Chapter 436: The Raid
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 436: The Raid
Before the cathedral stood a massive procession.
Nuns in black habits and solemn clergy members led the way, forming an orderly line as they carried various sacred instruments and vessels.
Behind them followed a sacred carriage pulled by two white-scaled earth dragons, adorned with golden Sacred Words that exuded a sense of divine majesty.
This was a carriage that only a Saintess was permitted to ride. After sharing a subtle, discreet glance with Muen, Liya stepped into the carriage alone.
The light veils fluttered, revealing only a faint, blurry silhouette of her profile.
"I thought the new Saintess was supposed to be presented to the believers? What can they even see like this?" Muen asked curiously.
"As the Saintess, she cannot simply flaunt her face in public," Lin replied, still wearing a sour scowl. Clearly, her lingering anger over Muen’s earlier attempt to spend every last second "rooting through the cabbage patch" had not yet dissipated.
"If the fanatical believers were allowed to gaze upon Her Highness’s sacred visage throughout the entire journey, it would likely cause a significant riot. Her Highness will only appear in person at the very end of the ascension ceremony to manifest a miracle."
"Fair point..." Muen nodded after a moment of thought.
He recalled how fanatical fans in his previous life could cause chaos just by crowding an airport. Here, in this city, there were millions of the most devout believers gathered from all corners of the world. If they were allowed to stare at Liya’s "world’s cutest" face the whole time, they might lose their minds and do something reckless.
After all, even he often found it hard to restrain himself from doing "something reckless."
Besides, the religious fervor bred here was at least a hundred times more terrifying than mere "celebrity obsession."
Thinking of this, Muen felt a slight pang of regret. That sacred carriage looked like a perfect place for him and Liya to get intimate... To be doing this and that with Liya inside the carriage while millions of believers prayed fervently outside... Just the thought was exhilarating.
But he could only think about it. If he actually went too far, it wasn't out of the question that His Holiness the Pope would personally appear to show this "cabbage thief" a bit of the Church’s "benevolence and friendship."
Or perhaps let him truly experience the Goddess’s mercy.
Rumble...
As Muen’s mind wandered, the earth dragons stood up with a heavy thud, and the entire procession began to slowly advance.
Muen looked ahead. There were no believers waiting expectantly in front of the Emiel Cathedral because beneath Muen’s feet lay the "Pilgrimage Path"—a staircase consisting of thousands of steps. It was a grueling climb that even an ordinary person would find difficult to complete in one go.
While countless believers usually climbed this path to pray as close to the Goddess as possible, the area was strictly off-limits to the public today. From this vantage point overlooking half the Holy City, the path ahead of the procession was exceptionally empty.
On either side stood the so-called sacred altars and Sacred Trees, which were actually just vegetation that grew exceptionally lush under the nourishment of the Holy Light.
Everything seemed so peaceful.
The morning sun was rising, its bright rays reflecting off the massive statue of the Goddess atop the cathedral, making her appear even more benevolent and compassionate.
However, the early sun had not yet fully risen and could not bring light to every corner. Due to the obstruction of the distant mountains and city walls, more than half of the Holy City remained shrouded in dim shadows.
Muen watched as the procession moved from the sunlit cathedral peak into the gloom, heading toward the distant, teeming masses of believers. His brow furrowed slightly.
For some reason... he had a bad premonition.
Muen considered his hunches to be quite accurate, but...
He looked back at the tall, majestic Emiel Cathedral, then at the statue of the Goddess overlooking all creation. This was the front of the Emiel Cathedral, the place closest to the Goddess. How could anyone dare to...
Bang!
A clear explosion rang out. Muen’s heart jumped as he whipped his head around, finding that the sound came from an unremarkable area several blocks away.
Dust and smoke billowed from an old, multi-story building, and several figures could be seen flitting through the air. It was quite close.
However, it didn't cause much of a panic. Thanks to his high vantage point and excellent eyesight, Muen clearly saw a large squad of silver-armored knights quickly seal off the area. A red shadow in the sky also began circling toward the site.
As expected of the Church. While deploying Archbishops to sit in various districts and Temple Knights to maintain order among millions of believers, they still had enough manpower to cordon off a street and capture troublemakers. The strength they displayed was enough to make any power in the world feel inadequate.
Standing at the center of this colossal power, Muen should have felt perfectly safe. But at this moment, it was as if he had realized something. His eyes frantically scanned the entire Holy City as he whispered urgently to himself:
"Right... creating chaos in areas with high concentrations of believers and then using that chaos to assassinate the Saintess... that should be the best way. But the enemy knows that, and the Holy City knows it too, so those are the areas they monitor most strictly. Right now, to deal with the massive crowds and potential threats hidden among them, the Holy City has mobilized everything it can. Because... the weakest area right now... is..."
