Chapter 005: Injustice

Du Fan’s figure flashed through the air and landed right in front of Aldas. He let out a low sigh, his face filled with devout sorrow. “Aldas, what has blinded your eyes to the point where you’re willing to sacrifice everything to save an heretic?”
Aldas halted mid-air. He glanced at Du Fan and sneered, “You come here to die on your own! Very good!”
Du Fan sighed again. “Those who desecrate the rituals deserve death… Aldas, when we reach the Abyss of Purgatory, don’t blame me!”
Aldas snorted. “Why so many words? Don’t you know better than I do what’s going on?”
Du Fan smiled faintly and spoke in a low voice audible only to the two of them. “But so what? You finally realize it’s all my scheme. What can you do to me? I’ve already burned your beloved Kris—can you stop me? Even if you save her, the two of you will be hunted by the Holy Church for life. See… this was originally a simple scheme. If you hadn’t come, even if I burned her, you could still kill me to protect her. But now? What can you do?”
Aldas said slowly, “I just need to kill you! Then I can save her!”
Du Fan laughed heartily. “Kill me or save her—choose carefully! If you kill me, you might not be able to save her!”
With that, Du Fan pointed gently in Kris’s direction.
In the flames, Kris’s figure became translucent. The sacred flames around her formed a giant tulip, with Kris as its bud.
Seeing this, Aldas roared and, ignoring Du Fan, rushed toward that direction.
Du Fan smiled faintly. “Aldas, since this is your own death, I can’t be blamed!”
Then, he turned his palm, and the Phantom Wand appeared in his hand. A holy chant echoed: “The Lord says: Those who desecrate Me shall be judged by the holy light!”
A beam of holy light shot from Du Fan’s wand and struck Aldas’s back with precision. Aldas screamed in pain as blood spewed from his mouth, but his trembling body still rushed toward Kris in the flames.
Du Fan smiled again. “Useless? Then let’s continue… The Lord says: All heretics will be reduced to nothingness under this assault!”

With that, he waved his hand casually, and a divine shock surged forth, hitting Ordas head-on. Ordas staggered and fell into the sacred flames on the ground, letting out a piercing scream. Yet soon, he leaped back up and charged forward again without hesitation. Du Fan sighed softly, but this time he spoke in a grave tone, “Is she really worth giving everything for? Well, it’s fine. If you hadn’t done this, I wouldn’t have known how to continue this game!” After saying that, Du Fan put away his Phantom Wand. He reached out in the air with his right hand, and a battle spear flew swiftly from afar, landing right in his grasp. He sneered, his combat energy beginning to boil, while the spear in his hand glowed, echoing the sacred light in the sky. By now, Ordas had reached Chris and embraced her, his eyes shining with excitement. Behind him, Du Fan sighed gently and said, “It’s a pity you were too hasty. If you had killed me first, there might have been a chance… Now, it’s too late!” With that, Du Fan threw the spear, which shot in a straight line toward Chris’s chest. At that moment, Ordas sensed something. He had intended to untie the ropes binding Chris, but he suddenly stepped back, placing himself in front of her. “Thud”—the spear pierced through his chest. Though Ordas was an unparalleled warrior, his combat energy had been exhausted long ago. A move that usually could be dispelled with a wave of his hand now required him to use his own body to block it. A stream of blood shot into the air, and the last glimmer in his eyes dimmed. The burning sacred flames covered Chris’s body and soul, yet she seemed unaware of the pain, merely staring at Ordas. A final spark of fire flashed in Ordas’s eyes. He suddenly tightened his embrace around Chris. The spear that had pierced through his chest also went through hers, binding their bodies together. As the flames rose, everything turned to ashes in the sacred fire… “Or… you shouldn’t have come…” “If I hadn’t come, when would I have seen you again?” “But I really am not worth it for you…” “Even if I gain the world without you, what’s the point?” Life is as brilliant as a summer flower, existing only for this dazzling moment, becoming a fleeting flame across the sky! Everything ended so simply…

