Throne of the North.

Chapter 571 The Most Tragic Death: Annihilation of All Things Under Divine Punishment

On five battlefields, the empire's army suffered a complete rout. Faced with the fearless and incredibly resilient army of faith, the empire's soldiers fled in panic and fear. Most of them were conscripted slave soldiers who had no idea what the principle was about not dying even with a hole in their chest.

Looking at the insignia of the Dawn Church, coldly pursuing and slaughtering behind them, countless soldiers trembled and knelt on the spot, begging for divine forgiveness.

What awaited them, of course, was a merciless longsword.

The Dawn Church's army, already doomed to certain death, would not stop its pursuit, forcing the Imperial army to retreat further, unwilling to fight an enemy they could neither kill nor defeat.

This retreat brought them back to the capital city of the Kingdom of Carlos.

Of course, learning from past mistakes, the imperial army has constructed fortifications and buildings here, and will not be trapped in the city as before.

The Empire's supply lines are far more sophisticated than those of the Papacy.

"At most three or five days, these 200,000 Papal troops will die on their own."

The nobles breathed a sigh of relief at this result; at least they had managed to hold on.

The nobles' gazes fell upon Klar, for no one in the entire empire was more adept at defensive warfare than this legendary knight.

As a legendary knight, he was not only a great shield himself, but also a formidable and reliable commander of his army.

Now is the time when he is needed.

Klar stood up, finally feeling a bit like a commander-in-chief. His first order was to command the troops to dig trenches on the spot.

Without pausing, the army of Dawn Believers finally arrived outside the royal city's defenses. After Archbishop Doyle arrived, he took over all military command. He was not good at commanding troops, nor did he need it.

Under the archbishop's command, 170,000 to 180,000 soldiers, their eyes glowing with the holy light of dawn, surged forward in an attack.

They were going to die anyway, and killing more Imperial soldiers before they died was the best outcome.

"Those damned blasphemous nobles of the Empire must think that the Holy Judgment is in charge of everything, right?"

Archbishop Doyle looked around at the many clergy who had accompanied him, among whom the two bishops and two priests held the highest positions.

“I finally got His Holiness the Pope to agree that Cardinal Ta Walter cannot interfere with me in this war, so you must succeed.”

"We cannot allow any undeserving person to reap the rewards of this victory, understand?"

Both bishops and both priests lowered their heads; they were unwilling to answer, but they had no choice but to.

“You are right, Archbishop Doyle.”

A pastor said bitterly, raising his head with a look of resolute determination to die.

"And Pastor Malm..."

Doyle looked to the other side, at the court priest whose entire body was filled with dazzling holy light, and his voice calmed down.

"Pastor Malm, are you devout in your faith in my Lord?"

"Of course, I will serve the Lord with everything."

"Then... please don't refuse my request."

One day, two days, and then the third day arrived.

Some of the Vatican believers were already unable to hold on, and large numbers of soldiers suddenly collapsed during the battle, their eyes losing their holy light and all the colors that belonged to the living.

Seeing this, the numb imperial soldiers finally saw a glimmer of hope: their enemy would die, and die in large numbers.

"We held on!"

The nobles inside the royal city were probably the most nervous. They became excited after learning that the Dawn Believers outside had begun to die in large numbers; they had won.

God knows how terrified they were these past few days. In just two or three days of war, they lost more soldiers than in the entire previous kingdom war. If it weren't for the nobles issuing death orders again and again, and the extraordinary legion acting as overseers, the army would probably have collapsed long ago.

They couldn't think of a way to report the number of deaths in the war to the emperor. If they could bring the credit of 200,000 Papal soldiers, they could wipe out all responsibility.

Did the 200,000-strong Papal army outside the capital simply die on their own? No, it was the imperial army, under the guidance of the valiant imperial nobles, who risked their lives to kill the enemy.

"If we hold on for just one more day, they will all be dead."

The nobles were excited, eagerly awaiting tomorrow.

The next day will be quick; it will be fine in just one night.

As expected, at the last moment, the imperial army was completely forced to retreat to the capital, and all the outer fortifications were captured. However, the tens of thousands of Dawn Church soldiers no longer had the absolute power to breach this fortified capital.

They gradually fell outside the city, their dead bodies piling up like mountains.

Some nobles cautiously climbed the city walls, but were numb when they saw the dense mass of corpses and blood outside. Some of the nobles who fainted and then woke up fell seriously ill and were no longer healthy.

Even the belligerent Elector Freud fell silent before such a horrific and desperate scene. He could not imagine that in just three or four days, more than 400,000 soldiers from both sides had turned into corpses.

"How should we tell the Emperor about this?"

The nobleman, who was barely still, said through trembling teeth that for them it was just three tense days of waiting in the palace, but the hundreds of thousands of corpses filled those ordinary three days with cruelty and apocalyptic prophecy.

It can be said that after this battle, the Empire will have no chance of advancing further in the war against the Kingdom of Carlos.

"Tell Your Majesty that we have killed two hundred thousand members of the Holy Mountain Cult's army."

"that's it."

