Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 690 I Will Judge! (10,000 words today!)
Luo Xiuzheng looked at "Knight of the Sky" Lukel.

He finally saw the "city lord" of Argus City—the Knight Commander Lukel, who was wearing a magnificent embroidered robe, had a large belly, a ruddy and shiny face, and two small, upturned mustaches, and was also looking at him.

Beside Lukel were two "Knights of the Seal," one of whom was a resolute-looking knight without a helmet, who was the "Knight of the Seal" Reiner who had argued with Lukel earlier.
On the other side stood a Divine Knight, wearing a heavy visor and standing silently. Even after breaking through the doors of the hall, he remained silent, like a statue, showing indifference to everything that was happening around him.

Meanwhile, in the middle, Knight Commander Lukel, seated in an exquisitely carved armchair, had a look of shock and ferocity in his eyes, and the muscles on his face were trembling slightly. He seemed to be puzzled and angry at himself for breaking open the doors of the city lord's hall and showing up uninvited.

"and who are you?"

Lukel looked at Rosh, his voice low and hostile.

“You’re Lukel, I know that, and that’s enough.”

Luo Xiu's scepter was still pointing at Lukel. His voice deepened, and his expression turned icy as he spoke clearly, word by word, to Lukel—

"—I will judge."

“I am Rosh Carlos, the Radiant Wise King appointed by the Emperor, and the Red-Crowned Prince bestowed by the Emperor. I have come here to witness the grave crimes you have committed. According to Imperial Law, I have the right to strip you of your status and power, to transfer you for investigation, or to execute you on the spot.”

“From now on, Lukel, do as I say—”

"Who do you think you are? Ha! What right do you have to do what you want with me!"

Lukel interrupted Luo Xiu, as if the young man opposite him had said something laughable and utterly absurd. Lukel's facial muscles twitched as he stared at Luo Xiu, his hand already on the hilt of a longsword hanging on the wall, ready to draw it—

“I am Lukel, Lukel Havengard!”

Lukel roared passionately, "I am Lukel of the High! I am Lukel the 'Knight of the Heavens'! And who are you—"

boom! ! ! ! ! ! !
Before Lukel could utter his final words, the golden holy light emanating from the scepter held by Luo Xiu had already pierced through him!

The energy burst forth from Luo Xiu's scepter, piercing through Lukel's left chest, creating a huge crater, and completely blasting through his heart!

The torrent of divine strike—that concentrated beam of holy light pierced through Lukel, then through the chair he was sitting in, slammed into the wall behind him, then through the wall, and through the entire mansion beyond—

But Lukel can no longer see these things.

He just stared in disbelief at the person opposite him, at Luo Xiu, and then he heard the last sound—

“I’ve said it before, I have the right to execute you on the spot.”

In Luo Xiu's eyes, he watched as Lukel stared wide-eyed, falling backward along with the chair he was sitting in.

puff-

Lukel fell to the ground along with the chair, then slid off the chair, twitched a few times, and then lay still, a corpse.

Swish!
On the other side of the hall, the silent Divine Seal Knight drew his sword halfway from his waist, locking his gaze on Luo Xiu with hostility, but was stopped by the other Divine Seal Knight, Reiner.

"Wait a moment!"

Reiner stopped his colleague, and another Divine Knight drew his sword, his face showing fear, his voice trembling as he spoke:
"He is...it's true. I've heard news from the capital that His Majesty the Emperor did indeed bestow the title of 'Radiant Wise King,' and his name is Roshu Carlos. There is only one saint who is so young and possesses such power..."

Although he had just witnessed Rosh killing Knight Commander Lukel with holy magic, which made Reiner feel panicked and fearful, he remained calm and did not do anything that might endanger him because of the death of his former commander.

He knew—he had personally sensed it—that the "Saint" who had arrived before the city lord's hall and instantly killed Lukel was far superior to him. If he dared to make a rash move, the terrifying holy light that had killed Lukel might descend upon him in the next second.

As he spoke, Reiner's gaze fell upon Luo Xiu, his fear deepening. He immediately knelt on one knee before Luo Xiu, offering the most humble and supreme salute, and said to Luo Xiu in a trembling voice:

"Please forgive us, Your Majesty! We were unaware of your arrival. Please forgive our negligence."

"..."

As Leiner knelt before Luo Xiu, the Divine Seal Knight on the other side seemed to hesitate for a moment, struggle for a while, and then sheathed his sword and, like his comrade, knelt down before Luo Xiu.

"...Please forgive me."

A somewhat aged and hoarse voice came from beneath his helmet.

Luo Xiu looked at Leiner.

"what your name?"

