The Atonement Army's Faith, the Cleric and the Count

To the east of the kingdom, a narrow river less than three meters wide marks the Boundary Line with the Gerald Noble Territory, where two formidable armies now stand facing each other at opposite ends.

Loren Columbus looked arrogantly at the Atonement Army opposite him, confident that the power of the Wyvern Legion was enough to crush this rabble.

He wanted to trample the Dawn and teach Gerald in the east a lesson, to make them understand who was the greater king between the Empire and the Church.

These decadent and ancient nobles are somewhat unable to distinguish between different eras.

"Starting a war will inevitably lead to destruction!"

Loren roared, Two-legged Wyvern beneath him let out a cruel howl.

"Submit to the Empire."

Despite Loren's aggressive questioning, Cleric Awen remained devout and continued to pray.

"Attack! Let these damned Dawn Believers witness the power of the Empire!"

At a command, countless Wyverns charged toward the opposite bank of the river. The air currents they created dried up the river, and countless drops of water flew into the air before being shattered by the powerful energy of the Wyverns, turning into frost and mist that fell to the ground.

"The glory of the Lord will surely destroy the darkness."

Cleric Awen raised his head, and the heavenly light above him burst forth. The Holy Radiance of Dawn, like a sharp blade, cleaved through the Cloud Sea, sweeping across his head at a 45-degree angle and shining directly upon the Wyvern Legion.

roar--

The piercing roar sent a chill down Loren's spine. He turned around and saw a Wyverns melting in the Holy Radiance of Dawn, its flesh and blood melting away, revealing its grotesque white bones. The struggling Wyverns threw off its rider, who crashed to the ground, certain to die.

The main body of the Wyvern Legion consists of Two-legged Wyvern, and the knights they control on their backs are not particularly powerful.

The intense heat of Dawn caused the Wyverns to scream and howl in agony. When the first Wyverns could not withstand it and its bones turned to liquid as it fell to the ground, the remaining Wyverns were also gripped by fear. They were restless and the burning sensation on their bodies gave them a sense of despair that they could never Dispel.

They struggled, and in an instant, they lost their composure.

Loren this, even Wyverns charging without any pressure would face failure. After all, they were greenhouse Wyverns cultivated by the empire using some extraordinary means, not the brutal Magical Beast that were born and raised in the wild.

The sharp Knight's Greatsword sliced through his palm, and drops of blood belonging to the Columbus Royal Family fell into the air, emitting a unique fragrance.

There is no other reason why Loren could become the Commander of the Wyvern Legion except that he was of Imperial House blood, and that is the key point.

The scent of Imperial House blood was captured by the Wyverns' unique sense of smell. Their eyes turned cold in that instant, as if a new consciousness had replaced their souls. They became like machines, no longer threatened by the Dawn Holy Radiance in the sky.

Cleric Awen, upon witnessing this scene, revealed shock and anger.

"Theft... no, the evil of Blasphemy of Deities."

He could see that those Wyverns were no longer pure Wyverns; their flesh and blood were that of Wyverns, but their souls had become some kind of terrifying power.

This is a desecration of Great Being, even if it is not the Lord of Dawn, but Deities of the same status as the Lord of Dawn. This touches upon the deepest principles in Cleric Awen's heart.

Regardless of the mistakes he made, his faith was devout.

"The glory of the Lord will look upon His people."

Cleric Awen, his body radiating pure white, slowly turned his head. His gaze caused the tens of thousands of the Atonement Army behind him to lower their heads in fear, even the two Legendary among them.

"The time for you to atone has come."

The moment he finished speaking, all the members of the Atonement Army let out painful howls. One after another, snow-white chains emerged from their hearts like long snakes, tightly binding their shoulders, abdomens, thighs, and calves.

The chains burned with Sacred Fire, scorching the skin of the Atonement Army, but even more so, they burned their souls, bringing them unimaginable pain.

This is why the Church controls the Atonement Army and the latter dare not resist; those who are not afraid of death are long gone, while those who are afraid of death remain the Church's lackeys.

"Priest, Priest, no!!!"

The Legendary knight also wailed, his powerful soul bearing an even stronger Sacred Fire.

"Atone for your sins."

Cleric Awen turned around indifferently. Behind him, screams of agony continued. Finally, someone couldn't take it anymore and charged towards the Wyvern Legion in the sky. He was a Sky Knight, wielding a longsword and wearing armor. He charged at the Wyverns without regard for anything else, as only in this way could he alleviate the pain deep in his soul.

In the sky, Wyverns charged in formation, while on the other side, tens of thousands of humans, their bodies ablaze with snow-white flames, launched an attack in various bizarre postures. Each of them was powerful, and even the weakest among them posed a significant threat to the Wyvern Legion in the sky from the ground.

