Chapter 285: Saw Order

Chapter 285: Beholding the Order

Peder Simonsen looked at Karen with a trace of helplessness, then drew a small stack of credit vouchers from his pocket. Instead of tossing them, he bent down and placed them upon the ground, offering an explanation:

"These are not Vouchers of Samsara, but Vouchers of Order. Consider this my apology for the earlier jest."

The woman nested herself within the man's embrace, smiling. "We have simply been parted for too long, and our emotions overcame us. Please, forgive our indulgence."

Karen pointed toward the woman once more, his voice level. "Return her body to her."

"Oh?" Peder's brow furrowed slightly. "I believe I have given you ample face already, friend. Do not push your luck."

Karen replied, "I find my request entirely reasonable."

Peder countered, "Friend, you have no authority to interfere in my life."

"I do, for you have already violated Article 5, Chapter Two of the Regulations of Order: utilizing the power of faith to harm an ordinary citizen."

Peder spread his hands open, fixing his gaze upon Karen. "You are truly in earnest?"

"What you must do now is remedy your actions. Return her body to her, and your sentence may be mitigated based on your show of repentance. Her father is still mourning and waiting for her."

"Regrettably, her soul has already become sustenance for my beloved. This occupation is irreversible. She has vanished. Who can blame her for looking so much like my darling?"

The waitress who had only just served him his dish—was she truly gone?

Her father had not even managed to gather enough gold coins to purchase her return ticket to the island.

"Under the Regulations of Order, I am placing you under arrest, and I shall petition the Church of Samsara for accountability."

Peder spoke coolly, "My surname is Simonsen."

Within ecclesiastical circles, no one was ignorant of what the name Simonsen signified inside the Church of Samsara. Romil, the current Gatekeeper of Samsara, shared that very surname.

"Very well, Convict Simonsen."

Peder’s eyes flared with sudden fury. "Do you even know who my grandfather is?"

"I do. He is the grandfather of Convict Simonsen."

"Ha, haha... is there something amiss with your mind? I have given face to you, and I have given face to the Church of Order. Now, I am leaving with my beloved. Oh, and of course, I shall provide compensation to her father."

With that, Peder took the woman's hand, turning to stride out of the woods.

He had indeed shown as much restraint as he claimed; his notorious temper had been significantly suppressed.

Yet the moment he uttered the words "Dark Moon Island pariah" directly in front of Ophelia, Karen was left with no alternative.

"Hide yourself well," Karen instructed Ophelia. "Leave this to me."

Karen's form dissolved into a mass of black mist, sweeping around their flank to materialize directly before them, blocking their path.

"Are you intending to resist arrest?"

Peder took a deep breath and released his grip. The woman retreated smoothly to the side, calling out to Karen, "We are merely, purely in love. Peder loves me, that is all. Please understand."

Karen ignored her entirely.

"Must we truly resort to this?" Peder demanded. "Do you not realize? Even if you dragged me before your Bishop, or even your Cardinal, I would face no punishment. The war is over, and the negotiations are concluded!"

"This is your final notice. In the name of the divine servant under the Pavaro Tribunal and an off-system member of the Whip of Order, I command you to kneel and accept arrest."

"Hehehe..."

Peder let out a low chuckle. Then, with a swift flick of his wrist, a ring upon his finger flashed, conjuring a miniature teleportation array. Instantly, a silver spear materialized in his hand, and his silhouette vanished, reappearing directly before Karen. The spear lunged forward in a fluid thrust, aiming to claim Karen’s life from the very outset.

He had only two choices: either settle the matter through his connections or silence the witness permanently. He could not afford to let this affair reach his grand-aunt's ears, as it would ruin the reformed image he had recently cultivated before her.

Most importantly, he had genuinely believed this to be a trivial matter. *I am looking for my woman, you are looking for yours—we are both seeking women, yet you choose to be so pedantic with me?*

*Damn you!*

Karen retreated swiftly, a layer of the Sea God's Armor enveloping his form. By borrowing the dual-attributed power of the Ancestor Allen, he could now alter the visual manifestation of his spells; the Sea God's Armor could appear as a black liquid, while the Dark Moon Blade could be cloaked in dark flames.

