The Road to the Great Dao

The Sunlight Scripture is one of the six secret units of the Slane Theocracy. Joining the Sunlight Scripture requires passing an incredibly rigorous screening process; first and foremost is magic, as every member of this secret unit is a faith-based magic caster.

Only those capable of using third-tier faith-based magic are qualified to join. Incidentally, the limit for an average magic caster is merely the third tier, which illustrates just how demanding entry into this unit truly is.

Furthermore, one must possess superior physical fitness and a resilient spirit. Because the entire unit is composed of magic casters, its members must also possess the physique of a warrior.

In short, the Sunlight Scripture consists of the elite among the elite, yet such a unit would not normally be tasked with the assassination of someone like Gazef Stronoff.

Such a task should have been carried out by the Black Scripture, a unit whose members are all of "hero" rank. However, as luck would have it, the Black Scripture was currently engaged in a highly classified mission, leaving the Sunlight Scripture—which usually focused on purging demi-human tribes—to execute this assignment instead.

Although this mission differed from their usual ones, Nigun, as the captain, understood that eliminating Gazef Stronoff was a crucial component of the Theocracy's future plans.

The Slane Theocracy never viewed other human nations as enemies; its foes were solely demi-humans and heteromorphs. On this continent, human strength was meager, and their living space had been squeezed into the northwestern corner of the land.

While the northwest also faced numerous threats from demi-humans, it was not without safe havens. For instance, the location of the Re-Estize Kingdom was in the heart of human territory, rarely threatened by demi-humans. The Theocracy had originally hoped the Kingdom would serve as a cradle for human powerhouses, developing significant military strength to counter the threat of demi-humans.

But because the surroundings were far too safe, the Kingdom began to rot from within. The Theocracy decided they could no longer allow the Kingdom to occupy such a prime location while continuing to decay, so they prepared to weaken the Kingdom's power, intending for the Baharuth Empire to annex it.

Unexpectedly, however, a figure like Gazef Stronoff emerged from the already crumbling Kingdom. His appearance not only stabilized the internal factional strife within the Kingdom but also made the Baharuth Empire afraid to act rashly.

This was simply because he possessed strength nearly at the "hero" rank. A person of such caliber could, to a certain extent, influence the course of a war. A "hero"-ranked individual could slaughter ten thousand ordinary soldiers on the battlefield, and if they disregarded their own safety, they could likely kill up to thirty thousand.

If Gazef Stronoff were not removed, the Kingdom's factional strife would remain suppressed, and even if the Baharuth Empire managed to annex the Kingdom, they would pay a heavy price.

This was something the Theocracy did not wish to see. They had already abandoned the Kingdom, wanting the Baharuth Empire to become the nation that cultivated human powerhouses to resist the demi-humans.

Therefore, Gazef Stronoff had become the greatest obstacle. This warrior, loyal to the Kingdom to a fault, could not save his country; his presence only dragged down the overall progress of humanity in its struggle against the demi-humans.

In Nigun's view, although the Slane Theocracy had its own factions, they almost always cooperated during operations, indifferent to the minor gains or losses of their respective groups.

One reason was that everyone respected the gods they each served; another was that everyone knew this world contained many races and monsters other than humans, and without unity and cooperation, there was a danger of extinction.

It was because of such lofty ideals that, despite possessing the most powerful force in the human camp, the Slane Theocracy would not turn its blades against humans unless absolutely necessary.

The Slane Theocracy had not failed to make contact with Gazef Stronoff, but his stubborn ideology of loyalty to the King and country was unchangeable. His existence had already hindered the development of the human race.

Had it not been for this, they would not have resorted to such a desperate measure.

"...That is why everyone must follow the correct doctrine and walk the same path. Humans should not fight among themselves; they should join hands to forge a great path forward."

Nigun shouted at the blood-drenched Gazef Stronoff.

Gazef Stronoff was covered in wounds and panting heavily. He did not know how many angelic monsters he had slain, but every time he killed one, the enemy would summon more. As the battle dragged on, his strength began to wane.

The strength of these angels was far inferior to his own, but they possessed special abilities he found difficult to counter, such as flight. If they were on the ground, he would not fear them even if there were twice as many.

Furthermore, unless struck by weapons of a specific material, their bodies would significantly mitigate damage, meaning even Gazef Stronoff's powerful strikes could not kill them. While he could use martial arts to slay them, doing so increased his exhaustion.

Therefore, the correct course of action was to kill the enemy commander. Although the enemy likely wouldn't retreat even then, it was his only option.

By counting the number of enemies, Gazef Stronoff had confirmed that these were all the people surrounding the village. With that, the encirclement of the village would be broken.

He felt infinite joy at being able to save the surviving villagers. Glaring at the pontificating Nigun, he retorted, "I don't understand this 'great path' you speak of, but if your so-called 'great path' involves the wanton slaughter of innocent villagers, I cannot agree!"

"All of this is because of you. If not for your stubbornness, these people would not have died. In other words, there are always sacrifices on the road to the great path, and they are those sacrifices. As for you, you are merely a stumbling block on that path."

Nigun spoke to Gazef Stronoff in a mocking tone; the Theocracy had already given him a chance, but he had not cherished it.

"Nonsense! To dress up such a conspiracy in the guise of justice while acting so despicably—did those noble factions within the Kingdom pay you off?"

After dodging an angel's attack, Gazef Stronoff wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. His muscles were trembling uncontrollably; due to the physical properties of the angels, he had been forced to use martial arts continuously to fight them, which only accelerated his exhaustion.

"Heh heh heh, a payoff?" Nigun sneered, his face filled with disdain. "You underestimate the Theocracy too much. The Theocracy's cause is for all of humanity; those parasites are merely tumors that the Theocracy will eventually have to excise.

Very well, accept your fate. Your death will not be without value. For the development of the human race, we will remember your contribution."

Nigun's words sounded incredibly ironic to Gazef Stronoff, but he did not want to argue now. His stamina had reached its limit. He was only a step away from reaching Nigun and cutting him down, provided he could kill this last angel in front of him.

But things did not go as planned. Nigun wore a look of pity and waved to his subordinates, "Those whose angels have been lost, summon new ones! All of you, unleash your magic on Stronoff!"