Chapter 600: The Garrison Rushes In!

Chapter 600: The Garrison Storms In!

"You still have a hereafter, a future. It won't be long before the official notices regarding your disposition and mine are handed down. I would like to invite you to a farewell dinner, where I shall offer you my most sincere apologies across the table.

Whatever else may be said, we did once work together."

Bernie maintained a remarkably humble posture; in truth, by this point in the entire affair, he had grown thoroughly exhausted, both in body and mind.

He felt none of the joy that belonged to a victor, nor did the young man before him bear the chastisement of the defeated.

It was an unfair game in which he was merely a chess piece, and as a piece, your joys and sorrows possessed no real meaning, for truly, no one cared.

As for Karen’s previous reaction, Minister Bernie felt it was simply the stubbornness of youth, a refusal to acknowledge defeat and setback—something he could well understand, for after all, who had not been young once?

Yet he was mistaken.

Karen was not the sort of man who could not afford to lose, and given his style of handling matters, were he truly to face defeat, he could carry it off with far greater decency than the vast majority of losers.

The trouble was, he had not yet lost.

Karen stood up, his hands still thrust into the pockets of his divine robes—a posture that appeared somewhat unsolemn, even excessively casual.

Of course, had Karen been wearing a white shirt and a pair of slim-fitting jeans at this moment, the posture would have been perfectly fitting.

He walked to the edge of the assembly hall and stood still; with the meeting now drawing to a close, everyone was departing in an orderly fashion, and Karen silently calculated the time in his mind, knowing that the next step should be the release of those five bishops, with a "prisoner release ceremony" about to take place outside.

Monacy gestured frantically to the assistant beside her to capture the scene: "Quick, quick, quick, get over here, squat down—yes, yes, yes, from this angle, use the dark curtains of the hall as the background."

"Click..."

The effect captured in the photograph was that of a young cleric standing at the edge of the venue, gazing forward with a despondent figure, while behind him, the heavy black curtains created an immensely deep and oppressive atmosphere.

Monacy wrote rapidly in her notebook: "The Church of Order has always prided itself on being the greatest church in the world; they believe the Eye of Order can discern all the rules of the universe, firmly convinced that their great God of Order listens to every storm from on high.

Yet a Church of Order so vast cannot tolerate a single young man of blood and justice; it cannot see his struggles, much less hear his cries.

According to the principles developed by the Church of Principles, the

Karen did not move, but Muri did. Hurling his body forward with explosive force, his hands clamped straight onto the necks of the two clerics, the immense momentum lifting them clean off their feet before he slammed them brutally onto the ground.

"Bang!" "Bang!"

In terms of close combat, Muri had been somewhat constrained within the squad when facing Karen and Philomena, but in the outside world, no one truly dared to underestimate the martial lineage of the Benda family.

The cleric who had previously delivered the order was just about to speak when he realized a cold dagger was already pressed flush against his throat.

Philomena kicked the cleric hard in the back of his knee, forcing him to drop to his knees before Karen with a heavy thud.

"Heh, who taught you that?" Karen asked with a smile.

Philomena frowned slightly, wondering if she had done something wrong.

Karen stepped around the three subdued clerics and continued on his way out; regardless of the consequences, using force to resist the law inside the Whiplash of Order headquarters building meant he had effectively set a precedent.

Sheathing her dagger, Philomena turned to Alfred. "Did I do something wrong?"

Alfred replied, "Not at all. Please maintain this kind of subjective initiative."

Ventura grumbled petulantly, "There were clearly three of them, why didn't you leave even one for me!"

Denied a chance to show off, the little rock-man was deeply dissatisfied.

Further back, Monacy and her assistant emerged to witness the scene, and expressions of pleasant surprise washed over both their faces.

"They're really tearing down all pretense now, Boss!"

"Take a picture, quick, take a picture!"

...

Karen climbed the stairs and reached the first floor.

Just then, Old Coya came walking toward them with his entire security team. Seeing Karen ascending as if nothing had happened, he froze for a moment, then immediately looked behind Karen, only to find no sign of the clerics who had been dispatched to deliver the order.

"This... this... this..."

While Old Coya was still stammering, the dozens of security personnel behind him instinctively formed a fan-shaped blockade to bar Karen's path, just as they had practiced in their daily drills.

Ventura lunged forward, his form rapidly expanding into a giant as he unleashed a crushing pressure, ruthlessly bellowing at the security guards before him:

"Roar!"

The security guards retreated in succession, not because they feared Ventura, but because they knew his violent reaction represented the attitude of their young Director.

