Chapter 792 Lan Qi's Atrocities: Seeking Merit Above All Else

Inside the spacious and luxurious administrative suite on the top floor of Purgatory Corridor Academy, soft light always bathed the room, regardless of the swirling wind and snow outside the windows.

Occasionally, the signal light of the magic communication device on the desk would flicker.

Lan Qi shifted his gaze to the light.

Compared to the previous two simulations, this one was six or seven hours later, starting in the evening.

As the principal, he seemed to have been dreaming in his office all day, ignoring even missed calls.

Based on Lan Qi’s understanding of the principal's office, the secretary must have looked for him during the day, but he didn't respond.

And unless it was something very important, the secretary wouldn't bother him in the principal's office, so the information remained unaddressed.

"I wonder if others will worry about us disappearing from Purgatory Corridor Academy for a whole day."

Talia missed Hyperion and Sigrid very much.

"I told Lisandra about my plans for today in advance, and she should relay it to them."

Lan Qi lightly touched the communication magic device, browsing the messages on it.

He didn't dwell on matters outside the Tiberius Mirror, focusing on the task at hand.

It seemed that if he didn't make a choice, every minute he stayed in the principal's office, a minute would pass.

And at this stage, there was very little he could do in the principal's office.

He had almost no contact with the outside world and couldn't use Lancros’s high-level spells.

It felt more like a town safety mode.

If he wanted to use Lancros’s power to travel quickly or fully utilize Lancros’s ninth-tier body in combat, he would have to choose the "personally intervene" option.

As Lan Qi thought this, the information from the Tiberius Mirror stopped, and the first branch appeared.

[Your next choice will be:]

[A. Undying Eternal Punishment]

[B. Go to the Demon King's City]

[C. Return to the Holy Nation]

[D. Personally Intervene]

[Remaining Destiny: 5 days, 04 hours, 30 minutes]

Lan Qi stood in front of his desk, turned off the communication magic device, and looked at the options.

This simulation was based on the premise that Lancros had the experience of the previous two simulations, and the information he held had changed accordingly.

However, the initial options were the same as in the second simulation.

Compared to the first simulation, the only change was that the original first option, "continue to stay," had been eliminated.

Because Lancros knew about the turmoil in the Southern Honing Empire and could no longer sit still.

"There's nothing to consider."

Lan Qi barely needed to hesitate about the options presented by the Tiberius Mirror; they were too familiar.

After reading them, his hand had already selected the Undying Eternal Punishment option on the light screen.

"You really don't have any post-traumatic stress."

Talia sighed in his heart.

Knowing the cost of Undying Eternal Punishment, she was very afraid of the spell.

If Tamisha hadn't helped them pull the plug, the true punishment of this spell might have been "infinity."

She was really scared last time.

There was no end in sight.

She still felt like she had survived a disaster.

But when she thought about how Lancros in history would have to use Undying Eternal Punishment once more outside the Tiberius Mirror, Talia felt a pang of heartache.

…

In reality, there would be no one to save him.

Lancros truly needed to make a decision when facing the ending of the Blood Moon Ruined World.

As Talia was thinking, Lan Qi’s choice of Undying Eternal Punishment began.

In an instant, the office was filled with towering black mist magic power.

The originally stable barrier magic power on the office walls began to fluctuate, drawn by mysterious rules, and the lights became dimmer.

The immense magic power gathered in the air in front of the principal's desk, and the supreme power of the demon world emitted the same fluctuations as the Black Sun.

The black mist magic power gathered and wove, and the air began to tremble until it finally enveloped Lan Qi, forming a black venomous snake around him. Finally, the swirling black mist contracted and rushed into his face.

When the black mist-engraved咒文 (zhòuwén) (incantation) landed on Lan Qi’s left cheek, the surrounding magic power fluctuations gradually subsided, the light dissipated, and everything returned to normal.

[Even though you knew what the consequences of using Undying Eternal Punishment would be.]

[You still resolutely used it, regardless of what eternal punishment you would suffer.]

