novelraw Chapter 302-1: In the Name of the Solar Heroes, Judge the Heretics (1)
Chapter 302-1: In the Name of the Solar Heroes, Judge the Heretics (1)
Only one hour remained until the final event, when the four Solar Heroes would descend.
Excluding Lin Xun, there were four people left on the Apostle list. He knew well that before dealing with external threats, one must first settle internal ones.
If he did not eliminate the four hiding Apostles before the final event arrived, they would be time bombs on the ultimate battlefield.
Who knew when they might stab him in the back.
As for the possibility of cooperation, Lin Xun held the highest kill count; for him, there was a possibility of cooperating with a few.
But for the others?
Any Apostle who dared enter Slaughter Mode, unless they had prepared an Escape Bookmark in advance, came to fight for a Disciple seat with the resolve to die at any time.
For Apostles brainwashed by the New World, the importance of a Disciple seat far exceeded life itself.
So long as they could set him up in secret and deliver a backstab at the most critical moment, they could sit in the seat of the Twelfth Disciple. No one could refuse such temptation.
“We must kill the remaining four before the Solar Heroes descend.”[…]
[You cancel invisibility, reveal yourself from behind the pillar, and come to the center of the church to bow your head in prayer with the other believers.]
[On the host dais, the priest continues to proclaim the church’s doctrine and the greatness of the Radiant Crescent.]
[More than a dozen Paladins of Discipline have returned to the church entrance to stand guard.]
[Suddenly, a flaming scarlet arrow shoots from the corner of the church.]
[The strong arrow comes swiftly, yet in your eyes it is like a slow-motion replay. You leap into the air and easily evade it.]
[The arrow continues on, piercing several believers behind you. Blazing flames burst forth, reducing several corpses to ash.]
[The face of Unknown Apostle No. 6, who holds a longbow in the corner, shows shock. He immediately reacts, murmuring an incantation as if to enter invisibility again.]
[As you are about to land, your toe taps on a believer’s head. Qi surges violently within you, and your figure lunges toward Unknown Apostle No. 6.]
[While still in midair, your figure blurs and vanishes.]
[A razor-sharp sword light flashes. The unknown Apostle in the corner, about to turn invisible, stiffens and ceases his incantation.]
[A thin blood line appears clearly at the center of his brow, then runs vertically through the whole Shell. Unknown Apostle No. 6 splits into two pieces and collapses. Blood stains the church floor.]
[You have defeated Unknown Apostle No. 6.]
[Because Unknown Apostle No. 6 possessed Killing Feast, you inherit the corresponding buff effect.]
[Your buff effect Killing Feast +3 is enhanced and upgrades to Killing Feast +4.]
[Killing Feast +4: This buff effect increases all your attributes by 100 percent. It will last until the end of this Easter Egg chapter.]
A 100 percent increase to all attributes was extremely broken.
For example, the Ninja Master Shell not only doubled HP, defense, and other values, but also doubled speed, agility, and strength.
Although HP and defense were not of great use to the Ninja Master, doubling agility and strength alone enormously boosted this Shell’s power. It could be called super double.
[You cancel invisibility and expose yourself within the church.]
[On the host dais, the priest stares at you darkly.]
[The believers scream and scatter from you. Soon the rasping of heavy metal plate echoes again.]
[Clang. Clang. More than a dozen Paladins of Discipline surround you. As soon as the priest declares you a heretic, the powerful knights will unhesitatingly execute you on the spot.]
[Will you turn invisible and flee, or erupt in resistance?]
Three candidate Apostles still remained in hiding. Even if Lin Xun searched with all his strength, he might not be able to drag them all out within an hour.
If he used the Command Banner again, it would not only expend the army’s strength, it would also cause Saint Rance’s power to continue decreasing, which would be very disadvantageous for the upcoming demigod war.
The borrowed-knife killing used by Apostle No. 6 gave Lin Xun inspiration.
He was no longer in an unfamiliar Easter Egg chapter, but in the Blood Sun World where he had once earned an SSS rating.
With only a moment’s thought, Lin Xun had a solution.
