Chapter 143: Awaken, You Who Slumber!

Chapter 143: Awaken, Sleeping Souls!

A matrix of such profound simplicity naturally required an equally simple trigger.

Yet Alfred had meticulously designed a specific gesture for its activation, a lingering echo of that night in Luoya City, when he had carried a peanut-tube radio, swaying gently to the melody in perfect step with his young master;

To observe, to imitate, to learn, to comprehend—never presuming to fully merge his thoughts with his master's, but striving at least for an outward, synchronized harmony.

Alfred took half a step back, bowing from the waist, sweeping his right arm behind him while resting his left hand near his brow, pinching the brim of a hat that was not there today.

Then he tilted his face upward, revealing eyes that had already turned a deep, flushed crimson;

"As you command, my master."

"Snap!"

Alfred snapped his fingers.

The matrix ignited.

There were no dazzling displays of color, nor any cataclysmic tremors; the very center of the array simply burst open into a tiny aperture, as if the pressure valve of a boiler had been blasted clean away.

From that small breach, a wisp of dark mist hissed forth, steadily thickening as the hole was relentlessly forced wider, resembling a dike breached by the raging elements.

Gradually, the rupture expanded until it filled the entire circumference of the matrix, the spewing black fog gushing upward as if from the mouth of a massive well, coalescing above into a sphere—or rather, a colossal, swelling black mushroom.

Most terrifying of all, this pollution knew no barrier in the factory ceiling; it seeped through solid matter, stretching outward to its absolute limits, driven by a base instinct that, much like water seeking the lowest hollow, compelled it to creep directly toward the presence of living souls.

From the moment the matrix flared to life to the instant the corruption erupted, only a fraction of a second had elapsed—a span so brief that the Inquisitor above had only managed to shout a single phrase:

"Pavaro, how can you be here?"

The report he had received from Luke explicitly stated that Pavaro had been executed by his own hand;

Thus, his immediate reaction was not to assume Pavaro had been "awakened," but rather to suspect that Luke had dared to deceive him.

Yet by the time his second instinct took over, flaring his vision with an investigative spell to read the scene, the source of pollution had already detonated.

In that frozen heartbeat, Qi He went rigid.

He cried out purely on instinct:

"Pavaro, have you lost your mind!"

These exact words had once been hurled at Karen by Mr. Pavaro himself, but hearing them now from the mouth of the Inquisitor, Karen found the irony almost overwhelming.

For he knew Pavaro’s outcry had been born of genuine dread for the safety of innocent people nearby, whereas this Inquisitor cared nothing for such lives; his panic stemmed entirely from the realization that all his secret machinations here were about to be dragged into the light.

Just as Elder Doc had erected a towering beacon of light during the earlier half of the night, drawing the gaze of nearly every church in York City, so too would a "Tower of Contamination" rise here, inevitably pulling countless watchful eyes toward them.

Left with no time to ponder further, the Inquisitor began to chant, a dark brand manifesting abruptly upon his brow:

"Order—Purifying Barrier!"

"Order—Triple Seal!"

Two high-tier spells were unleashed in rapid succession by Qi He, throwing a shroud of dark light across the upper reaches of the factory which reacted violently upon striking the rising pollution, initiating a rapid, mutual annihilation;

Immediately following, the void seal descended from above like a heavy iron lid slamming shut.

The sheer, unadulterated power of an Inquisitor was on full display in that moment, forcefully suppressing a catastrophe that had seemed entirely irreversible, driving the massive, billowing mushroom of foul energy back down toward the earth.

"Wow."

Watching this unfold, Karen let out a soft, involuntary exclamation of surprise. He could actually hold it?

Pu'er spoke up: "He won't last long, unless he has undergone the exact same purification you did."

"Yes, and he is already wounded."

Karen recalled the good news that "Little John" had shared with him.

"Cough..."

Karen felt a distinct wave of discomfort; while this specific brand of pollution could steal upon ordinary humans without a sound, his status as a Divine Shepherd made him hyper-sensitive to such forces, leaving him with the distinct, unsettling sensation of standing in the middle of a gas leak.

"O great and supreme God of Order, O chains of adjudication that bind all creation;

...

Order—Guardian Wall!"

Three black barriers materialized around Karen, walling him off from the encroaching corruption.

While such filth posed a grave threat to ordinary mortals, it was hardly an insurmountable crisis for an ordained priest.

