Chapter 138

Level Up Heresy Inquisitor – Chapter 138 (138/227)

Chapter 138: The Sixth Executor (5)

The battlefield was drowned in cries of battle.

Massive attack magic rained down relentlessly, while defensive spells were unfolded in response from the opposing side.

Countless believers climbed ladders to scale the fortress walls.

A tower spewing smoke was shattered by a catapult’s rock.

Crashing rubble everywhere.

Eil narrowly dodged, leaping away at the last moment.

“Phew, almost got squashed there.”

Having climbed atop the wall, he was right in the thick of combat.

Though this scale of battlefield was completely new to him, it didn’t faze him one bit.

Amidst the chaotic bloodbath where countless users clashed, he carved his way through enemies one after another.

[Heresy eliminated!]

Kwaak!

Eil cleanly cut down an enemy rushing at him.

All those opposing the church expedition had been designated as heretics, and with each one defeated, he gained stat bonuses.

As expected, for a Heresy Inquisitor, large-scale PVP like this was a great opportunity to boost stats and contribution points.

With the battlefield so dangerous that death could come at any moment, experience points soared rapidly.

Kiieeek!

Amidst the shower of arrows on the battlefield, a massive summoned creature appeared.

A high-level necromancer from Binghai had used auxiliary scrolls to summon the upper-tier monster.

However, immediately marked as heresy, it became a target for surrounding believers, with priests’ holy magic striking it all at once.

And the final blow was Eil’s.

Kwaaaaa!

The giant beast struck dead-center collapsed under the white sacred flames and fell off the wall, dying.

Due to their worst matchup, necromancers were essentially powerless against the Light Church.

“But the situation isn’t good…”

Surveying the battlefield, Eil furrowed his brow.

Though they’d succeeded in scaling the walls in some areas, most sections still hadn’t been breached.

What’s more, the double and triple-layered fortifications made breaking through their defenses even more grueling.

Poooh!

The sound of retreat horns echoed.

Apparently, things weren’t going well elsewhere either.

At the signal, the believers retreated to regroup, and Eil quickly disengaged as well.

If it had been open ground fighting, the church’s superior numbers would have given them a huge advantage, but since the enemy had barricaded the city gates and gone into defense mode, the story changed.

Siege battles weren’t easy by any means.

Though pre-made siege weapons had been brought in preparation for battle, there were limits to what could be accomplished with hastily constructed equipment in a short period.

High-level defensive towers, towering walls, and more defenders than expected…

The city, being such an important stronghold, was thoroughly fortified.

‘Something needs to be done…’

Eil deeply pondered possible solutions to turn the tide.

It seemed they might eventually break through if they kept attacking, but considering everything afterwards, he wanted to capture the city with minimal losses if possible.

“That’s right, why didn’t I think of it sooner?”

An idea suddenly struck him, making him slap his knee.

The underground races of Eltris.

With their help, they could resolve the current problems much more smoothly.

Of course, Eil wasn’t planning to involve them directly in the fighting.

As an executor of the church and head interrogator of the branch, not to mention being regarded as Eltris’ savior, if Eil asked, they’d surely fight alongside him anytime.

However, with all users’ attention focused on the war in the south…

If the previously undiscovered underground races joined in and helped even a little in the fighting, no matter how much the truth was hidden, it couldn’t escape notice.

Such information gatherers would definitely catch wind of it.

Therefore, he couldn’t have them participate directly in the fighting.

“This is too valuable to reveal Eltris as a new area just yet.”

Naturally, regarding information he had exclusive access to, it was better to delay public disclosure as long as possible.

“But that’s not all…”

Eil immediately contacted party members hunting in Eltris.

Sending direct courier birds would take longer than using the messenger system to ask for favors.

Requesting Eltris residents to relay his message, Eil then promptly sought out Luke and Me who were apparently in some kind of meeting.

“Inquisitor sir?”

“I’ve found a way to breach the city’s defenses.”

“You… really?”

“Yes, because of this, I’ll need to leave my post temporarily. During that time, please select elite members from among the gathered Heresy Inquisitors, Lord Luke.”

“How many should I gather?”

“For the initial vanguard… forty should suffice.”

“Understood. Ah, and we’ve received a negotiation proposal from the Lord of Amsterdam.”

Luke handed over a document as he continued speaking.

