Volume 1 Chapter 546

Chapter 546: The Genuine Thief

Although Isabella appeared to have become someone who only indulged in eating after arriving in Hillenbrand Town, in reality, as Heidegger’s eldest daughter and the leader of the Northman Knight Order, she was still remarkably astute. Whether it was war or politics, Isabella was quite adept. She was also well-acquainted with the powerful figures from various forces across the continent.

Upon hearing the words of the red-haired youth, Isabella quickly recalled the information about "Yi." He was the master of Clean Spring Palace, the strongest swordsman of the new generation in the east, a monstrous presence capable of standing alongside Seychelles’ Sword Master. He was the Marshal of the Holy Alliance’s eastern front, though he hardly participated in the battles there. Still a relatively young Holy Domain, the most important detail was that he had a missing sister and no other family.

Isabella glanced at Ann, who awkwardly scratched her head. "Oh no…" The swordsman with the long box on his back murmured, attempting to gloss over the situation.

Isabella was about to speak when she suddenly sensed a disturbance emanating from the torture tower! It seemed that a formidable individual was assaulting the torture tower. In an instant, both Isabella and Ann became alert. "Something is happening!" Isabella declared, pulling a whistle from her pocket. "Tweet—" The sharp sound of the whistle heightened the vigilance of the patrolling officers from the police station stationed by the road.

"The torture tower is under attack; evacuate nearby residents to the west and south districts for safety, and activate the defensive magic circle for immediate shelter!" Isabella commanded firmly. "Those newcomers… come along to safety!" The members of the police station nodded in agreement. "Understood!"

The surrounding mercenaries were somewhat bewildered, but they had no intention of resisting. The magical waves emanating from the high hill in the northeast corner of the town made it clear to them that the battle occurring there was beyond their capability to intervene. This had been the case since the Ruins of Sand, where high-level, high-rank battles, usually unseen, had been breaking out continuously; this was already the third battle. While it made them wonder if it had some connection to a certain succubus and left them feeling numb, it also imparted an important lesson to the survivors: if someone appears to take charge, it is best to follow their lead.

This is the method with the highest chance of survival.

Thus, when faced with Isabella’s "arrangement," no one harbored any intention of resistance.

The mercenaries, alongside the members of the police station from Hillenbrand Town, clad in somewhat peculiar uniforms, began to move in an orderly fashion towards the west, preparing to cross the bridge together for refuge.

However, two individuals broke away from the group and followed Isabella, heading towards the direction of the torture tower.

Naturally, it was Ann and Qiong.

Qiong, who even surpassed Isabella by half a rank, had indeed, in a sense, conquered her internal demon after the battle with Osmeda.

As for Ann, she simply felt that as a member of the town and being of epic stature, it would be inappropriate not to go.

Isabella glanced at the two, said nothing, and merely nodded.

"It’s Holy Domain."

As Qiong spoke, Isabella chimed in.

"That’s correct, but he should be seriously injured now."

Just as Isabella had said.

Outside the torture tower, the proud and cold young man, dressed in merchant’s attire, felt the magic energy quaking within him and spat blood onto the ground.

Clearly, he had not heeded the words of Old Order Sword Grandpa Gandhi.

Perhaps it was due to the person’s "fall" and their submission to the demon race that the old man’s credibility had diminished in his eyes.

In any case, although the young man had located the torture tower and even sensed a trace of the Lady of Light’s presence within, he did not knock on the door.

This suggestion was simply too irrational!

The demon race had imprisoned their Holy Maiden; could it be that knocking on the door would prompt them to open it and engage in a cordial discussion?

That was utterly preposterous!

Even if Gandhi Alter was still not deceiving him, the young man had no intention of doing so.

In his view, as long as the Demon King was not personally present, even if the demon race dispatched a legionnaire leader to encircle him, it would merely mean he could slay a few more demons.

The reason he had been able to converse with Gandhi Alter was primarily because he did not know the whereabouts of the Lady of Light at that time, and the other person was a relatively "virtuous" human.

Now that he knew where the Lady of Light was, there was nothing left to be concerned about.

A mere torture tower, could it truly hinder him?

