The capture of members of the Rose Society was a long and complicated process.
Of course, it is only long and complicated for the Inquisition, which is swift and decisive. In fact, for the Inquisition, which has always suppressed evil with thundering means, a divine judgment rarely lasts more than 24 hours.
Especially here is Boulder, the church's power center in the southwest of the Crescent Kingdom. From the moment the city gates were closed, the Rose Society, an underground gang, was already trapped.
It was already early morning, the thunderstorm was over, and the wind and rain were gradually dying down.
Above the sky, thick dark clouds were still rolling, presenting a dull, dark gray color in the night.
In the Rose Manor, however, the lights were on. More and more Rose Club members were captured here, and there were no less than five hundred of them at a glance.
They all had their hands tied up and were chained together with sacred chains, half-kneeling on the ground.
Behind them, there were piles of firewood filled with grease. Although the heavy rain had just stopped, the firewood piles remained dry due to the effect of magic.
Several Knights of Judgment held torches, ready to light the woodpile at any time. The flames of the torches were pale gold, the fire of judgment that could burn souls.
This is the fire that the Holy Royal Court uses to judge its enemies, sinners, heretics and evildoers. It is notorious in the continent of Miriam. Anyone who is caught in the fire, including the Holy Royal Court's own believers, will be annihilated.
Looking at the pale golden flame, some members of the Rose Society turned pale, some looked bewildered, but... most of them glared at the Judgement Knights.
All the extraordinary people know the procedure after the fire of judgment is lit. It means the beginning of the holy judgment, and there are only two choices left for them -
Or, be reduced to ashes in the flames of judgment.
Or, sign the most demanding Judge Contract, become a judge, and fight for the Judgement until the last second of your life...
Even death is not the end. Their soul power will be recovered by the Inquisition's artifact, the Spear of Judgment, and become part of the Holy Royal Court's foundation.
As for ordinary people without extraordinary powers, they have only one fate - to be burned to ashes in the fire of judgment.
"Lord Rajiv, except for those who were killed after fighting desperately, and a few who escaped to the inner city or outside the city before the city gates were closed, most of the remaining Rose Society members are here."
In front of the second-level trial knight Rajiv, the trainee knight said respectfully.
"Most of them...? And why are there so few peripheral members of the Rose Society?"
Rajiv quickly caught the loophole in his subordinate's words.
The apprentice knight hesitated for a moment and whispered in Rajiv's ear.
After a moment, Rajiv's eyes fixed and his brows slightly frowned:
"What? The Demon Hunters are trying to stop us? And they're even attacking the Judgment Troops?"
"These guys with fallen faith... Do they know what they are doing?! Is this an order from the church?!"
"No... No, according to the Inquisitor, they seem to be hired."
The apprentice knight said cautiously.
"Hire?"
Rajiv was stunned, and then he became furious:
"Who hired them? How dare they accept such a job?"
"It seems... it seems to be the Castel family."
"Castel?"
The second-level knight Rajiv was slightly startled.
He narrowed his eyes and looked at the parchment in his hand:
"If I'm not mistaken, it seems that quite a few peripheral members of the Rose Society have close ties with the Castel family, and the president of the Rose Society... is in contact with the Castel heir."
"Humph! These decadent and corrupt noble families colluded with gangs and oppressed the common people. I haven't even bothered them yet, but they came to me on their own..."
Beside him, several other second-level judgement knights also nodded:
"Castel... If I remember correctly, this Castel is one of the families that the Grand Knight asked us to focus on, right?"
"They... seem to be suspected of being involved in the evil cult. The Great Knight has always suspected that there was something wrong with the blood demon case that night. The High Priest seems to be hiding something."
"Humph, for the sake of his own future and interests, he actually joined forces with such a dirty family. The high priest is really old."
"If it's just for hire, the Demon Hunter Knight wouldn't dare to participate in the Holy Judgment. Since it's Castel who's behind this, I'm afraid the shadow of the High Priest is also behind this..."
"This trial is over and must be reported to His Excellency the Grand Knight. The Grand Priest has completely disregarded the sanctity of faith and our Inquisition!"
The Knights of Judgment were very angry.
As overseers of the church, one of their tasks is to monitor whether the clergy are qualified.
