Chapter 011: Execution

In the square, a “whoosh” sound was heard, and chaos ensued. The imperial guards who had been surrounding the civilians now received orders to act immediately. In less than half a minute, ten civilians had already died at their hands.
The civilians scattered in panic, but the square was completely surrounded—where could they go? Those with some status organized their own guards to fight back against the imperial guards. Seeing this, the civilians also seemed to gain courage; they grabbed burning branches from the fires and started fighting back. After all, in such a situation, death awaited either if they resisted or if they didn’t.
The armies of the northern lands were fierce, and so were their people—no one was willing to accept death passively. Soon, shouts of battle filled the air in the square.
The cavalry surrounding Du Fan and his group launched an attack. With just a slight collision, countless bodies were flung into the air, and screams filled the air. The temple knights were covered in blood but, under Taylor’s command, remained tightly around Du Fan, refusing to back down even by a step. The cavalry’s attacks couldn’t force them to retreat even an inch.
Countless weapons were thrust at them, and the temple knights finally couldn’t hold out. One of them was accidentally stabbed in the thigh and collapsed with a scream. Before anyone could help him, he was trampled to death by the horse’s hooves.
This temple knight died due to carelessness, and the other knights’ eyes turned red with anger.
Taylor shouted loudly, his sword glowing with divine energy as he beheaded several cavalrymen.

Du Fan saw that the Temple Knights were in dire straits, almost forced back by those ordinary soldiers. He couldn’t help frowning, but with a slight wave of his hands, he threw several magic scrolls. Instantly, dozens of wind blades mixed with small fireballs flew in all directions. How could those cavalrymen have ever seen such a scene? Before they could even scream, more than a dozen of them were cut in half by the wind blades, while others had their mounts killed by the same blades, throwing them off their horses and leading to being trampled to death by the crowded cavalry behind. Some were hit by the small fireballs, their bodies engulfed in flames as agonizing screams filled the air, sending chills down everyone’s spine. Though those soldiers were fierce, their attacks slowed down under these circumstances.

But as soon as the cavalry hesitated, shouts came from behind. Though terrified, the cavalry at the front had nowhere to retreat and could only grit their teeth and charge forward again.

Du Fan didn’t have time to pull out more magic scrolls, but the Temple Knights stepped forward. Suddenly, a horse rushed out from the side. The Temple Knight at the front, caught off guard, was knocked to the ground. His Holy Cross sword flew out, severing the head of the cavalryman on horseback. He then grabbed the cavalryman’s spear and swept it around, toppling several more cavalrymen.

Yet in such a warlike situation, an individual’s combat strength was greatly limited. The Temple Knights didn’t even have time to summon their divine energy, relying solely on brute force to fight against those ordinary soldiers. No matter how skilled they were, their advantages were limited.

After fighting for a while longer, the number of surrounding soldiers didn’t decrease, while only four Temple Knights remained. One of them was injured in his hand and would have collapsed if not for his determination to hold on.

Although Du Fan occasionally cast a few spells to help, he certainly couldn’t use large-scale destructive spells under these circumstances, as it would harm his own people as well. Even for minor spells, he used them sparingly. As for the three barbarian secrets, if used, they would either require him to kill everyone present to silence them or simply couldn’t be used at all.

