Floating in the darkness outside of the cave, Clement observed what was going on inside emotionlessly. The weird patterns and the intense feelings of hatred and desperation were all gone. Had it not been for the remaining supernatural air, nobody could've guessed that a minor magic ritual had been held here. Even so, nobody could've inferred the specific content of the minor magic ritual from the remaining supernatural air and whether or not it was part of a larger ritual.
After an hour, this transcendent aura also dissipated into nature, and everything that had happened was completely wiped out in the long river of history.
Clement performed prophecy divine powers such as "God's Prayer", trying to receive the revelation of the gods. However, he got nothing except what he already knew.
"The enemy was at least as strong as me, and they were fully prepared. So, it was impossible for me to predict the real situation. Even the Lord of Hell couldn't have predicted it …" Clement frowned. If the Lord of Hell had been here at the beginning, he would've certainly been able to predict the truth. However, he was in the Boundless Ocean and the ninth level of hell that was even more "distant". He only sensed it because he sensed the abnormal power of feelings and missed the opportunity.
Clement stopped the prophecy and analyzed the possible targets on his own. "As strong as me … Judging from that point of view, few people in San Ivansburg are suspicious, unless they're outsiders. However, in that case, it's impossible for them to be so well-prepared in San Ivansburg, which is under our control most strictly … Right, the power of negative feelings requires a 'container' that is one level lower than mine. I have to see who is' missing '…"
Now that the enemy had completed the status transformation, Clement was not in a hurry to confirm the saint cardinal and the divine Knight in the major churches overnight. Instead, he waited patiently until the morning and visited the Grand Cardinals under the pretext of communicating with them about the undercurrents.
"Your opinion is very important. I'll consider it …" Outside of the Saint Felix Cathedral, Clement politely bid farewell to another saint who had inherited his power, his heart full of doubts.
Including himself, none of the seven saints were missing. They were either in the few cathedrals in San Ivansburg or in the key areas that they were responsible for. After contacting them through the magic circles, they confirmed it with prophecy. Most of the saint cardinals, the divine Knight, and the legendary Knight of the Imperium were the same. Only two or three of them were out on secret missions, which was why they couldn't be contacted. However, there was no sign that they had perished.
In such a case, there would be no "container". Could it be that the one who completed the status transformation was a legend from another force or an expert who lived alone in seclusion? Clement felt that the whole thing was weird. When he came back to himself, he found himself outside of Saint Ivan's Cathedral.
It can't be that His Holiness the Pope is the 'vessel', right? Clement suddenly had an idea. Normal people would not be so bold, but maybe it was a lunatic.
With that in mind, Clement walked into Saint Ivan's Cathedral and asked to meet Pope Belkovsky.
Several minutes later, he saw Belkovsky, who was as brawny as a bear, in the library. His voice was as loud as before, his eyes were yellow, and his nose was "tall".
"Clement, you seem to have something on your mind." Belkovsky hinted that he already knew that Clement had visited and contacted the Grand Cardinals and the legendary Knight of the Imperium and its affiliated countries.
Clement was greatly alarmed. He should've done it in a couple of days. Had it not been for the Lord of Hell's deep senses on the primeval devils and the power of feelings last night, his actions today would've exposed something even if the status changer did not know that it had been exposed.
Therefore, he said in fear, "The monsters of the Dark Congress have swallowed a few small countries at the north foot of the Dark Mountain Range and threatened the Church of the Mother God of the Earth. I'm worried that the Mother God of the Earth will join them and try to stop it in secret. So, I've discussed with the Grand Cardinals and the legendary Knight, hoping that we can reach a consensus before I propose a proposal."
"You'd better talk to me first if you have any problems in the future." Belkovsky did not say anything. This was the North Church, and unlike the South Church, where the pope boasted absolute authority and decision-making power, such private, large-scale communication would've been regarded as a sign of blasphemy against the Lord's spokesperson on earth and an attempt to divide the Church.
In the North Church, the power belonged to the entire Grand Cardinals. The pope only had more power to summon than the saints. Also, with his deterrence, he had more power than other people.
Of course, under normal circumstances, no saint would challenge the authority of the pope like that.
Relieved, Clement said respectfully, "I'm here to ask for your advice."
After they talked about the current situation, Clement returned to the Saint Geno Church and searched for the places that he missed. It was a pity that, because of his mindset, he could not understand what the mysterious status changer used as a "container" at all. After all, there were only so many legendary experts!
Thinking for a while, he thought of himself. "I'm still short of a few special materials for the container. Should I borrow some from the Lord of Hell … No, he doesn't know that I'm not using negative feelings but relying on the Book of Virtues … If only I could use Saint Geno's body. The godhood and the strength that I've accumulated for hundreds of years are enough for me to approach the peak of legendary, and it won't take long before I make a breakthrough. Bodies. The bodies of the saints!"
