Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore - The Divine Envoy's Return
In the Holy City Gloria, at the Cathedral of the True God, in the center of the Pure Courtyard—
Contrary to its usual tranquility, this place was filled with many high-ranking members of the Vatican, including the Pope and Cardinal Archbishop. They were not simply gathered here, but stood in a large circle, leaving a large open space in the middle.
As if waiting for something, people would occasionally look up at the sky, then lower their heads in disappointment. The initial solemn silence had vanished, replaced by constant whispers, and even the Pope seemed to be growing impatient.
Just then--
"They're here!"
Someone shouted, and everyone immediately looked up at the sky. The sky was clear and cloudless today, with excellent visibility, and they could see a small point of light growing larger in the distant sky.
"It's Lord Tianlu!"
"I'm finally back!"
The point of light drew closer and closer; it was an oval-shaped sphere of light enveloping a human figure, trailing a meteor-like tail, its predicted landing point precisely in the center of the Pure Courtyard. The already prepared Divine Spellcaster immediately began chanting in unison, releasing bright flames to guide the celestial law, which had just pierced the atmosphere, ensuring it wouldn't strike anything else.
Whoosh--!!
Just before landing, the Divine Spellcaster hurriedly unleashed powerful defensive spells, but Heavenly Law brought the stern to a screeching halt at the last second, slowing the rapid descent to a complete stillness in less than half a second.
"Um..."
In the center of the Pure Courtyard, the protective shield of holy light slowly dissipated, revealing the person inside.
Tianlu still possessed that cold, beautiful appearance, her long, orange-yellow hair flowing freely. She was naked, her clothes torn to shreds in the Battle of Sadington. Her sexy and athletic figure was directly exposed, but no one dared to glance at her, for her skin was covered with densely packed Divine Word and religious symbols, and her genitals bore a horrifying scar left from the complete removal of her reproductive organs—all of which she had done herself. Such extreme fanaticism was something only she could have committed within the entire Divine Law Cult.
Tianlu glanced around, then waved her hand, and holy light instantly condensed on her, transforming into a dark golden robe. Completely ignoring everyone else, she headed straight for the two highest authorities present— the Pope and the Cardinal Archbishop.
Then he knelt down and prostrated himself on the ground.
"I am terribly sorry, Pope Holiness! I have failed your expectations, and I have failed the expectations of the Supreme God! I have failed to capture the Rebel Army leader and turn the tide of the war!"
"..."
"I am ready to go again at any time! Please give me another chance. This time I will strike at the heart of the enemy and wash away the stain of the Holy See with their blood!"
"..."
The Pope simply watched her quietly, his face revealing neither joy nor sorrow.
Tianlu's regret grew stronger and stronger.
"Grown ups--"
"Alas... Lift your head, my child."
Upon hearing this, Tianlu immediately looked up and was surprised to find that the Pope was not as angry as she had imagined. He was just slightly frowning, like a father looking at his daughter who had made a mistake.
This left Tianlu somewhat bewildered. She had already mentally prepared herself to punish herself with the most shocking and grueling ascetic practices, but she hadn't expected this...
Seeing Tianlu's unusually bewildered and helpless expression, Cardinal Archbishop Latran Carlisle walked up to her with a wry smile.
"Don't be too nervous, Tianlu. You did make a serious, elementary mistake, but fortunately... the final outcome didn't change."
"... Huh?"
"Just hours ago, my son, Saladin, the fourth Templar, whom I am so proud of, and Silas, the chief of the Inquisition, both sent me good news: with the help of an inside man, they successfully destroyed the Bradwich family, eliminated the rebels' top strategist, Loshe Bradwich, and captured the rebel leader, Ned Bradwich, alive."
"Is that so!?"
Tianlu's eyes lit up. She was not disappointed that she had lost a chance to make amends, but was genuinely happy that the Holy See had lost a troublesome enemy.
"According to the latest report, Nid Bradwich has fallen into a state of mild mental breakdown and is currently being escorted. They should be approaching the large teleportation array near a major city and will soon return in triumph."
"Then, Your Honor, please allow me to conduct the interrogation of him!" Tian Lu had no intention of letting go of this biggest stain on her reputation.
"No need for you to worry about it," the Pope suddenly spoke again. "He will be temporarily placed under the jurisdiction of the Inquisition. I understand your eagerness, but don't forget that gathering intelligence is the Inquisition's job, and they do it better than you."
"Understood..."
"But you also have your own tasks."
"Give the order!" Tianlu said hastily.
"Although their leader has been dealt with, the Revolutionary Army still exists. It would be good if these remnants could scatter like monkeys when their leader falls, but if not... then it will be time for you to make amends. I know you are still resentful about the previous defeat, but I do not intend to punish you, because the Holy See still needs your strength!"
"Thank you, Pope Holiness!"
The Revolutionary Army's third-in-command betrayed them, the second-in-command died, and the first-in-command was captured alive.
This would be explosive news anywhere.
Especially in the Revolutionary Army.
The revolutionary soldiers, who were usually busy with drills or standing by in formation, now looked like they had lost their souls.
