The Creators: From Night City

Page 432

After all, death became a way of liberation and escape for them.

Against this backdrop, professional executioners emerged, and the challenge was to ensure that the punishment was carried out without harming the criminal's life.

Among the executioners, the Marley family, known for their exceptional skills, gradually distinguished themselves and were even granted noble titles and their own fiefdoms based on their superb craftsmanship.

This shows that artisans are respected wherever they go.

However, the Marai family is clearly not very popular with outsiders.

Sunshade City is situated inside a bay, with only a wide mountain pass leading to the outside, flanked by the towering Altan Plateau.

The dilapidated city walls made Sunshade City look like a ghost town, and instead of a moat, there was a green swamp that reeked of stench and decay at the base of the walls.

These swamps, constantly bubbling and spewing poisonous mist, are practically no different from excrement. And Sunshade City, which uses the poisonous swamp as a moat, is no different from digging a cesspool to surround itself.

"During the expedition of the Broken War, the Legion took a stop here to land and head to the royal city. Maremare of the Mare family suffered from an illness, which was somewhat similar to that of the Lord."

"This may also be the reason why he chose to be close to us."

"There should still be a few members of the Corruption Knights in the city, sir. We may need your help to eradicate the Crimson Corruption for them later."

This agreement was part of the deal, and it would also provide further insight into the laws governing 'Crimson Corruption,' so Jiang Bing naturally wouldn't refuse.

Before the three of them had taken many steps, Marlenia and Jiang Bing frowned one after the other.

The next second, an arrow shot towards the three from behind the low city wall.

The arrow was incredibly inaccurate; judging from its trajectory, it was bound to miss everything.

Sure enough, the strangely shaped crossbow bolt flew in a perfect arc and landed futilely on the ground in front of the three of them.

But this seemingly off-target arrow exploded the moment it hit the ground, sending out a thick cloud of pale purple smoke that drifted towards the three of them on the sea breeze.

The bursting dust was light yet had a viscous texture, and carried a strange, fishy smell.

This dust is clearly toxic, and the toxicity must be extremely high.

Unfortunately for it, it ran into three tough opponents today.

Leaving aside Jiang Bing, the poison resistance of Marlenia and Finley, two big shots who have been associated with 'Crimson Corruption' for many years, is absolutely at its maximum.

Not only did Finley not dodge, but he also deliberately poked his head into the fog, making an epic lung-passing experience.

"It's Miranda's pollen, very pure. If I'm not mistaken, the attacker is the perfumer hunter."

"But why did they attack each other without warning? Did the shattering of the magic ring drive them all crazy?"

"It's also possible that they didn't recognize you," Jiang Bing analyzed.

The Royal Knight Armor is a completely sealed heavy armor. Wearing it will cover you from head to toe, and its red and gold appearance is quite distinctive.

However, without his flamboyant armor, Finley, dressed in ordinary clothes, is indeed not very recognizable.

Therefore, the former corrupt knight commander, who had been reassigned as a maid, had no choice but to go and knock on the door in person.

"I am Finley of the Order of the Corrupted Knights, and I command the lord of the Mare family to come here..."

Before she could finish speaking, Finley suddenly drew the magnificent Sacred Tree longsword from her waist and accurately deflected a crossbow bolt flying towards her.

The specially designed crossbow bolts explode violently the moment they hit the ground, sending out a burst of shimmering scales that then ignited a secondary explosion.

If the first attack was out of caution and as a warning, then the second attack was clearly aimed at killing.

Marlene's pretty face darkened simultaneously.

"It seems Sun City doesn't welcome us. Of course, it's also possible that you don't have that much face..."

Before Jiang Bing could finish his sarcastic remark, Marlenia had already transformed into a flying eagle, stepping directly over the poisonous swamp and charging towards the city walls of Sunshade City.

Chapter 880 The Respectful and Corrupted Knight Who Remained

To be honest, the walls of Sunshade City had sunk quite a distance because the terrain was soft and the swampy area was located there. Although there were still eight or nine meters of height left, for the demigod Marlene, whose legs alone were 1.5 meters long, it was no different than stepping over a threshold.

