Man on the ark, forced to become king

In Lateran law, Sarkaz are forbidden from attacking their own kind; otherwise, they will face legal punishment, be stripped of their ability to protect their guns and their empathy, and be excluded from the entire race.

Outcast claims she came here as an enemy, yet the halo above her head remains bright, and she hasn't lost her Guardian Gun, clearly indicating that she has never attacked her own kind in the past, nor now.

According to the law, she is still a protected Sakorta.

In other words, if Violet strikes first, she will fall from grace, and the same will happen to the Papal Knight beside her.

All Sakortas are subject to the law; no one is exempt.

Before Outcast launched his attack, the only one among them who could take action was Sidja, who was a Liberi and not bound by the law.

"Think what you want, but don't be nervous for now. We don't plan to launch an attack right now. Perhaps we can have a tea party before you're ready?"

Outcast didn't explain, but casually joked, reaching out to pat the lamp-like metal device: "This big guy, is it new? Looks pretty powerful."

"Back off!"

Not drawing her weapon didn't mean she wasn't making any other moves. Violet remained on guard, shouting and giving Sidgar a sidelong glance as she questioned, "Are you the vanguard sent by the enemy? For the sake of the past... I can let you go, just this once."

"No, we are the enemy."

Outcast stepped aside, making way for Lin Lu, and pointed: "To be precise, he is the enemy, everyone."

“That joke isn’t funny, Outcast.”

It took Violet a second to react, and she immediately felt that her intelligence had been insulted.

His Holiness the Pope mobilized the nation's standing army and even recalled retired papal knights. Messengers and executors from all over the world are returning one after another. Even Ursus did not enjoy this treatment when he invaded Lateran.

Such a massive mobilization, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it mobilized the entire nation's resources, and now she's being told that the enemy is only one person?

Are you kidding me?

Why would His Holiness the Pope mobilize the army in such a grand manner just to deal with one person?

It must be impossible!

"Anyway, that's the situation. I've already said it. Believe it or not is up to you."

Outcast knew how absurd these words sounded to others, but she still wanted to explain, lest Lateran continue to be suspicious and set up defenses everywhere, wasting everyone's time.

"No matter how hard you search, no one else will come. We're here now to see if you're ready. If you are, then the war will begin."

Are you talking about war, or just children playing house?

This sounded awkward no matter how you looked at it, especially since Outcast said it so seriously, without a hint of joking, which made Violet a little unsure.

Could it be... true?

But if that's the case, wouldn't they have been played for a fool?

Using the entire nation's resources to deal with one person, is that what you call war? And a fair and square decisive battle with open warfare?

That's absolutely outrageous.

"Can this thing move?"

Lin Lu patted the metal device next to the Papal Knight and asked curiously. He wasn't interested in the conversation between the two old friends, nor did he care much about what Lateran had done to prepare for this war.

However, he found Lateran's firearms and various features quite interesting, especially these large metal contraptions. Regardless of whether they were useful or not, they certainly looked impressive.

"..."

No one answered. Violet and Sidgar both had subtle expressions in their eyes. The Papal Knight's head was completely covered by armor, so his face couldn't be seen, but he probably had the same expression.

Regardless of whether Outcast's statement is true or not, at least one thing is certain—they came to Laterano as enemies.

These two guys seemed completely oblivious to this. Not only did they approach the guards directly, but they also patted around the unassembled defensive devices as if they were old friends. They didn't act like enemies at all.

Is it even possible to fight this war properly?!

It should be very serious, but it's like they're playing around.

For a moment, Violet felt at a loss. The enemy was so close, should she make a move or not?

If we don't take action, are we supposed to stay here and engage in 'friendly exchanges' with the enemy? That just seems really strange!

Even in Lateran, a country with a style quite different from other countries in the world, this approach is rather unconventional.

So... should we make a move?

But the two people opposite them looked like they were on vacation, completely unlike anyone who had come to cause trouble!

Moreover, if she were to make a move at this moment, and Outcast were to jump out and accept the attack, wouldn't she and the Papal Knight next to her be judged by the law as attacking their own kind and be directly condemned to death?

While others stood still, they themselves lost two key players?

Reactive armor, right?

That's not how you do it!

"Tsk, you don't want to talk about it? Then forget it."

Lin Lu clicked her tongue regretfully, but didn't take it to heart. It was normal not to answer. How could anyone be so heartless as to introduce their defensive weapons to the enemy?

While the Sarkaz of Laterano may be a little bit unconventional, they are not stupid after all.

It's okay if we don't know for sure right now and can't handle it yet, anyway, it won't be long before he takes over this field, and it will end up in his hands anyway.

“Cardinal, Outcast just said you were a cardinal, right? I remember that a cardinal is a position second only to the pope, so you should know how Laterano’s preparations are going?”

"I have no obligation to answer your questions, intruder."

