Chương 200: Strike from the Sky

In a certain street within Dinas, the royal capital of the Sazos Kingdom. This entire nearby neighborhood was under the absolute control of local gangs, riddled with endless chaos and crime. How an illegal zone like this could exist in a nation's royal capital was anyone's guess—the Sazos Kingdom truly bore all the signs of a realm on the brink of collapse. The gang boss was an extraordinarily brutal individual, infamous for his horrific cruelty toward rival gangs and his own men alike.

Yet right now, this very same gang boss stood in front of a middle-aged man with a groveling, servile expression, while the middle-aged man casually lounged in the gang boss's personal seat. The middle-aged man possessed an immense, suffocating aura—he was none other than Apostle No. 1.

While four of his colleagues were currently kneeling beneath the statue of the Goddess of Life to repent, he had been granted a single day to scout young boys with talent, aiming to train and recruit them into the ranks of the Ten Apostles before handing off the task to another Apostle tomorrow. This guy had come to a gang-controlled district to select recruits, hoping to find kids who had been brawling in the streets since childhood—who knows, he might just strike gold in a pile of garbage.

However, as he looked over the street boys assembled by the gang boss—a pathetic group of malnourished and heavily crippled children—Apostle No. 1 shook his head in bitter disappointment, stood up, and turned to leave. The gang boss hastily gave chase.

"Lord Apostle! Is there really no one among these kids who catches your eye? If you're willing to grant me a bit more time, I can reach out to slave traders. They have far more children over there; you'll definitely find someone suitable!" He desperately wanted to form a connection with this Apostle. Once he did, his rather "lively" line of business would surely see an explosive rise in fortune. Apostle No. 1 didn't even spare him a second glance; to him, a rat living in the sewers wasn't even worth a single word.

Children capable of becoming Apostles were exceptionally rare, requiring a tough, resilient spirit and extraordinary skeletal structure. Only after enduring years of brutal, high-intensity training would they earn the right to receive the Goddess's divine blessing. In any case, such talent was something you stumbled upon rather than searched for, and Apostle No. 1 hadn't expected to find one in just a couple of days anyway. Ignoring the gang boss muttering continuously behind him, Apostle No.

1 strode straight out of the gang-controlled district. Afterward, he visited several orphanages run by the shrines and examined hundreds more children, yet not a single one satisfied him. The daylight slowly gave way to darkness while he dawdled along. Apostle No. 1 stood on the main street, gazing up at the moon as it gradually rose into the night sky.

"She should be working right about now..." A soft, tender smile appeared on Apostle No. 1's face as he turned and walked in a certain direction. His pace alternated between fast and slow, and he occasionally glanced over his shoulder as if checking whether anyone was tailing him. After twisting and turning through a maze of backalleys for half an hour, Apostle No. 1 quietly slipped into a secluded alleyway.

By the time he reemerged, he had shed the green robes of the Church of the Goddess of Life, swapping them for a flax-colored hooded cloak that obscured his face. He walked out of the alley, navigating through another series of winding paths, before finally arriving outside a tavern. Looking up at the sign hanging over the entrance— The Tender Affection Tavern —a warm smile naturally spread across his face.

He pushed open the heavy wooden doors, and the clinking of glass cups paired with cheerful laughter washed over him from within. This tastefully decorated, mid-tier tavern possessed a wonderful atmosphere. The patrons inside were all urban middle-class citizens who came here seeking alcohol and a fleeting moment of peace.

"Meow Sir, here is the beer you ordered, meow" Inside the tavern, a cat beastman dressed in a black-and-white maid outfit, sporting silky black hair and deep black eyes, moved through the tables with the agile grace of a little swallow, placing beer steins down before the guests. Watching this pretty cat beastman, the smile on Apostle No. 1's face never wavered for a second. In his eyes, every nimble little movement from this cat beastman added to her youthful charm.

