Judgment!

In fact, Karen had another way to resolve the current situation: taking off the mask on his face. Although Pangxi Manor was in a very remote location, almost everyone in the family was an Order priest and hardly lived in total isolation from the outside world. Therefore, they would undoubtedly recognize his face. Once they saw his identity clearly, unless these three wished to declare war on the Holy See on behalf of their family, they would never dare force his hand again. Even though the Temple of Order was the sacred domain of the church and temple elders enjoyed transcendent status, she couldn't drag her entire family into the temple to live with her. The family's growth and continuation still had to rely on the system of the Church of Order. Moreover, removing his mask would bring the conflict of identities into the open, forcing Elder Xiti—who was currently watching the spectacle from some high vantage point—to step forward and resolve the situation. However, humans were contradictory creatures by nature. On the one hand, Karen felt that participating in this sort of spar with his current standing felt like an adult crouching on the floor to play marbles with little kids—crude and beneath him. Yet when this Kuroin Pangxi obstructed him repeatedly and pointed her longsword at him, he couldn't suppress the rising anger in his chest. Even as he found it petty, he had to admit he craved the cheap satisfaction of it. The mask would stay on, but someone had to pay the price for this blatant provocation and orchestrated maneuvering. Sensing Karen's intent, Little Kanna quietly stepped behind him and rested her hands on his waist, looking just like a little girl hiding behind her father in the face of danger. Kuroin pointed her longsword at Karen and asked, "You didn't bring a weapon, did you?" The higher the level of combat, the greater the impact of weapons became. Not long ago, the Whip-Wielder had demonstrated right before Karen's eyes how a sub-divine artifact could beat his predecessor into utter helplessness. "Go ahead and use yours. It doesn't matter to me." Kuroin hesitated, glanced at Little Kanna behind Karen, and asked, "She's a monster beast, isn't she?" She was looking for an excuse to justify using a sword. Karen couldn't be bothered to waste words. If they really wanted to talk about fairness, holding the match in the Council Hall plaza of the Pangxi family was already the greatest unfairness. If she had any real guts, she'd set it within his Discipline Department's barrier—or better yet, straight on Mink Street. With a light flick of Karen's hand, a shower of sparks flew toward Kuroin. That careless, offhand burst of firework raised the curtain on the clash. Kuroin's protective barrier knocked aside the sparks, and her figure closed in rapidly. The longsword in her hand cut through the air with razor-sharp momentum, aiming straight for Karen's chest. It was a straightforward thrust, but Karen had already predicted the transformation the blade would undergo—the array lines etched inside it were practically boiling. Stepping backward, Karen retreated. Little Kanna was no hindrance; she matched Karen's pace seamlessly, moving in perfect rhythm with him. As he fell back, Karen pointed forward. In an instant, over a hundred Cages of Order materialized, stacking together to form a solid plane. Then Karen closed his eyes, and behind him, the faint outline of the Eye of Order appeared. Missing her thrust, Kuroin gave her blade a tremor. Over a hundred silver beams of light danced like frenzied silver serpents. What had been a plain, direct thrust instantly transformed into a devastating, wide-area spell. The sword was certainly of extraordinary origin. While not a divine artifact, the forging craftsmanship embedded within it was nearly impossible to replicate in the present era. It had likely been salvaged as a remnant from the previous era and restored at immense cost. The Pangxi family's heritage and foundation were on full display. However, before those countless silver serpents could spread into their next phase, they were trapped one by one into the Cages of Order Karen had set up. The cages then detonated, producing a blinding flash that obliterated all sensory perceptions in the vicinity. Kuroin withdrew her longsword, closed her eyes, and, pulling back her consciousness, plunged the blade into the ground. Around the Council Hall—or more accurately, throughout the entire estate—various permanent arrays were laid out in the open and in the shadows. Her sword acted as a key. Relying on her familiarity with her family's arrays, she drew upon external power. Seeing this, Degunar and Nasri both frowned. This went beyond being dishonorable; it was blatant bullying. Though chosen from the same age bracket as core seeds for cultivation, the three of them did not have an amicable relationship. Kuroin