The Darkest Hour of the Dark Moon Blade

Has the Holy Light God manifested?

Those who first heard this news would find it utterly unbelievable.

Not only the Holy Light God, but also the gods of other churches have been silent for so many years, how come they suddenly appeared and manifested?

It's not a special day lately, so what reason could the Holy Light God possibly have to manifest? And what exactly did He do in this so-called manifestation?

If we had to pinpoint anything unusual recently, it would be the news of Gwyndolin's death, followed immediately by the manifestation of the Holy Light God – it's all rather suspicious.

Out of curiosity, the crowd gathered towards the Holy Light Church, eager to see what new and exciting things this church, which held a dominant position in the kingdom, could do.

When they arrived at the entrance of the Holy Light Church, they learned what had happened.

It turned out that a devout Holy Light Follower, who was seriously ill and on the verge of death, was suddenly enveloped by the Holy Light that pierced through the clouds. In full view of everyone, he not only recovered, but also seemed to have been injected with super soldier serum, transforming from a skinny guy into a tall and strong man, well over 1.8 meters tall, with arms long enough to run a horse.

In the minds of believers, this is a blessing from God!

"Isn't that blessed fellow Li Ka? He lives next door!" someone recognized the believer and shouted.

"He contracted a serious illness that doctors couldn't treat, and his family had to come to church to pray every day, staying for the whole day each time!"

Upon hearing this, the onlookers chimed in, "I remember now! I've met his family; they're all incredibly devout believers!"

"Yes, his family Consecration almost all of their income to the church, and they were always the first to arrive and the last to leave! It was their actions that moved God!"

The believer Li Ka stared at his own body in disbelief, a look of wild joy on his face. He knelt on the ground, crying, and kept kowtowing to the statue of the Holy Light God, overwhelmed with excitement.

The Holy Light that pierced through the clouds and enveloped him was slowly withdrawing, a sight that amazed onlookers.

Just then, someone in the crowd seemed to have noticed something, nodded, and suddenly shouted, "Wait, how do we know it was the Holy Light God who healed him? What if it was just some powerful mage passing by who offered help?"

Those who believed in the Holy Light glared at him angrily, but he calmly replied, "What evidence is there to prove that he was healed by a god himself?"

"Have."

An old voice came from above, and when people looked up, they saw that it was the bishop!

The bishop helped Li Ka, who was kneeling and kowtowing, to his feet, and smiled kindly, encouraging him. "Try to use it, and show the power that God has given you."

Li Ka looked bewildered, but under the bishop's guidance, he raised his palm to the sky. Suddenly, a gentle Holy Light fell upon the crowd. All those who believed in the Holy Light felt endless warmth, their spirits were lifted, and even the elderly grew black hair.

"This, this is divine magic!" someone exclaimed in shock.

The crowd erupted in commotion. Divine magic—that was a special kind of magic that could only be used by those who had been personally blessed by the gods. It had been many years since divine magic had been seen in the world!

There is no doubt now that this Li Ka is the one blessed by the Holy Light God!

The Holy Light God has appeared!

The bishop smiled at the crowd and waved his golden scepter, a symbol of power, scattering tiny specks of light like gold dust into them.

He proudly and loudly announced:

"The Holy Light God has brought back a blessing!"

Inside the church.

Albuquerque sat inside the secret room, listening to the believers outside singing hymns in unison, his expression unchanged, still as still as an old wooden board.

A mocking laugh came from beside me.

"Hehe, believers are really easy to understand. Just give them a little bit of ambiguous hope and they will become so happy. They can't even tell the difference between the real and fake gods."

"Watch your words." Albuquerque said with a grim expression, uttering a line befitting his character.

"So what? The church is a business, after all."

These words were spoken by Had, the young Holy Light Knight, now the captain of the Holy Light Knight of Bede City, who had taken over Albuquerque's position.

He stroked the oddly shaped gauntlets enshrined on the Shrine beside him and laughed:

"The moment I learned about the Dark Sun, I sent a few of my men to play the role of ignorant believers and spread the news. When they aroused public anger, I beat them up severely. This not only demonstrated the church's strictness and responsibility towards its believers, but also successfully spread the information. I was already very humble for not taking credit for it."

