A Core Ship From The Start

Chapter 2649: Chapter 1783: This Hero Is Brutal and Cruel (Ben Is Too Sleepy to Get Up)_2

"Because right now they’re treating us as the ones who killed His Majesty. We can only leave this place, right? Or do you still want to........."

At this point, Lisetta stopped, staring at Duanmu Huai in disbelief. A bad thought flashed through her mind, and the next moment, that thought was confirmed.

"The accomplices of a heretic are heretics too! The Tribunal will never let any traitor go! I have no way of knowing just how many people in this Royal City have thrown in their lot with the Demon King like that heretic did, so to be safe, I’ll completely purify them all!"

As Duanmu Huai spoke, he stretched out his hand. The War Hammer howled through the air and dropped into his grasp.

"In the name of the Tribunal—kill them all, leave none alive!"

Are you serious? Are you actually going to slaughter everyone in the Royal City?

At this moment, Lisetta was completely speechless.

Who the hell is the Demon King here, huhhhhhhh!!

Lisetta wanted to stop Duanmu Huai, but Duanmu Huai clearly didn’t care what she thought. A raging aura of terror exploded from him and spread out in an instant. The magnificent, gorgeous, grand Temple was blown apart like it had taken a direct hit from a hurricane. The Soldiers shivered under the crushing pressure of fear, but at the same time, their courage and fury flared up.

"As I thought, he’s not a Hero at all! He’s the Demon King! Everyone, the Demon King has appeared! All together, we’ll take him down and avenge His Majesty!"

We’re screwed!

Hiding behind Duanmu Huai, Lisetta heard this and couldn’t help covering her face with one hand, letting out a low wail. Duanmu Huai’s look was already super easy to misunderstand, and now he’d completely been taken for the Demon King. On top of that, they believed he was the one who killed the War Emperor. In that case, wasn’t it already destined that he and the Royal City would only stop when one side was dead?

This won’t do!!

Lisetta grabbed Duanmu Huai’s arm with both hands and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Calm down! We’re here to save this world’s Humans!"

"There are only a thousand or so people in this Royal City. Compared to the total number of Humans in the world, they’re insignificant. If they die, they die. Anyone who dares obstruct a Judge has only one ending—death, even if they’re Human. I said it: the Tribunal will act at any cost."

Duanmu Huai’s voice was flat and cold, his earlier rage gone, and that only made Lisetta even more terrified. It meant that from the bottom of his heart he truly didn’t see these people as anything at all, and would wipe them out without a shred of hesitation!

Lisetta wanted to say something more, but Duanmu Huai simply flicked his arm and tossed her aside. Then he gripped the War Hammer and strode forward in great steps!

And then, Lisetta witnessed a battle of unimaginable brutality and bloodshed.

The Guards raised their weapons and roared as they charged at Duanmu Huai. He swung the War Hammer, mercilessly pounding every Soldier who rushed in into bloody pulp. Seeing this, the Magicians in the back ranks hurriedly started casting Magic. Explosions of lightning and fire erupted, engulfing Duanmu Huai completely.

But in the very next second, that beast-like figure burst out of the flames. Duanmu Huai hurled his War Hammer skyward, and a violent shockwave erupted from nothing, sweeping the Magicians and the Bow and Arrow users up into the air before slamming them into the ground.

Soon the Cavalry charged in from the flanks. Shouting slogans of courage and certain victory, dedicating their lives to their country, they leveled their Long Spears and rushed Duanmu Huai—only to have their sturdy Knight Spears twist, shatter, and explode the instant they touched his Armor. Then Duanmu Huai raised his War Hammer and brought it down with full force.

"Boom!!"

A crushing weight slammed down from above, flattening the fully armored Knights together with the warhorses beneath them. Knight flesh and horse flesh mashed together into a nauseating slurry of blood and meat.

By the time everything ended, it was already dusk.

The blood-colored setting sun shone on the ruined remains of the church. Duanmu Huai stood atop the rubble, War Hammer in hand. The crimson light painted his pitch-black Armor with a thick layer of blood-red. At his feet lay mountains of corpses and seas of blood; behind him, flames billowed and roared.

In this moment, no one would doubt it if you said he was the Demon King.

"Wh-why did you have to do this......"

Lisetta knelt beside Duanmu Huai and spoke in a low voice.

"We clearly could’ve just left here directly...... There was no need to do this. Now doesn’t it make us look like we really are the killers?"

"So what?"

"Eh?"

"Let me ask you something."

Duanmu Huai turned his head and glanced at Lisetta.

"If we’d run away, what would’ve happened with these people?"

"That...... they’d still put out a wanted notice and hunt us down as the criminals who killed the King, I guess."

"Exactly. Since the result is the same, I’m more than happy to make the charge live up to its name. Whether they were that heretic’s loyal subordinates, or just deceived and manipulated by him, the moment they dared attack the Tribunal, their fate was already sealed."

"B-but if we just defeat the Demon King, then they’ll realize they misunderstood us before......"

"And so what? Once we defeat the Demon King, we’ll be leaving this world, won’t we? Whether they repent or not—what does that have to do with us?"

"............"

"Same goes for their hatred. Since we’re leaving anyway, whether they resent us or not has nothing to do with us."

Duanmu Huai gave a cold snort.

"Given that, I don’t mind letting them see the true Strength of the Tribunal."

"And this ’Strength’ you’re talking about is slaughtering these people?"

"Exactly! Terror and Destruction are the easiest things for people to understand!"

Duanmu Huai grabbed Lisetta again and stared straight at her.

"What do you think saving Humans is, huh? Some kind of kids’ playtime? Do you really think that as long as everyone just shouts about friendship and bonds and charges forward, everything will magically work out in the end?! Wake up and look at the War Emperor. You still don’t get it? Humans are a whole, and at the same time they’re not a whole. Every individual has their own thoughts! You know perfectly well why the War Emperor sided with the Demon King, don’t you? Do I need to spell it out for you? Have you been doing this ’Goddess for a hundred years’ gig for nothing?"

"..............."

Lisetta clenched her fists tight and bit down hard.

"This Demon King is crafty. It’ll use all kinds of schemes and plots—you saw it yourself just now. And yes, by your method, we indeed could’ve left this place. But then what? Do you think the Demon King won’t send someone again in secret to instigate these people to hunt us down? Do you really want us running away like stray dogs when that happens?"

"............"

"At the very least, now they understand that standing against me means only one thing: death. That way, no one will stupidly try to get in our way again."

Duanmu Huai flung Lisetta back onto the ground and stared down at her coldly. She lowered her head and said nothing. She admitted that Duanmu Huai wasn’t wrong, but she simply couldn’t accept this kind of cold, cruel, icy mindset. Back when she’d been saving the world before, her way had never been wrong.

Guide the Hero, send him to look for companions, then everyone gathers, builds up their feelings, trusts one another, and finally defeats the Demon King—wasn’t that how it always went? At least to Lisetta, that whole routine was the "universal rule." As long as everyone followed the script, they could beat the Demon King.

But Duanmu Huai had given an answer completely different from hers.

He didn’t care at all about the Hero’s fame or reputation, nor did he care about building emotional bonds with others. Everything he did was based on efficiency, coldness, ruthlessness, and brutal intimidation and oppression.

And Lisetta had to admit...... for most people, this really did work better than talking nicely.

After all, she knew there were people out there who simply couldn’t understand words.

But they absolutely understood what a blade against their throat meant.

Just then, Duanmu Huai’s voice rang out again.

"Open the door. We’re heading to the Demon King Territory."