Chapter 23: Continue the Slaughter

"Anyone else?!"

When the dual-wielding pig-man finally stopped and roared at the sky, his whole body was already a sheet of blood-red.

And on the ground lay the unclosed-eyed corpse of a true Transcendent.

The mastermind behind this casino had died looking like a slab of pig's head meat a butcher had over-trimmed.

Dimon gasped for air, clearly at the end of his rope, yet still radiating murderous intent.

The underlings, though greater in number, fell deathly silent, pushed back by his aura, not daring to meet his gaze at all.

But his condition was far worse than it appeared. He felt his hands were no longer his own, as if something was sprouting within them, and he could no longer even move them.

"I told you to take it easy. Why use your trump card right at the start?"

"Can't be helped. I didn't expect to run into such a strong Transcendent mixed up with a gang."

A sudden voice shattered the silence.

Li En's arrival meant that the "collusion" between both sides had been laid out in the open.

Glancing at Dimon's slightly deformed arms, Li En breathed a sigh of relief.

The resistance of the Knight's Vow was far stronger than expected; even though Dimon had used this "trump card," he could still hold on for a while.

"Don't move."

Li En tore open a scroll, activating the power upon it with holy energy.

"Dispel Lesser Curse."

A faint white light flickered, and in the next instant, the golden gauntlets fell from Dimon's hands, his condition clearly improving a bit.

This was thanks to Brother Su Er's prior reminder, which had Li En, when preparing the Curse of Mighty Gauntlets, also request some "Dispel Lesser Curse" scrolls to remove cursed items and alleviate the curse.

Low-grade magic scrolls and divine scrolls, as quality Consumables, weren't expensive, but they were still priced in gold coins.

And the one in Li En's hands working so well was likely the handiwork of a high-ranking priest.

High-ranking priests are often bigwigs of some church; getting them to scribe scrolls for you requires far more than just money.

One can only say that the backer Long Shou truly has wealth, resources, and status; Li En already had some guesses about him.

"Take these."

There were four in total; Li En tossed two over directly.

He had already confirmed that he himself, using Holy Power, could resist the ogre gauntlets' curse, so he only kept one as backup.

"If you use the gauntlets again and I'm not around, find a priest or holy knight to use the scrolls."

A scroll is actually a sealed "spell model," still requiring a certain corresponding casting ability to use; divine scrolls naturally can only be used by holy knights and priests.

Taking the scrolls, Dimon nodded, then turned and headed to the next one.

Watching that strong back treading in bloody footprints, Li En smiled and shook his head.

"He's already begun the path of the Vow, hasn't he..." Although Li En couldn't use Dragon Eye to observe the other's class, he could sense that the power of the "Vow Knight" had already sprouted within him.

This was quite counterintuitive.

Under normal circumstances, holy knights were usually an advancement for knight squires and warriors.

And the classical Vow Knight, in most cases, was only chosen by the elite and extreme factions among holy knights and Wu Seng.

The normal advancement path was "Warrior (Knight Squire) - Holy Knight - Vow Holy Knight," yet Dimon directly stepped into a first-tier Vow Knight advancement class that might not necessarily be stronger than a base class, but often provided something unique, completing what the class needed most.

The will of a Vow Knight is like steel, naturally granting extreme resistance to curses and magic.

More importantly, the Vow Knight's power stems from the "Vow," whose source, in the end, is one's own soul, one's own life, one's own past.

At this point, a holy knight could already break free from the deity's restrictions and generate holy power on their own!

Each vow could also bring its own power blessing; the more ascetic and devout, the stronger.

A devout vow-taker would not spurn deities, but also didn't need to overly respect or worship them; they knew what they fought for.

This was also the source of why those classical Vow Knights still possessed power during the Law God's War of Rebellion—their power originally came from their own hearts, not from deities.

"My turn now. Let's see who's next on the list... Oh, running a casino and loan-sharking, even 'forcing people to gamble with their wives and daughters'—then indeed they deserve to die."

Once war began, it naturally wouldn't stop easily.

Time was running short for Li En; he continued his long-prepared "Slaying Demons and Eliminating Evils."

【Sync Rate 45.6%, Satisfaction 30.6%】

Brother Su Er's attitude was also direct; he too had been looking forward to this day for a long time.

The first day's surprise attack of the war, when the enemy wasn't well prepared, was often the day of greatest harvest.

"Boom!"

No need to use the secret door; the casino's wall was simply torn down.

The smiling holy knight, upon entering, casually declared a Domain of Sin.

"Shit. You lot really did well, did really well."

