[Second chapter, try to write four chapters.]
"In the first year of the Radiant Calendar, God descended upon the continent. He saw that the people were in misery, so God said, 'Whoever can give up everything to save the suffering people, I will grant him eternal life.'"
On the altar, the red-robed priest chattered non-stop. Byrne's eyes were filled with reverence, but he was also very calm, which was very much in line with the identity of an Ascetic. The assassins behind him, however, knelt on the ground, looking intoxicated. These people are all good at imitating the mentality of others.
The most amazing thing is that many of these assassins were born in the Tanggulas Empire, and the Holy Church is very particular about one's background. Among these assassins, there are even a few that are already decent Divine Masters.
They have ulterior motives, but they can borrow divine power. These people are all blasphemers.
The voice of the red-robed priest on the altar spread throughout the entire square. On the square, the assassins led by Byrne were submerged in the tens of thousands of believers, like a wave in the ocean, not eye-catching at all.
This sermon will last for more than six hours. On the last week of every month, there will be such an event in Glory City. Byrne patiently waited, his body not moving, and the gloves on his hands were hidden in his sleeves.
Ascetics rarely have any fancy weapons, but gloves are definitely the best. Byrne's gloves were personally made by Nicholas. The whole body is made of metal, and the inner layer is lined with soft gold, which is about the same value as gold essence. The outer layer is a scale-like metal block, and every protruding metal block is engraved with Divine Runes.
This is a weapon that covers half of Byrne's arm, and the metal extends all the way up to his elbow. On the arm, every metal block is inlaid with a gem, dragon crystal shards, and divine crystal shards. This weapon can be said to be the most luxurious equipment that Nicholas has ever made.
As long as Byrne's spiritual force moves, he can eject an invisible blade from the gloves. The blade is one and a half feet long, like a short sword. Byrne's right hand is holding a book. If someone else opened this book, they would only see a book of the Holy Church's code.
In fact, there was indeed a row of crossbow barrels hidden in the book. The range was only about twenty meters, and the crossbow bolts were tempered with the purple-gold liquid secreted by the Sea Urchins, which could penetrate most energy shields.
On Byrne's back was a broken stone tablet. The stone tablet was inscribed with divine characters. This kind of stone tablet had been left behind by the Ascetics of the Fourth Dynasty. Back then, the Fourth Dynasty had tried their best to suppress the preaching of the Christian Church. That was why the Ascetic Monks carved these words on rocks on mountain peaks, in hidden river valleys, and in deserted wilderness.
Later, when the Fourth Dynasty collapsed, the Church took the opportunity to rise, and the Ascetic Monks were no longer forced to flee for their lives like before. After this period, the inscriptions left behind by the Ascetic Monks became precious and were often carried by some Ascetic Monks.
Byrne's current attire can be said to be flawless. An old monk, bringing his precious collection to Glory City to listen to the Cardinal's sermon.
The assassins also did not have any flaws. Aside from the assassins behind Byrne, in every corner of the square, there were more than thirty assassins quietly waiting for Byrne's orders.
This was Byrne's third time participating in this kind of sermon, so he was already familiar with the entire process. The actual participation and the information gathered are very different. Byrne is an assassin, so he won't easily believe any information.
The sun gradually tilted to the west. The sermon started in the morning and ended when the sun was about to set. The starting time was different every time, but the ending time was always the moment before the sun disappeared.
This was God's will, to let the light continue in the darkness. There was a tall stone pillar on the altar. At the moment when the sun disappeared, it would emit a strong light, replacing the sun. The entire sermon ended in this climax.
Before this, there will be a ceremony to ask for holy water. When God descended to this world, he chose three hundred people to preach to. Every time he asks for holy water, he will also choose three hundred people. Byrne's position will definitely be chosen today.
As time passed, Byrne adjusted his breathing. His heart was clear, without any worries.
Choosing this square to assassinate was something he had carefully considered. Glory City is different from the Sacred City. Although it is the location of the Cardinal Institution in name, the Pope has already monopolized the authority of the Church. The Cardinal Institution only exists in name. All the orders are carried out in the Sacred City. And Glory City is a symbolic location.
The danger here isn't as much as the Tanggulas Empire's Imperial City. Most of the Cardinals are rank 6. If he assassinated a rank 6 Cardinal, it would be meaningless. Among the Cardinals in Glory City, there are some of the higher ranks. For example, the guy preaching on the altar is a rank 8 Cardinal.
A Mage is the same as a Mage. If an assassin gets close to them, it's equivalent to losing half of their life. Even a powerful Mage can't guarantee their own safety.
