Three days later.

The wind in late February swept rapidly between the towering buildings of the imperial capital, Helrom. In the winter morning air, the massive structure of the Obliteration Knights stood solemn and majestic.

The building's soaring spires pierced the clouds, its surface engraved with ancient legends of battles against demons. The exterior walls, stacked with snow-white stones, were covered with a thin layer of frost, making it even more mysterious.

Approaching the gate, two knights in dark gray heavy armor stood guard, long spears in hand. Inlaid on the meters-high gate was a carved metal pattern—the holy seal of the Obliteration branch: a cold, ash-gray totem consisting of a hollow eyeball in the center. Though without pupils, it radiated a faint light, as if it had swallowed the last glimmer of hope. Around the edge were several twisted, intertwined chains of vines, with sharp thorns encircling the eyeball, firmly securing it in place.

Once a forbidden existence in the Northern Continent, the Obliteration branch now possessed an office in the imperial capital, Helrom, ultimately named the Obliteration Knights Temple.

The priests working there were mainly responsible for coordinating with other provincial branches in the imperial capital and handling logistics, as well as recently screening new priests who wished to join the Obliteration branch.

After the Church of Resurrection as a whole gained safety permits in the Protoss Empire, the three major branches under the three bishops who were eager to contend for the position of power-holder all expanded rapidly in the empire. Many individuals who had been wandering in the gray areas now had a direct channel to join the big ship that was the Church of Resurrection.

Yesterday, a preliminary examination for new priests had taken place here.

The complete evaluation consisted of a preliminary exam, a secondary exam, and a final assessment.

The preliminary exam, which had already been completed, was a conceptual written test.

The Obliteration branch would notify those who passed yesterday's written test this morning.

And this afternoon, the secondary exam and the final assessment would be conducted simultaneously.

Although the schedule seemed tight, the high level of execution required of priests was a fundamental principle of their Obliteration branch.

As the doors of the Obliteration Knights Temple slowly opened, the outline of a spacious hall was revealed. Huge chandeliers hung from the high dome, emitting white light. The surrounding walls were adorned with oil paintings depicting the Church of Resurrection's actions during the holy war in the Northern Continent.

Arched doorways on both sides led to various rooms inside. Walking along the corridor to the deepest part was the council chamber.

The main council chamber was the most solemn place in the Obliteration Knights, its tall doors made of sturdy oak. Behind it was a spacious, round-table hall with excellent natural light from the high windows. Sunlight streamed through the glass, casting a dazzling array of colors on the tables and walls.

Even though it was still early morning, several high-ranking priests of the Obliteration branch were already seated around the table, their faces grim. The holy seal pendants on their chests, shimmering with purple light, testified to their status.

Stacks of sorted paper rolls and folders lay on the table, detailing the identities and examination scores of the Protoss Empire citizens who had participated in yesterday's preliminary exam.

In the center of the hall, a middle-aged man in dark gray robes was carefully flipping through the documents, wearing a bone ring on his hand and occasionally touching the pages lightly.

He occasionally looked up to ask the other two high-ranking priests for their opinions, while a young knight in dark gray armor recorded the conversations of the high-ranking priests with a pen. The other two high-ranking priests also held several documents each, occasionally discussing the scores of certain candidates.

The atmosphere in the room was solemn. Every priest knew that this examination was part of the Obliteration branch's expansion of power within the empire. Whether they could select talents who could adapt to the empire's new policies might have a significant impact on whether the Obliteration branch could win the bishop election in just over two months.

Under the current situation and policies of the Protoss Empire, they needed personnel skilled in planning or strategy more than forces adept at direct combat.

The middle-aged man in charge of this task in the council chamber, High Priest Caius, was the core of the decision-making process, and everyone else was waiting for his final decision.

The objective and subjective questions in the written test, in addition to examining the examinees' intelligence, learning ability, and basic skills, could also analyze the candidate's essence, personality, and style of behavior to a certain extent.

"I didn't expect him to pass the exam; it seems he did his homework."

High Priest Caius pulled out a test paper and compared it with a matching resume, commenting.

Each examinee had their resume investigated by the church's specialized intelligence officers.

In the document in High Priest Caius's hand, the name column read "Iron Fist" Serio. Beside it was a photo of a burly, dark-skinned half-demon with a single horn on his head and heavy black-gold bracelets on his wrists.

The intelligence stated that he was once a famous gladiator who was banned from competition due to the brutal killings in the arena. It could be seen that he had an almost insane love for combat, but he also disdained attacking the weak, such as not harming children and women. He had been in prison several times.

"He's the kind of guy who has nowhere else to go in this country, but our Church of Resurrection doesn't really exclude half-demons."

The high-ranking priest sitting next to Caius took the test paper with a score of 65, just 5 points above the passing line, and smiled slightly.

"If the Batian branch were also recruiting new people, he would be more likely to go there."

Another high-ranking priest commented.

Generally speaking, the Batian branch would compete with them openly and secretly, especially since they were now in a clear competitive relationship, but this time, surprisingly, the Batian branch had not started recruiting new priests in the imperial capital.

"Those fools are probably afraid of our people infiltrating them again; this time, they are being extra cautious."

"But we must also be careful of the Batian branch causing trouble."

Caius said indifferently, sorting out a few failing test papers, and picked up another test paper with a score just above the passing line.

Originally, both the Obliteration branch and the Batian branch were wanted targets of the empire, with nothing to fear, and they could directly use assassins against each other.

Now, both sides were not allowed to directly use force openly within the empire, but the Batian branch repeatedly fell into a passive position, with priests of the Obliteration branch designing to harm them in secret.

It wasn't that the priests of the Batian branch weren't as smart as them, but their doctrines and personalities determined that they preferred overt schemes, while the Obliteration branch excelled at conspiracies.

The Batian bishop was not one to tolerate either.

Seemingly doing nothing now, but as soon as he found an opportunity, he would settle the score with the Obliteration bishop.

On the resume that Caius picked up again was a young man named "Fire Tongue" Redor, with long red hair and wearing a black priest's robe.

The information stated that he was considered a dangerous fire mage who had burned down an entire village for no specific reason and was known to be irritable and impulsive.

"It can be seen that he is a copycat of Destruction Bishop Ivanos, and it seems that his hair is also dyed to look more like the Destruction Bishop."

Caius's voice was a bit helpless.

Although this candidate seemed to have some mental problems, his score was not bad, a full 76 points.

It could be seen that his qualifications and chaos as an evil person were extremely high.

"If this guy were in the Southern Continent, he would probably follow the Destruction branch."

"Unfortunately, according to Destruction Bishop Ivanos's personality, if he saw someone imitating him, he would probably directly turn him to ashes or dismember him in the most cruel way."

"But the heavyweights should still be behind; these two can only be said to have their own characteristics."

The other two high-ranking priests also laughed.

(End of chapter)