"Blinded by greed and corrupted by devils, Sardes, you have betrayed the teachings of the Lord. You will suffer forever," Benedict II said solemnly. Benedict II said in a low and majestic voice. There was a wonderful beat between the rhythms, which seemed to be able to awaken one's conscience and make them repent in tears.
He was still calm and casual, as if Sardes could be baptized again and pardoned as long as he lowered his head and repented.
However, Sardes knew very well that such an attitude was not a big deal in normal times, but the more serious it was right now, the more determined the pope was. Heretics were ten thousand times more abominable than infidels, and heretics who tried to steal his power and murder him were a million times more abominable than infidels. They had to be stomped on even if they were knocked down!
It was absolutely impossible for them to be reconciled. The pope said that with a mixture of words and divine power in order to lower his wariness. He did not know his secrets and his supporters yet.
Sardes raised his head. His panic a moment ago was completely gone. His hair and beard were all standing, making him look like a real saint who was sacrificing himself to defend the glory of the Lord. He berated, "The previous popes cheated the Lord's power and glory and claimed that they were the Lord's spokesperson on earth and his incarnation. They were the greatest infidels! I've listened to the teachings of the Lord and received the support of the Angel King. Today, I'm going to eliminate you, the greatest devil! "
"It seems that you have truly been blinded by the so-called secrets." Benedict II raised his staff.
While the two of them talked, Natasha had been suppressing her extraordinary powers and retreating from Paradise on Earth quietly and solemnly. Although she had the Sword of Truth, a level-three legendary item, she was not confident that she could survive the aftermath of the battle between the pope and Sardes. She only hoped that Paradise on Earth could resist the first wave.
Sardes did not say anything else. His vibe changed, and something seemed to be added to his body. Unpredictable, vast, and transcendent, he got rid of the lock of Benedict II and blinked to the sky.
His strength was definitely at the peak of legendary!
"Devil who stole the power of the Lord, prepare to be judged!"
Benedict II raised his platinum staff and tore apart the space, chasing Sardes to the clouds on his opposite side.
"You are one and all."
"It's an instant, and it's also an eternity."
"The Creator, and the Ruler."
As Sardes recited these lines of the Holy Scripture, he seemed to be in another world. His body emitted a majestic and holy milky white light, and a feeling of superiority and transcendence arose spontaneously.
All the believers in Renstadt were inexplicably moved at the same time. They cried tears of joy as they prayed.
"You are one and all."
"It's an instant, and it's also an eternity."
…
The ocean of holy light in Paradise on Earth calmed down, and the waves that were shaking in the battle of legends calmed down. Gentle and peaceful hymns came out:
"You are one and all."
"It's an instant, and it's also an eternity."
…
Wrinkles appeared on Sardes's face at a visible speed. His skin lost its luster, and he looked like a dry body. He raised his right hand, and the projection of Mountain Paradise appeared in the sky. The sacred brilliance even eclipsed the sun. Hollow, pleasant songs and praises echoed at the same time. Infinite light began to gather at the boundless cluster of light on the seventh floor.
Such a familiar scene undoubtedly indicated one thing, which was that Sardes could use it too.
"God's Arrival!"
As a qualified schemer, one's own strength was always the foundation of all schemes!
"So, you have accepted his power and touched the secret, too. You are one step further than the heretic in the north. No wonder you were bold enough to ascend to the throne. But are you not scared that your life will be exhausted and you will die?" The pope suddenly switched to the most primitive way of communication. He was both surprised and calm as he had expected. "Did you tempt the Angel King, or did he tempt you? What did you run into in the World of Souls exactly?"
Sardes looked at Benedict II with his eyes that had become cloudy again. "I might not be killed with God's Arrival, but I will certainly be killed if you catch me. Only one person in the world can know the secret. As for what I ran into, you can ask me after you catch me."
Such communication was on the spiritual level and was completed in the blink of an eye.
Benedict II smiled and raised the platinum staff in his hand again. The sacred brilliance that was even more magnificent and sacred than that of Sardes dispersed and enshrouded him in it. He chanted devoutly and quickly.
"You are one and all."
"It's an instant, and it's also an eternity."
"You are the creator, and you are the dominator."
The believers in Rentato, the entire parish of Holm, the Holy City of Lance, and all the clerics in those places were either more touched or more joyful. They all began to pray, too.
"You are one and all."
"It's an instant, and it's also an eternity."
…
Benedict II's eyes were deep and profound, as if countless brilliant stars were connected into the shape of a cross. The projection of Mountain Paradise behind him arrived in hymns and light, which was even clearer than that of Sardes. In the meantime, it greatly interfered with Sardes' God's Arrival, which he had been preparing for, and it took him a long time to stabilize it.
"You …" Sardes was slightly surprised to see that Benedict II was not worried at all that his vitality would be consumed. Also, God's Arrival seemed no different from normal.
Benedict II's lips curled in a mocking smile. "Do you think that I wouldn't have studied the secret more deeply after knowing it for so many years?"
"As for death, it's actually not so terrible."
He was aging quickly, too, but in a much smaller way than Sardes.
