He Had Been Set Up!

Fifteen minutes later.

On the third floor of the Holy Dome Cathedral, a cleric knocked on Bishop Terry's office door.

"Come in."

Opening the office door, the cleric approached Bishop Terry and reported, "Your Grace, there are two people outside who want to see you. They aren't members of the Church. I was going to send them away, but..."

The cleric looked puzzled. "One of them asked me to tell you that something has changed regarding tomorrow's business, and that you need to meet with them immediately."

"What?" Bishop Terry looked startled, then hurried to the window and peered down.

Two unfamiliar faces stood outside the cathedral, both dressed inconspicuously.

But Bishop Terry clearly realized who they were. He immediately dismissed the cleric who had delivered the message, his expression turning furious.

"Lunatics! Absolute lunatics!"

Were these cultists out of their minds? They actually dared to march right up to the Church? They were practically begging to die!

Still, his anger soon subsided.

Something had changed regarding tomorrow's business?

What did that mean? Had something gone wrong with the plan?

Bishop Terry could no longer sit still. He hurried out of his office and, seeing that few people were paying attention to him, hastily left the Cathedral.

Outside the Cathedral, Ansu slowly lowered his head as Bishop Terry approached him with an expressionless face.

"My apologies, Bishop Terry. The matter is too urgent for us to meet through the agreed channels. Please come with me."

"Who are you?" Bishop Terry frowned as he examined the two people before him. Both wore plain commoners' clothes, but neither face was familiar.

"I'm Kevin Craig," Ansu said, making up a name on the spot. "One of Elder Simon's subordinates."

At the mention of Elder Simon, Bishop Terry hesitated for a moment.

He glanced back at the Cathedral and said in a low voice, "Hurry up and lead the way. This is no place to talk."

Ansu and the disguised Cecilia led Bishop Terry slowly toward the streets beyond the cathedral.

The three walked farther and farther away, into increasingly deserted areas...

"Where exactly is this place?" Bishop Terry was beginning to lose patience. He frowned, scrutinizing the two figures ahead of him.

"Don't worry. We'll be there soon," Ansu said calmly.

The more Bishop Terry thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. His face darkened as he probed, "Where's Darren? Why are you two handling the contact with me today?"

Ansu considered the name Darren. Apparently, he was the cultist who had originally been in secret contact with Terry.

He was about to invent another excuse to fool Bishop Terry when Cecilia suddenly glanced at him.

Ansu paused, instantly understanding what she meant.

He slowly turned around and smiled. "Darren? Is that an alias used by the fellow Order member who contacts you? I wouldn't know. We answer directly to Elder Simon. Something happened within the Order today, so he sent the two of us to contact you urgently."

"Oh? Is that so?" Terry snorted.

His expression remained dark, but he stopped asking questions.

Ansu inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. This seemingly hotheaded man was no fool. He might have just made up a name to test him. In a situation like this, pretending not to know was the safest approach.

In silence, the three finally arrived at an abandoned inn along one of the city's main roads.

Years of neglect had left the inn dilapidated. The moment the three stepped inside, they stirred up a cloud of dust.

If you can't find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author. The title may simply have changed!

"What a dump." Covering his mouth and nose, Terry followed the two into a room on the second floor.

Once inside, he finally lost patience and asked, "What exactly happened within your Order? What do you mean, something has changed regarding tomorrow's business?"

"Well..." Ansu casually shifted his gaze toward Cecilia beside him as he answered, "You know there are two factions within our ranks. They clashed last night, so Elder Simon believes it might affect tomorrow's operation..."

Bishop Terry immediately snapped, "Didn't we have an agreement? We use news of the Chosen One to lure that old witch out. Getting rid of her benefits both your elder and me."

"Let me tell you! The extraordinary fighters under my command have already arrived from all over. The arrow is on the string! This is the opportunity of a lifetime! My Inquisition must take sole credit for killing the cult leader!"

Seeing that Ansu's expression remained unchanged, Bishop Terry grew increasingly displeased, his words laden with threats.

"Hmph! I've taken such a risk to contact you. If this falls through, I'll take my anger out on every cultist you have in Benalu City! Don't think I don't know you rats have been running rampant in the city. I've known where your hideouts are for ages!"

"Oh? An unexpected discovery?" Cecilia suddenly chuckled.

"I thought that idiot head of yours was full of nothing but muscle."

Bishop Terry froze for a moment, then instantly went on guard.

The person before him clearly looked like a man, yet had spoken in a woman's voice!

"You...!" He clenched his fists, Holy Light Power instantly enveloping his entire body. His opening move was [Divine Art—Chastisement], descending straight from the rafters. "Who exactly are you?"

But a moment later, the seemingly ferocious divine art was effortlessly blocked by the person before him, and a dense surge of Magic Power rapidly spread through the room.

"The dead don't need to know my name." Cecilia's features warped. Then her body gradually changed as well, shifting from an adult man into a tall young woman with a slender waist and long legs.

Bishop Terry stared fixedly at the young woman before him. No matter how slow he was, he had to realize it now...

He had been set up!

He cursed inwardly in fury and drove a fist wrapped in turbulent waves of force straight toward Cecilia.

With a deafening explosion, splinters flew everywhere. Even Ansu, who had quietly retreated far away, was caught in the blast and slammed hard into the door.

He immediately grumbled to himself, Why did this archbishop fight with his fists...?

Still, it had to be said that an archbishop capable of commanding the Church's Inquisition was naturally a force to be reckoned with.

Terry's preferred weapons seemed to be his fists—and fists infused with Holy Light Power, at that. In the past, he might have used them countless times to pound heretics into bloody pulp.

As Ansu scrambled awkwardly out of the way.

Bishop Terry sneered at the huge crater he had smashed into the room. "You're quite good at acting, but you seem to have forgotten that I'm an extraordinary fighter who earned this position through strength!"

So what if they had tricked him into coming here? Did these two really imagine they could defeat an archbishop?

But Bishop Terry's smile did not last long...

A ghostlike figure appeared behind him in an instant. Terry jolted and hurriedly channeled his Holy Light Power, trying to block the sneak attack with [Holy Shield].

Ansu noticed that Cecilia's magic exerted overwhelming pressure. The light of Terry's Holy Shield faded at a visible rate, and his expression grew increasingly stunned.

The instant Terry's Holy Shield shattered—

Cecilia narrowed her eyes. A [Shadow Bolt] shot from a vicious angle, piercing his chest from behind like a black spear.

From the start of the battle until now, Cecilia had not even used her strongest black demonic flames. Seeing her unleash such power with the first-circle spell [Shadow Bolt], Ansu could not help marveling from the sidelines.

She truly lived up to her name as the most gifted mage, Cecilia.

Terry clutched his chest and coughed up a mouthful of blood. He stared in terror at the black-haired young woman looking down at him.

"Who exactly are you? How can you have such powerful Magic Power? You..."

"I told you. The dead don't need to know my name." Cecilia glanced at him indifferently as another lethal Shadow Bolt slowly materialized in the air.

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