"This is the destruction that Chaos can bring to this world."
As he walked back, Malin saw the burned streets, with only the stone parts of houses remaining, many brick walls having collapsed without support.
The streets were full of the dead, both Chaotic and innocent.
Some walls were covered with blasphemous symbols and words, some of which he could understand – they were excessively insolent, cursing the royalty and the nobles with the crudest of words.
For Malin, whether royalty or nobles, none were divinely appointed, although there were gods in this world, they seemed to have no control over the affairs of mortal realms.
But slandering people for things they didn’t do was just too much, wall claiming the City Prefect of Pamir City was an idiot; in Malin’s view, the guy might be missing a few screws in his head, but he had certainly not committed vile acts like abducting civilian women.
Would that kind of guy, full of knightly codes, do such a thing?
Even if he were an opponent, Malin felt that such words were too fake.
"Does anyone believe what’s written here?"
"Who would believe the words of Chaos? You can’t trust their words, not even their symbols and punctuation," a fox person from the Fook species turned and said with a grin.
"Right, I remember the last time Chaos invaded, they said the old City Lord drank the blood of virgins every day. Poor him, a homosexual and eighty at that, had to suffer such an undeserved calamity. Thankfully, no one believed what was written here," an aged Punisher sighed.
Speaking of which, do you believe this stuff?" Oliver, the bear man, came over and asked.
"No, I just think they’re wasting their talent by not pursuing a career in tabloid journalism," Malin spat out, walking up to the next wall: "Our revered monarch is a man-eating monster, my God, these guys sure have wild imaginations. Why not just say our revered monarch is a victim of domestic abuse?"
Laughter erupted from the ranks.
Malin walked a few steps further, then saw new graffiti on the wall: "Embrace the Master of Wisdom, enjoy a beautiful tomorrow... This guy must be from an advertising agency."
"I think so too, but this has to be a fake ad, because such a beautiful tomorrow will never come," the old Punisher approached, holding a Chaotic head in his hands, tossing it into the still-burning ruins, and glanced at Malin: "Sir, what do you think of Chaos?"
"Hmm... they mostly consist of lunatics, each sect fights among themselves, and even within the same sect, every leader battles for more attention... I hate them. Look, the world loses someone every moment, if only it were them each time, how beautiful this world would be," Malin said as he walked to the front of the group.
"Such thoughts are too beautiful, Sir Malin," a half-human Punisher turned and commented."
"Yes, too beautiful, more like delusions than dreams," the old Punisher chuckled: "I had such delusions when I was young, but now I dare not dream. I just think about killing more Chaos while I still can."
Before Malin could say anything, he heard gunfire ahead.
The squad, already advancing along both sides of the street, immediately dispersed. Malin leaned against the ruins and glanced at his team: "Has anyone been hit?"
"No, sir, the bullets missed," someone replied: "Must be stray bullets."
No sooner had they spoken than gunfire rang out in front of them, with rapid shots this time. Malin peeked out and saw fire in the distance of the street, "Find cover, move carefully between them," he instructed and passed his axe to the bear man: "You’re too big a target, so here’s a task for you, hold my axe for me."
The bear man grimaced but eventually refrained from saying he was on a diet recently and obediently hid in the corner of the cover.
Malin led a group of half-humans through the pathways between the ruins. Approaching the site, he saw a group of armed civilians attacking a Chaotic stronghold.
Without waiting for Malin’s orders, the half-humans pulled out white handkerchiefs and tied them at the muzzle of their guns: "Hey, we’re from the Church."
With this call, both sides connected, and Malin also learned that on the other side was a large property belonging to a Noble of Pamir City, which had been rented out to a foreigner as a store. Who could have thought that today the foreigner would turn into fresh, hot Chaotic Believers, calling on people to assault the Noble’s mansion? And after repelling the Chaotic’s siege, this Mister Michelangelo, a character in his own right, had turned around and with his family and private guards began the counterattack.
"I knew you guys from the Church would make it, one more or one less in the eastern district doesn’t matter, so I had no reason to ask you to help reclaim my property. But to hear of your victory is the best news I could receive today. Just a moment ago I almost set my own house on fire, resigned to dying alongside Chaos," the bald and long-haired middle-aged Mister Michelangelo said casually.
Malin glanced at him and then pointed towards the house behind him: "Your house is on fire."
Having said that, Malin added: "It must be the work of Chaos themselves."
The gentleman turned his head, looking at the blazing inferno of his house, was stunned for a moment, and then started cursing Chaos at the top of his lungs.