Duke Dekan's Mission

Even though it's autumn, the further south you go, the thicker the sky becomes.

The sunlight was blocked and could not reach the ground.

The wind blowing through the streets of the Holy Capital was icy cold and had begun to mix with a few raindrops.

In the heart of the Holy Capital, many people come to the Holy Capital Law Temple.

Because it is not only devout believers who have to pray to the gods.

Even under normal circumstances, many Holy Kingdom would come to this place where, according to legend, judgments would be conducted in the name of the Goddess. In their eyes, this was truly a sacred place of judgment.

Some priests also use spells that can see through lies to help those in disputes.

From minor frictions in daily life to matters of life and death.

Of course, detection magic can be evaded by pre-prepared disguise magic, and some statements, even if they are seen through, require wisdom to deduce the truth.

Therefore, truth does not necessarily equate to absolute fairness.

Ultimately, the outcome depends on human effort.

However, no matter the era, there will always be those who hope to make judgments through the majesty of God.

There weren't many people on the streets of the Holy Capital today.

As if they had known in advance, many residents chose to stay home.

Because they know that some excitement is worth joining, while other excitement should be avoided, since it's not necessarily a good thing.

On the contrary, the area around the Temple of Law was teeming with nobles.

But those who will come to the Temple of Law today are all important figures in the Holy Kingdom.

Most of them were princes, nobles, and high-ranking officials who held great power in the Holy Kingdom. Even the great nobles who were far away on the border rushed back to the Holy Capital at this time. Of course, important and powerful figures such as the cardinals of the Sun God Church Cardinal and the commanders of the Saint Knight Captain also came.

All of this is because today is the day of the trial of Duke Ray of the Holy Kingdom.

More than a month ago, Lei, a duke of the Holy Kingdom and one of the strongest ninth-tier beings, suddenly launched a sneak attack on the Holy Emperor Lunn after disappearing for a long time and trying to kill him!

No one knows where Duke Ray has been all these years, why he suddenly returned and turned against Lunn, or what his purpose is.

But perhaps everything will be answered today.

The Holy Trial, the highest-level trial in the Holy Kingdom, is presided over by the Emperor himself. He will personally use the Holy Kingdom's most precious treasure, the ninth-tier magical artifact [Eye of Truth], to judge the truthfulness of every word spoken by the criminal.

The Saintess of Light possesses unique magic to detect lies, while the Saintess of Darkness has a potion that can make criminals tell the truth.

Ray's trial results will undergo triple cross-verification, cross-checking the veracity of the other two parties' trial results to prevent misjudgments or any party from committing perjury based on their own intentions.

Once such a trial takes place.

Regardless of the outcome, it proves that the Holy Kingdom is already in great turmoil.

Even if today's trial fails to unravel the mystery surrounding Ray, at least the nobles of the Holy Kingdom will know the most crucial information for anyone, regardless of their stance— Lunn's condition.

Lunn will make his first public appearance today since the attack!

Regardless of what signal Ray's actions represent, as long as Lunn stands, the current stability of the Holy Kingdom will continue.

Holy Emperor Lunn is not only the object of faith for the people of the Holy Kingdom, but also the strongest being who can make all the nobles and powerful people restrain their ambitions and temporarily unite.

Even though he's getting older every year.

No one dares to question his abilities.

We don't even know if he can live another ten or even twenty years.

But now, even if the two saintesses pulled Lunn back from the brink of death after he suffered a severe injury, he will surely be greatly weakened!

Ray almost ripped Lunn's heart out from the very beginning!

Many people couldn't understand how Lunn, who trusted Ray so completely, survived Ray's sudden and unexpected attack.

Regardless, everyone who came to the Temple of Law was prepared for the changes that might come to the Holy Kingdom in the next few years.

Of course, it was quite sudden and hasty for them to gather in the Holy Capital.

Thus, some faces that were not so familiar to everyone appeared in the Temple of Law.

For example, the nobles of remote border regions who haven't returned to the Holy Capital for a long time have already been replaced.

There were also important figures who should have been there but were absent, such as powerful figures who had been sent to high-level Shadow World and had not yet returned, or bishops who were to remain in the Holy Kingdom at key junctures to keep an eye on the Resurrection Church.

The only two factors that have caused instability in the Holy Kingdom in recent years have been the Shadow World and the Resurrection Church.

However, under the surveillance of the Saintess of Light, the interrogation of the Saintess of Darkness, and the intimidation of the Holy Emperor, the Resurrection Church dared to cause trouble almost exclusively in the Shadow World.

The Resurrection Church would never have dared to even consider attacking the Holy Capital amidst the chaos.

No one would be foolish enough to sneak into the temple as an imposter today.