This was precisely why none of Gray's companions had noticed anything amiss during their previous sparring session.

Of course, if he were to encounter someone possessed of profound experience and vast knowledge, the deception might still be unmasked.

The silver spear tip sparked relentlessly against Karen’s chest, but every blow was deflected by the liquid black armor.

Karen raised both hands, and from below, three manifest Spears of Judgment erupted into the air. Peder simply swept his spear downward, carving out a barrier that caused the Spears of Judgment to detonate prematurely. Yet, utilizing the explosive momentum, Peder closed the distance even further, his spear tip twisting upward to strike straight for Karen's throat.

His combat experience was formidable, his strength immense.

A cubical framework materialized before Karen, expanding rapidly into a Cage of Order to force open a perimeter of defense.

With a casual tilt of his spear point, Peder deflected the forming spell entirely. But before he could thrust again, another Cage of Order materialized directly in front of him.

Left with no alternative, Peder poured his strength into a piercing strike.

*Boom!*

The Cage of Order shattered, yet the shockwave riding the spear tip continued to howl toward Karen. In response, seven successive Bulwarks of Order manifested before him.

*How does this fellow cast his spells so rapidly?*

Relying on the brief obstruction of the barriers, Karen shifted his positioning. By the time Peder withdrew his spear to conclude his initial offensive wave, Karen had returned to the exact spot where he had first stood.

Ophelia stood concealed behind a massive tree. She called out, "Let me handle it."

"His name is Simonsen."

This was Karen’s warning to Ophelia; their opponent was royalty within the Church of Samsara.

It was a desolate truth that while a member of the Church of Samsara had just brutally extinguished the soul of a Dark Moon Island citizen here, Ophelia, as the princess of the Dark Moon clan, found it inconvenient to intervene.

The world was forever thus—realistic and cruel.

A scroll was tossed at Karen's feet.

Karen scooped up the scroll and snapped it downward, infusing it with spiritual energy. The scroll’s array activated, revealing a miniature teleportation circle from which a sword hilt emerged.

Gripping the hilt, Karen drew forth Ophelia’s great purple sword.

Across from him, Peder was soothing his beloved:

"Stay back a bit. Once I finish him off, I will take you to get something to eat. You can think about what you want to have right now, haha... Or perhaps, I shall take you to your body's father's tavern. We can have him cook for us. I am certain he will prepare the meal with his utmost devotion."

Two men, each accompanied by a woman, neither holding the other in any regard, had both chosen to converse with the women beside them after their opening exchange of blows.

It was a foolish display in the midst of combat, yet it unfolded naturally, for both were entirely convinced of their own victory.

Karen spoke, "If, in a moment, you see me employ things that should not be witnessed..."

Ophelia responded, "I shall pretend to see nothing."

"No. I mean you should strike alongside me, and ensure he remains here permanently."

Ophelia blinked in surprise, then answered immediately, "Understood."

Their exchanges concluded, the two men locked eyes and lunged forward simultaneously.

Spear against greatsword, the weapons collided, initiating a rapid, clashing symphony of steel.

Gray also wielded a spear, and Karen was well-acquainted with such techniques. As they clashed anew, the spell enhancements woven into Peder's spear strikes posed significant trouble, yet Karen deflected them all.

Meanwhile, Karen continuously amplified the reinforcement of the Dark Moon Blade upon the purple greatsword. To an outsider, however, no dark red radiance clung to the blade; instead, it appeared to burn with a blazing, scorching fire.

Come then!

Peder clearly sensed that his opponent's offensive was beginning to pick up, but what confused him even more was that the opponent's offensive was rising very evenly, so evenly that it seemed like a form of restraint was being practiced!

And indeed, it was so; Karen was worried that using too much Dark Moon power all at once would cause his Eye of the Dark Moon to manifest.

Peder brandished his long spear in succession, trying his best to regain the initiative, while on Karen's side, he could only continue to constantly infuse Dark Moon power, raising the spell effect of the Dark Moon Blade step by step.

