The landscape before me began to shift. The barren lands of Solstheim were replaced by lush green meadows glistening with dew, as if the soil itself were blessed by an eternal light. In the distance, I could see white spires with golden roofs reflecting the sunlight.
"The Village of Cesena," Elena whispered, her voice trembling violently as she saw a wooden signpost carved with angel wings. "Mikhael... please. This is just a pilgrimage village. It's only filled with apprentice priests and praying civilians. They have no army!"
I didn't answer. I simply stared at the peaceful-looking village from atop the hill. I could see kitchen smoke curling from neat stone houses and small children running around in mini white robes.
Boring. Too clean. Too holy.
"No army?" I twirled the [Fragment of Harpe] between my right fingers. "Elena, in my world, the quietest places are the best spots to farm Experience Points and Loot. Besides, I need a stage to send a message to your precious Saintess."
I flicked my fingers, and [The Dreadnought Sled] accelerated downward at full speed. The roar of its magical engine tore through the morning silence like the growl of a hungry monster.
As we breached the village gates, people froze. They stared at my vehicle in confusion, then their eyes locked onto Elena—the great General they knew—now kneeling with a chain around her neck in a humiliating maid's outfit.
"Is that... Princess Elena?"
"Who is the man in black?"
"What is this aura... I can't breathe..."
An old priest in pure white robes stepped forward, raising a wooden staff tipped with a blue gem. "Halt, traveler! You are on the sacred ground of Lumina! Your dark aura is not welcome here!"
I rose from my throne, leaping down to the ground with grace. [The Tyrant's Regalia] billowed, emitting a black smoke that began to swallow the sunlight around me.
"Darkness?" I walked toward the priest. "I prefer to call it 'Reality.' This light of yours... it's just an illusion covering up how weak you truly are."
"Begone! Or the power of God will destroy you!" the priest shouted, chanting a spell. Golden light began to pool at the tip of his staff.
I didn't even draw my sword. I simply opened a small golden ripple above his head.
CRUSH!
A massive hammer made of obsidian—[The Gravity Crusher]—fell from the dimensional portal. The priest didn't even have time to scream as his body was flattened against the earth, crushed into a red pulp beneath the weight of tons of legendary weaponry.
The brief silence shattered into hysterical screams. Villagers ran frantically, trying to enter the grand church at the center of the village.
"Don't slaughter them, Mikhael! You're a monster!" Elena shrieked from the vehicle, yanking at her chain only to chafe her neck.
"Monster?" I smiled thinly. "I am a collector, Elena. And today, I am collecting their lives as stamps for my challenge letter."
I raised my right hand to the sky. Ten, fifty, a hundred golden ripples opened simultaneously across the sky of Cesena. The fleeing residents looked up, their faces turning into masks of despair as they saw thousands of weapons hovering directly over their heads.
"This morning's rain will be a bit different," I murmured.
[Skill Activated: Gate of Malice - Thousand Swords Rainfall]
"Fall."
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
The sound of air being shredded by thousands of projectiles filled the ears. Legendary swords, fire spears, frost axes, and black light arrows hammered the village without mercy. Stone houses crumbled like houses of cards. Human screams mingled with the roar of elemental energy explosions.
I walked calmly through that rain of death. An automatic transparent shield protected me from blood splatters and flying debris. With every step, I trampled over sacred symbols now submerged in blood.
I arrived in front of the main church. The great doors were locked tight, and I could hear the sobbing of hundreds of people hiding inside, chanting prayers to their God.
"Let's see if your God hears from behind these walls," I said softly.
I drew the [Fragment of Harpe]. Its cylindrical blade began to spin at high velocity, emitting a hum that caused the surrounding space to crack.
"Spatial Slash."
I swung the blade horizontally. There was no massive explosion. Only a thin purple line that passed through the church building. A second later, the entire top half of the church—along with its grand golden bell—shifted and fell slowly, sliced with terrifying precision.
The people inside looked up, staring at a sky that was no longer covered by a roof, but by my face looking down at them.
"Your prayers are misaddressed," I told them as they shivered in terror. "Your God is busy. So, I will be the one answering your prayers today."
I flicked my fingers, and the weapons embedded in the ground began to self-detonate, leveling the remains of Cesena into ash and rubble. Within minutes, the holy pilgrimage village had vanished from the map, replaced by a massive crater still smoldering with black smoke.
I returned to my vehicle, where Elena had fainted from the sheer psychological shock. I touched the mark on her hand, giving her a small electric jolt to wake her up.
"Wake up, Slave. My message has been sent."
Elena opened her eyes, staring at the surroundings that were now a field of death. "You... you killed them all... for no reason..."
"The reason is simple, Elena," I sat back on the throne, resting my head while watching the burning ruins of the church. "I want Saintess Althea to come find me with holy rage. Because the greater her anger, the sweeter it will taste when I break her faith later."
I opened my system.
[Notification: Territory 'Cesena' has been deleted.]
[Reputation in the Holy Kingdom of Lumina: ARCH-NEMESIS OF LIGHT]
[Credit Score: -9,999,999,999 (Unchanged - Maximum reached)]
"Resume the journey," I commanded my vehicle. "Lumina's capital is only a few hours away. I hope they have enough angel knights to keep me entertained."
I pulled Elena's chain, forcing her to sit by my throne as we crossed the smoldering ruins of the village. This was the perfect opening. The symphony of death in the holy land had begun, and I was its conductor.