The Villain Saint is my secondary account

Reinaldo was filled with doubt. His gaze swept over the villagers who were gathered around, angry but dared not speak out, and he wondered where there might still be areas that had not been searched.

After all, judging from the behavior of these villagers, it was obvious that they had seen that symbol before.

While he was pondering, his gaze was suddenly drawn to an ancient well standing in the village.

The ancient well was built with gray-black stone bricks, and old trees swayed beside it. At first glance, it seemed to have nothing unusual about it.

But this is the only place that hasn't been searched yet.

Reinaldo led two of his men toward the ancient well, while the remaining Templar Knights formed a circle around it, blocking any villagers who tried to approach.

The sun had already set, and the village had become dark, forcing Reinaldo to summon a faint holy light in his left palm for illumination.

He and his men walked to the edge of the ancient well, and just as they were about to stick their heads into the well opening, an old voice suddenly came from beside them.

"My lord knight, please do not look any further inside. This is my last piece of advice to you."

Reinaldo turned his head and saw an old man with white hair and beard leaning on a cane, staring at him from among the crowd blocked by the Templars.

Perhaps due to malnutrition, the emaciated old man had a pointed, monkey-like face, and his squinting eyes on his skin and bones resembled those of a fox plotting evil, making him inexplicably repulsive.

It's as if they're verbally admonishing you, but actually implying, "Look inside, quick, look inside."

Reinaldo felt inexplicably uncomfortable. His right hand unconsciously went to the hilt of his sword. When he turned around, he saw the two Templar Knights he had summoned lying motionless at the well's edge, their bodies hunched over as they stared into the well.

Like shrimp lying by a well, their posture was somewhat unnatural, bending over as if trying to stretch their upper bodies, almost sticking their heads into the well.

"Hey, what did you guys see?"

Reinaldo suddenly had a bad feeling. The next second, he saw the two knights' bodies "whoosh" into the well.

"Hello!?"

Reinaldo immediately shouted and rushed forward to try to grab his men, but the two men went down too fast, as if an invisible hand had grabbed their hair and pulled them down directly.

The strangest thing was that the two knights who fell made no sound. There were no panicked screams or the sound of heavy objects falling into water. It was as if the well was a bottomless abyss that had casually swallowed the two sacrifices.

The sudden commotion naturally drew the attention of the other Templars on the periphery. Reinaldo immediately drew his sword and pointed it in the direction of the old man who had spoken earlier, shouting, "You come here!"

What's inside the well?!

He couldn't risk looking into that well again. As the team's only commander, if he also fell victim to it, the team's fate would be predictable.

But when he looked closely, he saw only a village girl with a frightened expression where the sword was pointing.

The girl's parents reached out and pulled her behind them, their eyes filled with growing fear and hatred as they looked at Reinaldo.

Reinaldo frowned, but he could no longer see the strange old man from before, as if the man had never existed.

What exactly is in this well?

His cold question echoed in the square, but the emaciated villagers all shrank back and did not respond.

"Damn troublemakers."

Reinaldo was very agitated by the mysterious disappearance of his two companions.

The humid, sweltering air seeped into the gaps in his armor, like tiny ants crawling on his joints.

The situation was somewhat deadlocked. As Reinaldo hesitated about whether to go back and check on the well, a voice resounded in his mind.

"Don't rush, stay there and wait for us to come."

It was Teresa's voice transmitted remotely through the Holy Box; her cool tone was like a ripple that swept away the restlessness that had welled up in Reinaldo's heart.

This calmed Reinaldo down a bit. He put down his sword, wiped his forehead with the back of his right hand, and realized that he had been sweating profusely.

Upon regaining his senses, he immediately realized that something was probably affecting his mind.

This village has big problems, and these gloomy villagers too.

Reinaldo looked up. If it weren't for the holy light in their hands providing some illumination, the village, surrounded by mountains, would have been so dark that not a single star could be seen in the night sky.

It's as if at night, this place becomes a corner abandoned by light.

