Set Up!

Fifteen minutes later.

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

"Come in."

Pushing open the office door, the cleric walked to the side of Bishop Terry and reported, "Your Excellency, there are two people at the entrance who wish to see you. They are not members of The Church. I intended to send them away, but..."

The cleric looked puzzled. "He asked me to convey to you that there has been a change in tomorrow's affairs, and that you should meet with them immediately."

"What?" Bishop Terry's expression shifted in shock, and he quickly walked to the window to look down.

Two strangers stood outside the cathedral, dressed in low-profile, unassuming clothing.

But Bishop Terry clearly recognized their identities. He immediately waved the cleric away, his expression turning irritable.

"Lunatics! Absolute lunatics!"

Had these cultists lost their minds? Daring to show up at The Church so brazenly? This was nothing short of a death wish!

However, his anger subsided quickly.

A change in tomorrow's affairs?

What did that mean? Had there been a flaw in the plan?

Bishop Terry could no longer sit still. He hurried out of his office, and seeing that few people were paying him any mind, he rushed out of the cathedral.

Outside the cathedral doors, seeing Bishop Terry walking toward him with a blank expression, Ansu slowly lowered his head.

"Apologies, Bishop Terry. The matter is truly urgent, and we could not meet in the manner we agreed upon. Please, follow me."

"Who are you?" Bishop Terry frowned, scrutinizing the two people before him. Both were dressed in simple civilian attire, but they were not faces he recognized.

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

Hearing the name Elder Simon, Bishop Terry hesitated for a moment.

He glanced back at the cathedral and said in a low voice, "Lead the way, then. This is not the place to talk."

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

The three of them walked further and further away, heading into increasingly desolate areas...

"Where exactly are we going?" Bishop Terry could no longer hold back. He frowned, carefully studying the backs of the two people.

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

The more Bishop Terry thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. With a gloomy face, he probed, "Where is Darren? Why are you two the ones meeting with me today?"

Ansu pondered the name Darren; it seemed he was the cultist originally in contact with Terry.

He was about to make up another excuse to fool the bishop, but he noticed Cecilia beside him glance at him suddenly.

Ansu paused, instantly understanding her intent.

He turned slowly and smiled. "Darren? Is that a pseudonym for your contact within The Order? I'm not entirely sure, as we report 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 let out a cold snort.

Although he maintained his gloomy expression, he stopped asking questions.

Ansu breathed a sigh of relief internally. This seemingly hot-tempered man was no pushover; he might have been using a fake name to test him just now. In such a situation, pretending not to know was the safest route.

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

The inn was dilapidated from years of neglect, and the moment the three stepped inside, they kicked up a cloud of dust.

"What a dump," Terry said, covering his nose and mouth as he followed the two up to a room on the second floor.

Once inside, he finally couldn't help but ask, "What exactly happened to your Order? What do you mean there's a change in tomorrow's affairs?"

"It's like this..." Ansu's gaze drifted inadvertently toward Cecilia beside him as he replied, "You know there are two factions within our ranks. A conflict broke out between them last night, so Elder Simon believes it might affect tomorrow's operation..."

Bishop Terry immediately became agitated. "Didn't we have an agreement? We use the news of the Chosen One to lure that old hag out. As long as she is eliminated, it benefits your Elder and it benefits me."

"Let me tell you! The transcendents under my command have already arrived from all over! The arrow is on the string! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! The credit for taking down the cult leader must belong to my Inquisition alone!"

Seeing that Ansu's expression remained unchanged, Bishop Terry's tone grew increasingly dissatisfied, his words laced with threats.

"Hmph! I am taking such a risk to meet with you. If this fails, I will take my anger out on every cultist in Benalu City! Don't think I don't know that you rats have been running rampant in this city; I have known where your strongholds are for a long time!"

"Oh? An unexpected discovery, then?" Cecilia suddenly let out a laugh.

"I thought your brain was made entirely of muscle, you idiot."

Bishop Terry froze, his entire body instantly going on high alert.

Because this person, who clearly looked like a man, had spoken with a woman's voice!

"You...!" He clenched his fists, the power of Holy Light instantly coating his body. He launched a Divine Art: Punishment that descended directly from the rafters. "Who are you?!"

But the next second, the aggressive divine art was easily blocked by the person before him, and a thick wave of magic power rapidly expanded throughout the room.

"The dead don't need to know my name." Cecilia's features twisted, and her physique gradually shifted, slowly transforming from an adult man into the form of a tall, slender young woman with a narrow waist and long legs.

Bishop Terry stared fixedly at the girl before him. Even if his reaction were slow, he should have realized by now...

He had been set up!

He cursed in annoyance, his fist wreathed in turbulent, chaotic air currents as he slammed it toward Cecilia's position.

With a thunderous explosion, wood splinters flew everywhere, and even Ansu, who had quietly retreated quite a distance away, was caught in the shockwave and slammed hard against the door.

He couldn't help but complain inwardly, wondering why this archbishop's fighting style involved using his fists...

But it had to be said, an archbishop capable of overseeing The Church's Inquisition was not to be underestimated.

Terry's most proficient combat style seemed to be those two fists, fists infused with the power of Holy Light; over the years, he had likely beaten countless heretics into a pulp with them.

As Ansu dodged in a sorry state.

Bishop Terry sneered as he looked at the massive crater smashed into the room, "Your acting was quite good, but you seem to have forgotten that I am a transcendent who climbed to this position through sheer strength!"

Even if they had tricked him into coming here, so what? Did these two really think, in their wildest fantasies, that they could defeat an archbishop?

But the smile on Bishop Terry's face didn't last long...

A ghostly figure instantly appeared behind him. Terry shuddered, hurriedly channeling the power of Holy Light, attempting to block this sneak attack with Holy Shield.

Ansu noticed that Cecilia's magic possessed an incredibly strong suppressive force; the radiance of Terry's Holy Shield was fading at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his expression grew increasingly shocked.

The moment Terry's Holy Shield shattered—

Cecilia narrowed her eyes, and a Shadow Bolt launched from a tricky angle pierced through his chest from behind like a black spear.

From the start of the battle until now, Cecilia hadn't even used her strongest black magic flames. Seeing a first-circle spell like Shadow Bolt unleashed with such power left Ansu watching in amazement.

As expected of the mage with the greatest talent, Cecilia.

Terry clutched his chest, coughing up a mouthful of blood as he looked in terror at the black-haired girl looming over him.

"Who exactly are you? How could you have such powerful magic, you..."

"I already told you, the dead don't need to know my name." Cecilia glanced at him indifferently, and another life-claiming Shadow Bolt slowly manifested in the air.

If you find this book good, please remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.