The sacred flame still burned brightly, but it lacked its former noise and bustle.
Du Fan slowly descended to the ground, returned to the platform, and sat down on the jade-like seat. With a soft sigh, he said, “Ordas brought death upon himself. No wonder I…”
It seemed he was talking to himself, yet it also seemed like he was speaking to Joshua.
Joshua stood nearby, almost stunned. After a long while, he forced a wry smile and said, “Du Fan, are you satisfied like this?”
“Satisfied with what?” Du Fan sneered. “It’s not over yet. Ordas defiled the gods, and the Belinger family can’t shirk responsibility. I think even Lord Anthony would agree to that, right?”
“And so what?”
“Though one should always leave a backdoor open, if the roots aren’t removed, they’ll grow back once more when spring comes!”
Hearing Du Fan’s cold tone, Joshua suddenly shuddered.
Du Fan then smiled gently and said, “Lord Joshua, are you afraid?”
Joshua shook his head slightly.
Du Fan closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened them slowly and said, “If I didn’t do this, I wouldn’t even be able to leave this northern land. Who can be blamed? Either I kill him or he kills me—how can I be blamed? Lord Joshua, perhaps you blame me for dragging the Holy Church into this mess, but if I’m being hunted, isn’t it because of the Holy Church? Everything in this world has its cause and effect; yesterday’s actions bring today’s consequences—nothing more.”
“Politics and religion are like twin siblings, aren’t they, Lord Joshua?”
Joshua sighed deeply. After a moment, he waved his hand lightly and said, “We must report today’s events to the imperial capital immediately. With Ordas dead and Bruce gone, the impact is unimaginable. Du Fan, no matter what, we must return to the capital as soon as possible… I’m afraid the imperial capital will be in turmoil from now on!”
Du Fan stood up, smiled gently, and said, “Understood, my respected Lord Joshua!”
Then he looked toward the center of the square. Ordas, did you die like this… What a strange grudge!
The void-like sacred flame burned throughout the day. Only at dusk did the sacred cross symbol in the sky gradually disappear, but the flame in the square continued to burn, seemingly determined to burn away their souls completely before stopping.
The cavalry of the Northern Legion and the Knights of the Temple withdrew one after another. The massive magic circle slowly vanished, and everything seemed to return to its original state. If no one spoke, it would be impossible to know what had happened here.

The priests around him had dispersed, and Joshua was also nowhere to be seen. Du Fan still sat on the platform, watching. After a long while, he let out a low sigh and said, “Go back…”
With that, he stood up, ready to leave!
But just then, a figure suddenly rushed into the square, screaming frantically, “Young master… Young master Ordas… It’s my fault! It’s me!”
All eyes were drawn to her—she was an extremely beautiful woman.
Du Fan glanced at her; it was Xue Lan. But what were you doing here now?
Du Fan waved his hand at a Templar knight and said, “Get that woman out. She’s a disgrace here!”
The Templar knight nodded and prepared to leave.
But Xue Lan seemed to suddenly recognize Du Fan. She rushed toward the platform, shouting, “Du Fan! Du Fan! Didn’t you promise me? Didn’t you make a promise?”
The Templar knight quickly approached her and struck her with his holy cross sword, shouting, “Dare you!”
Du Fan waved his hand and said, “Let her go!”
Then he sighed softly and said loudly, “Ordas brought this upon himself. It’s not my fault… Xue Lan, enough people have died today. I don’t want your life. Go back by yourself. Of course, if you still want to work for me, you can follow me… As for Ordas, forget about it!”
Xue Lan was stunned. She looked at the blazing holy fire beside her, her heart broken. In the flames, there seemed to be two entwined figures!
Suddenly, Xue Lan struggled to stand up. With a cry of sorrow, she rushed into the burning fire. None of the Templar knights around her could stop her!
Du Fan watched in shock, unable to help but sigh deeply. In the flames, there seemed to be two transparent figures entwined as they flew away, with a faint figure chasing behind…
“What a tragedy…” he sighed softly…