[You knew that only in this way could you maintain your condition—]

[To complete your final mission.]

"This time, the two of us will be in the void for an unknown amount of time again."

Talia sighed.

Although Tamisha would cut off the power after the two-hour time limit Lan Qi had told her, it was uncertain how much it would deviate.

Once it exceeded a few minutes, it could mean days or even months for them inside the Tiberius Mirror, where time flowed faster.

"I'm sorry for making you suffer with me."

Lan Qi briefly removed his mask, looking at his reflection, which resembled a demon even more, and said with some guilt.

He had clearly said he would let Talia enjoy a good life.

But in the end, he dragged Talia into suffering with him.

"What are you saying? Ever since I’ve been with you, every day has been so good. What's wrong with sharing the burden?"

Talia said with a sense of righteousness.

"As long as I'm here, you will never be alone."

After learning about the void world following Undying Eternal Punishment, she could no longer let Lan Qi enter the Tiberius Mirror alone.

The feeling of two people being trapped in the void was completely different from the feeling of one person being trapped in the void; at least it wouldn't be so lonely.

"Thank you, Teacher. I now realize that my previous evaluation of you was wrong."

Lan Qi put the mask back on his face, covering the centipede-like incantation carved on his cheek. He felt the forbidden power within him that would not wither.

This way, he would no longer see prompts that he was weakening.

"What evaluation?"

Talia asked curiously.

"You should also be a popular type of woman."

Lan Qi answered sincerely.

"..."

Talia was a little unsure whether Lan Qi was praising her or insulting her.

This way of speaking was truly Lan Qi.

She thought.

The demon characters of the Tiberius Mirror continued to appear—

[Your next destination:]

[A. Nicalis]

[B. Saint Trリック (Saint Trick)]

[C. Hershalem]

[D. Personally Intervene]

[Remaining Destiny: 5 days, 04 hours, 29 minutes]

A new choice emerged.

…

"Wait, does this Hanging Lord Tiberius have obsessive-compulsive disorder? He even chopped Hershalem into a neat length?"

Talia was stunned when she saw the third option before realizing that it was the Saint Pereland Holy Nation capital, Hershalem.

"Hershalem sounds like Hershalem when pronounced quickly, no problem."

Lan Qi agreed.

In different languages, there were many ways to transliterate Hershalem; calling it Hershalem wasn't wrong.

As for Nicalis and Saint Trリック, they were the capitals of the demon world and the Honing Empire, respectively.

There was no need to consider going there for the time being.

"So, are you going back to the Holy Nation capital, Saint Pereland, this time?"

Talia understood what Lan Qi would choose, but seeing that he hadn't confirmed the option yet, she asked him.

"I have something to do before I leave."

Lan Qi pressed the communication magic device button in the principal's office.

Although he couldn't use Lancros’s true power without making a choice, even his range of action was very limited, and time would continue to be consumed.

But using some of the original items in the principal's office didn't have any impact.

This small-scale action was something he could do in the illusion, and he had verified it in the previous two simulations. In many of the candidate moments in the fragmented scenes, he could participate in them lightly with his own will.

Actually, he could use Personally Intervene now.

But he wanted to save the chance to fight in the Blood Moon City.

He also wanted to memorize the layout of the Blood Moon City again.

"What can you do now?"

Talia was puzzled.

She felt that there was nothing Lan Qi could do in this principal's office.

Of course, she could understand Lan Qi’s need to experience Blood Moon City.

First of all, the Blood Moon Ruined World was separated from the present world by tens of thousands of years.

They had confirmed this at least dozens of times from the first time they came into contact with the Blood Moon Ruined World until now, but some people just couldn't figure it out and still argued about the timeline in the Ikrith student forum.

In addition, any country in this Blood Moon Ruined World era, including the demon world, had already undergone earth-shattering changes compared to any country in the present world.

Only the Blood Moon City ruins sealed beneath the Southern Continent would not change much in tens of thousands of years.

