allendalepharm Page 165
Page 165
……
The outskirts of the royal capital.
In the magic chamber near Akarin Village.
The shadow beneath Lark's feet suddenly twisted violently, and a terrifying aura burst forth without restraint!
Darkness suddenly contorted in agony, uttering a shocked cry: "No, impossible!!! What happened... Who did this?!"
"Calm down!!!" Lak's heart tightened, and he subconsciously released a sleeping spell, but it had no effect on "Darkness." He could only ask in a slightly slower voice, "What happened? What did you sense?!"
"Darkness" still exuded a somewhat agitated aura, its voice tinged with anger: "It's the very essence of the 'Rotten Artifact,' I sensed it! It's been utterly shattered! Damn it! Who dared to lay a hand on the great Abyss!"
"—Which bastard did this outrageous thing?!"
"Shatter the origin? That would require at least the most powerful human strength to achieve, right?!" Lak was somewhat shocked, finally understanding the reason for the abyss's agitation.
If the origin of "darkness" is merely lost, then as long as it can be found one day, it will naturally be able to regain control of the power that originally belonged to it; however, if the origin is shattered and that power returns to the earth, it will take a long time to be regenerated, which is equivalent to cutting off one of its arms!
“What exactly happened…” Lak fell into worry, vaguely feeling that he had missed something by leaving the capital, but he quickly shook his head: “It seems that great turmoil has occurred in the capital even when I was not there. If I had been there, I would definitely have been implicated, which would have only wasted our strength.”
"Calm down. Anyway, we don't know where your original essence is. It's been ten years and there's still no trace of it... Just consider it as being fed to the dogs."
"You're talking nonsense!!!" The Abyss Will gritted its teeth: "Even so, I was still injured by the shattering of my origin. Who's going to heal me for all the health I lost? You...?"
Before he could finish speaking, Lark stared in shock at the “darkness” before him. As he spoke, a dense, murky light suddenly shone from his previously listless body.
In a very short time, it recovered completely, and its aura even became slightly deeper!
"Huh?" The will of the abyss paused in place, stunned as it felt the sudden nourishing power within its body.
"Could it be..." Lark quickly realized something and looked towards the "darkness".
"Fallen! One of humanity's brightest warriors has fallen!!!"
The Will of the Abyss's tone brightened with delight: "My power and memories have recovered a bit more... Just who was it that did this amazing thing?!"
Upon confirming this, Lak's expression shifted: what could provide a boost to the will of the abyss must be the death of a top human or demon warrior, and the closest possibility was... the aging Pope Brad.
A deep sense of lingering fear quickly appeared in Lak's eyes. He had already reached a conclusion, and was extremely grateful that he hadn't stayed in the capital tonight:
"That old bastard Brad perished together with the original wielder of the decaying artifact!!!"
"he died!"
……
"Pope Brad...is dead?!"
As the black and white sword lights dissipated, a long silence fell in front of the palace gates. Ota stared blankly at the bizarre scene before him until the solemn bells of the Holy Church entered his ears, which brought him back to his senses. Shock appeared in his eyes: the death of the Pope had an impact on the turmoil of the country no less than that of Mino's capture!
It was no longer time to worry about the threat of death being completely gone. As a king, Ota quickly realized that the death knell of the Holy Church was not just tolling for Pope Brad... but for the entire human kingdom!
—A highly respected and almost divinely revered pope was brutally murdered by demons within the capital city!
Even though they all knew that Pope Brad was nearly insane, and even though the culprit was the two sudden, devastating attacks, no one cared anymore. In the eyes of the people, it was the demon who had knocked down the God of All Weapons, and then Pope Brad died in battle in front of the palace.
No one could confirm the backlash from Saintess Lena last time, and they barely managed to cover it up by using Kalia as a shield. This time, however, it is a fact that everyone has witnessed!
What a devastating blow it would be to the entire kingdom's people if it were to spread!