"Ka... Ka..."

A faint, strange sound came from nearby, and Reinaldo frowned. He saw the crowd around him begin to stir in the dim light, perhaps because his somewhat impulsive actions had aroused the villagers' growing discontent.

However, some villagers seemed unable to tolerate such blatant intrusion into their homes any longer, and they stepped forward to shove and push the knights on the perimeter.

"Isn't that enough?"

"Haven't we already finished searching?! How long are you going to stay?!"

Reinaldo frowned, staring at the villagers who had caused the chaos. "Didn't you see our two knights swallowed by that well? What are you bunch of troublemakers trying to hide?!"

"go out!"

"go out!!"

However, the villagers, as if possessed, began picking up stones from the ground and throwing them at the knights on the outside.

Seeing the order descending into chaos and the situation beginning to spiral out of control, Reinaldo's face turned ashen. He raised his sword and slammed it into the ground, unleashing a ring of holy light emanating from him.

These holy lights are primarily meant to have a deterrent effect; they are not intended to kill.

"what!!!"

However, as the villagers on the outer ring were overturned, they let out sharp screams.

Their skin was covered in black bruises resembling lividity, which emitted blue smoke as they burned in the holy light.

"...Degenerate?"

Reinaldo was stunned at first, then his eyes widened in disbelief.

Chapter Forty: Hell in a Single Thought

This strange situation caused the Templars to draw their swords as well.

In the doctrine of the Templars, the corrupted are beings corrupted by the power of evil gods, and without a doubt, heretics that the Templars must purify.

They often possess characteristics rooted in the power of evil gods, like the beast-haired corpse of Liangqiu Village Chief and the strange man with fish scales covering his skin in Storm Harbor.

But the villagers here showed no abnormalities during the day; it was only at night, when they were scorched by the holy light and developed black spots, that their corrupted sexual characteristics became apparent.

This greatly alarmed Reinaldo.

Although these villagers did not show much fighting ability, the fact that they could maintain the same appearance as ordinary people was the most terrifying thing when you thought about it.

If the spread of cults relies on spiritual brainwashing and assimilation, then this transmission and promotion still requires at least a certain threshold and means of containment.

But the corrupted are like an extremely powerful infectious disease; as long as there is a medium carrying the power of the evil god, they can spread without limit, one after another.

This usually distorts the soul of the corrupted, causing their appearance to change. Therefore, although it may have a wide-ranging impact, at least it is possible to identify and deal with it openly.

The spread of depravity without sexual characteristics means that even if the entire population of a city is infected, it will go unnoticed until they follow the ravings of evil gods and raise their knives against you.

The power to conceal a twisted soul beneath a perfect exterior is a power that defies the very laws of existence.

Not to mention... seeing those children suggests that the corrupted in this village are very likely capable of reproducing like ordinary humans.

"Captain, what should we do...?"

Amidst the wails of the villagers, a Templar Knight approached and anxiously inquired about Dorenardo's opinion.

More villagers began to charge into the Templars' encirclement, and after being burned by the Holy Light, they too began to develop black spots of corruption on their bodies.

From elderly women over fifty to muscular men, and even four- or five-year-old children… Reinaldo’s gaze swept across the faces of these ferocious corruptors, and a chill gradually ran through him.

Unable to make up his mind, he could only seek Teresa's opinion through the sacred box.

Meanwhile, after careful consideration, a message finally came from the other side.

"Purify it all."

The emotionless, cold female voice made Reinaldo feel as if he could see Theresa giving the order with a blank expression.

Clearly, their master was also aware of what these degenerates without sexual characteristics meant.

The word "purification" is also very familiar to the Templars who are members of the Inquisition.

That's just another nicer way of saying it instead of "massacre".

Amidst the chaos, Reinaldo slowly began to speak.

If the situation ahead was unclear, he needed to wait for Theresa's arrival for instructions. But now, he had to finish this task before Theresa arrived.