Albuquerque was speechless. Based on his fanatical self-image, should he go over and beat the other person up right now? But he couldn't do that.

Because

"I never expected that the weapons the church had been preparing for so many years would be used for the first time in Bede City, and by me no less. This is truly an unparalleled honor."

Had straightened the gauntlets on the Shrine and asked, "Are there any believers in this city who are devout enough to receive blessings? Give me a list, and I will 'bestow miracles' upon them one by one."

Those gauntlets are weapons, and they are called the "Right Wrist of the God of Light".

This is a weapon left behind by a Brave who was originally a Holy Light Knight after his death. Its current effects are:

Manipulate the power of the gods to bestow the blessings of the Holy Light God upon others!

The blessing bestowed through the gauntlet was exactly the same as the blessing given by the deity himself, without any difference. This is the truth behind the manifestation of the Holy Light God.

This weapon has been sealed away for a long time and has never been used. The reason is that the elders of the church believe that mortals should not impersonate gods to bestow blessings, and it should not be used even though the church's influence is declining.

However, with the death of the last devout old believer, this weapon was eventually taken out by the people of today. After secret preparation and charging, the weapon was finally able to play its role.

Its first test subject was the Bede City, where pagan beliefs have been very active recently!

With Gwyndolin in trouble, this weapon is sure to shine.

"I, Had, will drive all the heretics out of this city! Especially those damned Starfire and Darkmoon."

Since no suitable user has been found for the weapon, it can only be used after being charged, so anyone can use it. Had was still feeling smug about the fact that he was lucky enough to be able to use this weapon.

Albuquerque stared at the Right Wrist of the God of Light, his eyes flickering, lost in thought.

Steal? He wouldn't dare steal it. The person escorting this weapon was a hidden powerhouse within the church. Although the person wasn't in this secret room, he could sense their presence; they had been keeping a close eye on the weapon.

Damn it, does this mean they don't trust him and Had? What's the point of having them guard this thing then?

Listening to Had's boasting, Albuquerque was getting depressed. He should have asked Lu Lu Wo to take care of this guy in the first place.

But deep down, he felt a slight sense of relief. The emergence of this weapon signified the imminent rise of the Holy Light Church, perhaps even reaching its former peak. He could at least earn a living within this system, and at least his livelihood would be secure for the rest of his life.

Today is destined to be a significant day, as a procession begins under the bishop's supervision.

Amidst laughter and the deafening sound of drums, the Holy Light Follower of Bede City took to the streets to pay homage to the bishop and Li Ka, the blessed one of God. Their faith in the Holy Light was further strengthened, and the entire city was filled with a joyful atmosphere. The radiance of God's second coming touched everyone.

Apart from the adventurers near the portal to the Zane Dungeon.

Watching the Holy Light Church rejoice at the return of their god, the adventurers, especially the oath-takers of the Dark Moon Blade, fell into an unusual silence.

Some people thought of the rude behavior of those unofficial believers yesterday, and were so angry that they wanted to retaliate, but were afraid of the prestige of the Holy Light God.

A member of the Sparkfire Church, who was watching the spectacle, said to the crowd, "If you're willing to donate money to my church, I'll go and cause trouble in the parade, how about that?"

"Aren't you afraid of being punished by the Holy Light God?"

"I'm under Lord Gwyn's protection, okay?" The Starfire follower puffed out his chest, showing no sign of weakness.

People's attention was more focused on the team that was about to enter Anor Londo, who would act as their eyes.

"Brother Fingel, please punish Aldrich!"

Fingel nodded silently, without saying anything like "Please rest assured."

He put on the helmet, which was inlaid with an improved Image Transmission Stone Image Stone that could transmit images in real time, and entered the Zane Dungeon together with the elite adventurers who had volunteered to join the party, under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

Some of the people in the group were from the original expedition team, while others were adventurers who were on good terms with him and were skilled in combat. The only thing they had in common was that they had all defeated the Pontiff Sulyvahn's Phantom.