Having grasped this, or believing he had, the young man naturally opted for the most direct approach.

He sensed numerous defensive magic circles etched onto the torture tower and nonchalantly unleashed a divine spell upon it.

"Divine spell: Light Erosion."

The seventh-level divine spell unleashed by the young man could easily wound or even kill epic-level warriors.

It was particularly effective against magical creatures, magic devices, and structures inscribed with magic circles.

The young man had initially thought he could effortlessly carve a large hole in the outer wall of the torture tower and nullify all the defensive magic circles.

However, that Holy Light power…

It was as if a stone had sunk into the ocean.

It was utterly ineffective.

No, that’s not entirely accurate.

For within mere seconds, the young man received a response.

It was a barrage of counterattacks, each imbued with ten times the power of the high-destructive divine spell known as "Light Devour."

This onslaught seemed specifically tailored to combat the Holy Light, unleashing a relentless series of ten Arcane and elemental assault spells, including the most aggressive Fireball, Arcane Disruption, and Magic Bomb, all directed at his divine spell.

The ferocious magical energy tore through his hastily conjured Holy Light shield in just a second.

This was no ordinary defensive magic array; it was an integrated automatic counterattack defense magic array.

The young man had only heard rumors of such arrays existing within the Mage Towers inhabited by the Sages of the Wizard Association.

These arrays are maintained and enhanced by each successive generation of the Sage school, with every Sage and Great Sage contributing to their reinforcement—often, they are not even kept active continuously.

Yet, here on this seemingly incomplete tower of a succubus, such a magic array existed!

The only consolation was that, perhaps due to his underestimation, the automatic counterattack magic array had misjudged his strength.

Though the counterattack left the young man in a precarious state, it was still within a manageable range.

As he gazed up at the nearly fully illuminated torture tower, observing the ancient runes floating and emitting a faint green glow, the young man’s eyes twitched slightly.

He sensed an almost "vast" amount of magical energy.

Each magic circle here was at least level seven, with a few even reaching the excessive level ten as the core.

He wasn’t certain if the most renowned schools of the Wizard Association and their public Mage Tower in Cloud City boasted such magnificence…

But perhaps they did not.

"Truly befitting the title of ‘Demon Army Chief Consultant’…"

Feeling the magic circles actively locking onto his presence, the young man quietly admired and softly praised Lolth.

Yet, he did not appear particularly anxious.

If it were any ordinary legend level individual, sensing the magical power emanating from the fully activated magic circles of the torture tower would not inspire any thoughts of resistance.

However, the young man seemed unfazed.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, his proud expression still bore traces of disdain and indifference.

Although the torture tower had slightly moved him, it was…

Just a slight stir, nothing more.

He remained confident in his ability to breach the defenses.

Of course, not in his current state.

The young man gently placed his hands on his collar, grasping the lapel of his merchant’s attire, which was imbued with the essence of the marketplace.

Then, he softly shook his garments.

The clothing on his body underwent a miraculous transformation.

From ordinary attire, it instantly gained the enhancement of "extraordinary waves."

The style also shifted to resemble the long robe of the Privy Bishop of The Church of Light, but it was more form-fitting, and the hem was not excessively long.

The overall hue was a deep, rich purple-black, adorned with bright golden edges.

It exuded an air of luxury and elegance, with the Holy Light annulus gleaming brilliantly on the chest.

And within the center of this Holy Light annulus, there lay a staff entwined with vines, more intricate than a regular annulus.

Legend has it that the God of Light wields three distinct "staffs" to exercise His divine authority. When confronted with an unforgivable sin, He chastises the sinner with vines from the Tree of Eden, then wraps the vine that struck the sinner around one of the staffs to deliver the final judgment.

This is the origin of the two most renowned Sacred Tools, the "Judgment Staff" and the "Mercy Whip," revered by the Heretic Tribunal.

However, these two Sacred Tools were not bestowed by the gods; they were commissioned by the two Directors of the Heretic Tribunal and became Sacred Tools after being consecrated.

This attire, akin to the pope’s robe, the Holy Maiden’s gown, and the armor of the three Grand Knights’ leaders…

Is truly unique.

In any given era, only one such piece exists.