Alfred was an aberrant demon by birth, making him entirely immune to the ambient filth;

Neither Pu'er nor Kevin had cause for concern, their souls existing on a plane far too elevated for a taint of this magnitude to take hold;

As for Mr. Pavaro, his current state was essentially a form of demonic transformation, and Little John had been thoroughly saturated by this very source long ago.

High upon the platform, Qi He was straining at the absolute limit of his endurance, yet he knew with absolute certainty that he could not yield; if he failed to suppress this anomaly, the moment his secrets were exposed, he would never escape the swift retribution of the higher authorities.

When that time came, he would be forced to sever his ties with the Church of Order, hunted across the lands as a fugitive—a fate he was desperate to avoid.

"Alfred, put some pressure on him!"

"Yes, master."

Alfred stepped forward, his crimson eyes locking onto the Inquisitor high above as the Incubus Eye flared to life;

Yet the moment the gaze swept toward the Inquisitor, a heavy token materialized before the man, projecting a shimmering barrier that completely deflected the mental assault.

Alfred poured more of his strength into the gaze, but he simply could not pierce the protection of that token.

In the next instant, Alfred leapt into the air, intending to close the distance for a direct physical assault.

But a mirror materialized before the Inquisitor, projecting a beam of silver light that struck Alfred squarely, sending his ascending form crashing back down to the floor;

The mirror seemed poised to pursue him, but was forced to pull back after exceeding its range, leaving Alfred to land heavily, staring upward with bitter frustration.

The opponent was standing entirely stationary, giving you a free shot, and yet you still could not breach his defenses—such was the sheer chasm in their strength.

Pavaro now began to advance, his heavy strides bringing him to the base of the platform.

He had previously told Karen that this was the strategy of a madman, but now that the pollution had been detonated, he was left with no alternative but to throw his weight onto the scales.

He was a man on the verge of fading away; compared to the nameless masses of this city, he simply could not bear to watch Karen die before his eyes—or at least, he could not accept doing absolutely nothing while it happened.

Spreading his hands wide, he began to chant, two clusters of black flame rising from his palms and sweeping upward toward the Inquisitor.

The token before the Inquisitor still held its barrier, but under the searing heat of these twin flames from the same source, it began to warp.

Alfred rose to his feet, the Incubus Eye flaring once more as he directed his gaze upward.

Under the dual assault, the token's deformation began to accelerate.

"Bark! Bark!"

Pu'er remarked: "This Inquisitor likely hails from the Whip of Order; those from that background are usually exceptionally skilled in combat."

Every church was composed of numerous departments, each requiring a vast array of specialized vocations; not every clergyman was built for violence. Men like Mr. Hoffen, who immersed themselves in research, or Pavaro, who dedicated his energies to administrative affairs, were rarely adept at actual warfare.

The golden retriever seemed poised to charge as well, its paws scraping at the ground.

"Are you insane!" Pu'er snapped.

"Woof!"

"Don't go up there and cause trouble!"

The golden retriever had meant for it to carry Purr and leap up, storming the high platform, so that Purr could act like a knight and attack the Inquisitor with her feline claws;

but quite clearly, Purr rejected the idea.

At this moment, the corruption was still being suppressed, but it had inevitably begun to spread beneath the factory floor; yet the girls lying in the pigsty, once enveloped by these corrupt whispers, one after another revealed expressions of joy, for they sensed the approach of liberation.

"Little John" had said that they had all been administered the forbidden drug and could only lie here awaiting death, a process that was, in truth, tantamount to torture.

Meanwhile, the anxious struggle beneath the high platform continued.

The token seemed to have reached its critical threshold, but the flames released by Mr. Pavaro were also gradually waning; the residual spiritual power within his body was nearly depleted.

This was not a matter of resting or not; rather, once consumed to a certain breaking point, he would depart from this world entirely.

Karen stepped forward and began to chant:

"O great and supreme God of Order, O chains of order that judge all things;

Grant me leave to borrow Your power, to chastise deeds that violate order, and to wipe away the dust for order;

Order—Spear of Chastisement!"

A single Spear of Chastisement manifested above Karen's head; owing to the peculiar nature of his own abilities, this was the only offensive spell he knew, and its utilization carried restrictions, so the finest way to employ it was to strike right as that critical point of deadlock appeared between the two sides, striving to shatter this balance in a single blow!

Guided by Karen, the Spear of Chastisement began to adjust its direction, aiming straight at the Inquisitor upon the high platform.

"Woof! Woof!"

Purr immediately cried out: "Behind Alfred!"

Alerted, Karen shifted his gaze to that spot, and then his finger pointed sharply in that direction!