The total number of people was not even full, only a little over ten.

After entering the dungeon, people are teleported directly to the bonfire at the Irithyll Bridge, run all the way through Irithyll, and finally arrive at the cathedral where the boss is located.

Everyone has defeated the phantom before, so there's no need to challenge it again to enter the backyard. If there's even one person in the team who hasn't defeated it, then everyone needs to fight that person again.

"That's Pontiff Sulyvahn? He looks like a monster, so scary."

"I have a bad feeling about this. Is he Aldrich's collaborator, the guy who attacked Anor Londo with him?!"

"How could such a magnificent city like Anor Londo have become so desolate?"

The onlookers were abuzz with discussion.

Instead of heading straight for Anor Londo, Fingel and his companions lit a bonfire there that allowed them to teleport.

It's hidden below a high platform next to Giants Street. After defeating the group of Deep Bishop, turn down and slide down the ladder to a sewer-like area. The space is small and there are no other paths. Two Crocodile Sunlight King of Cinder and a giant Fishman live here. After defeating them, you can light a bonfire.

This was discovered by the rest of the expedition team; Fingel and the others were too busy heading to Anor Londo at the time.

Campfires usually symbolize peace of mind, but the place where they had set up their campfire was unsettling because...

In the dark, damp corner in front of the campfire, a man dressed in Deep Bishop's robes and excessively obese slumped there, as if dead.

Once you get close, magical runes will appear.

[Have you sworn an oath to be a "Guardian of the God Devourer"?]

"I hereby enter into a contract with him!"

Those watching the live broadcast immediately erupted in fury. Everyone knew what that oath meant—to be Aldrich's dog!?

The adventurers attempted to attack Archbishop McDonald, who was in charge of the Oath of Devouring Gods, but their swords struck as if they were hitting a rock, unable to damage him at all. Their attack on the archbishop even attracted monsters, with several clumps of Aldrich's Carrion appearing out of thin air and launching an attack on them.

Even those who rarely ventured into the dungeon felt uncomfortable upon seeing the rotting flesh; the sight was simply too much of a visual shock.

This is also the Sunlight King? He should apologize to the Farron Undead Legion!

After dealing with the rotten flesh and leaving through the sewer campfire, Fingel and his party finally entered Anor Londo.

The dilapidated, decaying, and lifeless city evoked a sense of desolation in the viewer. Someone found footage of Anor Londo in the Painting World and screened it together with Fingel's live broadcast.

The same city, but a different atmosphere; the stark contrast inevitably dampened people's spirits.

How can you evoke negative emotions in people towards a building?

All that's needed is to reveal a trace of its past glory amidst its decay and ruin.

When the camera finally focused on the Fog Gate, everyone held their breath. No one made a sound; everyone stared intently at the screen, except for the laughter of the Holy Light Church during their procession.

Please, please don't say it's true.

Passing through the Fog Gate that isolates everything, the hall, tainted by rotting flesh, churns.

When the Dark Sun, now only half its upper body remaining, stood up, the people's anxieties finally died.

"It's over."

A veteran Dark Moon Blade had lifeless eyes and his arms hung limply at his sides.

Gwyndolin was indeed eaten by Aldrich.

Shocked by this truth, the outcome of Fingel and his team's subsequent battles seemed to fall out of everyone's interest.

Because people are trapped in negative emotions they can't escape!

This is the darkest hour of the Dark Moon Covenant.

In the distance, believers of the Holy Light Church sang joyful hymns.

It's like they're targeting this place.

The Lord's Room in the Zane Dungeon.

Gong Qiying sat in front of the Shrine, fiddling with something.

One of his eyes was focused on the work in his hands, while the other could see the outside world, because his second body was not far from the portal, allowing him to see both the adventurers and the procession of the Holy Light Church.

"Okay, that's fine then."

Looking at the completed "work," he muttered to himself:

"Once despair is exhausted, hope should appear; there should be a limit to the use of 'praise by first suppressing'."

Furthermore, the Holy Light Church has overstepped its bounds in its actions here.