Chew, chew, chew

Su Luo's gaze began to search for the true Knights of the [Church], or the even more powerful [Judgment Knights ].

[Calamity] had already approached the Steam- Apprentice Knights, numbering over a hundred. Its ferocious claws, like hydraulic clamps, seized one of their steel helmets and gave it a gentle tug.

Like opening a luncheon meat, the Steam armor was completely ineffective. The Apprentice Knight inside was reduced to a pile of minced meat by the terrifying power. The Steam armor next to it couldn't even react to the approach of [Calamity], and had just raised its gun.

Countless guns opened fire, ammunition poured forth, and massive saw blades extended, carrying boiler Steam, burned flesh, and fanatical faith. The Apprentice Knights, with their frail bodies, launched a bloody siege against [the Calamity]!

However, it had no effect whatsoever. The [calamity] only suffered minor scratches. The symphony of steel and gunpowder was like the background Music for its meal, Apprentice Knights were devoured by it one by one, like food in a jar.

"They're quite particular; they don't eat raw food."

Su Luo saw [Huo] press the Apprentice Knight's head into the boiler to scald it, then stuff it into his mouth and bite down. Bone fragments mixed with pale pink brain matter spilled out, just like a candied tomato.

Just as the Apprentice Knights were about to be wiped out, a colossal roar echoed through the night sky once more, and an unsettling beam of light pierced the darkness from the city center.

Looking around, two steel airships, belching Steam and carrying several figures, slowly approached. A row of searchlights, their white light flashing across the dark ground, illuminated the underside of the airships.

Below the airship, dozens of figures, nearly four meters tall and dressed in Steam Mech, moved at high speed, trailing white Steam and their footsteps shaking the streets.

Each time it landed, it would bounce up suddenly, like giant frogs, with white Steam billowing from the exhaust pipes on the back of the mech, leaving brief streaks in the night sky.

Qi Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he took a step forward, leaping and running from the rooftop, as if he were afraid of the people on the airship.

Su Luo continued to follow Qi Yuan, without paying much attention to the people on the airship.

The Steam Mech running beneath the airship are clearly Knights of the Church, so the important figures aboard the airship are obviously Judgment Knight or someone of equal rank.

Qi Yuan had his reasons for running away, and Su Luo's target was Qi Yuan, so she naturally followed suit.

On the airship, a young man in formal attire glanced for no apparent reason at the shadows of a building in the distance, drawing the attention of those around him.

"Ilia, what's wrong?"

"A filthy rat is spying on me and is scurrying away. Send five Knights to check it out; we can't afford any accidents lately."

As the young man spoke, he casually touched the woman's thigh next to him, pondered for a moment, and then buried his face in it.

"Little sister, why aren't you wearing a lucky bag?"

Qi Yuan fled for two kilometers on the rooftops when he suddenly heard noises behind him that were out of place at the battlefield distance, along with the sounds of Steam boiler shaking and exhaust pipes.

Looking back, he saw five burly men leaping across the buildings behind him. However, unlike him, each time they used a building as leverage, they would stomp on the upper floors and burst them apart, then surge forward like catapults.

Using the power of Steam Mech mechs, they propelled themselves through the air like a train, crashing and lurking.

The distance between them is rapidly closing...

"Damn it, these Awakened are terrifying! I only glanced at them from afar and they caught me. I didn't mean any harm!"

Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes, found a wide alley and went inside. It was less than two meters wide, with six-story residential buildings on both sides, the windows tightly closed and not a single light on.

The five Steam Knights arrived the next moment, but instead of engaging in street fighting as Qi Yuan had expected, their mechanical metal backs opened up, forming a menacing five-meter-tall chain-toothed giant sword, and then they began dismantling the structure without hesitation.

The blades unfolded from the back of the mechs, connecting to the wrists via mechanical arms, swaying like a metal tail. They smashed down the walls on both sides, filling the alley with rubble, and then advanced by stepping on the rubble. They didn't need narrow alleys, just one road.

Su Luo stood in the shadow of a tall building, holding a piece of beef in her hand, chewing as she watched the commotion.

"Chew, chew, chew, you're wondering how these Awakened are produced. Chew, chew, chew... It's like they're just physically strong. Maybe the Judgment Knights' spirit is also strong, but I haven't seen their energy system."

About fifteen minutes later, the battle on [the other side] ended, and the two huge Steam airships began to slowly turn around and return home, with the roar and explosions becoming much quieter.

In the nearly demolished alley, the battle was almost over. A figure wearing tattered Steam Mech stumbled out and headed towards the edge of the city.

Occasionally, a commoner huddled on the street would see this and immediately lower their eyes in devout humility, or kneel down to pray on the spot.

In the eyes of the common people of the empire, Knights were no different from nobles, and in fact, they were much more well-regarded. After all, they possessed power far exceeding that of ordinary people, and indeed many Knights became minor nobles.

Fortunately, curfew arrived, and those still on the streets were the ones who had frantically fled and couldn't find shops or landlords to take them in. Not only had they lost their homes and loved ones, but they also had to donate money the next day to atone for their sins.

According to the Church, the existence of the "calamity" is a consequence of people's unfaithful betrayal of the Holy Light, and the killing of civilians by the "calamity" demonstrates a lack of steadfast faith.

I have no idea what kind of nonsense this is.

The Steam Knight staggered to a deserted spot, looked around, and slowly removed his mech.

"Damn it, how are these guys so strong? They managed to injure me so badly."

Qi Yuan roughly threw off his load, tossing the wreckage of the Steam Mech into a puddle by the roadside, splashing up a cloud of murky water.

Under the murky moonlight, thick clouds filtered the Moonlight into a thin layer of gray, casting it onto the dilapidated street. Qi Yuan kept checking his body until his peripheral vision inadvertently caught sight of a dark figure, and he froze.

The dirty, rotten ground reflected fragmented Moonlight in the puddles, and dappled light leaked through the gaps in the buildings on either side.

An elegant gentleman, holding a black umbrella, stood Jingjing at the alley entrance, watching him. His collar was turned up high, obscuring the lower half of his face, revealing only his eyes.