Envoy of Justice

Walking through the dense jungle, the boy could not hide his anxiety and confusion.

"Lord Henderson."

Looking at the figure in front of him, the boy asked in confusion.

Where are we going?

It's no wonder the boy had such questions. During the previous joint operation between the Xialuo Kingdom and Dideyasi, Henderson had led the boy away from the Temple's sphere of influence. However, they didn't venture elsewhere. Instead, Henderson actually took Mobius into the Federation's territory. Although, for safety reasons, they didn't venture deep into the Undead Legion's territory, Henderson had been leading the boy through the border jungles, hunting lone undead creatures. This was undeniably a very dangerous move. If they attracted Angela's attention, the two would be immediately surrounded by a massive undead army. At that point, even the God of Justice wouldn't be able to save them.

In this process, the boy gradually matured. Under Henderson's influence, he learned how to swiftly and decisively eliminate undead creatures instead of hesitating to listen to their cries. He mastered powerful divine energy, even possessing divine power comparable to Henderson's own. Although this was extremely arduous training, hiding in the icy mountains where even fire could not be lit, they could only rely on their divine power to resist the bitter cold. Moreover, there were few wild animals to be seen in winter, and Henderson and Mobius even lived a life of hardship, sometimes eating only half a meal a day. When thirsty, they would gather snowballs from the snow to quench their thirst; when hungry, they would eat the dry rations they carried or cold raw fish and frozen meat.

Before they knew it, winter had passed and spring had arrived, and Henderson and Mobius gradually became aware of the movements of the Undead Legion, which began to change frequently.

The cities that were initially besieged but not attacked by the undead began to face a frenzied assault. They could only watch helplessly as so many innocent civilians screamed and died under the ravages of the undead legion. Although the impulsive young man tried several times to step forward and eliminate the undead to save the innocent and pitiful people, Henderson resolutely stopped him from doing so.

"Watch closely, remember all of this, keep it in your eyes and in your heart."

When the boy angrily protested to Henderson, this was the response he received.

"Remember, our current strength is insufficient to destroy that evil empire. We must strive harder to gain greater power to destroy this cursed, evil nation and its Dominator! Do not let momentary impulses cause us to lose hope! Young man, you are a sacred savior, you have a more important mission. No matter what, you must survive. You are the last hope to save the entire continent. No matter what happens, no matter how many lives are sacrificed, I will not let this flame of hope be extinguished. Watch carefully, remember all of this, and one day, we will return, transforming this anger into power to destroy evil."

Subsequently, Henderson changed his approach.

Sensing that the undead army was becoming increasingly disciplined and that they were finding fewer and fewer lone undead creatures to hunt, Henderson made a decision that surprised the boy. He decided to take the boy away from the Federation, away from this Hell on earth that had been completely destroyed by the Scourge Legion.

However, Henderson did not tell the boy where they were going.

Although the boy had asked Henderson several times along the way, he had never received a direct answer from him, and this time was no different.

Henderson did not answer Mobius's question, but he stopped walking—for the first time.

Noticing the paladin's unusual behavior, the boy quickly looked up and saw a small, undeveloped ruin before them.

It looked like an altar, but the thick layer of dust and the vines clinging to the dilapidated steps showed that it had been abandoned for a very long time. It was even possible that no one had been here for centuries. At the same time, the boy sensed an unusual air flowing through the air; it was heavy and slow, yet strangely reassuring and comfortable. With the gentle breeze blowing through the forest, Mobius felt as if the fatigue of the past few days had vanished, leaving him exceptionally clear-headed and full of energy.

"Come with me."

Henderson gazed at the altar before him, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He turned to the boy with a serious expression, gave him an order, and then slowly ascended the steps. Although the boy was puzzled by Henderson's command, he followed closely behind, not falling behind.

Although the altar was dilapidated, its size still hinted at its former grandeur. The irregular cracks in the floor and the surrounding ruins silently testified to a fierce battle that had taken place here. As for what exactly happened, neither Mobius nor Henderson knew.

Finally, the two reached the top of the altar, and just then, Henderson suddenly drew his longsword from his waist and raised it high into the sky.

"Great God!"

He called out loudly, his voice echoing through the mountains and forests.

"Your most loyal servant, your most devoted subordinate, Henderson! Has obeyed your command and come here! Great God of Justice! Please guide our path, please destroy the darkness and evil that threaten us! Let light and justice shine upon this land once more!"

