Chapter 8: Holy Healing Church
The shackles on Su Xiao's wrists were severed into several pieces. Before anyone could react, he slashed sideways, and a head with a face full of shock flew into the air.
Bang!
A large mass of yellow crystals flew toward Su Xiao—diamond fragment bullets. Su Xiao pushed his left hand forward, and an energy shield materialized beside him, deflecting all the diamond bullets.
Pfft, pfft...
The long blade swept through, and of the dozen or so black-clad men and women around Su Xiao, only one managed to escape. He charged forward a few steps before diving into a shop by the street.
A pale blue blade aura followed close behind. The black-clad man had barely plunged into the shop when the blade aura sliced open his back.
The bearded man on the second-floor rooftop witnessed the entire scene. His eyes filled with terror, and he turned to flee. Just then, a sharp pain shot through his leg. Looking down, he saw a large dog with black-and-white fur biting into his calf.
Whoosh! A sound of cutting wind came as a long blade pierced through the bearded man's left shoulder. Cyan Steel Shadow energy surged, flooding into his body.
"Ah!!"
The bearded man screamed in agony, veins bulging on his face. But he was no saint. As the blade struck him, he drew a short dagger from his waist and thrust it toward Su Xiao's lower body.
A pale blue crystal layer enveloped Su Xiao's calf. He kicked straight, striking the dagger's tip.
With a crisp sound, the short dagger was snapped in two by Su Xiao's kick. Clearly, the crystal form of Cyan Steel Shadow was harder than steel.
"Where is Isa?"
Su Xiao pressed down on the Dragon-Slaying Flash in his hand. Under the intense pain, the bearded man thudded to his knees.
"Ptoo!"
The bearded man spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. Su Xiao tilted his head to dodge it.
"I won't betray Lord Randolph... Ah!!"
As Su Xiao applied more force, the Dragon-Slaying Flash, embedded in the bearded man's chest, slowly cut toward his heart.
"Hey, hey, wait!"
The bearded man raised his blood-soaked hand.
"As a fellow warrior, can you give me a quick death? And also, don't kill Lord Randolph's only son."
Blood trickled from the corner of the bearded man's mouth.
"Agreed."
Su Xiao found the bearded man somewhat strange. The first condition was reasonable, but sparing the only son of Lord Randolph was an odd request.
"That bitch... is in the royal palace."
Pfft.
The long blade pierced through the bearded man's chest. He collapsed to the ground, and beside his corpse appeared a purple treasure chest.
Picking up the chest, Su Xiao leaped down from the second-floor rooftop. It had been a long time since he fought against a large group of soldiers.
The soldiers who had retreated after Su Xiao's earlier "surrender" returned, wielding gleaming knight greatswords.
In an instant, Su Xiao was surrounded. He sheathed the Dragon-Slaying Flash in his hand, assuming a drawing stance.
"Thrust!"
A loud shout came from behind the soldiers. The dozen or so soldiers closing in on Su Xiao held their swords with both hands, their tips aimed at him.
The surrounding soldiers drew nearer. These troops were clearly accustomed to using human-wave tactics. The 120 soldiers were divided into three echelons: the innermost 30, clad in heavy armor, were responsible for close combat; outward were 50 halberdiers, who would advance if the first echelon fell; the third echelon wore leather armor, offering greater mobility to prevent the enemy from escaping.
The 120 soldiers formed three rings, closing in on Su Xiao. The dozen swords of the first echelon were less than 30 centimeters from him. Judging by the steadiness of these blades, these soldiers were seasoned killers.
"Kill!"
The soldiers let out a unified battle cry. At that moment, Su Xiao's long blade left its sheath, and a surge of blood energy clung to the blade.
Ring Break.
Clang.
The long blade rang crisply, and a crimson ring-shaped blade aura expanded outward. Armor, greatswords, flesh—everything it touched was severed instantly.