Clement suddenly thought of a possibility. Surprised and shocked, his facial muscles were vaguely twisted. Was it really one of them?
Kneeling where he was, he drew a cross on his chest and closed his eyes. The brilliance of godhood surfaced behind him, condensing into a cluster of light that gradually turned into an angel of light with a golden eye. Then, the monotonous black, white, and gray spread out in silence and coldness.
In the Temple of Spirits in the World of Souls, inside the Holy Spirit Room …
The five black iron coffins were placed there quietly. Above or in front of each coffin, there was an ever-changing ball of divinity that was hard to touch. Suddenly, something flew into the ball of divinity above one of the coffins. It quickly grew bigger and turned into an angel of light with golden eyes and six wings on its back.
Clement's consciousness was attached to the brilliance of godhood. Observing the Holy Spirit Room that was as quiet as a tomb, he sensed the air of vicissitudes of life.
"Who could it be?" Looking at the other four coffins, Clement hesitated. If he opened the wrong coffin, the corresponding saints would certainly sense it. By then, it would be difficult for him to explain why he did it. Although he would not be killed, he would certainly be excluded from the core circle of the pontiff and the saints as an ambitious schemer.
He performed prophecy, hoping to give himself some hints, but the results of his prophecies were varied, including all the coffins.
Shaking his head, Clement remembered that the Lord of Hell was behind him. Therefore, he made up his mind and was ready to examine the target that he suspected most!
He walked to the front and stood before the vertical coffin of Saint Ivan. Flapping the six angelic wings on his back softly, he extended his right hand and slowly opened the cover of the coffin.
Squeak. The hoarse and heavy rubbing sound broke the silence of the Holy Spirit Room. The coffin behind the cover, on the other hand, was empty except for the coldness emitting from the iron blackness.
Clement's golden eyes were suddenly frozen. He seemed to be both delighted and infuriated. It was indeed empty!
Saint Ivan, who betrayed the Holy City and established the North Church, was gone! His godhood body and the power that he had accumulated for generations were both gone!
"It is indeed Belkovsky. He has completed the status transformation!" Clement could barely hold back his fury. He was furious that Belkovsky had betrayed his "ideal" and that it was not so easy for him to complete it.
It was not until this moment that he finally understood why Pope Viken did not consider the saints of the North Church when he secretly announced the way to become a demigod in order to sow discord. It was because he must've understood that, with the godhood bodies and the power that the saints had accumulated for generations, the status transformation only required the collection of the power of feelings, which was relatively simple. Together with the power of faith that the North Church had stolen, the preparations for the path to become a demigod had long been completed. It was enough to support the "resources" that a demigod needed.
"Had it not been for the fact that the path involved the understanding of godhood and faith, which was highly likely to fail and required a long time to grasp, Belkovsky might've already tried to make the breakthrough …" Clement thought in fury and envy. He was still far away from the status transformation, but he did not know that Belkovsky still lacked part of the secrets to combine the two to break into the demigod level.
Suddenly, he frowned. "Belkovsky collected the power of feelings in San Ivansburg. However inconspicuous he was, he couldn't have fooled everybody. It's perfectly normal that I didn't know, but it's rather weird that none of the saints sensed it. Does he have special methods?"
While thinking, he suddenly thought of a terrifying conclusion. Without any concerns, he turned around and opened another coffin.
In squeaking noises, the lid of the coffin was opened, revealing the hollow inside. Felix's godhood body was gone too!
The coffins were opened one after another. Uriel's and Aleksei's godhood bodies were gone too!
Belkovsky was definitely not the only one who had completed the status transformation!
"So, I was the only one who didn't know …" Clement was so angry that he laughed. As it turned out, he had been excluded from the core circle since a long time ago.
After cleaning up the Room of the Holy Spirit, his consciousness returned to the Saint Geno Church and contacted the Lord of Hell.
"Belkovsky and the other three saints have all completed the status transformation with their godhood bodies as' containers' … Where did they get the secrets of the negative feelings and the primeval devils? Viken certainly wouldn't have leaked it to them. The other legendary experts who knew the secret must've wanted to keep the number of people under control too … "Maltimus pondered.
He once had such a plan, where he would reveal the secret to Belkovsky and the rest of them at the critical moment to disrupt the situation. However, after his successful arrival, he no longer had such a plan.
Before Clement speculated, the Lord of Hell suddenly laughed in mockery. "I'm afraid that it's the few people from the Congress of Magic. They only know the secrets of negative feelings and the primeval devils. They need the ways to steal and make use of the power of faith that you know. It's a win-win situation. Hehe. Douglas, Lucien Evans, and you said that you would stick to the path of arcana …"
"What should we do now?" Clement asked, deep in thought.
Maltimus chuckled. "Spread the news, especially to Viken."
… …
A few days later, in the Holy City …
Benedict III looked at the intelligence before him with a rare uneasiness. He gnashed his teeth and said, "Lucien Evans …"
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