Lancros’s limit for the Undying Eternal Punishment seal on the vampires was about tens of thousands of years, so the vampire progenitors would begin to unseal one after another at that time in the present world.

Any person in the Blood Moon Ruined World era who resembled someone in the present world, even if they looked like similar flowers to Lan Qi, were reincarnations in Talia’s eyes.

From her understanding of Lan Qi, Lan Qi had once stumbled into the Fate Goddess Church after a hangover and obtained a "memory of another world," where he was an art director and had some understanding of things in the future timeline of the present world.

First of all, it couldn’t be ruled out that Lancros had traveled to a world and experienced a life before being reincarnated as Lan Qi, but what Lan Qi, as an art director, saw and heard about this world in that life must have been fabricated and arranged by the Fate Goddess.

In other words, in fact, "the skills of the art director" were Lancros’s accumulation plus Lan Qi’s painting talent, which originally belonged to him.

And "the art director's understanding of the world"—these were just the Fate Goddess passing the results of divination to him in a way that he could more easily accept.

…

Including even the map of Blood Moon City.

The map of Blood Moon City and the information about the progenitors were obviously Lancros’s knowledge. Lancros had experienced three simulations and one real battle, so he must have had a deep understanding of Blood Moon City. It was not surprising that he could understand the map of Blood Moon City like an art director. And the appearances of the vampire progenitors that Lan Qi was familiar with were exactly the ones Lancros had fought against.

The Fate Goddess was merely returning Lancros’s knowledge to Lan Qi without affecting Lan Qi’s self.

Talia believed she had sorted it out clearly enough.

Even a three-year-old could understand it.

"Of course, I have to make some preparations before leaving."

Lan Qi picked up the receiver of the communication magic device and waited for the connection, answering Talia.

Soon, accompanied by a buzzing sound, a clear demon female voice sounded on the other end.

"Principal, did you call for me?"

The demon language voice of the principal’s secretary came through.

The secretary was still Lisandra.

It was just that compared to the Shadow World, Lisandra in this timeline of Lancros was obviously not as relaxed with him.

Come to think of it, if Miss Witch hadn't lived to the time of the Dark Eclipse Demon World in the third Shadow World, Lancros wouldn't have met and befriended Lisandra in the Demon King's City, Nicalis. Later, even if Lisandra was destined to come to Purgatory Corridor Academy to serve as the principal's secretary, Lancros and Lisandra would be more like superiors and subordinates.

No matter how easy-going Lancros was, he was an unattainable great demon in Lisandra’s eyes.

"Yes, I'll call her for you. Please wait a moment."

Lisandra answered respectfully.

"Thank you."

Lan Qi didn't chat with her any further and put the receiver back in its place.

He sat in the principal's office chair and waited.

Looking up at the dome of the principal's office.

"What are you thinking about?"

Seeing that he was bored, Talia started a conversation with him.

Sometimes she didn't know what Lan Qi was thinking. He seemed to be thinking about nothing, yet he also seemed to be feeling something.

"I'm afraid Sigrid will also become distant from me."

Lan Qi wasn't sure what the real relationship between Lancros and Sigrid was in history.

But according to the fragments of the Demon King's Palace recorded in Kaliella's Shadow Weave, Lancros, in his most disheartened period, wasn't very good to Sigrid at first, but just let Sigrid follow him as if he were carrying a burden.

And Sigrid regarded Lancros as a hope for survival, wanting to gain his protection and learn the power of the avenging vampires from him.

It was Lancros who fell into the gentle village of the Demon King's Palace, causing Lancros to see the illusion of Miss Witch that made Lancros untie his knot and treat Sigrid as his hope for survival and the object he had to protect.

Knock knock.

A knock sounded on the door.

Interrupting Lan Qi’s thoughts.

"Come in."

Lan Qi said, looking towards the door of the principal's office.

"I'm here."

The light-haired nun pushed the door open and entered.

Her amethyst-like eyes met the green pupils under the Pope's mask.