The eldest daughter of the Boromeo family must be pure and innocent; the bloodstains from the slaughter of her compatriots can only remain on his hands as a serving knight.

No, they are corrupted... they are no longer human.

Looking at the faces contorted in agony, Reinaldo finally convinced himself and made up his mind.

In the darkness, a pair of sinister eyes seemed to be staring at his back, revealing a mocking smile.

"All Templar Knights, heed my command!"

"Burn down the village, slaughter all the villagers, leave no one alive!"

The surrounding Templar Knights were stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief, their faces illuminated by the holy light.

"Attack!!! Are you deaf!?!"

"Anyone who escapes will be dealt with according to military regulations for negligence!!!"

As Reinaldo's command was once again given with unwavering resolve, all the Templars finally drew their longswords.

The holy light shone on the dark village like the rising sun, but beneath its warm and holy glow lay a chilling glint and faces contorted with fear.

The screaming villagers and the ashen-faced knights merged into one, and just as the blood-red curtain was about to be drawn, a crow's cawing suddenly rang out.

Although the long, drawn-out shout was unpleasant to hear, it was like a shooting star piercing the night sky, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

If possible, Ella would have liked to use the melodious song of a lark as her messenger to announce her arrival, but unfortunately, only the dark feathers of a raven could conceal the fine tentacles that had grown after her corruption.

"Brothers, Templar Knights, hold on."

A tall, thin man in a black trench coat emerged from the darkness, leading a black dog. If he weren't not wearing sunglasses, most people would probably mistake him for a blind man and his guide dog.

Of course, Ye Xiao felt that his appearance was very timely. If it wasn't flashy enough, it must be because the black dog next to him lowered his status.

Because of this brief opening, the villagers who were prostrate under the Templars' swords screamed and ran away.

Rather than giving the villagers a chance to escape, it was Ye Xiao's shout that made the Templars, who were torn between slaughter and letting the villagers go, choose the latter with a clear conscience.

Reinaldo looked at Ye Xiao's appearance with a gloomy expression, "So you've finally shown yourself, heretic."

Ye Xiao was stunned by the address, then glanced back at her black sleeves. "You're the heretic! So everyone who wears black is a heretic, huh??"

"Templar Knights, heed my command!"

Reinaldo then pointed his sword at Ye Xiao, "Grab him!"

"Holy Light, this enemy is worth fighting!!"

The ability to switch targets and eliminate the need to kill unarmed villagers instantly ignited the Templars' fighting spirit.

Regardless of whether this guy is a heretic or not, beating him up like this would definitely be no problem.

"Wait, buddy? Why did you hit me???"

Ye Xiao shrugged, his expression strained.

Holy crap, they're really doing it!!

But seeing a group of Templar Knights charging towards him with their longswords raised, Ye Xiao, who had no intention of fighting, turned around without hesitation and ran away.

The black dog, now unleashed, barked and ran after Ye Xiao, howling, "You stupid human, don't leave me behind!?!"

Reinaldo's tense expression relaxed slightly as he watched nearly half of his Templar Knights chase after that inexplicable fellow.

He turned to look at the villagers who had fled to the corner of the square and were huddled together. He gritted his teeth, raised his sword, and slowly approached.

"Dude, do you really have to kill these villagers?"

But the next second, that familiar and annoying voice rang in my ears again.

Reinaldo turned his head in surprise, only to see the tall, thin man in black standing beside him again, arms crossed, leaning against a withered tree.

Even some of the nearby Templars looked puzzled when they saw him, clearly unaware of when Ye Xiao had returned to the tree.

This set off alarm bells in Reinaldo's mind. He couldn't discern Ye Xiao's strength at first glance, but his unpredictable movements meant he was definitely not an opponent to be underestimated.

"Degeneration, to be precise, should be a disease caused by ordinary people absorbing too much divine power. Although it is also a common method used by evil gods, the doctrines of the Holy Temple have been simplified and distorted in many places for human purposes over the years."