Volume 4: Undercurrents of Conflict – Chapter 171: Sword Pointed at Rome

Faced with wave after wave of brutal plunderings, the underground forces across Europe were in an uproar! Everyone lived in fear, as though the sky might collapse at any moment. Although those responsible for the killings and robberies were dark forces operating in the shadows, such a series of major incidents had even drawn the attention of the authorities. Various forces were gradually infiltrating the situation in an attempt to uncover the source of chaos.

However, soon enough, these investigations and pursuits ceased for reasons that were hard to explain—everyone kept quiet. After all, few people could face death calmly. Even those who could remained silent, leaving no clues behind. And if by some chance clues did emerge, they would be unable to speak out!

Another problem plaguing the government was the sudden surge in large-scale transactions and frequent property transfers—clearly abnormal and indicative of clues. Yet, under normal procedures, these actions appeared completely legitimate. But if they tried to use improper methods or excessive power to investigate further, powerful forces would intervene within a day…

Amidst the chaos across Europe, Chu Tianyu held a glass of wine over three thousand years old, smiling as he gently clinked it with the excited Fernando. He took just a small sip, while Fernando downed the entire glass in one gulp, then rolled his tongue in delight and said, “Amazing! Truly amazing! I’ve long desired this old fellow’s treasure. I never thought I’d get it today—haha!”

Chu Tianyu shook his head at Fernando’s expression. In truth, this so-called three-thousand-year-old treasure had a sour taste and was far from delicious. But Chu Tianyu knew that Fernando wasn’t intoxicated by the wine’s flavor—it was the fulfillment of his long-held desire to taste it!

Still, Chu Tianyu never expected their cooperation to be so perfect—each side getting what they wanted. Now, though, he regretted not demanding an extra zero in those 100 billion euros—had he known this old fellow was so powerful, he would have added more!

It’s understandable when you think about it—after thousands of years of operation, it’s only logical for this old guy to have such influence. No wonder he can stand out among all the vampires in Europe. His backer, the top mercenary group, Fallen Heaven, has played a crucial role in this! If it weren’t for a chance encounter where he talked to Duke Orsini about a friend who could find him mercenaries, and Orsini briefly introduced him to several top mercenary groups—including the number one and most mysterious Fallen Heaven—Chu Tianyu wouldn’t have connected those events and boldly guessed Fernando’s true identity.
He never expected Fallen Heaven to actually be this old guy’s trump card. Considering the old guy’s age and Fallen Heaven’s consistently booming business, which seemed to command exorbitant prices, Chu Tianyu dared to demand 100 billion yuan. He thought Fernando would at least try to bargain, but despite looking distressed, Fernando agreed readily, giving Chu Tianyu the feeling that he had already landed a punch but still wanted more.
Moreover, although 100 billion yuan seems like an astronomical amount, it’s not a huge investment if the goal is to control half of Europe. Sigh, if he misses this chance, he’ll have to wait for another opportunity to deal a heavy blow to Fernando!
“What did you do to the owner here?” Chu Tianyu snapped out of his thoughts and suddenly asked, as if remembering something.
Fernando understood what Chu Tianyu meant and said sheepishly, “Heh, that old man and I have no grudges. At most, I wanted to drink his wine, but he was too stingy to give it to me. So when I passed by this place… hehe, that’s all. I took advantage of your help to subdue him and didn’t bother him further! Besides his wine, I didn’t touch anything else!”
“Hmm, that’s good. I don’t know why, but coming here and seeing that old vampire so content with a simple life made me feel peaceful. Maybe we really disturbed the wrong place! And I think we’ve caused enough trouble lately. It’s time to get back to business. I heard Rome has already taken action. It would be good to resolve that too. After finishing here, I need to rush back,” Chu Tianyu said calmly.
“What? You’re done after just causing such a ruckus? What about me?” Fernando’s eyes widened in disbelief at hearing this.