The Spear of Chastisement flew forth, not toward the Inquisitor upon the high platform, but toward the space behind Alfred.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

The sounds of impalement rang out as the Spear of Chastisement continued its flight, skewering two members of the Whip of Order squad clad in black robes; they had previously concealed themselves with magic, drawing silently behind Alfred, each holding a dagger branded with black runes;

Alfred currently had all his attention fixed on wrestling with the defensive system of the Inquisitor above, utterly unable to perceive what lay behind him.

Fortunately, Kevin had discovered them in time.

After flying a certain distance, the Spear of Chastisement exploded, and the bodies of the two Order squad members who had been impaled and carried away were blown to pieces along with it.

This ambush had failed.

Yet behind the Inquisitor, the figure of Thiers, captain of the Whip of Order squad, appeared, followed by four remaining squad members.

A Whip of Order squad was configured with one captain and twelve members; adding tonight's battle at Apple Street to the two lost earlier, Thiers's squad had suffered an extremely severe reduction in numbers tonight.

However, his appearance did indeed completely alter the current balance, for Karen himself did not believe that even if he forced himself to condense another Spear of Chastisement, the enemy would likely not afford him another opportunity to skewer two with one blow.

The Inquisitor could continue to suppress the eruption of corruption, while Thiers could lead his remaining subordinates to slaughter everyone else present!

"Woof!"

"Smack!"

Purr slapped Kevin's canine head with her paw:

"No need to tell me, I know we're finished."

"My Lord, rest assured, I have arrived."

Thiers drew his leather whip, just preparing to leap down from the high platform to deal with the people below, but the moment his form left the platform, he was dragged back by a surge of force as Qihe extended a hand and gripped his shoulder.

"My Lord?"

"Share some of the burden for me!"

"My Lord..."

Without giving Thiers a choice to agree, Qihe directly transferred the [Purification Barrier] and [Triple Seal] spells he had been maintaining entirely onto Thiers.

Both he and Thiers walked the path of Order, so Thiers could receive these two high-tier spells.

During the process of transference, Qihe's gaze also swept toward Karen standing below; this young man had just deployed the Spear of Chastisement.

Forced to receive the spells from the Inquisitor, Thiers's entire face contorted with agony as he let out a piercing shriek; he felt as though he were about to be crushed flat, and yet also felt as though he were about to be drained hollow.

He alone lacked the strength to bear the load of two high-tier spells, but Qihe's hand remained pressed firmly upon his shoulder, leaving him unable to break free.

"Hold on, only in this way can I free my hands to use [Recede] and draw this corruption back."

"Order—Shield of the Inquisitor!"

The twisted token fell to the ground, replaced by an ancient, massive shield that dropped down, standing erect beneath the high platform, completely sealing off the space between the top and bottom of the stage.

For he was somewhat worried that there might be another Spear of Chastisement to follow.

The four remaining subordinates of Thiers were also unable to descend at this moment due to the blockage of the Inquisitor's Shield; of course, even without this barrier, they likely would not have gone down, their hearts filled with dread and unease as they watched their own captain letting out such miserable screams.

In truth, Qihe desperately wished to strike once more to eliminate all the people below, but Thiers's resistance to receiving his spells was far higher than he had anticipated, forcing him to immediately cast [Recede] to alleviate the pressure on Thiers.

If only Ruke were here; with both him and Thiers sharing the burden, he could be much more composed.

Outside the factory, the figure of Magistrate Ruke came to a halt; he saw the Triple Seal upon the factory eaves, and he saw the purifying power beneath the seal locked in an anxious struggle of neutralization with the corruption;

he saw even more clearly that Thiers had led his men inside ahead of him;

then, he noticed that the Triple Seal and the purifying power underwent a violent tremor, the originally stable sensation vanishing, replaced by strain and hesitation.

Ruke seemed to guess something,

and ultimately chose to remain standing where he was, not entering.

…

The Inquisitor's own chanting echoed through the surroundings; his chanting lasted a long time, proving that even for someone of his level, employing the subsequent spell was no easy feat.

When the chanting concluded,

Qihe's eyes turned entirely grey:

"Order—Recede!"

A grey light swiftly washed over the area, like an ebbing tide; the corruption that had been erupting outward instantly showed signs of faltering, beginning to be compressed downward.

Thiers, who just moments ago had felt as though his soul and body were being torn apart and could barely endure, finally saw the agony on his face fade slightly, though the pain remained.