A hint of surprise and joy appeared on the nun's face, but she didn't understand why the Pope had suddenly called for her.

…

"Sigrid, come here."

Lan Qi said to her, signaling her to close the door and come to the desk. He had important matters to discuss.

In Lancros’s timeline, Sigrid was still dressed as a nun. Her smooth, long hair was scattered over her shoulders, and she wore a close-fitting white nun’s robe with silver trim. She wore a Trinity Saint Rune purple ribbon around her waist.

But the aura on her body was still extraordinarily strong, almost at the peak of the eighth tier, only lacking the accumulation of faith power to advance to the ninth tier.

Lan Qi thought about it and realized that Lancros could easily subdue the Profane Lord Merojias, so it wasn’t Sigrid’s turn to take action. There was no problem with her maintaining the attire of a Saint Pereland believer.

"She didn't pounce on you and hug you."

Talia muttered in Lan Qi’s heart, quite surprised.

The Sigrid in front of him was obviously more restrained towards the Pope and understood that she was a mature woman, different from the Pope.

The only thing the same was that Sigrid didn't hide her affection and love in her eyes at all.

"Although the Lancros line simulated by the Tiberius Mirror and the Shadow World are not the same world line, Sigrid is always Sigrid, and her behavior pattern shouldn't change much, such as the way she expresses affection..."

Talia analyzed.

Talia was puzzled.

Where did her precious daughter Sigrid go wrong in the Shadow World? She had to stick to Lan Qi when she saw him.

"That's normal, okay? The Sigrid outside the mirror is like her mind hasn't grown up in twelve years. She still thinks of herself as a little girl. She has to hug me and put her arms around my neck when she sees me. I'm even afraid she'll suddenly kiss me. I can't resist at all."

Lan Qi responded helplessly with his thoughts.

"Don't worry, with me watching closely, this kind of thing will never happen."

Talia said with exceptional confidence.

She understood that Lan Qi’s inability to resist was literally an inability to resist.

But she would protect Lan Qi.

"Sigrid."

Lan Qi said, looking at the figure across the desk, acting as if he was talking about serious business.

"What's wrong?"

Sigrid stared at the pupils under the mask, as if she understood something from them. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she asked worriedly.

"I have a favor to ask of you. Only you can help me with this matter."

Lan Qi spoke solemnly.

…

[After explaining things to Sigrid.]

[You and she split up and returned to the capital of the Saint Pereland Holy Nation, Hershalem...]

The sky over the capital was gloomy and low, and a downpour was imminent.

The towering spire of the Hershalem Papal Hall, reaching into the clouds, was shrouded in a dim haze.

In the square, Sigrid and her party stood ready, watching the tightly closed doors of the hall.

Behind them were groups of Temple Knights and Inquisitors, flanking from both sides.

The changes near the Papal Hall today caught the common people off guard. They only dared to hide in their homes, waiting for the possible change in the Saint Pereland Holy Nation.

"Decades of lies should end today."

High Judge Elm of the Holy Court drew his holy staff, his tone icy and his gaze piercing.

As a confidant of Pope Lancros, he had resolutely chosen to betray the Pope at this moment.

…

The silver-white plate armor shone brightly in the gloom, and their posture was awe-inspiring and upright.

Beside him, the armor of the Inquisitors of the Arbitration Office emitted a faint red light, and the Holy Knight Commander's lance was already unsheathed.

"Kill Lancros! We are not tools for his revenge."

The commander of the Inquisitor Regiment roared, his voice coming from under his helmet, full of rage.

And the true leader, the figure holding a sword and standing in front of the Papal Hall—

She pressed her sword hilt, her purple eyes revealing determination and resolve, and her light-colored hair fluttered in the swift wind like a dazzling banner.

"The Pope has lost himself due to the 'Mental Fracture' left by the Third Progenitor, Raschal. We must stop his revenge against the Honing Empire and never let him continue his madness and cause disaster. This is our responsibility, and it is also to implement the faith he once left us!"