After a pause, Fernandi added, “I really don’t understand what you’re thinking. If I had your skills, I would’ve already made my way to Rome by now—what am I waiting for? What could be more satisfying than just killing that kid Thorne right away! Well? My men are ready at any moment. If you’re willing, we can act right away!”
Clearly, Fernandi had spent a lot of time with Chu Tianyu lately and picked up quite a bit of Chinese slang. Seeing Fernandi’s urging expression, Chu Tianyu thought to himself that this old fellow had become addicted to following him around, always trying to persuade him. With that in mind, he teased him casually, “Surely you’re not eyeing some precious item from that archbishop again? Or is there something there that you’ve been craving for a thousand years?”
Hearing Chu Tianyu’s joke, Fernandi immediately grew anxious. With a solemn expression and his hand placed on his chest as if in prayer, he said devoutly, “No, no! How could that be? Chu, you really underestimate people. I, Fernandi, am the proud god among the vampires. How could I have such despicable thoughts? It’s purely out of enthusiastic and selfless help—completely selfless!”
He repeated the last sentence as if to give weight to his otherwise unconvincing claim of “help.” Yet, even as he spoke, his thoughts had already drifted to Rome, thinking of the countless rare treasures collected by that old bastard Thorne and his magnificent ruby scepter, symbol of the church’s highest authority. That ruby was so large, round, and smooth! It was said to hold the secrets of the universe—what a wonderful thing!
With those thoughts, Fernandi’s drool started to form at the corners of his mouth…
…
“Achoo…” In a secret chamber, Arch-Cardinal Thorne’s hand holding the Sacred Flame Scepter suddenly trembled as he sneezed loudly. He touched his nose, puzzled by why this was happening.
The tall, one-eyed priest standing beside him in a black robe also asked in confusion, “Master, are you alright?”
“No, nothing’s wrong. Go on,” Arch-Cardinal Thorne waved his hand, trying to maintain his composure. He certainly didn’t want to discuss something he found so embarrassing even in front of his subordinates.

“Master, the recent sudden events have had a huge impact on our plans. Several of our key strongholds have been severely damaged, especially with the recent massacres and plunderings of various vampire clans. This has instantly shattered the strategic alliances we had established before, wasting so much of our effort and resources,” said the one-eyed priest.

Thorne waved his hand to interrupt him. “Let’s not talk about that. Don’t you want to share your thoughts and opinions on this matter?”

The one-eyed priest lowered his head in thought for a while before shaking his head. “It’s mysterious—truly a mysterious force. I really can’t think of any powerful group within Europe that could be so formidable!”

“Who said this force must be from Europe?” Thorne asked calmly, slowly rubbing the large ruby on his staff.

“Master, are you saying this is done by outsiders? That’s impossible! Given their familiarity with Europe and their skillful and precise actions, they must be people who know the European landscape very well. Even if there’s collusion between external forces and insiders, I still can’t figure it out. What’s their purpose in causing such a stir? Isn’t that just asking for trouble? Besides, most of their targets are vampires, who don’t pose a threat to us on the surface! Even that shadow from before doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a connection between these events!”

“Oh, thank you, dear God, that you’ve finally enabled me to consider these two matters together!” Thorne said, making an exaggerated gesture.

The one-eyed priest blushed, but clearly still had his own views. After pausing as if thinking for a long time, he said, “I have considered this, but in my opinion, there’s little connection between the two. The first shadow appeared clearly targeting us. I also analyzed this with you before—our greatest enemy is likely Orsini or someone he hired. This time, although it’s also a massacre, it clearly has elements of plundering, and the targets are vampires. I think only we and their three supreme lords know about our alliance with the vampires… So, I believe there’s no connection here.”

Facing his subordinate’s words, Thorne also fell into deep thought. His reasoning wasn’t without merit. Thorne had thought of it himself, but he always felt the situation wasn’t as simple as it seemed. That’s why he deliberately provoked the one-eyed priest, hoping that through his words and analysis, he could reinforce his own original thoughts.

At this thought, a surge of anger flashed through Thorne’s heart, and he cursedKri once again fiercely—someone who had already gone to hell. If not for his incompetence, a few simple guests wouldn’t have died mysteriously abroad. And since he was dead, he had even dragged those African priests into it, cutting off all his sources of information. Otherwise, Thorne wouldn’t be here guessing around right now!

