Chapter 136
Ignore this outsider's threats!
Bang.
The person who spoke was shot dead, and then someone else spoke.
"The time has come for the gods to test us."
"If we back down now, the church will surely punish us."
"Do you really think that the great church can't defeat this outsider?"
"Only by chanting scriptures softly with us can we find peace."
Every time someone responded, Yuki shot them dead, but the fanatics were not afraid of death; they would finish their sentence even if it meant risking a life for every word.
Click.
Yuki changed the magazine again. This Chaos Item was pretty weak, but he was somewhat addicted to the feeling of changing magazines and pulling the bolt.
"Honestly, they're always causing me trouble." He saw that those who were initially wavering were starting to hesitate, and he also saw that some people were clearly looking at him, but pretending to be devout.
All the tests are nonsense; the real key is the church's punishment later on.
They feared their blasphemy would lead to retribution later; if the church doors were open now and a group of priests walked out, they would all be as strong as iron.
"You still don't understand. Settling scores later takes time, but I can kill right now."
Bang.
Gunshots rang out again, blowing the head off a man who had been lying down but was now trying to sit up again.
"Don't waste your energy, do you want to regret it now?" Yuki steadied the person behind him and continued forward.
The gun was pointed at a boy next to him, who trembled and tried to close his eyes, but when the cold muzzle was pressed against his forehead, he collapsed like a lump of mud.
Being steadfast without being absolute is the same as being absolutely steadfast. Once fear takes hold, no matter what those fanatics say, you'll lose all your strength.
"One person, one second."
Yuki continued forward, pointing his gun at everyone around him. Some people were still holding on, but a gunshot rang out, and they were instantly blown to the head.
Three, five, six, eight were killed by mistake.
Yuki silently counted in his mind that the Judge were not incapable of killing ordinary townspeople; there was still a certain degree of redundancy. However, time was limited, and he had no interest in forcing them one by one.
Then let's act it out. Let's act as a weapon that doesn't care about making mistakes, just a monotonous, mechanical killing machine.
Pull the trigger, head explodes, ten bullets fired, then stop to change magazines. The unhurried footsteps are like the approach of a demon, the crisp sound of spent cartridges rolling on the ground is thrilling.
A murderous monster, an absolute murderous monster! The church is turning a deaf ear—could something be wrong? If the priests don't show up, who will save me?
Imagine you're kneeling, unable to escape, and a serial killer walks up behind you, expressionlessly shooting his fellow human beings. No one knows how many he'll kill; only the sound of gunfire echoes through the air.
Then the priests who provide security are nowhere to be seen; how could any human being of sound mind not be afraid?
Fear is spreading and accumulating.
Gradually, the differences between people became apparent. True believers seemed not to hear anything and continued chanting, while ordinary people who tried to remain calm became increasingly shaky.
At first, they would struggle for two seconds when Yuki pointed the gun at them. Gradually, they would cover their heads and cry when Yuki was aimed at them. Finally, Yuki's footsteps drew near, they fell down like wheat.
Once the psychological defenses are breached, the efficiency of the killing will only increase.
Yuki's marksmanship was mediocre, but he had no problem hitting stationary targets. He only needed to approach, ignore the ordinary people who were lying down, and spin around with one hand holding the gun. Anyone with a little bit of resolve would lose their composure.
Who else but a fanatic could smile and recite scriptures at this moment?
[Player Yuki, you have judged the 300th believer. Reward: 1 Enhancement Point.]
[Player Yuki, you have judged the 400th believer. Reward: 1 Enhancement Point.]
The occasional murmurs added a sense of accomplishment to Yuki's slaughter; he felt as if he were standing in a wheat field, filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest.
If only these believers were endless, I could just grind through a single dungeon until I ascended to immortality.
Yuki's hand was getting sore from pulling the trigger. Finally, he reached the end of the crowd, where the church used to preach.
Ring ring...
Everything was quiet except for the sound of the cartridge cases rolling. He slowly turned his head, his eyes widening inch by inch.