The scene before him—that casino interior, clearly lavishly decorated like a luxury hotel—made even Li En curse outright.

It was his first time seeing gamblers, thugs, and casino staff in one room, all flushed a dark, purplish red!

You lot are even more heinous than those human traffickers before; just how many families, how many people have you harmed?

Without a word, the silver blade-light once again tore through the air.

Facing the greatsword that smites evil and destroys sin, ordinary villains were completely unable to resist.

During this process, Li En was also deliberately using Armor-Piercing Strike, forcibly breaking through the opponents' armor and gear, training his actual combat ability.

"Clang."

But this time, it was blocked by a gleaming silver spear.

"Knew you'd come long ago! Mercenaries, take him out! Double the bounty!" The rescued casino BOSS still had the nerve to shout.

Looking at the mercenary squad silently surrounding them—that obvious three-man hunting party—Li En was still smiling.

"Give us a face; we are all professionals."

"Three against one, you have no chance. Leave, and we won't fight to the death with you."

"We are just taking money to do a job. Although we don't know which church or which deity is behind you, we have no interest in offending them."

Three mercenary professionals: one support and two heavy-armored warriors. The veteran mercenary vanguard held a spear, while the young man in the middle held a shield; they looked to be of no small strength.

A faint red light on his body: guilty, yet not worthy of death.

But, adding the sheltering of evil-doers to obstruct law enforcement, it was enough.

"Break Evil." And Li En's response was, as always, direct.

"Thrust!" The veteran mercenary let out a roar, transforming into a slash carrying blood-red light.

A cunning mercenary; he shouted "Thrust," yet it was an obvious顺势 chop.

Was he trying to force a retreat? Control the distance again, letting himself enjoy being surrounded?

The Dragon Eye completed its analysis in an instant; at the same time, the Paladin's sword edge did not return to block, but instead, the silver light flared intensely, the sword's momentum becoming faster and more ruthless.

"Slash."

Silver light floated on the sword; pure holy light was converted into the power of judgment, and the sword edge's momentum increased several times over.

The spear tip right before his eyes? Just ignore it.

"Clang!"

A split second earlier, the long spear changed from a chop to a retract, striking the sword blade in reverse and deflecting it.

"You, you are truly mad!"

The spear-wielding mercenary felt a wave of fear; he had done this job for at least ten years and had never seen anyone play like this.

Just now, if he hadn't retreated, his spear could have struck, but the other's sword could have too!

"Your head will shatter first." The Paladin still wore a friendly smile, but in this moment, it gave the mercenary a nameless fear.

He, just how many battlefields had he experienced? The experience of facing life and death on both sides seemed to be on completely different levels.

But this moment of daze was met with a new wave of sword light.

This young Paladin had absolutely no Wu De.

"Clang!" This time, a companion held up a shield and blocked in time.

However, the pained, grotesque expression and the bleeding Hukou that immediately appeared showed this could not last.

"Break Evil." The young knight still used that same move.

The sword body was deflected by the spear once again.

Compared to the veteran mercenary, Li En's strength and agility were not advantageous.

But, the next second, the silver light flashed again.

"Endure! A Paladin of this age can't use Break Evil Slash many times; without the blessing of holy power, he is just a trash warrior."

Yet, the silver light showed no intention of stopping at all.

"Bang!"

The first thing unable to withstand it was the veteran mercenary's Hukou holding the spear.

Before the sword light could vanish, a kick followed, and the veteran mercenary was kicked away directly.

His defensive line collapsed. The support figure behind, who seemed to be casting a spell, was exposed.

"Break Evil."

Thus, with a flash of light, the head of the low-level caster, who died with his eyes open, floated in the sky.

Now, the three-person siege tactic completely collapsed.

The pack of wolves failed to stop the giant tiger; a fierce charge tore through the defense line and killed the most threatening "Wolf King."

The next second, Li En's sword light pointed at the veteran mercenary who was still recovering his breath.

Perhaps, at the moment this head with open eyes hit the ground, they still could not understand the situation.

Why did this Paladin's holy power seem endless, and did the Break Evil Slash, which consumed so much, really become a basic attack?

Soon, amidst a pile of corpses and the burning gambling account ledgers, Li En left.

【Synchronization Rate 46.6%, Satisfaction 30.8%】 Brother Sul, still expressing satisfaction with a synchronization rate approaching the half-line.

Li En, the Oath Knight at the end of the version, was indeed terrifyingly strong.

【Species Level: Inferior Stone, Status: Strength 2 (13), Constitution 3 (10), Agility 3 (6), Spirit 5 (16)】

With the support of the newly acquired equipment, the lack of original base attributes had been made up.

