Two days later…
Countless men and women sat in the great plaza of Xavier City, which was the Capital City of the Divine Empire.
They had not only come to celebrate the Founding Anniversary of the Divine Empire but to also witness an execution, which held great significance to one of the biggest organizations in Elysium.
The VIP guests were all seated on a floating platform that hovered several hundred of meters from the ground.
All of the figures sitting there were either Supremes or the Highest Ranking officers of the Divine Army—like the Oracle.
Standing on the elevated platform in the plaza was none other than the High King of Lunaria.
He had his hands clasped behind his back as he stood beside the guillotine, which would later be used to kill the Halfling they labeled as Heretic, who had destroyed his entire kingdom and wiped out his Royal Bloodline.
Mondo had patiently waited for this day to arrive. He wanted nothing more than to torture Lux and let Gaap see his Disciple's suffering.
The Saints of the Divine Army made sure to monitor his every movement so that he wouldn't attack the Halfling before the day of the execution.
The sun was already at its zenith, and Gaap was currently being escorted to the plaza by dozens of Saints.
The crowd, who was watching all of these from a distance, couldn't help but pity the Halfling who was about to be used as a warning to those who have bad intentions towards the Divine Army.
When the Saints reached the elevated platform, they proceeded to tie Gaap to the guillotine.
After double-checking that the magical chains were still in effect, they all backed away and stood several meters away from the Halfling.
Suddenly, a voice filled with charisma and power spread in the surroundings.
"Everyone, thank you for coming to the founding ceremony of our Empire," a middle-aged man, wearing the ceremonial clothes of a Pope, said with a smile. "Today is a special day because not only are we celebrating the continuous prosperity of our Empire, but we will also be punishing a heretic whose crimes know no bounds.
"Not only has he repeatedly defied our Divine Army, but he is also responsible for committing genocide, wiping an entire kingdom from the face of the world. Death will not be enough to pay for his sins, but it is the only punishment we could impose upon him in order to appease the countless souls of the Kingdom of Lunaria."
The Sovereign of the Divine Army paused as he glanced at the Halfling, who was tied to the guillotine before making eye contact with the High King of Lunaria.
Seeing that his chance had arrived, the Saint casually walked towards the Guillotine and gave Gaap's body a kick, making the latter spit out a mouthful of blood.
"It brings me great joy to personally end this Heretic's life," Mondo said as he scanned the crowd, trying to see if Lux was somewhere within the crowd of people who had come to see Gaap's execution.
The Sovereign of the Divine Army, the Oracle, as well as the other Saints, were also using their Divine Sense to look for the Half-Elf and the members of Memento Mori who might have come to their Divine Empire.
Mondo gave Gaap another kick before stepping on the Halfling's foot, crushing it completely.
Gaap bit his lips in order to prevent himself from crying out. He understood what the High King of Lunaria was doing.
Mondo didn't plan to kill him right away and, instead, proceeded to torture him. This was something that the Sovereign of the Divine Army and the High King of Lunaria had agreed upon.
Simply put, they were just delaying the time of his death to give Lux the opportunity to come to save his Master.
Killing Gaap right away wouldn't serve the biggest purpose of their faction's celebration.
"Do you have any last words, Heretic?" Mondo asked with a sinister smile on his face.
Gaap spat a mouthful of blood before slowly raising his head to look at the people in front of him.
"The time we spent together wasn't long, but they still hold some of the happiest moments of my life after my Master died at the hands of these murderers," Gaap said softly, and yet, his voice reached everyone's ears, as if he was speaking right next to them.
"I didn't know if my Master, Hereswith, felt pride when she made me her Disciple. But, I will tell you this, I am very proud and very blessed to have a Disciple like you, Lux. So, please, watch carefully.
"Watch… as I end the life of the people that killed my Master, and wipe their empire from the face of the world!"
Mondo, who immediately felt that something was wrong, slashed the rope that was holding the guillotine in place.
The Deadly Artifact, whose sharpness could easily cut through steel, descended towards the Halfling's head, who had just declared that he would wipe out the Divine Empire from the face of the world.
Just as the blade was about to sever Gaap's head from his body, three things happened at the same time.
Two Gigantic hands emerged from the elevated platform.
One of these hands grabbed the High King of Lunaria in a vice grip, while the other crushed the guillotine into pieces.
A moment later, a gigantic head rose up from the ground, and a mad chuckle that shook the entire Divine Empire escaped Antero's lips.
"Kill him, Antero!" Gaap, who was still tied up by magical chains, ordered.
The Golem of Destruction raised the hand that was holding the High King Lunaria in a firm grip.
"Noooooooooooo!" Mondo roared in anger, fear, and frustration when he found himself nearing Antero's mouth.
A resounding crack was heard as Antero bit the Saint's body in half, making the spectators scream.
Blood sprayed from the Golem's mouth as he held the lower Half of Mondo's body in his hand.
The High King of Lunaria died just like that, failing to even take revenge for his kingdom that had been destroyed by the same Golem who ended his life.
Antero chewed for a few seconds before tossing the remaining half of the Saint's body into his mouth.
The foolish members of the Divine Army really thought that the Halfling was unable to summon Antero due to the magical chains that bound his body.
Truth be told, Antero could appear with just a single thought from Gaap, so no matter how much they tied him up, he could still call forth the Golem of Destruction and let him rampage to his heart's content!
At the same time that this happened, a powerful explosion rocked the Capital City of the Divine Empire, which was why the Sovereign wasn't able to save Mondo from being killed.
He had sensed a greater danger coming from the sky. Because of this, he focused his attention on erecting a barrier, to shield the people in the plaza.
The Divine City had several barriers that were always active to protect it from any incoming threat.
However, the Sovereign's instincts were telling him that these protective measures wouldn't be enough to contain the threat that he had just felt.
As if making his worst fears come to life, the outer barriers of the city shattered like broken pieces of glass, leaving only two defensive barriers between the threat and the people below, which the Sovereign had erected at the last second.
The highest official of the Divine Army narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Heavens.
High above the sky and meeting his glare, two people hovered in the air.
One was Hana, who was part of Gaap's Covenant.
And the other was none other than the red-headed Half-Elf, who had come to save his Master from those who wished for him to die.
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