Chapter 22: Commence Slaughter

The dock district of Radiance City was not entirely devoid of prosperous spots.

Rely on the mountain to eat from the mountain, rely on the water to eat from the water; naturally, the harbor area had places serving foreign ships, creating a distorted and extravagant prosperity.

"Come in and look, there are good things to see."

"Passersby, overnight stays waive the tea fee."

Beneath the red lights and green wine, behind those shop windows were youthful faces heavily made up.

They forced out smiles, either glamorous or reluctant; their colorful, flashy attire created a pink atmosphere from one end of the street to the other.

Carriages could not enter because there were too many guests and courtesans.

This was the pleasure street of the dock district, also the favorite place for sailors coming and going.

But today, a young paladin, humming a tune, came to the place he least belonged.

This was a place for men to seek pleasure; under the True Eye's stripping away of each heavy makeup, there were often quite youthful faces. In this era, people were merely a Consumable; women in this trade often did not last long.

Sick, crippled, old, ugly—why not replace them? They were cheap anyway. Not far away, there was even a talent market convenient for buying and selling.

In a place clearly not belonging to him, the paladin still walked forward with a smile, greeting passersby along the way.

Some even tried to pull him inside, but he directly shook them off.

More people who knew who he was, the moment they saw him, kept as far away as possible.

In front of him, an empty path had unknowingly appeared.

Wherever he passed, people pointed and chattered behind his back; there was even a betting pool on who would be the victim this time.

He did not make the audience wait long.

"Smack!"

And this time, what was kicked open was the door of the "Leisurely Tune" tavern.

This was the largest brothel on the street, and simultaneously, the property of the boss of this pleasure street.

"Who is it?! Here to cause trouble? Don't you know this is the Grey Vulture boss's territory?!" The thugs who had been talking and laughing near the entrance suddenly flew into a rage.

But in the middle of the open door, that young man wearing light leather armor still smiled.

He crossed his arms; the pale blue gloves on his arms carried a magical radiance, and his penetrating gaze swept the entire hall.

"Call out 'Vulture' John; his time has come. Hand over the kidnapped girls now, and I will grant him a whole corpse."

His calm words were a direct declaration of war; the paladin wasted no words, his sword tip pointing directly at the opponent's boss.

A tattered police badge was wrapped around his wrist, proclaiming his identity, but no one in the hall took this badge seriously; several detectives were upstairs drinking and whoring.

"Wait, sir, the police station's monthly tribute has already been given to Chief Rune."

Someone hurried forward, a small bag of money on his sleeve.

"Let's talk, let's talk. Our boss is coming right now." In his view, this was just another brat coming to demand money; just send him away.

If he couldn't be sent away? Beat up the stubborn fool and he'd understand.

But this time, the guest who came was an evil visitor with no room for negotiation from the start.

Li En smiled; he had waited for this day for far too long!

Negotiate? Negotiate what? Negotiate when and in what position you trash who kidnap people and force the virtuous into prostitution will be hanged?

"Sin Domain Judgment." Beneath the man's raised right hand once more was holy light illuminating the entire hall.

When the paladin began casting "Detect Evil," it meant the situation could no longer be negotiated at all.

Pale red light covered the entire hall; one by one, the clients, one by one, the thugs, were more or less colored.

When a Judgment Paladin casts "Sin Domain Judgment," it means the execution time has arrived!

"Evil-Breaking..."

The Sword of Courage raised by Li En traced a fatal arc.

This time, he who possessed power would unleash a complete "Holy Sword."

"... Slash."

The bright silver light dispersed; where that silver arc fell, heads red to the point of purple fell in succession.

This time, the full-force swing he had held back for far too long had an astonishingly large range, as if a heroic soul had returned to life.

Blood splattered on the ground; the limbs of the villains rolled everywhere.

Li En, however, still had the leisure to happily make a self-mocking remark.

"So, your blood is red too. Then why are you so ruthless when you strike down your own kind?"

"Aaaaaaaah!"

Regardless of the reason, killing people in the street instantly caused panic.

Those whose bodies were colorless or pale red, these people whose "crimes did not warrant death," all fled for their lives.

Facing the runners, Li En still smiled, standing silently there, seemingly completely unconcerned.

"Smack."

A figure red to the point of black, as he passed, was grabbed from the fleeing crowd by him and smashed hard onto the ground.

Immediately, he shattered into pieces; a supernatural strength of thirteen points was no joke.

"Looks like I still need to practice control more." Li En flexed his wrist, glanced around once more, confirmed there were no more who required immediate execution, and let these unlucky wretches scatter and flee.

The biggest difference between a Law Paladin and an ordinary paladin is that the result of "Detect Evil" cannot serve as the basis for conviction, because evil thoughts and personality cannot be counted as crimes.

