Chapter 279-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
Outside the base, over a thousand people encircled the compound in layer after dense layer. The young man at the front wore ornate, classical armor and sat astride a towering steed—the picture of a heroic knight from an ancient epic.
He was the eldest son of House Colonna. For centuries, the Colonna family had been the most influential house in Church affairs.
His future should have been blindingly brilliant. But Ye Zheng's arrival had knocked countless people's trajectories off course.
For the sake of [Mother of All Things], they'd been willing to overlook a great deal, dutifully serving this new Pope. They hadn't expected Ye Zheng to turn around and use that very crown to smash their standing to pieces!
Expelling the Colonna clergy, stoking commoners' resentment toward the nobility, undermining their authority as lords—and now, with the New Diocese plan, she aimed to dismantle their regional power entirely...
The young man clenched the reins, his gaze boring into the sealed base gates.
At least two hours had passed, and Ye Zheng—whom he'd surrounded—hadn't so much as stirred. Surely the esteemed Pope wasn't still sleeping.
"My lord, we've been standing for over an hour. Shall we continue waiting?"
An attendant asked cautiously.
"Ye Zheng hasn't come out to face us. She may be a coward, but I will not abandon a nobleman knight's principles."
The young man lifted his chin, his voice carrying a naive arrogance.
The attendant who'd mustered the courage to speak looked stunned. He'd assumed the lords were waiting for the prearranged moment to strike—not that the reason was something this absurd.
They'd painstakingly assembled every available force in and around the East District: the aristocrats' vassal ability users, hired thugs, and they'd even made contact with that extremely dangerous individual...
The young man noticed the attendant's expression and snorted from his saddle.
His uncle had already taken control of the central Sei Curia back in the upper district. Even if something went wrong, it would take a day or two to get here from the upper district. As for nearby Church forces, the ability users stationed in the lower district were mostly low-rank nobodies—that's precisely why they'd been dumped here.
"Protecting the weak and respecting women are the most basic virtues of a knight. Have you all forgotten that?"
Young Colonna raised his voice. Laughter and cheers erupted behind him.
They were nothing like the ignorant commoners so easily swayed by pretty words. Compared to Ye Zheng, the lords they served had given them far more tangible rewards.
Most of them hailed from the lower or middle district, but what set them apart was their possession of noble-caliber abilities. Through their own formidable powers and their patrons' recognition, they'd earned a life of privilege. What could Ye Zheng offer them?
Buoyed by the cheers, young Colonna's bravado swelled. He pointed at the sealed base gates and declared:
"Your Holiness, my patience has its limits. If you refuse to surrender the Dragon Bones, I'll have no choice but to—"
The young man's voice cut off mid-sentence. His companions noticed the sudden silence. One by one they stopped laughing and looked up at the figure on horseback.
Young Colonna, encased in his resplendent armor, hung his head at an impossible angle—his neck twisted grotesquely, like a suit of armor on a broken display stand.
A beat of silence. Then the body toppled from the saddle, and screams and cries for help erupted in a frenzy.
"Healers! Where are the healers?"
"Where's the defensive line?!"
Before the front ranks could process what had happened, a cascade of shrieks broke out from the rear. People were fleeing outward in droves.
The attendant cradled the lifeless body, eyes trembling as he stared at the gates—still firmly shut.
He finally understood the source of the unease that had been screaming at the back of his mind. By all logic, the Holy Journey Knights Order should have scrambled into action the moment they were surrounded. There was no reason for this much time to pass with nothing more than a few extra figures appearing on the watchtowers.
Young Colonna hadn't dared make a move because of his pride and the cowardice he refused to acknowledge. But Ye Zheng's prolonged silence—
It was because she was even more arrogant and contemptuous than they were!
Not only arrogant—Ye Zheng had very likely had their operation under her thumb from the start. Perhaps she'd been holding back all along, waiting for the right moment...
The attendant whipped around, searching for the other commanding lords. He had to tell them to halt all operations immediately. Ye Zheng had a trap ready—
"Better watch your step in the next life."
A figure materialized from the shadows behind him and silently claimed the attendant's head.
"She's there! Kill her!"
Before the shout even finished, Cheng Cheng melted back into the crisscrossing shadows on the ground. The panicked ability users looked left and right—then a hurricane plunging from above sent them tumbling.
Ye Zheng stood atop the watchtower, looking down upon the chaos below. Flashes of light, sprays of blood—all of it rippled across her dark eyes.
Her expression was neither sorrowful nor joyful. Calm to the point of seeming merciless.
Her gaze swept further into the distance. By now, word should have spread across the East District. Residents were evacuating in waves, at least clearing this area.
"Your Holiness, some residents refuse to leave. A few want to stay and protect you. I've already arranged for them to be escorted away..."
Ye Zheng's expression finally softened a fraction. She murmured, "It's fine. Prioritize maintaining order for those leaving the East District. Everyone is frightened at a time like this."
The word "war" had not been spoken on this land in a very long time. Aristocrats and commoners alike were caught off guard.
The monsters of the Demonic Domains looked terrifying. For centuries, they'd threatened humanity's survival on this land.
Abilities were born to fight them. Though those abilities had often been turned to human infighting over the centuries, people had forgotten just how brutal person-against-person conflict could be.
Ye Zheng took no pleasure in this kind of struggle. But slaughter and deterrence were sometimes unavoidable—necessary passages on the road to peace.
Suddenly, Ye Zheng narrowed her eyes slightly. Amid the chaos below, someone was looking in her direction. He raised his hand, apparently trying to use a ranged ability to kill her.
Then the ability user froze. Eyes wide, he watched the young woman high atop the watchtower close her eyes, press her palms together, and murmur something in prayer. Her white cloak billowed in the wind.
He could almost hear Ye Zheng's voice. No matter how much he despised this Pope, he couldn't deny that her presence was an irresistible force.
"May Hope above cleanse all sin, purify all hearts... We shall return to the path of truth."
Ye Zheng murmured, her lowered gaze sweeping one last time across the turbulent battlefield. She turned and descended the tower.
In the distance, the stunned ability user never got his shot off. A hand punched clean through his chest from behind. He collapsed toward the watchtower and breathed no more.
Down from the tower, Ye Zheng headed straight for the center of the base, where the Dragon Bones were kept.
[Ye Zheng, you want to use this opportunity to resurrect the Demon Dragon, but there are still Dragon Bones in Percy's and Sierra's hands.]
The System spoke up, a trace of urgency slipping through its tone.
"To be precise, the bones in Bai Yi's possession. Even Percy doesn't know where they're hidden."
[That makes it even more difficult!]
"Don't worry. I'll make Bai Yi and Sierra deliver the Dragon Bones to me."
Mid-thought, Ye Zheng suddenly stopped walking, as if sensing something. She turned her head.
"Your Holiness, what is it?" The knight beside her asked nervously.
Ye Zheng shook her head with a faint smile. "Nothing—just seems like a little mouse has snuck in."
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