The archbishop lay powerlessly on the ground, struggling in pain. The blood that gushed out from the black hole on his right had dyed his white priest robe red. Even the red carpet on the ground had been dyed dark red. However, he did not die immediately. He was even trembling as he tried to cast divine spells, trying to hang on to his last breath.
After all, it was his right heart that had been dug out. Although his left heart was beating weaker and weaker, it was still trying its best. He didn't want to live. In fact, he was already prepared to die today. He was struggling at death's door because he wanted to ask Rodhart why he did it.
At this moment, an exclamation that he did not understand at all rang out from an empty bench.
"Aï-Aï-Aï-Aï-Ay, чтосей чейаспровой зошлло!" (Wow, what just happened!)
Then, he saw a man in a black robe suddenly appear in the air and walk towards him. After looking down at his injuries, the man said in the common language that he could understand, "You can't live, no magic can save you, so why don't you tell me what happened?"
That person was none other than Baiyi. After sneaking his way to the rooftop, he noticed that something was amiss. However, the two of them seemed to be preoccupied with their own thoughts, so they did not notice his presence at all. Thus, Baiyi sat down and watched the drama unfold before him.
The Archbishop did not expect that there would be a third person in the room. At first, a trace of fear flashed across his face, but it was quickly replaced by a look of relief. Finally, there was someone who could inform the outside world about what had happened here. Disregarding Baiyi's identity, he opened his mouth and said in a weak voice, "I-I'm Nicholas. He..." The Archbishop glanced at the furnace that was still burning fiercely. Vaguely, a devilish laughter could be heard coming from it.
"He is Rodhart, the Grand Inquisitor …"
"Are you sure her name isn't Arthas?" Baiyi retorted. The Archbishop almost choked on his own words.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please continue." Baiyi quickly waved his hand to express his apology.
The Archbishop continued to narrate the whole story to Baiyi. The process was a little slow because the Archbishop was about to die and Baiyi was a little anxious as well. He was afraid that the old man would die before he could finish his story. Coupled with the sinister laughter coming out from the furnace, the atmosphere became very tense.
Fortunately, the Archbishop was still alive even after he had finished his story. There was no monster that jumped out of the furnace either. Baiyi even had some time to think about it.
More than three hundred years ago, the expedition to the Abyss against the Lord of the Abyss, Thaas, was not a complete success. Thaas' physical body was destroyed, but his consciousness hid in his demonic heart and was brought back to Isythre by the people of the Church.
The Church had thought of many ways to completely destroy this demon, but after all, it was the heart that was the condensation of a Demon Lord's life's power. The Church had thought of many ways to destroy it, and Thaas's consciousness had always been hiding inside.
Baiyi suddenly interrupted, "As far as I know, there were angels among the expedition. Why didn't you ask them for help? Your God must have a way to deal with it, right? "
At that time, the Archbishop shook his head helplessly. "All the noble angels died in the battle. After that, because of our arrogance and conceit, we believed that we could clean up the mess, so we did not report it to the Church."
Baiyi nodded in understanding. To put it bluntly, it was a matter of face. The Church had sent someone to help you solve the biggest problem but if you could not solve the rest of the small problems, how could you still be a henchman?
The story continued. The Church could not do anything about the heart, but Thaas did not seem to be able to get out of his predicament either. So, they sealed the heart in the crypt of the Inquisition Court and left it to the Inquisition Court to guard it. The plan worked, and after so many years, there were no problems. Many people had even forgotten about the incident.
However, ten years after Chief Judge Nicholas retired and became an archbishop, his student, Rodhart, took over as the Chief Judge. Suddenly, a group of criminals began to plot against the heart, and a series of attacks and thefts took place. The current Pope finally remembered the incident, and the issue of how to deal with the heart was put on the agenda again.
In the end, Rodhart came up with a ridiculous idea. Let the heart fuse with a devout victim, lure Thaas's soul out, and occupy the victim's soul. Then, destroy the new body of the Abyss Lord, and cast the soul into exile so that it could be Baiyi's companion.
The idea sounded crazy. Baiyi could not help but admire Rodhart's imagination. He could not believe that he could come up with such an idea! Of course, he was even more impressed by the imagination of the Church's higher-ups. They actually agreed! They really agreed!
