248: A sadistic inquisitor?

The underground waterway leading to the North District was cold and damp.

Energy fluctuations from Holy Light magic still lingered around.

This indicated that the main force of the Judge Knight Order had already passed through here, and they made no attempt to conceal their tracks.

This was a blatant provocation!

"Sir, Judge Marius... he's different," Buck followed closely behind Mo Yan. "He's a lunatic, a perverted sadist."

"I've seen it with my own eyes. To interrogate a captured brother, he used Holy Light to burn away that brother's skin inch by inch in front of everyone, yet kept him alive with healing spells, torturing him for three days and three nights."

"He never seeks a quick victory; he enjoys... he enjoys the process of tormenting his prey."

Buck's voice was filled with fear: "The leader of the North District is Seraphina. We all call her Hu Lu, because she is a rare Legacy holder of a Druid, capable of Birth some special plants to provide us with valuable medicinal materials and food."

"Her combat strength isn't strong, but she is well-loved by everyone."

"Marius's target must be her. He wants to slowly torment her in front of everyone, thereby destroying the will to resist of everyone in the North District."

The more Buck spoke, the paler his face became.

He could already imagine that cruel scene.

Mo Yan listened attentively, but his pace quickened a bit.

...

The gathering place of the North District was an underground pump station built by the Empire thousands of years ago.

The space here was much more open than in other areas, and the structure was also more solid.

At this moment, inside the pump station, thousands of survivors were using metal pipes and rusted machinery as cover, nervously watching the entrance.

Most of them held crude weapons, and many had injuries.

At the very front of the crowd, a woman dressed in emerald green leather armor, with long flaxen hair and a beautiful face, held a wooden staff entwined with vines, calmly directing the defense.

She was Seraphina, the leader of the North District.

At her feet, countless vines broke through the earth, intertwining and forming a green, spiky barrier.

Outside the entrance of the pump station, thirty Judgment Knights in gleaming silver armor formed a crescent-shaped attack formation, completely surrounding the exit.

Their longswords and staves, glowing with Holy Light energy, exuded an unsettling pressure.

And in the center of the formation, a man sat leisurely on a luxurious chair condensed from Holy Light energy.

He appeared to be about forty years old, with a handsome face, meticulously combed golden hair, and wore a magnificent priestly robe embroidered with intricate gold threads, completely out of place in the dirty surroundings.

A gentle smile hung on his face as he surveyed the terrified faces behind the barrier.

He was the Judge, Marius.

He was not in a hurry to order an attack, but was enjoying the cat-and-mouse game.

Raising his hand, he slowly spoke, his voice amplified by Holy Light magic, echoing throughout the entire pump station.

"Pitiful lost lambs, Souls bathed in darkness and filth."

"I am Judge Marius, sent by my Lord to bestow salvation upon you."

"Look at yourselves, like rats in a sewer, barely surviving, without dignity."

"And look at the one you worship, how ridiculous and fragile her meager natural power is before the great Holy Light."

Seraphina's face paled, and she sharply cried out: "Everyone, cover your ears! Don't listen to his deceptive words! He is a demon!"

"Demon?" Marius elegantly stood up and took a few steps forward, the smile on his face growing more sorrowful, "No, my dear Young Miss Seraphina. I am not a demon, I am merely a faithful listener."

"I enjoy listening to the sound of sinners repenting as they are purified by Holy Light. That... is the most beautiful hymn in this world."

He extended a finger, pointing at her, his eyes filled with undisguised possessiveness: "And you, my beautiful nightingale, you will offer me the most enchanting song."

"I guarantee, your song will be unforgettable for everyone here."

This blatant declaration sent a chill down the spines of all the survivors.

Just then, Mo Yan and Buck had silently infiltrated the rear of the pump station through a forgotten ventilation duct.

"Sir!" Buck spotted Seraphina and Marius outside, his eyes turning red with anxiety.

"Seraphina!" Buck emerged from the shadows, calling out in a low voice.

Seraphina trembled and abruptly turned her head. A look of surprise flashed in her eyes when she saw Buck.

"Buck? How are you here? Leave quickly! This is a trap!" she said anxiously.

"I didn't come alone." Buck didn't waste words and pointed directly at Mo Yan behind him.

Seraphina's gaze fell on Mo Yan, her eyes filled with vigilance.

She couldn't see through this man; he was like a bottomless ancient well, calm and unruffled.

And that... panda gnawing happily on a half-broken iron pipe by his feet?

What a strange combination was this?

"Who is he?"

Before Buck could explain, Mo Yan had already stepped forward.

He didn't look at Seraphina, but instead cast his gaze towards the vine barrier outside.

"Loose structure, chaotic energy. Ten more attacks and it will collapse," Mo Yan commented indifferently.

Seraphina's delicate brows furrowed, displeased.

She had confidence in her defense line, having withstood the church's fierce attacks multiple times. How could a stranger dismiss it so lightly?

"Your Excellency is underestimating me too much," she said coldly, her tone carrying the pride of a Druid.

Before she finished speaking, Mo Yan merely raised his hand and pointed into the air at the vine barrier.

Vast spiritual power surged into the vine barrier.

The next moment, to everyone's astonished gaze, the originally dark green vine barrier...

The originally dark green vines seemed to have been infused with divine blood, growing wildly, intertwining, instantly tripling their thickness.

Countless sharp, spear-like wooden thorns grew on the vines, and a faint, lustrous glow appeared on their surface.

Outside, Marius also noticed this astonishing change, and the smile on his face vanished.

"Oh?" His eyes narrowed. "A surprisingly strong rat has crawled out of this gutter."

"What a pity, it interrupted my enjoyment."

He lost his patience for playing further and decided to use his strongest power to directly crush these ants who dared to challenge his authority.

"All units, prepare!" His voice turned icy. "Judgment—Holy—Spear!"

Thirty Judgment Knights simultaneously raised their longswords and staves, and dazzling Holy Light converged before them.

Thirty pure white beams of light shot up into the sky, fusing into a Holy Light spear in mid-air.

The terrifying pressure made it difficult for all the survivors inside the pump station to breathe.

"It's over... It's the Judgment Holy Spear... We're doomed..." An old soldier's face turned ashen, and he closed his eyes in despair.

Gun Gun also stopped gnawing. It put down the iron pipe and faced the direction of the Holy Light spear.

"Bad guy!"

Seraphina also bit her lip. She knew that even if her vine barrier was strengthened several times, it would absolutely not be able to withstand this attack.

But she didn't retreat. Instead, she gripped her wooden staff tightly, preparing to burn her life force as a price.

"Step back."

Seraphina subconsciously looked back, only to see Mo Yan had already stood in front of her at some unknown point.

"Attack!" Marius's face showed a cruel and fanatical smile as he swung his arm down forcefully.

The Holy Light spear, with a scream that tore through the air, blasted towards Mo Yan and everyone behind him!

The entire underground space was swallowed by this dazzling white light.