Many who had met Nidrolex a few times were weeping loudly, even grown men weeping uncontrollably. They had always revered the two men as gods, worshipping them from the bottom of their hearts. Many more simply sat on the ground, their eyes vacant, utterly bewildered. They had been wholeheartedly devoted to the great movement to overthrow the Papacy and liberate the continent, but now their two most crucial leaders had both met with misfortune. Even more unbelievable was the fact that Brad, usually so taciturn, serious, and resolute, was a traitor. This was a devastating blow to them.
All plans were put on hold, all activities were halted, and the massive Revolutionary Army system was now completely paralyzed.
Nearly ten regimental commanders, along with Yun Can, Xiao Wu, and Hao Yue, gathered in the command room, the place where Loxue used to command battles. The not-so-spacious space was packed full.
"Damn it!!! How could this happen?!"
The commander of the Second Division slammed his fist against the wall. He had lost count of how many times he had roared those words. As the commander of the Second Division, he had a very deep friendship with the Bradwich siblings. The death of the resourceful Loxue and the capture of the brave and skilled Nid were things he had never dreamed of! He was grieving, his heart aching as if it were being torn apart, but before that, endless anger engulfed him!
"Brad, you son of a bitch! I'll tear you to pieces!!!!"
In contrast to his anger, the other division commanders gathered there reacted in various ways. Some burst into tears, some were at a loss, some had gloomy faces, and some covered their faces with their hands and leaned against the wall.
Yun Can, her social skills honed through her actions, bit her lip and clenched her fists so tightly her nails almost dug into her flesh. This situation was completely unexpected. The siblings she had placed so much hope in had met with such misfortune, leaving hundreds of thousands of the Revolutionary Army leaderless—what were they to do now? Their Rakshasa Divine Sect had first suffered the calamity of annihilation, forcing them to leave their homeland and join the Revolutionary Army on the West Saint Continent, and now they had been struck by another misfortune!
Of all the people, Xiao Wu was the most silent, but the terrifying killing intent emanating from her kept even the other leaders at bay. Her teeth were clenched so tightly they were grinding, her arms trembling with rage, and her eyes, gleaming with a faint purple light, were utterly frightening. Having spent some time with the two siblings, she actually felt quite fond of them and genuinely admired the Revolutionary Army's tenacity. After Shino's death, she was even more determined to settle accounts with the Vatican and not let her sacrifice be in vain—but now? Now all of that had been ruined because of a mere traitor! She couldn't tolerate such a thing happening!
There seemed to be only one person present who remained truly calm.
Too calm, almost like she didn't care at all.
"I said... how's everyone? You've all let out your emotions, haven't you?"
Haoyue was playing with her long hair in one hand and her beloved sword Snow Moon in the other, looking as relaxed as if she were at a classmate's weekend party.
"What kind of attitude is that?!"
The Second Division Commander roared and strode towards Haoyue, his face flushed red with rage, as if he were about to spit fire.
"Loxue is dead! Nid has been arrested! How can you act like it's none of your business! You son of a bitch—"
That's enough, that's just how she is.
Xiao Wu suddenly spoke, and her icy voice sent a chill down his spine for no reason. After hesitating for a moment, he could only spit on the ground and leave Haoyue in a huff.
Haoyue remained relaxed, as if nothing had happened, and said calmly, "While I'm not entirely sure how deep your relationship is with these two, don't you all think this is ridiculous? It's time to think about our future strategy."
"You mentioned the action plan..."
Indeed.
According to the intelligence that just came in, Tianlu has returned, and the Holy See is also gathering troops, intending to wipe out the leaderless Revolutionary Army in one fell swoop.
There was absolutely no time to grieve.
"Listen to me, we only have two choices right now: one is to try our best to rescue Nid —although that's incredibly difficult—the other is to completely abandon Nid..."
"""""No!!!"""""
Before the words were even finished, five people spoke up: four were the group leader, and the fifth was Xiao Wu.
The others looked troubled. They knew rescuing Nid was practically impossible; it would only be a death sentence and a waste of effort. Besides, Nid was probably already...
"Well, I know everyone's probably reluctant, but let's put this on hold for now. What we need right now is—"
"--We need to decide on a temporary leader; we can't let the Revolutionary Army be leaderless," Yun Can replied.
"But who should take their place! The Blood Emperor is also away and hasn't returned. Who can replace both of them? We captains are simply incapable of handling this!"
The commander of the Second Division roared in despair—then suddenly froze.
"Wait... When Loxue and Nid returned to the family earlier, who handled their official business for them? And who took over the training of the soldiers?"
""""""This...""""""
He slowly turned his head, as did the other regimental commanders.
Loxue has a quick wit.
Nid possesses formidable fighting prowess.
If we need to find temporary replacements for them--
Everyone turned to look at Haoyue and Xiao Wu.
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Alright, from now on, it's high-energy all the way. Ye's super evolution, Nid's change, Yu Jie's secret, the final battle with the lady, Huang Huo secretly watching the situation, Yusuo Zai overlooking everything, the Heavenly Law bitch who's dead is too good for her, and the return of some popular characters, the plot is about to go on a rampage!
Oh, right, the voting has started again! It's the second round of voting for the most exciting main battles, and there are still multiple selections. Everyone, please participate enthusiastically!