noveltune Chapter 26: The Crimes of the Heretics
Chapter 26: The Crimes of the Heretics
At this moment, the town's lord, Toland, has reached the end of his rope.
He frantically tried to find the "Web Weaver"—Sahuddin!
However, Sahudin mysteriously disappeared. A thorough search of the lord's manor and castle yielded no trace of him.
One of the evil followers said, "My lord, the Web Weaver wouldn't have run away on his own, would he?"
Toland shook his head firmly: "Impossible, absolutely impossible. Lord Sahudin, the Web Weaver, already said he was using secret magic to plead for the Pope's aid!"
The evil man before them had recently converted from a guard to the "Corrupt God Father" and had not been a member of the Corrupt Cult for long.
He was still somewhat clear-headed: "My lord, stop dreaming! The Net Weaver might just be using us as sacrifices to stop the king's army!"
"I think the Web Weaver has already vanished without a trace! He slipped away on his own!"
The guard's words immediately enraged Toland.
Toland's eyes were bloodshot, and he immediately grabbed the guard's neck.
"Thud!"
The guard's throat was crushed.
"I will not allow anyone to slander Lord [The Web Weaver]! Lord [The Web Weaver] is my guide..."
Toland snorted coldly.
"Report! Your Excellency! The King's army is almost upon us!"
Upon hearing the urgent report from his subordinate, Toland angrily waved his hand, resolving to die.
"Gather all remaining manpower! Fight the king's army!"
Lord Torland's Palace is a small castle.
Since joining the Corruption Cult, the castle has undergone multiple renovations thanks to the wealth of Flower Town!
The castle's outer walls are built of dark lava rocks transported from the nearby town of Blackrock. They are exceptionally high and thick, and the surface is not flat. It is inlaid with countless twisted reliefs that resemble hardened, decaying vines and tormented human faces.
The towers at the four corners of the city wall were heightened, and their tops were shaped like rotten buds or open insect sacs, with a dense array of arrow holes.
The castle’s only iron gate was incredibly heavy, its surface etched with huge patterns of maggots that were seeping dark green dampness, a sight that was nauseating.
The castle is less like a noble residence and more like a giant, malevolent lair that has sprung up from the corrupt earth.
The criminal convicts led by Nidik quickly arrived at the foot of the castle.
The final, brutal battle has begun!
On the castle tower, the guards and evil men drew their bows and unleashed a barbed barrage of arrows, taking the lives of many soldiers!
The soldiers of the criminal convict corps are also fearless and undaunted!
With the installation of siege ladders, it was only a matter of time before the lord's castle fell!
...............
On the outskirts of Flower Town, a man shrouded in a black robe suddenly emerged from underground.
Several soldiers from the criminal gang responsible for patrolling and guarding had their throats slit silently.
"Although my mission to the capital failed, I managed to escape. And the [Corrupted Relic] was also brought out. As long as I continue to gather the remaining followers, I can still wreak havoc on the capital!"
The man in black robes spoke coldly in a low voice.
He is none other than the "Web Weaver"—Sahudin!
He allowed Toland to "resist stubbornly," giving him time to escape using the sect's secret methods.
Just as Sahudin was feeling smug, thinking he had escaped with his life!
A huge knight's longsword stood horizontally before him.
Immediately afterwards, dozens of knights from the Ash Knights also rushed over from not far away.
Edmund stared at Sahudin, his gaze chilling with murderous intent: "[The Web Weaver] Sahudin!"
Sahudin is also a master; he specializes in magic and is a senior archmage!
"Ujigura!"
"Bone blossoms, flesh turns to mud, the Father's grace bestows upon you a new form..."
Sahudin muttered strange magical incantations and waved his withered hand:
Several sticky tentacles made of rotting mud, bones, and writhing maggots suddenly shot out and coiled around Edmund.
Edmund's eyes flashed with a cold light, and his battle aura erupted like a blazing white flame. The greatsword in his hand transformed into a bolt of lightning that cleaved through the air.
"Battle Aura Slash!" Wherever the sword light passed, the filthy tentacles crumbled and melted away like ice and snow under the blazing sun.
Before Sahudin could finish reciting the second part of the incantation, Edmund had already pounced like a ghost, his sword hilt, wrapped in battle aura, striking Edmund's abdomen, while his other hand gripped Edmund's withered wrist as he tried to form a hand seal.
The dozens of Ash Knights behind him worked in perfect unison, putting all sorts of heavy shackles, ropes, and chains on Sahudin's body.
Thus, Sahudin, the "Net Weaver," was captured!
Edmund also found a strange iron box on his body.
The box was inscribed with ancient characters, and a strange "ding-dong" sound came from inside.
Even a powerful Battle Venerable like Edmund felt a strange sense of apprehension!
"What is this?"
Edmund asked.
"That's one of the sect's corrupt relics!"
Sahudin responded coldly.
..................
The battle at the lord's castle is also nearing its end!