That pitiful Strength 2, which could be broken by a kid's bump, reached 13 under the equipment's support, the standard of an ordinary Strength-type Silver species.

And the high spirit brought by the Heroic Soul possession, under the support of the Holy Power Art, transformed into a Constitution boost above the standard.

Even Agility, the most useless base attribute for a Knight, was forcibly raised by the physique. He possessed all the basic hardware of a normal mid-tier Paladin.

"Hah."

Even more outrageous, within a single breath, the consumed holy power overflowed again.

Pity there was no healing ability now; otherwise, they could have seen what a super cockroach that gets stronger the more you fight it looks like.

【Species Level: Inferior Stone, Temporary Class Level: Tier 2 Classical Oath Knight, Tier 1 Paladin, Tier 1 Warrior (such temporary classes will disappear in 7 days and 2 hours)】

【Possesses Temporary Class Abilities: Break Evil Slash (Tier 1), Sin Domain Judgment (Tier 1)】

Looking only at the panel, Li En's highest rank was only two, not considered strong.

But generally, such a class combination could not appear; a Tier 1 Paladin had no reason to jump directly to Oath Knight.

But now, this strangeness was continuously granting him power.

"Hah."

Holy power infused into the sword body, and the light of Break Evil illuminated the dark passage before his eyes once again.

This was the only way Li En could now release his overflowing holy power—so abundant it was used for lighting.

Normal paladins aren't this extravagant; they turn Holy Smite into a basic attack and use Judgment of the Sin Realm as a lamp.

Li En can be this absurd not only because of his terrifyingly high mental power, but also because of the Oath of the Classical Oathbound Knight.

Each oath, when fulfilled, grants blessings to the oathkeeper.

This is a class that clearly grows stronger with age.

The oath to save the weak grows stronger with each successful rescue.

The oath to uphold poverty gradually solidifies through the ascetic's daily routine of clear water and black bread.

And this accumulation ultimately becomes the holder's inner power.

The inner power rooted in mind and will is the true source of an oathkeeper's strength.

Resistance increases solely because of inner strength; for an Oathbound Paladin, this inner power transforms into vast holy power, while the ascetic Wu Seng gains "Qi."

Thus, except for a handful of the devout, efficiency-seeking transcenders rarely choose ascetic oaths—they're too exhausting, too slow, and too costly; if I crave holy power, why not directly pledge to a deity?

In most cases, for high-tier practitioners eligible for oaths, the early progression of an oathkeeper is so negligible it's imperceptible.

"But the seed of holy power has already sprouted within Dimon."

Recalling their previous meeting, Li En smiled faintly.

He saw it—Dimon no longer cared about the legacy of the Heroic Souls; having chosen to merge with darkness, he had already resolved to abandon becoming a Heroic Soul heir.

Yet reality was this: he had already embarked on the true path of the Free Paladin—the self-disciplined path unbound from deities, the only true path.

A Free Paladin unbound from deities can rely solely on oaths and asceticism to accumulate holy power.

This advancement was clearly abnormal; Li En suspected it had something to do with the Heroic Soul Codex.

"Pity—this state won't last many more days."

Li En's situation was the same—his Oathbound Knight rank was borrowed; in truth, it was Sul's oath. Sul, nearing the end of his life, was so powerful because of the countless "save" oaths he had fulfilled throughout his lifetime.

His holy power did not rely on any deity—it was like a subterranean forge, endless and inexhaustible.

Now, the Heroic Soul-possessed Li En used only a fraction of it, yet still had holy power perpetually overflowing.

Infinite energy, paired with this fleshly hardware capable of fine-tuning the Heroic Soul (software), constructed a complete combat system—its strength naturally surged.

"Who's next? A killer organization? There's one in the docks? Oh—some gang calling itself a 'killer organization,' really just loan sharks and debt collectors who also do kidnapping? They deserve to die."

—

The Mad Knight has truly gone mad.

Li En's "Divine Judgment" quickly became the headline of the docks district.

The "resentments" he had accumulated during patrols were now being settled one by one after gaining power.

But few now noticed that behind his rampage, the "Shattered Bone Gang" had successfully risen.

The dockside gangs were always third-rate riffraff; after losing their bosses, their scattered members naturally fell under the control of one man.

Especially after Li En subtly endorsed them, progress accelerated further.

Of course, there was a cost—these gangs regularly donated food for charity, mainly aiding orphans, the elderly, and women who couldn't survive.

Dimon would say Li En forced them to do it; Li En wouldn't deny it.

