When the flag of the 11th Regiment completely disappeared from sight, all that remained near the Blackwater Shores were the silver-armored torrent of the 13th Holy Knights and Mark's squad, who had not received clear orders to follow closely behind.
Alfonso Lin stood at the front, his newly crowned legend exuding an almost tangible aura, his cold gaze sweeping over the black dots marked on the map.
Those were the black streets that the Corrupted Vine Alliance built in the buffer zone, surviving by plundering, smuggling, human trafficking, and even colluding with orcs.
His orders to deal with these malignant tumors were succinct and ruthless: "Target: all Rotten Vine strongholds. Leave no one alive."
The silver iron hooves once again trampled the mud.
Without the overt or covert protection of the main orc forces, the Enlightenment Society seemed hesitant to confront Alfonsod's prowess for the time being.
The Rotting Vine Alliance, which used to run rampant in the buffer zone, bullying the weak and acting as the gray tentacles of various forces, was as fragile as rotten wood and withered branches in front of the Thirteenth Holy Knights, a holy light blade personally led by a legend.
The outcome of the battle was almost without suspense.
The sturdy fence shattered under the charge of the lances infused with the holy light of judgment.
The rudimentary watchtower was blasted into pieces by beams of light as thick as buckets.
Although Mark's squad did not have a specific mission, they still did their best to help the Thirteenth Holy Knights wipe out the remnants of the Corrupted Vine Alliance on the battlefield.
After all, these street thugs may not be very strong, but they're still experience points.
Desperate criminals who attempt to resist by relying on the complex terrain are often instantly slit in the throat by a dagger that Monica hands out from the shadows.
Enzo, like a human battering ram, reduced the earthen houses and the resistance fighters inside to dust under the impact of the lava.
Ruby's blazing dragonfire swept through, purifying the filth and sin, leaving behind charred marks.
Kyle acted as a mobile bulwark, shielding his team members from stray arrows and desperate counterattacks.
Yes, since the last battle at Blackwater Shores, Alfonso doesn't seem to have any intention of recalling Ruby and Kyle back to the Knights, but instead has them travel with Mark's squad.
Mark's domain twisted and chaotic magical attacks, while the angel transformed from Little M hovered in mid-air, its wings interwoven with seven-colored black light firmly protecting Mark. Any attack that tried to focus fire on Mark was like a stone thrown into the sea.
Of course, relatively speaking, Mark's squad encountered decent resistance mostly in some large, dark streets.
The vast majority of the battles were resolved by the Thirteenth Holy Knights with overwhelming force.
It was as if, in the face of the Thirteenth Knights, the battle was not the main point.
The truly nerve-wracking moment comes after each stronghold is breached and the remaining enemy is wiped out.
At this time, Elliott, the silent recorder who had previously led the Grey Falcon Squad, would step forward.
His face was expressionless, and the detection magic in his hand gleamed with a cold light.
All captured members of the Rotten Vine, regardless of age or gender, were forcibly gathered in the open space in the center of the stronghold.
Elliott's gaze was like a cold probe, his powerful mental magic brutally piercing into the minds of each prisoner, rummaging through fragments of their past memories.
Scenes of past crimes.
Murder, robbery, rape, kidnapping, selling one's own people, poisoning, assassination, colluding with orcs to harm human caravans... like a dirty scroll, flashing rapidly on the light screen of the probing magic.
The guilty and the innocent were lined up on either side.
The prisoners, realizing something was wrong, were then filled with alarm.
The air was filled with desperate cries and pleas.
"Trial." Alfonso's voice was always cold and devoid of any emotion.
The verdict was delivered immediately.
Those whose investigations revealed only minor offenses such as theft or fighting were forcibly expelled from the Lor Swamp and ordered to return to the human kingdom's territory to face local legal punishment.
Innocent ordinary people will be subsequently placed in churches in various places for internment and education.
However, how many truly law-abiding, innocent people would end up living in the lawless, chaotic streets of the Lor Swamp?
When the magic of exploration reveals numerous grave sins, that is the time for Elliot or his accompanying Holy Light mage to take action.
The blinding light of judgment, like divine punishment, pierces precisely into the skull or heart of the sinner.
It wasn't purification, but the most direct and bloodiest execution!
Heads exploded amidst the roar of holy light, and bodies were reduced to charred remains under the judgment.
The stench of blood and the smell of burning flesh mingled together, turning the open space of the stronghold into a scene of carnage.
A sea of heads!
Each raid on a stronghold was accompanied by a large number of executions.
Mark's team watched all of this in silence.
Enzo licked his lips, feeling the surging power within him from constantly killing members of the Rotten Vine and absorbing the energy of the "Crimson Rose." It seemed that since the Blackwater Shallows, his team had never exited the extreme mutation state.
The barriers of the mid-stage of the eighth tier have loosened, and it is steadily moving towards the late stage.
In this situation, Anna's arrows became even more powerful, and her fusion with the shadows became more seamless, resulting in a steady increase in her level.
She's recently been able to spot Thranduil Eldrinval and his group, who have been trailing behind the Thirteenth Holy Knights.
Ever since she fired her Shadow Arrow with all her might to warn the envoy from the Elven court, he seemed hesitant to appear before them again.
Monica's figure became even more elusive in the shadows. She had seen many executions of this magnitude in her family records, but now that she was experiencing it firsthand, she didn't find Alfonso's actions cruel.
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