What is God?
The only theological institution in the Southern Continent, the Holy Lord Church, has studied the question of God for nearly a thousand years.
Finally, the Holy Lord Church introduced the concept of the Existence Level into theology.
What is Existence Level?
Those with Existence Level are born to oppress!
Those with Existence Level are everything; they are like a higher Existence Level, capable of exerting conceptual pressure on those with Existence Level.
Specifically, this manifests as follows: Holy Knight imbued with the holiness of God, with his golden greatsword and the faint trace of holiness within him, can inflict soul-deep damage on all Vampire. This is also known as true damage.
This true damage isn't like the true damage you inflict on a white-health target in a game; rather, when it damages Vampire, it can cause a fundamental, unsolvable, and unrecoverable damage, or rather, an absolute dissolution of their soul and body.
The Church believes in God and that Heaven and Hell exist. Therefore, it believes in the soul, considering it to be the essence of all things, while flesh and blood are merely vessels attached to the soul.
Therefore, when the Existence Level of Holy Knight's aura can harm Vampire's soul, the vampire's flesh loses its support and can no longer regenerate.
Therefore, in an era overrun by Vampire, the appearance of the Holy Knight was a complete game-changer for Vampire. Once hit, they couldn't recover, and if cut in half, they could only wait to die.
Even the slightest bit of holiness emanating from his body, which brought Existence Level of superiority, was enough to make the Third-Generation Vampire weak all over, unable even to run away.
The Existence Level difference in status brought about by the holiness of the Holy Knight's body was like a divine Vampire standing between them, an insurmountable obstacle.
But Norton is different; his foreign soul is not limited by the Existence Level, and his free soul is not burned by God's holiness...
Therefore, sunlight cannot harm his soul, and his flesh and blood can continuously regenerate under the scorching heat of the sun.
This is also why the Holy Knight, who are considered the Church's supreme fighting force, had such a difficult time defeating him.
Putting aside the fact that none of the previous Third-Generation Vampire could grow wings, the fact that it could regenerate even after being chopped into mincemeat by Holy Knight with a greatsword stained with holiness already determines that it has no fear of the Holy Knight's glory.
Of course, that sounds very impressive, but in reality, Norton is still influenced by his Existence Level, which manifests itself physically.
His body could be scorched by the sun and by the greatsword of the Holy Knight, which shows that the difference in Existence Level still affected Norton's flesh and blood.
However, his soul is Existence Level from fear, which allows his flesh and blood to exist permanently. This allows his flesh and blood to be burned by holiness, but he can quickly recover because his soul is unaffected.
This is the meaning of Norton's concept of spiritual freedom.
"Boom!"
A deafening roar erupted from the densely packed Holy Knight.
A Holy Knight crashed out with a bang, knocking over the dozen Holy Knight behind him, before falling out of the hall.
"Bang!"
The heavily armored Holy Knight landed with a crash, smashing through the walls of the hall and collapsing a thick supporting pillar.
As it landed, its golden armor was smashed flat, and bits of flesh and blood gushed out.
The immense force of the impact created an empty space around Norton.
The sheer power displayed caused the soldiers who had just charged forward to tremble with fear, and the silver swords they had just raised went limp again.
As a void erupted around Norton's body, he no longer wished to have any further dealings with this group of Holy Knight who were so difficult to kill.
"I've absorbed the blood of many Holy Knight, but I haven't advanced at all. Forget about that warm feeling in my body from back then; even the slow evolution that I stopped hasn't restarted. It seems that these products cultivated by the Church alone are still not enough for me to truly advance. Now, I can only place my hopes on that oppressive thing."
Norton muttered to himself as he spread his pale wings, then unleashed them with a fierce thud.
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle..."
The tip of its outstretched wings was extremely sharp, and with the flapping of its wings, it scraped against the surrounding load-bearing pillars, cutting them in half.
"Whoosh!" A gust of wind surged through the hall with the flapping of Norton's wings, instantly filling the air with dust and sending pebbles flying in all directions, leaving anyone who hit them with a bump.
Dragged by the airflow beneath him, his pale, tall body hurtled towards the top of the palace.