“It’s unclear whether they’re truly interested in negotiating, but it seems both sides are trying to buy time. Once the top 12 guilds’ war ends with Binghai’s victory, defending Amsterdam won’t be much of an issue anyway.”

“Perfect timing, actually. Lady Me, we’ll need you to divert attention so they don’t notice anything unusual. Would you mind helping with that?”

“Of course. Just leave it to me.”

Me nodded and gave a light smile, exuding confidence as if such tasks were child’s play.

* * *

The lord’s envoy came for negotiations.

Accompanied by several bodyguard knights, he approached the negotiation site between the encampment and the city.

Binghai guild members gathered on the city walls looked down at the scene.

“Whoa, those crazy guys.”

At the negotiation site stood hundreds of the church’s Heresy Inquisitors lined up in perfect order.

They held battle axes and spears without a single waver, their faces expressionless like copied-and-pasted NPCs.

Other uninformed players seeing this would undoubtedly assume they were NPCs.

“Are you the representative of the church?”

The pot-bellied envoy spoke first.

Me facing him frowned unpleasantly.

“Heresy seeking dialogue… though I could hang you right now, I won’t strike down a messenger delivering words.”

“Hmph!”

The envoy snorted.

Despite his lazy appearance, having served the lord for years, he wasn’t someone to be intimidated by threats.

“What does the Light Church want? State your demands. You must have some reason for coming here.”

“We’ve come merely to purify the defiled city whose lord consorts with demons.”

“Sit down for negotiations and give a proper reason, not some fake pretense! You realize continuing this war will cost you much bloodshed, right?”

The envoy shouted at the absurdity.

No matter how fanatical, it was unlikely they’d mobilized an army solely on the claim the Amsterdam lord conspired with demons.

There must be some other dark motive.

Of course, this was the envoy’s misguided thinking, not properly understanding the Light Church.

“Fine, then abandon the city now and leave.”

“What? What did you say?”

The envoy momentarily doubted his own ears.

Such an absurd condition came from her lips.

But Me continued as if granting a favor.

“Our mission is to purify the city with sacred flames. The goddess has bestowed final mercy. We’ll grant you the chance to leave the city. However, your sinning lord’s head must remain.”

“You bastards…!”

The enraged envoy glared at Me.

Her attitude presenting such unreasonable conditions seemed like nothing more than mockery.

“If you persist in staying, only death awaits you.”

“Shut up! Fanatics like you will never set foot in Amsterdam!”

“Fanatics, huh?”

Swish!

Me drew her sword.

This made the bodyguard knights instinctively reach for their weapons.

However, she had no intention of attacking with the drawn blade.

“You’re right.”

“What…?”

Me took a step forward toward the envoy and loudly proclaimed to the executioners standing beside her.

“I ask you all! Whom do we serve?”

“The punisher of all evils and embodiment of justice, the master of all light!”

“Then I ask again! Who are we?”

“The flame of Lu and the hammer of punishment!”

“What…?”

The resounding voices of the executioners echoing from all sides caused the envoy’s face to pale with fear.

That wasn’t all.

Even seasoned knights who’d seen countless battles froze in place, unable to move, at the overwhelming fanaticism that permeated the surroundings.

“The wicked ones who insult our doctrine declare: belief in god is madness, and judging sinners is murder! Can you hear their whispers? Can you see the temptations of the abyss wriggling beneath? Can you feel the demon’s hands grabbing at your legs?”

She continued.

“No, blinded by the light, we cannot see ahead. With ears plugged and eyes shut, we merely follow the direction the light points us. All we follow is the creed engraved in our hearts and the lawbook and hammer clutched in our hands.”

She continued further.

“We are the agents of the goddess. Executioners who slay demons in the pit of sin, and punishers who penalize sinners at the end of the world! Let me ask you all again! Who are we?”

“Our true mission: judges of heresy!”

“That’s right, the time of judgment has come!”

Booom!

The executioners standing in formation simultaneously slammed their spears and axes into the ground.

Fiery white flames erupted fiercely from the sharp tips of their weapons.

“We are the shield and light of the weak! The sword and madness towards rulers! All impure ones shall be reduced to ashes beneath the holy flames!”

Whiiik!

Her icy sword tip pointed directly at the envoy’s throat.

His face had already lost all color.

“Go back, old pig. We’ll burn everything, including your impure fortress to ashes. Pray to the goddess in the purifying flames and repent. That is the last mercy we can offer.”