To commit a crime under the noses of three ninth-tier powerhouses— Lunn and the Saintess of Light and Darkness—who are capable of discerning truth from falsehood, is tantamount to an old man eating poison.

Before fully ascertaining Lunn's condition, no major force of the Resurrection Church dared to approach the Holy Capital rashly.

Otherwise, even an eighth-rank Cardinal would be slapped by Lunn.

But.

At this very moment, in the Temple of Law.

A figure strolled leisurely across the carpet, attracting glances from almost everyone every second, followed by hushed conversations after he had taken a few steps away.

He was dressed in plain clothes, but very neatly.

His silver-white hair was neatly combed, making him look to be in his sixties or seventies, but his posture was very straight, suggesting that he must have been handsome and dashing in his youth.

He leaned on a black cane, his icy blue eyes reflecting a serene indifference to everything.

Although everyone realized that he was only at the first rank and not a strong person, he should be a nobleman.

But his aura was definitely not that of an unknown person.

Logically speaking, even if one hasn't personally met a great person, they should have heard something about them.

The nobles present, after confirming with each other, concluded that none of them had ever seen such a person!

That can only mean one thing—he must be "that person".

In the legends of the Holy Kingdom, there truly is a mysterious Grand Duke. He is like a shadow of Lunn, and was the key to Lunn's victory over the demons more than twenty years ago!

Nowadays, apart from some older people, many young people simply regard this honorary duke as a story whose veracity is difficult to discern.

Seeing the duke, who appeared to be the legendary figure, in person caused many ambitious nobles to start racking their brains.

With even this Grand Duke appearing, the situation within the Holy Kingdom has become even more complicated.

"The Holy Kingdom era was truly powerful. I've never seen such a cowardly Resurrection Church in the mortal world... And these nobles are just like the many scheming kings and nobles in the Kingdom Association..."

Dekan sighed silently to himself.

Even without much observation or careful attention to the cautious discussions among the powerful and wealthy, one can still roughly guess the complex and foolish thoughts in the minds of many nobles.

Unlike Dekan, the challenger from the Shadow World, they didn't truly realize what the real threat to the Holy Kingdom was, and were still making plans for their own interests.

[Mission Objective 2: Travel to the Holy Kingdom to investigate the identity of the enemy who hid in the Holy Capital twenty-four years ago, and find them.]

--This is the new target that Dekan saw upon arriving in the Holy Capital.

Eve did not disappoint him, successfully completing the renovation of the Devil King Tomb for him by working overtime.

Back then, the Holy Capital had become a horrific ghost town.

When Lunn and his group arrived in the Holy Capital, they could no longer find any trace of the Terror enemy that Clay had mentioned.

Instead of confronting them head-on, the other party fled and disappeared without a trace.

Now, looking back on the Holy Kingdom's past.

Without a doubt, this enemy is the very culprit that caused the Holy Rite Church to wither, the Holy Capital to be Corrosion, and the people of the Holy Kingdom to suffer immensely!

Even the initial cause of the holy war between the Demon Realm and the Holy Kingdom might have been due to countless schemes orchestrated by this guy behind the scenes.

At this moment, however, Dekan still had no clues to track down this cunning fox who had been hiding for many years.

However, the mission objective, stated up to this point, also sends a powerful signal—

That means this guy must be in the Holy Kingdom right now!!

It will definitely appear at least once before this Shadow World ends!

Delois's mission is to find it and finally end the entanglement of cause and effect between the Holy Kingdom and the Demon Realm over the years.

Even in a barren period, one must dare to commit sins and bear the consequences.

If God cannot bring down judgment and punishment, then He shall personally kill the man who threatens Delois's friends and his friends.

Dekan remained resolute, passing through the crowded waiting room and heading deeper into the temple.

Walk through the courtroom where the trial was held, through the corridor lined with bookshelves, and continue walking inside.

Walk to the deepest part of a space filled with rows of chalk columns, creating a sense of desolation.

He walked alone, heading in the same direction as everyone else, but the occasional pauses of the people of the Holy Kingdom made it seem as if he were going against the flow.

In the magnificent hall at the deepest part of the temple, there is a statue of a god sculpted with the sun as its symbol, and the main seat, headed by the judge, and two secondary seats face all the seats in the hall.

That was nothing more than a scene that seemed to have stepped out of a myth.

The sunlight filtering through the gaps between the rows of cylindrical columns looked like golden ribbons.

No sudden sound could be heard; perfect tranquility prevailed, like a sacred realm.

This is the highest and most sacred place in the Holy Kingdom: the Court of Judgment.

The courtroom was eerily quiet. No one dared to make a sound, or even to speak casually. Everyone walked carefully, afraid of making the slightest noise and disturbing His Majesty Emperor Lunn.

