The doors of the governor's office stretched out on both sides, meticulously carved from old maple wood felled three hundred years ago, the door frames inlaid with delicate silver patterns, noble and full of historical沉淀 (chen dian - accumulation).

The office was unusually quiet, even Anielo's previously hoarse roars had come to an abrupt halt, no longer echoing in the spacious three-story Governor's Mansion.

"Loren...!!"

Anielo, his whole body bound by demon-sealing ice thorns, felt刺痛 (ci tong - stinging pains) as he was moved, but the physical pain was insignificant compared to the mental terror.

Seeing Loren again with his own eyes, Anielo's breathing became rapid, each inhalation accompanied by a slight choking sound, as if the air had凝结 (ning jie - congealed) in his throat.

The surrounding noises gradually blurred, and Anielo's eardrums fell into a silent void, echoing only with the sound of his own heartbeat—a rapid, chaotic rhythm. His limbs were already unable to move, and the distance between him and Loren was an abyss he could never cross.

The terror in his eyes, the fear that penetrated to the bone, bound him tightly like invisible chains.

And the two figures on the sofa, Lanchi and Sigrid, sat at ease, appearing even more composed.

Lanchi sat on the left side of the sofa, as dignified as a chess piece, gently stroking the black kitten in his hands.

On the other side, Sigrid leaned against the back of the sofa, supporting her chin with one hand, her palm resting on the armrest, every knuckle exuding power, as if with a flick of her wrist she could make the entire empire tremble. She glanced at Anielo lying on the ground, a look of supreme scrutiny.

The two had completely different temperaments and postures, one as gentle and refined as a poet, the other as majestic and domineering as an empress, but they were surprisingly able to get along harmoniously.

Looking at this atmosphere, Anielo's eyes revealed狂怒 (kuang nu - furious rage), despair, and disbelief.

He had thought that after he left, High Priest Loren would first control the weakened Overheaven Church.

He didn't expect that this woman seemed to trust the High Priest.

Could it be that the Overheaven Church had betrayed the Protoss Empire and reached an unspeakable cooperation with High Priest Loren…?

Anielo was gradually unable to understand the scene before him, and various emotions surged in his heart like a tide.

The feeling of losing everything and falling into the abyss was unbearable.

Anielo's breathing was rapid, his vision skewed, and he only wanted to find a breakthrough, but every last shred of reason told him that there was nowhere to escape.

He suddenly roared: "Loren!! You hypocritical, despicable, two-faced villain! Didn't you say you would let me go?!"

Anielo's voice was as shrill as a night owl, mixed with all his怨愤 (yuan fen - resentment) and unwillingness.

"..."

Lanchi still maintained a slightly upturned corner of his mouth. His smile, in this situation, was even more terrifying to Anielo.

"I'm not killing you, am I? Aren't you living well now?"

He spoke with a hint of naturalness, as if all of this was as a matter of course.

The brief response pierced Anielo's heart even deeper, and his body trembled violently again.

He didn't understand why the High Priest Loren, who was always rumored to be noble, was so cold, hypocritical, and fond of playing with others, even more so than some of the 复生 (fu sheng - Rebirth) Church's枢机主教 (shu ji zhu jiao - cardinal bishops) who had趣味 (qu wei - penchant) for the macabre.

Anielo took a deep breath, his last remaining strength.

He looked at Viscount Qin Si Dun, his voice carrying a trace of fragmented bitterness and struggle: "You've been deceived by him!! He is Loren, the High Priest of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny in the Southern Continent, he is the empire's great enemy! What you're doing will make you sinners of the empire!! You...you don't even know what a catastrophe you've caused!!!"

But.

Viscount Qin Si Dun and those members of the escort, not a single person stood up, nor did anyone agree with Anielo's words. Either they simply didn't care about these things, or they were frighteningly indifferent, staring at Anielo with not the slightest bit of sympathy in their eyes.

Perhaps, they had become even more convinced of something.

That kind of gaze was like looking at someone who was both mad and foolish, completely losing his mind.

Viscount Qin Si Dun shook his head and smiled lightly, walking gently to Lanchi's side on the sofa and bowing respectfully: "Governor-General, you are indeed as wise as a god, you predicted everything."

At this moment, Anielo collapsed completely.

That kind of despair, like寒冰 (han bing - ice), enveloped his whole body, even more so than his frozen body.

The few remaining hopes in his eyes were shattered, and he felt like he was about to lose everything.

"He's a big liar! You've all been deceived by this liar!!!"

Anielo shouted, crying and laughing, as if he had finally been driven mad by this absurd situation.

His heartbreaking, unwilling shouts, every word was like the sound of his final despair.

The others in the room turned a blind eye and deaf ear, not showing the slightest sympathy or understanding, and no one came forward to defend him.

They simply watched Anielo quietly, his madness and虛妄 (xu wang - illusion) manifesting so realistically before them, yet they only saw him as a landscape in a desert, so distant, so indifferent.

Finally, Lanchi sighed.

