Lower Menes, Negada Oasis, Noxis Village.

Compared to the densely populated area of Haute Menes, the economically less developed region of Lower Menes is generally much smaller in size.

The overall layout of the village of Noxis is simple, with two intersecting rammed earth avenues that are all the transport facilities, and they meet each other in the center of the village to form a small square. The houses on both sides of the road are home to nearly 300 families – a fairly large village.

About 10 kilometres from the village is the sacred river that feeds the land, interspersed with fertile fields, most of which are flooded due to the rainy season. The faint but clear roar that mingled in the air proved it to all—the roar of the tireless waves crashing against the rocks.

A village rooted in an oasis, bordered by a river, well-trafficked, and densely populated makes for the ideal hiding place for filth – especially the dreadbeasts who prey on human flesh.

Dreadbeast is the Empire's official name for this type of monster.

They believe that creatures that eat human flesh and blood can no longer be called human, but can only be treated as the most cruel beasts.

Since the defeat of the war against the invaders, man-eating monsters have appeared one after another in Menes' vast territory.

These monsters usually move with human faces, and their forms and behaviors are no different from ordinary people, and they can go weeks without eating or drinking, but once their appetite explodes, they will reveal their bloodthirsty and terrifying nature.

Correspondingly, the empire relied on the temple system in various places and organized a large number of raiding teams to clear it.

Among them, the one that is active and the most famous in battle is the crusade team with the Hades Temple. The legendary leader of this team is the companion of the Sun King Eru Romei and the brother of the Hades King Charlie, the great Inquisitor Evan.

According to folklore, he has a pair of eyes that distinguish between good and evil, good and evil, and can make the fear beast disguised as an ordinary person have nothing to hide. Therefore, in his glorious record, there has never been a murder of innocents, and no dreadbeast has escaped punishment.

And why did this once high king suddenly give up everything and devote himself to the cause of exorcism?

The most widely disseminated, and most convincing, version, explains it this way:

More than a year ago, on the shores of Mirror Lake, the Inquisitor accidentally killed the first Dreadbeast. He was amazed at the horror and evil of the monsters, and felt that these filthy things could not be allowed to kill innocents, and that they must be eliminated. So he cared about the people's sufferings and was jealous of evil, and took the initiative to give up all his rights and travel all over the country to fight for his people.

After countless righteous and noble battles, the Great Inquisitor was born.

Of course, these are the 'myths and legends' born of Ivan's overly brilliant achievements, combined with people's well-intentioned imagination.

As for the facts, only a very small number of people know what the truth is, but even if they come forward to expose the truth, no one will care.

Anyway, wherever Evan's footprints go, the dreadbeasts are extinct, and the iron-clad fact is seen by the public—they want to believe that there is such a judge in the world.

......

In the thick of the night, the sleeping village has long since woken up, and there are shiny torches everywhere. The light of the dragons weaved through the streets and alleys, forming a web of restlessness and anxiety that hung over the village.

"Dreadmon!

With panicked screams, the village under the light of the torches was clouded, the hot and humid air seemed to be mixed with a cold current, and the restlessness of the streets shattered the original tranquility.

The local militia armed with torches set up barricades on the main roads of the village, and the young and middle-aged people of the village also moved under the guidance of the elders, some carried torches and climbed onto the roofs, some carried shields to block the road, and some armed and armoured to join the militia.

Although the opponent is only a long-starving dreadbeast, no one dares to be negligent - otherwise it will pay the price in blood, a valuable lesson accumulated from countless tragedies.

At this time, the dreadbeast was still in the camouflage of a humanoid, ostensibly a middle-aged gentleman in good clothes, and a gem-encrusted cane in his hand. But the bloodthirsty murderous intent in his scarlet eyes, his muscular twisted face, and the violently wriggling skeleton of his whole body all revealed his heterogeneous nature.

Behind the monster were more than twenty men, heavily armed militiamen chasing after it, and its movements were extremely agile, bouncing silently like a cheetah. But the armor on the militia made an earth-shattering sound, attracting everyone's minds.

"The dreadbeast is afraid of light and fire, so block him with a torch!"

Several of the chasing militia captains shouted loudly, and the young men in front immediately responded by throwing torches.

"Whoa!"

As soon as possible, the Dreadbeast's movements were extremely agile, but when it saw the dozens of torches rushing towards it, it still let out a terrified howl. Subconsciously stopped running, and when it stopped, it lost the opportunity to escape, and had to face the outflanking of the front and back.

"Suffer death, you monster!"

The leader of the militia roared with anger, and at the same time pulled the bowstring in his hand, and the sharpened arrow flickered with cold light, and quickly aimed at the body of the dreadbeast.

"Whew...... Whew......"

The humanoid monster stared at the bulging scarlet eyes, covered its face with its arms, and gasped for breath, and as its chest rose and fell, a strong fishy smell suddenly filled the air.

"Shoot!"

As soon as the militia gave the order, the young man on the opposite side immediately raised his shield, and the sharp arrows that did not hesitate to shoot out like a swarm of bees, carrying the fear and anger of the local people, poured on the body of the dreadbeast.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

The humanoid monster dodged left and right in a rain of arrows, writhing like a blurry phantom, most of the arrows in the air, but a few of them hit their target, causing it to let out a constant howl of pain.

"Hold on, guys!

Seeing this, the captain of the militia immediately lifted his spirits, shouted in his mouth, and his hands were not idle, pulling the bowstring like a full moon, and shooting arrows like meteors.

Whoosh——!

The arrow hit the monster's chest, and the writhing phantom instantly stopped, and more arrows shot out like locusts, instantly stabbing it into a hedgehog.

Puff ——!

The dreadbeast fell to the ground heavily, and after a few convulsions, it was completely silent,

"Is it over?"

The militiamen cautiously stepped forward, ready to pour fire oil on it and never suffer again.

Whoosh——!

In the next moment, a cold light roared out from the corpse of the dreadbeast, like lightning piercing the dark clouds, with a dazzling silver light, cutting through the warm air. In the blink of an eye, the sword, armor, and body split in two in that light. Fragments of metal stirred and scattered bloody pieces of flesh, and the rammed ground was suddenly dyed a dark red.