Volume Four: Withering in the Mortal World - Chapter 358: Angel Hunting Grounds (1)

"There's really trouble over there..."

"Is it really the legendary Heavenly Law? If so, Sadington's side is doomed to defeat!"

"That's precisely why we have a place to prove ourselves. We've marched for so long, and the Blood Blade Knights are fighting desperately on the western front. Do you all want to just leave without doing anything?"

Of course not!

"I've been wanting to teach those bastards from the Vatican a lesson for ages!"

"War! War!! War!!! War!!! War!! War!!!!!"

Yun Can, now in adult form, looked at the high-spirited Rakshasa Army and nodded in satisfaction. At that moment, her adjutant cautiously asked—

"But Sect Master, since Lady Loxue has made this arrangement, then she..."

"Then why would she take that risk? Idiot, do you really think Loxue is some kind of all-knowing sage? No matter how smart she is, she couldn't possibly have foreseen the appearance of the Heavenly Law."

"Then why did she still—"

"It's precisely because unforeseen circumstances are unpredictable that she makes every effort to prepare. The last chaotic battle in Torres served as a reminder to her. 'Since we can't predict what unexpected changes might occur, we should just come up with a simple plan that can handle all unforeseen situations'—that's what she told me, and her hard work certainly paid off... Alright, it's time."

Yun Can stood up and gazed at the distant city.

"The Papacy's focus is now on Sadington, making this the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack. I hereby declare— the Rakshasa Army, the operation to capture the central city, commence!!!!"

In the central part of the West Saint Continent, a sudden war has broken out, but the people of Sadington are unaware of it.

"Who... is it?!"

This was the first time Tianlu had ever seen such a violent flame. Although it was far less powerful than her holy flame, its aggressiveness was astonishing, and for some reason, it had a strong bloody aura.

The stench of blood. Blood...

"Tsk..."

The mere thought of the word "blood" made Tian Lu frown.

Blood.

The bearers of life.

The currency of the soul.

And the only person in history to possess the superpower to Blood Manipulation, "The Bloody Saintess" Ai Kasser.

This is also the greatest disgrace in the history of the Papacy over the past thousand years.

The Kasser Saintess, Ai Kasser, lived two hundred years ago.

Born in a remote village in the 7th diocese of the Kasser Province, his original name was Al Warrensding.

At the age of eleven, her stunning beauty, so different from that of the small village, led to rumors that she was an angel incarnate, which attracted the attention of the local church.

She took her first vows at the age of twelve, was baptized, and entered the monastery in the main city of the Seventh Diocese as a novice nun.

At the age of fifteen, he entered the Cathedral of Kasser in the main city of Kasser due to his outstanding performance, and his status rose rapidly thereafter.

At the age of seventeen, the former Kasser Saintess passed away, and she was chosen by oracle to be the new Kasser Saintess.

Between the time she entered the church at age twelve and became Saintess at age seventeen, many priests, local dignitaries, and even Diocesan Bishop in the places she lived died violent deaths, which were later proven to be her doing.

After becoming Saintess, she betrayed the papacy at the age of nineteen; her motives remain unknown.

Between the ages of nineteen and twenty, he massacred five important cities, lost millions of lives, slaughtered tens of thousands of paladins, tortured and killed six Saintess, and also engaged in a great battle with the Heavenly Law at the time, suppressing the Heavenly Law throughout the battle. He then left after the battle was interrupted for unknown reasons.

She disappeared from the Vatican's sight at the age of 21 and could not be found again. There were rumors that she had joined an underground organization, but at the time it was difficult to verify the truth of the matter.

At the age of twenty-four, he completely disappeared without a trace, not even a rumor, as if he had vanished into thin air.

The most vicious and heinous sinner in the history of the Vatican, the most insane serial killer, vanished without a trace after bringing countless calamities, and the Vatican couldn't even find her to punish her.

At the time, Ren Tianlu was already seriously injured in the fierce battle, and the indelible stain of Ai Kasser put her under tremendous mental pressure for a long time. In the same year that Ai completely disappeared, she was also found to have committed suicide under the cross of the Cathedral of the True God, at the young age of Twenty-three.

From then on, the Heavenly Law Goddess of each generation had an additional mission.

This stain on the Vatican must be erased.

If that great sinner reappears, in whatever form, he must be brought to justice at all costs.

And now--

"Well... hello, I guess this counts as a formal greeting, Tianlu... older sister? Or auntie? You seem to be a little older than me, but your chest isn't as big as mine."

The pink-haired girl who suddenly appeared in front of her—

"Nice to meet you. My surname is Liu, and my given name is Ye. It sounds a bit silly to say them together, so just call me Ye. Oh, by the way, although I'm younger than you, please don't call me 'Little Sister Ye' or anything like that. I'm not into older sister characters, or rather, I'm not interested in older sister roles at all. Calling me 'Sister Ye' is fine though... even though we're not the same age."

Blood floats in the air.

"Let me get straight to the point. I came here today... hoping you'll leave now."