What Byrne wants to do is to assassinate this Cardinal in front of everyone in Glory City.
He doesn't have the confidence to kill a rank 9 Mage. If he can't kill a rank 8 Mage, then he's not an assassin, but a warrior.
The princess must be regretting her decision right now. He's not sure if he can leave the Tanggulas Empire alive after this assassination. Even if he escapes from Glory City, the Mage can't leave a mark on him before he dies.
To erase the mark left by the divine spell, it would take at least a few years. He can't hide in the Tanggulas Empire for that long.
He'll have to depend on his luck. Byrne looked at the altar with a pious face. The voice of the Red Robe Priest was filled with excitement.
Byrne was only calculating the orbit of the sun. As an assassin, he doesn't need to look at a magic timer. Whether it's a clock or a magic hourglass, it's not as accurate as the sun, moon, and stars.
As time passed, the Priests in charge of the ceremony began to call the names. On the altar, the holy water that has been accumulated for a month will be distributed to three hundred lucky people. Among the tens of thousands of people in the square, three hundred people were called and walked up to the altar.
Byrne was the eleventh person to be called. Behind him, there were two other assassins guided by the Priests to the altar, waiting to receive the holy water.
Byrne's mood became calmer, but his eyes revealed a trace of excitement. Any believer who can receive the holy water should be like this.
The first batch of believers received the holy water. Under the blessing of the divine spell, they walked down from the other side of the altar. The altar was a hundred meters wide and twenty meters high. The stairs on both sides extended, looking tall and dignified.
The Priest who guided Byrne's group glanced at the stone tablet behind Byrne and didn't let him put it down. This stone tablet is also a symbol of glory. If an Ascetic were to put down the stone tablet behind him, it would be an insult to the gods.
Byrne walked up the stairs, one step at a time. The stone tablet behind him made his footsteps heavier than ever before. He can't show the strength of a rank 8 expert, so his footsteps made the people around him look at him with admiration.
This is a real Ascetic! He's so old, but still so persistent.
There were many divine runic arrays on the altar. One of them was carved into a deep pit in the stone. This pit didn't seem to be man-made, but was created by something hitting a boulder. There was still a large amount of holy water in the pit. Byrne took out his own bowl and walked forward.
"May God bless you. May the light shine forever, and your soul be guided. Your …" The red-robed priest repeated the words he had just said to the first group of believers. Byrne smiled at him. The bowl in his hand disappeared, and the stone tablet behind him flew up. With a loud bang, it landed on the ground.
As the stone tablet fell to the ground, it rapidly grew in size. In the blink of an eye, it had become a ten-meter tall rectangle. Its surface shined with a metallic luster. On the front of the stone tablet, the divine runes had already distorted, turning into undead characters. Between the undead characters, a golden light flowed. It was like two small dots that constantly moved back and forth.
After the stone tablet was metalized, thousands of small holes appeared on its sides. Thick black smoke crazily sprayed out. This black smoke condensed and didn't dissipate, forming a series of undead characters in the air.
The believers that were touched by the black smoke cried out in panic. Their skin and flesh were corroded, and in the blink of an eye, their bones were exposed.
The red-robed Priest was shocked. He didn't think that there would be undead appearing here. One must know that the power of faith from the God of Light is very effective against the undead.
Facing Byrne, even a Gold Sword Saint shouldn't be distracted.
Byrne punched the red-robed priest's cheek. Invisible blades emerged from his metal gauntlets and directly shredded the priest's brain.
The entire altar was shrouded in an undead fog. There weren't many Holy Church soldiers on this altar. Most of them were Priests.
"Disperse!"
"Purify!"
"Divine Strike …"
God knows how many divine spells flew around aimlessly. It's been a long time since the Priests of Glory City experienced a battle.
Byrne crushed the red-robed Priest's brain, grabbed the neck of the corpse, and threw it towards the metalized stone tablet. The corpse collided with the tall metalized stone tablet. The metalized stone tablet suddenly opened a large mouth full of sharp metal teeth, chewing and swallowing the red-robed divine official.
The square was in chaos. Divine alarms rang sharply. In every corner of the city, the Knights that have been slacking for hundreds of years still didn't know what happened.
The Divine Kingdom's Knights under the Cardinal Council have long ceased to exist. Now, the Knights of Radiance are even weaker than the Holy Knights.
In the undead fog, Byrne's movement was like a ghost. His figure shuttled back and forth between the undead characters. No one could clearly see his movements. On this altar, there were several Seventh Level Priests. They weren't weak, but their existence was like a beacon in the dark, attracting Byrne's attention.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
