"Get up, all of you! Take these two blasphemers and..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a tremendous force violently kicked him in the chest.
He flew backward like a broken sack, crashing heavily against the distant metal wall with a dull thud.
Charles slid to the floor, violently coughing up a mouthful of blood. With an unknown number of broken ribs, his face was filled with disbelief.
"What are you, to dare point fingers in my presence?"
Beneath the Emperor Hero Armor, Ian's voice was cold and indifferent.
"As for these Lighthouse laws you speak of? What utter bullshit!"
He took a step forward, his golden combat boots shattering the marble floor.
"And what the hell is the Lighthouse anyway?"
Ian turned around, facing the guards who were slowly waking from their unconsciousness, as well as the Lighthouse higher-ups who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion but were too terrified by the sight to step forward.
His voice transmitted clearly through the armor, echoing across the entire hall. "Your Lighthouse constantly preaches about suppressing emotions, yet your ambition, jealousy, and cruelty overflow like the stench of a gutter. Did you think no one else could smell it?"
These words instantly made Charles's face flush a deep, livid red.
Ian ignored him, sweeping his gaze over everyone present.
"Your Lighthouse treats Hunters as 'expendable parts,' trading their lives for your comfort up here."
"You view Dustminers as 'inferior genetics,' arbitrarily stripping away their right to survive, and even their instinct to reproduce."
"For the survival of a few, you would unhesitatingly sacrifice the majority. Are these the 'Three Laws' you take such pride in?"
"You monopolize knowledge and control thoughts, telling everyone that leaving the Lighthouse means death, beautifying this floating prison as the 'last ark of humanity.'"
"You alienate living, breathing people into tools for your class rule. Is this your so-called 'rationality'?"
Every word Ian spoke was like an invisible sledgehammer, smashing ruthlessly into the hearts of every Lighthouse resident.
The guards and higher-ups, who had been indoctrinated with these ideologies for half their lives, turned deathly pale.
The order they had always believed in without a shadow of a doubt began to fracture in this very moment.
Just as panic set in and their faith was on the verge of collapse, an old yet authoritative voice rang out from behind the crowd.
"Are you finished, sir?"
Supported by two guards, Old City Lord Morgan walked out from behind the crowd step by step, leaning on his cane.
His cloudy eyes stared directly at the domineering Emperor Hero Armor without the slightest hint of fear.
He spoke in a deep voice, "You may be right, but without this cold order, the Lighthouse would have fallen long ago, and humanity would have gone extinct! Everything we do is for the sake of survival!"
These resounding words allowed many wavering individuals to find their backbone once more.
'That's right, Lord City Lord is correct. Everything is to survive, everything is for the continuation of humanity!'
Ian let out a light chuckle. His gaze beneath the helmet seemed to pierce right through Morgan's self-righteous disguise.
"For the sake of survival? How beautifully said."
He suddenly changed the subject, dropping a bombshell that no one could have ever imagined.
"Then tell me, why does Charles call you... Father?"
The word "Father" exploded within the dead silent hall.
The entire venue fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone's gazes darted back and forth between Old City Lord Morgan and Charles, who was slumped on the ground like a dead dog.
Everyone's expressions shifted from shock and astonishment to disbelief, ultimately morphing into the humiliation and anger of being deceived.
The City Lord, who had always promoted the suppression of emotions and enforced the Dawn Hall, was actually in a father-son relationship with the Church Head!
Didn't that make the so-called laws a massive joke?
The crowd suddenly understood. No wonder Charles was able to become the Church Head, and no wonder the City Lord was always so lenient with him.
Old City Lord Morgan's face instantly turned deathly pale. His body trembled violently, and he could barely even maintain his grip on his cane.
But he still forced himself to remain calm, sharply retorting, "Nonsense! Who exactly are you, sir, and why are you spreading such malicious lies here to shake the foundations of my Lighthouse!"
"Still pretending?"
Ian raised his hand, and a golden screen of light was projected out of thin air.
Playing on the light screen was the exact footage of Charles eavesdropping outside the Confinement Room and his private meeting with Morgan in the office.
The image was crystal clear, and the audio was even more irrefutable.
"Father, Marc is..."
Charles's address of Morgan as "Father" reached everyone's ears loud and clear.
"The Lighthouse's resources are prioritized for Citizens; the Citizens' resources are prioritized for the City Lord. To find life-extending medicine for you, how many Hunters have sacrificed their lives on the surface?"
Ian's voice grew increasingly cold.
"How many Dustminers could have survived on those precious resources? Is this your 'for the sake of survival'?"
"In the end, this Lighthouse is nothing more than the private kingdom of your Morgan family!"
Word by word, Ian delivered the final judgment.
"These so-called laws are just tools you use to corral everyone like livestock and maintain your own rule!"
With the final bloody truth laid bare, Morgan's tall, selfless image completely collapsed in this instant.
He was no longer the great leader who sacrificed and dedicated himself to the continuation of humanity, but a selfish, utterly hypocritical dictator.
"Gah—"
Clutching his chest, he felt the world spin around him. Unable to suppress the surging blood in his chest any longer, he violently coughed up a large mouthful of blood and collapsed backward.
Ian deactivated his armor and slowly walked over to Charles, who was slumped on the ground, looking down at him from above.
"Now, I'll give you a chance."
His voice carried a hint of amusement.
"Go and kill your father. I can support you as the new City Lord, and make you the true head of the Light and Shadow Church, granting you genuine divine power."
Charles snapped his head up, extreme greed and ecstasy erupting in his eyes.
He didn't doubt the authenticity of these words for a second, because the other party possessed the power to make it all a reality.
Struggling, he dragged his broken body and began crawling toward Old City Lord Morgan, who was lying on the ground.
Inch by inch, he dragged out a long trail of blood across the floor.
Morgan stared in despair at his biological son crawling toward him, his eyes filled with pain and sorrow.
Charles reached Morgan. He reached out a trembling hand, aiming to strangle the old man's neck.
Right at the exact moment his fingertips were about to touch Morgan's skin.
A foot viciously kicked him in the face once again.
Charles went flying once more. This time, the impact was even heavier. With his head split open and bleeding, he passed out on the spot.
Ian retracted his foot, as if he had merely crushed a cockroach.
He scanned the hall, looking at the dumbfounded Lighthouse residents, and spoke plainly.
"Did you actually believe that?"