bookandnovel Chapter 2 The Road to Redemption
Chapter 2 The Road to Redemption
The frantic shouts echoed across the empty square, making even the sinners tense.
Following the prisoner's movements, Simon quietly cocked the nail gun behind his back.
All attention was drawn to the scarred criminal; for him, this was a golden opportunity.
Simon secretly plotted his next move: the scarred criminal would surely take the priest hostage and force the guards to restart the elevator for him.
When all eyes are on that person, he can sneak into the guards' tent, change into their uniform, and then escape at the right moment.
Just as he had expected, the noise attracted the guards, but... they did not approach, but stood at the edge of the square, watching silently.
What's going on? Don't they care at all about the old priest's safety?
"Child, don't do anything foolish. You still have a chance to atone for your sins."
Even with his life hanging by a thread, the priest maintained a sickly calm.
"Shut up!"
The scarred prisoner's eyes widened in fury, his finger gripping the trigger tightly, his muscles taut to the limit...
scoff-
The priest's wide robe suddenly ripped at the hem!
A mechanical arm covered in heavy metal armor suddenly shot out like a lurking venomous snake at a speed too fast for the naked eye to detect!
The end of the arm is not a hand, but a huge hydraulic claw with a complex structure that gleams with the cold light of hydraulic oil!
click -
A crisp cracking sound of bone breaking and a muffled thud of flesh being squeezed erupted simultaneously! The hydraulic jaws closed precisely and ruthlessly, instantly clamping down on the scarred prisoner's entire head!
Under the immense and relentless mechanical force, the head collapsed, deformed, and shattered instantly, like a rotten berry being crushed!
puff-
The hard skull instantly disintegrated, and red blood and white fluid gushed out violently through the gaps between the closing hydraulic jaws!
Thick, sticky blood gushed out like a fountain, then fell from the sky, soaking the priest's white robe, his withered face, and the sinners around him.
The headless corpse staggered comically for a step before collapsing into a pool of thick blood, its piercing screams echoing across the square! The sinners reacted in various ways; some knelt and vomited uncontrollably, while others struggled to stay upright, their legs trembling like leaves.
What shocked them even more was yet to come...
Four extremely tall, dark green figures stepped heavily out of the heavy shadows cast by the steam pipes and into the dim light at the edge of the square.
They are coming.
The heavy, dark green power armor covered their entire bodies, each suit measuring nearly three meters in length, making them resemble mobile steel fortresses.
They stood silently, like several dark green tombstones.
A massive backpack of toxins and fuel emanated from the back of the power armor, emitting a faint vapor that carried a mixture of bitter almond and fuel odors.
The armor's shoulder plates were unusually thick, and etched with a serpent staff emblem entwined with a deformed venomous snake.
That's the emblem of the Eighth Legion of the Empire—the Reanimated Physicians.
"The Reanimated Physician..." Simon murmured solemnly.
Why would the Eighth Legion of the Empire, a terrifying force that used fire and poison to kill countless enemies during its expeditions, appear in this abyss?
The air in the square seemed to freeze instantly.
Those sinners who harbored a sliver of hope and attempted to take advantage of the chaos had not yet recovered from the fear caused by the bloody execution carried out by the priest when their psychological defenses were completely shattered by this newly emerged, even larger and more inhumanly terrifying entity.
Unsuspecting sinners will only be shocked by the steel armor covering the entire body of the "Impure Doctor".
Only Simon, who had read "The History of Imperial Wars," knew that what was even more terrifying was their equipment: the jets on their arms could instantly spew out large amounts of flames or corrosive poison gas, annihilating all the sinners in the square in an instant!
A priest who has undergone mechanical modifications, and an "evil doctor" dressed in power armor...
Their appearance declared that the possibility of breaking through the stronghold and escaping was zero.
While the criminals were still reeling from the shock, Simon silently made his way through the crowd, picked up the scarred prisoner's belongings from the pool of blood, wiped them clean, and hung the nail gun on his waist.
Even after witnessing the terror of the power armor, he still tried his best to remain calm.
No matter what happens next, having an extra weapon always increases the chances of survival.
The priest cast an approving glance at him with his cloudy eyes.
"You did the right thing; the Emperor's favor must not be wasted..."
The elderly priest calmly gazed into each pair of pupils, which were unfocused by extreme fear, with his cloudy, compassionate eyes.
"Your path of atonement is about to begin. Next, I will read out the rules..."
The priest stretched out his thin, bony left arm, in which lay a dirty copper coin.
"After you bring back the 'Flesh of Evidence of Sin,' you can exchange it with me for this currency, which I call Indulgence Vouchers. The rarity and completeness of the flesh pieces will determine the number of Indulgence Vouchers you receive. You can use Indulgence Vouchers to exchange for food, utensils, medicine, and weapons."
