The Champion King was feeling strange at the current state of the Holy Justice Citadel, and the resistance he was expecting upon breaking into the citadel also didn’t appear. All he could see was despair within the natives, and they didn’t even have the will to struggle.
At that moment, his doubts lasted no more than a breath, a slow, almost predatory grin curved his lips as the dark glint returned to his eyes.
For years, he had sailed the Star Ocean as a Star Pirate, living and breathing by the law of opportunity, and no rules applied to him, and despite his inner disgust for the other Star Pirates, he liked this freedom.
That’s why the Champion King right now was a Star Pirate more than his previous self, the Chairman of the Zodiac Warrior Alliance, and right now, before him, the Holy Justice Citadel didn’t seem like part of one of the three absolute factions and seemed more like it was a wounded prey struggling to stand.
This was his pirate instinct taking control over his mind, and he had never been wrong. Furthermore, the Holy King, the spiritual pillar of the Cardinal Spirit Temple, was nowhere to be found, which led Champion King to assume that something had gone wrong.
He even assumed that the current state of the Holy Justice Citadel was related to that mysterious figure who had acquired the Temple of the Blazing Flame, and the Holy King was most likely occupied with him.
This was good news for him since whoever won in the end, he’d be the final victor!
At that moment, he turned his head slightly, voice low yet carrying the weight of command, "Dark Wing... ready the cruiser’s fangs!"
Dark Wing was startled, but as the right-hand man of the Champion King, he also somewhat guessed what the Champion King was thinking and the reason behind his decision, and the current state of the citadel was right in front of him to see.
His hesitation lasted only an instant before he nodded sharply as he bellowed, "Alright, you idiots, let’s get to work! Take your position and reveal the fangs!"
Upon Dark Wing’s cold command, the other didn’t hesitate and quickly scattered, taking their position at once.
Thereupon, the Shattered Star Cruiser stirred as its ancient gears turned, runes along its massive frame igniting in layered rings of crimson and black. The very air thickened as its armament began to awaken from slumber.
The Champion King stepped forward, his booming voice once again rolling over the Citadel, "Holy King! This is your last chance. Show yourself... and hand over what belongs to me... or I will tear your precious Citadel apart stone by stone as well as reap every life of those mindless thralls!"
In respond to the Champion King’s probe, only silence came as an answer, drifting with wails of despaired believers.
"What the hell is going on!? Those guys aren’t even running away for their lives!" Someone shouted in disbelief and terror.
This person was among the thousands frantically running away in the darkness, which was quite strange, as everyone else seemed to have gone mad and lost their will to live.
These natives were actually members of the Human Race, and they seemed to be the only ones unaffected by the phenomena. All those who were affected were Faery Humans!
Alice, who was at the very front of the ground, currently their leader, and also the one who had the guts to run away, was pale as her heart beat widely with anxiety.
"Shut up, and keep your voices down! What if the enemy heard you!?" She retorted in a rage-filled voice towards the person who had just spoken, but her voice was extremely low, almost whispered, but because of the silence, everyone heard it clearly.
Nonetheless, Alice’s inner anxiety was at its peak as she couldn’t help but think about everything that transpired after the statues of the Holy Justice God suddenly shattered. All those Faery Humans lost their mind, even the Archbishop who was about to perform the anointment ceremony.
She has been with the Cardinal Spirit Temple for nearly her entire life. She had always thought that, due to the Holy Justice God and her position as one of power within the three absolute factions, the Cardinal Spirit Temple was almost invisible.
However, today, her entire worldview changed, and she only now realized that their most significant advantage was also their biggest weakness, which was ’faith!’
Furthermore, the proud and arrogant Faery Human Race, which always seemed holy and superior to the other races, instantly crumbled like dominions.
’The Faery Human race has such a huge flaw, and to think I was working so hard to become one of them?! What the hell was I even thinking!? Although they might have superior talent and abilities, they have a massive reliance on their religion, and the Holy Justice God is their core.
’What will happen if one day the Holy Justice God abandons them, since in God’s eyes we are nothing but ants. Or worse...what if the God fall...’
A sudden chill ran down Alice’s spine, ’Only the strong can control their own destiny, and I don’t want to be someone else’s puppet again...
’Today, for whatever reason, someone has cut off our faith power that we got from the Holy Justice God, and from how they are now reacting, it seemed pretty clear that person knew what they were doing.
’Now, with this sudden appearance of the Star Pirates, it seems like a well-crafted scheme. It actually quite good for me since I was able to found this flaw among the Faery Humans, and also the advantage of being Human...’
Resolution shone in Alice’s eyes as she had made up her mind already, ’If I managed to escape today, I’m never coming back to this damn place again!’
With such thoughts, she quickly led the humans towards a secret escape route, and it wasn’t because she was compassionate. They were all pretty good meat shields!
On the other hand, the Champion King, after not receiving any response, couldn’t help but smile widely, because this meant his pirate instincts were right.
Champion King, with a vicious glint, coldly said, "No answer? Then burn!"
Dark Wing, as if acknowledging the Champion King’s silent command, barked orders, and the cruiser’s enormous cannons—twelve in total—pivoted downward in perfect unison!