"..."

"My name is Reiner."

"Divine Knight" Reiner, his voice respectful yet trembling, answered Luo Xiu, saying:
“My name is Reiner… Reiner Burroughs. I am the adjutant of Knight Commander Lukel and the vice-commander of the Royal Guard of Agus City.”

"Okay." Luo Xiu nodded. "I understand."

In Luo Xiu's eyes, he saw "Divine Knight" Reiner with his head down, not daring to meet his gaze for even a moment. The spiritual aura emanating from him was permeated with a feeling called "fear"—fear of his own identity and, even more so, fear of the power he wielded.

Luo Xiu remembered that just before entering the city lord's hall, it was Reiner arguing with Lukel, hoping to bring a squad of royal guard knights to the church to help quell the calamity. But Lukel disagreed, and then it was Luo Xiu's turn to blast open the hall doors and kill Lukel—

“From now on, Reiner.”

Luo Xiu looked at Leiner and said to him:
“I grant you permission to temporarily assume Lukel’s position and assume his authority. Now, I order all the knights stationed here to immediately proceed to the city of Argus, to work with the clergy of the church to maintain stability in Argus, to assist the church in post-disaster reconstruction, and to search for all the dead and wounded that we have yet to find.”

"Did you understand, Reiner?"

"..."

“Yes.” Leiner bowed deeply.

What "Radiant Wise King" Luo Xiu ordered him to do was exactly what he had always wanted to do. It was just that Knight Commander Lukel had always firmly refused him and rejected his request to rescue the church, but now, Reiner knew that he could do it without hesitation.

He then looked up and saw only Luo Xiu's back, which had already turned away. Then, in Leiner's ears, he heard Luo Xiu's voice:

"Get up, Reiner, now come with me."

"Yes!"

Reiner stood up and followed behind Luo Xiu, walking together towards the outside of the city lord's mansion.

The other Divine Knight remained in the hall.

Luo Xiu didn't ask him to do anything, so he didn't move. He just stayed in the hall, and after Luo Xiu left, he stood up and remained standing in the same place, just as when Knight Commander Lukel was still there.

He was right there, guarding the body of Knight Commander Lukel.

……

Outside the city lord's mansion.

When Luo Xiu led the new "Knight Commander" Reiner out of the mansion, all the Imperial Guards who had been intimidated by Luo Xiu's spiritual pressure were still kneeling, prostrate on the ground in disarray.

From the moment Reiner followed Luo Xiu out of the city lord's hall, he saw guards and even throne knights kneeling under Luo Xiu's spiritual pressure. Reiner was terrified; he had never seen anything like it before, and this only deepened his awe of Luo Xiu.

When Reiner finally saw the vast, kneeling mass of royal guards and throne knights outside the city lord's mansion, his sense of awe for Luo Xiu reached its peak.

When Luo Xiu led Reiner to the top of the steps and stood in front of all the kneeling knights, he gradually reduced the spiritual pressure on the Imperial Guards, allowing them to stand up with difficulty.

Some of the Royal Guard knights, once they felt they could barely move, the first thing they did was pick up their fallen weapons—

They remained hostile towards Luo Xiu, who had barged into the mansion. But at the same time, they saw Luo Xiu walking out of the mansion, and they saw their "vice-commander" Reiner beside him.

That made them hesitate, and when they saw that their "vice-commander" Reiner seemed to show considerable humility and respect to Luo Xiu, they felt as if they were starting to lose their grip on their weapons.

The saint—Luo Xiu—made everyone kneel. Before entering the city lord's mansion, he claimed to be the "Radiant Wise King," personally bestowed by the emperor, and the only [Radiant] saint in the empire with the authority of a "Red-Crowned Prince." Perhaps this was true…

Many of the Royal Guard knights had already begun to think this way, and a deeper fear welled up in their hearts. Then, everyone heard "Vice-Commander" Reiner announce to them—

"Knight Commander Lukel is dead!"

The first thing Reiner said was to announce Lukel's death—which immediately caused a huge uproar among the Royal Guard Knights, and made all the knights truly feel fear and then true awe!

Now, no Royal Guard Knight dared to draw their swords against Luo Xiu—the arena was silent as everyone listened to what Vice-Captain Reiner would say next—

"Lucer shirked his responsibilities to the Supreme One, committed blasphemy, and was executed by His Majesty the Wise King! Now, I will temporarily assume Luker's duties. All of you, heed my command—all Royal Guard Knights, immediately proceed to the districts of Argus City to assist the clergy of the Church in quelling the disaster and maintaining stability in Argus City!"