As for Javert, he not only gave away Thorne’s manor for no reason but also disappeared as if he’d vanished from the face of the earth. As a result, no one knew exactly what had happened that day. Only vague rumors suggested that Javert had invited a man and a woman as guests on the day of the incident…

Still no clue! Thorne shook his head, as if trying to forget all the recent unpleasantness. The one-eyed priest beside him understood his master’s frustration and quickly tried to comfort him, “Master, there’s no need to worry. In any case, in just a few days, we’ll be able to obtain the last Holy Power Emblem in the hands of that stubborn Orsini. Then, you’ll be able to personally command the entire Red Eiru Knight Order!”

Seeing Thorne’s expression ease slightly, the one-eyed priest continued to flatter him, “Hehe, with your strength, even without that Red Eiru Knight Order, you could still conquerthe whole of Europe!”

“Nonsense,” Thorne snapped. “If I could act freely, why would I go through all this trouble?”

Realizing his flattery hadn’t worked, the one-eyed priest quickly said cautiously, “Master, so what should we do next?”

Thorne remained silent, as if suddenly remembering something, lost in deep thought. After a long while, he looked up and said to the one-eyed priest in confusion, “Don’t you think the outcome determines everything?”

The one-eyed priest didn’t understand what his master meant. After thinking for a while, he replied cautiously, “I… I suppose so?”

After hearing this, Thorne tapped his cane and suddenly realized, “The outcome—yes, it’s the outcome! I’ve always felt something was off. The recent events seem chaotic and illogical, but in reality, there’s only one outcome: our strength has been weakened!”

“You mean…” The one-eyed priest also understood now.

“Not bad. We don’t need to worry about all these appearances at all. There’s only one outcome now. So if I think about it the other way around, whose interests does this single outcome serve? Who can benefit the most from it? With that in mind, my earlier guess now has a basis and an answer!” Archbishop Thorne said, his eyes shining.

“Only those ancient families will benefit. Among them, the Orsini family stands out the most. I wondered why they suddenly restrained their strength—I thought they were going after that shadow! Now that you mention it, they’re the most suspicious!”

“Olin, when can we get that crest back?”

“Probably in a couple of days.”

“Good. Go arrange some people right away. It seems you’ll have to make a personal trip now. By the way, contact Glayr as well and have them cooperate with your efforts. Good! It’s time we gave them a ‘result’ too!” Thorne ordered.

“Yes, master. You’re absolutely right. All phenomena are false; only the result is real. Whether it’s some mysterious figure or this current force, all we need to do is get rid of our own obstacles. Well, the top obstacle is those Orsini guys! But master, we need a reason, right? Otherwise…” Olin said excitedly.

Thorne nodded. “A reason? Haha, just say it’s part of a conspiracy they’re plotting to overthrow the church, or that they’re colluding with Glayr to deliberately turn Isher Castle into ruins. Whatever you say, remember—I only want that final ‘result’!”

“As you command!”

……

“Father, something bad has happened! Bogule has disappeared suddenly, and the guards protecting the crest were attacked from behind…”

Before the out-of-breath Sophia could finish speaking, Duke Orsini waved his hand and said, “Enough, I already know about this! Sophia, you may go now.”

“Father? With such a serious incident, aren’t you worried?” Sophia asked in surprise.

Facing Sophia’s question, Orsini maintained the same expression and said, “Go check if your uncles have arrived. If they’re all here, entertain them first. I’ll be there in a moment. That’s all. No need to say more. Just do as I said.”

Seeing that Sophia still wasn’t giving up, Orsini added one last sentence in a very stern tone.

After sending Sophia away, Duke Orsini fell into deep thought. It took him a while before he opened his eyes, as if having made up his mind. He slapped the armrest of his seat and muttered to himself, “Life or death depends on today! Chu, I hope you’re as strong as you appear. Otherwise, the fate of our seven families will be sealed!”

In the meeting room, the members of the other six families had already gathered together, whispering and discussing among themselves. It wasn’t until Duke Orsini appeared that they quieted down and focused their attention on him.

“Gentlemen, the true answer will be revealed before your eyes tonight! Your own eyes will tell you everything about what Archbishop Thorne has done!” Without any unnecessary pleasantries, Orsini got straight to the point upon entering.