Sigrid, as the Holy Maiden, shouted loudly.

"Charge!!"

The elite forces of the Saint Pereland Church responded with a roar.

Before the words were finished, the doors of the Papal Hall were breached.

The Hershalem Papal Hall, this magnificent and solemn building, stood above the sea of clouds, easily overlooking the panoramic view of the capital city below the layers of clouds.

It was a symbol of power and faith, a spiritual pillar of Hershalem in recent years after the start of the war, and also a source of evil that brewed danger and concealed the truth.

The knight army led by Sigrid broke through layer upon layer of steps and finally reached the interior of the Papal Hall.

A thunderous response erupted from the crowd.

Horns blared in unison, and battle robes fluttered.

Under the command of Sigrid, the Royal Guards, the Temple Knights, and the Inquisitor Regiment charged into the Papal Hall in a mighty torrent, facing the rushing torrent of the Papal Hall Guardian Knights head-on, like an army of thousands, unstoppable.

"You traitors, have you gone mad?!"

The loyal Guardian Knights of the Pope, with firm voices swearing to defend the Pope and maintain the national destiny, questioned.

"You are the traitors who have abandoned their faith!"

The warriors on both sides collided like a storm, erupting in a deafening clash of metal.

Sword light was like snow, spear shadows flickered, and armor collided, sending sparks flying.

Sigrid charged in the front, like a Valkyrie descending to the world.

She waved the Saint Pereland Guardian Sword in her hand, and nothing could stop her.

The Guardian Knights under the Pope came one after another. Her figure was graceful, sometimes rushing forward and sometimes jumping. No enemy could get within a few meters of her.

The Holy Knight Commander and the Commander of the Inquisition followed behind Sigrid, each displaying their strengths.

The two eighth-tier powerhouses of the Saint Pereland Church were like gods of war, decisive in killing and showing no mercy.

The Holy Knight Commander continued to cast divine magic, stirring up thunder, and the Inquisitor Commander's hammer technique was fierce, opening and closing widely, unstoppable.

The surrounding enemies fell one after another, winding down from the high steps of the Papal Hall, and black mist diffused on the marble floor.

Before long, the assembled forces led by Sigrid successfully broke into the front of the Throne Hall.

Pushing open the towering, elaborately decorated purplish-black iron mesh door, they were greeted by a cold aura from under the towering dome.

The huge circular hall, large enough to accommodate thousands of people, had walls made of azure marble, carved with statues of saints and knights, glittering with gold edges. In the center of the arched ceiling was a huge crystal chandelier with thousands of swaying candles, illuminating the entire hall brightly.

…

On both sides of the long red carpet leading to the throne, there were still densely packed Black Knights in full armor.

They were clearly more powerful than the Guardian Knights outside, holding spears like mechanical puppets, their eyes scarlet and cold, and the corners of their mouths showed cruel lines, like stern statues.

Even the holy light began to distort and deform, and the music in the Papal Hall accelerated and changed its tone, becoming a bewitching requiem.

Many clerics who had followed Sigrid in couldn't help but shiver.

From some point on, the atmosphere in the Hershalem Papal Hall made them feel so frightened and bone-chilling.

This further verified the facts unanimously recognized by the Holy Maiden Sigrid and the High Judge Elm and other high-level officials of the Saint Pereland Church—

The Pope had indeed fallen.

Click, click.

The footsteps of the elite silver-armored knights sounded behind them, and all of them arrived at the final battlefield, the Throne Hall.

They had already set up the Sky Shield Array.

And Empress Kexia had long ago handed over the treasure of the nation to the Holy Maiden Sigrid, instructing her in this papal crusade and allowing her to manipulate the power of the Hershalem city defense barrier to suppress the Pope.

Even the royal family had chosen to support the Holy Maiden Sigrid.

Although the Temple Knights were not sure whether the Holy Maiden Sigrid's desperate struggle would succeed.

