The Last King Of Darkness
Chapter 115 - 86: Defection

Chapter 115: Chapter 86: Defection

Some say that the Trolian Kingdom is the last kingdom of mankind, a remnant glow of human civilization that has lasted for a thousand years after the end of the Fire Epoch.

Though it once shined brightly, it will eventually extinguish like the dying embers of a fire.

The world is slipping into darkness, just as a stone falls into the abyss.

However, this assertion was strongly opposed by scholars led by Amides.

They believed that beyond this vast world, in the unseen depths of darkness, there must exist other cities of fire like theirs, other civilizations of mankind struggling for survival, just as they were.

Mankind must have hope and will find ways to conquer the seemingly invincible Black Fog.

Whether it’s the Jinworth Society, the Mechanical Research Institute, the Ash Diggers, the Eternal Violet, the Non-human Voice of Calier, the Redemption Rose, or the Element Dawn.

Whether they are researching Spiritual Energy, weapons, history, the Black Fog, or various incomprehensible freaks.

The ultimate goal is the survival of mankind.

The very act of survival is meaningful in itself.

Yet, within the kingdom, a small number of people, either daunted by the massive, endless Black Fog, or having lost the courage and hope to live, or out of sheer desire and greed, have turned against humanity.

They are the Doomsday believers.

This is the most dangerous tumor because, though they wear human faces, they slaughter like monsters.

"The strongest fortresses are often breached from within," a phrase unearthed from ancient relics, fits very well here.

And the Internal Affairs Court, as the institution overseeing all internal matters of the Trolian Kingdom, bears this heavy responsibility.

Undoubtedly, the Doomsday Cult is the greatest "internal affair."

In the recently uncovered stronghold of the Doomsday Cult in the High Court District, the Judges discovered critical information—

The Polluters planned to contaminate the Fuel Element within the Royal City, extinguishing the Residual Fire and its derived light, causing the residents’ Spirit Lamps to go out, ultimately leading to a great catastrophe.

In some fragmented information, the Judges also found that they attempted to pollute the Holy Fire.

This was undoubtedly catastrophic, and the Internal Affairs Court had fully mobilized, conducting thorough inspections of all Fuel Elements and factories, and isolating all manufacturers for interrogation.

And as for Rod, the greatest contributor to these efforts, he had been preliminarily nominated for the "Fire Guardian Medal."

Hence, in the Redstone Village relocation case, it was essentially believed that he was innocent.

Even if there were minor errors, they were forgivable.

For Manolo Bana, this was the biggest piece of good news amid countless bad ones lately.

The Polluter Sect was completely incompetent.

He solidified this belief and decided not to use them for his plans anymore.

At this point, merely proving Rod was an accomplice was meaningless; he had to be proven to be a member of the Polluter Sect and the direct murderer in the Redstone Village case to strike at those who protected him, the candidates of the Fire King.

For this, Manolo Bana had already devised a perfect plan.

We have already won.

He thought.

Arriving at the medical facility of the Healing Cult, where the team members who had been injured in the last sewer incident were staying – Reslin, Karamon, and Egger.

More than ten days ago, on a patrol mission, their squad, including Rod, had encountered Doomsday believers in the sewers, suffering heavy casualties, with only Rod emerging unscathed.

This was very suspicious on its own.

At that time, the Guardian in charge was one of their own.

If the testimonies of these three could be added, then Rod would definitely be considered as a Doomsday believer who had infiltrated with a special purpose.

His contributions were merely a tactic used by the Polluter Sect to gain trust.

Otherwise, how could a mere trainee, not even a formal combatant, so easily kill so many Doomsday followers and find a secret stronghold that even professional investigators of the Judgement Court hadn’t discovered for years?

As long as Rod was allowed a special interrogation where the information extracted from his soul could be freely fabricated by Manolo Bana.

At this point, taking down Qingyu, a candidate for the Fire King, would be a very simple task.

You will pay for your naive and foolish actions.

He thought.

He walked into the first ward of the Church Medical Center.

