Chapter 510: Kill Him!

Chapter 510 Kill Him!

Some things, when done with too much calculation, may only court disaster.

Take besmirching a man’s name, for instance. If he were dressed in splendid attire, his hair meticulously styled, yet a single patch of black mire appeared upon his face or body, any discerning eye could see it had been deliberately placed there.

But if he were thoroughly drenched in sludge from head to toe, then even if he never ceased shouting his innocence, everyone would instinctively harbor doubts. They would think, surely you could not have been entirely clean to begin with.

Furthermore, in the sparring of high officials and the friction of factions, the actual truth of a matter was never the first priority.

The bishops of the York City Area all knew of Vicole; they even knew exactly what sort of virtue the Norton family possessed. Yet when facing an assault from the Whip of Order, they still had to stand in the same trench to help exert pressure and mediate.

Could the Whip of Order not do the same?

Whether or not you were truly involved in this affair mattered little; the evidence pointed squarely at you regardless.

Whether or not that remnant of Light was intentionally muddying your identity mattered little either. Was there anyone who did not know those remnants were madmen? Who was to say this particular elder of Light was not simply acting out his true, unbridled nature?

In any case, it was allegiance that dictated the truth. Everyone would simply play their parts with whatever creative flair they could muster; the more bullets they held in their hands, the better.

As for Neo...

Karen felt that Neo had not thought so deeply about it at all. He merely wanted to be happy, he merely wanted to play, he simply found it amusing.

Besides,

By what right could you employ such methods against us, yet forbid us from returning the favor with interest?

In this world, honest men like Pavaro and those who possessed power yet looked at the bigger picture like Delon were, after all, the minority of minorities. It was fine to use such tactics against them, but use them against us, and we would all blow the horns, beat the drums, and ascend to the heavens together!

The subject of Lord Theissen’s teachings to Karen on Vulcan Island had not actually been about the method, but rather the attitude.

When one possessed sufficient courage to face the enemy, one should not be fettered by the choice of methods. Detours, flanking maneuvers, and division were all usable means; there was no need to blindly emphasize a glorious, righteous way of doing things from the very beginning while ignoring reality.

At any rate, after these past days of reflection, Karen had gradually emerged from the fog of his actions, establishing a new code of conduct for himself:

Despise the enemy strategically, but take the enemy seriously tactically.

At this moment, unlike those flashy but useless spells condensed during the prior clash with Karen, the Tower of Light stood as one of the more solid, stalwart pillars within the magical system of Light.

If Bishop Dorff of the Norton family had not been home today, if Vice Director Trisen Norton had also been absent, and if the Norton family possessed no other capable figures, then once Neo’s spell descended, this villa of the Norton family would likely have been reduced directly to dust.

The members of the Norton family inside would probably have met their end right then and there.

Yet none of this was within Neo’s consideration, for he could not possibly knock on the door first to ask if the Bishop or the Vice Director were at home, only gathering his magic after receiving an affirmative reply.

The role he played now was that of an exploited Elder of Light. You had clearly employed him to do your bidding under the name of the Whip of Order, yet it turned out you were not even from the Whip of Order?

What was wrong with a little retaliation then? As a remnant elder of Light who discovered he had been crossed, taking vengeance on your entire family in the heat of the moment was only natural, was it not? After all, we are a cult now.

As for how I discovered the mastermind was the Norton family, that is unimportant. Just tell me, is it you or not!

Karen paused in his steps, silently observing the manifestation of the light tower. Just as that tower, exuding a sacred and pure aura, was about to crash down, a figure flew out from the villa. Holding a long spear in his hand, the tip thrust directly against the base of the Tower of Light. In an instant, a black curtain of light manifested, arresting the entire structure.

Trisen’s face was dark. He was the person in charge of tonight’s plan, but clearly, the execution of tonight’s operation had already spun far beyond his control, developing to a point where it could no longer be salvaged.

This hired remnant elder of Light had actually brought the illumination of Light straight to his own home!

Seeing someone step out to bear the brunt, Neo’s expression beneath the mask turned to one of delight. Come, waste no time, let us have a fight!

I just killed a director of the Law Enforcement Department today. Though it was joyous, the pleasure was too fleeting, and I can only rely on the afterglow to sustain it.

Now another has come forth. Quick, let us fight; I too wish to see how great the gap is between myself and a director now.

With a flick of Trisen’s spear tip, the Tower of Light was tossed aloft. Because Neo did not continue to infuse the tower with the power of Light, nor did he seek a way to detonate it, this imposing and majestic spell was thus dissolved by Trisen.

