All the soldiers were stunned by what Lane had done. Their morale collapsed instantly.Without waiting, Lane lunged at the Paladin for the second time. He swung his sword in a way that would bring it straight down onto his head.
With only one arm left, the Paladin was both writhing in pain and forced to withstand the heavy blow. He activated his aura. A crushing energy flooded the surroundings as he raised his sword toward his head to defend himself.
At the last moment, Lane leaped and struck down with all his strength.
The Paladin tried to stop the blow with the help of his aura. He clenched his teeth and resisted. Lane looked at his face. He was struggling badly.
Lane spoke with a demonic grin:"DRAGON AUTHORITY."
In an instant, a terrifying pressure spread out. Everyone within roughly fifteen meters felt the crushing force deep in their bones. The Paladin screamed as he struggled to endure it.
"AAAAAAGH! YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME WITH THIS?!"
He forced Lane back. Lane took four steps backward and spoke with mockery:
"So… you managed to stop it with just one arm, huh? But don't relax. I'm not done yet."
The Paladin's will was beginning to crack. The soldiers around him were already in dire condition while fighting Edwick's forces. The Authority was suppressing them all.
This time, Lane activated lightning. He fully charged his sword with it.
"Now face this. Let's see if you can stop this one too."
The Paladin unleashed his aura completely. Holy energy surged outward, strengthening the soldiers around him.Without hesitation, Lane unleashed the second strike from a distance.
The lightning shock tore through the air and struck the Paladin.
This time, he couldn't stop it.
The blow hit his chest and sent the Paladin flying three meters backward.
"Now," Lane said.
He released his sword.
Lightning crackled in one hand, darkness ignited in the other, and he charged forward. The Paladin shouted in panic:
"Soldiers! Protect me!"
But Lane did not stop. He struck down the Holy Soldiers standing in his way one by one. There was no restraint in his eyes, only will.
He reached the Paladin. With a darkness-enhanced punch, he slammed his fist into the Paladin's collapsed body. Then he began punching his face relentlessly.
One… two… three…
The Holy Soldiers trembled in fear. Edwick and Sara were frozen in place, their eyes wide open at what they were witnessing.This was no longer human.
When Lane stopped, the Paladin's head was unrecognizable. Lane stood up, his body drenched in blood.
He shouted:
"LISTEN TO ME, YOU LINED-UP BASTARDS! IF YOU DON'T WANT YOUR END TO BE THE SAME, DROP YOUR SWORDS. NOW!"
One by one, the Holy Soldiers dropped their weapons. They surrendered.
Edwick stepped closer and asked:
"Lane… are you okay? What you just did… what was that?"
Without looking at him, Lane replied:
"It was necessary. People don't understand kindness. Fear is required for control."
Then he added:
"Gather all the Holy Soldiers in one place."
He wasn't finished yet.
Everyone gathered in front of the church. The Holy Soldiers were lined up. The villagers stood before them. Edwick and Sara watched from the side. Lane had ordered both of them not to interfere.
Lane began to speak; both the Holy Soldiers and the villagers could hear him:
"Today's victory belongs to all of us. From this day forward, the corrupt church and its useless goddesses are doomed to lose."
He lifted his head.
"If the goddesses they worshipped were truly powerful, they would have protected the Holy Soldiers kneeling before me right now. But they did nothing."
He turned to the Holy Soldiers:
"Did you really think the disgusting things you've done wouldn't come back to haunt you one day?"
He paused for a moment.
Then he gave a single command:
"SOLDIERS. TAKE ALL OF THEIR HEADS."
The villagers did not hesitate. Edwick and Sara tried to intervene, but they were too late.The Holy Soldiers thought they would be imprisoned, perhaps even forgiven.
They were wrong.
Heads fell.
At that moment, the sky turned crimson-gold. A silhouette appeared above. This was the message sent by the Goddess for not killing them herself.
The villagers were afraid.
Lane shouted:
"If I feared the Goddess, I wouldn't be standing here right now! I said take them!"
The final head fell.
The sky darkened. Then rain began to fall. Lane interpreted this as the Goddess's cry.
Edwick and Sara did not know what to say in the face of such brutality.Lane had delivered such a severe warning that no one dared to oppose him.
Ignoring the heavy silence he left behind, Lane stepped away from the crowd and walked into the church with slow, deliberate steps.Within the stone walls, the only sound was his breathing; he sat down in a corner and began to think.
"I took the Holy Soldiers' heads. I slaughtered the Paladin brutally. I built my authority on fear.Now I will seal it with kindness. You cannot lead people with kindness alone. That is the dream of those who live in utopia.This universe does not push forward the good. It favors the wicked."