And the Sin Domain Judgment of the Law judges crimes committed within half a month; if the redness reaches a certain degree, it definitely involves taking a life.

"What a pity. Regarding this inheritance, I have somewhat understood Brother Su Er's regret."

He still had the mood to be distracted; he knew he did not need to wait long.

His own nest had been raided, his door smashed, and his thugs killed on the spot.

If that Vulture boss still wanted to survive, he would have to deal with him.

"Mad Knight! Others fear you, but I am also an Extraordinary; I do not fear you!"

Here he comes, then?

The bald old man coming down from the stairs had a massive body that was quite intimidating; clearly a fox-person who should have been slender, he now looked like an orc.

One eye, a spiked mace in one hand and a giant shield in the other, clad head to toe in diamond-heavy armor that looked dazzlingly golden.

At least a first or second-tier warrior; this gear is quite good and looks somewhat intimidating.

"You want money, I'll give it." If he truly had the confidence he claimed, he wouldn't need to waste words now.

"Sin Domain Judgment." Li En's response was simple and direct.

"Bastard!!" The roar was still in his ears, but the remaining half had already been shoved back in.

The silver longsword was already at close range; facing evil, the paladin had no Wu De and launched a surprise attack.

"Clang!"

But this time, the Evil-Cleaving Slash was blocked.

In the next instant, Li En sheathed his sword and stepped back.

He frowned, looking at that dazzlingly golden great shield; this thing was unnaturally hard.

"Ha, even a paladin's attacks are meaningless against my shield. This is an ancient artifact dug from an underground ruin, my treasure..."

"Evil-Cleaving Slash."

But what met him was another swung slash.

"Clang!"

The raised giant shield was still there, but the person behind it was forced back several steps.

"Evil-Cleaving."

Another sword light struck the same spot.

"You..." The gang boss was still roaring, but the next round of sword light was already on its way.

"Ding!"

Sword after sword, like a heavy hammer constantly striking the diamond great shield.

Each sword heavier than the last, each sword more ruthless than the last.

"Thwack, thwack, thwack."

That rhythm was like a drum echoing through the hall.

The youth's face was cold; his hands constantly swung the sword and retracted it, the rhythm steady, yet every strike was wholehearted.

And when Li En finally sheathed his sword, the shield remained perfectly intact.

"Clatter." The shield was flung directly to the ground.

The person behind the shield? Shattered into pieces, blood flowing from seven orifices, dead with eyes unsealed.

Armor-Eroding Strike, a professional can opener, trustworthy.

Li En looked around, preparing to find a thug to guide him and rescue the kidnapped girls.

This was only the beginning.

During these days of patrol and inspection, Li En had accumulated too many cases on his hands; now that he had obtained the "Giant Strength Gloves" and possessed combat power, he immediately began to eliminate them.

One dark force after another fell beneath Li En's sword.

The Oath Knight was harvesting them simply and efficiently, those local dark big BOSSes.

No one stopped him, because compared to the Executioner, those mud-pit thugs were not worthy.

Even the hidden powers using them as black gloves were not worth offending a mad Oath Knight over some trash.

"... You think killing us ends everything?! Dream on. After we die, it will only bring much more turmoil and chaos, and then the new boss will extort money even more shamelessly. Hypocritical bastard, I'll be waiting for you down there..."

A gang boss, even in his dying moments, cursed Li En.

What he said was also a plain truth everyone knew.

Such a large city must have sewers; when official power is absent, a gray order naturally fills the void.

Eliminating one or two bosses cannot solve any problem; a new gray order will still need someone to take their place.

But what he received was the youth's smile.

"I know."

Li En naturally knew the system was the problem; even if these human trafficker bosses died, others would still rise to power; it was merely another cycle.

But the deterrence of slaughter should make successors a bit more cautious, reducing the number of victims by at least a few, and at the same time...

"... This time might not be the case. Someone promised me they would break this gray cycle." Li En shrugged.

"Although I doubt he can do it, I am indeed quite looking forward to it..." Thinking of the scene from not long ago, Li En smiled; this time it was from the heart.

This matter started several hours ago.

Li En, having received the new gift, was still trying it on in the office.

Dragon Hunter was truly a meticulous person; not only did she send the cursed Giant Strength Gloves, but she sent two at once.

Perhaps she hadn't made it clear and didn't understand Li En's tolerance; she sent one Ogre Glove and one Hill Giant Glove.

Both were cursed Giant Strength Gloves, but the gap between the two was huge; Li En estimated the Ogre Glove would raise strength to 12 points or above, the standard of a regular paladin, while the Hill Giant... that was not reachable by mortal species, possibly 17 or 18 points or even higher.

