Throne of the North.

Chapter 830 Spreading the Dawn in the Name of Faith (Part 4)

Three hours after the battle outside Oren City ended, with no more demon cannon fodder arriving, the human army had the upper hand, thanks to the divine magic cast by the Dawn Cultists that gave the soldiers courage.

Half a month later, Oren City finally opened its gates for the first time to welcome the human army. Stie looked at Galik and the nobles of the Kingdom of Kolan with tears in his eyes.

"On behalf of the city of Oren, I am extremely grateful for your arrival."

"Are you young master Oren?"

Galic looked at Stie, remembering that the current Grand Duke of the Oren family was an old man.

“I am now the Grand Duke of Oren, inheriting the glory of my grandfather.”

Stieg straightened up; his status as Grand Duke did not allow him to continue shedding tears.

“I am Galic Gelan, my father is Grand Duke Gelan of the Kingdom of Coran, and the army behind me is the Legion of the Kingdom of Coran and the Dawn Cult of the Dawn Church.”

"Missionary."

Stie nodded to Sven, for he certainly understood the morale boost that the will of the gods provided on this battlefield of the abyss.

"Let's go into the city first, Your Excellency Duke Oren. I can feel the evil aura surrounding this land all the time. It's dangerous outside the city."

Sven addressed the Grand Duke of Oren, and then the army was welcomed into the city of Oren.

"This city..."

The moment the priest entered the city, he sensed something different. The air above the city was filled with countless thoughts of panic and despair, as well as a strong faith in the Lord of Dawn.

Falling into this dark world, the people of this city are filled with fear, and in their fear and darkness, they can only pray devoutly to the great Lord of Dawn, hoping that the gods can save them.

So... is this the will of a great being?
Sven's expression turned serious. Ignoring Stie's invitation, he spoke:
“Your Excellency, I need to soothe the fearful souls in this city. This is a responsibility bestowed upon us by the Lord. They desperately need the hope brought by the dawn.”

“That would be wonderful. On behalf of the city of Oren, I thank you, Mr. Missionary.”

Stitch looked at the people behind the missionary with some confusion. In the clergy system, many people were of higher status than a missionary, but they were all standing behind him, showing no intention of speaking up or overshadowing him.

May the dawn shine upon your tomorrow.

Sven led the Dawn Cult members away, while Galic remained, still needing to consider the war and what lay ahead.

He was bewildered.

"Your Excellency Duke Oren, have you seen the Buck Legion? It's a cavalry force that entered here before us, but we couldn't keep up with them."

Stitch nodded, then asked with some curiosity:
"I saw them. They went to rescue another army. I'm very curious about which noble family's army they belong to. They are so powerful, an extraordinary legion. They must be from the Empire, right?"

"The Dawn Church hasn't even sent troops yet, but the Empire has already taken the lead. Is the situation on the Norris Continent really about to change?"

Upon hearing these questions, Galick directly answered the most fundamental one.

"Both armies came from the Frozen Territory of the Northern Wind Province of the Empire, which is Baron Ryan's territory. They were here because the Frozen Territory is an ally of the Kingdom of Coran."

"……baron?"

Grand Duke Oren's eyes were filled with shock, followed by a series of recollections.

“Ryan, I remember now. There was news from the other thirteen families that they were buying weapons in the North to defend against the Dawn Church. It seems to be Baron Ryan.”

“That was… the son of the Dragon Knight Earl, the Baron Ryan who personally killed the Orc King.”

"Yes, Grand Duke Oren actually knew."

“Of course, after all, the news of the orcs' full-scale invasion being thwarted by a baron spread far and wide, but if you hadn't brought it up again, I would never have imagined it—”

Stie took a deep breath and said, with a mixture of fear and intense longing:

"I never would have imagined that they were actually a baron's extraordinary legion."

"They are too powerful. They also appeared below Oren City before and easily broke through the army of demon servants. If they hadn't come before, it would probably have taken us several days to achieve victory."

Looking towards the direction outside the city, the army entered the city one after another, but the bloody remains on the battlefield were undeniable and still lay on the ground.

The Bucks had been there before, so they finished the game in three hours.

"That's the army that has always followed Baron Ryan. I just don't know if they are a match for a great being."

Galic's eyes were filled with worry. They were now in the same boat, and their opponent was a great god.

"By the way, Your Excellency Duke Oren, what exactly happened in Oren City? How did it get swallowed up by the Abyss Kingdom? And how did it fall into the void?"