But in the next breath, Neo appeared right before Trisen, a great sword of Light sweeping directly toward Trisen’s head.

Trisen brought his long spear horizontal, blocking the strike. At the same time, the aura of Order upon his body rose rapidly, and the spear seemed to come alive, emitting a sound akin to the roar of a wild beast as it thrust straight toward Neo.

Neo shifted his stance to the side, evading the spear, but his gaze seemed to perceive a massive black bear executing a downward swipe toward his skull.

A dull thud resonated.

Neo’s figure began to fall, a casualty of the mental assault embedded within the spear.

Watching the battle from afar, Karen knit his brows slightly. The intelligence on the Norton family clearly recorded that Trisen had once served in the Knights Templar. He had not chosen to stay until retirement, but had served until a normal discharge. Instead of entering the military garrison to develop his career, he had returned to the region to change his profession.

Much like the Whip of Order, the Knights Templar of Order was an excellent place to temper the younger generation of a family. Unlike the Whip of Order, however, if one managed to develop well within the Knights Templar, one would generally be loath to leave. After all, the Knights Templar had always been a force directly under the Holy See, and the Shrine had always attached great importance to its development. During the recent First Day War, whenever a battalion of the Knights Templar mobilized, at least one Shrine Elder would accompany them.

The Norton family, however, was clearly not among them. Because of Dorff, Trisen could achieve better prospects even after leaving the Knights.

This uncle was truly different from his nephew, Vicole. Vicole was a fraud among frauds, capable of being beaten to the ground by Richard the formation master, but this Vice Director Trisen possessed genuinely formidable personal strength.

Furthermore, according to the records, Dorff had likewise served in the Knights Templar during his youth.

It stood to reason. For an arrogant and foolish family head to sit in the position of a bishop, he must certainly possess real, hard power.

Trisen’s spear plunged downward toward Neo, intending to run him through in his descent.

Yet as Neo fell, his eyes flew open, his arms spreading wide. With him as the epicenter, a massive stellar array of Light instantly materialized around him.

Mental assaults often bore little fruit against Neo.

Trisen continued his descent, his left hand gripping the spear while his right hand balled into a fist. The surrounding air seemed instantly vacuumed away. As lines of fire dragons surged forth from the stellar array Neo had conjured, Trisen struck downward with his fist, punching a void directly before him.

The spear accelerated, piercing into Neo’s chest.

The two began a rapid descent.

However, behind Neo, the phantom of the mad Pope of Light emerged once more. The phantom assumed a roaring posture, and Neo’s eyes flared with a pure white halo.

Doubt began to surface in Trisen’s gaze, and the aura of Order upon his body instantly fell into chaos.

Seizing this opportunity, Neo grabbed the long spear with one hand. Rather than pulling away, he actively dragged himself upward, allowing the spear to impale him further, solely to close the distance between himself and Trisen. His right hand swung a dagger, slashing directly toward Trisen’s neck.

A black luster erupted from Trisen’s body. Neo’s dagger merely breached his defenses, failing to inflict any further harm before time ran out.

Die for me!

Trisen let out a furious roar, a terrifying black hue beginning to flow along the spear, intending to burst Neo’s body from within.

The phantom of the mad Pope behind Neo began an even more hysterical, silent screech.

Ah!

Trisen abandoned his spear, his figure retreating rapidly. Wisps of Order’s aura began to rampage across his body; he found himself somewhat unable to control his own power at this moment.

Neo pulled the long spear from his own flesh, a glint of greed surfacing in his eyes. This was a fine weapon, of exceptionally high quality.

Gerry used to use a spear as his weapon. It was a pity Gerry was now heavily injured and unlikely to stand again, but that was not the point. The point was that when Gerry used to act as a sparring partner for Karen, he used a long spear. Moreover, Neo knew Karen held no great obsession with weapons; in any case, whatever weapon that fellow used, the first thing he did was always defense, so Karen should be able to use it as well.

Had his sword not broken just recently? That stingy fellow had let days pass and still could not bring himself to buy another, even though I already covered the renovation expenses for you!

After a moment’s thought, Neo carelessly tossed the long spear onto the ground. The weapon could not be taken away; taking it now would only spoil the plan. It was better to leave it here for now, and simply claim the same one later when they raided the Norton family. It would merely involve an internal redemption procedure, though the price would be far lower than the official auction price, let alone the so-called market price.

This could be considered a form of internal benefit, much like receiving tea money from the protected party while on a protection mission—a customary understanding.

Neo looked toward Trisen and smiled, "Do you know why believers lose their way? Your faith is not steadfast enough, and you can no longer master your own power, heh."