in particular, relying on her close blood relation to Elder Xiti, was insufferably haughty and had a terrible temper, even though she had been the last of the three to condense a dharma body. *** Above, Xiti's gaze darkened slightly. She had directed her juniors to challenge Karen in order to thoroughly assess his true strength and gauge his talent accurately—and, of course, to temper her own juniors in the process. Yet the goal was never simply about winning or losing. Kuroin's actions had devolved into winning by any means necessary. Rohan chuckled. "She isn't fighting to win. She's terrified of losing." Xiti looked at him. Rohan said, "I'm not talking nonsense. You should show a little empathy. In their very first clash, Karen effortlessly predicted her moves, laid his groundwork in advance, and handled it all far too casually. You should be able to see that much. "Yet that casual ease put immense pressure on the girl. As the one actually fighting, that first exchange told her she was going to lose, which is why she resorted to such measures. "Perhaps because you are here, watching. That puts too much pressure on her." Xiti said coldly, "Useless creature." "At his age, my accumulation of spiritual power wasn't nearly as profound, and my understanding and efficient application of spells were far beneath his. Xiti, call it off. The boy's talent surpasses mine. Don't let this turn too ugly. "After all, we'll be seeing each other in the temple day in and day out later." Just as Rohan said, given their level of cultivation, the nuances of the exchange were crystal clear. It was already practically certain that, without external interference, Kuroin was no match for Karen. Yet Xiti remained standing there. She didn't want to call it off just yet, because by leveraging the manor's unique environment and drawing upon external forces, Kuroin actually stood a great chance. "Xiti, what on earth are you hesitating for?" Xiti replied: "Believe it or not, right now, I loathe him intensely." "Ha... hahaha..." Rohan couldn't help but laugh. Coming from anyone else, he wouldn't believe such a reason. But this was Xiti; she was notorious for acting on emotion. This was also the very bottleneck that prevented her further growth. A fool could never condense a godhead fragment and become a temple elder, as a low ceiling would severely hold them back; yet she had succeeded, which meant her floor was exceptionally high. However, this time, Rohan had genuinely misunderstood Xiti. Her emotional reaction this time was actually a sign of sharp intuition. Karen was Diss's grandson, carrying Diss's bloodline, and had formed a symbiosis contract with Purr. The two people who had inflicted the most humiliating memories of her entire life were both intimately connected to Karen. For her to feel revulsion upon seeing him in person was only natural. Unfortunately, emotion had overridden logic. Xiti could only feel distaste, never suspecting that Karen was hiding his true identity. As the number two figure in the Whip of Order, virtually no one in the world could dig deep enough into Karen's secrets. "If you dislike him, I'll take him as my student. I hear he's quite interested in arrays; I could teach him." Xiti glared at Rohan at once. Rohan raised both hands. "Just joking, just joking." *** The momentary loss of perception did not hinder her control over the array. Instantly, arms blazing with black flames reached out from below. These arms weren't merely grasping; they formed hand seals, condensing spell after spell and hurling them at Karen. Behind Karen, the outline of the Eye of Order shifted from illusory to solid, suddenly snapping open. The surrounding environment instantly fell under his absolute awareness. Guiding Little Kanna, Karen dodged with composure, neutralizing the unavoidable spells with shields of Order. After a brief period, the blinding flash dissipated, yet the array's barrage against Karen pressed on. Kuroin pulled the longsword from the ground. Behind her, the massive phantom of a dharma body arose, holding a greatsword of its own. "Seal!" The encircling array quickly shifted from attacking to locking down Karen's room to maneuver. As Kuroin swung her blade downward, the greatsword held by the dharma body came crashing down with it, unleashing terrifying waves of turbulent energy. Karen did not dodge. Instead, he raised a hand, and within his grasp appeared a Rubik's cube. It wasn't the original Key to the Rubik's Cube of the Guman family, as only those of Guman blood could wield that. But Old Master Delon had once created simplified cubes for his students to bypass the bloodline restriction. Karen was using the simplified model, but its underlying effect mirrored the original. As the greatsword was on the verge of falling, the array Kuroin had been manipulating suddenly slipped completely from her control. The black arms surged into the sky, forming a thick barrier that blocked the devastating strike on Karen's behalf. Boom! Shockwaves rolled like thunder. The vast plaza was thrown into disarray. But when the dust settled, Karen remained standing calmly in place, still sheltering Little Kanna. He raised his head and looked up. *Giving you another chance—are you still not calling it off?