“We don’t need to wait until tonight; the bloody facts have already given us the answer…”

“Yes, from the way he cunningly seized control of the family crest that governs the Red Eiruchi, his sinister intentions are obvious…”

“Alas, it’s a pity we realized too late. We’ve already lost most of our strength to him…”

“If it weren’t for Brother Orsini noticing early and preserving our strength, we wouldn’t even know where to hold this meeting today!”

“It’s too late no matter what. We no longer have the strength to suppress him…”

Duke Orsini’s words immediately sparked discussions among the gathered.

Orsini signaled for silence and said with deep sorrow, “Alas, someone I once regarded as my own son, someone born with the title of hero, has now become a shameful traitor. He, Bogule, just stole our last hope—the last family crest that could control the Red Eiru knights—and took most of my castle’s elite and main forces with him…”

“What!?” Before Orsini could finish, everyone exclaimed in unison in shock.

Before they could react further, a deafening explosion rang out outside the castle. The door to the meeting room was also flung open in haste, and one of Orsini’s officials rushed in, out of breath, saying, “Duke, Duke! Their attack has begun!”

Orsini remained calm and said, “Why panic? Give orders to resist according to the original plan. No matter what happens, do not leave your defensive positions!”
“Yes!”

After giving the order, Duke Orsini turned his head, gave those family members a bitter smile again, and said, “What’s meant to happen will happen. Tonight might be our last battle!”
“Yes! We have nowhere left to retreat. Let’s fight them to the end!”
“Right, let’s go! The moment they break through the castle, it will be time for us to fight for our final glory!”
“Brothers Orsini, lead us into battle!”
“……”
Faced with the furious crowd, Orsini was quite satisfied. His face showed a fitting look of solemnity as he said firmly, “Very well. Today, even if my castle is reduced to ashes and every member of my family fights to the last man, we will still fight them to the end. Let’s go! Instead of waiting to die, let our weapons also stain the enemy’s blood!”
Though both sides had made thorough preparations for this battle, the gap in strength was simply too vast. Although Orsini’s defenses were meticulous, the large number of elites who had been temporarily turned by Bogule left his forces weakened, paralyzing his otherwise solid defense system and causing them to fight in isolation.
Seeing this, all the members of the major families realized it was a moment of shared honor and disgrace, so they too joined in defending the castle with great enthusiasm to make up for its weaknesses. But something terrifying happened—the attacking enemies not only didn’t decrease but seemed to grow in number.
Their resistance, which had initially allowed them to fight back, now turned into complete passivity; they had no strength to resist at all.
To make matters worse, as if bad luck would pile up, the sky darkened, and a swarm of bats appeared above the castle, bringing with them a foul wind that turned the faces of those below pale. Vampires—actual vampires! No one could have imagined that the highest leader of the Church, Archbishop Thorne, would collude with their long-time enemies, the vampires…
By then, the members of the other families finally realized that with their strength, they were simply overreaching! Despair, utter despair, spread instantly among those who had once been full of fighting spirit.
As waves of vampires descended from the sky, the castle was instantly engulfed in a sea of slaughter. But for those family members, although the vampires were numerous, their strength wasn’t very high—probably due to the rumors of brutal massacres committed by vampires during this period.