Trisen raised his hand, delivering a spell of purification to his own chest to suppress the assault from the phantom behind Neo. His gaze finally cleared once more.

"Remnants of Light, is this not the sort of delusion you excel at most? Even when it comes to deluding aberrant demons, they possess less experience than you remnants of Light."

"It matters not if you deny it."

Neo shrugged. By now, he sensed that the number of people gathering around was growing, and several figures were emerging from within the Norton family villa to surround him.

In the distance, three powerful consciousnesses were sweeping toward this location.

*Sigh*

One could only say that as a remnant of the Light, trying to survive in a district like York City where the Church of Order held absolute sway was simply far too difficult.

"Speak! Who sent you to slander my Merton family?"

"The question you ask is truly idiotic. No, your entire family consists of idiots."

Neo began to retreat; he was going to slip away. If he didn't leave now, he might not be able to escape at all. In fact, escaping had already become quite difficult.

Seeing this, Trisen pursued him directly.

The phantom of the Mad Pope behind Neo began a silent chant, and Neo chanted as well. A spire appeared in front of Neo, followed immediately by a new Tower of Light appearing beneath him.

This was a very rare way of running a reverse spell mechanism. Normally, condensation began from the base of the tower; for instance, when Cullen condensed the Black Prison Castle, the foundation would definitely be the first to appear.

But this spell held an unusual significance for Neo—or more precisely, for the Mad Pope behind him. The most brilliant stroke he had left in the church's history was standing upon the tower's spire and shouting aloud:

"I do not believe there is a God of Light in this world!"

If the Tower of Light Neo had condensed earlier was the public edition, then the one he was condensing now, in coordination with the phantom of the Mad Pope behind him, was an exclusively customized version.

This newly condensed Tower of Light did not radiate brilliant rays, nor did it possess a rich aura of holiness; instead, it exuded a profound decay and a dense, ancient aura of time.

What it brought was not the hope of light, but the despair of eternal damnation.

Trisen hesitated for a moment, but still continued to pursue Neo. Right now, the safest method was to kill this remnant of the Light before the other forces within the church could arrive.

In particular, he could not allow the Guardian of this district to capture him alive. That would cause even more trouble, because the opponent seemed absolutely certain that the mastermind behind the scenes was his own family.

Below them, Cullen watched as Trisen drew closer and closer to Neo;

All around, the figures of several squads of the Whiplash of Order appeared, while clergymen from other departments on the periphery were also closing in on this location;

Three powerful consciousnesses seemed to have reached a tacit understanding, beginning to contract their scan in a triangular fashion. This was intended to directly capture and pinpoint Neo. Once caught by a consciousness scan, it was highly likely to result in a scenario like the last time, where they were pursued all the way by the puppets of the Church of Principles, because no one knew what kind of powerful sacred artifacts they held in their hands, or if they even possessed authority linked to divine artifacts.

When that time came, it would not be something that could be escaped by simply changing one's aura and hiding.

However, right at this moment, Neo's eyes turned entirely pitch-black, and then he slowly closed them. The clothes on his body began to burn and fall away, and his entire being seemed to lose all signs of life.

In an instant, Cullen could no longer perceive any sensation of Neo being alive. This feeling was shared not only by Cullen, but by all the surrounding clergymen as well.

Trisen, who was currently closest to Neo, almost thought that the Neo before his eyes was merely a puppet, and that the original consciousness had already fled.

The phantom of the Mad Pope behind Neo bore the exact same demeanor. Having previously stirred Trisen's heart of faith with madness, he was now as quiet as a peacefully sleeping old man.

Yet, this tranquility was destined to be brief.

In an instant, Neo and the phantom of the Mad Pope behind him opened their eyes at the same time. Pitch-black filled the eyes of both individuals, and immediately following that, a thread of radiance seeped out from their pupils.

[Only within the dark night does the true light exist.]

Correspondingly, inside the Tower of Light, a thread of brightness also appeared.

*Buzz!*

A single point of light appeared, and immediately afterward, the darkness exploded, frantically spreading outward at an astonishing speed!

In this instant, it felt as though a black hole had appeared, swallowing all vision, hearing, smell, and even the perception of consciousness itself, making one feel that their surroundings had completely fallen into a state of absolute silence.

Then, the nearby lights and the moonlight in the sky suddenly illuminated your "perception," inducing a strong sense of dizziness, making you feel that this originally faint light had suddenly become so glaring that it was unbearable, and even your soul felt a sense of maladjustment.

An aura of light immediately flowed through Cullen's