From a theoretical point of view, the idea had a certain chance of success, and the Church must have discussed it thoroughly. More importantly, even if it failed, it did not matter too much. After all, the Abyss Lord had a human body, so what was there to be afraid of?
On the other hand, Rodhart had gained the trust of the current management of the Church. Although he had only been a disciple of the former Chief Judge for a short period of time, he had already made countless contributions to the Church. Not only had he annihilated many cults, but he had also personally sent two troublesome Violators, Painter Cassie and Apprentice Hewitt, to the Void. Aside from the signs of aging, Rodhart had also risen to fame. Not only had he become a core member of the Church's management, but he had also become a strong contender for the position of the next Pope. He had even managed to suppress the other two Chief Judges. The entire Inquisition Court had become his court, and his words carried weight.
Thus, the plan was carried out. Very quickly, a willing sacrifice was found. This method of ascension, which was in line with the teachings of the Church, attracted many devout believers, including Archbishop Nicholas, who was nearing the end of his life.
According to ethics, Rodhart could not choose Nicholas, who was both a teacher and a father. However, Nicholas had used his familial ties to force Rodhart to choose him. According to Nicholas' original plan, he would obtain the path of ascension that he was seeking, and Rodhart would step on his dead body to advance further. It was the best of both worlds, wasn't it?
After a series of arguments and struggles, Rodhart nodded reluctantly. The heart was sealed by a series of Theurgical Seals to ensure that Thaas' consciousness would not suddenly come out. Only then was it implanted into Nicholas' right chest. Other than giving the old Archbishop a second chance at life, the immense power that came from the Abyss Lord's heart did nothing else.
Thus, the plan continued. In order to ensure that Nicholas' body could be destroyed in time after it was taken over, they naturally had to choose a place that was safe enough. A high-powered Mana Furnace was obviously a good choice. The high temperature and the surging Mana torrent inside was the most dangerous environment that could be created with current technology.
According to the plan, after Nicholas entered the furnace, before the furnace started to operate, he would unseal the seal on the devil's heart and lure Thaas to take over his body. Then, the furnace would burn and the body would be destroyed. At the same time, the soul would be banished and the problem would be solved.
In the end, Rodhart found out that there was such an old-fashioned furnace in the Celestial Fortress Academy. Not only was its maximum power much higher and stronger than the current furnace, the key point was that it had a unique design that allowed one to walk into it with dignity instead of looking embarrassed. With that, the last piece of the puzzle was finally completed.
Everything was ready and the plan was carried out. Just in time for the Celestial Fortress Academy's anniversary, they used the excuse of an exchange visit to come over. Even the choir that was required for the ascension seemed natural. Everything was so perfect except for the ending.
"Other than you, is there anyone else who knows about this crazy plan?" Baiyi asked after listening to the Archbishop.
"Not many …" The Archbishop replied while panting, "That devil used the excuse that there might be spies in the Church and asked us to act in secret. Since there was a previous theft and attack on the heart, we believed him. So, other than a few key people, most of us don't know about this. Even the children down there don't know who they're singing for …"
The hymn was sung to celebrate the birth of God and to praise God's great deeds. But now, it seemed that no one knew where God was and the laughter of the monster in the furnace was getting louder and louder. It was getting creepier and creepier.
"Alright, thank you for telling me so much. In return, let me tell you something that I'm most concerned about." Looking at the poor father who was about to die, Baiyi felt an inexplicable sense of sympathy for him. Moving closer to him, he channeled a little bit of Void Energy into his body.
"You!" Nicholas's eyes widened as he glared at Baiyi, "Violator …"
"As expected of the former Chief Judge. Even on the verge of death, you can still recognize me," Baiyi said calmly.
A creepy smile appeared on Nicholas's face as he burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! Who would've thought that the person who would send me off in the end would be the greatest enemy that I've been searching for my entire life …"
"Don't say that … Alright, to make your death more comfortable, I'll tell you another secret," Baiyi said as he pointed at the two murals on the wall. Baiyi said as he pointed at the two murals on the wall. Below the murals were the words "Saint Joel Who Walked Alone in the Abyss" and "The Fearless Holy Knight Hantae"
"Do you remember them? They're with me now. "
After hearing this, a series of complicated expressions appeared on the archbishop's face. Fear, doubt, astonishment, and a little bit of relief?
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