Gospel of Blood

The rough stone walls were covered with mottled moss, and the flickering torches swayed in the cold, damp air.

The thick iron bars were rusted with the marks of time, as if they were tears from the ages.

In the darkness, candlelight flickered, casting mottled and shadowy patterns on the cold walls, exuding a heavy and oppressive sense of despair.

The Inquisition Dungeon.

This was the most terrifying and most fortified prison on the continent of Myria.

A forgotten corner of the world.

Every brick and stone here was inscribed with complex runes and set with anti-magic and surveillance spells. Even a mosquito couldn’t easily escape from here.

Occasionally, the sound of dragging chains and low moans came from the depths of the darkness, accompanied by monstrous angry roars, sending chills down one’s spine.

Outside the dungeon, in a dimly lit solitary cell.

The holy robes of the cardinal had been stripped off, leaving him in tattered prison clothes, making him look as if he had aged several decades.

With the creaking sound of the iron bars, the cell door was opened, and several Judgment Knights in black robes walked in.

They lined up on either side, expressionless.

Filiberto slowly raised his head, the dazed and cloudy look in his eyes gradually regaining a bit of clarity. When he saw the hunched figure walking in under the escort of the Judgment Knights, a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes.

“Lord Chief Judge! Lord Chief Judge! You finally came! Are you here to release me?”

Filiberto staggered forward, speaking excitedly.

But the next moment, the expressionless Judgment Knights blocked his way.

“Lord Chief Judge?”

Filiberto’s eyes widened.

In the dim torchlight, chief Judge Francesco was expressionless, his ashen-gray pupils filled with coldness.

“Filiberto, do you know your crime?”

Filiberto was stunned.

“Lord Chief Judge, please don’t joke around. This is no longer the Holy Palace, and the Queen is not here. Quickly release me, time is pressing, I still need to prepare the divine array for the God-slaying Plan!”

He chuckled dryly.

“The God-slaying Plan? Hmph, you still remember the God-slaying Plan!”

Chief Judge Francesco snorted coldly, his old voice filled with annoyance and anger.

“Do you know that your impulsiveness almost ruined our entire plan!”

“Because of you, now more than half of the clerics in the Holy Palace firmly believe in the Queen of Starfall’s status as a Saintess. Because of your incompetence, our plan to divide the faith nearly failed! The plan to seize the divine artifacts was almost exposed! Now even Angus and Selina are starting to suspect us!”

Listening to the Chief Judge, Filiberto opened his mouth and stammered.

“But… but I was acting on the orders of the Pope…”

“Orders? You remember orders? The order was to monitor her, why did you take action? And you even exposed our three Legendaries!”

Francesco said angrily.

Filiberto swallowed and gritted his teeth.

“I… I had no choice, she had already noticed my problem, I even felt her locking onto me. If I didn’t act, she would likely have taken action against me next.”

“In that situation, I… I could only strike first.”

Filiberto raised his head and said,

“But what about you and the Pope? Why didn’t you act? She didn’t bring many guards and had already entered the range of the Holy Palace’s spell radiation. If you and the Pope had acted, we might have taken her down!”

“Fool! She is a God! Not just a Legendary! Even if she hasn’t fully recovered, she is still a true God! And one who once ushered in an era! Such an existence, do you think she has no contingencies?! You, a mere Legendary, could handle her?!”

Francesco scolded.

“But… but…”

Filiberto stammered.

“But what?! Even if she hasn’t regained all her divine power, even if her strength hasn’t broken through the limits, don’t forget, Templar Knight Angus was nearby, and Judge Selina had returned to the Holy Capital. With those two Legendary clerics wielding divine artifacts, do you think you could succeed?!”

Francesco roared.

“Then… what should I do? My identity has been exposed, I can’t stay in the Holy Palace anymore, my tasks are still incomplete…”

“Your tasks, the Pope and I will arrange. As for you…”

Francesco gave Filiberto a cold look and said,

“‘Her Highness the Saintess’ has already announced that she will publicly judge you. Seeing the final investigation results, the Cardinal Council and the clerics are taking this very seriously and have requested a public trial.”

