The Radiant Pope

"Bzzz..."

A strange ripple suddenly appeared between heaven and earth. In an instant, it completely swept over Linley. He felt as though he had fallen into a quagmire, his entire body utterly restrained. Even his dragon-scale-covered right hand could not move.

Looking up at the sky, Linley saw a bald man over two meters tall. Though he looked somewhat aged, his eyes were full of spirit. More importantly, he was floating in the air. Clearly, he was a Saint Domain expert.

All the surrounding warriors, including Kaiser, froze for a moment. But in the next instant, they all bowed respectfully and said in unison, "Your Holiness, the Pope!"

The Radiant Pope... Damn it, I was still one step too late. Looking at the old man in the air, Linley felt an unprecedented pressure.

"Bebe, before they notice you, hurry and leave. Go to the O'Brien Empire and find Wharton," Linley immediately sent mentally.

Facing the Radiant Pope, one of the continent's supreme figures, Linley knew his chances of escape were practically nonexistent. No matter what, he could not be Haintings's match. His goal had already been achieved, and he was prepared even to die. As for the rest, he would leave it to Wharton. He was only worried about Bebe.

The Holy Alliance's highest authority, the supreme figure who possessed the power to depose kings—the Pope, Haintings—had appeared.

The Pope walked toward Linley step by step. Suddenly, Linley felt the pressure from before lessen somewhat. The sensation of being trapped in a swamp vanished, and his body could move again.

Yet when Linley met the Radiant Pope's gaze, he clearly felt his heart tremble.

"Surrender," Haintings said emotionlessly.

Whoosh!

Linley moved abruptly like a leopard, turning into a blur as he charged toward Haintings. His dragon tail traced an arc as it viciously lashed out. He had no intention of surrendering just like that. At the same time, he hoped to affect his opponent enough to divert their attention and buy Bebe a chance to escape.

Facing Linley's attack, Haintings casually swung his right hand.

Smack! Linley was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing into a distant rockery. Stones shattered at once, and several of the dragon scales on his body broke apart as well.

Blood seeped from all over Linley's body. His astonishingly defensive scales appeared exceptionally fragile before Haintings's casual blow, blood constantly oozing out from within his body.

There was no chance at all. In the eyes of a Saint Domain expert, even a Level Nine Warrior was merely a somewhat larger ant. Linley could not even cause him the slightest trouble, much less have any effect on him.

Seeing the unwilling look on Linley's face, Haintings showed not the slightest pity. He knew Linley would not die from his attack, so he immediately shouted at several deacons from the Inquisition:

"Take this demon away."

"Boss." Bebe's voice echoed in Linley's mind.

Linley knelt halfway to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth. "Bebe, go. Hurry and go! Before they notice you, leave now!"

Linley was deeply unwilling to accept this. If he had not been careless and allowed hatred to cloud his mind while brutally killing Clyde, this would not have happened.

Before leaving, the Radiant Pope looked at the corpses scattered about and the guards lying on the ground with severed hands and feet, wailing in agony. His lips moved slightly, and light elements within several kilometers began gathering without pause, directly enveloping these people. He cast a Saint Domain-level Grand Light Healing Spell. Every guard covered by the white light, whether missing hands or feet or covered in wounds, recovered at a visible speed.

"Thank you, Your Holiness!" When the white light faded, everyone's injuries had completely healed. They immediately knelt on the ground, stretching their hands forward in worship.

Haintings did not look at them. His appearance had already drawn the attention of many people in Fenlai City. He had only expended mana to heal them in order to win over the people's hearts. After all, a king had just died, and news of it would soon spread. His actions could completely offset the impact of Clyde's death. Looking at Linley collapsed on the ground, he turned and left.

Seeing Linley being taken away, everyone let out a sigh of relief. The fear in their eyes finally lessened somewhat, and they all hoped the Bright Church would execute Linley soon.

After being taken back to the Bright Church, Linley was locked in a remote secret chamber on the ninth floor of the Temple of Light. He was thrown into the chamber like a dead dog.

"Ah."

The scales on the surface of his body had already receded back into him. He was covered in wounds and blood, with more than a dozen injuries across his body. These wounds had all been caused by the Radiant Pope, Haintings. Though his external injuries were numerous, his internal injuries were far more severe.

His internal organs had been completely displaced, and every bone in his limbs was broken. Linley could only grit his teeth and struggle to move his body, resting his head against the wall.