Gradually, Karen had no way to think about too many details anymore, most of his mental energy was placed on controlling the power, and the combat pattern presented was that Peder, who had always hoped to regain the initiative, had to change to receiving moves and parrying under Karen's offensive that was more ferocious time after time.

Finally, the ornament on Peder's spear shaft emitted light, and a vortex appeared; Karen shattered the vortex with a single slash of his sword, but the immediately bursting wave of air caused both sides to pull apart their distance, ending the second round of engagement.

"Darling, he..."

"A bit more formidable than I imagined, but not a big problem."

Karen also retreated back to his original spot, and after a turn of engagement, he did not have the slightest feeling of exhaustion, but quite a few beads of sweat had already appeared on his forehead, all from the fatigue of controlling the power.

After he integrated the Eye of the Dark Moon, he had not had time to make the slightest adaptation; waking up and eating two meals, he had arrived here, in short, he was still somewhat unaccustomed to his current power.

Ophelia, standing behind the tree, spoke up: "Be careful, he hasn't used his full strength yet, the most terrifying thing about the Church of Samsara is using soul contracts."

"I know, but I expect him to use it right away."

Last time facing Talina, who was that woman from the Church of Samsara, Karen found that his chains could break the soul contracts of the Church of Samsara, so he really hoped the opponent could use it in front of him, in this way, he could end this battle more cleanly.

Hmm...

Karen frowned slightly, all surnamed Simonsen, all one family; Karen remembered the captain had told him that Bertha told him that the woman named Talina had a brother who liked to carry his girlfriend's soul around looking for sacrificial offerings to live a romantic life.

Is it him?

So, your sister died at my hands?

Peder twisted his neck twice, scanned his gaze around, and said, "Darling, I need to solve him quickly."

After saying that, he used the spear tip to pierce his palm, and then gripped the long spear; the blood-stained long spear made a sound, as if responding to its master.

Peder's body became covered in a layer of silver radiance, and his entire person's momentum rose by a level.

Karen, on the other hand, clenched the purple greatsword with both hands; he was looking forward to the opponent using soul possession, but clearly, the opponent didn't seem to intend to use it yet, probably because every time he used a soul contract he would be in great pain or pay some price, and the opponent was still reluctant now.

Then, I'll beat you until you use it!

Both sides once again bounded their bodies out together, Peder's long spear released light, piercing toward Karen.

Karen instantly infused his Dark Moon power with great force, he only felt his eyes itching, the Eye of the Dark Moon almost about to manifest, it could be said that now was a critical point he could use.

But this force was already terrifying enough!

Peder saw Karen raising the sword with both hands to hack at him, and up until now, he still could not understand why the opponent wanted to add the Flame of Order onto the greatsword during battle, could the opponent want to use this method to singe and wound him?

Is it that there is too much spiritual power with nowhere to use it, this kind of error of wasting power during battle, the opponent had actually been committing it all along, and now it was getting worse and worse.

However, Peder still hesitated for a moment, withdrew the pierced long spear, and instead of trading wounds with Karen, chose to parry.

Karen hacked down with one sword strike and was blocked by the opponent, then when swinging the second sword strike, Karen's feet had already left the ground; because this greatsword in his hand now was infused with too much Dark Moon power, it had already exceeded Karen's control at the current stage in terms of speed, like a runaway train, Karen could only grab the handrail to keep himself from being flung off.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Under consecutive multiple engagements, Peder shockingly discovered that the opponent's offensive had actually strengthened once again, and with every sword strike he had to be fully alert to cope, but he did not believe the opponent could sustain this high-intensity offensive, there would always be a depletion of breath or a need to pant, he was just waiting for that opportunity.

But Karen's offensive still showed no sign of stopping, let alone the slightest weakening.

Peder was now completely suppressed, and could only, after blocking one sword strike, have no time to do anything else, and whole-heartedly block the second sword strike; under this cycle, Peder suddenly realized that if it continued, the opponent would not be exhausted, but he himself might first become a consumable.

This was Karen's biggest advantage now, as long as you couldn't insta-kill me or heavily wound me at the very beginning, the further it dragged on, the greater his own chances of winning.