The Valkyrie didn't even need to use the wall for leverage; she simply jumped onto the city wall.

A dazzling flash of light suddenly appeared as Marlenia spun around.

Her swordsmanship style dares to call itself "Water Bird," so there must be some evidence to back it up.

Under Jiang Bing's watchful gaze, the Valkyrie wielded her long, narrow prosthetic sword, slashing from the east end of the city wall to the west end, her feet barely touching the ground.

Her graceful and elegant figure was like a swimming dragon, as light and agile as a snake or pelican, as dazzling as a white lotus. Where she bloomed, limbs flew everywhere, blood splattered, as if an elegant yet precise meat grinder had swept by, leaving behind a trail of bloodstains.

Jiang Bing kicked half of the heavy gate of Sunshade City away. As soon as he entered the city, he saw Fenlei beating up a medical worker.

The other party was dressed in a white robe, and various powders were constantly being scattered from the wide sleeves of the robe, creating all sorts of magical effects.

Some powders burn fiercely upon contact with air, some possess an icy chill, some are poisonous, and some can cause blindness—the variety is endless.

However, Finley wielded his longsword with great skill and speed, and in just a couple of moves, he cut his opponent in two, and they split up.

Something was clearly wrong in Rimeng City. A large number of corpses filled the filthy square. These corpses had died in all sorts of strange ways, but without exception, their bodies were covered with wounds and all the blood had been drained.

Marlenia has stopped killing; she has slaughtered every living thing on the city walls.

She traversed dozens of meters, landing lightly beside Jiang Bing, and recounted what she had seen: "It's the Fallen Perfumers; Sunshade City has already been occupied by them."

"The Fallen Perfumer?"

“After completing a branch of herbalism, they were originally healers who saved lives, but these fallen ones lost their former commitment because of the broken magic circle and the war that shattered it.”

“Murder, hunting, poisoning, cursing, stealing pots, slaughtering—they have completely abandoned the blessings of the Golden Law and embraced depravity.”

As the Valkyrie spoke, she frowned slightly, as if lamenting the depravity of this group.

"What's this? Medical school can't save the border region?" Jiang Bing thought to himself.

"But these tragedies in the square don't look like they were committed by them."

Jiang Bing gestured for Marlenia to look at the corpses on the ground.

There were hundreds of these corpses, piled up in dense, layered masses. Judging from their clothing, they were clearly soldiers, subjects, clerks, and a small number of nobles loyal to the Marley family.

"The patriarch named Maremare is not here," Marlenia said definitively after scanning the square.

"If not here, then it must be in the city."

Finley was very worried about the noble knights left behind in the city.

The three continued their journey into the inner city.

To be honest, Sunshade City is pitifully dilapidated.

I don’t know what strange quirk the Mare family has, but the entire city is submerged in a poisonous swamp, and most of the houses are dilapidated, covered in moss, and look very decayed.

Fortunately, the city was not very large, and the three of them only had to turn a few corners before arriving at the entrance to the inner fortress.

The entrance was not luxurious; it connected to an execution platform, and traces of blood from years past could still be seen on the ground.

On the left side of the inner fortress, Finley led the two of them familiarly toward a tower.

"This is where we rested briefly when our lord retreated back to the Sacred Tree after the battle with Rataen."

"To prevent pursuers from behind, and also to prevent the Marley family from having any disloyal intentions, all the other Venerable Knights except me will stay here to cover the rear."

Led by Finley, the three of them turned just a few corners before they saw the familiar golden-red armor of the Venerable Knight.

The other person was leaning against the tower railing, clearly on guard.

"Stop?"

"Hall, don't be rude!"

It was clear that Finley was very competent; she recognized the other person's name as soon as he spoke.

"Sir Finley, why are you back? Aren't you...?"

The weakened, decaying knight saw Marleneia behind Finley and froze on the spot.

