The next day, two hours before the trial began.
Inside the Ashen Knight Order’s interrogation room, the door was slowly pushed open, allowing the light from the corridor to spill into the small, cramped chamber, illuminating the gaunt face of a man.
Li Ang, battered and worn from physical torment, could not sleep at all.
“You don’t look like you’re doing very well.”
Chris stepped in front of Li Ang, his gaze flickering uneasily at the latter’s calm eyes.
He hated Li Ang. He couldn’t understand how anyone could be willing to bear such infamy and die for it. Wasn’t this world one where personal interests came first?
Having witnessed the complex web of power in the Imperial Capital Solaris, Chris understood this deeply.
That was why he was so eager to make a name for himself, hoping to curry favor with Li Ang, the Knight from the Capital.
But this idiot was actually going to die for a woman?
It was laughable—so stupid!
If not for the Forbidden Tome in his hands, Chris wouldn’t bother playing along with this charade.
Luckily, today was Li Ang’s last day.
Once he got his hands on that Forbidden Tome, he would sacrifice the entire Ashen City.
That should be enough for him to break through to the Seventh Tier.
Afterward, he would just find some place to hide and quietly sacrifice foolish civilians until he became a Ninth Rank Demigod.
Then, everything he wanted would be within reach.
Thinking of this, the smile on Chris’s lips was nearly uncontrollable.
In high spirits, he signaled to two knights to lift Li Ang up and said with mock kindness, “You won’t see tomorrow’s sun anyway, so you might as well enjoy today’s while it lasts.”
Li Ang said nothing. He barely had the strength to move.
Magic was tearing through his muscles, leaking outward.
All his willpower was focused on enduring the pain.
The knights didn’t care about his feelings and roughly hauled him up, marching out of the interrogation room.
The weather in Ashen City today wasn’t very good.
Thick, gloomy rain clouds hung low in the sky, as if the entire city was about to be crushed beneath blackened heavens.
The damp air weighed heavily on one’s spirit.
“Oh, I forgot, there’s no sun today.”
Chris said regretfully, though it was clear he was taunting.
Li Ang ignored the provocation and silently stared up at the gloomy sky, quietly waiting.
Seeing this, Chris grew bored and led Li Ang to the familiar square in front of the Church.
People on the roadside who saw Chris gathered around quickly, immediately noticing the man he was escorting.
Given the recent rumors about the Evil Cult, they soon understood Li Ang’s identity.
Many found him vaguely familiar.
No one expected that the proud man who once stood boldly in this very square had now become so haggard, barely resembling himself.
As time passed, the crowd around the square grew larger and louder.
Because of the recent wave of disappearances that had left everyone anxious, their hatred for the true culprit had reached a boiling point.
Li Ang glanced around.
The faces surrounding him were full of contempt and resentment.
If this wasn’t in front of the Church, they would probably have gladly thrown stones at his face.
As the crowd swelled, the square grew noisier.
Almost all the discussions targeted Li Ang with harsh accusations.
In a shadowy corner away from the square, Xiao Shi stood watching Li Ang’s pitiful figure from a distance, her eyes filled with confusion.
Yet she had no intention of intervening, silently observing instead.
Suddenly, a commotion arose at the crowd’s edge.
“It’s Miss Aierwei!”
“Miss Aierwei has arrived!”
The crowd instinctively parted to clear a path, their eyes filled with reverence as a blonde girl appeared.
Those who had survived the recent ritual praised Aierwei’s performance endlessly.
Now, there was no one in Ashen City who didn’t know of the heroic Knight Aierwei.
Those who had previously criticized her now became her most fervent supporters.
“Please, Lady Aierwei, pass judgment on this Evil Cultist!”
A voice suddenly called from the crowd, soon met with many others in agreement.
“Lady Aierwei, judge him!”
Amid the rising chorus, Aierwei silently walked to the center of the square.
Chris glanced at the time and discreetly stepped aside.
The two knights released Li Ang, who collapsed to his knees in a pitiful heap, barely able to support himself with his hands.
Aierwei stood and stared at him without reaching out, instead drawing the sword at her waist and pressing its blade against his throat.
At that moment, the people who witnessed the scene could no longer contain their fury.
They cursed the man with the vilest words imaginable.
If not for the Knights maintaining order, they would have rushed forward to attack him.
Aierwei seemed dazed, as if transported back to the time when she stood on this very stage herself.
Back then, all that malice had been directed at her.
Now, it was Li Ang’s turn.
She had become the symbol of justice.
Yet no one reached out to save Li Ang from the quagmire of malice that surrounded him.
“Next, under the watchful eyes of the God of Order and Law, we will pass judgment on this Evil Cultist who has committed countless crimes!”
Chris’s loud voice echoed throughout the square, stoking the crowd’s fervor.
“Kill him! Kill him!”
“Kill him!”
The deafening shouts surged toward Li Ang like a tidal wave.
He was like a small boat tossed helplessly on a stormy sea.
Aierwei suppressed the complex emotions swirling inside her.
Her hand trembled slightly on the sword’s hilt as she softly asked the question she cared about most.
“Was everything between us… a lie?”
The girl’s voice quivered. From the bottom of her heart, she hoped Li Ang would give her an answer—a glimmer of hope.
But Li Ang’s response shattered her completely.
He only let out a tired, scornful snort.
“Ha…”
It seemed to mock her innocence, and at the same time, it was his answer.
Even to the very end, Li Ang did not wish for any surprises.
Otherwise, all his long-planned schemes would be ruined.
Aierwei closed her eyes in pain. Without hesitation, she gripped her sword tightly and swung it down.
The blade that Li Ang had given her was incredibly sharp, cutting cleanly through his neck.
With a dull thud, he collapsed, blood spilling over the pale gray stone bricks and soaking into them.
A flicker of relief crossed Li Ang’s eyes, followed by a sense of release.
Aierwei had not disappointed his expectations.
If she had hesitated to kill him, he would have been truly disappointed.
In his final moments, as the world spun wildly, his vision slowly darkened, and he lost consciousness.
In his last image, it seemed to begin raining from the sky, followed by Aierwei’s face—suddenly filled with panic.