Her black tail, in particular, swayed rhythmically like the fingers of a piano master, and the white tip at the end—resembling a dark steed treading on snow—made it impossible to avert his gaze. Setting down the beer, the cat maid felt someone staring at her and instinctively glanced toward the entrance, catching sight of Apostle No. 1. Her eyes instantly lit up. A deep blush crept over her face as her feet instinctively moved toward Apostle No.

1, looking as though she were about to pounce into his arms the next second. Apostle No. 1 waved his hand subtly, signaling that there were too many eyes around for them to interact here. Understanding the hint, the cat maid returned to her duties, while Apostle No. 1 found a quiet corner, resting his chin on his hand with a gentle smile as he watched her work.

When the tavern finally closed for the night, the cat maid stepped out from the back door of the Tender Affection Tavern, only to be swept into a tight embrace from behind. Startled, the cat maid sank her teeth viciously into the arm holding her. Apostle No. 1 let out a sharp cry of pain and hurriedly called out: "Fanny, it's me! It's me!" Using her sharp fangs, the cat maid pulled hard against his forearm with a huff: "I know it's you! You came back ages ago, didn't you?!

Why did you wait until now to come see me?! Do you have any idea how I've survived these past few months?!" Turning her head, the cat maid buried her face into Apostle No. 1's broad, firm chest, nuzzling against him over and over again. Apostle No. 1 gave a gentle smile as he stroked her long hair and rubbed her soft cat ears. Fanny let out a comfortable, deep purr—a sound fit for a feline monarch's engine. Slowly, Apostle No. 1's hand slid down Fanny's smooth cheek, gently lifting her chin.

As his eyes locked onto her deep, gorgeous beastman eyes, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Two hours later, inside Fanny's small rented room, Apostle No. 1 held her in his arms, soaking in the blissful serenity following their passionate encounter. Glance shifting across the room, Apostle No. 1 spotted a bizarre wooden carving resting on a table opposite the bed. It was a peculiar piece, looking as though various animal traits had been haphazardly stitched together.

"What's that?" Apostle No. 1 asked. Fanny hugged Apostle No. 1's arm tightly, keeping her small mouth pressed against it while gently rubbing her tiger fangs against his firm muscle—an instinctive behavior for cat beastmen when feeling completely safe and comfortable. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Fanny opened her weary eyes, cast a glance at what Apostle No.

1 was pointing at, and whispered: "That's a statue of the Beast God, the main deity of all beastmen. Last week, a strange beastman beggar forced it upon me, rambling about how the Beast God was watching over me or something like that... It was so weird." Apostle No. 1 furrowed his brow; the wooden carving stitched together from multiple wild beast elements made him feel vaguely uneasy.

"It'd be best to get rid of it. If someone sees it and reports you to the Church, it could cause trouble." Fanny let out a soft "mm-hmm" and snuggled deeper into Apostle No. 1's chest before uttering a sentence that instantly made Apostle No. 1's entire body tense up.

"How long do we have to keep our relationship like this?" Apostle No. 1 opened his mouth, completely at a loss for words. Silence abruptly descended upon the room. Outside the window, the clinking of metal armor echoed as a night patrol squad walked past. Even long after the footsteps faded at the end of the street, Apostle No. 1 remained unable to utter a single word.

After a long, agonizing silence, Fanny seemed to fall asleep, murmuring the final words of the night as if speaking in her sleep: "As long as you can keep holding me like this... that's enough." That night, Apostle No. 1 didn't sleep a wink. He loved Fanny dearly. The Church allowed men and women to marry, but the partner had to be a devout follower of the Church of the Goddess of Life—and had to be human. His relationship with Fanny could never be exposed to the light of day.

Their union would never receive a blessing; far from it, it would invite merciless persecution. As an Apostle, he served as the public face of the Church. If his affair with an alien, non-human outsider were exposed, the Church would view it as high treason, and nothing short of the pyre awaited him! He could make no promises to this woman who loved him so deeply. One wrong move, and both of them would plunge into eternal damnation. Fanny had once suggested that they could flee together to another country.