With human bodies against Wyverns tens of meters tall, the clash of war began with one silent death after another.

Wyverns do not possess the perfect power of Dragons. They do not know magic; they only possess physical strength. Their immense power is no less than that of a Sky Knight. However, when this power falls upon an Atonement Army on the opposite side, it is as if they have struck a metal mountain and are unable to shake it.

The reverberating force left Wyverns bewildered, but it was too late; the opponent's longsword, radiating the sharpness of Dawn, had already pierced Wyverns's heart.

The Wyverns did not let out the same scream as its opponent, even though it was the one who should have screamed in this situation, not the distorted expression of the Atonement Army.

The will that controls their bodies is no longer their own soul.

A pure white Holy Radiance spread from the Wyverns's heart, and as the Wyverns's life force faded, the Holy Radiance occupied the area of death until the Wyverns's entire body was covered.

"Humble people, offer this sacrifice to our Lord, may glory Eternity."

The Atonement Army howled in agony, while the Wyverns bathed in Holy Radiance before him gradually blurred, transforming into countless white specks of light that floated towards the highest heavens, towards the Eternity the Sun.

A massive Wyverns was thus sacrificed, and the pain in the Atonement Army was somewhat relieved. His distorted expression held a kind of comfortable intoxication, and then the still stinging pain in his soul made him tremble as he charged toward another Wyverns.

On the ground, Cleric Awen was praying. He was also a member of the Atonement Army, so he also had chains of Dawn on his body, far more than anyone else in the Atonement Army. They were so dense that they covered almost his entire body, like armor, with only a pair of calm and devout eyes showing.

He endured pain that no one else could match, yet he remained silent throughout.

This is the faith of the Atonement Army, and this is also what makes Cleric Awen feared by all the Atonement Army.

They all knew the unparalleled pain this feeling brought, a pain that could not be described or depicted by physical pain, yet Cleric Awen appeared so nonchalant. How could the Atonement Army not be afraid?

On the battlefield in the sky, Loren, his palms dripping blood, was pale, not only because of blood loss, but also because of the defeat in the war. The losses of the Wyvern Legion were actually greater than those of the Atonement Army.

At this moment, Loren finally saw how brutal the war between the Southern Empire and the Church was. On the Path of Dawn, this Atonement Army crushed all those who refused to submit. Their strength made even the dignity of the nobility flow to the ground.

"Damn it, why hasn't Count Pascal arrived yet!"

Loren roared in anger. Before, he was worried that Count Pascal would arrive too quickly and steal his credit. Now, he only hated that the other party hadn't arrived sooner, otherwise he would not be able to bear the responsibility for the heavy damage to the Wyvern Legion alone.

The Gargoyle Legion was already very fast. After galloping past the royal city, Count Pascal had already ordered the Gargoyle to take off and fly towards the battlefield in the east.

Fluttering wings and life like stone—this is the captivating appearance of this extraordinary world. The Gargoyle ' imposing stature and strength are beyond doubt. The moment they arrived on the battlefield, they locked onto the leader of the Atonement Army without hesitation.

Aven Griffiths.

In that instant, not only Count Pascal, but all the Gargoyle revealed anger and killing intent. They actually possessed human-like emotions, and directly pierced through the battlefield of the Wyvern Legion and the Atonement Army to kill the priest.

"Death is not your end; your Eternity destiny lies in the depths of the hollow gem."

Count Pascal looked at Cleric Awen and took out a huge, faceted Agate. It was a vivid red, as if it had been irrigated with blood. Its surface was magnificent and noble, but inside was the most desperate and lonely prison.

Pascal will use it to seal the soul of Cleric Awen, making him immortal, yet forever unable to feel the loneliness and despair of the passage of time and space.

This is his punishment.

The arrival of the Gargoyle surprised Cleric Awen. Familiar memories of the past flooded his mind, the reason he became a member of the Atonement Army.

Every land where the Dawn Faith may not have a priest, but it will definitely have a pastor.

Aven Griffiths was the only priest in the Mute Ascetics practice area of Danube Province.

"Pascal Plateau..."

Cleric Awen Yavin murmured, recalling that before the province was covered by the Northlands, Pascal Province was a veritable highland region for the Norris Continent. It was there that he trained with the Mute Ascetics, and it was there that he fell into depravity.

Thinking of this, Cleric Awen's eyes revealed deep anger.

"It is you, it is because of you, that I have fallen, that I have strayed from the glorious Kingdom of Heaven of God, and that I have become a redeemer."

"It's all because of you!!!"

Cleric Awen was enraged. In that instant, the sky was covered with thousands upon thousands of chains of Holy Radiance, which appeared to burn Cleric Awen's soul. However, amidst the snow-white flames, Cleric Awen remained unmoved like a stone and looked at Count Pascal.

He is a Legendary, a very powerful Legendary.