"Boom!" With a loud bang and flying debris, another huge gap was smashed in the Holy See's main hall, and the pale body of the Blood Progenitor Ancestor had already soared into the sky, flying rapidly towards the back mountain of the Holy See.
He had already sensed the direction from which the Pressure emanated, and he had already sensed the mouthwatering fragrance!
A white monster flew over the Holy See, its overwhelming Pressure of life force irresistible to Vampire, but to Norton it was bearable.
The Holy Knight in the palace surged out of the hall like a golden river, chasing after Norton in the direction he had flown, but their speed was far less than Norton's flying speed.
The closer they got to the back mountain of the Holy See, the stronger the overwhelming Pressure became.
As Norton finally flew to the back mountain of the Holy See, even his pale bat-like wings could not withstand the weight of the Pressure, and he could no longer maintain his flight posture. He could only land on the ground and begin to walk towards the source of the intense Pressure.
As its wings retracted, the fleshy wings beneath them could retract under its skin, just like the whale Dio, and even the pale bones could retract, making it look like a pale, tall humanoid species without wings.
The further he walked, the heavier his steps became; the further he went, the greater the Pressure he felt on his body.
This Pressure wasn't the kind of oppressive force like Mount Tai pressing down on you, but rather a kind of greatness at the level of life being instilled in Norton. However, he couldn't understand it or bear it, so this greatness of life grew more and more, putting immense pressure on his mind and almost causing his flesh and blood to decompose in order to withstand the impact of that life truth!
In short, this is not actually Pressure, but rather an increase in entropy that Norton's life level could not withstand due to the immense magnitude of his being.
From this perspective, humans are truly blessed to be able to face a divine corpse without flinching, which may also contain a touch of the supernatural.
The further Norton went, the more difficult it became for him to move forward, and the more panicked he became.
"Such... truly magnificent... life force, what level of existence does its owner possess?"
Perhaps only the God worshipped by the Church possesses such a magnificent level of life.
So, is my conjecture—that the Church harbors a complete divine corpse—truly correct?
Is it right or wrong for me to go in now? I'm no longer afraid of the Church's methods. If I were to go back now, I could be invincible and enjoy life... But I can't feel at ease without seeing such a magnificent thing with my own eyes!
Sensing the increasingly intense hierarchy of life, feeling the life force that he could hardly comprehend, Norton felt uneasy and increasingly terrified.
"I knew I shouldn't have come! I never imagined such a terrifying being truly existed in this world. How can I sleep at night if I don't eliminate such a terrifying being!"
Norton's senses were sharp, and with the increasingly intense Pressure he could perceive, he finally found the cave leading to the god's corpse.
The Holy Knight inside the cave had all gone to block his path, leaving the cave entrance unguarded.
The cave entrance was covered in footprints, and he could even hear faint sounds coming from inside, suggesting that someone was still inside. This made Norton frown.
"You actually dared to send people to study such a terrifying divine corpse? Yalian, are you truly fearless?"
Norton frowned, sensing a faintly familiar scent in the air with each breath. It wasn't quite familiar, but he felt like he'd smelled it somewhere before.
Norton frowned, then bent down, bowed slightly, and stepped into the cave.
Upon entering the cave, Norton was immediately drawn to the murals on both sides.
The little figures on the wall exist in an abstract style. Some are gathered together, some are in a worshipping posture, and some have circles drawn on their heads. The most eye-catching one is a little figure with half a wing hanging on a cross, which looks a bit like an ancient mural.
Norton glanced at it briefly and roughly understood the meaning of the mural.
"Hmm, even the ones with wings only have half a wing. Is the Church starting to cut corners?"
Norton, standing on his moral high ground, criticized the Church staff for cutting corners when painting the murals.
He didn't pass the murals and continued walking into the cave.
As he walked further in, the familiar scent became clearer. But at the same time, the immense power of the life force he felt also increased, so much so that he had to exert all his strength to take a single step.
Even so, Norton persevered and continued to move forward step by step.
It wasn't that he was too greedy and wanted to devour the divine corpse inside, but rather that he simply couldn't feel at ease without personally verifying the condition and safety of such a terrifying creature.
Of course, eating is the best!
As Norton drew closer, a bright light appeared before them.
As the road inside the cave rounded a sharp bend and then suddenly turned, a magnificent scene appeared before him.