Grand Duke Stie Oren suddenly didn't know what to say. Was he supposed to say that all of this was caused by his grandfather?
This absolutely cannot be said.

“I don’t know either. The evil god of the abyss suddenly appeared above Oren City. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late. Countless people died in Oren City, including my grandfather. I can only rule this city as the successor. Fortunately, I managed to hold out until your arrival.”

"Yeah, what a blessing."

Galic was still shaken. The intensity of the war here seemed less than the orc wars he had experienced in the North, but the key was that the land they were in belonged to a divine kingdom of a great being.

“We have already opened the spatial passage. Once we are ready, we can return to the Norris Continent. However, we will probably need the help of Priest Sven and his group. Will the people of this city dare to leave this city?”

"In addition, we also need to contact Commander Brand and his men."

"At least we're safe now, aren't we?"

Stitch gazed into the distance, his eyes filled with a deeper gravity than when he faced the demon army, his mind racing with thoughts.

Once they go out, they'll probably face even more trouble, right?
Most people in the city didn't know the specifics, only guesses and what the peasants said, which had no significance as evidence. Those who knew the truth were all members of the Oren family, but the Armored Bear Legion certainly saw it clearly, and that woman might even return with her grandfather's head.

……

A long, silvery-white robe trailed on the dark earth, and a chilling black mist drifted through the air. In the city of Oren, only the followers of the Dawn Cult walked the streets at this moment.

"Are all the people in this city dead?"

A priest asked a question, but the knight beside him shook his head and suddenly looked at the door of a house on the side.

"They've gone into hiding."

"Without the light of the Lord, mortals trapped in the soil of evil gods do not even have the courage to go out."

"Praise be to my Lord."

May dawn be with you and me.

Boom boom boom!
The fists pounded on the wooden door, making a dull thud. Sven sensed human presence inside, but they didn't open the door.

"Praise be to my Lord."

“We are believers of our Lord, followers of the dawn. You need not be afraid. We are dispelling the evil forces of the abyss that permeate this city.”

The sound clearly reached inside, but no one opened the door.

“Clerk, shall I open the door?”

The knight behind him stepped forward to ask, and Sven slowly shook his head.

"Our arrival has given them enough peace of mind. They will open the door when they calm down. What we need to do now is to purify the evil in this city."

Sven turned back onto the street, clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and began to pray devoutly.

As the sound traveled, the divine light gradually spread outwards from him.

The priests behind them stepped forward. The purification spell came from the Dawn Church, but it must be said that such a spell was incredibly useful in this place permeated with evil power.

"May the light of purification dispel the evil of this land, and may the dawn's light illuminate this dark earth."

"The Lord is with you and me." "Go, follow the Lord's will, and let the light of dawn fall on every corner of this city."

As soon as the scholar finished speaking, the large group behind him dispersed. Priests, missionaries, and knights walked into every dark alley, their bodies radiating dazzling divine light. They used the divine magic bestowed by the Lord of Dawn and the God of Light to purify the abyssal aura of Oren City.

The icy black fog gradually dissipated, and the dim city of Oren began to brighten little by little.

Sven walked on the widest avenue, and as the clergy chanted and the light of divine magic spread, pairs of eyes finally appeared in the gaps between the houses.

"That seems to be... the priest from the church."

"What? Is it true? Has the Lord really come to save us?"

Many people were excited, but dared not go out, because in the days before, they often heard the whispers of the abyss, which lured them out of the torchlight and then disappeared without a trace.

"Has the Lord come to save us?"

A house door opened, and a disheveled man stumbled out, pale-faced, and ran crying to the refined man.

The Knight of Dawn stopped him, but the man continued to shout.

"Father, please save my family! That damned monster has devoured the souls of all my loved ones."

"Please, take their souls back."

The man cried out, and Sven approached him, his voice calm yet soothing as he asked:
"Are your family members still alive? Take me to see them."

Arriving at a dilapidated house, the Dawn Knight kicked open the wooden door, then frowned, drew his weapon, and shouted into the darkness inside:

"come out!"

There was no movement in the darkness. The man cried out:

"Sir Knight, please, please don't frighten my family. They, they've only had their souls eaten. They're still human, still human."

Seemingly due to the excessive noise, several roars echoed from the darkness. The Dawn Knight looked over warily, waved his hand, and several other knights appeared on either side of him.

"Tear the house down!"

The knight's strength was more than enough to dismantle the wooden house. As the planks collapsed, several low-ranking demons of varying sizes, tightly bound by ropes, struggled and howled violently.

