Pontiff Sulyvahn

The heavy doors slowly opened, and religious music accompanied a woman's soft moaning.

As people stepped inside the cathedral, the atmosphere seemed to change slightly, even though it was the cleanest and tidiest place they had ever seen in the Zane Dungeon.

The sacred and solemn atmosphere made people feel as if a deity was waiting for them to pay homage.

Directly opposite the gate they came from was a doorway leading to the back of the cathedral.

In a fleeting glance, people's eyes passed through the doorway and saw the distant mountains, clustered together under the cold sky, with what seemed to be the shadowy figure of a dragon flashing across them.

A mountain peak where dragons dwell!?

But Iliphis could examine the doorway closely, it was enveloped by rising white mist. Not only that doorway, but the main gate behind them was also obscured by the mist, meaning they had no way out.

So, where is the leader?

Just then, an unusual sound rang out amidst the music that blended into the background: flames burning and cold winds howling.

The former comes from the burning flames of the Profaned Capital, while the latter is the cold wind of the Painting World of Ariandel, but the adventurers are unaware of these differences; they can only sense the change in atmosphere.

After these two noises appeared, the solemnity of the atmosphere, which belonged to the gods, weakened instantly.

Sally didn't know if she was overthinking it, but she had a strange feeling, as if the people who brought these two voices were blaspheming and insulting the gods, shattering their dignity.

Just as he was pondering why he was so good at reading comprehension, Iliphis at the very front, exuded a dangerous aura.

Because the enemy's figure is emerging.

In the center of the entire church, dark purple light surged, and Sally sensed an aura that was extremely similar to that of the Cathedral of the Deep, like mud.

The aura was similar, but the surging dark purple light was far more beautiful than the mud, exuding elegance amidst its malevolence. This elegance was then transformed into unrestrained arrogance by the crimson flames that subsequently ignited.

Amidst the two colors, a phantom figure slowly emerged, and as he appeared, people seemed to be tormented by both flames and cold winds at the same time.

The music reached its climax with the woman's loud chanting, and a dark purple, ethereal figure stepped out of the flames. This step seemed to tread on people's hearts, causing everyone to freeze for a moment.

The moment they saw the enemy's figure, the enemy's name immediately came to mind.

The Pontiff Sulyvahn's Phantom

This is an avatar of the elusive Pope residing here; his true form is nowhere to be found. Yet this phantom possesses strength almost identical to the real Pope.

The adventurers didn't feel anything, but Gong Qiying felt that having Sulyvahn, the Black Hand behind Dark Souls III, appear here was a bit... uncool.

Just as the Full Moon Queen appeared in the form of Mimic Tear, it's normal and reasonable for Sulyvahn, who can create clones, to leave a clone to guard the cathedral, right?

All the mercenaries instantly went on alert. Even though it was just an illusion, the sense of oppression it brought was no less than when they first met Overlord Wolnir.

Iliphis also reacted, but his brow furrowed.

He frowned upon seeing the two Greatsword wielded by Sulyvahn's phantom.

Pontiff Sulyvahn.

Ever since the Battle Knight appeared before adventurers, this name has been repeatedly mentioned. Equipment, weapons, items, and even scenes related to Irithyll of the Boreal Valley all more or less mention this pope.

This naturally attracted attention, because the title of Pope sounds very prestigious. So, what do people know so far?

They knew that Pontiff Sulyvahn, who was based in Irithyll, was an ambitious and ruthless man who was sending troops out of Irithyll for unknown reasons, and that the Battle Knight were everywhere.

They knew that Sulyvahn had made an unknown collaboration with the Cathedral of the Deep, or rather, with Aldrich the Deep Saint, which led to Aldrich's departure from the Cathedral of the Deep.

These things don't prove anything, but the Pope's eyes, which turn people into beasts, give everyone a full understanding of his ambition. The various twisted creatures in the Underground Jail are also his doing, and the little boy's tragedy is also related to him. Such a person could never be a good person.

Later, it was discovered that Sulyvahn was a magician before becoming pope, and that he was said to have come from humble beginnings and had climbed to the top through his own efforts.

This made Iliphis admire him very much.

While admiring the sights, the Light Eagle Legion also prepared a full range of countermeasures against this pope who was once a magician. They brought out all sorts of methods to target magic power, and even spent a lot of money to buy Silver Shield with a Topus field. This kind of thing has become a rare commodity recently, and it only appears once in a long while, so much so that people are reluctant to use it to fight the Full Moon Queen's Mimic Tear.

Even during this time, Iliphis has been diligently researching ways to counter various forms of magic, and he has also spent time teaching the mercenaries formations, how to cooperate with each other, and so on. This time, he has really made full preparations, even more seriously than when he fought the Overlord Wolnir.

He felt that with his current formations against magic, he and his mercenaries could defeat even those renowned magic masters.

But, but.

Staring at the Pontiff Sulyvahn's Phantom, Iliphis's eyes twitched slightly, and the Assault Captain beside him spoke his mind on his behalf.

"Why is he carrying two Greatsword?! Isn't he a mage?!"

The two Greatsword, one burning with flames and the other flashing with purple light, were so impactful that everyone overlooked Sulyvahn's peculiar appearance—his face was devoid of features, covered by dense branches, and his body bore distinct tree-like characteristics.

"Could it be that those two Greatsword were actually modified magic wands, capable of casting spells while performing melee attacks?" Sally guessed, and at this point, any guess seemed to make sense.

