, looked at Vic, and said with utmost earnestness: "Don't disgrace... him."