The Church of the Goddess of Life only held real power within the Sazos Kingdom; as long as they escaped abroad, they could start a normal life together. Yet Apostle No. 1 could never bring himself to make that decision. He could not betray the Goddess of Life, nor the Church, nor his comrades and brothers—and he certainly couldn't relinquish his extraordinary power and status. Stroking the soft fur on Fanny's skin and breathing in her subtle scent, Apostle No.

1's mind was in total disarray, completely torn on what choice to make. However, fate often works in ironic ways. When you don't know how to choose, someone else will come along and make the choice for you! In the dead of night, the entire capital city of Dinas fell fast asleep. This massive metropolis, home to 300, 000 souls, rested as peacefully as a newborn babe. Not a single soul whose nerves had been lulled by sleep bothered to look up at the pitch-black sky.

Yet if they had raised their heads, they would have discovered a colossal object approaching from an altitude of over 1, 000 meters. After a seven-day journey, Airship No. 1 had finally arrived over the royal capital of Dinas late tonight. Inside the airship, the paratroopers stood bolt upright in the cargo bay.

Steel rifles in hand and parachute packs strapped to their backs, they stared unblinkingly at the helmets of the men in front of them, radiating a sharp, deadly aura like stone statues awaiting the command to jump. Inside the command cabin, Gobu-Kong continuously observed the terrain below, cross-referencing it with the physical description of the Grand Temple of the Goddess of Life tortured out of the captured Apostles.

Finally, he spotted that city-within-a-city—a massive enclosure boasting vast grounds, imposing outer walls, and numerous domed buildings! Gobu-Kong nodded toward Li Qinwu. Li Qinwu immediately stood up, grabbed his parachute pack, strapped it on, and strode straight into the rear cargo bay. Squeezing through the narrow gaps between the standing paratroopers, he arrived at the open cargo bay door and waited quietly.

After about five minutes passed, Gobu-Kong's voice blared through the brass speaker: "Reaching drop zone in 5 minutes! Altitude 1, 100 meters, clear visibility, dry air, light winds from the southeast!" Gobu-Ying shouted at the top of his lungs: "Final equipment check! Ensure all weapons and gear are secured! Check your parachute packs for damage! Don't you dare go splatting yourselves on the ground below!!"

The paratroopers immediately carried out their checks, inspecting every single piece of gear before snapping back to attention. At that moment, the massive doors of the airship slowly swung open. A cool breeze rushed in from the night sky, exposing the sleeping city enveloped in darkness right before their eyes. The pupils of all the paratroopers shrank slightly. Their bodies tensed up, and a light sweat broke out on the palms gripping their rifles. It was here. Their very first combat paradrop was here!

Li Qinwu glanced down through the doorway. He could clearly see a massive circular pool below, with a grand statue standing right in the center. This was the iconic landmark of the main temple of the Church of the Goddess of Life—the largest Statue of the Goddess of Life, encircled by a great pool of water. Li Qinwu turned around to face the assembled paratroopers inside the cargo bay.

"Warriors!" Looking at their scorching, fervent gazes, he declared: "I feel immensely proud of you!

"You hold the opportunity to personally reclaim the Alliance's national dignity, to bring total destruction upon our enemies, and to become the grand founding ancestors of paratroopers across the entire world!

"You will be the pioneers and practitioners of airborne shock tactics, and your fame will resound in a single battle! After tonight, countless factions will scramble to copy us, attempting to replicate your success. Nations and races across the globe will desperately train their own paratrooper units to master strikes from the sky—and when that day comes, every single one of them will be your students and grand-students! HAHAHAHA!!"

His words provoked a burst of boisterous laughter, causing a surge of immense pride to well up in their hearts. First—they were the absolute first! No matter how well future imitators performed, nothing could ever obscure the fact that they were the original pioneers! Li Qinwu's smile vanished, replaced once more by a ferocious, lethal expression.