The monsters that appear in the Zane Dungeon seem to be quite good at creating a sense of shock and contrast. The fact that Pontiff Sulyvahn is actually a swordsmanship genius gives people the feeling that the Pope of the Church of Light outside suddenly pulls out a giant club during a battle.

Iliphis suddenly made a gesture, a gesture to instruct the magicians to prepare a magic-resistant shield.

The church was very large, and they were naturally far from Sulyvahn, which speaks volumes.

At this distance, only magic can attack them!

Iliphis has figured out the attack methods of Sain's elites and leaders. They will definitely launch an attack as soon as they appear. At such a distance, although the enemy is now wielding Greatsword, he, who was once a mage, will definitely be able to use magic!

Pontiff Sulyvahn wouldn't actually abandon magic completely, Greatsword, and charge in to chop people up, would he?

Really?

As the mages unfurled their magical shields, the strong mercenaries drew their chain-like equipment used to bind the dragon, while the captains prepared their deadly moves.

Sulyvahn's phantom took a step forward!

The mercenaries were under immense pressure!

Sulyvahn's phantom raised its hand, a prelude to unleashing magic!

Iliphis's lips curled up!

The next moment, a massive amount of magical power surged inside the church like a stormy sea. This must have been an extraordinary magical attack. The mages immediately strengthened the shield's defense against magic under Iliphis's instructions, at the cost of making the shield more fragile, meaning it would be less resistant to melee attacks.

But that doesn't matter; being able to defend against Sulyvahn's magical attacks is a good thing!

When his magic is blocked, I will seize the opportunity to rush over and pierce his heart. Iliphis stared intently at Sulyvahn's figure, pondering the flaws his opponent had revealed.

But the next second...

Where did it go?

Sulyvahn's figure vanished, or rather, it wasn't quite right to say he vanished, because he appeared before everyone in an instant.

It's an extremely pure Flash!

The mercenaries only realized this when they saw Sulyvahn's taut arms and his increasingly vibrant Greatsword.

Dude, you're a mage who actually uses melee combat?!

The Profaned Greatsword ignited a raging inferno of sin, while the Punishment Greatsword glowed with the purple magic of the Dark Moon's retribution; each power was terrifying.

This is not an ordinary slash, but a solid, full-force strike!

Iliphis realized in a second that their plan to preemptively activate their magic shield had been seen through, so the enemy had turned the tables on them! They pretended to cast a spell, and when everyone was focused on countering the spell, they suddenly rushed in and unleashed a slash.

It's just a phantom, yet it possesses such high intelligence? This doesn't make sense in the magical logic of this world!

Iliphis spread his arms and tried his best to activate the magic within his body, but at this distance and in this amount of time, how could he possibly have time to set up a protective barrier?

"Boom--"

The flames of sin and the magic of the dark moon instantly engulfed the entire church.

To draw an analogy, this move is equivalent to Overlord Wolnir's Wrath of the Gods, or Sulyvahn's Phantom unleashing an Ultimate Skill at the very start of the game.

As the flames gradually subsided, the phantom did not press its advantage but retreated, giving people a little time to react.

Why design such an operation? Wouldn't it have been more efficient to just focus on killing the adventurers from the start?

Because emotions, or rather, the dissipation of Spirit Power, need time to build up and develop.

Sally slowly opened his eyes, wondering if he was dead. If he had died from this attack, it wouldn't be surprising; he could accept it calmly.

However, when he realized he was not dead and saw the scene before him, his eyes widened in shock.

"Gers!"

Everyone opened their eyes and looked towards the front, where Elsa stood blocking their way.

If Sally hadn't shouted that, probably no one would have recognized the person in front of them as Elsa, because she was completely disfigured and stood frozen in place like a charred puppet. Judging from her posture, she must have run in front of them the instant Sulyvahn's phantom rushed over and raised her greatsword to defend herself.

"Thump—"

Elsa fell to the ground, and it was impossible to tell whether she was dead or alive; there was no sign of life in her.

"Captain Gers has been instantly killed!"

It wasn't an instant kill; Sulyvahn's illusion attack was actually more aimed at Iliphis.

But Elsa charged in. Although Iliphis didn't have time to deploy a protective shield, he managed to deflect the flames and magic attacking him from behind Elsa, ensuring he remained almost unharmed.

This is the real reason why Elsa could not recover.

Fear exploded like a bomb in the crowd, while the Zane Dungeon joyfully received the adventurers' gift of friendship.

But at that moment, Iliphis clapped his hands.

"Smack!"

The mercenaries' expressions froze for a moment, then they calmed down as if they had been calmed by Tranquilizing Spell. Iliphis clapped his hands again, they became excited as if they had been enchanted by Furious Rajang spell. Their fear of the phantom disappeared and was replaced by a soaring fighting spirit.

"Haha, go! Kill him!"

"He can kill Captain Gers in an instant. If I can kill him, I can become the captain too!"

Furious Rajang emotions can also radiate Spirit Power, but it is less so compared to negative emotions.

This was observed by Gong Qiying was watching from behind the scenes.

"Why is Iliphis directly sacrificing a powerful force of his own? What is he thinking?"

Gong Qiying couldn't understand why the other party was doing this. Even Iliphis and Elsa shared the damage, it wouldn't have rendered the other party unable to fight.

Perhaps the other side has its own tactical plan?

But there was one thing that Gong Qiying understood.

"Iliphis has the means to influence the mercenaries' emotions, and he is hindering the income of the Zane Dungeon."

As a result, Sulyvahn's phantom's hatred for Iliphis instantly reached its maximum.