A more direct comparison: the Ogre is an orcish strongman trained to the extreme, while the Hill Giant is a rock golem capable of toppling houses; their strength is not on the same level.

Of course, as a price, their curses were far more powerful.

Li En used a holy artifact of the Holy Power Art and found that if used long-term, he himself could not endure it.

"Keep it for now; maybe it will be useful someday..." This thing is very strong; keeping it as a trump card is fine, but using it long-term is asking for death.

With the new equipment in hand, Li En did not rush to test it.

His hunting list was already long enough; there was no need to rush at this moment.

From morning until noon, he waited for someone, yet he did not know exactly whom he was waiting for.

"Truly unexpected, that it would be you who comes." Finally, someone arrived.

Through the open door walked the person most unexpected to Li En.

"Bone-Breaker" Dimon at the doorway hesitated somewhat, but ultimately took this step.

Yesterday, Li En had already cast a stone to probe the path; he had vaguely hinted that spies of the Heroic Souls might exist outside.

Talia, Dragon Hunter, and even Larry could all have guessed that he was that "Examiner," because his real identity was the most fitting—a former Oath Knight of his age was something one simply could not see under normal circumstances.

The hinted identity of the Examiner was a means for Li En to manipulate the chess pieces, implying that everything was negotiable.

To eliminate certain things, Li En needed the power of the candidates, and also needed to directly deploy and control them in reality.

But this "identity," Li En could not reveal proactively; he could only let them guess it themselves.

He waited alone in the office, waiting for them to come to his door to discuss cooperation, and this was also to examine their wisdom and decisiveness.

Only Dimon did not seem to Li En to have the channels or the ability to know he was the Examiner of the Heroic Souls.

This was not a matter of ability; he lacked the knowledge accumulation and information channels in this regard, and the other candidates would not inform him.

"My Lord Li En the Paladin, I need your power. I know you should have already recovered your power by now and intend to begin the hunt."

Oh, he came seeking Li En, not the "Examiner of the Heroic Souls."

"I know you; as long as there are conditions, you will not let these evils run rampant. You will soon move to cleanse them. If possible, I hope to reach an agreement with you."

The outwardly simple Dimon was far smarter than Li En had anticipated.

From the intelligence he obtained within the Hall of Heroic Souls, he judged that once Li En acquired the key equipment and recovered his power, he would immediately begin the slaughter.

He came directly to seek cooperation, attempting to borrow this power.

"I can understand that you are plainly trying to use me."

In his flat words lay an unmasked killing intent.

"Yes." The moment the words left his lips, Dimon froze; he felt the unmasked killing intent within those flat eyes.

If his answer did not satisfy him, he would likely be cleansed as "cunning evil" as well.

But gritting his teeth, he still spoke the remaining words.

"I am using you, but you can also use me."

"Me? Do you know what I want?"

"The peace of this district, and order. You crave it, and so do I!"

The pig-man stared at Li En; at this moment, he, as a weakling, still refused to take a single step back.

This was his choice; it was the one chance he would have in a lifetime.

Dimon asked himself: compared to those other candidates who were obviously strong and noble, what qualification did he have to be included in the ranks of the Heroic Soul candidates?

The dream from last night gave him revelation.

"They are too clean."

"But this world is truly too dirty."

Their Light cannot tolerate a single grain of sand and cannot walk with darkness, but can reality truly be so?

Can merely charging recklessly, shouting slogans, and fighting solve the problem?

No, it is impossible; Dimon, who grew up in the mud of the Docks District since childhood, understands this better than anyone.

There is not no order here; it is just that this order is too unfriendly to the weak. There is not no Light here; it is just hidden within boundless darkness.

"Even ignoring the lofty things of the Heroic Soul inheritance, this is my opportunity. Those people are great figures I could never contact in my life. This is also an opportunity to change this mud pit of the Docks District!"

Although he had not studied, Dimon saw clearly: this ghost place is not a problem of one or two people.

The boys here, when they grow up, have no job opportunities; if they are not pickpockets, they are enforcers.

As for women, there is no need to say; he knows better than anyone how much it pains him what his mother did to support their family.

Even if his younger brother had not died at the hands of that serial killer, after a few years, when there was no choice, what difference would there be between that and death?

"I need to borrow your power. I want to become the greatest darkness in the Docks District, to become the biggest gang boss here."

The words, spoken through gritted teeth, were a resolve to abandon everything.

To hell with the sacred Heroic Soul inheritance; I only want my hometown to get better!

At least, do not let children have no choice; do not let the daughters of prostitutes only become prostitutes, and the sons of gamblers and thugs remain gambling dogs and villains.

