"Whoosh!"
Before Alter could react, the blade of a long sword was already pressed against his throat.
Bishop Alter was so fat that his neck was almost gone, but the knife still managed to target one of the most vulnerable spots on his body.
The bishop swallowed hard and looked into his study. There was a huge hole in the window, and shards of stained glass were scattered all over the floor, making it difficult to walk.
At this moment, besides himself, there were two messengers in the study who had just left but returned for unknown reasons.
The one who pressed the blade to his throat was the somewhat impulsive and hot-tempered young man, while the middle-aged knight in full armor sat on his high-backed chair, holding a wooden staff.
Unlike just a few minutes ago, the metal wings behind him, which he had initially thought were merely decorative, were now fully deployed.
Under the sunlight, Alter could even see the Psionic Energy light flowing across the knight's armor.
"My Lord Bishop."
Xilǐ'er spoke slowly, his words gentle yet his tone carrying an unyielding authority:
You seem to be holding back from us.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. After realizing that something unexpected had happened, a commotion suddenly came from behind Alter.
The boys peered out from the sides and behind the fat bishop, trying to figure out what was going on.
Unfortunately, Alter's size was far too large; his mere presence blocked most of the passageway, leaving the boys momentarily confused about what was happening.
"You all step back!"
Alter turned his Kunjinkao Tangtangtang and whispered something, letting the wooden knife cut a bloody gash across his neck.
But his turn exposed the scene before the boys, and Xilǐ'er and the Soul Returner saw those rather slender figures.
Seeing this, [Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] instantly sheathed his sword, no longer appearing aggressive.
He looked at Alter and said:
"Speak, you have at least three things to say."
Sweat beaded on the fat bishop's face again. For some reason, he felt that the power contained in those words was three times greater than that of the knight.
He raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead and said Alter a low voice:
"I deceived you."
"Not that sentence."
"These are all poor children who were rescued."
"That's not it either."
" Hibiscus Town is the rebels' stronghold, and I am the rebel leader."
"Ah?"
[Kunjinkao Tangtangtang] was stunned on the spot, looking up and down at the fat man in front of him who looked like he would be panting after running a few steps.
At this moment, Xilǐ'er also arrived in front of Alter. His tall figure and full set of silver armor made him look like a real Gundam in the eyes of the young people.
He reached out and handed over the wooden staff, then said solemnly to Alter:
"We're about to ask you some questions. To ensure your safety, hold onto this wooden staff and tell the truth."
Alter paused for a moment, wanting to turn around and look, but resisted the urge, and asked incredulously:
"And what about them?"
Xilǐ'er understood the meaning behind Alter's words and shook his head, saying:
"The laws of the Second Holy See and the code of chivalry forbid me from harming these young men in any way."
"From beginning to end, you were the only one who kept it from us, so you only need to answer my questions truthfully to ensure your safety."
"Don't do that."
Unexpectedly, it wasn't Alter who spoke at this moment, but a thin but tall boy among the many teenagers behind him:
Are you among those ' Stained Ones '?
The Soul Returner and the Knight shook their heads together.
" Alter Art is a good man. Since you are not Stained Ones, please do not treat him so rudely."
The fat bishop turned around with some surprise and glanced at the tall, thin boy, then addressed the children:
"Please wait inside a little longer; we have something to discuss."
After saying that, he took a step forward and left the passage completely. Then he reached out and pulled the bookshelf over, closing the entrance to the secret passage again.
He found a chair, sat down casually, and looked at the two of them:
What do you want to know?
[ Kunjinkao Tangtangtang gaze]
Everything about this matter.
Before he could speak, Xilǐ'er handed him the wooden staff.
Alter didn't think much of it and simply reached out and took it.
But the moment he touched the wooden staff, he was taken aback.
This wooden staff looks like just a delicate long stick, but its surface has an unusually complex pattern, and upon closer inspection, one can see Psionic Energy flowing in those grooves.
Although it felt cold to the touch, it involuntarily evoked a sense of warmth in him, as if the wooden staff itself were alive.
However, the Symbiotic Tree within him did not give any warning; instead, it was experiencing this unprecedented feeling just like him.
However, the moment he gripped the wooden staff tightly, a gaze from the void suddenly pierced through space and projected towards him.
This wasn't Alter's imagination; Ed's gaze had genuinely fallen upon him.
After reaching the High Tier, the essence of his life had undergone an undeniable change, and he gradually became able to understand what the so-called progenitor or the gaze of the Twin Kings really meant.
This essentially stems from the influence and formulation of rules by High Tier vampires. They can choose certain triggering conditions, and once someone meets these conditions within their perception range, they will become aware of it.
Just like other grand dukes, the trigger condition for this is to pray and silently recite their own name, whether it is Antos, Adelaide, or the King of Domination Vanessa.
However, there is one exception: the Immortal King, who also seems to be able to use this ability.
Ed doesn't have any concrete evidence yet, but he speculates that the Twin Kings ' cooperation might be much deeper than he imagines, so they might be able to use some of each other's abilities.
Ed, having absorbed the blood of Absolute Punishment, was naturally able to do something similar.
He wasn't some kind of delusional teenager, so he wouldn't concoct a long, tedious name for himself. Instead, he directly set a simple rule—
When the creations of the Second Holy See and beings other than Xilǐ'er touch this staff, they will cast their gaze upon it.
Under the gaze imbued with the power of Absolute Punishment, even Middle Tier experts would feel immense pressure, while Low Tier experts would use most of their rationality to resist this oppressive force, completely incapable of lying on the spot.
At that moment, Alter became the first person to feel Ed's gaze.
Under the Absolute Punishment, he watched as the knight and the Soul Returner slowly spoke—