Upon entering the courtroom, Dekan finally saw what Lunn looked like now...

Aged. That was Dekan's first thought.

This emperor, now seventy-three years old, is an old man nearing the end of his life. Although he wears magnificent clothes and a crown inlaid with tiny gold wire and diamonds, the monstrous aura of power he once possessed is nowhere to be found.

Compared to the mild-mannered Lunn of yesteryear, sitting on the emperor's throne these past years has perhaps honed his ruthlessness, making him appear more imposing.

But he was slow to even lift his eyelids, and his gaze seemed somewhat sluggish. However, a glint of light flashed in his slightly cloudy eyes, as if he were maintaining his last bit of authority as the Holy Emperor.

He has become much weaker.

For some reason, seeing Lunn like this made Dekan feel a strange pang of sadness.

This isn't how Lunn should be.

Clearly, even if Ray didn't completely take his life, he still shortened his lifespan by several years or even more than a decade.

If Dekan were to take another hit and take Lunn's last bit of life, even the decisive Dekan wouldn't know what to do.

But when it came down to whether to trust Lunn or Ray, Dekan had already made his decision.

Emperor Lunn sat on a high platform that belonged only to him, with everyone else at least thirty meters away from him.

There were only two people not far from him, sitting a few meters away on either side. To his left was a woman with long, light blue hair like a waterfall. Her pupils seemed to hold flawless stars, as if she could see through the truth written by the gods at any moment.

She appeared dignified yet approachable, with a gentle smile on her lips, as if she would treat anyone with kindness.

On the right is a stunningly beautiful woman with black hair and black eyes, her features exquisitely refined, like the most outstanding work of art sculpted by the Creator himself.

She was icy cold, radiating an aura that kept people at a distance.

They were clearly the Saintess of Light and the Saintess of Darkness, whose status in the Holy Kingdom was second only to Lunn.

It's part of the Goddess's blessing that gives them their ageless beauty.

Of course, this will not prolong their lifespan, but even at the moment of their passing, they will retain the most beautiful appearance they have ever had.

Dekan inadvertently saw the Saintess of Light. Ludwig looked calm and his warm smile was like a spring breeze. His eyes seemed to be reassuring everyone in the courtroom, telling them not to worry or be nervous.

The Saintess of Darkness Milia merely exchanged a glance with Dekan before ignoring him.

Dekan paid no attention to these two old acquaintances, even though they didn't have much interaction with Delois in this era.

Only Dekan knew that both of them were putting on a facade.

In reality, one is a grumpy, eccentric person, while the other is a kind-hearted little angel.

The protagonist of today's trial, Duke Ray, was already in the courtroom early on.

He was bound by several supreme spells of the Holy Kingdom, and even with his ninth-order divine power, he could not break free or move an inch.

At this moment, Ray was already standing in the area where those being judged were located, and everyone knew that his final fate was sealed.

But his slightly aged face still retained the same unruliness and wildness as when he was young, as he looked up at Lunn high above.

That look seemed to convey only one thing—

If you dare to release me, I'll kill you again.

Lunn looked down at Ray in the distance.

In his eyes, it was impossible to tell whether confusion, regret, pain, or sadness predominated, or whether these emotions had long been intertwined and mixed together, making it impossible to say anything clearly.

Even in the courtroom, which had been unusually quiet for some time, there was a sound of footsteps, like the only ticking of a clock in the room at night.

That was the footsteps of the last honorary duke of the three founding princes.

He walked uphill step by step, not looking at Lunn or Ray, as if he no longer had any thoughts on his mind.

Dekan walked to the seat reserved for the legendary duke, under everyone's gaze, and Lunn down, without saying a word.

Only then did faint murmurs rise again from the courtroom!

At this moment, Lunn's attitude finally confirmed that the last of the three founding dukes was indeed real!

And the honorary duke is none other than the mysterious old man before us, so reserved that he is impossible to fathom!

As soon as Dekan took his seat, Lunn's gaze swept across the room, his eyes like those of an aging lion, aged yet still conveying a sense of awe.

"Then... let's begin!"

Lunn's voice was hoarse, and without much preamble, he began the trial ahead of schedule.

Perhaps his body couldn't support a long wait.

Perhaps, everyone else seems dispensable, and all that has happened at this moment is for the arrival of a certain person.

******

Author's Note:

There are only about three chapters left in Volume 6, Shadow World. I estimate that Volume 7, the final volume, will start this weekend! I'll try my best to add more chapters to finish Volume 6. As is Xi Zhi usual practice, I usually try my best to finish the entire long chapter at the end of the volume to avoid breaking the chapter cycle!