"No! We must find a way to minimize the impact of the Pope's death..." Ota suppressed the panic in his heart. As a king, he had to make the most accurate choice at the most inopportune moment: even if it meant bearing the infamy of being incompetent, he had to ensure the stability of the entire human kingdom! At all costs!
"The key point is that Pope Brad absolutely cannot die at the hands of the demons, as that would completely extinguish the morale of the border soldiers..."
Sweat soaked through Ota's inner shirt; he felt like his head was about to explode.
"Damn it... Where can I find someone who is qualified to bear this terrible infamy... infamous... so that it wouldn't be surprising if they did something so outrageous... a scapegoat who can perfectly shift the blame?"
Some unsteady footsteps sounded nearby, and a slightly deep and haughty female voice suddenly rang out:
"—Have you all seen my Darkfriars?"
Chapter 234 Title Upgrade, Saintess Awakens!
On the palace walls, Tus and his ministers all looked pale.
Those who held high positions in the kingdom were all individuals with keen minds and sharp intuition, and they quickly realized what the news of Pope Brad's death would bring to the human kingdom.
The demons will advance triumphantly with the victory of "assassinating the Iron-Blooded Pope," while the human side, even with the boost of dragon riders, will only crumble in such a demoralized war.
While everyone else was pale and looked as if they had lost their parents, the unsuspecting red-haired girl appeared in the room with her hands on her hips, looking as if she had taken credit for something.
"You lot, have you seen my Darkfriar? (Did you see that strike that just forced back the demon? Wasn't it awesome?!)"
"Sana...the hero?"
Ota stared blankly at Shana, the "Hero of Evil," who had appeared in the arena for a long time, and then... his eyes gradually lit up.
Ota lowered his body instinctively and quickly walked up to Shana, tentatively asking:
"Heroine Shana, are you saying... you took responsibility for that sword strike just now?"
“Of course!” Shana swung her right hand sharply, her cloak billowing stylishly behind her, her eyes revealing deep confidence: “Who else but me is qualified to unleash such a world-shaking attack?!”
Shortly after unleashing that attack, the Mark of the Hero miraculously flew back into Shana's body. After regaining some of her divine power, Shana immediately rushed to the arena: how could she miss such a glorious and historic moment! With her feat of ending evil with a single strike, from this day forward, her fame will spread throughout the entire continent!
"Good! Good!! Good!!!" Sure enough, after she nodded in agreement, the prince in front of her showed unprecedented surprise and said "good" three times.
As he turned to meet the gazes of the assembled ministers, each one of them, as if seeing a savior, gave him a thumbs-up with utmost admiration!
"Heroine Shana, the kingdom will remember your sacrifice."
Prince Ota looked at Shana with gratitude.
"Hmm, no need to be polite. As a hero of justice and glory, I'm already prepared to shoulder all responsibilities no matter what happens!" Shana crossed her arms, her face flushed with excitement, and patted her chest, expressing her deep resolve.
"That's fine, that's fine..."
This will seemed to be conveyed to Ota before him, whose agitated emotions gradually calmed down. Then, he took a deep breath and forced it towards her… a dark and furious expression on his face, pointing at her and shouting angrily:
"Knights! Capture her!!!"
""yes! ""
A heavy pair of shackles was suddenly put on Shana. Before she could react, Shana blinked slightly, then looked bewildered.
Eh? !
"Heroine Shana, it is time to determine your guilt! You have the right to remain silent, but every word you utter will be used as evidence in the judgment!!!"
Standing on the high ground, Otta declared in a deep voice, "Now, for the crime of manslaughtering Pope Brad, you are sentenced on the spot!"
Wait a minute? ...Huh? Accidentally killed the Pope? Me?
Shana's mind went blank for a moment, unable to understand, but she quickly recovered and looked up to explain:
"Wait a minute, isn't there some mistake? How could I possibly have accidentally killed the Pope? I was just facing that devil..."
Shana pointed down from the city wall, as if trying to make sure everyone could see clearly. She also turned her head to look at the chaotic battlefield. Her words of explanation suddenly grew weaker and weaker, stopping at the corner of her mouth. Shana's expression became quite interesting.