Boom!
Several more explosions erupted from various directions across the Holy City. Buildings suddenly burst into flames, sending pillars of pitch-black smoke into the air!
These explosions were still relatively minor and didn't even alarm many ordinary citizens because the Holy City was simply too large. But at that moment, hearing those blasts, Muen’s expression changed drastically.
Yes, the Holy City was too large. While it couldn't compare to the continent's most prosperous metropolis, Belland, on this day when countless believers had gathered, its size was the only weakness of the otherwise invincible Church.
Those explosions... were like a signal!
"Miss Lin!" Muen quickly caught up to Lin as she moved with the procession. "I need to go and protect Liya personally!"
"No," Lin refused without hesitation. "Do you intend to sit in the sacred carriage with the Saintess in front of all the believers? You’d be torn apart by the angry mob; even the Church wouldn't be able to save you."
"No, just for this stretch, just this Pilgrimage Path. I feel—"
Muen’s persuasion cut off abruptly.
Both he and Lin suddenly felt a terrifying power appear in the sky above the Holy City. It was blatant, unshielded, and flaunted the fearsome realm of a Crown Bearer.
Their faces turned pale as they looked up simultaneously.
A strangely dressed man was floating in mid-air. His clothes were bizarre, and his face was covered in thick greasepaint, with bright red bloodstains drawn at the corners of his eyes and mouth. He looked like a circus clown, but... far more sinister.
"Haha... I am the Sixth Seat of the Salvation Society, known as... Joker."
The man called Joker gave a comical bow to the entire Holy City, then laughed with delight at the stunned expressions of the people below. "I have come today specifically to offer a congratulatory gift for this grand celebration. The name of this gift is... Truth!"
Boom!
The moment he finished speaking, just as the Great Barrier of the Holy City reacted and began to suppress him... the man called Joker exploded.
That’s right. It wasn't some grand attack or shocking technique. He simply, straightforwardly—to the point where even the high-strung Muen was left dumbfounded—blew himself up.
The self-detonation of a Crown Bearer caused the Great Barrier protecting the city to shudder violently. Everyone’s expression shifted to one of utter horror.
But the problem was... it was only horrifying.
Because Joker was positioned so high up, the aftershocks of his explosion didn't even reach the ordinary people below. It was like a massive firework going off, earning nothing but "sugoi" gasps from an audience.
"What the hell?" Muen and Lin exchanged looks.
A human bomb? A suicide truck? He had never heard of a suicide attack where the goal was to scare the target to death by splattering oneself into bits.
"No, they definitely have a follow-up. They wouldn't sacrifice a Crown Bearer so readily unless they were after something huge. Miss Lin, go to the Supreme Place and get the Pope!" Muen roared anxiously.
At that exact moment, the blood and flesh from Joker’s explosion in the sky began to contract automatically. As if drawn by something, the scattered remains converged rapidly toward a central point.
Black mist billowed from an ancient artifact at the center, merging with the flesh and blood to turn into a crimson fog. The crimson fog rippled and flowed, guided by an invisible force, gradually forming a massive blood mirror hung high in the heavens, reflecting the entire Holy City.
However, for some reason, that massive blood mirror appeared to be... missing a piece?
"Sigh—"
A long, drawn-out sigh echoed from within the blood mirror.
A figure approached from the depths of the reflection, then reached out from the blood mirror toward the city—which, from his perspective, was inverted.
It was a hand—blood-red, withered, and gargantuan.
The lines on the palm were clearly visible, counting the marks of passing ages... it looked like the hand of an old man.
But when this hand clenched slightly and struck down toward the Holy City, the entire Great Barrier let out a piercing, metallic shriek.
*
On the other side of the Holy City, another blood-red figure suddenly froze in mid-air.
His bright red cardinal robes whipped in the gale as the Judgment Archbishop looked up, his pale face a mask of complex emotions.
"Teacher..."
*
The Supreme Place.
The Pope, sitting cross-legged amidst endless Holy Light, calmly opened his eyes.
His weathered eyes reflected the massive blood mirror and the shadow within it. There was no joy, no sorrow. He simply waited for an old friend to arrive.
Only within the grand space did the emotionless, mechanical voice of Ulrons continue to echo.
"Sanctuary detecting authority validation request..."
"Validating authority..."
"Validation complete... Former Judgment Archbishop [DATA DELETED]... Validation failed..."
"Re-validating... Authority validation error. This authority has been permanently deleted."
"Re-initiating identity identification..."
"Identity identification complete..."
"Intruder: First Seat of the Salvation Society..."
"Salvation Holy Lord."
"Kaya Gaius."