No one dared to look at him anymore. The entire square was filled with people lying on the ground, either ordinary people trembling in fear or believers who had died in various ways.
Blood flowed into streams, staining the pure white floor tiles red. Yuki felt as if he had become a demon god, looking down upon all living beings and deciding the life and death of anyone.
Ding ding ding--
The bell rang, signaling the end of the gathering, but unlike usual, no one dared to get up and leave, as if the rules had been rewritten by the assembly.
These were the rules he set: the gods were far away, the game was even further away, but the demons were right before him.
Creak.
The church doors finally opened, and a dozen priests emerged from the church, escorted by several heavily armored guards.
After the ceremony was completed, God told them who the Judge was, and the Judge's coordinates were outside the church, so they rushed out in a panic.
They received divine guidance, yet felt the blessing upon them was incredibly weak, and they didn't know why; they shriveled up like a deflated balloon.
Just as they were filled with doubt and surprise, they saw what was happening before their eyes:
A black-haired youth stood on the high platform, holding a gun. Behind him, the sacred square was stained red, and the corpses of believers were everywhere.
Everywhere you look, there are dead bodies, while the living are all kneeling on the ground. They are not kneeling to worship gods, but to the strangers in front of them.
This, this, this...
The visual impact was overwhelming, and my brain was still processing it. Where did all the believers go in just half an hour? And whose believers are those who remain?!
It's like a dream, waking up to find everything turned upside down. The key question is, how did the other party manage to do it? It was clearly a gunshot, yet there wasn't a single sound.
"Like the cemetery, these outsiders have the ability to muffle the noise!"
A priest, as if waking from a dream, had just opened his mouth when he saw the blood-red moon ring rushing towards him. The thing was fast, but he could easily dodge it. However, when it came time to dodge, he found that his body couldn't keep up with his thoughts.
Ah?
Swish--
Sliced in two, the splattered blood and flesh stained the wall red, like graffiti on a sacred church.
The remaining people, as if facing a formidable enemy, drew their weapons one after another. They saw the young man, holding a blood-red longsword, rushing towards them amidst the 'kneeling worship' of hundreds of townspeople.
"As clergy, how could you forget?" Yuki.
"Never look directly at the gods."
Chapter Thirty-Two: The Judgment Arrives (Second Update)
There's a problem at the square!
A few kilometers away, another team of players also realized what was going on, or rather, they had had questions half an hour earlier.
Black Sword sensed the barrier unfolding towards the plaza and instantly realized he had fallen into a trap, but escaping wouldn't be so easy.
The Phantom Thief actually met the attack head-on, managing to hold him off for several rounds. Regardless of the opponent's strength, his mind was filled with doubt.
Isn't he a religious person? Why is he taking it so seriously?
Could it be that he and one of them are teammates, and have been acting together all this time?
It's hard to understand. If it's true, Black Sword has to admire this acting skills to the point of prostration. Fortunately, the Phantom Thief isn't that strong. What's really hard to understand is what happened in the square.
'Did Li Dan go to the square? Did he want to kill those believers?'
The purpose was obvious. Although Black Sword hadn't found out the source of the church's power, he was well aware of the importance of the believers and could guess that the 'Judge' would definitely be their enemy.
But there were more than just believers there, and they couldn't be distinguished by appearance. If they could kill at will, why didn't they burn the town down sooner?
The longer the battle continued, the more confused he became. His attention was diverted, making it even harder to defeat the Phantom Thief. Just as an invisible blade pierced his chest, he turned into a black shadow.
The shadows, like mud spilled on the roof, seemed to gather into human shapes dozens of meters away, as if swimming underwater.
I used it for the first time.
Black Sword silently recited the command, quickly looked around, and saw that the roof was full of holes, and there were two or three dead dogs.
A girl in a dress and a motorcycle helmet stood on a high place, constantly drawing back her bowstring, while a man holding Chainsaw Sword blocked her way, refusing to back down even a step.
