With the blast of a whistle, the dark clouds were torn apart layer by layer under the soaring golden light, finally revealing the clear sky. The glimmer of dawn shone upon the white city, where intricate streets formed regular concentric rings across the undulating mountains. A massive, magnificent statue of the Goddess overlooked the entire grand city like a giant, her voluptuous figure gleaming with golden patterns that added a touch of divinity.
This place was known as the Holy Capital, a city built upon a mountain.
However, through the expansion of countless powerhouses of the Church, it had long since lost the seclusion and depth of the mountain forests, leaving only the solemnity and gravity of this white city.
At the very center of the city, a palace rose abruptly, standing as tall as the hundred-meter statue.
Clad in a white cloak, Elcalan walked along the pilgrimage avenue guarded by paladins, heading straight into the palace.
Right at that moment, a young man with short golden hair suddenly appeared before Elcalan, blocking her path.
The man wore a white tailcoat, looking like an elegant gentleman who had just stepped out of a banquet. Wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, he exuded the aura of a completely frail scholar.
“Aether, move.”
Elcalan's words were spoken casually.
“My apologies, but the path ahead is not open to you, Miss Elcalan.”
“Move.”
Elcalan's tone remained unchanged as she repeated herself.
“Haha,” the man named Aether chuckled. “You cannot change anything either. In the history of civilization, humanity is a single entity, and the Church is already its most brilliant crown.”
“Do you always babble this much?”
The instant Elcalan spoke, the paladins suddenly transformed into countless streaks of golden light, almost instantly teleporting to her side. Dozens of paladin swords were already pointed at her neck.
“You have killed too many of the Church's people. Three bishops died by your hand. The world-renowned Sword God has now become a Cardinal, yet you have turned back into a child?”
Aether said.
But Elcalan only smiled contemptuously. “Good. Since you know I am a Cardinal, then get lost. Only Her Holiness the Pope can command us.”
Aether sighed and shook his head, and the paladins withdrew their swords at his gesture.
“Do not stay too long. Her Holiness the Pope is in poor health. If her life is cut short and she dies early because of you, you will surely become a sinner whom history can never absolve.”
“...”
Elcalan walked forward, not even sparing a glance at anyone.
The silver gates slowly ground open.
Inside the palace, golden walls partitioned the massive space. The gates were tightly locked by complex metal mechanisms, making it look more like a vault than a palace.
Or rather, a prison cell.
It took a long time to open the first gate, yet behind the wall was another identical gate. After entering the palace, there were a total of five such gates.
Each gate required strict authorization to pass. Only Cardinals were permitted to pass through the second-to-last gate, and even then, they could only converse briefly with the Pope.
As for the cross lock of the final gate, only the Sword God, Elcalan, had the authority to open it.
Elcalan opened the door and stepped into a space about the size of a basketball court.
A woman sat upon a white throne.
Her crimson hair trailed to the floor like scattered silk. She wore a simple white gown, her bare feet resting on the golden floor. Her closed eyes twitched slightly, as if she were asleep, yet perhaps awake. But this celestial-looking beauty had her limbs tightly bound to the throne, and even her neck was locked to the backrest, rendering her completely immobile.
Seeing this woman, Elcalan furrowed her brows and clenched her fists, her usually indifferent gaze turning sharp enough to kill.
The woman parted her cherry lips slightly, seemingly sensing someone's presence.
“El... calan...”
She did not open her eyes, as if she had never been asleep.
“Are you... here to kill me?”
“...”
Elcalan did not speak.
The person before her was the ruler of the entire Church, the woman known as the Pope.
Elcalan and she had been acquainted for over a century.
Seeing the woman in this state, Elcalan was suddenly transported back over a hundred years ago, recalling the sheer joy of the current Pope when she was promoted from a so-called genius girl to a bishop.
She had originally been a brilliant leader, leading armies to subjugate magical beasts multiple times, launching holy wars to completely eradicate heretics, and raising the Church's influence to an unprecedented height in history.
Yet now, she had become a prisoner in her own palace, stripped of everything. The dogmas she created had been modified by the Cardinals, and the Church had become increasingly pedantic over the past few decades.
Once the savior standing at the pinnacle of humanity, she had now fallen into the abyss alongside the degeneration of the Church.
“The Demon King has awakened.”
Elcalan spoke in her usual indifferent voice, as casual as chatting with an old friend. “I suppose you already knew.”
“Welcome back. It has been a long time since I last saw you. Is it winter now?”
“Yes.”
“...Kill me. Kill me before I join her and become one of them.”
There was not a trace of fear in her voice, as if she were absolutely certain the young girl before her was about to strike.
The Pope curled her lips and opened her eyes.
The light in the entire space dimmed as if it had been swallowed whole.
Upon her originally golden pupils, a blood-red winged pattern had appeared.
She was not human, but a magical beast.
The Pope had become a magical beast.
Elcalan was one of the few who knew this secret.
This precisely was the reason why the Pope had locked herself inside the palace.
“Is this your way of greeting me?” Elcalan smiled.
“I command you to kill me.”
“...”
“Can't bring yourself to do it? Since I was the one who took everything from you—your family and your friends—you should want to kill me very much, shouldn't you?”
“You're the only one who cares about that sort of thing,” Elcalan interrupted her immediately. Though she spoke dismissively, her legs were trembling uncontrollably. “I only came here to tell you that your Saintess program has failed. Now, I am here to clean up your mess.”
“Do you no longer hate me?”
“I told you, I am only interested in your Saintess program. That is all we have left between us now, isn't it?”
“...”
“If there is nothing else, I will be leaving.”
Elcalan turned and left, pressing a nearby button as she walked out of the gate.
...
The snow had turned the entire wilderness white.
A merchant carriage rolled slowly along the smooth road.
The carriage gradually slowed down and stopped at the edge of a certain town before reaching the empire's city gates.
Girls wrapped in cloaks and padded cotton clothes stepped down from the carriage. They were about to stay in this town for a few days.
“Why... stop?”
One of the girls, who had sharp horns growing from her head, held another girl's hand and asked innocently.
“Sister Tina, we are going to live here for a while before moving on,” Sathya replied with a smile.
In truth, they had not originally planned to waste time here.
A few days ago, they had received a distress signal.
—A plea for help from the Deceptive Magical Beast, Isobel.
Right inside this town.
Rate on N.U.