While her mind was racing, Violet gave a cold reply, still struggling with whether or not she should make a move.

However, she no longer needs to struggle with this decision, because the enemy has already made the choice for her.

“Outcast, step back. With you here, they’re all tied up and can’t get things done. Hmm… why don’t you go and explore the city first? Once you’re here, there’s nothing for you to do.”

Lin Lu flexed her wrists and casually made a suggestion.

"Oh? You don't need my assistance?"

"I don't have the audacity to make a Sarkaz turn his weapon against his own people. Your guide mission is over. I'll give you a good review when you go back. You can do whatever you want from now on. Even if you attack me, it's fine."

"Alright then, but I won't bother with you. I'm not senile yet."

Hearing Lin Lu say that, Outcast shrugged, put her hands in her pockets, and leisurely walked towards the distant pure white holy city. Her movements were so smooth that one might even suspect that she had planned to do this all along.

"and many more!"

Violet hurriedly tried to stop her, but as soon as she made a move, she felt a mountain-like pressure fall on her shoulders. The overwhelming pressure that suddenly descended even made her body freeze on the spot, almost causing her to lose her balance.

"Gentlemen, if you're a traveler who hasn't been home for a long time and just wants to stroll around the city of your homeland, there's no need for you to come along, is there?"

Click~ Click~

With a cracking sound from her joints, Lin Lu clenched her fists, turned her neck, and revealed a refined and gentle smile.

"Why don't you come and warm up with me? The journey has been quite boring."

"Fall back!"

The experienced Papal Knight reacted instantly, standing in front of Violet and Sidgar, pulling up the two revolvers hanging at his waist, starting the mechanism, and the six barrels instantly went from static to dynamic, spinning rapidly and spitting out dense tongues of fire.

call!

The grass swaying in the wind was scattered and blown away under the dense rain of bullets, stirring up large swaths of soil. The hum of machinery and the sound of bullets exploding mingled together, and the violent metal storm, like a swarm of insects rushing across the sky, tore through the air and covered the nearby forest dew.

No wonder the Papal Knights of Laterano are feared by all nations; their speed of activation alone puts them miles ahead of traditional sorcerers who rely on staves for spellcasting.

Under the barrage of bullets, even the sturdiest heavy armor could hardly withstand it. Ordinary soldiers were no different from wheat waiting to be harvested in front of the Papal Knights. Once the revolvers opened fire, they would fall in droves.

It's just unknown how long this level of firepower can be sustained.

If this could continue for a long time, then a formation of Papal Knights equipped with such weapons would likely become a nightmare that no army would want to encounter.

Let alone an army composed of ordinary people, even those famous experts probably wouldn't dare to face the barrage of bullets from a revolver. As long as they are still flesh and blood, who would dare to let such a thing hit them directly?

However, Lin Lu is not included in this list.

Despite the onslaught of raging bullets, he remained standing, raising one arm, golden light emanating from his palm and enveloping his entire body.

Combat Skill: Invincible!

It has a very simple name, and its specific function is equally simple.

Filling his entire body with golden power, he instantly became invincible. Originally, this thing needed to be used with a shield, but in Lin Lu's hands, with his strength at his level and his mastery of the prayer combat technique, he could break free from the limitations of external objects and use it with his bare hands, with only slight changes in form or function.

The boiling metal bullet struck the gleaming golden body, passing right through it and disappearing into the ground as if it had encountered no resistance, causing grass clippings and soil to explode in large swaths.

The moment her combat skills took effect, Lin Lu calmly stepped out, easily escaping the range of the hail of bullets.

While revolvers are powerful, they have a fatal flaw – they cause the user to experience tremendous recoil. When using two at the same time, it is not easy to keep aiming, let alone maintain a straight line of fire. Therefore, if the distance is not too far and there is only one Papal Knight, a skilled player can simply turn to another angle to temporarily avoid the attack.

During the time between the ceasefire and the re-aiming and firing, Lin Lu could have easily severed the two revolvers or simply eliminated the user, but he did not.

When you're having fun, you should play for a while longer, otherwise it gets too boring.

She casually caught the arrow that came from the side and threw it aside. The ice-blue bullet drew a winding arc in the air. Violet's wings of light unfolded behind her, and a halo above her head transformed into a circle of afterimages. Her speed increased dramatically. She closed in and used her elbow as a weapon, coordinating with the bullet that flew behind her in an arc to deliver an elbow strike.

A bullet that curves? Gunfighting, is that it?

Lin Lu vaguely remembered a similar plot in a movie that was shown in Longmen. Now it seems that it probably had a prototype and was not just something the director imagined out of thin air.

That's true. It's impossible for all directors to be like that king of bad movies from years ago, just spouting off without any regard for whether the plot is reasonable.

In a flash of thought, magnificent wings unfurled out of thin air, then folded back, golden feathers shimmering, the explosive force deflecting bullets fired from behind.