Chapter 51

Chapter 51

On the Holy Tablet taken away by those thieves, a line of flaming sigils flashed briefly before vanishing, and the vanished engravings resurfaced, as if foretelling something about to happen.

The men tightly surrounding the Holy Tablet noticed this anomaly but had no time to react—they flung the tablet aside and stumbled backward in panic.

But the disaster struck too fast, leaving no room for escape.

"Boom!"

Fire exploded with a thunderous blast, sending scorching waves and shrapnel-like debris hurtling toward the nearest group at terrifying speed.

Those who had been desperately chasing after the Holy Tablet saw, beyond the fireball, countless mutilated limbs flung into the air.

Faced with the blinding light and ear-splitting noise, they instinctively halted in unison, blurted a stunned, *"Holy—"*

Originally, they had been frustrated at failing to catch up with the thieves before they reached the enemy's main force. Now, all they felt was relief.

Thank goodness they hadn’t caught up—otherwise, they too would have been among those blown to pieces.

That so-called Hainie Church actually dared to lay hands on the Holy Tablet. Serves them right—now they’re toast.

What was the point? If they knew they were wrong, they should have repented. Instead, they dug their heels in like idiots.

Perhaps they had angered the divine. Just look at the punishment they received this time—far more severe than the commotion caused by that viscount or earl who stole the tablet before.

"Sizzle. Crack. Thud."

As they reflected, the explosive noises gradually faded, replaced by the sound of limbs and rubble slamming down like hail, as if heavy rain pelted leaves.

As the fireball’s glow dimmed, they faintly glimpsed the ground ahead now stained with a slick of blood.

Realizing what it was, their guts twisted with dread—the wrath of the divine was indeed not to be provoked. You don’t mess with the gods.

As for the aggressive Yenic City guards, who had come ready for battle, they too froze, dumbstruck by the carnage.

Just moments ago, the frontmost guards were erased mid-breath.

Since they were preparing to attack Yang City, some well-informed among them had already heard rumors about the Holy Tablet—though they hadn’t known the people they were aiding would steal it.

Now, seeing this scene, the truth hit them—they were being punished by the gods!

"Run! Run now!"

"What sins have we committed? Why did we come to attack Yang City?"

*"Gods..."* "It's over. Everything’s over. The gods’ll hunt us down."

"Where can we even run? No matter where we flee, the gods will remember us."

Though they still held torches, they felt utterly swallowed by darkness, not a damn shred of hope.

Some collapsed weakly to the ground, faces blank with horror. Others babbled and sobbed like madmen, as if temporarily stimulated to madness by the scene before them.

But most simply dropped their torches and fled back the way they came.

Like hell itself was at their heels, they now only wanted to escape as fast as possible.

Seeing them flee, the Yang City troops immediately gave chase. Perhaps terror had turbocharged their legs—gone in a heartbeat, they vanished into the darkness.

The leader of the chase team glanced at the still-dark night sky and then at the vanished figures before giving a whistle blast to call off the chase.

In these conditions, pursuing further wasn’t advisable. Instead, they decided to first tie up the stragglers.

"Captain, look at this!"

Just as they had tied up the captives and prepared to take them back, a shout rang out. Everyone turned to see a soldier holding up a large plaque.

The man called "Captain" hurried over, frowning at the weathered bronze plaque. Holding a torch closer, he examined the markings and spotted a line of text.

The text confirmed the rumors he had heard over the past couple of days.

Indeed, it was the Hainie Church that had been corrupted by darkness.

Their attempt to seize the Holy Tablet must mean they intended to use it for evil.

Since the captain spoke the words out loud, those nearby overheard and crowded in for a closer look.

After repeatedly confirming the message, their gazes toward the Lis City guards turned hostile—filled with disgust, disdain, and a touch of fear.

"Captain, do you think these people might also carry traces of darkness? What if bringing them back causes trouble?"

"Yeah, should we just kill them right here and burn their bodies as an offering to the gods?"

The captain swept his gaze over the surrendered men, considering the idea.

As the Lis City guards watched anxiously, he shook his head.

"No. Lord Holy Son has instructed us to show mercy to prisoners and avoid unnecessary killing, or it'll stain our good deeds. With divine protection, we have nothing to fear from demons. Take them back and let the Archbishop handle them."

