Gilmer

Just as Jonathan stepped out of the hotel, he noticed several gazes lingering on him.

As someone trained extensively in assassination techniques, he was particularly sensitive to such stares.

Am I being watched?

He walked for a while and realized these gazes hadn't faded; furthermore, the surveillance methods were far more sophisticated than the crude tactics of the thugs from before, making them impossible for him to shake off easily.

Is it the Light Church or Clyde's men?

This is the East City, so it's more likely to be Clyde's subordinates—at least warriors of the seventh rank or higher.

Jonathan pondered for a moment. "Interesting. It seems they've been tracking me since this morning. The person behind this should be showing themselves soon."

Based on his analysis, it was highly likely to be someone from the Light Church.

Clyde was a lackey of the Light Church, and since he himself was the top magic genius of the Ulada Magic Academy, if Clyde had discovered him, he would have reported it to the Light Church immediately for them to handle.

Sure enough, before long, a middle-aged man in red robes walked toward him from the opposite direction. He had brown curly hair, a high-bridged nose, and a faint smile on his lips.

Behind him were two White-robed Priests, and the men on his left and right were clearly Temple Knights, burly and clad in gleaming silver armor.

A Cardinal of the Light Church held a status second only to the Pope; they were extremely rare, each one a powerful figure in their own right, and all possessed the strength of a ninth-rank Grand Magus.

That was a hard requirement.

As for the two White-robed Priests, although their specific strength wasn't immediately apparent, Jonathan's intuition told him they posed no threat to him; he estimated they were seventh-rank mages.

The two Temple Knights, however, exerted some pressure on him; falling between the Cardinal and the White-robed Priests, he surmised they were eighth-rank warriors.

"One ninth-rank Grand Magus, two seventh-rank mages, and two eighth-rank warriors. What a grand display."

Jonathan sneered inwardly and stopped in his tracks.

"May I ask which Cardinal is before me?"

"You may call me Gilmer."

Gilmer. So it was him.

"I wonder why Cardinal Gilmer has stopped me?"

Gilmer said, "You are Jonathan Rhode, aren't you? Or perhaps I should call you White Bred."

"I still prefer the name Jonathan," Jonathan replied.

"That works too." Gilmer smiled slightly. "I heard that you underwent the graduation trial for the Ulada Magic Academy several months ago and went to the Magical Beast Mountain Range, but there was no news of you for half a year. Many speculated that you might have died in the Magical Beast Mountain Range."

"I never expected you to appear here in Fenlai City."

"You're quite well-informed." Jonathan looked directly at Gilmer and said calmly, "Why is the Cardinal looking for me? Surely you didn't just want to see what I look like."

"Let's get this straight: I have no grievances with the Light Church."

"You don't have any now, but that may not be the case in the future. Jonathan, would you be willing to join my Light Church?"

"Join you? I have an affinity for the Dark Element. Would you even accept me?" Jonathan was somewhat surprised by the question.

"You possess both Earth and Dark affinities. While the Dark Element is indeed rejected by our Light Church, your talent is exceptional, and our Church is not incapable of accommodating you."

Gilmer continued, "If you are willing to join, you may enter the Religious Inquisition."

The Religious Inquisition?

It was the organization within the Light Church specifically tasked with purging dissenters; the Dark Church had a similar institution.

Those within it were like sharp blades, possessing extreme faith, and ordinary people would never be recruited into its ranks.

"Are there no additional conditions?"

"Naturally, there are. The primary condition is that you must believe in our Lord. I can see that you seem to lack faith, but that doesn't matter. Under the influence of our Lord, you will inevitably feel the greatness of the Lord, and at that time, you will naturally come to believe."

"And if I refuse?"

The White-robed Priests tightened their grip on their staves, and the Temple Knights on either side placed their hands on their sword hilts, ready to draw at any moment.

Jonathan glanced at them. "You want to force me to stay?"

"Is this the hospitality of your Light Church?"

He paused, scanning them with eyes that showed not a hint of cowardice, and the corners of his mouth curled upward. "However, that is not a certainty."

Suddenly, with him at the center, a massive amount of black mist rapidly diffused outward. The two Temple Knights lunged forward with explosive force, charging toward Jonathan's position instantly.

"The Light shall eventually dispel the darkness."

The two White-robed Priests raised their staves, and two dazzling rays of light erupted. The black mist vanished in an instant, like winter snow meeting the sun.

The Temple Knights lunged at empty air, leaving nothing behind, while Jonathan's figure was already sprinting away dozens of meters ahead.

Gilmer did not intervene, merely saying indifferently, "The two of you, capture him alive at all costs. It doesn't matter if you break his arms or legs."

He felt that with two mid-eighth-rank Temple Knights attacking, dealing with someone who practiced both magic and martial arts at the sixth rank shouldn't be a problem.

A difference of one rank meant a difference in strength of over ten times, let alone the fact that there were now two full realms between them.

"Yes, Lord Gilmer!"

With that, the two gave chase after Jonathan. They closed the distance in the blink of an eye, while the White-robed Priests, hindered by their speed, did not follow and remained standing behind Gilmer.

"Go back. I believe they will bring Jonathan to the Light Temple soon."

The two followed closely behind, step by step.

Jonathan and the two Temple Knights exited Fenlai City one after another, and a few miles away from the city, the Temple Knights caught up to him.

They blocked his path, one in front and one behind.

Jonathan scanned his surroundings, then suddenly grinned, "It's time to send you two on your way!"

One of the Temple Knights said, "Ridiculous! Just you, a level six mage or level six warrior?"

"Behave and come back with us, and you might suffer less. Otherwise, don't blame us if we break your legs!"

Their smiles grew increasingly arrogant, but just then, a force far beyond what they could withstand descended upon them like a landslide.

The moment they made contact, they were slammed flat against the ground, unable to move an inch, their mouths filled with agonizing wails.

"I don't have time to play with you!"

Jonathan picked up the greatswords they had dropped, decapitated both of them, then dispelled the Gravity Field and quickened his pace to put distance between himself and Fenlai City.

In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the night.

Gilmer, who had not yet returned to the Light Temple, sensed this terrifying gravity and his expression shifted as he shouted, "Something's wrong!"

"Come, follow me outside the city to take a look."

Upon reaching the outskirts and seeing the two corpses, his face darkened, though his eyes held a trace of confusion.

"This power is undoubtedly a level nine Gravity Spell, but why is there no trace of the mental energy left behind by a level nine grand magus?"

"Could it be that the opponent has mastered mental energy control to such a degree?"

Staring into the pitch-black night in the distance, Gilmer muttered to himself, "Jonathan Rhode, you won't be so lucky next time!"

"Take the bodies of the two knights, we're heading back!"

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