Chapter 482: Truth
"Hahaha, what did I tell you, Charles? I told you that you'd end up just like me!" the deformed infant said, laughing maniacally.
Charles glanced at Swann's deranged face. He didn't even bother replying as he turned to the Pope standing next to him.
"The Feaster's Chosen One is one of the sacrificial offerings, and you've taken advantage of the gargantuan Ronker to deal with Divinities. Were all these part of your scheme?" Charles asked.
The Pope smiled proudly and asked back, "Do you really think that Swann could have created Ronker by himself? And who do you think had leaked to him the ritual to summon the Feaster?"
"Impressive." Charles smiled coldly. "You sacrificed the more than ten million people of the Albion Isles for your scheme?"
The Pope seemed surprised as he stared at Charles. "How come you've decided to bring that up? Shouldn't you be more concerned about yourself rather than others at this point?"
Charles looked down at his unscathed self and said, "I'm Edikth's Chosen One, which means that my purpose isn't just to locate the 'door.' Am I right? I think I'm one of the remaining two sacrificial offerings."
"Edikth. When my Lord was born, it was He who had created the door and the key to the prison of my Lord. Only those with His power can locate my Lord's prison cell," the Pope said, and a cold light flashed in his eyes as his words fell.
"Since when did you start this scheme of yours? Was Kord a part of your plan?"
The Pope didn't answer Charles' question directly but instead lamented, "Kord. I remember that child. Although he was unwilling to accept the Light God's blessing, he was a good child. I decided to take his soul and allow him to be resurrected in the Light God's divine kingdom."
"What about that colossal door above the island inside the colorful bubble? Did you create that door for the sake of deceiving me into working for you? Everything you've done so far has always been for the Light God's sake, right?
"Admit it; there has never been an exit to the surface world, right? You've been lying to me all this while," Charles asked softly, voicing out the burning questions in his mind.
The Pope shook his head. "No, Charles. As a believer in the benevolent Light God, I've always adhered to my Lord's covenant. I absolutely do not utter even a single lie. I've never lied to you at all."
Charles revealed a sarcastic smile and jeered, "Is that so? The Light God is benevolent? A benevolent god is actually willing to sacrifice the lives of more than ten million people just to escape his prison? You've never lied to me? Really?
"I've never heard you speak of the truth at all!"
The Pope remained calm as he stared at Charles. "My goal. What was it again?"
The Pope didn't wait for Charles' reply as he proceeded to answer his own question. "I didn't lie when I said that I wanted to find the key to the surface world. The Light God leading His followers to the Land of Light was true, too.
"I've also kept my promise with Anna to absolutely never harm you or let you die. As a devout believer in the benevolent Light God, I absolutely do not lie."
"Is there any point in saying that to me now that we're here?"
"I haven't deceived you at all. You're free to leave anytime you wish," the Pope said.
His words surprised not only Charles but Swann as well.
The infant made from a hodgepodge of flesh and machinery cursed and roared, "Why are you going to let him go?! Kill him! He's one of the sacrifices, so if he leaves, your Light God will not be able to escape!"
The Pope raised his hand slightly, and Swann's lips fused together. "How noisy."
Charles cast an astonished gaze at the Pope. He truly had no idea what the other party was trying to do here. However, one thing was for sure: he had to try and leave here, regardless of whether the Pope had told him the truth or not.
If Charles wanted to find the exit to the surface world, he would have to escape from the Pope's control first before anything else.
Having made up his mind, Charles turned around and started walking toward the distant metal gate. He had just taken a few steps when he was struck by an extreme burning sensation that instantly pervaded him.
The burning sensation wasn't like the burning sensation that one would feel from ordinary flames. The burning sensation had pervaded his bones, radiating all the way to his skin.
Charles felt like every single cell in his body was set ablaze.
"Ah, Charles. It seems that you've forgotten the contract between us. It was a contract we signed with a relic, and you even told me that the consequences of breaching that contract would be severe, so how come you've forgotten it?"
There was a woosh, and a red flame engulfed Charles, transforming him into a ball of flames. It was the punishment meted out to him by the marker relic. According to the contract he had signed, he had to assist the Pope in finding the exit to the surface.
Charles stepped backward, and the red flames vanished instantly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Loud banging noises echoed behind Charles, and he found Swann pounding the floor with his tiny fists as he sprawled out in the middle of the array. He was laughing so hard that his tears overflowed.
He was truly overjoyed to see Charles' plight.
Charles turned to look at the Pope and said, "Actually, I still have one move up my sleeve."
Charles raised his left prosthetic arm, and the flesh revolver appeared in his hand. Then, he aimed it immediately at his temple and pulled the trigger.
A red and white mist erupted; even Charles' tough skin couldn't withstand the flesh revolver's power and its white bone bullet. Then, Charles stuck his fingers into the hole in his head and pulled out his pinkish brain.
"Why bother doing something meaningless? You know that you're undying in this place," the Pope said. He took out a pocket watch from his sleeve and turned it a few times with a forceful twist.
Charles' time seemed to rewound like a tape, and every single action he had taken until the Pope had twisted the pocket watch was reversed at the same speed as he had done it.
The Pope smiled as he stared at Charles. "Calm down. I think you've misunderstood something here. We are no longer allies, but we aren't enemies, either.
"The key to the surface world is with the Light God, so once the Light God is out, you will be able to go back to your homethe world where you had come from."
"You're going to let me go home despite sacrificing me? What's going to go home? My corpse?"
"I am indeed planning on sacrificing you, but I'm going to sacrifice myself as well. Do not be afraid. We will be together."
We will be together? The peculiar phrasing made Charles freeze and ponder over it. Before he could understand what the Pope meant, the Pope moved and stepped inside one of the four circles for the sacrificial offerings.
"Come with me. Let's go and rescue the Light God together. Once He's out, you'll be able to go home."
Charles' mouth curled up into a smile. He chuckled and shook his head slightly before replying, "No, I still don't believe you. You've been emphasizing that you absolutely do not lie, but I still don't believe you.
"The only outcome here is my death in exchange for the Light God's release. And since I'm going to die anyway, I'd rather not release the Light God. At the very least, my family on the surface will be safe; I'm the only one who's going to die."
Wooosh!
The red flames manifested once more, and Charles was set ablaze. However, he endured the excruciating pain and ran toward the exit. He had to leave this place and return to the surface. He had to run away from the Pope first before he could proceed with any of his plans.
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