[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-ascend-to-the-divine-throne-through-arcane-mea":3,"chapter-i-ascend-to-the-divine-throne-through-arcane-mea-i-ascend-to-the-divine-throne-through-arcane-mea-chapter-1286":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","I Ascend to the Divine Throne through Arcane Means",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1088835,1419,"Chapter 1286 - 736: Lune Hunting Ceremony_2","i-ascend-to-the-divine-throne-through-arcane-mea-chapter-1286",1286,"\u003Cp>\"And they must be under the age of fifteen, understand?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sir, sir!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tajik was taken aback by the words, and despite the danger, he hurried forward and knelt before the Knight, saying:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Our village really doesn’t have that many children, please grant us some leniency this time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Please, I beg of you...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, the surrounding villagers began to murmur faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though some hoped their children would transcend social classes through the Hunting Ceremony, they understood, from the village elder’s prior nagging, that it was merely sending them to their deaths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t easy to raise a child; how could they be willing to do such a thing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listening to the voices around, the Black Armored Knight grew increasingly impatient, with a hint of ferocity in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Armored Knight waved his right hand, and a sound cut through the air instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Long Spear in his hand smashed fiercely onto Tajik, and the small-statured village elder instantly turned into a scarlet mist under the impact of immense strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Old fool, who told you to defy my orders? Wouldn’t it be better to just obey obediently?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the old village elder dead without so much as a body, and even the blood splattered onto the surrounding villagers, the villagers were immediately thrown into panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many even collapsed to the ground, legs giving way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You all, obediently hand the children over to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Otherwise, there’s no need for Brown Village’s existence at all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Armored Knight looked around at the villagers and said with a cold laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other knights were no different, completely indifferent to the Black Armored Knight’s arbitrary killing of a village elder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of fool wouldn’t enter My Lord’s paradise upon death; they would merely become blood sacrifices to please the Divine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they had been like the previous village, prepared to offer large amounts of wealth, there might have been some leeway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This old man was just too senseless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But looking at how poor this village seemed, they probably couldn’t offer anything valuable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just right, the quota missing from other villages can be made up by this village, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for killing a village elder, for these noble temple warriors, it was nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the villagers, struck by Fear and panic, were at a loss, they saw a dozen small figures rushing in from outside the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon seeing the flames in the village center, they ran straight over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially upon seeing those knights dressed in fine Equipment, riding tall horses, the children’s eyes were filled with longing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, the children realized something was amiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The adults in the village stood opposite these knights, their faces betraying undisguisable Fear and anxiety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some even waved at them, seemingly signaling for them to hide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belial was the first one to react; he noticed his father Aio’s pale expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s going on?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His father didn’t even flinch in the face of a mighty bear, why was he like this now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belial slowly backed away, Fear spreading in his heart too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, they saw the knights charging at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dozen knights circled around them, led by the Black Armored Knight who burst into laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Quite the luck, take all these children away!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Armored Knight waved a hand, and someone behind him produced a black Magic Wand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dozen black tentacles spread out, binding all the children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Including Belial, who tried to sneak away, all the children screamed in terror and struggled desperately, to no avail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Armored Knight glanced at the other villagers of Brown Village, relish in their eyes filled with anger yet Fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he led everyone directly out of Brown Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bound children, secured on horseback, found their mouths stuffed and were terrified yet had no chance to resist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belial looked at his father, seeing his father’s pale face and clenched fists, yet no move to step forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Belial felt somewhat despairing; these Black Armored Knights seemed like demons now, nothing like what they had once aspired to be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tied to the horses, the children were taken away by the Black Armored Knights as the villagers watched in despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the gloomy sky, a dozen crude wagons sat quietly alongside the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wooden cages on them looked like giant beasts with bloodthirsty maws, ready to devour the innocent children. A group of children was rudely herded, stuffed into the narrow, cramped wooden cages like lambs to the slaughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the cages, the children huddled together, bodies pressed tight against one another, unable even to turn around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every face was marked by Fear and despair, none daring to make a sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For not long ago, one child, unable to withstand his inner Fear, broke down crying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boo hoo~\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want to go home, I want to see my mom and dad!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are bad people!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Armored Knights guarding around the wagons cursed impatiently at the sound of crying, but it only made the children cry louder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One knight stepped forward, grabbing the crying child roughly, pulling him from the cage like a chick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The child screamed in terror, hands flailing wildly in the air, to no avail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The knights pinned him down, punching him without mercy, showing no restraint just because he was a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The child’s cries grew weaker, replaced by painful groans and pleas, yet the knights had no intention of stopping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The child lay on the ground, body covered in blood, clothes ragged and uncontrollably twitching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes were vacant and hollow, blood foam at the corners of his mouth, more intake than outflow of breath, hanging by a thread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The children in the wooden cage were terrified by the scene, faces ashen and bodies trembling. They clamped their mouths shut, afraid the next victim of Misfortune would be them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing all the children quiet down, the Black Armored Knight nodded with satisfaction, seemingly pleased with the deterrent effect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the ceremony didn’t require these sacrifices, he would’ve killed the child on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shoving the child back into the cage, he yawned and went to sit aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What a troublesome errand!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who knows how the others are doing, when can we return to Zeke City?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gradually, night deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Armored Knight guarding the cart began to nod off slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the cage, Belial clung tightly to the wooden bars, listening to the soft sobbing nearby, his heart full of Fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are we going to participate in the Great Hunting Ceremony?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This way...is it going to our deaths?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the previous conversation among the Black Armored Knights, Belial had gathered some information.\u003C\u002Fp>",1107,"2026-06-03T10:58:58.792Z","2026-06-03T10:58:53.556Z",1,"novelbin.me","8ea8f5610f1753e673daab33146f533ec9bf7225381703dfbc5b7702d35c53d8","i-ascend-to-the-divine-throne-through-arcane-mea-chapter-1287","i-ascend-to-the-divine-throne-through-arcane-mea-chapter-1285",1658,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-ascend-to-the-divine-throne-through-arcane-mea-cover.jpg"]