Chapter 1

The spire of the church pointed straight to the sky, and the alarm bells rang urgently. The sound of hooves was like thunder as a squad of knights rushed to the church—St. Grace Cathedral. St. Grace Cathedral was not located in the city but to the north of it.

Darkness seemed to descend as St. Grace Cathedral was enveloped in a gray-black mist. A sinister laugh mixed with ghostly wails echoed: "I will send you all to hell!"

Faintly visible in the mist were skeletons dancing, spirits howling, and holy light occasionally shining. The sound of human screams, the clashing of swords, and the din of battle made it seem like the end of the world.

Twelve strong knights came from the south along the street. Seeing this scene, the lead knight pulled on the reins, causing the horse to rear up and neigh. The other eleven knights also pulled their reins, and their horses reared up, neighing. They were clad in heavy armor, and their horses were also armored, forming a war machine. However, they did not carry heavy weapons but had large swords hanging from their waists. The armor was inlaid with gems, not for decoration but as a magic array, outlined in mithril and with gems embedded at the nodes. Once activated, holy light would protect them.

"John, you take five men and enter from the back door. The rest will follow me through the front door!"

"Yes, sir!" John replied, lowering his visor. Six horses and six men shouted, and holy light shone from their armor as they galloped around to the back door of St. Grace Cathedral. The others drew their large swords, and holy light of varying intensities shone from their swords and armor as they charged into the mist like a whirlwind. Wherever the horses went, skeletons rushed forward but were easily defeated, being cut down like vegetables by the six knights.

Inside the church, there were few clerics left. Bodies lay on the ground, and only three priests were still struggling. One of them could no longer be covered by holy light, and the exposed skin had already changed color. In front of them stood a man in black, wearing a hood, chanting. With his gestures, pale green ghost arrows shot towards the three men.

The knights charged in from the front and back doors, and the skeletons crumbled. The man in black saw them and laughed sinisterly: "You came just in time, to hell with you all!"

With his sinister voice, the bodies of the fallen clerics suddenly stood up and lunged at the knights. The knights' large swords, glowing with holy light, showed no mercy, splitting the bodies in two. The blood had not yet coagulated, and as the large swords struck, blood rained down, causing the holy light to immediately fade. The blood rained on the knights' armor, which immediately began to smoke.

Corpse poison! The knights had never encountered such a situation before. As ghost arrows flew, two knights screamed in agony. A nearby knight shouted: "Watson, Polly, hold on!"

Countless bones formed a cage, separating everyone. The knights' large swords struck the cage, and although holy light was effective, the opponent was too strong, and they could not break through the cage.

At this critical moment, a beam of holy light descended from the sky, and the bone cage immediately vanished. Reinforcements had arrived—Cardinal Mainz and two Holy Chamber Deacons. Upon arrival, they immediately activated the purification spell, and the gray mist quickly dissipated.

"Andrew, you heretic, you defiled the nun Philomena, causing her to fall, and you have killed clerics. In the name of the Creator, today is the day of your purification!" Cardinal Mainz's angry voice echoed.

Nicholas Andrew's voice, filled with sorrow and malice, responded: "Philomena and I were in love, and you sent her to the stake. I swear by the name of the God of the Underworld that I will not rest until the Church of the Creator is destroyed!"

"She has fallen, and this is the only way to save her soul! In the past few days, you have slaughtered seven churches. Today, your evil has reached its limit. In the name of the Creator, you are the eternal light, the beginning and the end! I call upon the Holy Angel Gabriel!" Cardinal Mainz raised the cross, and a hymn echoed. A tear in the sky opened, and a hymn rang out as an angel descended, with three pairs of wings. The wings spread, and holy light like milk poured down. The angel's cross sword cleaved the air, and a beam of holy light, dozens of feet long, struck down, causing the church to collapse.

On the ground, countless bones and spirits formed a wall of bones, but when the holy light struck, it collapsed like paper, and a shrill scream echoed: "I will be back, and I will make you pay!"

With the voice, the gray-black mist rapidly spread, causing plants to wither and trees to lose their green. Two more knights' holy light faded, and they fell to the ground. Cardinal Mainz swayed, looking much older. The angel in the sky dissipated into light. The two Holy Chamber Deacons were about to pursue, but Cardinal Mainz's weak voice sounded: "Don't chase him. Report to the Holy Eaton Church and request the Inquisition to take action!"

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