As Henderson spoke, a holy light suddenly burst forth from his sword, shooting straight into the sky. The dense clouds in the sky, illuminated by this sacred beam of light, slowly parted, creating a crack. Then, warm sunlight streamed through the crack, enveloping Henderson and the boy. Next, the boy's eyes widened in astonishment, for he witnessed something he had never seen before!

In the sunlight, a translucent, petite figure slowly descended, a pair of pure white wings unfolding around her, emitting a hazy glow. When the figure finally landed in front of the two, the boy could finally see her true form.

That was a little girl!

At first glance, she appeared to be only twelve or thirteen years old, her dazzling, sun-like golden hair almost blinding. Her exquisitely beautiful face was flawlessly perfect, as if crafted by a god. A pair of pure white wings were unfolding behind her, fluttering gently. She was so holy, so lovely, so beautiful, simply like the most perfect work of art.

Dark clouds once again blanketed the sky, the sunlight faded, and the girl slowly opened her eyes, giving the two of them a friendly and playful smile.

"Greetings, warriors of the great god."

She winked playfully, displaying the innocence and cuteness unique to little girls, but her tone subtly carried an air of authority that was beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"Let me introduce myself first. I am Gabriel, the Archangel under the God of Justice. You may call me that. Brave warriors, the great God has seen everything you have done to fight against evil. Especially you... Knight Mobius."

Noticing the girl's gaze, the boy quickly tensed up and stood ramrod straight. His heart began to pound uncontrollably, but he still forced himself to put on the most serious expression.

"You bear the heavy responsibility of saving the entire world. I can understand your anger and resentment. All the suffering you have endured is under the watchful eye of a great god. Now, terrible evil is preventing us from directly intervening in this world. The God of Justice is fighting against the evil Arcane Mage and his allies to save this world. In addition, he was previously deceived by the evil mage, so the God of Justice is temporarily unable to come here in person to save these innocent and pitiful people."

Upon hearing this, Mobius's expression darkened. After all, he was still young and not yet capable of concealing everything about himself.

"But do not lose heart, brave warrior."

Noticing the change in the boy's expression, Gabriel gave a gentle smile.

"The God of Justice will not allow evil to spread unchecked, therefore, he sent me here to help you defeat evil, drive out the darkness, and let the world see the light again." As she spoke, the little angel stretched out her hand, and soon, seven shining halos flew out of her hand, growing larger and larger. Noticing these seven halos, both Henderson and Mobius couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

"This is..."

"As you probably know, evil Arcane Mage possess quite powerful subordinates."

Gabriel gently twirled his fingers, manipulating the drift and rotation of the halos.

"And now, he has gathered his followers. The Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, who assisted the evil sorcerer in spreading darkness and death a thousand years ago, have returned to his side. The Arcane Mage is now powerful, and we need a corresponding countermeasure. For this reason, the great God of Justice personally crafted these seven artifacts to combat the evil sorcerers."

As she spoke, Gabriel's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smug smile. She looked at Mobius, her tone serious and solemn.

"Brave knights, chosen saviors, they will be your shield, your sword, your weapon, to stand against evil, to destroy it, and to restore the glory and honor of justice... Are you willing to accept the gift of my Lord and swear to fight for justice forever?"

"I..."

Upon hearing this, Mobius did not hesitate at all. He straightened his chest and looked at the girl in front of him.

"I swear, I, Mobius, will fight for justice and light to the very end, until all darkness in this world is eradicated, until all evil is banished, until light spreads to every corner of this continent! I hereby swear that I will defend the glory and honor of justice with my life! For the great God of Justice, for those shrouded in the shadow of evil, I will never abandon my duty! Even if it means sacrificing my own life, I will not hesitate!"

"Very good."

Gazing at the young knight before her, Gabriel nodded. Then, she pointed, and the seven halos that had surrounded her flew towards the boy, enveloping him completely before entering his body.

"They have become a part of your soul; they will watch over your vows; they will forever protect you, fight for you, fight against evil..."

At this point, Gabriel's voice became much lower.

"Please remember their names, brave knights, they are the 'Divine Envoys of the Seven Sages,' the most powerful divine artifacts that wield divine authority in place of the gods."

"I will remember this, I will never forget it."

Upon hearing Gabriel's words, the young knight nodded solemnly and then performed a flawless knightly salute.