* *** Kuroin was panting. In that previous assault, she had exerted all her might, even deploying her dharma body, yet the man before her seemed entirely unfazed. From the very start, she had felt a top-down contempt in his expression, his tone, and his posture. For someone as proud as her, that was intolerable. She would not allow herself to lose—especially not in front of her ancestor! Nasri muttered, "He actually seized control of our family's array in this area." Degunar sighed, "So this is the sparring partner the ancestor chose for us." *** "He is a master of arrays." Rohan's tone turned firm. "Joking aside, Xiti, think about it and yield him to me. Studying arrays demands tremendous effort, and array masters who can reach for godhead fragments are extraordinarily rare. Yield him to me. I want him as my student." "You're too late. I've already reserved him." Loathe him as she might, give him up? Never. Rohan looked up into the air ahead. He could already see an invisible hand—eerie and concealed. Kuroin hadn't noticed it in the slightest, but it could not escape the eyes of a temple elder. "Do you see? Before the duel even began, he had already plotted his victory. She has lost. Call it off." Xiti said nothing. Instead, she raised her hand. An aura of purification drifted down, scattering the chaotic dust over the plaza and returning the solemn setting of the Council Hall to neat dignity. She hadn't directly intervened in combat; she had merely tidied up, like blowing a breath of air across a dusty tabletop. Yet the trace hidden beneath the dust was exposed at its edge. Rohan pressed his lips together and said, "Disgraceful." They had been friends for over two centuries, and this was the very first time Rohan had addressed Xiti in such a grave tone. For a temple elder to influence a duel between two young juniors was shameful. Xiti shook her head and said, "I want to see him suffer a bit. Only then can I calm my mind enough to accept him as my student." "His surname isn't Pangxi. He isn't your junior. He isn't an ordinary believer of Order—he is the successor chosen by Foden. On a battlefield, you and I might well have to follow his military orders. "You are not yourself today. When we return to the temple, I suggest you cleanse your inner realm. I fear you are losing your way." "My instincts are crystal clear. If he doesn't suffer humiliation before my eyes at least once, I will never get past this hurdle in my heart." Rohan waved his hand, erasing all trace of his aura while vanishing from sight. Though his physical self remained, he was completely undetectable. "Suit yourself. I was never here." "What do you mean?" "I'll just wait for him to reject you, and then I will extend my invitation to him." "I will compensate him. It was my nomination that put him on the candidate list. After this, once he becomes my student, I will spare no effort in using my connections and my family's influence to push him toward the position of High Priest in the future." "Heh." "He will choose me, because when it comes to going to extremes, none of you can match me." *** Kuroin looked up. Degunar and Nasri looked up as well. Above the plaza, the outline of a pair of giant palms appeared. These colossal palms were manifested by Karen's dharma body. From the start, they had hovered there silently, having already formed hand seals for a terrifying spell. If that gust of wind hadn't blown away the dust and revealed their trace, Kuroin would have faced a horrifying strike from above under normal conditions and been utterly defeated without a shred of luck. Degunar and Nasri were filled with shock. They had condensed their dharma bodies before Kuroin, yet they were nowhere near this man's level of mastery over a dharma body. In truth, Karen had only recently formed his dharma body, long after Kuroin. At the victory banquet of Augurev Fortress, when his dharma body stood beside the Whip-Wielder's, it had appeared tiny and frail. Yet the Hunger Addiction Sculpture had recently devoured both fragments of Ankara and Buken. That growth on the soul level was tremendous. Of course, Karen had paid a heavy price for it; the equilibrium mechanism with his hunger addiction had slipped downward once more. His prepared finishing move having been exposed, Karen's gaze narrowed. He had already set a very low bar for her, yet in reality, he had still thought too well of her. Subconsciously, he had assumed that as an exalted temple elder, she would at least maintain