"The prey is cornered. Let us offer our unwavering faith to the gods!" a man declared in a loud and confident voice.
He wore armor that appeared woven from a special metal, radiating a faint yet potent magical aura. The armor was clearly a magic item, designed to combine agile movement with sturdy defense.
In terms of appearance, the man was unremarkable, the type of face easily lost in a crowd. Perhaps his only distinguishing features were a long scar that stretched across his face, the result of a sharp weapon's slash, and his jet-black pupils, appearing so perfect they resembled man-made objects.
Hearing his brief yet authoritative command, everyone around him fell silent instantly, halting their final preparations.
This was a solemn moment, a prayer offered before action.
The fact that they took the time to perform this ritual before storming the village did not mean they considered the task light. On the contrary, this act reflected their firm and deep faith in their gods.
They were the Sunlight Scripture, one of the mysterious Six Colored Scriptures, a rarely known special intelligence unit of the secretive Slane Theocracy.
The primary mission of the Sunlight Scripture was clear and merciless: to exterminate the demi-human villages and tribes scattered around the human nations. Their goal was to prevent the demi-human races from encroaching on human territories and ensure that humanity had a safer and more secure living and development environment.
This was not a noble or merciful undertaking; in essence, it was systematic slaughter.
Therefore, among the Six Colored Scriptures, the Sunlight Scripture was known as the unit most frequently involved in bloody battles and possessed the most extensive combat records.
"Let's begin," commanded the Captain of the Sunlight Scripture, Nigun, in a cold yet authoritative tone. Hearing his order, all members immediately moved to surround the village in an orderly and coordinated manner, displaying their well-trained and efficient combat skills.
Although their numbers were only forty-five, Nigun felt no concern whatsoever that their encirclement was too weak or that their prey would manage to escape.
The Sunlight Scripture was formed by the Church, which meticulously nurtured and selected exceptional talents from a young age. Even including the reserve team, the total number of members in this unit was less than a hundred.
The standards for becoming a full member of the Sunlight Scripture were extremely high and strict.
Firstly, one had to be able to use at least third-tier faith-based magic, a level that was the limit of what an ordinary magic caster without special talent could achieve.
Secondly, in addition to proficient magical abilities, a member also had to possess superior physical fitness, a strong and unwavering spirit, and unshakeable faith in their gods.
"Once Gazef Stronoff is killed, this corrupt Re-Estize Kingdom will weaken further and eventually collapse," Nigun murmured softly, gazing at the seemingly peaceful yet potentially dangerous village in the distance. Unconsciously, his hand caressed the rough scar on his face, a bitter reminder of his past.
"Damn Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra!" the name escaped his lips in a tone filled with annoyance.
The scar on his face was the painful gift he had received from the adamantite-ranked adventurer team captain of the Kingdom during a demi-human village extermination operation some time ago.
That little bitch... Nigun hissed inwardly. Setting aside the fact that Lakyus was a priestess with different beliefs from them, she naively sympathized with the demi-humans who were clearly a threat to the survival of humanity. Lakyus and her team thought that stopping the actions of the Sunlight Scripture and similar units was a good deed.
Truly unforgivable foolishness! Nigun thought furiously. If they allowed the demi-human races to grow stronger and more numerous, they would definitely attack human villages and nations, and humanity would have to bear the consequences of immeasurable damage and loss.
How foolish for the weak not to understand that they must use every means at their disposal if they want to survive! That belief was deeply ingrained in Nigun's mind.
Originally, this hideous scar could have been easily removed by using the high-tier healing magic mastered by the priests of the Sunlight Scripture.
However, Nigun deliberately chose to let the scar remain on his face as a permanent reminder to himself never to show mercy to the enemies of humanity.
…
Meanwhile, the people of the Sunlight Scripture had arrived around Carne Village, ready to launch their attack.
Inside the simple wooden house in the center of the village, Kael observed the movements of the Sunlight Scripture's magic casters through a magic mirror that monitored the surroundings of the village.
They might be considered elite and powerful among the native humans in this new world, but for Kael, a max-level overlord, a group of trash with levels in the 20s or so posed absolutely no threat.
Killing them easily, and capturing them alive was not a difficult task either.
However, what Kael wanted to do at this moment was not to deal with them directly.