He looked down at Anielo, his慈悲 (ci bei - compassionate) eyes seemed to see through everything, seeing Anielo's soul bare and exposed.

But he was not as high and mighty as Anielo had seen him in the snowy plains before.

There was no 猫捉老鼠 (mao zhuo lao shu - cat-and-mouse)戏谑 (xi nue - banter).

Only pity and regret, like a kind old headmaster looking at a student who was about to be expelled.

Anielo's trembling hands supported the ground, trying to steady his body and emotions.

His eyes were filled with extreme confusion and terror, staring unblinkingly at Lanchi, trying to find a trace of real answer, or a glimmer of possible life, from those unfathomable eyes.

No matter what, it was High Priest Loren who had captured him. As a believer of the Goddess of Destiny, he should be a very仁慈 (ren ci - benevolent) person, right?

He said he would感化 (gan hua - influence/convert) him with love, and he promised he wouldn't kill him!

"Loren, let me go. Someone of your status shouldn't be dealing with me."

Anielo's voice gradually increased, and the tears in his eyes also slid down, flowing across his pale and determined face, with a sense of视死如归 (shi si ru gui - facing death as returning home)悔过感 (hui guo gan - repentance), as if pleading for Loren's pity.

At this moment, he was like a misunderstood child, not understanding why everything around him had become so strange and indifferent.

"Holy Son, don't believe him..."

Sigrid seemed to want to say something with a hint of anger, but Lanchi stopped her by raising his hand, meaning please believe him, leave it to him.

Lanchi still stared at the Holy Son of Annihilation, the saintly forgiveness still not fading.

"Do you think the meaning of rules and laws lies more in prevention or retribution?"

He asked.

"It's prevention! It's prevention. I promise I will never be an enemy of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny again! I swear to the Goddess of Destiny!"

Anielo answered Lanchi as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.

However, Lanchi simply smiled, the smile carrying a hint of regret and苦困 (ku kun - distress), and shook his head.

"It's retribution. Deterring and reforming criminals are secondary, but doing bad things should be retributed, and not doing bad things should not be retributed. This is the foundation upon which punishment and justice are built, and retribution is its most important function."

Lanchi's expression was rarely serious, telling Anielo the correct answer.

Hearing Lanchi's words and seeing his attitude, Anielo's slightly open lips trembled, and his empty pupils seemed to foresee his future.

His body was even colder, everything around him became blurred, and even his sense of existence became so ethereal.

"Let me go, otherwise, Lord Askesang will not let go of those innocent Church of the Goddess of Destiny 神官 (shen guan - priests)..."

Anielo repeated this sentence over and over again, his crying as if it was his only support, but each time, his voice seemed weaker and more powerless.

"Why? I'm not a member of the Church of the Goddess of Destiny."

Lanchi was taken aback and asked with a slightly puzzled expression.

"...?"

Instantly, Anielo also froze.

He didn't know what Loren meant.

Was Loren still planning to play dumb and耍无赖 (shua wu lai - act shamelessly) at this point?

"I am Loki McCarthy."

Lanchi raised his hand and said very clearly.

"No!!! You are Loren, you killed me, Askesang will know sooner or later that you did it!"

Anielo seemed to be afraid of a fact, screaming in fright. He could no longer distinguish between the truth and falsehood in this city. Since he stepped into this office, this world seemed like a real nightmare.

But the only thing he had to be sure of, and also his only remaining hope, was that the answer was that the other party was the High Priest Loren!

"Sigh—"

Lanchi sighed helplessly,

"Why don't you believe me? Every word I've said to you is the truth."

Lanchi took out the [Imitation Slate - Wind], and also took out his empire ID to show Anielo.

The ID clearly stated—Loki McCarthy.

"Look, I was just joking with you in the snowy plains."

Lanchi smiled a little embarrassedly. No one knew if he was really a little guilty, or if he couldn't hold back his laughter.

Sigrid, who was on the side, finally leaned on the sofa and laughed, holding her stomach. Looking at Anielo's silly appearance, she really couldn't stop laughing and kept hitting Lanchi next to her.

At this moment, Anielo's eyes widened, and everything, the谜题 (mi ti - riddles), finally unraveled in his mind.

"Ah...ah..."

Only after becoming a complete prisoner did he realize that he had a way to kill the Overheaven Church and the Overheaven Holy Son at that time.

However, he was tricked around in circles by fear.

Step by step, he was tricked from the gate of heaven to this inescapable abyss.

His eyes slowly turned blood red, like two jewels immersed in fresh blood, about to shatter, a kind of狂怒 (kuang nu - furious) flame that had been extinguished burning fiercely within them, about to leap out of their sockets and destroy everything.

Every cell, every inch of skin, was trembling, Anielo's mouth twitched, his teeth gnashed, and drops of dark red liquid slipped from the corners of his eyes, not tears, but blood, a proof that he was resentful to the extreme, almost tearing himself apart.

"Lo—ki—!!!"

The Holy Son of Annihilation's heart-wrenching, shrill voice was also a signal representing his complete annihilation.