a shred of decency, but she didn't care about such things at all. Little Kanna puffed her cheeks in fury. Sister Purr was right—she really was shameless, that Augie named Xiti. Kuroin quickly dodged outside the attack range. Karen sighed; the spell nearly completed by the giant hands above dispersed. Once the element of surprise was lost, a spell like that was little more than a grand firework display, unlikely to achieve any real result. In the distance, Kuroin's expression shifted erratically, as though weighing whether to continue the duel. Yet that hesitation was brief. She quickly realized that since even her ancestor had intervened to aid her, the ancestor's intent was that she must not lose. Kuroin immediately dragged the sword edge across her palm. Blood soaked the blade, reigniting the array patterns within as white light enveloped it. She opened her mouth— A shrill screech echoed from deep within the estate. Next, a colossal white figure appeared across the sky, her hair disheveled, her eye sockets hollow—a female silhouette possessing mermaid-like features. The siren—Mormela. Once a terrifying monster beast that wrought havoc across an entire region, she had been slain by a temple elder ancestor of the Pangxi family, who sealed parts of her body and remnant soul within the family grounds. Over the years, she had gradually become their guardian beast. This was not the true siren Mormela, but she wielded a substantial portion of Mormela's power. "Heh... that counts too?" If a duel could be fought like this, could he ask the Whip-Wielder to lend him his sub-divine artifact? Kuroin had summoned the phantom of the siren, using her sword as a medium to achieve resonance with it. From start to finish, she truly wasn't fighting alone. A mighty spiritual vortex churned as Kuroin's eyes turned an ashen white. The sight reminded Karen of magic crystal cannons primed on the battlefield. Little Kanna opened her mouth, about to bite the back of Karen's hand, but Karen reached over and patted her head. "There's no need for our Kanna to step in yet." "But it's going to hurt." "It's fine. I'm used to it." Little Kanna tried to bite him again, but Karen dodged once more. "I'm afraid being stimulated will make you hungry again." "It won't. Probably... it won't." "Are you sure?" "Lately, just like you, it started growing a brain after eating." Faced with such a powerful trump card, Karen merely bowed his head and spoke gently to the little monster beast. This ignited fury on Kuroin's previously emotionless face. Perhaps the Inmerles family was simply the nemesis of Xiti's lineage; that casual disregard and overt disdain—treating you like an utter joke without even hiding it—could always pierce their nerves to the core. First came the siren's silhouette, followed by crushing pressure. Throughout Pangxi Manor, many clansmen turned their attention here, completely unaware of what was happening within the family grounds. Finally, Kuroin and the siren's phantom opened their mouths at the same time, unleashing a piercing shriek. A dreadful soul impact surged toward Karen like a collapsed dam, crashing forward with violent fury. Karen erected twelve layers of defense before him in rapid succession, pressing Little Kanna's head against his side to keep her protected. The terrifying soul tsunami instantly shattered eight of his defenses, and the remaining four couldn't hold for long, crumbling one after another. In the end, holding Little Kanna close, Karen was fully submerged in the battering tempest. Meanwhile, standing on the perimeter and suffering only secondary shockwaves, the other two seeds were in misery: Nasri crouched on the ground, pounding his forehead, while Degunar remained standing, though blood began seeping from the corners of his eyes and ears. Both of them instinctively looked toward Karen's position at the center of the plaza, their expressions complicated. Had it not been for the ancestor's command, had the ancestor not been right there, they would have stepped in to stop Kuroin long ago. This behavior was an outright disgrace to the family name. The phantom of the siren began to dissipate. Kuroin was exhausted; even she could not draw upon Mormela's power for long. Before her lay a hazy haze—not from obstructed sight, but from chaotic, turbulent soul power clouding her senses. Yet as the energy faded, she saw the man kneeling on one knee, shielding the monster beast's head against his chest. She had won. Though there wasn't the slightest joy in winning this duel, at least she hadn't lost. Dragging her exhausted body, Kuroin lifted her sword once more and slowly touched down to the ground. Now, she would go to him, extract the final resolution, and bring this duel to an end. The side effects of wielding the siren's power filled Kuroin's mind with turbulent thoughts. She even wondered: did the ancestor