And so, they returned to Yang City with the metal plaque exposing the Hainie Church’s corruption, along with the Lis City captives.

The guards went to report to the Lis Church, while the people who had joined the pursuit excitedly discussed the night’s events on their way home.

By dawn, nearly half of Yang City was talking about what had happened.

"Did you hear? The Hainie Church tried to attack us, and the gods punished them harshly!"

"I heard the Hainie Church is full of demons, and the gods fought them after learning the truth."

"Exactly! The battle was so intense—half the sky lit up, and the ground was blown to pieces!"

"Good thing we’re in Yang City, under divine protection. No need to worry about being possessed."

"Do you think the Holy Tablet will still be there if we visit today?"

"Probably. Last time it reappeared after a while, just without inscriptions for some time."

"Tch, it’ll likely be the same this time. Damn Hainie Church—utterly wicked. The gods should punish them even more!"

"Either way, let’s go see the Holy Tablet. After such a major event, we should show our devotion and offer tribute."

As rumors spread, they grew increasingly exaggerated, but the main idea stayed the same: the Lis Church’s deity was good and watched over the people, while the Hainie Church was nothing but demons committing endless atrocities.

After heated talk, the crowd all agreed to visit the Holy Tablet again to show their concern.

Groups gathered beneath the great banyan tree, where they were greeted once more by the familiar Holy Tablet.

Golden characters glowed across its face, appearing even more radiant than before.

"Darkness has descended upon this continent, with the claws of demons lurking in the shadows, waiting to turn the mortal world into hell. Only the light within your hearts can save the world."

Seeing these words, everyone panicked. How did things get this bad overnight?

With talk of darkness and demons, what were regular folks like them supposed to do? They certainly didn’t believe they had the ability to challenge evil demons.

Yet, the latter part of the message seemed to suggest they could still help. How exactly were they supposed to use the light in their hearts to save the world?

After the initial panic, a strange excitement began to build inside them.

Saving the world—it sounded awesome, so heroic!

Many among them longed to be seen as heroes in the eyes of others, that sense of achievement and pride momentarily making them forget even the fear of death.

Now, they might actually become the heroes who saved the world—how could they not be thrilled?

With their blood boiling, they felt as if they could even stand up to a demon if one appeared before them.

A crowd of excited people, acting tough, rushed to Ning Chan’s side, eager to ask more about the interpretation of the inscription.

"What kind of light is this? How do we make more of it?" The person at the front put a hand to his chest, as if trying to feel whether it had any tangible form.

Meeting the man’s intense gaze, Ning Chan also placed a hand over his own heart. "I don’t know exactly what it is either. But from what the gods expect, it likely refers to anything that carries goodness. No one has seen what demons truly look like, but everyone knows they twist people's minds. So, as long as we don’t change in the direction they desire, they can't control us—they might even be weakened."

"So what should we do now?"

"Whatever they hate, we do the opposite. For example, those filthy, unclean creatures who love lurking in the shadows surely wouldn’t want to stay in clean, orderly places. They want people to be lazy and unambitious? Then we’ll hit the books and work our butts off. They want everyone to be selfish, harming others for their own desires? Then we’ll go out of our way to help people.

"Demons must thrive on evil minds—perhaps that evil is what nourishes them. And the opposite of evil? It must be goodness. One brings despair, the other brings hope.

"As long as we do our best and help more people live happily, the demons will surely be hurting."

The questioner thought Ning Chan made sense. Why would demons bother dragging ordinary people into darkness unless they stood to gain something? The divine message mentioned they had minions—what use were ordinary people to them? Were they food or something?

No matter what, the demons must have some purpose for them, or they wouldn’t go to such lengths.

Besides, if demons were truly invincible, they wouldn’t need to slowly expand their influence—they could just control everyone outright.

The concepts of evil and good took on a mystical power in their hearts, as if simply following the Holy Son’s guidance would allow them to defeat the demons themselves.

Some who believed themselves capable even began considering a trip to Yenith City.

After all, the Holy Tablet had declared that the smart ones would bring light to that city—surely, they were the chosen ones picked for this holy job.