Chapter 3: Holy King and Moon Goddess
Sonia had only run a few steps when she heard a crisp *ding* behind her, followed by a pulling force that seemed about to strip her clothes off. A short knife pierced through her skirt hem and embedded itself into the ground.
With a *rip*, Sonia’s red evening gown tore open with a large gash. Her balance faltered, and she fell flat on her face, hitting the ground hard enough to make anyone wince just watching.
“Take one more step backward, and I’ll cut off your heads.”
A male voice came from behind Sonia. She was still dazed from the fall, but the faint smell of blood in the air made her body tremble uncontrollably.
“Oh, Moon Goddess, please grant me your protection. Faith will surely triumph over evil!”
She muttered this under her breath, and a strange ripple spread across Sonia. The pain in her body vanished, and most of the fear in her heart dissipated. She fixed her gaze on Su Xiao, ready to resist evil.
After about 1.5 seconds of deliberation, Sonia decided to follow the goddess’s will and wait and see. The evil was too strong; she probably couldn’t win.
Meanwhile, the two government officials who had been fleeing outward stopped in their tracks as if struck by a paralysis spell.
“Lord Kukulin, please calm down. We came here specifically to find you.”
The taller official spoke, wiping the cold sweat from his face as he did.
“Find me?”
Su Xiao stepped on the hilt of the [Soul Walker] short knife. As he pressed down diagonally, the Soul Walker let out a *ding* and flipped up into the air, landing in his hand.
“That’s right. This is a decision made after deliberation between the Holy King and the Moon Goddess. You’re about to regain your freedom. Here’s the official decree.”
The official pulled a document from his chest. The sly fellow quickly pressed it into Frank’s arms.
Frank, the clothing shop owner, froze for a moment, then slowly approached Su Xiao. After handing over the decree, he raised his hands and stood upright against the wall, displaying an extremely strong survival instinct.
Su Xiao glanced over the decree. Though he didn’t know why he was being freed, the document was indeed genuine.
The reason Su Xiao had planned to escape the secret prison by force was mainly because he felt that, given the “crimes” he had committed in this identity, leaving the secret prison through normal means was nearly impossible.
The old Holy King was essentially the emperor of the Dawn Empire, but he couldn’t rule absolutely because the Moon Goddess also existed.
If the old Holy King was the supreme ruler over the officials, then the Moon Goddess was the representative of the Moon God in the empire, the highest authority in matters of faith.
In this world, faith wasn’t just spiritual support; it could be used to mass-produce Moon Apostles—supernatural beings. Compared to recruiting naturally gifted superhumans from the populace, it was clearly a better choice to mass-train loyal soldiers into superhumans.
With such supernatural power, wars between empires were practically battles of gods. The soldiers charging at the front were merely the basic combat force.
It was precisely for this reason that the Moon Goddess’s status wasn’t much lower than the old Holy King’s. These two were the empire’s twin pillars.
As for the third pillar, it was Eagle Marquis. He was the highest representative of the military, holding 80% of the empire’s military power. Years of constant warfare had elevated Eagle Marquis’s standing.
The old Holy King held the highest status, followed by the Moon Goddess, and then Eagle Marquis. Though their ranks differed, getting rid of one another was no easy task. Each had deep roots within the empire, and a misstep could easily lead to civil war.