He opened the Inventory and clicked the item.
[You take out an ancient-looking metal ring and raise it high.]
[The ring that had been shimmering red suddenly erupts with dazzling blazing sunlight. A towering giant phantom appears behind you.]
[That giant figure shines with golden sunlight. In an instant it flips the church dome aside and stands beneath the blazing sun.]
[The giant figure is too vast. The flourishing Moonlight’s Hometown is like a toy-block city beneath its feet.]
[Wherever you are in Saint Rance, if you lift your head you can see the Solar Hero of myth and legend, Defender of the Golden Blazing Sun, Dan.]
[For a moment, the priest’s expression is wonderfully complex. He looks at you, lips moving, but cannot speak for a long time.]
[After a long daze, the priest finally comes to himself and kneels to salute you.]
[‘Honored hero’s retainer, may the divine light be with you.’]
[The dozen Paladins of Discipline surrounding you also drop to one knee and say loudly in unison, ‘May the divine light be with you.’]
[The many devout believers in the church all worship you, shouting with trembling excitement, ‘May the divine light be with you.’]
Lin Xun froze for a moment. He had intended to use Dan the Giant’s Blazing Sun Ring to prove his identity, showing that he belonged to the oath faction of the Golden Blazing Sun and thereby borrow the strength of the allied oath faction, the White Moon Church.
He had not expected these devout believers to regard him as the Solar Hero’s retainer. Still, the title of hero’s retainer was clearly very useful, far better than being a mere church member.
[The vast giant phantom behind you slowly fades.]
[You press your hands together before your chest and, facing the priest, the Paladins of Discipline, and the many fervent believers, return their salute devoutly: ‘May the divine light be with you.’]
[You tell the priest that you have descended by the orders of the Golden Blazing Sun and the Radiant Crescent, and that you must summon the White Moon bishop of Saint Rance and the lord of the town to deliver a divine oracle.]
[The priest is all excitement, nodding repeatedly. He indicates that you should wait here, then hastily leaves the church with many Paladins of Discipline.]
[…]
[Before long, escorted by Paladins of Discipline, an elderly man in a bright yellow church robe enters the church with a scepter in hand.]
[Arriving together with the Yellow-Robed Bishop is a short man wrapped tightly in metal armor.]
[Wrinkles of sumptuous silk squeeze out from the gaps in his armor. As he walks, he looks around furtively, his manner somewhat lewd.]
[An exceptionally beautiful noble lady hangs on the short man’s arm. As they walk, her slim waist sways, radiating the allure of a blooming, mature rose.]
[A squad of fully armed elite soldiers follows behind the noble couple.]
[You have discovered the Yellow-Robed Bishop of the White Moon Church of Radiant Light.]
[You have discovered Lord Fox of Radiant Light.]
[You have discovered the Countess of Radiant Light.]
Had he not discerned the essence of the Easter Egg chapter, Lin Xun would have thought, upon seeing this scene like a dream back to Chapter 323, that the Hellish game had bugged out.
But now there was not a trace of surprise in his heart. On the contrary, he grew even more certain of his deduction.
[The Yellow-Robed Bishop and Lord Fox had also witnessed the miracle of the Solar Hero’s descent earlier. They firmly believe in your identity as a hero’s retainer and devoutly salute you.]
[Facing the religious leader of Saint Rance and the master of the town’s territory, you proclaim the great divine oracle from the Golden Blazing Sun and the Radiant Crescent.]
[As the homeland of the White Moon, Saint Rance is sacred and inviolable. Now, some despicable outsiders attempt to profane the majesty of the divine light, infiltrating Saint Rance and constantly provoking strife.]
[These outsiders dress differently from the people of Saint Rance. Their clothing is quite strange. Even if some outsiders wear clothing similar to Saint Rance’s, they will be armed, making them easy to distinguish.]
[As the retainer of the Solar Heroes, you represent the gods in issuing the oracle: every citizen of Saint Rance, every believer, must uphold the majesty of the divine light, seek out these despicable outsiders, bind every heretic to the church pillars, and subject them to the harshest Punishment of Light.]