The Blood-Boya Allied Forces marched south, and no one could stop them or defend any city they passed through.
In just five years, the Blood-Boya Allied Forces marched all the way to the heart of the Papal State, the Ende City.
The Ende City is subordinate to Archbishop Ethan.
Although Archbishop Ethan was stubborn and arrogant, he also had the ability to be arrogant.
In Ende City, the Blood-Boya Allied Forces was blocked for the first time.
Archbishop Ethan had many elite troops under his command, but he had not contributed to the previous battles, instead hiding and secretly developing his forces. He originally thought he could march on the Holy See and seize the papacy, but unexpectedly, before he could even achieve that, he became Holy See.
Although he did not show much respect for His Holiness Adam, he was an orphan adopted by the Church, so like Archbishop Duoxia, his loyalty to the Church's ideals always outweighed his own enjoyment.
On the day the Blood-Boya Allied Forces approached Ende City, Archbishop Ethan held a grand Mass to cleanse the entire city with the holiness of God, in order to boost morale and vow to withstand the Blood-Boiler army on his own.
In March, the city fell. Archbishop Ethan stood guard at the Church gate, fighting to the death. He was shot to death by a hail of arrows, but his body remained upright in place, its eyes wide with disbelief, as if even in death he was determined to firmly guard the church gate...
Ende City was considered the gateway to the Holy See; once Ende City fell, advances in other directions would no longer be restricted by terrain.
However, the Papal State is, after all, a massive empire. If it were to be conquered piecemeal, not only would it take an unknown amount of time, but the intensity of the war would also have to be greatly increased.
After all, its vast territory gives it extremely strong strategic depth, and it would take decades of development to gradually flatten and devour the Papal State.
Judging from the current situation of the Blood Court and the Boya Empire, they may not even be able to conquer half of the Papal State before collapsing due to insufficient logistics and support.
Therefore, the Blood-Boya Allied Forces had no choice but to advance straight down to the heart of the enemy and reach the Holy See!
Norton 110, Holy Lord Empire Holy See.
The grand and luxurious hall was eerily quiet; the tightly closed doors prevented sunlight from entering, making the interior dimly lit.
Even with flickering candlelight all around, the entire hall remained dim and gloomy, filled with a repressive atmosphere.
An old man, his body withered and aged, sat alone on the cold throne in the great hall, coughing and panting slightly.
Apart from a trusted confidant who served the Pope, he had no other subordinates or servants.
Another twenty years have passed, and Pope Adam's aged figure already shows signs of decline.
"Cough cough cough..." A soft cough echoed in the cold hall. Adam's chest rose and fell slightly, and his cough had lost all its vigor.
Over the years, it seems that too many worries have made His Majesty Adam's mental state extremely tired, and his body has become increasingly thin.
He was already an elderly man of over 220 years old, with only a few years left to live. Coupled with so many years of hard work, he looked so thin and aged that he was unrecognizable.
Fortunately, he is still able to move around, unlike the previous pope who was bedridden for a full ten years.
"Ah..." His Majesty Adam coughed for a long time before finally letting out a long breath, feeling slightly better.
For many years after Adam ascended the throne, he lived a simple life, enjoying little pleasure and having few servants to attend to him. In addition, the presence of the divine corpse on the back mountain kept him on edge, and he was always suspicious of everyone. This made him extremely lonely, and the lack of spiritual pleasure was reflected in his body, causing him to have a chronic cough.
Compared to his vigorous spirit years ago, his current aged appearance gives him a sense of a lion past its prime.
"Your Majesty." The attendant, who had been cautiously waiting by his side, opened his mouth slightly and called out to Adam with some trembling.
His Majesty Adam raised his eyebrows slightly, his old, cloudy eyes looking at his attendants beside him.
"The cause of the defeat at the border has been investigated: Archbishop Duoxia colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, opening the town's gates through inside-outside cooperation... Archbishop Duoxia has now arrived outside the Holy See, claiming he awaits your judgment..."
Upon hearing this news, His Majesty Adam nodded slightly.
" Duoxia... it's perfectly normal that New Faith ideals have seeped into his very bones."
The Papal State War has dragged on to this point, and His Holiness Adam knows he is powerless to reverse the tide.
No matter how well the Holy See can hold out, the Blood Clan Progenitor Norton, and the royal families of the various countries in the Southern Continent will not allow the Holy See to continue to exist.
However, the Vampire ' growth is merely a facade; if Adam's prediction is correct, the next step after the fall of the Holy See will likely be the judgment of the current Blood Clan Progenitor, His Majesty Norton.
Because of his religious beliefs and the holiness of God, the Holy Lord Church possesses special abilities against Vampire. Therefore, Duoxia's choice at this time is not without its own way out for him Holy Lord Church.
His Majesty Adam was also an orphan and was raised by the Church. Although his thoughts had to break free from the Church's boundaries due to the existence of the corpse of God, he still had deep feelings for the Church in his heart, which is his only spiritual sustenance in his later years.
Therefore, he was not angry about Archbishop Duoxia's betrayal; on the contrary, he felt somewhat relieved.
After all, even if Archbishop Duoxia hadn't betrayed them, the border cities wouldn't have lasted long. But the betrayal gave the Holy Lord Church a new lease on life. So, Adam only had one thing to worry about: the corpse of the god.
"Perhaps separating the Holy See from the Church is a way to ensure the continuation of my Holy Lord Church. Even if the Holy See falls, my Holy Lord Church can still survive thanks to my special abilities against Vampire and the current surrender of Archbishop Duoxia."
His Majesty Adam's eyes were deep, and his mind was filled with the last words the old Pope had given him when he met the corpse of God a hundred and twenty years ago.
"The existence of the divine corpse is the most dangerous and terrifying thing for all rulers... Now that one can achieve immortality by using the New-Type Vampire bloodline, the divine corpse has completely lost its necessary research value. Therefore, even if I, Adam, eventually die, the royal family of the Boya Empire will probably keep the divine corpse a closely guarded secret!"
They would even resort to insane methods to target the Blood Clan Progenitor named Norton.
"Hmph, this nightmare that has haunted me my entire life will ultimately only bring me true release before my death..."
His Majesty Adam remained indifferent, his words revealing no concern for his impending death.
His death was inevitable, whether he died of old age or was killed by Yalian III after the city fell; he was doomed.
But to this day, he is not worried about his own life or death at all; instead, he is filled with regret for the promises he once made.
"Your Majesty, I, Adam, am incompetent; in the end, I have brought down the Papal State..."