After the two high officials of the Church sat down and had a detailed discussion, they finally understood what had happened. The reinforcements had left in such a hurry that many people did not know what had happened. The same went for the scouts. They were hurriedly sent out to gather information. When they arrived at the Templar Fort, they were warmly welcomed by the Crusader Brothers who guarded the gate. They were then brought to meet the leaders of the Templar Fort.
However, a few soldiers who knew nothing about the situation could not explain the situation to the higher-ups. They only knew that the fortress was under attack, and then Roland, the Head Knight, came with reinforcements. The people in the fortress felt that something was wrong, so they sent the scouts to negotiate with the old bishop, who was only a nominal position. The old bishop was old, and could not travel very fast on a horse, so it took a long time for him to arrive.
"We've been attacked, but it's just a normal attack. We can handle it. However, the demons seem to have some new tricks that can block communication spells, so it's not as convenient to communicate as before," the old bishop said leisurely.
"Then why did you light the emergency smoke signal?" The Grand Cross Captain asked.
"That was a new recruit who had just joined the army. He made a mistake because the communication magic was interrupted. According to the usual practice, we should light the black smoke signal to indicate that we are in a battle. However, the young man mistook black for red." The old bishop explained. "But didn't we send a messenger to explain later? Why did you bring so many people with you? "
The Grand Cross Captain felt like he was going crazy. He quickly said, "But the news that the Holy City received was that the Templar Fort had a large-scale outbreak of plague. At the same time, we were under attack. We are in danger!"
"How is that possible? Who dares to spread the plague in our territory? "
At this point, both of their expressions froze. They knew that things were not as simple as they seemed.
"Someone is trying to lure us away." The Grand Cross Captain said in a deep voice. His expression was extremely serious. "The news is fake. The messenger is fake too. I'm afraid that the smoke signal is also intentional."
"But why?" The old bishop asked. "Could it be that someone is plotting against the Holy City?"
"Impossible." The Grand Cross Captain shook his head. "Although I brought a large number of the Holy City's forces this time, the Holy City is still guarded by a few powerful people. Coupled with the secular defense forces, no one can do anything to the Holy City."
"Then, could it be a prank?" The old bishop asked curiously. "Could it be …" He thought of the worst possible outcome.
Not every ruler fell for the Church's tricks. The Church had many conflicts with secular governments in history, and even wars had broken out. However, the idiots who dared to do such a thing had already perished in the long river of history. The Church was still standing. Even now.
"No, no, no, that's not possible." The Grand Cross Commander knew what he was trying to say, so he quickly explained, "The Walthart Royal Family has a good relationship with us. In fact, they only managed to sit on the throne because of our support. They would never do something so stupid."
At that moment, the Grand Cross Captain knew what he wanted to say. He quickly explained, "The Walthart Royal Family has a very good relationship with us. In fact, they only managed to sit on the throne because of our support. They would never do such a stupid thing."
At that moment, the few judicial paladins had already placed a whole cart of Octuple Twin Crystals into a magical workshop on the 13th floor of the Mage Tower. A few teachers from the academy were busy feeding the Octuple Twin Crystals into a magical furnace one by one to charge the furnace. Everyone had a pained look on their faces. They could not bear to see such a top-notch energy crystal being wasted in an antique furnace.
This was the only forbidden area of the Mage Tower that the Apprentice had mentioned before. However, it was not exactly a forbidden area. When it came to President Rhansey's generation, this place had become a warehouse that specialized in piling up old and useless items. It seemed like the current president also had the habit of piling up old and useless items on the roof.
However, this time, the workshop did not look like a warehouse at all. Instead, it looked brand new. It was even decorated in the style of a church. The glass of the windows were all replaced with enamel stained glass. The walls were painted spotless and there were all kinds of religious murals that recorded the deeds of the Ascenders in the past.
The trash that was originally here had also been cleared away and replaced with two rows of standard church-style pews. There was even a bright red carpet in the middle of the pews. If it was not for the magical furnace at the end of the carpet, it would have looked no different from a standard church.
In a small resting room next to the workshop, Archbishop Nicholas was tidying up his attire. His attire was much simpler than it was on the day of the group blessing. He was only wearing a simple priest's robe. Other than a scripture necklace, he did not have any other accessories. He did not even put on the bishop's crown.
