I Pioneered Scientific Magic

During her time away from the seaside town, Ivina experienced confusion and peril. Fortunately, her swordsmanship was strong enough to fend off most threats, allowing her to survive and eventually make her way to the holy city. There, she diligently underwent the selection process for the Punishment Legion and was granted the opportunity for rebirth, drinking the elixir of divine grace.

Over the past two years, in her quest for information about Lotte, Ivina joined the most dangerous witch-hunting unit within the Punishment Legion, witnessing firsthand the evil, madness, and hysteria of the wizards. They wielded powerful and arcane magic, conducting secretive research in the shadows, spreading plague, and sowing suffering.

These experiences deepened Ivina's understanding of the descriptions of wizards in the scriptures and instilled in her a new belief: the need to eliminate these minions of the dark gods to save more people. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sensation of vibrations emanating from the ground.

It felt like the mobilization of a large army. Immediately, Ivina became vigilant, knowing that the northern borders of the empire were often raided by barbarians, and the village ahead was likely a target.

However, upon seeing the fluttering banners bearing the holy emblem in the distance, Ivina's apprehension eased. The cavalry rushing towards them was none other than the Punishment Legion of the Holy See.

Ivina quickly rode out to meet them, recounting everything that had happened in the village.

"You've done well, Ivina. Killing a grand wizard shows that your strength has grown significantly," praised Gustav, the commander of the Punishment Legion, as he looked at the eighteen-year-old girl before him.

Ivina was perhaps the most adept at integrating the power of the elixir of divine grace over the past few centuries, and her physical prowess surpassed that of ordinary Punishment Knights.

The only flaw was her lack of innate talent in divine arts.

Gustav took out the holy scripture from his waist, made revisions to the section regarding grave robbers, adding the word "extermination" at the end, and increased the bounty to forty thousand.

A hint of joy appeared on Ivina's face. She didn't care much about wealth, as the salary she received was enough for her daily needs. However, the increase in bounty meant that the families of the fallen Punishment Knights would receive more compensation.

"It's time to return to the holy city!" Gustav put away the scripture and looked in the direction of the city.

"But sir, according to our investigation, the frequent activities of the wizards in the north may be related to a dark god..." Ivina hesitated.

During her time with the witch-hunting unit, Ivina had participated in wars against dark gods several times and was well aware of the havoc they could wreak. If not dealt with in time, it could lead to the deaths of tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people.

"I understand your concerns, Ivina, but we have more important matters to attend to now!" Gustav's expression turned solemn. "Just recently, I received word of a tragedy within the empire..."

"The group of wizards who were originally hiding overseas launched a sudden attack on the Kingdom of Hadralata in the west of the empire, using the struggle for the throne as leverage to persuade Prince Hatar to commit patricide and support him as a puppet king."

"Now the entire kingdom has fallen, and it has likely become a paradise for wizards and demons..." Gustav sighed.

Ivina's face was filled with shock, and a chill ran down her spine. She couldn't imagine how terrifying a kingdom ruled by wizards could be, and how many bloody tragedies would occur there!

Ivina had once participated in resolving a calamity caused by dark gods. Several fanatical followers of dark gods had seized control of a stronghold in the north, conducting large-scale blood sacrifices that resulted in the slaughter of tens of thousands of peasants, fueling the power of the dark gods.

The horrifying scene still haunted Ivina's mind.

"Commander, are we going back this time to hunt down those wizards?" one of the Punishment Knights asked hastily.

Ivina tightened her grip on the slender blade. It seemed that the crisis within the empire was indeed more severe than that in the north.

Gustav shook his head. "No, in fact, the Church has already dispatched two expeditions, but..."

"But the Holy Maiden Lucia fell in battle, and the Chief Inquisitor was captured alive. All the expeditionary forces were annihilated!"

Gustav's voice was light, but it resounded like thunder in everyone's ears.

The Punishment Knights present stared wide-eyed, hardly believing what they heard!

Ivina was no exception, her eyes filled with incredulity.

In the past, no matter what kind of enemy they faced, as long as the Church was determined to eliminate them, victory was assured.

However, this time, the expeditionary force suffered such a tragic defeat...

She didn't know how powerful the Holy Maiden and the Chief Inquisitor were, but she had seen firsthand the power of Gustav, the commander of the Punishment Legion.

Even the terrifying dark god nourished by the flesh and blood of tens of thousands of people would be easily killed by Gustav, who possessed divine power!

"According to the prophecy, the apocalypse... has arrived!" Gustav said gravely.

"The apocalypse?!" Ivina murmured softly.

"Yes!" Gustav nodded, then explained, "As the scriptures say, the endless sins and desires of mankind will inevitably bring disaster, and the increasingly powerful dark arts wielded by the wizards are the harbinger of the apocalypse!"

The apocalypse?

After experiencing the initial shock and panic, Ivina and the other Punishment Knights gradually calmed down, their eyes filled with determination.

They had long put life and death aside and were determined to kill those wizards who spread chaos and prevent the apocalypse from befalling!

"The Pope has a very important task for you!" Gustav looked at Ivina and suddenly spoke.

"Please, give me your orders, Commander!" Ivina responded respectfully.

"You have been staying in the north, only consuming the elixir of divine grace and not undergoing the baptism of divine arts. Those wizards should not be able to confirm your identity, making you the most suitable candidate." Gustav spoke slowly.

"Soon, we will create an opportunity for you to enter the Kingdom of Hadralata... as one of those wizards' territories!"