"Heretic, accept the judgment of the Lord!" The projection of Mountain Paradise above Benedict II's head was gathered and flooded into the seventh floor. Then, infinite ivory brilliance drowned the sky.
Sardes, on the other hand, performed his own God's Arrival too.
"Devil who steals the power of sovereignty, accept your judgment!"
There was nothing in the sky except the ivory holy light.
God's Arrival versus God's Arrival!
… …
Outside of Renstadt, the backup contact squad of the Congress of Magic that was not covered by "Paradise on Earth".
They turned on electromagnetism messaging and connected to the artificial planet, sending out intelligence to the distance.
Deep inside the Dark Mountain Range, with the cooperation of the Grand Dukes Of Orvarit, Stanis successfully brought him out of Aalto and threw him into the magic tower. Then, he opened the Portal to Alternate Realm that had been prepared earlier and reached a place where countless volcanoes were surging.
He walked into the palace at the center of the volcano directly. The majestic voice of Danisos, the primordial dragon of time who was on duty here, came out of the palace. "Stanis, what are you doing here? Do you want to join us? "
"Danisos, let's talk about that later. I'm only here to tell you something. The Church and the Congress of Magic are at war. The pope, Melmax and the other twelve Grand Cardinals are fighting in the sky of Renstadt. The Angel King has arrived in person too."
After a brief silence, Danisos said with deep hatred, "Is that so?"
His wife was "Avrora", who was killed by the pope's God's Arrival. Through the relationship with the werewolf prince, the Demogorgon of Eyes, and the sorcerers of ancient heritage, the Congress of Magic had "adjusted" the order of guarding the headquarters of the Dark Congress so that he would be here "coincidentally".
If they asked for the help of the Dark Congress in advance, it might be counterproductive because many legendary experts in the Congress of Magic were hostile to them too. They might as well distract a primordial dragon of time at the peak of legendary without giving him more time to consider!
"But I think that Dracula would rather let the Church and the Congress of Magic fight for a while first and not take action until both parties suffer heavy losses." That was exactly why the Dark Congress did not listen to anyone. God's Arrival was a great deterrence.
Stanis smiled. "That's a very good idea. But why don't we have some desserts before the feast? The Church is weak in many places. Taking down one or two saint cardinals or legendary Knight will be the most substantial gains. "
Holding back his hatred, Danisos said, "I'll inform Dracula and Rhein first."
After a while, he said in confusion, "Rhein is gone again …"
… …
Looking at the sky thousands of kilometers away from Paradise on Earth and the ocean of light that seemed to have been replaced by the blue sky, Lucien was rather scared. Sardes was capable of God's Arrival too?
That was beyond all his expectations!
Then, Lucien stopped worrying about anything and simply went to Natasha's palace through the external defense of divine power. He did not enter just now because he was worried that the pope would erase him casually when he arrived.
Because of his modification, Lucien knew the weaknesses and loopholes of the external defense very well. He easily saw Natasha who had retreated from Paradise on Earth.
Even though she was brave and determined, her right hand that was holding the Sword of Truth was shivering. She was the one who bore the greatest risk in Plan III!
If the pope did not believe her, and Sardes arrived, she would lose the best opportunity to escape. If the pope believed her, but he also guessed that something was wrong with her, he would kill her by the way. If everything went well in the beginning, but the aftermath of their battle was so powerful that she could not resist or escape with the Sword of Truth, she would still be killed. She would be as precarious as a pile of eggs.
However, how could one cherish one's life when one wanted to achieve great things? Claiming victory without taking risks could only happen when one was much stronger than the other. Also, Lucien had wasted a legendary item for her. In that case, why didn't she face the danger head-on like a real Knight?
Natasha calmed herself down. "I'm fine. Let's seize the time to convene a meeting of nobles. We'll work together to influence the general trend and the decisions of the legendary Knights. You will control the pivot of the divine power barrier in Renstadt. Mr. Winston will stop Kritonia. He will not help me, but he will not stop you either, or he will be completely on the Church's side."
Because of the battle of legends, the nobles who came did not dare to leave. The Nekso Palace with the divine power defense circle was the safest place in Renstadt. Of course, they had been looking for an opportunity to escape out of the city, but it was a pity that they did not understand the mysteries of Paradise on Earth. The more they struggled, the less likely they were to succeed.
"Alright." Lucien did not waste time. It was not a good opportunity to communicate. In the meantime, he turned his head and nodded at the silver-haired man who walked out of the palace nearby. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Rhein."
The handsome man in a black shirt and a red coat was exactly Rhine, the Silver-Eyed Count. He chuckled and said, "According to my previous promise, I will let you choose a legendary item after I get out of here. Since you are willing to give it up in exchange for my protection for Natasha for a while, I have no objection. I don't have many legendary items anyway."
With the power of the Silver Moon, it was very likely that he could save Natasha and escape, unless the pope launched a fatal attack without caring about his life.
"However, you didn't tell me the details in advance. If you knew that the enemy was Sardes …"
Rhein raised his head and chuckled at the terrifying scene of God's Arrival in the sky.
"I've always been a narrow-minded man."