Karen kept walking forward; with every step he took, Ventura took a step ahead, clearing the path for him.

Old Coya immediately waved his hand, signaling all his subordinates to step aside. He had received orders to assist in detaining Director Karen for an internal investigation, but since the man had chosen to refuse, well, so be it.

He was merely an old man brought back out of retirement, not a hot-blooded lad in his twenties, and he had long since outgrown the fantasy of taking wild gambles just to score performance points.

Ventura's roar shook the entire floor, causing many office doors to swing open as the people inside poured out to watch the spectacle; the crowd that had been dispersing after the meeting began to reconvene here, though quite a few had already left the building for an open-air press conference outside regarding the release of the five bishops.

However, everyone present simply watched Karen walk toward the building's exit without anyone actually moving to stop or question him; young as Karen was, his fame and prestige in this place were exceptionally high.

Furthermore, the order for the internal investigation had not yet been made public, so even if everyone knew Karen would soon be disciplined, he remained the Lord Director until the official documents were formally issued.

But before long, walls of black light materialized in front of Karen, sealing him in from all sides, as twelve clerics holding ritual implements emerged—members of the building's Array Department.

Kodak, the Head of the Array Department, stepped out from the crowd ahead; he first looked at the giant-form Ventura, frowning, and then his brow furrowed even deeper as his gaze shifted to Karen standing at Ventura's side.

However, he likely did not know that an internal investigation had been ordered against Karen, for he spoke in a lecturing tone:

"Karen, do not forget your position. This is no place for a young man to throw a tantrum just because he feels aggrieved!"

Karen nodded, acknowledging the words, and continued walking forward.

"Order your subordinate to change back!" Kodak barked. "Otherwise, do not blame me for being ruthless!"

Karen kept walking, and Ventura moved forward with him, his massive body colliding with the black barrier and causing it to warp out of shape.

"Heh, even now you insist on making a scene. Do you truly believe there is no one here who can handle you!"

A blue ring of formation light flared in Kodak's hand, and under his control, the black barriers grew stouter while a more majestic, binding array began to descend.

Within this headquarters building, the defensive arrays were potent enough to drive the vast majority of powerhouses to despair; to a certain extent, he ought to have been the most formidable existence inside these walls.

Karen's hand, which had remained in his pocket, gently brushed against the sapphire.

"Crack..."

The array, which had just been surging aggressively, suddenly stalled and fell into disarray, dissolving into a violent gust laden with rich spiritual energy that swept outward; the defensive array in this sector had completely failed.

Ventura lunged forward, hoisting Chief Kodak by the waist with one hand to sling him over his shoulder, while considerately clamping his other hand over him—if he so desired, he could crush the upper half of this Lord Bishop at any moment.

Not every department head knew how to fight; Uncle Eisen, for instance, was a master of formations but utterly inept in physical combat.

Coupled with the sudden failure of the array Kodak took so much pride in, he had been instantly subdued once Ventura closed the distance; even if old man Delon were put in his place, there would be nothing he could do under such circumstances.

No matter how exquisite one's mastery of formations, a giant's unadorned palm could still grind them straight into Wien paste.

"Karen, do you have any idea what you are doing? You are finished! You will be condemned very soon, yet you still dare to act like this!"

Chief Kodak was furious, for he looked exactly like a little boy being carried by his father; fortunately, Ventura was fundamentally innocent and kind—had it been Neo performing this action, he probably would have stripped the chief's trousers off to expose his bare backside.

In short, though the scene appeared absurd and almost inconceivable, Karen reached the main entrance with virtually no further impediment.

Thanks to the unique structure of the headquarters building, the commotion inside was completely insulated from the outside world, so while chaos reigned within, the press conference out on the plaza was proceeding as normal.

A swarm of reporters gathered around, flanked by the department chiefs under Regional Director Harry and the bishops under Acting Chief Bishop Dunk; they were there to execute the final act of this political show.

However, an incident occurred after all, though it was not caused by Karen, who was still making his way out; rather, it was one of the detained bishops who shouted loudly:

"Make Karen come out and apologize to us, or we will not leave!"

No one who could rise to the rank of bishop was a fool; eccentric families like the Naton clan were anomalies among anomalies—even Dorff Naton himself often wondered if his lineage had been cursed to become so utterly stupid!

But after being confined for so many days, and having endured Karen's daily "insults" during the case briefings, even the finest temperament and upbringing could no longer suppress the mounting rancor.

The higher one's position, the less one could tolerate such humiliation.