Moreover, after fighting for some time, he had already noticed something was amiss. If they were ordinary soldiers, seeing him waste so much magic, they would have dropped their armor in fear long ago. But these soldiers, though scared, still charged forward without hesitation. If they were ordinary soldiers, he wouldn’t believe it at all. He didn’t believe that the city lord could train such strong soldiers. If he guessed correctly, someone must be planning to take his life in this northern land. While Du Fan was thinking, Taylor suddenly roared, his combat energy blazing fiercely. Ignoring his injuries, he swung his sword in one strike, creating a vacuum zone in the battlefield. After doing this, Taylor turned around with a grim smile and said, “Lord Du Fan, hurry and take your people away. I’ll hold off these pursuers. Go quickly to the Great Cathedral in the east. With Lord Xiao Yulong there, those fools won’t be able to do anything to you!” Du Fan was moved. It was the first time he had seen someone fight so desperately for him. Although he knew he could leave at any time, he couldn’t leave now under any circumstances. Seeing the cavalry closing in again, Du Fan laughed heartily and said, “Sir Taylor, in life, how can one fear death? If I run this time, our Holy Church will lose all face! So this time, I’d rather die fighting than retreat. It’s actually me who’s caused trouble for you. I’ll cover your retreat. Hurry and leave! It’s not worth dying here for me!” Hearing this, Taylor felt inspired and shouted loudly, “It’s my duty to protect Lord Du Fan’s safety. How can I run first? Since Lord Du Fan doesn’t want to leave, brothers, let’s fight to the end! How can the noble Temple Knights be afraid of those fools?” The remaining four Temple Knights were also filled with a sense of shared resolve. Soon, flashes of combat energy appeared in the square, and more than a dozen cavalrymen were knocked off their horses. Du Fan snorted, put his Phantom Wand back into his storage ring, picked up a Holy Cross Sword from the ground, and with a flash of holy light, swung a cross-cutting strike that split dozens of approaching cavalrymen in half. Then he unleashed a series of rapid sword techniques, turning the cavalrymen beside him into pieces.

Du Fan used just two moves to kill dozens of people. The cavalry, terrified, gently pulled on their reins and retreated several steps. Yet, the city lord behind them shouted in a pale face, “Kill him! Kill him now! Whoever kills him, I’ll give him ten thousand gold coins!”

At that moment, the air was filled with the smell of blood. The civilians in the square had been slaughtered almost completely. The remaining soldiers surrounded them, cutting off all escape routes. Hearing the city lord’s order, the soldiers surged forward as if driven by some force.

Du Fan’s eyes flashed as he tried to locate Lord Hai Xin to threaten him, but the ground was covered in corpses, and Lord Hai Xin was nowhere to be seen. With a bitter smile, Du Fan mobilized his combat energy. He wasn’t afraid of killing more people; he was worried that if he killed too many, others might realize his strength didn’t match someone who had only practiced combat energy for less than half a year—that would be troublesome.

A few Temple Knights had retreated behind Du Fan. Thinking that Ling Yin couldn’t use combat energy or magic, they surrounded her. The Temple Knights stood back to back, all with bitter smiles on their faces.

But just then, there was the sound of horse hooves like distant thunder. It was a group of cavalry. From afar, a gentle voice rang out, “Is that Young Master Du Fan ahead?”

Du Fan was momentarily stunned. Before he could respond, Taylor beside him shouted, “Lord Xiao Yulong, City Lord Moduo has gathered rebels and defiled the gods. Please punish these traitors!”

Then came the sound of horns and a clash of weapons. Cries of pain filled the air as blood and flesh flew everywhere.

Xiao Yulong, dressed in white and leading the charge, wielded his Holy Cross Sword like a giant cross symbol. With each gentle swing, dozens of enemies returned to the Father’s embrace.

The Temple Knights behind Xiao Yulong were strong and armored in shiny silver. Their combined fighting force was far beyond what the imperial city guards could match!

The imperial city guards, who had struggled for a long time to capture Du Fan and his group without success, were already filled with fear. Now, seeing such a large force approaching, their morale collapsed even further.

Most of the rebel soldiers, upon seeing this, screamed and threw down their weapons, trying to flee. But the Temple Knights advanced like meat grinders, ensuring none of them could escape.

The city lord’s face turned pale, and he couldn’t help but shout loudly, “Why run! Why run! Fight them now, or we’ll all be doomed!” His frantic voice was barely audible in the battlefield. The scattered soldiers paid no attention to him, only focused on escaping to save their lives. The Templars of the Temple Knight Order had spread out across the square. With their formidable strength, the ordinary soldiers didn’t even stand a chance to resist. Heads flew through the air and screams filled the surroundings. What was once a peaceful square had now turned into a hellish realm. Xiao Yulong personally led a group of Templars to Du Fan’s side, surrounding them to protect them. Xiao Yulong dismounted and knelt on the ground, saying solemnly, “I am incompetent and have allowed Lord Du Fan to suffer such misfortunes. Please forgive me!”