The consolidation was too smooth; even if these factions had hidden figures behind them, once they confirmed the "tribute" still flowed and the new boss wouldn't go rogue, they couldn't be bothered to care.

"In the end, everything in the docks is trash—the people above don't care much."

Dimon cut to the point: you take your opponent seriously, study their strengths and weaknesses.

But do you care about the thoughts of mosquitoes beneath your feet? As long as the stench doesn't seep past the lid, you pretend they don't exist.

But are they truly unimportant?

On one hand, the wanted notice for the Tail Hunter case has finally been issued—and

"My people can now reach the slave market."

These peripheral trash are actually the outer layer of a colossal entity—you can't expect high-ranking transcenders hired by nobles or the Church to patrol the docks, gather intelligence, or buy "goods" themselves.

"Most complete slaves (those stripped of all rights) are debt slaves; in recent years, there have been few war captives, and over 80% of debt slaves are from gambling debts."

These things clearly fall under gang control—just like the trouble Larry encountered, one of the gang's stray dogs' main tasks is constantly sourcing and offloading slaves for the market.

Normally, it's extremely rare for someone to sell all their human rights—but gamblers losing their wives and children on a single roll of the dice? That's just one moment of madness.

Local gangs naturally became their tentacles, continuously supplying the market with "merchandise."

"The slave market, seemingly glorious as a palace, has been manufacturing tragedy and suffering in the docks all along."

As Dimon spoke, he was calm—this had been his reality since childhood, unchanged for years.

"Not so long ago, when the kingdom was still strong, it wasn't like this." But he learned this from his mother—not that it had always been this way.

"The era of the former Heroine Laina?" At that moment, Li En also recalled the person Long Shou had asked about—the Heroine who nearly turned the kingdom into a world power.

"The Heroine is too distant for us. My mother only told me that back then, the kingdom was still strong, the docks weren't this chaotic, the police weren't this corrupt—just getting a job at the docks meant enough to feed a whole family. The slave market only emerged because the kingdom weakened, letting these people run rampant here. It has become a festering tumor in the city."

What seemed like idle chatter had gradually exchanged critical intelligence.

For the past two days, Dimon's focus had been on "gambling and vice" industries—partly because they were the true source of dockside chaos, and partly because

"Casinos and loan sharks continuously supply the slave market with goods, while brothels and pleasure quarters serve as its premium consumer base. These small gangs and organizations can all be seen as the slave market's periphery."

Darkness wasn't formed in a day—it's layer upon layer of nested interests and entanglements.

"To be precise, we trash are merely the outermost layer of its periphery. The major gangs that communicate directly with it are beyond our current reach."

But gradually controlling these peripheral gangs meant gradually controlling the slave market's information network.

Even if they themselves ignored the ants beneath their feet, the constant exchange of intelligence and resources still revealed much of what Li En wanted to know.

At least now he knew which departments the slave market had, who led each one, and what goods they craved most.

He had begun forming his own plans for the next moves.

"Can you control them?"

It's unlikely to happen quickly—we can only proceed slowly.

The dark sludge is the accumulation of countless years; removing it can only be done bit by bit.

This may take a person's entire lifetime.

"I'm beginning to understand the practice of the Heroic Spirits' legacy."

To change this world, perhaps one must actually do something—but a single person's strength is limited.

Even an overwhelmingly powerful dragon can only create destruction with its breath; to truly build or shape anything, it still must rely on individual mortals to do the work.

"Perhaps he is guiding, yearning for something." The seeds scattered throughout history may truly have already changed something.

Li En shook his head; there was too little information to make far-reaching guesses, but some things right now were becoming increasingly clear.

【Bone Shard #1, Biological Rank: Raw Stone, Status: Strength 8, Physique 8, Agility 4, Compatibility 30%, Satisfaction 48%】

Compatibility usually doesn't change, because practitioner level and physical conditions don't shift easily—but the Oathbound's class has three oaths that fundamentally altered him.

The increase in strength and physique was due to the cursed giant gauntlet's effect; even after the curse was expelled, certain changes still occurred. Some Holy Knights have used this method to fraudulently gain base stats, but the risk is not low.

As compatibility surged, satisfaction also skyrocketed; Sul greatly admired his "justice."

"Trying to change the future of the children here, to free them from being born lowly—that kind of justice is no wonder Sul older brother admires it." In reality, Li En admired it too; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so accommodating.

In fact, without the intervention of the Heroic Spirit, the Oathbound would not have advanced so easily.

"There isn't much time left for the other candidates. Now the main course is on the table—give them a push, and hope they take action during this event."

Uh, over 5800—keep asking for votes.

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(End of Chapter)