Chapter 1565 – The Evil in People’s Hearts
“Hmm?!” The light emanating from the old man flickered erratically. A wisp of darkness burst from his chest, and the scales he held, tilted precariously, suddenly began to balance. This was because evil had appeared on the side that represented good.
“Clang!” My greatsword collided with the golden blade, not only easily deflecting it but also sending the old man flying back. This anticlimactic strike was even less impactful than his earlier ordinary slash.
Unexpectedly, this judgment skill, imbued with Causality, was broken just like that. When the person judging good and evil develops evil within their own heart, they lose the qualification to judge.
It wasn’t just the old man; I saw many of the people who had come to surround us were acting strangely. Their faces contorted into ferocious expressions, their eyes filled with suspicion, envy, greed, and other emotions as they looked at each other.
This subtle shift alone shattered their coordinated pincer attack. Karina had seemed invincible moments ago, but facing simultaneous attacks from so many people was difficult to withstand.
The courtiers and knights eyed each other with suspicion, some even subtly stepping back.
A civil official stated, “The barrier within the palace has a function to suppress external enemies. Enemies cannot enter. Even if they force their way in, they will be suppressed. Why is she unaffected?”
“She has been judged as an ally by the barrier, and her status is extremely high. Did one of you do something?!” Another courtier furiously questioned the officials responsible for managing palace entry qualifications.
“Didn’t you also stand by and watch him get attacked without intervening? And you didn’t attack when the assault was initiated. Are you afraid of death?!” another military officer retorted.
“My rank and title are higher than yours! How dare you order me around?” another official snapped back.
Lorna, Via, and I watched in stunned silence as the courtiers and knights, who should have been fighting together, suddenly broke into an argument.
With a great enemy before them, they should not have been arguing at this moment. Yet, they chose to do so, completely ignoring Karina’s presence. Karina, in turn, ceased her attack.
This was a mental evil magic spell that could ignite the evil thoughts within people’s hearts. Once the seed of suspicion was sown, they could no longer trust those around them.
This spell couldn’t create hatred and suspicion from nothing; it amplified existing dissatisfaction and suspicion within people. It was precisely because these bureaucrats constantly schemed against each other that their minds were affected by the spell. Individuals with pure hearts would not be influenced much.
At this moment, the kind-faced woman and the pure maiden from the Seven Gods Priests clasped their hands together. A faint, soft light began to emanate from them. Wherever the light reached, the evil intentions within those individuals were dispelled.
“What… what was I doing just now?” a courtier, having regained his senses, asked in confusion. Another military officer was apologizing to him with shame.
The divine spells of the Holy Mother and the maiden dispelled the magical effects cast by Karina, cleansing them from their evil thoughts. They retained their memories of what had happened, only recalling a sudden impulse that led them to act in ways contrary to reason.
“What a shame. Those two women were quite capable. If they hadn’t been here, in a few more minutes, these people would have had a complete mental breakdown and started killing each other,” Karina lamented.
My heart clenched. This magic was too bizarre, able to stir up the malice in people’s hearts and even drive a person to madness. These courtiers had fallen prey to it unknowingly, and not a few of them were quite powerful.
“Let’s not waste any more time. Fighting here won’t help in treating the Princess; it will only waste time. They can’t calmly consider what’s beneficial right now!” I urged them anxiously.
Every second we fought was a second lost from the Princess’s treatment time. It could only be said that there was little time left for the Princess.
“Alright, let’s go!” Karina declared, directly smashing through the door. The two thick wooden doors were broken open by her, their ruined surfaces looking as if they had been corroded.
“Damn it! She’s trying to escape, chase her!” A large group of courtiers rushed out behind us, with only a few still concerned about the unconscious Princess.
Karina sped down the corridor, dodging a barrage of bullets and magic cast from behind. I stood behind her, using my sword to block many of the attacks.
With a wave of her hand, Karina unleashed countless mosquitoes from the opening in her palm. A massive swarm of insects blotted out the sky, surging down the corridor like a black tide.
“Ah! Damn it!” The pursuers behind us were covered in wounds and covered in itchy bites, becoming disoriented by the swarm. The insects were so numerous that they obscured everything in front of them.
Even when a batch of mosquitoes was killed, their sheer numbers were overwhelming, continuously appearing and disrupting the pursuers. Even Archmages using wind magic could only burn away a portion, with more swarms quickly filling the gaps.
“The Stranger bestows upon all, equal death and finality.” The most taciturn grey-robed woman among the Seven Gods Priests finally spoke, exuding an aura of decay.
With only these words from the grey-robed nun, the mosquitoes ahead suddenly died in large numbers, forming a thick layer on the ground, resembling a carpet.
“Keep pursuing! By the way, where are they going? Why are they climbing higher? Notify the soldiers upstairs to intercept them ahead!” a military officer shouted.
The pressure ahead of us intensified. Soldiers continuously rushed out from various rooms and corners ahead. As expected of the elite guards defending the upper levels of the palace, their combat quality and individual strength were formidable, and they couldn’t be dealt with so easily.
I used my greatsword to cut off a halberd that lunged at me, simultaneously knocking away another with a chain. Then, I raised my left hand and unleashed an ice storm towards a heavily armored elite guard soldier who appeared to be a leader, his uniform slightly more ornate than the others.
Having recently mastered ice magic, the Wolfheart, which Giselle had forcefully given me, suddenly proved useful. I discovered that the Guardian Deity was stronger when using ice magic than my main body.
The ice storm swept through the entire corridor, forcing the nearby elite guards to retreat repeatedly. The squad leader I targeted was frozen solid, and the armor of the other nearby guards was covered in a layer of solid ice.
However, they still didn’t let us pass. This was their duty, a vital area they had to protect, and they wouldn’t yield even unto death. This demonstrated the extremely high loyalty of the Hesse Duchy’s guard.
More and more elite guards charged forward, blocking our path. I said helplessly, “This is endless. Do you have a way to clear a path? Don’t hurt them; these people are the Princess’s subordinates.”
“Don’t worry, I have my ways,” Karina said calmly.