Nidik, fearless and covered in blood, led his troops to conquer the castle!
The remaining evil guards were almost all killed one by one by the legion's soldiers.
Only Lord Toland, the lord, still held his giant axe and stubbornly resisted.
Nidec personally took action and began a final battle with this former hero, the Earl.
Toland is of noble birth and has solid martial arts skills, reaching the Great Warrior level just like Nidec!
"Toland, you are the Earl of Flower Town, enjoying the king's favor for generations! Instead of serving your country, you have sided with an evil cult, causing havoc in the region. You deserve to die!"
Nidik cursed.
Toland, now utterly unrestrained, declared: "The king is nothing but a powerless tyrant! Only by pledging allegiance to the [Benevolent God of Corruption] can I achieve transcendence and salvation!"
"That damned bastard dares to blaspheme His Majesty the King!"
Nidik instantly flew into a rage, and the abnormal brute force dormant within him erupted all at once!
Nidik, who was originally only at the level of a mid-level Grand Warrior, instantly became comparable to a peak Grand Warrior.
Under Toland's relentless attacks, he was defeated after several dozen rounds.
Nidik harbors an intense hatred for any cult of evil!
After all, Nidik's sister was once skinned alive and sacrificed to an evil god by a cult!
With that, Toland dropped his weapon and fell heavily to the ground.
Nidik raised his sword with both hands and approached Toland, ready to cut off Toland's head.
An even more imposing and powerful figure appeared!
Edmund has arrived.
Edmund parried Nidec's deadly attack with his knight's longsword.
"Nidec, don't be reckless! Toland is a count of the kingdom, the lord of Flower Town, not just any ordinary villain! Don't execute him immediately; bind him and hand him over to His Majesty the King for interrogation and a decision on his life!"
Edmund said in a deep voice.
Nidik was somewhat dejected: "Nobles can pay gold coins to atone for their sins! Will His Majesty allow Toland to pay gold coins to save his life for his crimes?"
Edmund stepped forward and patted Nidik on the shoulder: "Nidik, don't overthink it. His Majesty the King is the wisest; please trust all of His Majesty's decisions!"
"As His Majesty's military commanders, shouldn't we be most obliged to offer our loyalty?"
Hearing Edmund's words, Nidik's gloom vanished: "Yes, I believe in His Majesty the King! I offer my loyalty to His Majesty the King!"
"Flower Town harbors other evils! This is a hideout for the Corruption Cult, operated for many years! Don't overlook any corner here! Have the Legion soldiers meticulously search every nook and cranny!"
"Afterwards, compile all the discoveries and combat records into a booklet and report it to me!"
Edmund gave the order.
In the hidden underground chamber of the lord's mansion in Flower Town, soldiers discovered thousands of young boys and girls from the town.
They were imprisoned like dogs in a dark, sunless dungeon.
If Li Ang hadn't sent troops to attack Xianhua Town in time, these boys and girls would have suffered a fate worse than death.
Meanwhile, next to the dungeon, there was a huge sacrificial altar.
The sacrificial altar was already stained with blood.
Whether on or off stage, there are piles of white bones.
There were also some severed limbs scattered around the corners.
Some soldiers with poor mental resilience were already vomiting.
Some sharp-eyed soldiers exclaimed, "This is too wicked! A large portion of the tabletop, covered with carpet, is made from fresh human skin!"
"These evil bastards deserve to die!"
Everyone cursed angrily.
As the soldiers continued their search, they discovered a dark warehouse inside the lord's castle.
The warehouse was filled with all kinds of spices, and if you smelled them carefully, they had a "rotten" smell.
After severely torturing a warehouse guard, they finally managed to extract some information.
These spices were all extracted from corrupted and mutated flowers, and some sectarian secret potions were added.
According to Toland's plan, these spices would be mixed into regular "fragrant powders" and "flower teas" and then sold to various parts of the kingdom and even to different foreign territories.
Once someone is frequently exposed to this "corrupting spice," they will slowly become poisoned and fall into indescribable states of "hallucination," "madness," "rage," "weakness," and "addiction."
Ultimately, these people will be poisoned and corrupted, becoming "sacrifices" for the cult of decay.
After reviewing the sales records, it was found that this "corrupted spice" had been sold for 50,000 to 60,000 catties over the years, affecting nearly one million people in the kingdom.
As for the alien races, the main impact is on the mothers of the cat people, fox people, druids, elves, and other races.
Despite Toland's painstaking efforts, the ordinary residents of the town live in dire straits!
Nearly 100,000 ordinary residents have become "slaves" of Toland. They are forced to listen to the propaganda books of the "Corruption Cult" every day and are randomly tested to recite the cult's scriptures every now and then.
If they cannot answer, ordinary residents will be tortured to death by the sect.
If an outstanding young talent emerges from the town's residents, they are forcibly drawn into the sect and forced to engage in various "corrupt" activities.