"Lord?!"

"It really is you, isn't it?"

“The Crimson Corruption has been contained, Hall. What about the rest of the warriors?”

When this topic was brought up, the other party was clearly taken aback, but still told the truth.

“Karian and Dorian were too corrupt and have already returned to the tree. Only Hera, Cardin and I are still holding on.”

As if remembering something, Hall said, "My lord, Sunshade City has changed hands. A group of corrupt perfumers and a heretical warrior joined forces to overthrow the Mare family's regime."

"I already know."

Hall respectfully followed Marlenia into the tower. As he had said, the two Venerable Corrupted Knights were also severely decayed and could only lie weakly in the corner, conserving their strength and waiting for death. The two deceased Venerable Corrupted Knights were placed in the open space behind the tower.

Because of the crimson decay within their bodies, after death, the corpses of these venerable knights will completely transform into a breeding ground for blood-red fungi, moss, mushrooms, and spores.

The open space had now turned into a blood-red wasteland, with spores, mushrooms, and other decaying plants crawling all over the ground and walls. The bodies of the two Corrupted Knights had been completely covered, and their armor had been rotted away.

Marlenia said nothing more, but stood silently in the decaying courtyard.

When she returned to the tower, the three surviving Dreadnought Knights were already lying side by side under Finley's command, with illusory yet warm flames burning on their bodies.

Even though they didn't want to lose face in front of their lord, the excruciating pain that affected their very souls still made them involuntarily wail.

"What did you mean by 'returning to the tree' just now?"

During a break in treatment, Jiang Bing asked Marlenia his question.

"The Golden Law favors all believers, and the blessing of the Golden Tree covers the entire borderland. Under the illumination of the Golden Law, the world operates according to the established laws, and all life receives the blessings and benefits of the law."

“And my mother, Queen Marika of the Borderlands, excluded death from the Golden Law from its inception.” Marlenia spoke of her mother with unexpected coldness.

"Without death, the souls of all those who receive the blessing will not dissipate after death, but will return to the Golden Tree under the guidance of the blessing, awaiting the next rebirth."

"This process becomes the return to the tree."

Despite hearing that what was said was incredibly good news, Marlenia sighed with a complicated expression.

Chapter 881 The Sudden Rain of Blood

"However, the ring that carries the Golden Law has been broken, and the cycle of life has been severely disrupted. A huge number of souls have accumulated in the Golden Tree, and death, a concept that was originally unfamiliar, has gradually returned."

Before Marlenia could finish speaking, Jiang Bing suddenly looked up at the door.

At the same time, the Valkyrie, with her extremely keen senses, also felt an unusual aura suddenly descend upon this border city.

"The smell of blood is so strong," Marlenia murmured.

The sky suddenly darkened, as if a huge dark cloud had covered the sky above everyone's heads.

But everyone was certain that the sky was clear and blue at that moment.

“Someone is performing some kind of ritual.” Boss Jiang, with his keen sense of smell, noticed something unusual.

Finley then recalled what the Venerable Knight had said about the mastermind behind the usurpation.

"Elon Mel, it was him who did this!"

"Whether it is or not, we can just go and see for ourselves."

Jiang Bing took the lead, but the moment he stepped out, he looked up and froze in place.

"Looks like we're in big trouble."

Jiang Bing, who had been relaxed the whole way, suddenly tensed up.

As if in response to Jiang Bing's words, rain suddenly began to fall from the clear, sunny sky.

But the raindrops falling on Marlenia's fair face abruptly added a striking, bright red.

It's blood.

The Valkyrie, who had killed countless people, said with certainty.

The blood rain gradually intensified from a sparse start until it dyed everything in front of us crimson.

When the three entered the inner fortress, the blood from the falling blood rain had already accumulated into pools of blood in various low-lying areas.

The culprit behind all this is standing amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, waiting for the three of them to arrive.

The small square was piled high with corpses.

These corpses appear to include both supporters of the Mare family and rebels, primarily the Fallen Perfumer.