"Warriors! The facility down below is the main headquarters of the Church of the Goddess of Life! Our mission tonight is to thoroughly annihilate it, and attempt to capture the high-ranking officials of the Church alive!

"Kill every single enemy in sight! Bring down relentless punishment upon them! Make them pay in full for daring to attack our Alliance!

"I firmly believe that after this strike, the world will never dare launch cowardly attacks against the Alliance again—we are going to secure a peaceful environment for our Alliance through sheer force!" At that moment, Gobu-Kong's voice blared through the brass speaker once more: "30 seconds to drop zone! Everyone, prepare to jump!" Li Qinwu gestured to Kanda. Dressed in full mithril plate armor with a parachute pack strapped to his back, Kanda stepped up to his side.

"Remember your mission: stay tight with your squad and do NOT act alone!" Kanda nodded heavily. Li Qinwu turned to the men for one final shout: "Go, warriors! Go and make history!! PARATROOPER REGIMENT, ATTACK!!" On the ground, beside the circular pool of the Statue of the Goddess of Life, four green-robed figures knelt on the hard marble ground. Heads lowered, their mouths continuously chanted holy scriptures. These were the four Apostles undergoing punishment.

According to the Chief Priest's orders, they were required to kneel here for three full months, rain or shine. Fortunately, they weren't forced to kneel continuously from start to finish; they were granted a day of rest every four days. On their off days, they were tasked with roaming around to search for children suitable to join the Apostles. It had to be said that the faith of the Ten Apostles was remarkably devout.

Even in the pitch-black darkness of the night with no one watching over them, the four knelt there faithfully reciting their doctrines without slacking off for a single second. Yet tonight, all four Apostles felt a strange, inexplicable sense of panic—as if something massive was looming over them. One of the Apostles felt a persistent restlessness in his heart, along with an uncomfortable, heavy sensation pressing down from above his head.

He desperately wanted to look up to see if there was actually something up there, but out of reverence for his repentance, he didn't dare lift his gaze. However, the pressing weight above grew increasingly intense, swiftly escalating into a dread-inducing premonition of mortal danger. Unable to endure the overwhelming sense of threat any longer, he offered a silent apology in his heart, ceased his chanting, and looked up at the sky—only to freeze completely in place, utter bewilderment washing over his face.

Unbeknownst to them, the night sky above had been blanketed by a dense swarm of parachutes. Hovering like dandelions, they nearly covered the entire heavens!

"AH! W-What... What on earth is that?!" The other Apostles could no longer endure the terrifying pressure either. Looking up into the sky, they burst into a chorus of shocked exclamations.

"Goddess above! What is that?!" As the very first victims of an airborne assault in history, the four displayed an appropriate level of sheer shock, their eyes staring blankly at the parachutes descending slowly from above. All four were individuals touching the threshold of extraordinary power, possessing exceptional eyesight. Once they snapped out of their initial shock and focused their vision, they instantly made out what was descending beneath those parachutes.

"Goddess Almighty! They're GOBLINS! GOBLINS ARE FLYING DOWN FROM THE SKY!!" The four cried out in utter panic, completely at a loss for what to do. By now, the closest parachute was already a mere 20 meters above the ground. Panicking, the four drew their mithril longswords, preparing to engage in combat. They tried to sprint beneath the descending paratrooper, intending to slice him down before he could land and regain his footing.

However, a sudden flash blurred their vision as the goblin in mid-air drew a gleaming mithril greatsword. With a fierce, sweeping slash of the greatsword above his head, the goblin severed all his parachute lines at once, plunging violently toward the ground from mid-air. BOOM! A massive spray of water erupted from the shallow pool. The four approaching Apostles came to a sudden halt, their sixth sense screaming in wild alarm as every single cell in their bodies shrieked at them to turn and run.

Dressed in full mithril plate armor, Kanda stood up from the splashing water. His eyes glowed with a menacing crimson light as he unleashed an earth-shattering battle cry, brandishing his greatsword and charging straight at the four Apostles!