“From this moment forward, there is no need for anyone to guard the city lord’s mansion. From this moment forward, we, the [Supreme], must shoulder our responsibilities and missions. If anyone resists my orders, I will personally slay them.”

"..."

Reiner's tone was quite heavy, and his authority as the Supreme Divine Knight and the Vice-Commander of the Royal Guard was gradually becoming apparent.

……

Luo Xiu stood behind Reiner, watching Reiner announce these words to all the Royal Guard Knights. He nodded slightly, satisfied with the effect achieved.

But Luo Xiu also knew that there must be others who were dissatisfied, such as—"Knight of the Throne" Iverson. After feeling the heavy pressure on him gradually fade, he stood up, his gaze dark as he stared at Luo Xiu and Reiner. A ferocious and resentful expression appeared on his face. Just as Reiner finished speaking, he sneered and said:

"Reiner!"

"You conspired with this saint—you killed Knight Commander Lukel? How could you do this? How dare you do this!"

“I will not go anywhere without a direct order from Lord Lukel, and as a Throne Knight directly under Lord Lukel, you have no right to command me!”

"..."

"Knight of the Throne" Iverson was shouting loudly, and in Luo Xiu's eyes, he saw "Knight of the Divine Seal" Reiner beside him, whose expression seemed to turn gloomy in an instant.

He looked at Iverson and walked towards him, his right hand already reaching to his left waist, gripping the hilt of his sword.

He walked step by step toward Iverson, and the handsome and arrogant "Knight of the Throne" Iverson's expression finally wavered when he saw Reiner walking toward him.

"What do you want to do?"

"Stop, Reiner, don't come any closer! Did you hear me? I told you not to come any closer!"

“I’m warning you, Reiner! I am a knight directly under Commander Lukel, listen carefully, I am—”

As Iverson roared, trying to rebuke Vice-Captain Reiner, Reiner had already arrived in front of him.

At the same time, Reiner drew his sword—

boom! ! ! ! ! ! !
Crimson flames erupted from the blade of Reiner's longsword, instantly enveloping the silhouette of "Throne Knight" Iverson and quickly spreading, scorching his entire body—

"Ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

Iverson let out a scream, and his body quickly cracked and disintegrated in the scorching crimson flames. Soon, he turned into flying ashes, and the person "Iverson Havengard" no longer existed in the world.

Luo Xiu simply watched this scene unfold.

Only one thought came to his mind: Has he always been this brave?
This was true when I arrived, and it's true now when "Divine Knight" Reiner announces the order. However, it just so happens that Reiner can kill him to intimidate the crowd, which is perhaps what Reiner wants.

Reiner sheathed his sword, no longer lingering on Iverson's final moments, and amidst the horrified and awe-inspiring gazes of the surrounding Royal Guards, he returned to the stage, back to Luo Xiu's side, and once again issued his command to all the Royal Guards—

"All Royal Guard Knights, immediately proceed to the various districts of Argus City to work with the clergy of the Church to quell the disaster and maintain the stability of Argus City."

"This is an order. I don't want my sword to bleed a second time. Everyone, carry out the order immediately."

……

"..."

Wow!
This time, all the Royal Guard knights sprang into action the moment Reiner finished speaking. No one questioned Reiner's orders anymore; all the Royal Guard knights chose to obey.

Meanwhile, Reiner watched as all the Royal Guard knights below, under the command of their respective captains, began to depart in turn to carry out their missions throughout the city of Argus. Reiner nodded silently and turned away.

"Your Majesty, I..."

He wanted to ask Luo Xiu for his next instructions, but when he turned around, he didn't see Luo Xiu.

Luo Xiu had already left, and Reiner didn't even know when Luo Xiu had left.

"..."

Reiner scratched his head, looked around again, and indeed did not see the figure of "Radiant King" Luo Xiu. He could only sigh and then walk off the stage.

Even without seeing the wise king, Reiner knew what he needed to do now.

He was also going to participate in the rescue—as the vice-captain and, more importantly, as the acting captain succeeding Lukel, he wanted to set an example and show all the Royal Guard Knights what the so-called "supreme" duty was.

Reiner believed that if that wise king were still here, he would have made him do the same thing—this was his mission, the thing he had to do.

……

After watching Reiner kill "Knight of the Throne" Iverson, Rosh left, knowing that Reiner could handle the aftermath.

[Supreme] The "contact" has been made, and manpower can be sent to support the church—this fulfills Franya's request, even though the method of communication is somewhat brutal.

As Luo Xiu rode his "Golden Pegasus" Pegasus, he was flying over the city of Agus. Looking down, he could see squads of royal guards entering the various districts of Agus from the direction of the city lord's mansion. Luo Xiu nodded.