intend for her to kill him under the pretext of this spar? Yet the moment Kuroin's feet touched the ground, a fine, ink-black substance manifested around her. The black matter rapidly piled together, forming a foundation in an instant and erecting walls in the blink of an eye. When Kuroin tried to break free, a roof materialized over her head. The Black Prison Castle locked Kuroin completely within. Since he had set up a pair of giant hands in the sky, how could Karen forget to prepare a measure beneath the earth? The gap between the two—whether in combat experience or raw capability—was simply too vast. It was wide enough that if Karen wanted to toy with her and win, he had the luxury of choosing from a first method, a second, a third, and many more. Buzz! The phantom of a colossal black scythe stood before the castle. Kneeling on one knee, Karen looked up at Little Kanna cradled in his embrace and asked, "Are you alright?" "A little dizzy," Little Kanna said, pulling away from Karen's arms and swaying back and forth like a drunkard. After struggling to regain her balance, Little Kanna glared at the Black Prison Castle, clenching her small fists. "I'm going to chew her to pieces!" "No need. That's against the rules." Karen stopped Little Kanna, then lightly tapped his finger forward. The phantom of a book materialized—the projection of the Code of Order. Opening his palm, the Code of Order landed in Karen's hand. In that instant, he became solemn and majestic. Theoretically, as the Minister of Discipline in the Whip of Order, Karen had the authority to arrest, interrogate, and pass judgment on his own. Within the framework of the Church of Order, Karen could serve as an entire tribunal unto himself. The leather whip kept in his pocket as an ornament flew out, lashing repeatedly against the air: Crack! Crack! Crack! Karen said in a deep voice: "As an Order priest engaging in private combat with severe and egregious circumstances, pursuant to the Code of Order, Volume One, Chapter One..." *** The imperceptible Rohan spoke: "The Scythe of War. It seems his relationship with Child of God Mavaglio truly is close." Xiti's gaze grew gloomy. Rohan remarked wryly, "Alright, bring down the curtain on this boring, laughable farce." This time, Xiti didn't persist. Instead, she said: "Come up." Her voice echoed across the plaza, carrying the transcendent pressure of a temple elder. Degunar and Nasri bowed respectfully in the direction of the voice. Karen raised his head, looking toward the high vantage point, while his lips continued to pronounce the verdict: "...This court hereby sentences you to—obliteration." If Xiti had appeared in person, she might still have had time to intervene; a temple elder possessed terrifying control over the area immediately around them. Yet Xiti hadn't shown herself, choosing instead to send her voice down to summon Karen to come up and pay his respects. This cost her the first and only opportunity to interfere with the sentence—because the one executing the judgment was the Scythe of War. The unique nature of a divine artifact was enough to negate the might of an individual entity. The Scythe of War had long grown impatient. The moment Karen uttered the word "obliteration," it cleaved down upon the Black Prison Castle. The Black Prison Castle had been constructed using its very power, meaning the castle offered no resistance to it whatsoever; as the scythe descended, the castle even opened a seam especially for its passage. "Insolence!" A terrifying freezing force expanded at staggering speed, attempting to congeal everything in this space. Yet none of it could stop what came next. Like slicing through cake, the Scythe of War sheared through the Black Prison Castle. *Snick!* The sound carried an exceptionally melodious crispness. Degunar and Nasri were frozen in sheer shock. Never could they have imagined that this man would actually commit murder inside Pangxi Manor—and right after their own ancestor had spoken. How could he dare? The imperceptible Rohan sighed in helpless exasperation: *Ah, I told you long ago, the boy has a temper of his own.* The Black Prison Castle began to dissipate. Inside stood Kuroin, her hand still clutching her longsword. Yet she was dead—thoroughly dead. The Scythe of War had not only instantly obliterated her soul and snuffed out her vitality, but it also possessed an inherent "purification" effect that erased every trace of spiritual power remaining in her body. Even by the standards of the Church of Order, her death was as absolute as death could possibly be. Xiti glared fixedly at Karen. In her own home, right before her eyes, he had slaughtered her outstanding junior! Karen reached up, removed the mask from his face, and revealed his true appearance. Then, facing the vantage point above, Karen bowed with impeccable courtesy: "Understood. I am coming up."