Back when practicing close-combat skills, Gurney had a deep experience of it, and the spiritual power accumulated inside the current Karen's body had even doubled, thanks to that full day and night of sleep replenishment.

"Boom!"

Peder began to consciously retreat, showing an intention to disengage from the battle situation.

Karen noticed this movement of the opponent, and also knew that the opponent should be about to use some sacred artifact again to interrupt the battle rhythm, but he did not stop it in advance, instead, when the opponent formed a barrier by throwing out a purple gem, Karen shattered the barrier with one sword strike, pretending that he urgently needed a breathing rest, and after plunging the greatsword into the ground, dragged the greatsword and retreated many steps in a row.

That last movement was not faked, but trying to let this over-charged sword rest, it indeed required spending some effort.

Karen panted heavily while looking at Peder in front of him, alright, now you are going to summon your contracted soul, right.

Ophelia spoke up: "How much longer can you hold on?"

"A long time."

"Before this, have you been hiding your strength?" Ophelia obviously saw the rise in Karen's strength.

"If I say I just recently comprehended a layer of Dark Moon power, do you believe it?"

"I don't believe it."

"Then you can just treat it as me hiding my strength."

Karen's gaze kept staring at Peder opposite him, seeing that the space between the opponent's brows began to emit light, knowing that he was utilizing the contract bead.

In order to urge him to be faster, Karen once again inputted Dark Moon power into the purple greatsword in his hand, and a raging fire ignited on the greatsword again, at the same time, the black chains had already spread out from beneath his body, lurking under the pile of withered leaves.

And right at this moment,

Extremely far away inside the master bedroom bed of a funeral parlor backyard in Vien-York City, a sleeping cat rolled over, it frowned slightly in its sleep, and wagged its tail twice.

While behind Karen, a phantom of a woman appeared, she wore a hood, held a magic wand, and floated with her feet suspended in the air, her eyes were open, yet her gaze was hollow and lifeless.

Karen noticed the strangeness behind him, turned his head and took a glance,

"Eh?"

How did Puer appear behind him?

Immediately, Karen realized the reason, it was because in order to obscure the Dark Moon Blade, he had been urging the fire-attributed power of the Ancestor Allen inside his body to conduct coverage, from concluding the symbiotic contract with Puer until now, he had not used the Ancestor Allen's power for such a long time and in large quantities like before, so it indirectly triggered the symbiotic contract, manifesting Puer's figure to come help himself conduct an enhancement on the Ancestor Allen's power.

The appearance of Puer's figure behind him was unconscious, because the souls of both sides had concluded a relationship, the appearance of the figure was merely to perform a boosting effect for him.

No, other people all summon ferocious beasts or huge palms or something out, at least the deterrence effect is very obvious, but when he fights in the future a girl has to appear behind him?

Really Miss Puer?

Ophelia pursed her lips, this time the Miss Puer that appeared was clearer and more real than the one seen in the cave when picking Karen back, precisely speaking, that time in the cave was just a blur plus an aura, but this time...

So, he might not be a descendant of the ancestors, but indeed a descendant of Miss Puer?

Opposite, after Peder saw the figure appearing behind Karen, he immediately made up his mind, he chanted:

"In the name of Samsara, I command you to appear in the world, to campaign for me!"

In an instant, a terrifying soul dressed in tattered armor and holding a long spear appeared behind Peder, gradually merging into one with Peder.

This was a terrifying soul, much stronger than the soul his sister possessed, but at the same time, what was required to pay to drive such a soul was also more, no wonder he had been reluctant to use it before.

"Roar!"

Peder let out a low growl, his eyes turned red, and his momentum instantly surged explosively!

Seeing this scene, Karen's heart instead relaxed, such a powerful soul, after rebelling it certainly would not let Peder escape, right? Dying from the loss of control of his own contracted soul, the matter of cleaning up the aftermath would be easy.

Peder pressed the long spear in his hand against the ground, a burst of terrifying ripples immediately surfaced out, his voice carrying a majestic and deep hoarseness:

"You are very lucky, because I will let you see what the true Church of Samsara is."

"Your fortune is greater, for you have already looked upon the face of order."