Afterwards, according to Luo Xiu's instructions to the "vice-commander" Reiner—

At least half of the Royal Guard Knights will go to the church to assist the clergy. Of the remaining half, another half will go outside the city to reinforce the Templar Knights of the "Godhunter" Knights and help suppress "Crimson Warhead" Haturag and the abyssal monsters emerging from the "scars" there.

The remaining Royal Guard knights were tasked with pacifying the civilians and maintaining stability within the city of Argus. Although clergy were already handling this task, the Royal Guard knights' assistance would undoubtedly yield better results, and would also make things easier for the church's clergy.

With these thoughts in mind, Luo Xiu rode Pegasus toward the church.

After that, I had no other plans for the time being, so I went back to the church to help Franya with other matters, such as searching for the undiscovered dead and wounded, or helping the church treat the seriously injured clergy—I also had quite a few healing spells.

With these thoughts in mind, Luo Xiu and Pegasus had already returned to the church.

He met with Franya again and told her that he had made contact with the Supreme Being.

Franya was delighted by this, and this saint, who was also busy searching for her missing comrades and treating her seriously injured comrades, did not hesitate to ask Luo Xiu for help. She asked Luo Xiu to continue to help her search for and treat her comrades in the Church of Agus, and Luo Xiu agreed.

Afterwards, Luo Xiu stayed in the church to help Franya treat the seriously injured clergy. On several occasions, before the clergy brought him new wounded people, he would go to search for the missing clergy.

Until the next day, until the faint light of dawn gradually rose from the horizon.

……

The next day, early morning.

The assistance of the Supreme One was effective—the situation in the city of Agus had stabilized. Although most people were still shaken, they were no longer panicked. Most people believed that the "calamity" that had broken out from the church had been quelled.

Within the church, the "battlefield" ravaged by Finlaek and Accipileus has now been almost completely cleared. The ruins within the church grounds have been removed, most of the clergy buried beneath the rubble have been discovered, and the number of clergy who died or were injured in this calamity is gradually being determined.

To date, the number of clergy members confirmed as martyred is 912, while the number of the wounded is 1,487—this number is still increasing, but the rate of increase has slowed considerably.

About two hours earlier, several Templar Knights from the "Godhunter" Order returned to report some information to Monigne, the "Holy Sword" guarding Finlake.
During this time, the "Godhunter" Knights went to investigate the other three strongholds where Finlake was located. They reported to Monigne that the dark, mysterious spirituality of the "scars" beneath those three strongholds seemed to have receded on its own, and no new dark aura was emerging.

Now, the spiritual reactions at those three suspected "scars" are as stable as normal ley line surges, basically ruling out the possibility of new "scars" emerging from the ground.

When the Templar Knights reported these things, Rosh was also there and listened to their report. The Templar Knights believed that it was because of the disappearance of the Aspect of Accipile that the nascent “scars” did not eventually form real scars. Monigne accepted this analysis and was relieved by it.

Only Luo Xiu knew that it was because—the "Lord of the Dead," Sasser, had already completed the task he had assigned to "conquer" the three wounds. Now, almost all the abyssal beasts and demons in those three wounds had been taken away by Sasser.

At that time, Luo Xiu listened to the reports from the "God Hunt" Templar Knights in this way, while thinking about these things.

After the Templar Knights left, Luo Xiu also left to assist Franya in treating the seriously injured priests or to search for the undiscovered dead and wounded.

……

Until around 8 a.m.

After treating the 198th seriously injured clergyman, Luo Xiu stood up and walked out of the church.

So far, he has treated nearly two hundred seriously injured clergymen and helped Franya find nearly a hundred clergymen buried under the rubble in several ruins.

He felt fulfilled, but he was also a little tired and needed to rest for a while.

"……call."

Luo Xiu let out a long sigh of relief.

He has not rested since the battles with Accipiles and Finlec ended.

That battle had already exhausted a great deal of Luo Xiu's spiritual energy and spirit. Even though his physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary saints, everyone gets tired—Luo Xiu felt that weakness, like that he had stayed up all night in his previous life, had begun to attack him.

But he couldn't truly rest yet; he had to wait until he saw that the Church of Agnes had completed all the cleanup work before he could finally rest in peace.

He planned to close his eyes and rest for a while before continuing to treat the injured.

But before that, in Luo Xiu's eyes—a light appeared, and a prompt popped up on the panel.

It's a divinely ordained quest, the quest panel for 【Divine Revelation - Twisted Gospel】.

The countdown to the "manifestation of calamities" has ended.
Now, this task can be settled.

……

(End of this chapter)