CHAPTER 175: | LIGHTNING WITCH

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  Then she stared at the corpses of the ministers that had been drained to husks as she nodded, then turned her head to Shuxie as she whispered in her usually dreamy state. "Hmm, sister, you should improve your composure right now, since we have an image to uphold to those below us."

  Shuxie clicked her tongue as Fenda, still dreamy, sighed then whispered gently to her sister's ears, "we are not like before... our position has improved. The messiah has emphasized more trust on us to lead our sisters, and now as queens, we ought to show some examples to our sisters..."

  Listening to her sister's words, Shuxie let out a small sigh then stared at the husks which were the former ministers of the Peta Kingdom before she closed her eyes to reminisce her time as a trainee to the Holy See.

  The memories flooded back, hazy like the dim torchlight flickering in distant corridors, carrying the echo of chants and the chill of stone floors underfoot, the faint scent of incense lingering in her nostrils, evoking a distant ache of the time where pigs are better than human.

  "Time does pass like the grains of sands rolling in the endless dunes of the deserts... I understand your concern, sister, but why must we abstain to such formalities when we could be free?" said Shuxie as she stared at her sister, waiting for an answer.

  "Hmm, how amusing," Fenda said as she swirled the blood in her chalice then gave it to Shuxie as she walked out of the room, with Shuxie following behind her, as they've trudged the hallways laden with gold markings screaming of opulence.

  The walls gleamed under soft lantern light, the air thick with the lingering scent of polished wood and faded incense, each step echoing faintly like a heartbeat in the empty corridors, the cool draft brushing their skin.

  Fenda knowing of her sister's restless mind waited for her to calm down, and only after an hour did Fenda decide to speak. "You're not wrong if you're but a mere believer of the church."

  Then Fenda took a few more steps as she met one of the church followers greeting her, as she too greeted the follower with the elegance of a leader, then she instructed the young follower to gather all of their sisters in the center of the palace.

  Only then did she dismiss her and consider to walk away, and only when no one was around them did she continue their conversation. "You're being constrained by your mind to seek freedom, sister..."

  "I am advising you to calm your mind, think back of what you wanted when you've first entered the Holy See, then the first day you've become a cultist or a follower of the Evernight Church..." Fenda continued for a couple more hours, walking through the hallway into the beautiful garden where only the family of the governor could access, where the air was alive with the sweet bloom of roses, as their petals rustling softly in the breeze, their fragrance heady and floral, as their dewdrops cool on the leaves.

  Then into the center of the palace where all of the followers in the entire Peta Kingdom had gathered, along with the governor of the Peta Kingdom kneeling into the ground with his spear impaled into the ground as he gasped for breath.

  His labored pants filled the open courtyard, the stone cool and unyielding under his knees, the distant murmur of the gathered crowd like a building wave, carrying the faint tang of sweat and anticipation.

  "You're what you think you are, sister... so at least as a woman who commands others, please at least show some dignity to those who follow you so that they wouldn't be embarrassed to proclaim you as their leader."

  "Fuaaah... I got it, I got it, so please stop lecturing me, sister, and let this farce be over so that we can return to the main church," said Shuxie, as she grumpily took her seat on one of the thrones.

  Fenda smiled in defeat because it seems like her sister didn't truly listen to her, but nevertheless she still had a duty to finish, so she lifted her hand and announced. "Henry, governor of the Peta Kingdom, I shall now proclaim your death along with your men!!!"

  Though he was exhausted from his duel with Kairo and along with his journey to get here in a matter of a single day, when it takes weeks to get here via horseback riding, Henry simply didn't care as he merely smirked at the appearance of this wench before he leaped through the air without a care for the world, since he knows that he was as good as finished.

  The wind whipped at his face, carrying the faint salt of sweat and the metallic bite of impending blood, his muscles aching with the burn of fatigue, the courtyard's stones blurring below.

  In his crescendo, Henry reminisced his life, from his birth then to his youth then to now, as he smiled, then brought his halberd into a crescent slash as he shouted. "HOW DARE YOU WENCH JUDGE ME, THE WARLORD OF THE PETA KINGDOM, WHEN NONE DARED TO?!??"

  Fenda smiled at his vigor then flicked her finger as all of the followers of the Evernight Church, observing from a distance, smiled then all of them vanished like shadows as they've charged to Henry, eager for his blood.

  The rush of their movements stirred the air, a chorus of rustling fabrics and eager breaths, the courtyard's flagstones vibrating under the stampede, the night air charged with tension.

  In the other hand Shuxie, seated on a throne was losing her patience from all of the drama, leaped to the air intercepting Henry, and at her movement all of her sisters charging at Henry stopped as they've glanced at her, sending Henry cratering into the ceiling with a single punch.