Ultimately, it was Grand Duke Meyers who made the decision. The nobles at the front had been concealing the true nature of the war, but this time, they were less willing, and many were unwilling to do so, standing against Grand Duke Meyers.

"Your Excellency, more than 250,000 people have died in this war. We must tell His Majesty the Emperor the truth."

Lord Stirling stepped forward and said that too many people had died in this war, and most importantly, there was no longer any benefit to be gained from continuing to conceal the truth from the Emperor.

Grand Duke Meyers frowned as he looked at Earl Sterling, then at the other nobles. None of them were willing to keep it a secret; they had previously concealed it for the sake of the land of the Kingdom of Carlos.

There are no benefits to be seen now.

"Then just say it."

Grand Duke Meyers snorted coldly. Of course, he needed to expand his influence, but the deaths of more than 200,000 people made even the grand duke panic.

The nobles discussed what language to use to deliver the message to Emperor Flor, believing the war was over. However, outside the palace, a large number of knights were rapidly approaching.

"Something terrible has happened, sir!"

These knights, from different noble families, appeared nervously outside the palace.

Outside the royal city.

The sight of hundreds of thousands of corpses not only terrified the imperial nobles, but also the clergy of the Holy See. They were filled with fear and unease, and many of them knelt on the spot, their voices trembling as they prayed to the Lord of Dawn for forgiveness.

Reverend Malm walked toward the ruins of the battlefield, accompanied by several other priests and two bishops.

As they advanced, more and more priests joined them. They had been continuously bestowing the blessing of dawn, and now, under the command of Archbishop Doyle, they followed the Malm priests toward the battlefield with lifeless eyes.

Their footsteps pounded the muddy soil, and what moistened the land was not water but blood. Finally, two hundred priests and several bishops appeared beneath the walls of the royal city.

This is where the Papacy's soldiers died in large numbers at the end of the Holy Judgment spell. Priest Malm knelt on the ground, clasped his hands tightly against his chest, and bowed his head to begin chanting a prayer to the Lord of Dawn.

Beside him, priests and bishops followed suit, praying for the forgiveness of the Lord of Dawn with the same gestures. As these clergymen prayed, the abyssal beings that had been eyeing this place with greed vanished from the depths of the void.

Instead, the sun's rays pierced the gloom brought by the war, shining like sharp blades on the mountains of corpses.

The earth was ravaged, and the dark world was filled with the power of the Lord of Dawn. His radiance descended with the priests' burning cries for salvation.

Below the sea of ​​clouds, deep within the glow of dawn, figures with fluttering wings descended. Everyone except the praying priests looked up in shock, for in the depths of that light were ninety-nine angels.

When the angel arrived, everyone inside and outside the royal city knelt down, all worshipping the same great being.

Angels descended upon the battlefield, uttering no words, their cold gazes fixed upon it. The priests' prayers grew louder and louder, until, amidst the resounding chants, an untimely voice rang out.

boom!
A pastor collapsed during prayer, followed by a second, a third...

More and more priests died, until finally, Priest Malm, along with the two priests and two bishops who followed Archbishop Doyle, were no exception. They dissipated into points of light in the brilliant holy light, and then gathered behind the ninety-nine angels, forming an illusory form.

Their eyes no longer held any emotion toward humanity, only absolute and devout faith.

In the dim world, as the priests' prayers faded, tiny specks of white light began to float across the vast battlefield.

The points of light came from the dead corpses, from the army of two hundred thousand Papal believers who had perished. Together with the sunlight, they completely illuminated the dark sky outside the royal city, which had been shrouded in the shadows of war. Then, at the call of the angels, they drifted toward an unknown land along the snow-white holy radiance 'blade'.

“They were guided by the Lord and went to the eternal kingdom of heaven.”

Archbishop Doyle stepped forward, addressed the fervent-eyed clergy behind him, then knelt and prayed to the Lord of Dawn.

“Lord, your people have returned to your embrace, and their faith remains steadfast and has been recognized by you.”

"But they should have gathered more faith before going to that eternal heaven to serve."

“The heretics who blaspheme against God have touched your great glory; they are touching the greatness they are not worthy of.”

“Your servant begs you to punish all things in this world, to burn away the darkness with fire, and to bring down divine judgment.”

Doyle prayed incessantly, and perhaps having received too much faith power, the Lord of Dawn... truly answered him.

The boundless, dazzling sunlight burst forth from the sky, and the ninety-nine angels and illusory priests vanished into the depths of the sunlight. Immediately afterwards, the void became scorching hot, and snow-white flames burned in the sea of ​​clouds.

At the center of the cloud vortex, which is ten kilometers in diameter, lies the royal city of Carlos.

In that instant, the nobles of the empire were filled with fear. They had no thought of resistance; only one thought remained in their minds.

"escape!"

All the nobles were frantically heading north towards the royal city, but the next moment, a square light barrier rose up over the royal city. This was originally a supernatural means used by the Dawn Church to protect the royal city, and now it prevented the nobles of the royal city from leaving.

"Open it!"

At this moment, the nobles no longer cared about manners and etiquette, and roared wildly.

"Damn, how could this happen?"

