# 1627
Chapter 1621 【Covenant】
Under Lin Qiye's full strength, this sword strike came incredibly fast. An Qingyu only felt a chill sweep past him, every hair on his body standing on end!
He dodged sideways like lightning, but still couldn't evade the blade's edge. The broken sword fragment grazed his temple, and a strand of crimson blood sprayed through the air.
Following the first strike, Lin Qiye's second sword came without pause. An Qingyu's gray pupils contracted as his body dissolved into countless mice, scattering in all directions. The sword light cut through the swarm, leaving no trace.
The mice surged over the ruins, eventually converging around the church. An Qingyu's form reemerged from the swarm.
He reached up to touch his temple—the wound hadn't healed. He stared at the blood on his palm, his expression somewhat complicated.
In the midair, Shen Qingzhu's form gradually descended, positioning himself with Lin Qiye and Number 27 at three different points, surrounding An Qingyu.
"Come back to Great Xia with us, Deputy Captain An." Shen Qingzhu spoke slowly. "You've nowhere left to run."
An Qingyu's gaze swept across his surroundings. Those gray eyes held not a trace of panic.
"Great Xia?" An Qingyu shook his head. "I can no longer go back."
His right hand lifted and pressed heavily against the ground. The next moment, the earth beneath the stone platform dozens of meters away turned to quicksand, swallowing the platform and the sleeping maiden upon it.
Simultaneously, the spacetime around An Qingyu violently distorted. A spatial vortex bloomed behind him.
"Stop him!" Lin Qiye immediately flew forward. Shen Qingzhu and Number 27 moved in unison, rushing toward An Qingyu from three different directions!
An Qingyu's toes lifted slightly, his entire body leaning backward into the spatial vortex behind him. Those gray eyes gazed at the rapidly approaching Lin Qiye as he spoke calmly:
"Goodbye... Captain Lin Qiye."
Lin Qiye forcefully hurled the Ame-no-Murakumo in his hand. It tore through the air with a terrifying sonic boom, but passed lightly through the fading vortex. The figure wrapped in the tattered black robe had already vanished.
The three figures halted in place.
Cold wind swept across the leaf-strewn streets of London. The gray curtain of rain gradually dispersed. Lin Qiye stared at the empty void before him, his fists clenching tightly...
"He's always been good at running away." Shen Qingzhu sighed helplessly at the sight.
"He took Chloe with him." Number 27 stared at the distant quicksand, his face beneath the hood dark with gloom. "I can't just let him leave like this. I'll continue the pursuit!"
As the words fell, Number 27's form dissolved into wisps of smoke and vanished on the spot.
"Qiyè, what do you say? Should we continue the chase?" Shen Qingzhu turned to ask.
Lin Qiye stood motionless in place. After a moment of silence, he shook his head:
"His spatial ability comes from the Gate of Truth. He can cross extreme distances in an instant. Even if we chase now, we won't be able to catch up... Even if we did catch up, we might not be able to hold him."
Lin Qiye slowly walked to a crumbling wall and picked up the Ame-no-Murakumo from the ground. Gazing at the bloodstains remaining on the blade, his eyes filled with bitterness.
He clearly remembered—when he saw Future An Qingyu in hell, that person had a scar on his forehead, whether from a sword or blade. At the time, he'd wondered how such a scar could remain on someone with Qingyu's recovery abilities.
Now it seemed clear. The one who had left that scar on An Qingyu was himself.
"What about them?"
Shen Qingzhu pointed to the side.
Above the crumbling ruins, a handful of knights knelt before the quicksand where the stone platform had been. They drove their knightly swords into the earth, tears streaming down their faces, as if confessing their sins.
After this great battle, the Knights of Holy Judgment that had originally numbered seventy or eighty now had only eight survivors. Even adding Charles, there were only nine. The church was nearly destroyed, and worst of all, the Lady Saint they had devotedly protected and believed in—Chloe—had been taken by An Qingyu.
On this devastated earth, they had nothing left.
Clang—!
One of the knights, having finished his confession, abruptly drew the long sword before him and swung it straight toward his own throat!
The other knights followed suit, drawing their swords without hesitation, determined to atone with their deaths.
Shen Qingzhu furrowed his brow. The six gray wings behind him fiercely fluttered, sending a gust of wind that knocked the knightly swords from their hands, embedding them into distant broken walls.
The knights paused, turning to look.
"While some of your behaviors and attitudes aren't to my liking, your sense of conviction and loyalty truly deserve admiration." Shen Qingzhu spoke coolly. "Ending your lives like this would be too wasteful."
The knights exchanged glances and shook their heads:
"Protecting the Lady Saint was a vow we swore years ago. Now that this covenant remains unfulfilled, we should atone with our deaths. There is nothing wasteful about it.
Before this, for the Lady Saint's sake, we greatly offended you all. We speak for the other knights and Lord Taylor, offering our sincere apologies...
And we ask that you no longer stand in our way."
Previously, they had fought against Lin Qiye's group because the Lady Saint Chloe had taken the initiative to attack Lin Qiye, leading some knights to mistakenly believe they were enemies. But after the defensive battle just now, Lin Qiye's group's stance had become crystal clear. The knights, though loyal, were not foolish. By now, they had recognized their error.
As the words fell, they slowly stood, still determined to walk toward those knightly swords thrust into the ground.
At that moment, a figure stepped into their path.
"Lord Charles, would you defy the covenant?" Seeing the red-and-white armored silhouette, the knights frowned.
Charles's gaze swept across the gathered knights. He shook his head:
"Our covenant remains unfulfilled. Why would we be defying it?"
"Unfulfilled? But the Lady Saint has already been—"
"The Lady Saint was taken, not killed. Moreover, given the Lady Saint's strength, if she truly believed herself in danger, why would she still refuse to awaken until now? She allowed herself to be taken."
Upon hearing Charles's latter words, all the knights froze in place.
"What are you saying? Deliberately allowing herself to be taken?"
"Didn't you notice? The Lady Saint actually awakened some time ago." Charles extended his hand, pointing at Lin Qiye. "He is the best proof."
All the knights simultaneously turned to look at Lin Qiye. On his tattered chest, a mysterious golden mark was emanating a faint glow.
"【Covenant】?!" The moment they saw the mark, every knight's pupils contracted sharply.
"【Covenant】?" Lin Qiye疑惑地低头看向自己胸口，"那是什么？"
"【Covenant】?" Lin Qiye looked down at his own chest in confusion. "What is that?"