As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 110 The Self-Deceiving Heroic Spirit

If the fall of the "Headless General" was destined, then the transformation of the "Glorious Knight" was even more regrettable.

When he was still alive, he was a paladin of the Golden Iris Dynasty in the First Era, with impeccable character and strength.

As a servant of the gods, he is absolutely loyal to the gods and takes faith as the basis of his actions.

As the guardian of the dynasty, he did everything in his power, even sacrificing himself to protect the weak and the innocent.

As the embodiment of justice, he takes the sacred law as his guideline, punishes evil and promotes good, and helps the weak and suppresses the strong.

As a tenacious warrior, he firmly believed in salvation and light in the long night, kept his body and mind pure, and stayed away from worldly temptations. After winning brilliant victories again and again, he was able to remain humble enough, reject vanity, and give glory to the eternal gods.

Even when he was pushed out as a scapegoat after a drastic reform failed because he touched the interests of the great nobles, he did not feel the slightest anger when faced with the swords of his former comrades, let alone fighting against them.

Instead, he walked towards the stake with a smile and a calm face, allowing the gods to decide his fate and cleanse all his sins with flames.

After the tragedy of the "Headless General", people became extremely cautious about the heroic spirits.

However, countless historical texts and recollections of the remaining souls have cross-confirmed that the life of the "Glorious Knight" was so holy, pure, and just that there was no flaw at all.

Shortly after his death, everything he had done was recognized by the church. There was even a magnificent church that housed his big toe that was not burned at the stake - the so-called "Big Toe of Paladin Patrick". In the days that followed, it became a sacred artifact with extraordinary power.

Unfortunately, even the flawless Paladin's heroic spirit underwent a mutation and became a vicious spirit like the "Headless General", wreaking havoc on the world.

——Whether it is historical texts or the recollections of the remaining souls, at best they can only record the external performance and every word and deed of “Paladin Patrick”.

But it is impossible to accurately describe the deepest thoughts in his heart when he stepped onto the stake, with the flames lit by his former comrades and even the people he had saved, and the raging flames burning his flesh and blood, making them crackle.

Perhaps at that moment, he realized the deep betrayal, pain and hatred.

Perhaps when he looked up at the sky through the black smoke of burning flesh and blood, he suddenly realized that there were no gods in the world, and that family, kingdom, glory, knightly virtues and other things were nothing but self-deceptions of human beings.

Perhaps as his soul struggled in agony, he had already renounced his former self and uttered the most vicious curse, vowing that he would rather sacrifice his life to the devil and drag the entire world into the deepest purgatory if it could bring him back to life.

In short, when he awakened in the Age of Heroes in the form of a "Glorious Knight" and used his past identity to successfully attract countless talented and energetic high-level spirit masters.

No one knew that this handsome, righteous and legendary guardian spirit with an impeccable resume had long since degenerated from "Paladin Patrick" into a true messenger of purgatory.

Ultimately, the rampage of the "Glorious Knight" resulted in even more serious consequences than the fall of the "Headless General."

At a gathering of spirit masters, he incited dozens of guardian spirits to betray their masters, killing nearly a hundred spirit masters in one breath, and setting off a small-scale war.

Humanity paid the price of two Imperial Spirit Corps to end this war and the life of the "Glorious Knight" who could not comment.

Since then, mankind has deeply understood two truths.

First, the remnant souls of the past cannot be trusted.

No matter what they say, what they do, what their appearance is, or what information is hidden in their memory fragments, it may be false, a perfect lie, a wishful fantasy, and a self-deceiving dream.

Second, even history cannot be trusted.

Even if they were truly good people during their lifetime and never did a bad thing until their last breath, it does not mean that their souls are truly pure and flawless.

Everyone has a dark side.

Something so deformed, ugly, evil, and filthy that one is not even aware of it.

A gentleman of high moral character may, at some point in his life, have a beast-like impulse towards a beautiful lady.

A famous general who fought for his country and died heroically might have thought of "replacing him" when facing an incompetent monarch.

Even the seemingly most loyal believers may be shaken when there is a fierce conflict between faith and reality, and may doubt whether there are real gods in the world, or whether gods and demons are simply two sides of the same coin, or even something imagined by humans themselves.

When people are alive, they can use ethics, interests, laws and force to control themselves, nip these dark thoughts in the bud and achieve the effect of "judging by actions rather than by heart".

However, when a person dies, the rational thinking and moral laws that have bound him throughout his life are all destroyed, and only the deepest, most primitive and most intense obsessions in the soul may survive.

These obsessions are often completely opposite and run counter to concepts such as morality, law, justice, and kindness.

Long Jianhuan was highly suspicious that the gravedigger's situation was the same as that of the "Headless General" and the "Glorious Knight".

From the terrifying aura that emanated from him all the time, like a surging sea of ​​blood, one could guess that he was either a perfect good man like the "Glorious Knight", but was treated extremely unfairly, and died with resentment and anger, and endless regret.