Rick's hand was bitten by the Caucasian Hound, his forearm almost bitten off, yet he still managed to cleave it in two with his Chainsaw Sword.
Why are these people working so hard?
Black Sword found it difficult to understand, but that didn't stop him from analyzing the current situation:
It's difficult to kill these three players in a short time. Being held back also prevents them from attacking 'Li Dan' from both sides. That means that in this instance, they not only played a minor role but also suffered heavy losses.
Even if we take into account the role of providing intelligence, the mission rating would not exceed C.
"Wait a minute, there's no need for us to keep fighting." Black Sword suddenly raised his hand, causing Oreki Houtarou was making his detour, to stop.
"What do you mean?" The boy wearing the smiling mask tilted his head slightly. He knew that the Black Sword wasn't being used for real, and Pan Zi wasn't using his full strength either.
His task was to stall the two of them, and of course, the more nonsense he talked, the better.
Black Sword knew this too, but it was a real headache. This person was a cultist, and even if he used all his strength to kill him, he wouldn't improve his mission rating.
"You're teaming up with Li Dan?"
"No, if we were teaming up, we wouldn't be so 'harmonious'."
"You're a believer, aren't you?"
"Hmm, would you like me to recite the clergy's instructions for you?"
Then why the hell are you fighting with me?
Black Sword almost lost his composure, gently adjusting his sunglasses. "Then why did you help the Judge?"
"I hate this town, and that church too. I didn't choose to be a 'believer'," Oreki Houtarou shrugged lightly, speaking at a leisurely pace.
It's just about dislike; you're a veteran player, how can you be so naive?
Black Sword couldn't help but complain inwardly, feeling there must be other reasons, but couldn't think of any for the moment, so he had to throw in another one.
"We are players belonging to 'Day,' are you sure you're challenging us just because you dislike us?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the Phantom Thief's eyes change, and he breathed a slight sigh of relief, having already judged that this person had at least four dungeon-level experiences.
Since you're a veteran player, you should have heard of the name 'Zhou'.
Players can be naive and willful, but there's a price to pay. Now that costs have skyrocketed, he seems like a smart guy; he should think it over carefully.
"A very useful threat, it certainly increases the risk considerably." Oreki Houtarou nodded slightly, glancing at the center of the plaza.
At this moment, Yuki had already left the barrier's range. The commotion from his battle with the priests was immense, and with the view blocked by the houses, the boy could only see the church bell tower.
It was at this moment that a dark figure 'flew' into the sky, and as it fell, it landed right on the spire of the tower.
The sounds of battle continued, proving that it wasn't Yuki had taken flight. This surprised not only Houtarou but also Black Sword, who turned around in astonishment.
"He not only survived, but he also got close to the church?"
The rally has ended, so shouldn't it be met with a furious counterattack from hundreds or thousands of believers and the church? Why is the fighting getting closer and closer, and the sounds of battle don't seem like those of many people?
The situation was becoming increasingly bizarre, Black Sword lost interest in what was happening before him. He decided to help Pan Zi quickly eliminate the two players, at least by taking down the 'Undercover,' which would allow him to upgrade his rating to B.
But the boy took two steps to the side, blocking the way, and raised his transparent blade in the face of the inexplicable Black Sword.
His eyes gleamed with a light, a replay of the battle during the probing phase, which, after being Inference Reconstruction, allowed him to anticipate the opponent's moves.
Knowing that the other party is backed by a huge organization, one cannot afford to be reckless or naive.
But real, tangible benefits are possible.
Squeak.
The church doors were slowly pushed open, allowing the midday sun to gradually stream into the dim interior.
Several priests lay their riddled corpses in front of the door, their bulging eyes fixed on the man in the red trench coat.
Blood soaked through his clothes, dripping from the corners. Yuki looked around and saw rows of empty seats, some covered with sheets, and large mosaic windows on both sides.
Opposite the main gate was an altar, upon which stood rows of incredibly distorted golden statues. Behind the altar was another wall, which must have led to the room leading to the clock tower.