Flesh of evidence of guilt...
Just then, a sharp pain shot through his eyes, and a line of neat, golden characters silently appeared on Simon's retina.
The handwriting looked as if it had been pressed into an iron plate with a steel stamp; each stroke was sharply defined, and the edges had the sharp luster unique to metal casting.
Simon von Aalt
Golden light, like molten iron, flooded his vision, burning his eyes until they stung...
No one else reacted; only he could see that line of text.
The Iron Emperor is watching you.
Once you embark on the path of steel, there is no turning back.
With steel blades, sever the alien's throat; in the name of the Empire, burn the corrupt nest to ashes.
【Iron Laws - Contract: Hunting the Flesh of Evidence (0/1)】
[By reaching a contract, you will receive the Iron Emperor's favor.]
The text lasted for three seconds, like molten iron being poured and then cooled, its color deepening as it slowly sank into darkness.
Did the Iron Emperor notice him?
He is the emperor of the empire, and also the supreme deity of the Ironwing Angels Cult.
After the Great Expedition ended, the Iron Emperor disappeared without a trace. His diviner presided over the annual festival speeches. Some say that the Iron Emperor died at the hands of assassins and turned into a skeleton, while others say that the Iron Emperor created an unprecedented feat and ascended to become the god of steam and steel.
How could such a being be watching over a sinner whose life was worthless?
Without time to think it through, and enduring the pain in his eyes, Simon continued to listen to the priest explain the rules...
When discussing forbidden topics, a chilling murderous intent lurked beneath the priest's calm tone:
"Choose your allies carefully in the Abyss. You may trade with Abyss Watchers and Adventurers, but if you trade with Heretics and Cave Thieves... that is an unforgivable crime punishable by death."
Heretics? Cave raiders?
It sounds like the situation inside the abyss is more complicated than Simon imagined.
After explaining the numerous points to note, the priest formally announced:
"Then, your path to redemption begins!"
Two hands, mechanical hydraulic jaws closing in on a withered human hand, the priest devoutly recited a prayer:
"Steel is the skeleton, fuel is the blood!"
"The furnace never stops burning, the forging never ceases!"
"The Holy Iron Emperor, Ruler of All Realms!"
Accompanied by his hoarse and fanatical praise, the four dark green, impure earth healers slowly raised their metal boots and took an extremely heavy step forward!
thump—
The steel plates of the entire square seemed to tremble.
Then, the second and third steps!
Their steps were heavy and slow, like four ever-advancing, unstoppable dark green steel walls, compressing the already dwindling space left for the sinners!
Nourishes—
Four reanimated healers, their forearms covered in heavy armor, unleashed bright, incandescent flames from their jets! The air was distorted and boiled from the intense heat!
Before the blinding white flames even touched the human body, the intense heat wave that erupted instantly scorched and charred the hair of the sinners in the front row, and caused excruciating pain like being pricked by needles on their exposed skin! It felt as if they were about to be roasted and carbonized alive in the next second!
Run!
Sensing the danger, Simon was the first to turn and run towards the distant gate...
The terrifying heat blazed behind them. Without any shouting, the instinct for survival, driven by the scorching heat, propelled the other sinners like livestock being whipped, pushing and stumbling as they rushed into the depths of the square, frantically advancing towards the massive gate leading to the unknown territory!
The impure healers continued their advance silently, maintaining their oppressive pace.
Amidst the chaotic cries and shoving, the prisoners were finally all driven out of the massive gate.
The healers stopped ten meters from the gate, the incandescent flames radiating terrifying heat, like an insurmountable line of death.
hum-
The giant gate covered in spikes began to descend rapidly!
Boom—
A deafening roar, as if the heavens and earth were closing in!
The heavy gate slammed down onto the alloy door frame, the enormous impact shaking the entire passageway!
The gate closed, cutting off everything behind them.
After walking several dozen more steps, the ground beneath my feet was no longer cold metal...
Instead, it was a soft, damp meadow with the scent of humus, and all around you when you looked up were the silhouettes of lush, towering trees.
They appeared to be in a jungle?
But what lay before them was a thick, damp, grayish-white fog, reducing visibility to less than five meters.
The mist was cold and clung to the skin, leaving an unsettling, slippery feeling.
Simon gripped the cold nail gun tightly in his hand, the rust on the handle digging into his palm.
He forced himself to open his eyes wide, trying his best to discern directions in the thick fog, and inhaled the cold, moist air.
A faint yet chilling sound came from deep within the fog.
Click, click—
It was like a wet cloth dragging across a rough surface, or like... some kind of multi-legged creature crawling on slime.
Immediately afterwards, a distorted, blurry human figure silently emerged from the swirling, grayish-white fog.