Beneath the Shield of the Inquisitor,

Alfred had already closed his eyes, blood trickling from the corners of his eyelids; he had already overdrawn his abilities;

Mr. Pavaro knelt prostrate upon the ground, the flame in his palm having long since extinguished.

Little John, seemingly because he had breathed in this dense aura of corruption from the surroundings, actually woke up in a daze; he first felt his own head, then sniffed forcefully with his nose:

"So fresh..."

Kevin, carrying Purr, arrived at Karen's side, and Purr suggested:

"This Inquisitor is far more resilient than we imagined, Karen; why don't we take this chance to flee."

Pavaro turned his head, cadaveric spots already manifesting across his skin:

"Did your grandfather never tell you that Inquisitors are also divided into ranks?"

"Grandfather never told me anything about the Rhetor-Judges."

After all, though Dis was an Inquisitor, he seemed to have little to no interaction with the adjudicators, the Rhetor-Judges, or even the regional archbishops; the only one he could be said to have some minor connection with was the Grand Priest.

"Oh, no wonder. The one up there is a Rhetor-Judge of the highest caliber. By right, my case shouldn't have been tried within the jurisdiction of the same locality, yet he managed to claim it for himself;

Of course, this is also my first time witnessing the true power of a Rhetor-Judge. Was he actually injured?"

"Yes."

"Alas," Pavarotti let out a helpless sigh. "You two should leave quickly. There is still time to escape now."

"Do you believe my method is correct now, sir?" Karen asked.

Pavarotti shook his head slightly, saying, "It cannot be considered right, but neither can it be considered wrong."

A protective umbrella, more often than not, was actually used in reverse—not to shield against the rain falling from above, but to muffle the voices rising from below;

Which was why, in the world Karen was familiar with, there were Imperial Commissioners and Eight-Prefecture Inspectors in ancient times, and even in modern days, inspection teams still existed.

Mr. Pavarotti's tragedy lay in the fact that, within this framework of rules, he was forever unable to pierce through the fabric of this umbrella, while simultaneously being strangled to death by its very ribs.

Thus, the method Karen chose was to blow the matter out of proportion, thereby achieving the effect of total exposure.

Karen lifted his gaze toward the sky above, where the corruption was being further compressed back; once it was compressed to a certain degree, a seal could be reapplied to it.

Pu'er urged, "Karen, we had better leave quickly. We can only blame this Rhetor-Judge for being too resilient, and the volume of corruption here for not being vast enough."

"And yet, I still feel somewhat unwilling to concede, hmm?"

Pu'er's words had sparked an idea in Karen.

His gaze fell upon the groove before him, brimming with a black fluid, where numerous corpses floated on the surface and white bones were faintly visible beneath;

In his ears echoed the words that Little John had previously spoken to him.

She had said that after these women were forced to ingest the forbidden elixirs, they would perish amidst agonizing torment, and then their grievance-laden corpses would be cast into the groove to serve as the nourishment that bred her birth.

"Hehehe..."

Karen suddenly burst into laughter:

"There are two sources of corruption here!

The one we detonated earlier was the source formed by the grievances of those wretched girls waiting for death generation after generation in the pigsties, but inside this groove lies an artificially created cultivation pool. What is contained within this is the true corruption!"

If the pigsties were compared to an orchard, then this groove was the place where the fully ripened fruits fermented; moreover, the orchard only held the current generation of fruits hanging from the branches, whereas inside the groove lay the accumulation of generation upon generation.

"Smack!"

Pu'er struck Kevin's canine head with a paw, demanding:

"How did you fail to notice this!"

Kevin blinked his eyes. "Woof, woof, woof!"

"You say there is a restriction here that blocked your perception, and you also claim that the corruption in the groove has already been filtered and cannot be detonated? Even if it could be detonated, you couldn't find the ignition point like you did just now?

Then what use are you? What kind of evil god do you even call yourself!"

"Woof!"

"What, you are saying you are just a dog right now?"

Alfred reached up, painfully wiping away the bloodstains over his eyes, straining to open his bloodshot eyes with immense effort:

"Young Master, I will try to set up another array inside to see if we can test our luck..."

"No need for such trouble."

Karen stood up on his own, looking at the floating corpses and the faintly visible white bones below within the groove ahead, and closed his eyes.

Constrained by his current realm, many of Karen's spells could not be cast instantaneously and required incantations beforehand, but there was one exception—a spell he could employ even back when he was not yet a divine servant and had not completed his purification.

In the next instant,

From beneath Karen's feet, a coiled black chain emerged.

"They are merely asleep. Now, I shall awaken them."

———