But that’s exactly what happened—under such fierce attacks from all sides, the castle’s defenses crumbled in an instant, and those family members naturally became targets for slaughter due to their numerical disadvantage. Yet if they had been able to look around at that moment, they would have been shocked to find that they were the only ones still fighting bravely!
“Haha, welcome, Bogule, my dear friend!”
In a dense forest not far from Duke Orsi’s castle, one-eyed priest Olin, who had once discussed plans with Archbishop Thorne in a secret chamber, greeted Bogule with great enthusiasm as he brought a large group to join him.
“Honorable Priest Olin, greetings. I’ve finally brought you what Archbishop Thorne wanted, and I’ve also brought along the elite soldiers who grew up with me…” the traitor Bogule said humbly.
“Good, good, haha, that’s wonderful! With such achievements, I’m sure the Archbishop will be very satisfied. It seems your title as duke is within reach, haha. Who knows? Maybe the Archbishop might even grant you the title of count out of joy?” Olin said promisingly.
Upon hearing this, Bogule’s expression changed instantly, filled with joy as he stepped closer and said even more humbly, “Hehe, I still need your support in the future! My experience is limited, especially compared to you, who are the Archbishop’s confidant!”
Hearing this, Priest Olin seemed even happier than if he had eaten several buckets of honey. He nodded repeatedly, patting his chest and assuring, “No problem, no problem, haha. We’ll take care of each other from now on, haha…”
The two enjoyed a pleasant conversation for a while before Priest Olin seemed to remember something and said, “By the way, Bogule, where’s what the Archbishop wants? That’s the most important thing. With it, I’m sure the Archbishop will be pleased. Then you won’t have to worry about your future—just wait to become your duke!”
“Don’t worry about that. Here, it’s right in my bag. Take it, Lord Olin. Please give it to the Archbishop. Hehe, from now on, I rely on you!” Bogule said as he took out an ancient-looking box from his pocket and carefully held it before Priest Olin.
At that moment, Priest Olin’s eyes narrowed into smiles, but the greedy light shining through those slits was unmistakable.

“Okay, okay, from now on, whatever is mine will be yours too—I promise! Tsk tsk. This is the last emblem! You know, even though the Archbishop has already obtained the first six, I never handled them myself. I never expected the last one to be presented by my hands. Look, just look—this thousand-year-old sacred object even has such an ancient-looking box…”
“Ugh, if it’s already been a thousand years, isn’t it supposed to be ancient?” Bogule thought to himself. Apparently, the immense joy had left Priest Olin a bit speechless.
The moment Priest Olin’s slightly trembling hands opened the box, his expression froze, and he couldn’t help but ask, “No way… Is this really an emblem? It… it looks more like a grenade…”
Before Priest Olin could finish his puzzled words and guesses, the object that resembled a grenade gave him an answer.
With a “Boom~”, it exploded in his hands. A powerful surge of sacred energy rushed out under the massive shockwave, scattering wildly throughout Priest Olin’s arms and chest…
But for Priest Olin to be a confidant of Archbishop Thorne, he surely couldn’t rely solely on his flattering words—he must also possess extraordinary strength.
So at the moment of the explosion, the sacred energy within him also surged forth to block it somewhat. Yet that “grenade” was clearly specially made. Although its ordinary gunpowder power didn’t cause much harm to him—merely marring the skin on his hands, arms, chest, and face—it couldn’t damage his core. The extra sacred energy, however, dealt him a severe blow. The force hitting him up close pierced right through, making his internal organs feel as if they were being torn apart. His chest tightened so much that he spat out a mouthful of blood before feeling slightly better.
But with this sudden change, Bogule, who was closest to him, also stepped back slightly at the moment of the explosion. Immediately afterward, he clenched his fists and charged forward, firing a punch infused with sacred energy that sent the utterly unprepared Priest Olin flying backward in an instant.
After landing this successful strike, Bogule didn’t stop his assault but followed up, ready to deliver continuous blows. Meanwhile, Priest Olin’s subordinates, aside from being stunned at first by the sudden change, had already reacted by the time Bogule attacked. They rushed to stand in front of Priest Olin, blocking his subsequent attacks.

The reason these subordinates could react so quickly was that they were originally part of the church’s elite ranks—top-tier in terms of consciousness, mind, and every other aspect. Even when acting in panic, they were still able to keep fighting Bo Gu Lie, gradually turning the tide and engaging him in a back-and-forth battle.

“Move aside!” A gloomy voice rang out, causing both sides to pause their fight and look toward its source.

Priest Olin’s clothes were already torn into strips, revealing skin that was either charred black or bloodied…

Suddenly, a surge of energy erupted from Priest Olin. With a “pop,” his clothes burst open, exposing his entire upper body. Unexpectedly, beneath his robes, he possessed muscular physique, and his wounds not only failed to diminish his strength but instead added to his ferocity, madness, and brutality.