A massive cave that had almost hollowed out the entire mountain appeared before him.
At the very center of the cave stood a huge jade platform with a depression in it.
At the very center of that jade-like depression, on a pale cross that appeared to be made of pure white bones, nailed with pure white bone nails was a pale humanoid corpse that was over two meters tall, slender, and perfectly proportioned—a corpse that Norton found familiar, incomprehensible, chilling, and terrifying!
The humanoid corpse had pale yet delicate skin, exquisite and perfect features, and a slender and perfect physique. However, its excessively long and tall stature gave it an inhuman and bizarre appearance.
But in Norton's eyes, the pale humanoid corpse hanging on the cross was exactly the same as the pale skin and slender figure under his festering skin. Apart from the difference in appearance, the two presented the same physique. The only difference was that Norton had not completely shed his skin yet!
Norton stared in disbelief, feeling his mind go completely blank!
"Why... why does God look exactly like me?"
Is this really God? Or did they find some Fourth-Tier Vampire somewhere and hang it up there?
Norton felt completely stunned.
Is this still the Papal State?
Could the God they worship have always been such a pale Vampire?
Could it be...?
Norton stood dumbfounded at the cave entrance, staring at the pale, bizarre corpse hanging on the white cross. His mind was racing, and he was about to fall into a state of existential doubt when an unfamiliar voice came from behind the corpse, out of his blind spot, pulling him out of his shock.
"Old... Norton?"
"Hmm?" Norton, who had just been confused, frowned, and Pressure emanated from him.
"Who dares to call me, the progenitor of the Blood Progenitor Norton,... hiss..."
Norton looked in the direction of the sound and, behind the pale corpse blocking his view, slowly walked out an elderly man carrying a stool, his face full of surprise.
Seeing the still somewhat familiar face and the surprised look in his eyes, Norton, who had just been furious, abruptly stopped his angry snort. Looking at the aged yet increasingly familiar features, and most importantly, smelling the familiar scent of blood on him, coupled with the long-forgotten but deeply memorable title ' Old Norton Norton, ' the small figure gradually merged with the old man hiding behind the divine corpse...
"You... Bill?"
For the first time in so many years, the terrifying face of Blood Clan Progenitor Norton, showed an expression of shock.
His dark eyes were fixed on the old man who walked out from behind the divine corpse and stood beside it, his face full of disbelief.
He never imagined that he would one day meet the boy his family had sent away to become a priest!
If it weren't for this meeting, Norton would have completely forgotten about the child he had promised to turn into First-Generation Vampire!
Norton looked at Bill in front of him and for the first time felt the same sense of loss that comes with looking back over the decades and realizing that familiar faces have grown old.
His Majesty Norton, who had lost all emotion centuries ago, was now filled with emotion and reminiscence, and his voice even trembled as he spoke.
" Bill... you... it's been a century since we last met, and you've aged so much... old friends are passing away one by one, like leaves falling in the wind..."
Looking at Norton's grotesque body, Karl, who was no longer the same as he used to be, was filled with emotion, and even his old eyes were filled with tears.
"I am now old and frail, while Your Majesty remains as dashing as ever! By the way, Your Majesty, my name is Karl."
Norton's face stiffened, but his expression was too ferocious to be discernible.
Looking at Karl standing next to the corpse of the god, even right next to it, and the small stool he had taken out, Norton's face became even more filled with emotion, and his eyes were even glistening with tears.
"Good, good, Karl, I never thought that I would be able to meet you again after a hundred years. The past days are like a fine old wine. The longer the time has passed, the more flavorful they become. They are truly unforgettable in my heart!"
I still remember when I first discovered my ability to transform into Vampire, I wanted to turn you into First-Generation Vampire so I could enjoy the joy of eternal life. But alas, you are already in the Holy See, and it's impossible for us to meet again.
Now, I finally possess enough power to storm the Holy See. The time has come to transform you into First-Generation Vampire, to grant you eternal life. Come, Bill, follow me, let me transform you into Vampire, to grant you... wait... why are you moving a chair?
Wait! Do you remember? You even treated me to a meal!
As Norton grew increasingly anxious, Karl, who was carrying the stool, actually placed it in front of the corpse and then stood on it!