But as long as she could accomplish this feat, she would definitely become the new Holy Emperor of the Saint Pereland Holy Nation and advance to the new ninth tier of the Holy Nation in the future by relying on the power of the Saint Pereland faith.

"..."

Standing at the forefront, Sigrid shifted her gaze to the throne at the end of the red carpet, full of guarded hostility.

That was a staircase dozens of meters high, and at the end was the figure of Pope Lancros Saint Anastasius.

"Here you are, my beloved daughter. Why are you turning against me?"

He was wearing a pure white robe, a triple crown and a silver-white mask, and held a black mist bone staff. He sat lazily on the throne, looking down at all living beings from afar.

The stained glass around the hall projected colorful halos, reflecting on the Pope. His mask had a kind face with kind eyes, and the corners of his mouth had a faint smile, showing a kind and loving appearance.

But his bewitching voice made all the clerics feel terrified.

Even to Sigrid, whom he had personally raised, he seemed to have lost all the care he should have, full of teasing attitude.

"You are no longer Lancros. You are just a dead spirit blinded by hatred!"

Sigrid's eyes were full of struggle and reluctance, but she had already made up her mind.

"..."

The clerics looked at Sigrid's trembling hand holding the sword hilt and her trembling words, and they all understood that she was the most painful person to assassinate the Pope and do such a rebellious thing.

"Is that so—?"

The white-robed Pope's voice dragged on for a long time, as if humming a little tune.

He finally stood up.

"I never thought that I would have to kill you with my own hands today, Sigrid."

The Pope looked down at Sigrid from afar, and his eyes became a little sharper.

Sigrid's gaze crossed numerous obstacles and met Lancros', who was high above.

In an instant, time and space seemed to stand still, and everything was silent.

…

Only the two souls with undecided victory and defeat silently confronted each other in the torrent of history, ushering in the final moment of judgment.

"You are not worthy to call my name like that anymore."

Sigrid gripped the sword in her hand, took firm steps, and stepped onto the stairs leading to the throne without hesitation.

She approached the fallen dictator step by step, determined to remove his decaying shell and announce the truth to the world.

"Oh? It seems that I have been too tolerant of you usually, which has condoned you, this little wolf cub who doesn't know the immensity of the heavens and the earth."

Suddenly, a thunderclap exploded, and a torrential rain fell outside the Papal Hall, splashing layers of mist on the marble floor.

"I'm no longer your little wolf cub."

Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating Sigrid's face from the rose window on the side.

Her figure flashed and she was close to Pope Lancros, launching an attack directly at Lancros.

"This kind of thing is not up to you. Your life was originally given by me, and I can take it back at any time."

The Pope waved his staff, and a colorful black light descended from the sky, enveloping Sigrid.

She gritted her teeth, held the sword in both hands and shook off the Pope's dark magic. The sword's blade crossed, and she used her great strength to chop at the Pope. The staff and the long sword collided with a deafening roar.

The Pope had already used telekinetic magic to bless the black mist bone staff in his hand, and the two powerful forces were vying against each other, but it was difficult to distinguish the outcome.

When the blessing of the Sky Shield Array and the priests landed on her, the Pope's pace began to step back half a step.

"Lancros, you have indeed weakened too much. You can't win against me now!"

Sigrid shouted.

"Foolish, it's too early for you to want to defeat me."

The white-robed Pope sneered disdainfully,
"How can a secular body shake the authority of the holy Pope!"

He emptied one hand, and a dazzling black obsidian condensed in his palm. Countless chains broke through the air and went straight to Sigrid's limbs and joints.

Sigrid's strength climbed again and again, biting her teeth and holding the sword towards the Pope.

The Pope sneered, and the staff in his hand lightly tapped, and the outbreak of telekinetic magic instantly shook Sigrid back.

At a critical moment, Sigrid was dragged away from the throne by the chain and smashed to the ground, causing the entire temple to tremble.

Not only that, the Pope's combat experience was incomparable to anyone. He was shrouded in an invisible but indestructible shield.