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  The impact boomed like a drum, dust and debris raining down in a gritty haze that stung the eyes and coated the tongue with chalky residue, the garden's flowers trembling from the shockwave, as she shouted. "Let us stop this nonsense and let us all return to the main church to meet the messiah!!!"

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  It's been a year since the fall of the two renowned kingdoms of the west, and it's been a year since the infamy of the Evernight Cult, or perhaps more likely recognized by the common folk as the Evernight Church, spread throughout the whole empire.

  The Evernight Church, through their unchallenged authority conquered the Loika and Peta kingdoms at first, but it didn't end there as their hunger crawled to Cilo and the Lisa kingdoms along with ten other neighboring kingdoms under the empire, making the Holy See, who still claims that the Evernight Cult is still a cult regardless of the masses opinions.

  Though the Holy See could only dictate it as such, since they were too powerless to do anything but watch in contempt as the Evernight Church expand their range of influence to the entirety of the Empire.

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  ~ ? ~ North of the Lahaina Empire — In the heart of the empire — In the bustling streets of the Ninth district ~ ? ~

  "Capture the heretic!!!" One of the Templars shouted as he proceeded to chase after a hooded woman with dual swords strapped to her waist, her cloak flapping wildly as she ran away from him, the metallic jingle of her weapons cutting through the market clamor.

  "I said I'm not a heretic, you damned son of a bitch?!! How many times do I have to say that I am a wandering swordmaiden with a unique hair color?!" said the woman, who was running through the street while she skillfully maneuvered through the crowd, her boots kicking up dust from the worn stones.

  But the Templar wasn't buying it as he shouted, but before he could shout again, the woman that he was chasing mysteriously vanished, leaving the Templar confused as he looked around but found nothing except a crowd of people passing through the busy street, then the jovial laughter of a group of children guided by two Templars who were taking them out on an outing, their innocent giggles a stark contrast to the chase.

  "Damnit!" He cursed in shame at having lost his target, a heretic that dared to blatantly infiltrate the imperial capital of the empire, though he was ashamed of his carelessness, the Templar didn't hesitate and grabbed a jade slip, then muttered silently.

  "Michael is reporting..." he said as he scanned the surroundings again before he continued. "I repeat, Michael is reporting of a suspected heretic of the Evernight Cult roaming around the capital."

  The Templars who heard Michael's voice through their communication device nodded their heads as their expressions inside their helmets were grave, as they've recalled the exploits of these so-called Evernight cult that worshipped the goddess of the night.

  In the other side of the streets, the woman or perhaps Solia fleeing from the Templaes could be seen as her form shifted into that of a clay doll that then traveled through the streets pragmatically, as its feet scraped lightly on the pavement to draw the Templaes attentions as she smirked at the tavern.

  While in the other side, her true form could be seen in the tavern, as Solia could be seen taking a chug from the booze that she had ordered seconds ago, as the sharp burn of the booze sliding down her throat, as Tellus grabbed her drink then said in a concerned voice. "Please drink in moderation, Solia."

  Solia couldn't help but blush slightly at his words, a warm flush creeping up her neck, as she whispered softly. "My, I can't believe that the great Tellus is lecturing me like my mother!"

  "I am not! I... I was..." but before he could finish his words, Tellus felt his connection over his clay doll that lured the Templars get severed.

  Then in the next second, heavily armored men barged through the tavern, the heavy stomp of their boots shaking the floorboards, as a woman donning a menacing armor with a katana in her waist led them.

  The woman or Sera herself stared at the barkeep for a moment, then scanned the alerted drunkards as she clicked her tongue with disdain, then stopped at Tellus as she scanned his mana signature, comparing it to the clay doll that they've followed earlier.

  Sera smirked then pointed her hand at him before she shouted. "Capture those HERETICS!!!"

  The Templars nodded at her words then surrounded them as they've raised their weapons, the gleam of their blades catching the firelight, then Michael shouted. "It is impossible to escape the eyes of the hawk-eyed Sera, heretics of the Evernight Cult!!!"

  Tellus clicked his tongue then his earthen eyes rolled coldly as they stared at Sera, the one leading these Templars, then he lifted his hand but before he could cast a spell, Sera had already drawn her katana and cut his hands cleanly, the slice was clean and swift like a whisper of wind.

  And before he could react, sera pointed the tip of her blade to the person that she felt the most danger from in this tavern which was solia as she said coldly. "By the command of the Holy See, reveal yourself, woman!!!"

  Solia, who was drunk, turned her head then stared through the impudent woman lazily, her eyes hazy from the ale, as she clenched her sword then released a cold murderous aura that swept through the entire district.

  Then she muttered coldly. "I'd prefer if you'll leave for today."