Aside from her pink hair and one golden eye, she bears the exact same features as the Bloodstained Saintess from back then.

"Haha... Actually, I also think that with our current strength, it's unlikely we can kill you, let alone drive you away. But... you see, some things, even if you know the chances are slim, you still have to try, right? Like applying for a scholarship."

This felt like a replay of a scene from two hundred years ago.

"Speaking of which, I occasionally read through fragments of Blood Fiend's memories and discovered some interesting things, like her entanglement with the Holy See back then, and her grudges with the Heavenly Law at the time... Would you like to hear about it?"

"... Hahaha."

Tianlu suddenly burst into laughter.

Uh... Are

Are you okay?

"Hahahaha, ahahahahahahahahaha, haha ..."

Why does everyone I meet seem to break down in their persona?

"This must be the favor of the Supreme God! The guidance of the True God! It's the will of Heaven! Hahahahahahaha!!!!"

She laughed maniacally, her body trembling with ecstasy, a stark contrast to her previous aloof and cruel fanatic persona, as if she had flipped some strange switch. Her hand, trembling with wild joy, rose and reached for the buttons on the front of her dark gold robe—

"Be happy, be gratified, bless me, all my predecessors who have inherited the name of Heavenly Law! Today, the greatest stain on the Holy See's two-hundred-year history will be washed away!!!"

--Tear it open!

The wide robes fluttered, revealing the body that had been hidden beneath them.

Even I couldn't help but gasp.

Although she was naked, at first I thought she was wearing a layer of clothing underneath, because the red and black things etched all over her skin looked like lace lingerie.

But upon closer inspection, I realized... those were actually scars, countless scars densely connected together like exquisite sculptures, all carved with crosses, Divine Word, and highly religiously symbolic patterns. At first, I thought they were tattoos, but the faint Blood Energy told me that they were indeed the product of self-harm.

However, what truly chilled me wasn't the numerous small scars all over his body, but rather the large one below.

I couldn't see the organs that a human female should have in her lower body.

There was only one enormous, hideous scar.

It felt like being brutally ripped out along with some of the internal organs by a large knife; it was utterly disgusting.

"... Hey, you're not going to tell me you had some terrible experience before becoming Goddess that turned you into this kind of person, are you? These days, bosses aren't into being all bitter and resentful."

"How could that be?"

She seemed to be intoxicated by the pattern of scars that covered her body, as if she were quite proud of them.

"These are all inscribed on my body by my own hands before the statue of the Supreme God, to cleanse my soul of original sin, and to serve the God with my purest body. As for..."

She looked down at her genitals and repeatedly saw something disgusting.

"... As for such filthy organs, of course they should be removed from the body by hand as soon as possible!"

"..." All right.

Another lunatic.

She's an absolute madwoman; even Alan back then couldn't compare to a fraction of her.

"Tsk tsk, the Goddess really does have some peculiar hobbies. I wouldn't even dare to imagine such extreme play."

"Enough with the nonsense, you sinner! Prepare to die!!!"

That happened more than two hundred years ago.

Her room is located at the very back of the highest level of the Kasser Cathedral.

The stone chamber, no more than fifteen square meters in size, was very simple in structure and decoration. The owner of this place should have lived in a large room of no less than fifty square meters, which was specially prepared for the Saintess, but she chose this place instead. This decision was naturally regarded as the new Saintess taking the lead in advocating frugality and simplicity. Although there were rumors that "the Saintess simply likes to live in dark and cramped places," they were naturally ignored.

In the flickering candlelight, the Saintess gently removed the Saintess that had been passed down through countless generations— Saintess could automatically adjust its size to fit its wearer perfectly. Even so, the young nun who helped her change was convinced that this new Saintess was the one most deserving of the robe's adornment.

"..."

Her flawless back appeared and disappeared in the candlelight, her perfect figure and long, jet-black hair were so striking that the young nun felt an urge to immediately kneel down and praise the world. How could there be such a beautiful person in the world! Although Saintess throughout history, regardless of age, were exceptionally beautiful women, this one was simply too stunning.

The young nun tried her best to memorize every detail of her, wondering what she had done to deserve such good fortune in her past life, not only to serve the Saintess but also to be able to admire her beautiful body so closely.

"Hey, you."

"Ah... ah, yes!"

The young nun hurriedly straightened her back. The Saintess glanced at her, then lowered her head and continued changing into her sleeping robe.

"What was her name again... Alice? Marilyn? Annelina?"

"It's Marianna, Saintess Excellency."

"Really... I'm sorry, I'm not good at remembering names, and I don't want to waste my brainpower on cannon fodder. I'm really sorry..."

"It's alright! It's my pleasure!"

This new Saintess always says strange things suddenly, but they're never serious, or there's always some deeper meaning behind them! Definitely!

"I said something like that..."

"Uh-huh!"

Do you believe that God truly exists?

"... Huh?"

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There are seven exams over these two weeks, all of which are important subjects. Plus, there are still competitions to finish. Four out of five days will be almost entirely filled with classes, so it will be very busy and tiring... The author will try to maintain daily updates.