No matter how Sigrid's sword was blessed with full power, taking advantage of the chain being dragged and counterattacking, even if she had chopped him earlier, it could only ripple on the surface of the shield.

"Sigrid, if you are willing to submit to me again, you are still my beloved daughter. I can love you even more and forgive your betrayal."

The Pope opened his hands, raised them high, and looked at Sigrid under the steps, his eyes becoming gentle, as if he could give her a hug, and as if he wanted to dominate her.

"..."

Sigrid steadily stood up from the ruins, her eyes showing some hard-to-hide wavering, as if she was really about to be unable to resist the Pope's temptation and was about to pounce into his arms and push him down.

Then she shook her head sharply and recovered her determined killing intent.

Sigrid once again attacked the Pope head-on.

…

"Don't be disturbed by his mental magic!"

This time, the Holy Knight Commander and the Commander of the Inquisition, who had broken free from the Black Knight army, also flanked the Pope from both sides of the long steps.

They were sure that Sigrid had almost been bewitched by the Pope's crooked mental magic.

How sinister, how evil!
"Yes!"

Sigrid responded against her conscience.

In fact, the Pope didn't use any magic just now.

Her arms slammed forward, and purple pupils burst into light. The power of her fist was like lightning in the night, determined to take the Pope's life in this strike!

The Inquisitor Commander did not give the Pope a chance to dodge at all. His huge figure swung his war hammer and arrived in front of the Pope again.

At this moment, he showed a killing intent, his armor surrounded by a faint red halo, as hot and fierce as burning.

The Holy Knight Commander's imprisonment magic also followed, making it impossible for the Pope to avoid it.

Buzz!!

Sigrid's fist was like hitting an invisible iron wall. Black mist began to erupt on the ground in front of the throne, and metal humming and air waves rose again and again in circles.

The unprepared Saint Pereland Pope had to take this head-on double eighth-tier offensive up close.

Inside the magic barrier, the Pope's black magic was like a blade, cutting out scars on the ground of the Throne Hall, blocking all the space between the rebels and him.

The Pope fought three people alone, and the offensive and defensive momentum reversed. The killing intent that burst out from his former companions was constantly burning his body.

The green pupils under his silver-white mask briefly lost their focus.

It seemed that he remembered some past scenes, and his movements stopped.

The indestructible shield outside the white robe also began to disintegrate.

"Pope, go on your way."

The imperial eighth-tier assassin lurking in the dark quickly notched an arrow and fired several arrows at the Saint Pereland Pope in succession.

The sound of the arrows breaking through the air was sharp and ear-piercing.

His arrows never missed, and the Saint Pereland Pope was unable to spare any energy to block all the arrows.

With a few "chi chi" sounds, several arrows penetrated the Pope's robe, and blood splattered.

The Pope clutched his shoulder and staggered back a few steps.

"Sigrid, now is the time!"

The Holy Knight Commander shouted.

Sigrid understood, pulled out her sword again. The white knight battle robe fluttered in the air, and her figure was as agile as a swimming dragon. The sword in her hand went straight for the center of the Pope's eyebrows.

At this critical moment, a sudden change occurred!

"No! I won't lose like this..."

The Pope muttered to himself, shaking his head like a madman.

The entire ceiling of the Papal Hall issued a deafening tearing sound, and countless rubble collapsed down.

Immediately afterwards, overwhelming red lotus karmic fire spewed out from the ground, sweeping through this temple in the clouds.

In the center of the karmic fire, a behemoth rose from the ground and gradually took shape.

It was a nine-headed fire serpent with a body length of dozens of meters and covered in scales.

"Even if four eighth-tier experts besiege me, with you, Sigrid, as the leader, you are close to the ninth tier. You are not my opponent. Absolutely not!" The Pope stood up tremblingly, raised his black mist bone staff, and recovered his crazy state.

His words sounded like he was emphasizing the rationality of the outcome of this battle, but none of the knights present would relax and think about whether the Pope was explaining.