The Archbishop placed his hand on his right chest, feeling the majestic and powerful heartbeat. He closed his eyes and seemed to be praying for something. At that moment, his proud disciple, Chief Judge Rodhart, knocked on the door gently and interrupted his prayer.
After getting permission, the Chief Judge walked into the small room that was also decorated with holy decorations. He bowed slightly to his teacher and said in a low voice, "Dear teacher, the furnace is ready and the choir has gathered at the bottom of the tower. For safety reasons, they can't come up. I hope you can forgive them."
"It's okay." The Archbishop shook his head generously and opened his eyes to look at Rodhart. He asked kindly, "My child, why is there such sadness on your face? As the only witness of my ascension, you should be happier. "
"Teacher …" The Chief Judge lowered his head and no longer hid the sadness on his face. To be able to witness the glorious moment of an Archbishop's ascension should be something to be proud and happy about. However, to Rodhart, who did not have parents, Nicholas, who had raised him since he was young, was not just a simple teacher …
"Don't be sad, my child. This is the path that I've been pursuing." The Archbishop walked to the Chief Judge's side and reached out to caress his head like how he used to. A trace of pity could be seen on his face, "I'm just worried that after I leave, you'll be alone again … Perhaps you should have listened to me earlier and gone to look for a girl."
In fact, Rodhart was only in his early 50s. As a high-ranking powerhouse, he should at least look very young. However, he did not look much younger than Nicholas. This should be due to the influence of his work in the Inquisition. It was also for this reason that he did not marry and had always been alone.
If Baiyi knew about this, he would definitely curse at this overaged single dog.
However, when he heard Nicholas' last words, it sounded like the last words of a father. Nodding his head, Rodhart replied, "I understand."
"Also, remember to thank President Rhansey. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have been able to find such a good furnace," The Archbishop said.
As soon as his voice died away, a melodious hymn drifted in from outside the window. The choir that was formed by the knight students and saintess in-training had already begun to sing.
"It's time. Let's go." Archbishop Nicholas said softly. Immediately, he took a step forward and walked on the red carpet that led to the antique magical furnace.
At this time, all the unrelated people had already been cleared out. Only Nicholas and Rodhart were strolling in the workshop that was decorated like a church. As the elderly Archbishop slowly walked towards the magical furnace, he muttered a prayer in a low voice for the last time. When he finished his prayer, he placed his hand on the magical furnace and the mouth of the furnace slowly opened up.
If it was just an ordinary large furnace, the opening of the mouth would only be enough for the materials to be placed inside. However, the designer who designed this magical furnace was too ambitious. Perhaps, he wanted to stuff a dragon into it. So, when the opening was fully opened, revealing the polished wall inside, it was actually wide enough for an adult to pass through.
However, this stupid design made the Archbishop smile in satisfaction. In just a short while, the furnace would be ignited and by then, it would be filled with high temperature and a torrent of Mana that ordinary people would not be able to withstand. That was exactly what he wanted, the path of ascension that he had chosen.
The whole process and the plan was perfect. Even though there was a small accident in the South, it did not affect him at all. The only flaw was that the choir stayed at the bottom of the tower and the volume of the hymn was too low. Then, there was the fact that his only witness, Rodhart, who he had raised as his own son, had been following behind him silently and did not sit on the bench obediently.
However, these were all trivial matters, so the Archbishop did not care too much. He knew that his student and child could not bear to leave him, so he said kindly, "My child, according to the ceremony, you should sit at the side …"
He spat out the last word with great difficulty because a hand had pierced through the right side of his chest and pulled out a beating heart. As soon as he lowered his head, he could see that the purple-black heart was covered with bulging blood vessels that looked like small snakes, and it was constantly emitting evil energy.
"The one who is walking on the path of ascension is not you, but me! My dear mentor. " Rodhart said coldly behind the archbishop, who was like a father to him. He then pulled his hand out forcefully and lifted the lapel on his chest, revealing an imprint of a demon's head.
"However, this is not your way of ascension." With an incomparably hideous smile on his face, Rodhart pressed the heart hard on his chest. The heart seemed to have melted instantly, turning into a disgusting purple-black mucus that flowed into the mark on his chest.
Then, Rodhart walked into the magic furnace and slammed the door violently.
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