They might not understand much, but seeing Mr. Gu’s state, they could also guess that the situation of the esteemed Governor was probably not very good.
Therefore, the loyal soldiers spontaneously started to protect Mr. Gu. Around him, they left an approximately fifty-meter-wide clearing, forbidding anyone to approach, including themselves.
When the Phoenix Battle Group and the sisters of the Sainte-Lys Nun Association arrived, the outer ring of soldiers still hesitated, but that’s when a political officer stepped forward.
He looked like a company-level political instructor, holding the rank of a lieutenant, not really a high-ranking official.
Clearly nervous, he stood in front of the Phoenix and the Battle Nuns.
Yet, he bravely did so.
“Please halt, Governor…”
Before he could finish, Georgette’s voice burst forth from her helmet: “Step aside!”
Explore more at empire
She didn’t even stop her footsteps, intending to bypass this mortal soldier.
She was anxious.
She could already sense the uncontrollable evil energy surrounding Mr. Gu.
This confirmed that her previous suspicions had indeed come true.
Hell’s Abyss was truly not a place for humans. Even a powerful spiritual warrior like Governor Gu Hang, when spiritually drained and weak with exhaustion, would still be corrupted by the pervasive will of the Abyss.
She needed to get to him quickly, to use the Sisterhood’s faith-based protection to help Mr. Gu drive out the evil forces.
And if things really got to the worst state… she would make the decision.
A person corroded by evil thoughts, serving as the governor of a planet, that would be disastrous.
But this governor had always been supportive of the Sisterhood’s anti-cult activities on the planet. When he heard her request to quickly deal with the cult members, he immediately agreed, and within days, mobilized the organizational power of the entire political body to carry out the operation according to her plan.
In the end, he even came personally, with the stance of a powerful spiritual warrior, to resolve the final issue.
Without this governor, defeating the Evil God would have been impossible for them.
Georgette understood this point profoundly.
And because of this, her heart was filled with immense conflict.
But no matter what, she had to reach Mr. Gu first.
With all this on her mind, she didn’t even notice that the instructor was still blocking her way.
Or rather, she didn’t care.
With a flick of her hand, she brushed the mortal aside.
The instructor, shoved aside by a tremendous force and stumbling away, steadied himself, then drew his pistol and aimed it at the Battle Group Leader.
This action set off the alert of the Battle Sisters behind Georgette, who also drew their weapons, aiming at the bold mortal.
But subsequently, the soldiers surrounding Mr. Gu also raised their weapons.
Those far away didn’t know what had happened upfront. But they saw the instructor being shoved and being pointed at with guns, and the nuns seemed to be trying to break into their encirclement.
In an instant, both sides were filled with hostility.
The lieutenant instructor did not shoot rashly. He loudly said to Georgette, “Sister Leader! Our Alliance warriors hold great respect for you and your sisters and are very grateful for the help you have provided to Rage Owl Star. But please, no further, the Governor is unwell, and we will not let anyone harm him. If you insist on this, then please step over our bodies!”
With that said, he turned off the safety of his pistol.
Georgette turned around, took off her helmet, and looked the lieutenant instructor in the eye.
There was no sign of retreat in the mortal’s gaze.
The Battle Group Leader sighed. She realized she had made a mistake.
Perhaps in other places, ignoring the opinions of mortals was no big deal.
But not here.
She changed her approach and said, “We are here to help Mr. Gu. You have also noticed Mr. Gu’s condition is not right, and we are here to assist him.”
As she spoke, she raised her left hand.
From her hand, a sphere of light arose.
She softly said, “Do you see? This is the blessing from The Emperor, capable of protecting humans from demonic invasion. Mr. Gu is currently facing such a threat and urgently needs our help. So, please let us through, alright?”
It turned out, the Battle Nuns, who proclaimed themselves ‘Daughters of the Emperor,’ knew how to speak kindly after all.
Her softened attitude, the assistance she spoke of, paradoxically plunged the resolutely determined lieutenant instructor into a state of indecision.
He looked at the light in the hands of the Sister Superior, his mind wavering.
If there was a threat to Mr. Gu, then needless to say, fighting to the death was the only option.
But they said they were here to help, and Mr. Gu’s current state seemed to indeed require some professional help; yet if he let these nuns pass, what if they were to harm Mr. Gu?
Seeing the mortal officer’s conflicted hesitation, Georgette decided to turn up the heat.
Her pleading eyes turned to Matins standing beside her.
The Phoenix Battalion Leader also hesitated.
He knew more, but that made him all the more reluctant to trust Georgette.
Battle Nuns… Though the Sainte-Lys Nun Association weren’t the type associated with the Tribunal, not the kind known for their bloody, dark reputation, hunting heretics and illegal Spiritual Energy users with fervor, they were still Battle Nuns, belonging to the Imperial State Religion, not their own people from the Rage Owl Star Alliance.
If something really happened to Mr. Gu, who could guarantee that these nuns wouldn’t go mad?
At such close quarters, protecting Mr. Gu would be difficult.
In fact, the choice now was essentially about making another decision: if something truly went wrong with Mr. Gu, what should the Phoenix do?
With this in mind, he couldn’t help but direct his gaze towards Priest Rizzo beside him.
Rizzo, however, only offered him a smile, choosing not to provide any advice.
Matins took a deep breath and made a decision.
“Sister Superior,” his buzzing voice emerged from the helmet, “have your battle sisters lay down their weapons and comply with this officer’s demands. If Mr. Gu requires your assistance, he will speak up. If he has not done so, let us wait quietly by the side, I have complete faith that Mr. Gu can resolve the issue on his own.”
“Matins! You know what the current situation implies! How can you be so irresponsible?! You are a warrior of the Emperor!”
“I certainly am, as are all the Phoenixes,” Matins said, “so, what’s the problem with the Phoenixes pledging loyalty to the Emperor’s representative at Rage Owl Star, to Governor Gu Hang?”
Georgette was visibly disappointed.
She knew that once Matins had also made his stance clear, whatever she wanted to do today, it was now impossible.
She and her sisters could perhaps ignore these mortal soldiers and force their way in.
But with twelve Interstellar Warriors present, that was a different matter altogether.
The thirty of them were no match for twelve superhuman warriors.
Not to mention, there were Mr. Gu’s legions.
Her expression grew cold, she put her helmet back on, and said, “Understood, we will wait on the outskirts. Let’s see together how the situation unfolds.”
“That’s exactly what you should do,” Matins replied.
…
Gu Hang generally knew what was happening outside.
But he had no time to manage it.
The Sister Superior’s guess was correct.
Gu Hang’s spirituality was almost entirely depleted in the recent battle, in the confrontation with the Evil God, with various passive defensive effects also dropping to their lowest. And for this reason, the mental intrusions from the True Realm, from Hell’s Abyss, finally bypassed the defenses, revealing their most harmful aspects to Spiritual Energy users.
Mental interference, psychic temptation, will manipulation, personality alteration…
Even [Iron Will] had not been of much help.
[Iron Will] fought to fend off spiritually harmful effects to the host. It did its job faithfully, blocking the extraordinary powers’ changes to Gu Hang’s spirit.
However, what was happening in his soul at the moment, might not necessarily be deemed harmful.
Two distinct paths lay clearly before Gu Hang.
[Iron Will] could fend off harmful mental interferences, but it certainly couldn’t make certain choices for Gu Hang.
It quieted down.
It seemed to be waiting for Gu Hang to make a choice, too.
To remain human?
Or… to ascend to ‘godhood’ by means of the body of the slain Evil God?