After her transformation ritual, Enri had successfully acquired the power of a profession, proving that there were no issues with the profession-granting function of the magic item [Divinity of the God of Destiny].
Now, Kael wanted to test his first follower's ability to gain experience points and grow in this new world.
In the game Yggdrasil, players could gain experience points by killing wild monsters and completing various quests.
However, in this new real world, for a follower player like Enri, what kind of existence could be considered a "wild monster" and what kind of event could be considered a "quest" were issues she needed to figure out and understand.
Because this was directly related to her future development plan as his loyal follower.
Enri was a resident of Carne Village. The vanguard soldiers of the Sunlight Scripture had attacked this village before. Nigun and the other members of the Sunlight Scripture should be planning to "kill all the villagers after completing their mission." There was no doubt that the two sides had a very hostile relationship.
I wonder if Enri will gain experience points if she kills a member of the Sunlight Scripture? Kael thought with a hint of curiosity.
Just try it and you'll know! he decided inwardly. After making the decision, Kael looked at the nervous-looking blonde girl beside him.
Enri had just changed jobs and was currently at most a LV1 priest. It was absolutely impossible for her to defeat an ordinary member of the Sunlight Scripture with her current low combat abilities.
And there was a high probability that a battle would break out soon, and Enri's body was too fragile to face direct danger. If something unexpected happened, she might be killed by a "stray bullet" in the battle.
As the first person to believe in him and be willing to become his follower, Kael naturally had to prepare some adequate protective measures for her.
So, Enri was currently wearing an exquisitely beautiful magic robe, holding a seemingly sparkling green-leaf magic staff, and had a magic ring on each of her fingers, her appearance hardly matching the image of a novice magic caster.
In addition, she also wore the [Veil of Experience] around her neck, a magic item that reduced some of her ability points in exchange for a significant increase in experience gain. It was specially prepared by Kael to help her grow faster.
"Then, let's set off now, Enri," Kael said in a calm yet commanding tone, ready to witness the growth of his first follower.
"Ah? Yes! Yes, my Lord!" Enri replied in a surprised yet eager tone. She held the magic staff tightly in her small hands, clearly looking very nervous but determined to do her best.
Kael did not continue to provide psychological counseling to the girl.
Because Enri had to experience this kind of thing sooner or later to grow stronger. She had to cross the threshold of her own fear, and this was also her first real test as a follower.
Activating the passive effect of the [Sky Feather Belt], Kael floated calmly towards the outside of the village. Enri immediately followed in his footsteps, beginning the first battle of her life with a rapidly beating heart.
…
"A magic caster?" Nigun murmured, leading his troops outside the village, seeing the two figures walking out from a distance. He couldn't help but frown, feeling that something was not right with his plan.
Generally speaking, one could judge a person's professional level from the clothes and weapons they carried. The more advanced and luxurious the clothes, and the more sophisticated the weapons, the stronger the person's power.
There was no doubt that with Kael wearing what looked like a god's robe and surrounded by dazzling holy light, no one seeing him for the first time would think he was an ordinary person. The aura of his power felt immense.
Although Enri looked a little childish and inexperienced, judging from the magical aura emanating from the equipment she wore, it was clear that it was no ordinary item. There was a considerable amount of magic power surrounding her.
Gazef Stronoff was already an opponent not to be underestimated, and now there were two more magic casters whose strength was still unknown...
A flicker of doubt and uncertainty flashed through Nigun's mind, but he quickly dismissed it roughly.
This assassination mission of Gazef was highly confidential and important to the Theocracy, so no one who knew the truth could be left alive. No matter what kind of opponents they faced in this village, they had no choice but to fight and complete their mission.
And I still have the last trump card given by His Eminence the Chief Priest. With that, there will definitely be no problems! Nigun thought, touching the magic item hidden beneath his robes and suddenly feeling a surge of confidence return.
That was the Church's secret treasure, specially given to him by the chief priest to ensure his mission would proceed smoothly and without obstacles. The artifact contained the holy power of their god.
"Everyone, start moving in and..." Nigun waved his hand, ready to order his men to storm the village and force their target out of hiding.
However, before he could finish his command, he saw the female magic caster walking beside the radiant man take something out of a small cloth bag hanging at her waist - a piece of transparent composite crystal that emitted a faint glow.