Sven could still vaguely see that they still had human features, but humans who had become servants of demons could not be saved.

“In their hearts, they had already come to believe in the evil god of the abyss out of fear.”

"I am very sorry, sir. This is our dereliction of duty. We did not arrive sooner to give them hope of a glimmer of dawn."

Sven sincerely apologized to the crying man, who stood there blankly, then tremblingly reached out and grabbed Sven's robe.

"Father, they... they can still be saved, right?"

Sven shook his head silently, then said to the Dawn Knight:

"Take this gentleman out. I have already purified the abyssal aura within him."

As the divine spell descended, the man's complexion regained its color. The knight forcibly dragged him away, and then Sven began to mutter incantations.

"This is our fault. If I could, I would give my soul to exchange for theirs."

He prayed, but the great being did not respond to his request, so Sven could only continue to issue orders.

"Purify evil."

The Dawn Knight unleashed divine magic, his longsword enveloped in brilliant light, before slashing towards the demon minions.

"This city may still harbor countless such dependents and servants. Find them, eliminate them, and gather them all together. Also..."

"It's impossible for Oren City to be without the Church of Dawn. Why didn't they appear to give these believers faith?"

“It’s our fault for not arriving sooner, but they’ve been here all along doing nothing. They should be put on trial.”

With a sharp look in his eyes, Sven led the Dawn Cult members to the Dawn Cathedral in Oren City.

In any land of human civilization on the continent of Norris, there may be no lords, but there can never be no priests and churches.

Oren is a vast city, one of the largest cities in the land, and its church is no less impressive than that of a kingdom's royal city.

There are also many clergy and followers of the Dawn Church here.

When Sven arrived at the Oren Cathedral, the cathedral was still brightly lit and resplendent in gold. Candles were lit on every step, and the candles were pure white, their flames also pure white. Clearly, these were objects belonging to the extraordinary side.

They never went out, so much so that when Oren City fell into the Void God Kingdom, it was not affected by any abyssal aura.

This starkly contrasted with the rest of Oren City, infuriating Sven and filling the Dawn Cult members with intense killing intent.

"Has His Holiness the Pope finally sent someone?"

"That's wonderful! Our stock is almost depleted, and the Dawn Candles are barely holding on. Thank you, my lord, thank you, Your Majesty Solarion."

An archbishop, dressed in a magnificent robe, excitedly stepped out, leaning on his scepter, and led hundreds of clergy to the Sven priests.

"That's wonderful, we can leave now. Which elder on the Holy Mountain are you from? I am..."

Before he could finish speaking, Sven interrupted him, pointing to the candle flame on the steps that had been burning for a long time, its wax layered thickly, and asked:

Why are these things here?

His voice was clear and resounded over a large part of Oren City, containing an inexplicable sense of majesty and holiness.

Many people heard this and instinctively looked up.

"Dawn Candles? They should have been lit at this time, missionary... sir, you are a missionary, aren't you? When the Abyss invaded, we struggled against the corruption of the evil god. You should not and have no right to question us."

"The suffering we endured in the darkness is beyond your imagination."

“I think you’ve misunderstood, Archbishop. I don’t mean to blame you for using these things that should have been sent to the Holy Mountain.”

"I just want to ask a simple question: why are they here, and not in this city, among the believers?"

"The Lord's light should protect every believer, not just His servants."

"Why didn't they appear in other parts of the city?"

Sven asked in a loud voice, and the faces of the archbishop and clergy in front of him turned cold.

“Missionary, you have no right to speak to the archbishop. Who sent you? From now on, you are under my command.”

The High Priest looked at Sven, the scepter in his hand radiating a holy light. It was his authority. In the hierarchy of the Dawn Church, only ten cardinals and His Holiness the Pope were of higher status than him.

“I have come in the name of my Lord to save his believers who have fallen into darkness.”

"And, as a priest of dawn, I will judge you!"

Do you think the Lord will kill you?

Sven raised his head, extended his finger, and a blazing white beam of light pierced through the dim world from the extremely dark sky, descending before him and enveloping the entire cathedral in front of him.

The beam of light illuminated the entire city of Oren, then disappeared with remarkable speed, lasting less than five seconds.

When the beam of light disappeared, there were no clergy left in the Oren Cathedral in front of Sven. They hadn't even had the right or time to scream before they were reduced to ashes in the light of judgment.

"Clearly, He has not forgiven your dereliction of duty."

Walking up the deserted steps, Sven, representing the authority of dawn, took over the cathedral.

(End of this chapter)