If there must be a darkness to maintain order here, why not me?

Now this dragon crossing the river is about to make a high-stakes gamble; he is about to shatter the original order here. This is also his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"I will control the darkness here well and give them—give the children—a future where they can choose for themselves."

At this moment, Li En also fell silent; he understood the other's line of thought, yet was somewhat surprised by the other's decisiveness.

But, relying solely on words, it is impossible to persuade him.

"I understand roughly: you want to borrow my recklessness to seize the opportunity to eliminate those bosses, and use that chance to expand yourself and rise to become the biggest boss here."

"Not only that; I also need you to hint, to become my backing."

How bold, how blasphemous, to ask a Paladin to become the backing of the "black."

If it were an ordinary Paladin—for example, Larry—he would have drawn his sword now and fought to the death with the one slandering his honor.

But here stands Li En, a Li En who might not even be a Paladin himself in a week's time—a non-mainstream Paladin who values result justice more than procedural justice.

He thought for a moment; setting aside his own preferences, if the other controlled the local gray forces, it would be extremely helpful for the upcoming "framing" and "elimination of the serial killer."

That would be equivalent to possessing countless eyes and tentacles locally.

However...

"How can I trust you? Even if you truly think this way now, what about your future self?"

The implication was simple: even if you are utterly sincere now, anyone can be corrupted by time; how can I trust the you who will become the local BOSS in the future?

And this, Dimon had already decided.

"Oath, you are an Oath Knight; you should be able to swear an oath. I am willing to stake everything."

At this, Li En was even somewhat surprised by the other's resolve.

The other had obtained information about the Oath Knight from the Hall of Heroic Souls and put it to use right here.

He pondered for a moment, then wrote down more than twenty commonly used knightly oaths.

"Under my witness, the oath will take effect, but it is merely a constraint. Choose a few, and let me see your determination."

The time of memories ended there; even Li En, who now danced amidst slaughter, was quite surprised by Dimon's resolve back then.

"He really dared to choose." Dimon not only chose, but he chose things Li En himself would not dare to touch.

While Li En was slaughtering indiscriminately, at the entrance of a gang, Dimon led his men and charged in.

Relying solely on outsiders cannot win the people's trust; he needed to prove himself to everyone.

And his opponent, the Boss, was a true Transcendent.

Could he win? Theoretically, it was impossible. But he was willing to pay the price.

His massive body swelled even further; the Hill Giant bracers on his arms granted this non-Transcendent terrifying physical strength.

The two kitchen knives had become siege hammers; the Cursed One unleashed terrifying power.

However, the curse he suffered was not as severe as expected. That was because Li En had lied.

The beginning of the Oath Knight was also, under the witness of predecessors, individuals binding themselves to their own oaths.

Constraints bring forth will, and for a Paladin Squire, will is also the source of power.

"Never abandon the protection of innocent and weak."

This was the first oath most Oath Knights favored; however, the penalty for breaking the oath that Dimon set granted him maximum power.

"... The oath-breaker shall die."

He slammed forward, took a slash from the Boss, and pushed aside the stunned bystanders.

If he could, he would also like to live as an ordinary cook. But did he have a choice? Did the children in the Dock District have a choice?

Either becoming a villain or becoming the fish and meat in the mouths of villains; is such a "legacy" correct?!

"No, never!"

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; the other candidates were great figures that the mud-splattered him would never have the chance to meet in his life, and the Heroic Souls were legends in the clouds.

"I must seize this opportunity, change my hometown, change the lives of my younger brothers and sisters." Climbing upward is merely the means; never forget the original goal.

Thus, the voice of the vow echoed in his ears, turning into bonds.

"Never abandon the morality and justice in your heart; if truly assimilated by darkness, the oath-breaker shall die."

In this world, someone must dirty their hands; since I am already in the darkness, let it be me.

This is my hometown; how could I possibly leave it in the hands of others?

"Always remain in poverty, reject all temptations of money and pleasure; the oath-breaker shall die."

"Are you not worried that after I become the Boss, I will be tempted by money, beauty, and power? Actually, I have no confidence that I can resist temptation in the future either; therefore, I reject it from the very beginning."

A lifelong vow with life as the price, adhering to poverty and one's original heart, brought him an oath blessing exceeding that of his Su Er recruit days.

Three oaths, three locks; this was already the limit for a mortal. The penalty for breaking each one had been pushed to the extreme.

The oaths protected him; with two kitchen knives, he hacked from one end of the street to the other!

【Incomprehensible to men, the Thousand-Faced Dragon in history interferes with the fate of mortals, especially loving to guide the birth of heroes. — An Anonymous Historian.】

6000+ large chapter, continuing to ask for votes.

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(End of this chapter)