[The Shepherd of Light] Stuart trembled slightly as he unleashed a terrifying forbidden spell. The boundless sunlight became the sword in his hand, slashing down at the divine power barrier of the Carlos Royal City. However, the barrier only swayed for a moment before falling silent again.

"Quick!"

The nobles were still protesting, asking how one of the legendary Ten Worthies could possibly have such little power.

Stuart raised his head and looked at the gathering vortex of divine punishment. Finally, he held back, and his magic robes fluttered without wind, shimmering with thousands of stars.

[Blessed by the stars]

In an instant, stars shone brightly in the heavens above the world, followed by a beam of light that seemed to shine down from the universe, striking the divine power barrier of the Carlos Royal City. Then came a second, a third...

As the seventh green ray of light shone down, countless cracks appeared in the seemingly indestructible divine barrier of the royal city, but even so, it was not completely shattered.

"There's no eighth track..."

Stuart said, his face pale, that at this moment, no, it should be said that in the sky of Norris Continent, seven beams of light of different colors pierced through the sky from outside the world and shone on the royal city.

He summoned the radiance of the stars to favor him. When he first entered the legendary realm, he couldn't even summon a single ray of starlight. Now, seven rays of starlight have allowed him to stand at the pinnacle of the legendary pyramid.

However, when faced with the divine power of the gods... there is still a considerable gap.

The dragon let out a deafening roar, and Earl Clayton made his move. This [Royal Flame] knight was more like a magician who controlled fire. The legendary longsword in his hand burned with flames that could melt the void. Then, he slashed at the divine power barrier of the Carlos Royal City.

In the sky, the vortex of divine punishment was nearing its end. The thunder, gale, torrential rain, and sea of ​​clouds had all dissipated. Looking up, all that could be seen was the eternally high Lord of Dawn, suspended above the vast sea of ​​clouds.

"Together!"

The elector Freud slashed his wrist with a dagger, and as the blood flowed down, it shimmered with tiny, noble golden fragments—the source of divinity, the terrifying power contained within the bloodline of the Flor Empire's royal family.

As if the ancient and wild world roared at the future in that instant, Freud, holding a longsword, had completely surpassed the limits of his own cultivation, and his whole body transformed into a beam of light and crashed into the barrier of divine power.

There are many legends in the royal city, but it was Grand Duke Meyers who ultimately broke through the barrier.

No one saw how the Grand Duke made his move; he seemed to simply pick up the crest of his Meyers family, the emerald green gemstone ring that he always wore on his finger.

An inexplicable, immense divine power surged forth, shattering the cracked barrier of the royal city. As the barrier broke, all the nobles rushed out of the city without stopping.

Meanwhile, the vortex of divine punishment in the sky seemed to sense the danger caused by the appearance of other great divine powers, and gathered even faster, until some nobles were still unable to escape the royal city.

boom! ! ! ! ! ! !
A vast pillar of divine punishment, illuminating the world, descended—not the slender divine punishment of the past, but a divine punishment that enveloped the entire royal city of Carlos.

It swept through everything in the royal city of Carlos with overwhelming force, crushing everything without any hindrance.

"Don't look back!"

"Do not meet His gaze!"

The fleeing nobles ignored the collapse beneath their feet and the intense, violent energy erupting behind them, and could only run frantically toward safety.

At this moment, no matter how legendary one is, they are destined to perish.

After a long while, the nobles, now safe, turned around in panic.

The once majestic and magnificent royal city of Carlos has vanished, replaced by a huge, dark pit, devoid of any light, as if leading straight to an abyss of evil.

The rolling boulder plunged into the deep pit due to the ground subsiding, but after a long time, the nobles did not hear any echo.

The royal city of Carlos vanished from this world. A group of nobles roared in fear and resentment as their army was annihilated, including many of his own bloodline.

Earl Clayton was still shaken. Fortunately, the Flame Dragon Knights were not in the royal city. As cavalry, they were naturally not in the royal city, but the other nobles were not so lucky.

However, this is definitely not the most terrible thing.

Earl Clayton looked at Freud, then at Archduke Meyers, and then at Brutus, the successor to Archduke Rodrigo.

He didn't know if he should ask, but he still wanted an answer...

Has He... awakened?

Earl Clayton's voice trembled slightly; he wanted an answer, yet he didn't want to hear it.

The continent of Norris has undergone a revolutionary change in civilization, with all sorts of strange new things appearing in the empire, a stark contrast to the old era.

However, everyone must understand that whether it is an empire rebelling against the papacy, nobles blaspheming and creating extraordinary bloodlines, the emergence of light opposing the faith of dawn, or magicians replacing clergy in ruling the perceptions of ordinary people.

All of this is based on one thing.

In the interdimensional war of the gods, the great Lord of Dawn and God of Light also fell into slumber.

If the gods do not slumber, how can mortals possibly resist His glory?

The Dawn Church represents the Lord of Dawn; this simple reason is enough for the Dawn Church to possess all legitimate and justifiable rule, and to be indestructible.

But now...

"We don't know either."

The people who were questioned gave this answer. They looked at the abyss that had been destroyed by divine punishment, and their faces were pale with fear and unease.

They were all blasphemous nobles.

(End of this chapter)