"Pascal's bloodline?"

Cleric Awen showed a moment of doubt, as if the person standing before him should not be of Pascal's bloodline.

But it doesn't matter. He found the cause of his downfall. Only by eradicating this cause can he atone for his sins and return to the embrace of the great Lord.

The world was illuminated in that instant, and the snow-white Holy Radiance replaced the day. The Sun in the sky no longer emitted golden sunlight, but snow-white Dawn. The earth was no longer covered with colorful vitality, but only a Dead Silence white, as cold as the Northlands.

That's Divine Art.

[Kingdom of Heaven]

The Legendary of the Church of Dawn, who wish to get closer to the Lord, would do so by mastering this Divine Art.

[Divine Art: Kingdom of Heaven] is the most powerful Divine Art among the Legendary-tier clergy of the Church, bar none.

Many powerful Legendary believe that mastering this Divine Art transcends the realm of Legendary, because it brings not only formidable combat power but also the power of a domain.

Therefore, these people naturally believe that this Divine Art does not actually belong to the Legendary.

Kingdom of Heaven, the abode of the Deities, the moment this Divine Art appeared, all the places covered by the snow- Holy Radiance lost their voices, and Cleric Awen became the sole Monarch within this Kingdom of Heaven.

"Do you need any help?"

Count Pascal heard a call in his ear; it was the voice of Ivy Aven. He was watching the battlefield from afar with greedy eyes, his heart pounding with excitement. He desperately wanted to kill the priest, to tear off his flesh and soul, and to study him, to see the different evolutions of life.

He came to this battlefield, partly because of the war between the Empire and the Church, which was also a part of it.

He was a member of the Imperial Army.

"Unnecessary."

Count Pascal murmured, and in the brief moment of their exchange, the Holy Radiance in the sky had already formed a human silhouette in front of Count Pascal. As the Holy Radiance shattered, Cleric Awen stepped out.

In the blink of an eye, he traversed a distance of over a thousand meters and appeared before the Count. He extended his eagle-claw-like hand towards the Gargoyle Count, easily tearing apart all the Count's magical defenses. Powerful magic was as fragile as paper in front of this claw.

When the sharp, pointed nails were less than an inch away from Count Pascal, they could go no further.

The count's pupils turned the color of Agate. The next moment, the Cleric Awen in front of him seemed to be hit by a huge force at an extremely fast speed. His nose broke, blood flowed, and he flew out.

Cleric Awen stared at Count Pascal in shock, unable to comprehend what power this was, that it remained so strong even within his own Kingdom of Heaven.

"This shouldn't be the case. Even the very essence of Otherworldly God cannot flourish in the Lord's kingdom."

Cleric Awen reached out and reattached his nose. As a pastor, repairing broken bones was a piece of cake for him.

Within the Kingdom of Heaven, he should be the sole voice.

A new Divine Art erupted from Cleric Awen. He no longer approached Count Pascal, but instead bombarded the Count with Divine Art. The Legendary Divine Art were incredibly powerful, but the invisible barrier around Count Pascal blocked all the destructive energy.

The Count slowly approached Cleric Awen, his progress in this Kingdom of Heaven as difficult as a wild beast trapped in a swamp. But he had been preparing to kill Cleric Awen for many years, and he had methods to deal with the power that Cleric Awen possessed.

"My lord, what are you doing?!"

The one who roared was Loren Columbus. The reason was simple: from the moment the [Divine Art - Kingdom of Heaven] descended, the Wyvern Legion was completely at a disadvantage. Loren never expected that the powerful Wyvern Legion would be defeated by the Crusaders and be so vulnerable. Those damned Atonement Army were covered in Holy Radiance, burning their lives to unleash two or three hundred percent of their fighting power.

Count Pascal's Gargoyle Legion, which should have come to his aid, seemed oblivious to the battlefield, with only Cleric Awen as their enemy.

Ignoring the fate of the Wyvern Legion naturally enraged Loren.

Count Pascal ignored Loren's rebuke. Imperial House Imperial House bloodline was no longer the same as it was a hundred years ago. Apart from a few individuals, the status of the remaining members of the Imperial House bloodline had been greatly diminished.

"Empty and Eternity loneliness is your destiny."

Count Pascal intended to seal Cleric Awen with the cage in his hand, but the latter naturally refused to surrender. He continued to fight against the Gargoyle that attacked from all sides. In a moment, the priest suddenly reached out and grabbed the broken head of Gargoyle, staring wide-eyed at the Gargoyle that had died with dull eyes.

Blood was flowing from between his fingers. How could a life formed from Magic-Immunity Stone have blood?

Cleric Awen felt a surge of emotion welling up inside him.

"Are you... my child?"

He stared intently at the Gargoyle that had died at his hands.

(End of this chapter)