“Good, very good. I didn’t expect you to have the audacity to use such a sneak attack on me. Unfortunately, there’s one thing you’ll never understand: the vast gap in strength can make up for any minor mistakes. And now, you clever little fool, Bo Gu Lie, you’re about to face an unstoppable force. Let me show you what true strength looks like—Holy Light of Frost…”

As he spoke, Olin stepped forward, his fierce eyes seemingly spewing fire. His anger after being outmaneuvered must have made his hatred for Bo Gu Lie overwhelming!

By the time he said his last word, he suddenly flashed forward, accelerating rapidly, his fist clenched with a glacial light emanating from it. The path he traced resembled a comet cutting through the air, leaving behind a trail of glowing light.

Bo Gu Lie had been prepared. As Olin pressed forward, he began retreating. When Priest Olin attacked, Bo Gu Lie immediately stepped back without hesitation, still maintaining defense against Olin’s attacks.

Just as the two were locked in a tense standoff, Bo Gu Lie stumbled backward as if tripped by something, changing direction and falling to the side…

Priest Olin’s attack was ready to change, aiming to kill his opponent, but Bogule had just stepped back, creating an opening. Suddenly, a dark figure appeared before Priest Olin, causing him to hesitate and lose the ability to change his attack. Unfortunately for that figure, Olin’s full-force strike was originally meant for Bogule; it seemed the dark figure was just someone sent by him, ending up as a scapegoat and taking the brunt of the attack.

As Priest Olin approached, he could finally see the face of this unfortunate scapegoat. It was an ordinary-looking Easterner with a blank expression, likely stunned by Olin’s fierce attack.

Just as Olin’s fist, carrying destructive power, was about to strike the man, he felt a tremendous resistance. The man dodged instantly, raised his arm, and swiftly grabbed Olin’s wrist, preventing his fist from moving forward or pulling back.

Surprised, Olin quickly changed his tactics. He leaned forward, using his elbow to strike the Easterner’s chest, while simultaneously kicking at his legs.

Olin hoped this new move would reverse his earlier disadvantage, but he had no real hope for it. He felt it was at most a desperate struggle from a trapped animal.

The moment his attack was blocked and his wrist was seized, he realized he had been completely outmaneuvered. If he had naively thought the opponent was just a poor scapegoat, he wouldn’t have reached this point. It was clearly a skilled opponent sent to deal with him, with perfect timing—obviously planned in advance!

Sure enough, none of his attacks succeeded as they were blocked by the opponent’s powerful energy. His upper body felt as if it were hitting cotton, while his kick to the lower body struck like hitting steel. Combined with his own strength, his toes screamed in pain, accompanied by the sound of bones breaking.

“Ah~~~” Olin could only utter a half-scream before being interrupted by a similar attack from the opponent. The other person held him tightly with one hand while using the other to draw an arc with the elbow and strike his chest. Before he could feel the pain, a violent shock erupted between his legs, and with the combined force of these two blows, his body was instantly flung away… With a “thud,” he crashed heavily to the ground. Olin was in agony, and what hurt him the most was the precision of the attacker’s moves—delivering devastating blows without being so severe as to kill or knock him out instantly, allowing him to remain semi-conscious enough to feel the intense pain and truly understand what it meant to suffer unbearably! It took some time before his subordinates managed to help him up. Several priests kept casting healing light on him, but sweat poured from his forehead, and his face was pale as paper. With all his strength, he managed to utter a few words: “Surround them! Attack! Kill them…” In fact, even without his words, his numerous subordinates had already surrounded those brought by Bogule. The main force attacking the castle consisted of Gecael’s troops and those vampires. The large number of people he brought with him were reluctant to get involved directly—although they had already gone to great lengths, it was better to preserve their reputation. Moreover, his primary goal this time was that last emblem. To be honest, everything else was secondary; only that emblem mattered most. With it, their master could control the Red Eiru Knights. Ancient families, European powers, and even those vampires temporarily cooperating with them would be utterly insignificant! Unexpectedly, these people failed to protect the expected emblem and instead focused on protecting themselves. Fortunately, they had a clear numerical and strength advantage. Although the enemy had that mysterious Eastern expert to assist them, his side had five high-ranking priests and seven Holy War Knights present—greater strength finally gave him a sense of safety. Yet his encounter with that Easterner earlier had been a nightmare! Hundreds of experts against dozens of people—clearly an unbalanced battle. But none of those trapped inside showed even the slightest sign of fear or panic.