Or like the "Headless General", he had made a big mistake in his lifetime and turned into a demonic existence, wantonly venting his anger and hatred, bringing great disaster to his world, but forgetting this after his death.

The gravedigger is so smart that he will soon remember how terrible his true self is.

Maybe he had already remembered it. Or maybe he had never forgotten it.

I just haven't wanted to face it.

Unfortunately, there are limits to self-deception.

As his power continues to increase, more and more memory fragments emerge from the depths of his remnant soul. He will eventually find the truth that he has covered up with his own hands and will have to face his true self.

"Commander, we can't let the gravediggers sneak into Dawn City."

Thinking of this, Long Jianhuan emphasized his tone, "If he is provoked by his 'true self' and turns into an ultimate killer like the 'Headless General' and the 'Glorious Knight', the entire Dawn City may be overthrown by him!"

"Alright, I'll take care of this. You should first figure out how to wipe out the remaining Swamp Gang members and write a good report!"

Without waiting for Long Jianhuan to refute, Director Hawke sighed and said frankly, "Stop talking. Even if it's not for yourself, you should think about everyone in the patrol team and the Security Bureau.

"You are clear about right and wrong and have a clear conscience, but what about others?

"Jiang Yuan has been the patrol captain for more than ten years. You don't want him to retire just like that, do you?

"Li Xinglan is a top student who graduated from Wei'an College. He can't just waste his time in the planning area forever, right?

"Dawn City's financial situation is not good, the Security Bureau's funding is becoming increasingly tight, and the investigation into the Rolling Stone Club has caused another uproar. I don't know how many more troubles and hidden attacks are waiting for us.

"We finally got the credit for 'eliminating the Swamp Gang,' so we have every reason to ask for more funding from our superiors to improve everyone's equipment, purchase a batch of new powerful cards, and give everyone the bonuses that have been overdue for several years. This will boost morale, which has been sluggish for a long time. It can also serve as a talisman for us when those open and hidden attacks come our way.

"Tell me, if you don't take the credit, how am I supposed to write my report?
"Just write that we didn't do anything, and that it was an S-level Eclipse Spirit that took pity on us and bestowed this tremendous merit upon us, and we don't even know where this S-level Eclipse Spirit has gone.

"In the final analysis, if you really want to deal with the Gravedigger, you should firmly grasp the credit for 'eliminating the Swamp Gang' and obtain more resources and equipment before launching the next move, right?"

Long Jianhuan seemed to be lost in thought.

Close your eyes and take a deep breath.

When she opened her eyes again, the female operator's eyes became clear and her gaze became sharper.

"What you said makes sense. I will follow your instructions. Whether it means going deep into the wilderness to bring the last Swamp Gang bandit to justice or fabricating a fantastic report with my eyes closed, I will do my best.

"But you also have to promise me two things. The first is what I mentioned last time, forming a secret team!"

Long Jianhuan never misses any opportunity.

With the rapid development of sealing techniques and spirit control techniques.

Various powerful seal cards emerge in an endless stream.

The criminal activities carried out by using the remnants of the past are becoming increasingly secretive, complex and serious in their consequences.

Regardless of the old evil forces like the Black Dream Organization.

Whether it's new corrosive spirits like the Gravedigger or old monsters roaming deep in the wilderness, they're all becoming more cunning and more dangerous.

Faced with the new situation, the Security Bureau can no longer be as conservative as in the past and simply act as the so-called "strongest shield", passively waiting for crimes to happen, and then following behind the criminals and being led by the nose.

We must take the initiative, gather industry elites and talented people from all walks of life, provide them with the best treatment and the most advanced equipment, set up rapid response teams, create the "sharpest spear", and maintain the order of this world in a more active and even fierce way.

If the enemy is brutal, we will be even more brutal.

If the enemy is cunning, we should be even more cunning.

The enemy has no bottom line, so we have even less bottom line than the enemy.

This concept has been recognized in many core cities in the heart of the alliance.

Many security bureaus in core areas have established elite teams, similar to the death squads in the Imperial Spirit Corps.

During his special training at the headquarters, Long Jianhuan strongly agreed with this concept.

This time when I returned to my hometown, I also had great ambitions and wanted to make a career.

Unexpectedly, when I mentioned this matter to the director, he started to make excuses and listed a lot of objective difficulties such as "funding, resources, and manpower".

Long Jianhuan really didn't understand where the "Operator Hawke" who was full of high spirits, disregarding life and death, reputation, and fighting evil at all costs had gone in just a few years.

Could it be that the director's position is poisonous, turning the heroic operator who once fought alongside my father into a timid, submissive old man so quickly?
Now, with the credit for eliminating the Swamp Gang, we can finally help the Dawn City Security Bureau get a lot of funding and more authority.

There should be no reason for the old man to stop himself, right?
(End of this chapter)