The gaze fell upon the battlefield where they had been, and the previously blind spots became crystal clear. Among the scattered sacred artifacts, a long, black sword embedded in the heart of a corpse stood out starkly…
Darkfrey, found.
Shana froze on the spot—
"Hero Shana! Now, with witnesses and evidence all present, everyone in front of the palace can testify that when you and Pope Brad joined forces to fight the demon strategist, your power went out of control. While forcing the demon back, you also caused Pope Brad to die with resentment!"
Ota secretly praised Shana for her thoughtful preparations and glanced at her with some gratitude, but his expression was extremely resolute.
"Shana! You have committed heinous crimes!"
"Now, I pronounce your sentence: In view of the serious crimes you committed in the Dragon Hidden Mountains, as well as the three sins of escaping the Knights' confinement room without permission and accidentally killing the Pope, I hereby upgrade your title of Hero!"
"You acted recklessly and disregarded the consequences, bringing profound disaster to humanity and committing an unforgivable crime!"
"You are the source of all evil, and a person burdened with sin! You bear immeasurable sins, atoning for them with your own body, and are unforgivable!"
"From this day forward, your title is elevated from 'Evil' to 'Sin,' and you are now a thug who has committed the ultimate sins of humanity: Shana, the Hero of Sin!"
"Wow! He looks even more handsome now?!" Shana's eyes lit up.
I felt an overwhelming sense of coolness and awesomeness coming towards me. This level of prestige is already approaching the title of Hero of Light that my silly older brother has!
"Is this the time to care about this?!"
Darkfrey's tragic voice exploded in his mind as the paladin who had cleaned up the battlefield finally "arrested" it and returned it to Shana.
Ota's gaze fixed on him, as if he had made up his mind, and he announced:
"Heroine Shana! After this is over, you will be sent to the Mage's Round Tower to receive the goddess's blessing!"
"May the goddess judge your soul and your sins, cleansing you of all your transgressions with divine protection, transforming you into a valiant blade to slay demons! Purifying your unforgivable soul!!!"
"You must dedicate your life to washing away your title! I look forward to... the birth of a true hero!"
The words, like dust settling, brought the whole incident to a close.
This was destined to be a tragic day recorded in the history of the Kingdom of Kur.
Thousands of sacred artifacts shattered, and the entire nation wept in grief. The horrific disaster was etched into the memory of the entire capital. As intense emotional turmoil swept through like a torrential downpour—at the very source of the disaster, the Holy Church, underground…
The white light of melting ice and snow spread silently in the darkness, the cold air quietly disintegrated, evaporated, and condensed into clear water droplets, which slid off the no longer solid ice ball.
Tick tock, tick tock——
Water droplets cascaded onto the ground, accompanied by crisp, dripping sounds. A solid, icy blue light re-gathered at the center of the gem, miraculously reviving and transforming the frozen deathly aura into a vibrant water sphere.
Inside the water sphere, the long-dormant saintess's eyelashes trembled slightly. Her form-fitting saintess robes clung tightly to her wet body, revealing the clearly visible final key. A divine, icy aura swirled around her exquisite face.
The next moment, the bewildered pupils finally opened.
Lena looked around in a daze, and murmured softly as if in a dreamlike and uncertain state:
"I think I just heard... Mino's voice?"
Chapter 235 The two poor adults were manipulated by Brad.
"He was the most radiant and benevolent Pope, who used his iron will to deter the demons and his holy light to illuminate the world. He dedicated his life to protecting his people and the sacred artifacts. To the highest faith, the greatest Pope, Forster Brad." — Prince Ota
"May His Holiness the Pope's pure soul go to the embrace of the Goddess." — Princess Kalia, the jewel of the kingdom.
"Although we never met, we were both fighting for a common ideal and belief! It's just a pity that we fell on the battlefield. Pope Brad must have been thinking of me before he died!" — Eulogy from his close friend Otademino.