…

Before the words were finished, the nine-headed fire serpent had already pounced on everyone, opened its bloody mouth, and spewed out a fiery breath.

The rolling flames swept across the ground, and wherever it passed, the marble floor tiles were burned black and cracked, and scalding steam rose.

The barrier formed by the knights' shield array fully resisted the flames.

Sigrid quickly leaped back, barely dodging the serpent's breath, and felt the scorching heat wave coming at her.

She looked up and saw that the summoned object's body blotted out the sky, and its eighteen giant eyes flickered with greedy and crazy red light. Its fangs were like forests, and its claws were like hooks.

But Sigrid had no fear, but was full of fighting spirit.

"The Pope has been forced to use the power of summoned beasts. Don't be afraid!"

She turned her head and shouted, encouraging the knights.

"I am under the command of Empress Kexia to help you!"

The imperial assassin followed closely and joined the main battlefield.

The two top powerhouses of the Saint Pereland Church looked at each other and also joined the battle.

The nine-headed fire serpent was even more excited when it saw the humans taking the initiative to attack and let out a deafening roar.

It suddenly folded its wings and swooped down towards the ground.

Its claws drew several deep ravines on the marble floor, splashing rubble everywhere.

Sigrid took the lead in meeting the attack, threw away her sword, and punched the fire serpent.

With a loud bang, Sigrid's arm strength was astonishing. She actually condensed a dazzling light in her palms and grabbed the fire serpent's front paws with her bare hands.

At the same time, on the other side of the nine-headed fire serpent, the war hammer in the Inquisitor Commander's hand was filled with deep red fire and slashed fiercely at the serpent's body. The serpent's scales were extremely hard, and it didn't move at all. Instead, it shook the Inquisitor Commander's mouth numb.

The imperial assassin fired arrows in succession, aiming at the serpent's eyes, but the scales on the head of the nine-headed fire serpent were even thicker. The arrows broke one after another and were dodged by it closing its eyes.

The Holy Knight Commander leaped high, holding the holy spear and piercing the serpent's neck from top to bottom.

Even the Holy Knight Commander, who was known for his all-around ability, only slightly embedded the tip of his spear into the dragon scales and could no longer go any further.

The nine-headed fire serpent raised its head and roared, using its limbs to exert force, and actually shook the four people away at the same time.

Sigrid forcibly resisted this attack and barely stabilized her body after five steps.

"Sigrid, with only this level of strength, do you want to sit in my seat?"

The Saint Pereland Pope on the throne had not finished speaking, when the nine-headed fire serpent arched its back, and its whole body was shrouded in a layer of dazzling red light.

The light became more and more dazzling, and the entire Papal Hall was as bright as day.

Immediately afterwards, a shrill whistling sound came from the center of the light sphere, causing all the clerics present to feel their souls trembling.

The Pope could not be defeated.

This thought filled everyone's minds.

A sense of despair began to spread, linking everyone's moods.

"I will tell you that I am the strongest. You can just get out of that position."

Sigrid pointed to the throne from afar and spoke to the Saint Pereland Pope in an extremely domineering manner.

The more disadvantaged she was, the more enthusiastic her fighting spirit became.

The aura on her body was so strong that she was like the queen of this land—she was never satisfied with controlling what was in front of her, but wanted to conquer everything she could see.

Seeing that this unstoppable behemoth was about to break through their defenses and destroy the entire Papal Hall.

Just then.

…

Moonlight descended.

Perhaps it was an arrangement by the Goddess of Fate, or perhaps it was a blessing from the Silver Moon Goddess.

Silver light bloomed on Sigrid's body.

Her injuries recovered in an instant, and her state was far beyond what it had been before.

The Temple Knights were surprised by the sudden arrival of hope at this moment.

"Even the gods are on our side!"

Sigrid's voice echoed throughout the Hershalem Papal Hall.

"Yes, the gods are on our side!"

The other clerics looked at Sigrid's divine blessing-like radiance and her