Chapter 287: Chapter 138: So is Authority
"Do you regret it?"
Andrews opened his eyes. His gaze was complex, a mixture of pity, regret, and pain...
"No regrets."
"Good. In that case..."
Ales nodded. His jet-black left arm, brimming with endless calamitous malice, reached forward. The blood-red glow at his fingertips pierced through Andrews’s body without resistance, pulling out a slowly beating golden heart.
"I won’t have any regrets either!"
*POP.*
The golden heart shattered, its essence merging into the pillar of holy light.
In the blink of an eye, the pillar of light slid down from the heavens and slowly vanished into Krimms Cathedral.
As the chapel plunged back into darkness, blood trickled from the corner of Andrews’s mouth. He gasped for breath, a bitter smile on his face. "You’ve won..."
Ales took the forbidden item, 0-78 Rover’s Left Eye, from his hand and shook his head. "It was inevitable. Once I decided to slaughter you all, there was no way I could lose!"
"It’s a shame..."
"What’s a shame?"
Andrews collapsed to his knees, one hand bracing himself on the floor while the other covered his mouth. "A shame... that you’re no longer the Ales I once knew..."
*BANG!*
Before he could finish, Ales swung his jet-black arm and smashed his head. His dark eyes grew even colder.
"I told you before. You brought all of this on yourselves. What is there to pity? Why bother with pity?"
The black lightning around Ales’s body vanished, and his eyes returned to normal.
"Ugh, COUGH COUGH COUGH..."
The moment he left that state, he began to cough violently, his body hunching over as he gasped for air.
’Have I reached my limit?’
’This body... Resurrect!’
With that thought, Ales no longer hesitated. He dragged his exhausted body away, taking the forbidden item with him, and turned to leave the chapel, heading for the confessional near the entrance.
Meanwhile, outside Krimms Cathedral.
Tina’s black eyes were unnervingly bright. With a placid expression, she stared at the continuous holy light barrier before her, then extended the forefinger of one small hand and pointed down at the Holy Professionals below.
"Tina... misses home..."
A bolt of black lightning, as thick as the previous pillar of holy light, tore through the dark clouds and crashed down upon the Holy Professionals.
*RUMBLE!*
The Dawn light barrier and the black lightning clashed violently, the resulting roar whipping through Tina’s long white hair.
"Home..."
Several more lightning bolts appeared, relentlessly striking and dissolving the Power of Faith of all the Holy Professionals.
Behind her, a dark figure watched with great interest. Streaks of calamitous malice converged on Tina one after another, making the surrounding world even more terrifying.
’Not enough. Still not enough. How can calamity be something so crude!’
...
...
「Meanwhile, in the northern part of the Yidrisu District, near the high walls of the city-state.」
Surrounded by her Judgment Knight guards, Kali gripped a short staff and stared blankly in the direction of Krimms Cathedral.
In front of her, Melbel held a saber of light, her eyes under her mask fixed on Bolsen, who had transformed into a demon not far away.
"The holy radiance has dissipated? Something’s happened over there!"
"Your Eminence, Bishop Andrews has returned to the embrace of the Dawn."
"Returned..."
’Teacher Andrews, have you also been sacrificed?’
Kali’s mind flashed back to the lessons Andrews had taught her over the years at the Dawn Academy.
Courage, protection, kindness, judgment...
’So, those who protect the kind can be defeated by evil, the brave and fearless will meet sacrifice, and judgment can be blocked by the Abyss...’
At this thought, Kali turned to look at the Gate of Abyss, from which a massive, thick, black-scaled arm was already extending. A brilliant smile spread across her face. "Melbel, I think I’ve found where my authority lies."
"With the Dawn’s favor upon Your Eminence, that authority will surely be yours!"
"The so-called Dawn is one part light, one part dark. As is its authority..."
As Kali spoke these words of enlightenment, the golden holy light around her body instantly receded. Specks of black slowly gathered on the scepter in her hand, transforming it into a long black sword.
"You’re right. That authority is definitely mine!"
Melbel glanced at the black longsword, a hint of a smile in her eyes. "Your Eminence, please leave this place to me."
"Oh?"
"I believe you are needed more over there right now!"
Kali glanced at the Gate of Abyss, then at Krimms Cathedral. Gripping the black longsword, she leaped into the air. "Perfect. I was also curious to see that malice for myself..."
...
...
"Brother Wei’en, Wei’en..."
’Is someone calling me?’
Wei’en opened his eyes and looked around in a daze.
Before him was a lavishly decorated room. Four gas lamps hung from the ceiling, and two more wall sconces were mounted on the walls to the left and right—all of them lit in an extravagant display.
The soft, black quilt covering him was embroidered with gold thread that glinted under the light.
"Where am I?"
"You’re finally awake," said a young girl in black aristocratic clothes standing before him, sighing in relief. "Father’s decision to punish you was for your own good."
’Father? Punishment?’
A flicker of confusion crossed Wei’en’s face. ’Wasn’t I in the middle of advancing to an Official Mage?’
’This is an Illusion Realm?!’
He looked at the girl and asked calmly, "Where is this place?"
"Huh?" The girl paused, then reached out to touch his forehead. "Are you sick?"
"Just answer my question," Wei’en said, moving her hand away.
The girl sighed helplessly. "Pretto City-State. Your home."
"The one in the Drake Republic?" Wei’en frowned. He remembered the name; it was his predecessor’s hometown.
"Brother Wei’en, are you pretending to have amnesia?" The girl gave him a strange look.
"Brother?"
"You’re still pretending!"
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