Here resided "White Smoke" Egger, a student of the 20th class, with a soul characteristic of "Smoke," which is a relatively strong second-class characteristic. He was from Iron Furnace City, one of seven siblings, and the only Fire Holder. His father had accidentally fallen into the great furnace during forging and had perished without a trace. His mother alone supported seven children with very poor family conditions.

He had great respect for his mother and his greatest wish was to bring his mother and six siblings to live in the Upper City. His second-biggest wish was to grow taller.

Egger’s injuries were not severe, but the infection was deep, and he had not yet completely escaped danger, having awakened only yesterday.

He was very surprised by the Great Judge’s visit, a high-ranking official from the Internal Affairs Court, coming to see him, a mere combatant.

His attitude was also very friendly, and in his speech, he showed a deep understanding of Egger, making him feel warmly inside.

Soon, they began discussing the events of that day. This important person seemed particularly interested in Rod’s actions, continually asking about every detail and posing many strange questions.

"When you encountered the traitor, did he make any special moves?"

"Did Rod converse with the Black Priest?"

"Why didn’t the Black Priest kill Rod?"

"Did he use some seemingly unintentional acts to worsen your combat situation?"

Egger grew somewhat impatient and after denying each question, earnestly said, "Great Judge Sir, I have already made it very clear. Rod was genuinely helping us. Although his strength was insufficient, I do not believe he was at fault."

Manolo Bana looked at him meaningfully.

"Egger, you have just joined the City Defense Army, and your current weekly salary is eight hundred silver coins. Becoming a squad leader requires combatants above level eight, but your spiritual power level is only at three. You still need at least four levels to undergo a combat assessment, and the rite to advance to the fourth level of spiritual power requires Sun Crystals, which are very scarce. By your current standard, without any significant achievements, you would have to wait at least a year before you could apply for one,"

"Even if you reached level eight as a combatant, your weekly salary would only be one thousand two hundred, while the cheapest housing in the Upper City costs ten thousand silver coins per square foot, a Big Spirit Lamp costs ninety thousand silver coins, and just the Fuel Element expenses amount to three thousand per month. You would need at least one thousand weeks to gather the funds required."

Manolo Bana showed a hint of a smile.

"But if you could provide testimony according to the ’true’ situation, I could grant you a house belonging to the Manolo Bana family free of charge, and I could immediately apply for Sun Crystals for you. You could quickly become a level eight combatant, and I could also transfer you to defense in the Inner City District, away from those perilous areas."

Egger’s face stiffened.

"You can think it over carefully."

Manolo Bana smiled faintly, not in a hurry. He turned and walked out of the room.

He was very familiar with such matters, knowing not to press too hard and not worrying about retaliation.

Most people did not have the courage.

If they did bite, that would be even better.

However, before he could open the door, Egger’s voice came from behind him.

"I refuse! This is a destruction of our homeland, an insult to all the warriors who have died!"

Manolo Bana turned his head and said coldly, "You had better think carefully about what you are saying."

Egger shouted, "You are not fit to work in the Internal Affairs Court! You turn our faith into tainted blood, a heap of garbage. You turn the Judgers’ Holy Temple into a Beast Cave. Your vestment robe has become a sack filled with the Black Fog of evil! I will denounce you! You’re just a Doomsday believer wearing a mask!"

A cold murderous intent flashed in Manolo Bana’s eyes, and without a word, he left without looking back.

Egger was not alone.

Karamon and Reslin also did not agree.

"Rod is my good brother, I will not betray my brother. Of course, if your wife and your daughter would come sleep with me, I might consider it," said Karamon, submerged in a solution, his body still not fully formed.

"I don’t know what personal grudges you hold, but Archbishop Horus has advised us not to bring any personal grievances into our office work. You, as the Great Judge of the Internal Affairs Court, should understand this better than I do," said Reslin.

His body still harbored a curse, and he was continuously undergoing the Spirit Purification Ceremony by the nuns.

Not one person agreed.

Even the personal intervention of the Great Judge was rejected.

Although this was the best outcome, it fully achieved his more hidden purpose.

Yet, a cold anger still flowed from Manolo Bana’s face.

"Ignorance, naivety, and kindness cannot survive in this world! You all must die!"