(A Believer of Master's Church POV)

Humans are trash.

??

That was what I've come to learn as the truth of this world.

I used to be a slave for the syndicates of Jin city.

My parents had racked up a massive debt with them to fuel their gambling habits, going as far as to sell their son just to get more money to gamble more.

"Take him," They had told them, pushing me towards three burly looking men with scars all over their bodies. "He can be useful, do whatever you want with him. Just give us like, two silvers, that's not too much right?"

I was ten at that time, all naive and innocent. I didn't even know what was happening then.

I believed my parents' words when they told me, "Mom and dad are going to leave you with these nice people ok? Then we will go get rich and take you back ok?"

I just nodded at their words and went along with the men, letting them put me in this cramped room with several dozen other kids.

The lucky ones who showed some degree of skill were let in to become runners or thieves. The less lucky ones like myself were forced into the mines to dig for gold.

We could only be fed if we brought them gold. If I had failed to bring them any gold, I would go hungry on that day.

Of course some kids learned that you didn't need to actually mine for gold when you can just beat up the scrawniest kid and steal their gold, forcing them to work for you with scraps in return.

I lost my childish innocence there.

I learnt the cruel reality of the world where all humans are trash.

It didn't matter what I did or what I say, there will always be the scum of humanity who will seek to take advantage of others for their own benefit. Even if you keep your head down and keep to yourself, there will be those who see you as a target regardless.

The constant torments from my captors, the bullying I faced from even my fellow prisoners. It was so laughable how humans can turn on each other so easily.

The worst are the ones who show a smiling side to you before ruthlessly stabbing you in the back moments later.

No matter how much I lamented my fate, nothing changed. Everything felt so bleak and hopeless.

But I still held a little hope that someday, someone will come to save me. Be it my parents having a change of heart or even just the law enforcement.

I prayed every night before I returned to the small corner of the sleeping quarters, trying to hold up the little amount of faith I still had in life.

And just as I reached the eighth year of my imprisonment, God himself had answered my prayers.

His apostle had stormed into the syndicate's headquarters alone, bringing down Divine Punishment on my past tormentors.

She pulled us out of our hell, introducing us to the one true God of this world.

He had been the one to direct his Apostle to the hideout with naught but a word, saving us from our hell.

When I had been in the deepest pit of despair with no one caring about my suffering, Master had been the light that shone on me, banishing the pain and despair away.

The others who had been suffering under the syndicates' hands were also brought in, none of us were discriminated against under His light.

She taught us how to properly worship our Master, guided us patiently in seeking his Divine Light.

In time, we would also save the others who had been cursed with darkness by delivering his Holy Light to them.

With everyone forming a bond in worshipping Master, all of us felt that we had finally found a place we could belong.

It was there where I felt warmth for the first time in my miserable life.

The apostles had preached to us lost lambs the benevolence and love of their God, speaking about a world devoid of suffering and hate for their fellow people that He had envisioned.

It sounded absolutely wonderful.

And thus, Master's Church was formed.

We were all united in our worship for Master.

Yes, such a divine and benevolent person like Master could only be loved and praised.

But that was when I learned of an even more horrible fact.

There still existed people who would seek to harm and ridicule our divine Master.

Humans truly are trash.

Without a divine being like Master to guide them, they have strayed so very far away from the light.

Thus, our High priestesses announced our Holy Mission: to cleanse this world of the heretics and create a new, perfect world just for Master.

Master deserved nothing less.

For Master who has given this new life to me, I will work hard in His name.

And this was how I found myself as one of the security staff members chosen to participate in Master's event.

It was there where I first laid eyes on our dear Master himself.

Before this, we had only seen His glorious figure through pictures and paintings.

As divine as he looked in them, those images could not capture the divinity he exuded in person.

I had the opportunity to walk past him, expecting that such a divine figure like him might not even acknowledge my pathetic existence.

But I was proven wrong.

"Happy New Year, thanks for the good work," he called out to me.

It took me a moment to fumble out a response to which he just smiled and nodded to, continuing in his way past me.

That action alone had affirmed my absolute faith in Master.

There were other religions in this continent of course, but all of them were rather minor in belief.

Even though the High Priestesses had preached that we should never put down another's belief in favour of our own, I could not help but feel a little more prideful then.

Could any other worshippers of those faiths boasted what I could? That the being of their worship was walking amongst them and even greeted them for the New Years?

I thought not.

And thus, this was why I had no mercy to give when I came across several Dark Sect members that were trying to infiltrate into the Festival.

I drew my blade, glaring at the hooded group of four Dark Sect members.

We were facing off a distance away from the Sect on a large open field dotted by shrubs.

"You should step down, you don't know what you're going up against," one of them warned me.

I sneered, "You think I'll just let you do whatever you want when I know you're planning something against Master Lin?"

The cloaked person shrugged before pointing a finger at me.

"Death Poke."

I took a step towards the side, letting the invisible death ray pass by me harmlessly.

I leapt forward, startling the cloaked person at my sudden acceleration.

The finger was repositioned back towards me.

"Death Poke!"

I slid low on the ground, the death ray sailing over me.

My blade flashed out as I slid past him, a severed finger flying through the air in my balde's wake.

To the Dark Sect member's credit, there was no panic in their actions as the finger on the other hand was pointed at me.

"Death Poke!"

I stabbed my blade into the ground, stopping my movement and pushing myself into the air. The death ray passed underneath me as I flipped myself back over the Dark Sect member, my blade cutting off the other finger as I passed by.

I landed on my feet, facing them.

The one with the missing fingers backed off, clutching their fingers.

"How… You are but a mere guard…"

"I have been trained by the High Priestess and Cardinal Gamma themselves. I am overqualified to deal with trash like you."

"Damnit… He's one of them! Get him!"

The other three who had been spectating joined the first one, looking none too bothered.

"We'll end you quick and painless," the first one announced, revealing that his hands had healed.

I swiped my blade clean of blood, "I can only promise the opposite. Your deaths will be slow and excruciatingly painful."

"Hmph! Big words for someone who is standing alone!"

I smirked, "When did I ever say that I was alone?"

On cue, three others leapt out from the shrubbery's shadows, all with their blades unsheathed.

I pointed my sword at them, "As a High Inquisitor of Master's Church, I shall begin the cleansing."

I made true to my promise.