Hearing this, Regional Director Harry frowned slightly, reluctant to let any new complications arise; although there was a broadcasting array in the auditorium today, a broadcast delay had been implemented, and the controlling array was managed entirely by his own people.

The reporters gathered here were all from the Church of Order and its affiliated faiths, all briefed in advance, while reporters from other churches had been dismissed immediately after the meeting adjourned.

In short, everything had been engineered to prevent the young man from using the media to launch another mad display of coercion.

Therefore, having Karen come over to offer an apology posed no real issue; no matter how well Karen could perform, he couldn't stir up much of a storm, but Regional Director Harry was simply exhausted, sharing almost the exact same sentiment as Chief Bernie.

Because after this debacle, his dream of being promoted to the Dingge Greater Region was in all likelihood shattered.

On the other side, however, Acting Chief Bishop Dunk smiled and nodded in agreement; he was planning to succeed Wolfrun, and this was precisely the moment to win over people's hearts.

Dunk spoke up, "Regional Director Harry, I believe that is a highly reasonable demand. Have that Director named Karen come over and apologize; it is only right."

"I have already ordered an internal investigation on him. Forget it, Bernie, go and bring him out."

Just at that moment, the crowd suddenly noticed a group of people emerging from the entrance of the headquarters building.

Karen and his entourage walked at the very front, followed by a throng of spectators looking to enjoy the drama.

Upon stepping outside, the giant-form Ventura let out a low growl; no longer constrained by the height of the architecture, his body swelled even larger, making the dangling Kodak on his shoulder look increasingly miniature.

As his body expanded, Ventura's emotional control grew less fluid; with his eyes gradually flushing red, he extended a massive finger and gave Chief Kodak's buttocks a sharp flick:

"Thwack!"

"Ah!

!"

The sensation felt as though a stone mill were grinding directly over his backside. Minister Kodal, whose physical constitution was naturally frail as a formation master, could not contain himself and let loose a agonizing wail.

Bernie materialized before Karen, demanding:

"Are you insane?"

Ignoring Bernie, Karen invoked an amplifying spell and spoke aloud:

"These five bishops are guilty. They cannot be released."

Karen's voice reverberated all around.

Dunke smiled outright: "This young man is truly amusing."

Driven by professional instinct, the journalists wanted to take photographs, but very quickly, they lowered their cameras in tacit agreement, able only to lament in their hearts that such a spectacle could not be recorded for publication.

Rage surfaced upon Regional Director Harry's face.

With a forward sweep of his hand,

he commanded:

"Apprehend him."

The regional director had given the direct order; at this moment, Karen's status and prestige were utterly nullified. From all directions, a massive throng of combat priests surged forward—even old Coya and his companions ceased their spectating and joined the fray, preparing to arrest Karen.

Alfred smiled and said, "What are you standing there for? The time to strike a pose has arrived. Don't worry about the lack of photographs; I shall paint this very scene afterward."

Muri held his blade in his right hand and raised his buckler with his left, taking up a defensive stance beside Karen.

Philomena's feet hovered off the ground, the Nightmare Blade spinning in revolutions around her.

Alfred folded his hands before him and stood just behind Karen's flank, his expression serene, even finding the leisure to shift his steps slightly to catch the optimal light.

Ventura let out a low growl, flicked his finger against Minister Kodal's backside once more as if playing with a screaming toy, eliciting a sharp "Squeak!"

"Aaaah!

!"

Beholding this spectacle, Minister Bernie felt a mix of tears and laughter, asking:

"Am I dreaming? How could you possibly commit such a brainless act?"

Karen shook his head and said, "Do not be in a hurry. What comes next will seem far more like a dream."

"Buzz, buzz, buzz!

!"

A succession of dense, whistling roars echoed from the heavens, instantly causing everyone below to raise their heads out of sheer instinct.

Above the headquarters building of the Whip of Order, dozens of falcons suddenly swooped down and began to circle at low altitude. Sharp, frigid crossbow bolts were already chambered, and the amplification arrays upon the falcons' underbellies had warmed up—they had assumed a full combat posture.

"Thud, thud, thud!

! Thud, thud, thud!

!"

Garrison knights, clad in black armor and mounted upon undead warhorses, emerged from the plaza entrance, the parking lot entrance, and some even leaped directly over the perimeter walls to appear here. With the utmost speed, they formed into eight military arrays, poised for a charge.

From the bishops down to the ordinary priests, everyone felt an utter disbelief at the sight unfolding before their eyes, because this was the first time in the sacred church's history... that the garrison had stormed into the building of the Whip of Order.

Karen looked at Minister Bernie standing ahead of him and said:

"Now, you may begin your dream."