Seeing the young knight's actions, Gabriel smiled with great satisfaction. She then landed on the ground, and in a flash, the pair of pure white wings disappeared. At this moment, Gabriel, the girl who called herself the Archangel, was no different from an ordinary girl.

"Then let's leave, Lord Henderson, and this savior knight."

Gabriel spoke, he revealed the same mischievous, innocent smile as before.

"If we delay too long, it might attract the attention of those evil mages."

"Of course, Your Excellency Archangel."

Henderson was unusually respectful to the little girl, but the little girl clearly didn't like it.

"Just call me Gabriel, Commander Henderson. Do you want the whole world to know who I am?"

"... Of course, Miss Gabriel, I understand what you mean."

Henderson hesitated for a moment when faced with the archangel's words, but ultimately changed his form of address.

"So, where should we go next?"

We're going to the Xialuo Kingdom.

Gabriel's expression became much more serious when the topic turned to business.

"In preparation for the final battle against the evil Magic Empire, we need the help of the Xialuo Kingdom. The Magic Empire is currently marching towards Kudel, so we must seize this opportunity to gain Xialuo's support. Then, we need to return to Dideyasi, find Miss Catherine, and ask her to help us form a new alliance."

"A new alliance?"

Upon hearing this, Mobius asked in surprise, then immediately shut his mouth, clearly realizing that the young knight's question was extremely impolite.

"That's right."

Gabriel wasn't angry at all. She skipped over to the young knight and took his hand.

"Then let's go, young savior. The road ahead is long, and there is still much for us to do..."

The royal city is located within the territory of Kudel.

"What are these bastards doing?!"

King Kudel slammed the report down on the table, clearly unable to conceal his anger.

"Five cities lost in just three days!! That's three days!! Can anyone tell me why we're so incompetent as to lose five cities in three days!! What are the garrison doing?! What about the army? And what about the corresponding measures? Didn't the military always say they had excellent countermeasures? Now, can anyone tell me where their strategy is? Why did the Undead Army so easily invade our borders! And with almost no resistance! What about the evacuation? What about the number of refugees? What are the Undead Army doing now? Are you all pigs in the military? Don't you have any useful information?!"

Faced with the king's wrath, the generals at the desk dared not utter a single word. Finally, one of them swallowed hard and forced out a sentence.

"Your Majesty, in fact, we have already devised a countermeasure, and based on the results of previous experiments, we can confirm that it is indeed effective against the Undead Legion."

"Useful? Then tell me, how were these five cities lost?!"

The king snorted and slammed his hand on the table. The general hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to tell the truth.

"Your Majesty, I believe you are aware that our military has reported to you that if we pour oil into the interconnected trenches, and once the Undead Army invades and enters the trenches, we can ignite the oil all at once and annihilate them in the shortest possible time."

"So what?"

"But..."

Feeling the king's cold gaze, the general steeled his resolve and continued speaking.

"However, we currently have far too little oil. Because the maritime trade routes and shipping lanes have been blocked by the Sea-Encircled Country, we simply don't have enough oil to send to the front lines! We've already calculated that our current oil reserves are only enough for the royal city's needs!"

"Those damned sea savages again..."

Upon hearing this, the King of Kudel could no longer suppress his anger and roared.

In early spring, the king received news that the naval fleet sent to plunder and blockade the Sea-Encircled Country had been completely annihilated! This news was like a bombshell; no one wanted to believe this story, which seemed even more unbelievable than a fairy tale. But soon, the Sea-Encircled Country answered their questions with their actions.

The massive sea fortress sailed all the way to the port city of Kudel and bombarded it several times. Under the blockade of the massive sea fortress, Kudel, who could previously receive aid from Xialuo, was now completely cut off from supplies. Just as they had done to the Sea-Encircled Country, all merchant ships heading to Kudel were intercepted and their cargo seized. Thus, Kudel's last lifeline was severed. They not only had to contend with the relentless attacks of Lalia Sea-Encircled Country, but also with the naval blockade of the Sea-Encircled Country, and the Scourge Legion coming head-on. For Kudel, they had reached a dead end.

"Damn it!!"

King Kudel slammed his fist heavily on the table, his face turning ashen.

"Isn't there a better way? Isn't there any way to stop those ugly and evil undead creatures?"

No one answered the king's question; the entire palace was deathly silent.

It seemed like a harbinger of the end of the world.

"Your Majesty, we only have one option left."

Just then, an old man stepped forward.