It belongs solely to…

The director of the Heretic Tribunal!

The young man gently adjusted his collar, then…

The power of the Holy Light surged and boiled within him, and a long, verdant whip, coiled like a vine, materialized in his hand.

"To the insolent and faithless sinner, a vile and defiled object of blasphemy…"

"This is heresy."

"It has no place in this world."

He murmured softly, unfurling the whip in his hand, his eyes now gleaming with a layer of sacred gold.

"In the name of ‘Judgment,’ I bestow the grace of mercy and love, and offer eternal and enduring forgiveness."

As if pronouncing a verdict, the true Director of the Heretic Tribunal swung the whip in his hand.

This verdant whip was indeed much smaller than the torture tower.

But as the whip struck the tower’s body…

The entire structure quaked violently!

"Boom—"

The interconnected magic circles were significantly damaged and began to disintegrate after that single strike!

Inside the torture tower, every room trembled.

The livestock that hadn’t been relocated from the rooftop pasture were bellowing and scattering in all directions, the precious plants in the greenhouse teetered on the brink of collapse, and pots and pans in the kitchen clattered noisily.

Lady of Light and Janine Irene exchanged a glance, their faces registering surprise.

The two girls distinctly felt the power of Holy Light permeating and spreading from outside!

Had the people from the Church of Light come to their rescue?

How could this be possible…

And who could this formidable force be?

"Your Holiness, it seems someone has come to save us," Janine Irene exclaimed joyfully as she rushed to the window and peered outside, "Let me see… it appears to be just downstairs, and it’s only one person!"

Janine Irene strained her eyes to see, and then her expression turned to one of even greater surprise.

"Ah, it’s the attire of the Director of the Heretic Tribunal… the long green whip, it’s the Whip of Mercy!"

However, this surprise was fleeting.

It quickly morphed into concern.

Because… the arrival of the Director of the Heretic Tribunal wasn’t necessarily a cause for celebration.

"Wait, it’s only the Director of the Heretic Tribunal…"

Janine Irene repeated this, her gaze shifting to her Holy Maiden.

This might not be a rescue mission…

No one knows how the tales of the two have spread across the continent, or how The Church of Light perceives them.

Although there has never been a precedent of a Holy Maiden being executed as a heretic…

There has also never been a case of a Holy Maiden being captured by the otherworldly races from an alternate plane.

Moreover, the two have witnessed the vivid example of the previous Lady of Light’s "fall."

The Lady of Light, naturally, thought of this too. Observing the change in Janine Irene’s expression, she gently shook her head.

"There is no need to worry, Irene."

"If it truly is the worst-case scenario, then it is also the Lord’s guidance."

The Lady of Light said this, her hands folded neatly on her knees.

She even began to laugh.

Is this how the seniors felt back then?

Even those who share the same faith cannot be trusted; they too can be enemies that lead you to your doom.

Unexpectedly, it’s quite exhilarating, isn’t it?

On the other side of the torture tower, Tina, who had been dutifully washing Lolth’s intimate garments for what felt like the hundredth time, felt the tower tremble and looked up in alarm.

"What is… happening?"

She quickly realized that the torture tower was under attack.

And the attackers were from The Church of Light!

"Damn, it really is that Holy Maiden causing trouble, and she picks the time when Master Lolth is away!"

Tina frowned, then pulled out the substitute clothes and shoved them into the fully automatic dryer.

Then, she sprinted towards the control room of the defense magic array for the entire torture tower.

"How infuriating! I wasted my precious opportunity to dry and iron Master Lolth’s personal clothes!"

Tina exclaimed in frustration.

Meanwhile, in the Holy Empire, the "fake" Director of the Heretic Tribunal and master of the torture tower, Lolth, was blissfully unaware that she had inadvertently received a dose of instant karma; her cozy little home had been mistakenly taken over by the real Director of the Heretic Tribunal, and she was cheerfully searching for a red door with Dorothy on the bustling streets.

One, two, three, four…

Counting the red doors from the north, Lolth finally paused in front of one of the wooden doors painted red.

Such vibrant and bold colors are rarely seen in the Holy Empire, except on the garments of some high-ranking clergy.