But the priests of Olin no longer had the heart to care. The constant pain from their bodies continued to torment them. All they wanted now was to faint from the blows so as to suffer less. The encirclement kept shrinking, but before the two sides could come into contact, a flame appeared in Bogulei’s hand and was sent upward. Instantly, a crimson signal flare rose into the sky.

“Respected priests of Olin, you really lack grace! Relying on your numbers to bully us in the minority. But today, I think you’ll be disappointed, because we have even more people than you!” With that, Bogulei pointed upward. Following his gesture, a whooshing sound was heard as an energy arrow pierced the skull of one of the church’s men. As the man screamed and died, the church members were horrified to realize that an even larger encirclement had formed around them at some point.

With the release of that arrow, the attack with a sea of energy arrows from the outside began. In the blink of an eye, most of the church members on the outermost circle had fallen.

“Quick, scatter! There are still our own people in here! If we spread out, they won’t dare shoot randomly!” Olin managed to shout, though he immediately spat out another mouthful of blood. Watching his men being shot at like living targets, he realized they were truly trapped in someone else’s scheme with no hope of turning things around. Anger overwhelmed him, and just as he had always wished, he fainted.

Arrows stopped flying, but the sharpness of blades revealed their true power. The sounds of killing from both inside and outside filled the air, plunging those church members who had thought they were sure of victory into a desperate situation of being attacked from all sides.

The outer encirclement was led by Fernando and his mercenaries, the Falling Heavens. Just by hearing their loud shouts, one could tell how excited they were about killing. Inside, Bogulei also led his family’s elite to join the attack from the outside, charging in close.

As for that shadow, it was undoubtedly Chu Tianyu. He remained motionless, continuing his attack from earlier without being affected by the surroundings. He simply stared intently at the twelve people standing in front of the priests of Olin.

At the forefront were seven burly men wrapped in cloaks. They were called burly because each of them was tall and strong, with massive physiques. Even wrapped in cloaks, their imposing presence couldn’t be hidden. Standing there, they resembled an impenetrable wall, exuding a strong sense of pressure that made it hard to look directly at them.

Behind them, the five priests had already combined their efforts to form a defensive barrier around them, with energy waves flowing continuously, as if touching them would trigger some kind of taboo. The seven strong men also contributed to completing the barrier by drawing out massive, broad swords from their cloaks, their killing intent instantly evident!

Chu Tianyu raised his gaze to the distant woods, murmuring to himself. A thunderous shout rang out in the ear of the shadow lurking on a tall tree: “Rui Cai, watch closely!”

Just as that shadow was knocked down by Chu Tianyu’s roar, his feet seemed to leave no trace as he flashed to the side of the seven strong men. His fists moved like shadows, and a fierce gust of wind instantly enveloped the seven Holy War Knights. It seemed they had been waiting for Chu Tianyu’s attack—almost simultaneously, they drew their swords and swung. Instead of white light, the swords emitted a faint golden glow, blessed by the war gods behind them…

Clang, clang, clang—the heavy swords of the Holy War Knights clashed with Chu Tianyu’s fists at incredible speed. But the scene of blood splashing they had imagined never occurred. At the moment of contact, a fierce and powerful force erupted from Chu Tianyu’s fists, effortlessly pushing back their heavy swords. Not only was there no bloodshed, but due to the force, not even a hair could touch them.

Seeing that their first attack failed, they prepared to strike again. But except for one man, the other six felt their swords become lighter in their hands. Their six heavily forged steel swords shattered without warning, their fragments scattering across the ground, leaving only bare sword handles in their hands…

Before they could react, Chu Tianyu had already broken through the barrier with a punch and snatched the only intact sword as if by magic.

Why “snatched”? Because as Chu Tianyu moved, the Holy War Knight collapsed to the ground—his heart veins had already been shattered by the force…

At the same time, Chu Tianyu turned the sword, its cold light flashing. Wherever its tip pointed, nothing could resist!