The crimson blade aura spread at least fifty meters before dissipating. The soldiers around Su Xiao stood frozen in place, a bloodline appearing on the armor across their chests.
Thud, thud...
One by one, bodies cut in two fell to the ground. After Su Xiao's single slash, the entire street fell silent. Faint cutting marks appeared on the buildings within a fifty-meter radius. Though seemingly minor, these houses had actually been sliced through.
"Bubu, have you located the royal palace?"
As Su Xiao finished speaking, a nearby house collapsed with a roar.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang, who had been blending into the environment, materialized. Earlier, when Su Xiao attempted a feigned surrender, it had already merged with its surroundings, scouting ahead.
"Lead the way."
Su Xiao walked over the corpses scattered across the street. He had initially considered a covert infiltration, but that would have been too inefficient. Far better to fight his way in.
Clang, clang.
With two slashes, Amu, tied up like a bundle, regained his freedom. This honest bull was furious. After they had bound him, they kicked him repeatedly. The exact reason was unclear, but failing the feigned surrender and getting beaten up left Amu thoroughly annoyed.
One man, one dog, and one bull sprinted swiftly down the street. The situation was now simple: charge straight into the royal palace. The difficulty of this world already indicated the problem. As long as Su Xiao wasn't too unlucky, he wouldn't face an enemy he couldn't defeat.
In the city center, within the royal palace of the Aushan Kingdom.
As a kingdom founded only twenty years ago, the Aushan Kingdom naturally lacked deep roots. Even the kingdom's name came from the king's hometown.
King Randolph of Aushan didn't like being called king. On this continent, kings were too common, so he preferred being called Lord, with his trusted aides addressing him as "Your Grace."
At that moment, Randolph, inside the palace, wore a troubled expression.
"Isa, are you sure your pursuers aren't witch hunters? Not hunters recognized by the Holy Healing Church?"
Randolph raised his wine glass and took a large gulp. He wore a red robe embroidered with gold thread, but despite his flashy attire, his manners were crude.
"Absolutely not."
A slightly hoarse female voice came. The woman wore a witch's hat—it was Isa, the one Su Xiao was chasing.
"Then... why did you flee to me?"
Though crude, Randolph wasn't stupid. Judging by the bundle Isa carried, she had clearly escaped from the "Madega Gathering Place."
"I don't want to be targeted by those madmen from the Holy Healing Church. The specific reason should be clear without me explaining."
Isa didn't reveal the truth. In her heart, she knew that if Aisea had told her to flee, it almost certainly meant she was no match for the attacker.
"Holy Healing Church..."
Randolph's frown deepened. Compared to other kingdoms and gathering places on the continent, the Holy Healing Church was the most terrifying existence—an organization dedicated to hunting witches.
"Your Grace! Your Grace!"
A guard in golden armor burst into the council chamber, his expression panicked.
"Speak."
Randolph stood up, his eyes fixed on Isa.
"Your Grace, the person you wanted to arrest has been found."
"Oh, then bring him up."
Randolph's expression soured. His subordinate's panic made him lose face in front of the witch Isa.
"This..."
The guard hesitated, his voice growing quieter, because Su Xiao was about to storm the palace. The five thousand troops on the main street had already been scattered.
"That wanted criminal... is about to break into the palace?!"
Randolph thought he might have misheard. Even the Holy Healing Church, when hunting witches, wouldn't directly storm a palace. It was preposterous.
Hearing this, Isa was also visibly stunned.
Boom!
A loud crash came, as if something had smashed into the palace's outer wall.
Clang...
Large cutting marks appeared on the iron door of the council chamber. The iron door shattered into pieces.
Su Xiao, holding his long blade, stepped into the council chamber. Blood dripped from the tip of his blade.
PS: (Stuck on writing, only two chapters today. Will aim for four tomorrow. It's the start of the month, so I'll timidly ask for monthly votes. Can't speak loudly with just two chapters~)