"Alright, let's discuss this matter after the Grand Knight arrests Sebastian Flameheart and returns. Let's begin the trial."
Rajiv, who was in the lead, stopped his colleagues from talking any further.
As he spoke, he looked at the Rose Club members gathered in the manor and said solemnly:
"According to reports, the Rose Society is sheltering wanted pagan demi-humans, smuggling crossbows, controlled knives, source power seeds and other contraband, secretly colluding with the Blood Demon Cult, and participating in several Blood Demon cases in Boulder. The Rose Society President Sebastian has dealings with the Adam Cult active in Koria, and has an ambiguous relationship with the Holy King's most wanted criminal, the Pure White Witch. The evidence is irrefutable..."
"According to Article 66 of Chapter 13 of Volume 4 of the Royal Court Canon... The Rose Society has been confirmed as a secret evil group. The danger level is assessed as extremely dangerous, and the purification level is to be executed immediately!"
After saying that, he looked at the people in the Rose Club:
"Of course... My Lord is always merciful. Evil people will eventually receive the punishment they deserve, but those who repent can also get a chance to live."
"Sinners who have fallen into the abyss of evil, make a choice. Will you be purified by the fire of judgment of our Lord, or will you repent and spend the rest of your life atonement?"
"Bah! A lackey of the Holy Royal Court! A bastard son of a bitch!"
A curse came from the crowd, and was immediately met with angry gazes from the Knights of Judgment.
“Kneel down!”
A Knight of Judgment kicked the one who yelled at him to the ground.
Rajiv looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person who was scolding was a male subhuman, tall, strong, ugly in appearance, with two particularly eye-catching black wolf ears on his head.
"He is Wild Wolf Luv, the second-in-command of the Rose Society. He has a high reputation in the Rose Society and is also the patriarch of the subhuman remnants taken in by President Sebastian."
A trial knight quickly introduced him to Rajiv.
"Werewolf? Huh... Are they the remnants of the blood followers who worship the extinct bloodline royal power as a totem? It seems that the Rose Society is indeed related to the blood demon!"
Rajiv sneered.
After saying this, he retracted his gaze and looked at the other Rose Club members present:
"Those who refuse to repent, stay where you are. Those who wish to repent, take a step forward!"
After hearing the words of the Knight of Judgment, the captured Rose Society members fell into a commotion.
After some cursing, yelling, sighing or crying, about half of the members took a step forward.
And no one, including all the sub-humans and transcendents, chose to move.
Rajiv, the second-level Judgment Knight, was not surprised by this. Between the choice of life and death, most people still hope to survive, even if the judgment only leads to a slow death.
This is also the reason why local judicial forces can continuously receive reinforcements.
In fact, for an underground gang that was only established a few years ago, half of its members chose to die, which surprised Rajiv quite a bit. Among the cult groups he had dealt with over the years, there were not many that had this proportion of people dying.
This made him feel a little admiration for the Rose Society, and even for Sebastian, the Rose Society's president who was being hunted by the Grand Knight.
The Rose Society is not a true cult, nor does it have the twisted beliefs of cultists to increase cohesion.
Even so, there are still so many extraordinary people who choose to die, which is enough to show that Sebastian, the president of the Rose Society, does have a certain personal charm.
Those who would rather die than surrender are always worthy of respect.
Of course, admiration is admiration.
As evil people, they must be punished!
"Put the holy chains on those who repent, and judge the remaining sinners!"
Rajiv ordered.
However, as soon as he finished speaking, a clear voice broke the silence:
"Wait a minute!"
The Knights of Judgment turned around and saw a huge team approaching from afar outside the manor, led by a carriage with a black eagle emblem on the side.
On it, sat a beautiful girl in a white dress.
Around her, there are hundreds of demon hunting knights following!
When Rajiv saw the black eagle badge, his face instantly turned ugly.
His eyes fell on those Demon Hunters whose strongest were only the first rank. His expression turned cold and he waved his hand and ordered:
"What are you still standing there for?"
"Capture Charlotte de Castel, the Castel heiress who is in league with the Rose Society!"
"Capture all the Demon Hunters who are involved in blocking the Holy Judgment!"
"If anything goes wrong, I'll take responsibility!"
Rajiv straightened his back, and the powerful pressure of the Silver Moon Level 2 swept across the place.