“Public trial? No… absolutely not! Lord Chief Judge, I can’t go to a public trial!”

Filiberto’s eyes widened in horror.

Francesco sneered.

“Of course you can’t go to a public trial, you know too many secrets. Our Lord’s plan is about to succeed, we can’t afford any mistakes now, so…”

Francesco gave a gentle smile and continued.

“I am here to send you on your final journey.”

“You… you want to kill me? No! You can’t kill me! I’m a Legendary! One of the few Legendaries in the temple! A loyal follower of our Lord! You can’t kill me!”

Filiberto’s eyes widened.

“Of course I know you are a Legendary and a devout follower of our Lord, so… fulfill your final value as a Legendary and a devout follower!”

Francesco said.

After he finished speaking, he gestured slightly to the Judgment Knights behind him.

The Judgment Knights immediately sprang into action.

Accompanied by chaotic footsteps, an iron cage covered with seals was pushed over.

Inside the iron cage was a ferocious monster bound in chains. It wore tattered noble attire, black mist swirling around it. Its sharp teeth and swollen lumps covered its body, and its horrific face vaguely resembled a human.

“Roar—!”

It kept roaring, crashing against the bars of the cage.

“A… Legendary Blood Fiend?! Francesco! What are you doing?!”

Filiberto’s face showed fear.

“Rest assured, we will continue the actions you hoped for. Your blood, your flesh, and your soul will become part of our divine-slaying sword.”

Francesco said.

He then motioned for the knights to open the cage door.

The iron bars opened, and the ferocious monster, like a predator smelling blood, charged at Filiberto, quickly knocking him down.

The low growls and the sound of tearing flesh, mixed with Filiberto’s shrill screams, echoed far and wide in the dungeon.

…

Deep within the Holy Palace, in front of a tall statue of the Creator God.

Pope Gregory XII put down the bible in his hand, concluding his prayer.

“Pope, the Chief Judge has arrived.”

The attendant cleric said respectfully.

“Let him in.”

Gregory XII slowly opened his eyes and said gently.

“Pope.”

The Chief Judge Francesco, who entered the prayer hall, bowed to him.

Gregory XII glanced at the attendant cleric, who sensibly retreated, leaving only the two Legendary clerics in the hall.

“Is it done?”

Gregory XII asked.

Francesco nodded.

“It’s done. Filiberto and the three promoted Legendaries have all been fed to the sacrificial offerings.”

“What a pity. Training four Legendaries isn’t easy.”

Gregory XII sighed.

Francesco said in a deep voice.

“There was no other way. If not for that person already arriving at the Holy Palace, risking early detection, we could have had four additional Legendary sacrifices.”

“It doesn’t matter much, just a cherry on top. Our offerings are sufficient. The important thing is not to make mistakes at this critical moment.”

Gregory XII said.

“Pope, what about the Demon Hunter Bureau and the Templar Knight Order? They will likely investigate Filiberto’s death. And… that ‘Saintess’ will probably be interested too.”

Francesco asked.

Gregory XII looked at the shining statue of the Creator God and said,

“Blame those who abandoned their faith in the Holy Court. Someone must be held responsible for their deaths. It would also divert the attention of the Templar Knights, the Demon Hunters, and the Queen of Starfall.”

“Blame them? Pope, although they abandoned the Holy Court faith, they are devout followers of our Lord! And… most of them are fervent believers!”

Francesco couldn’t help but remind him.

“Yes, they are indeed devout followers of our Lord, but don’t forget, from the moment they abandoned the Holy Court faith, no matter how fervent their belief in our Lord, they lost their purpose.”

Gregory XII said calmly.

He then looked at Chief Judge Francesco and smiled.

“Chief Judge, do you know what Filiberto’s biggest mistake was?”

“What… was it?”

Francesco asked.

“It was betraying the faith in the ‘Creator God’.”

Gregory XII said.

While stroking the bible of the Royal Court in his hand, he calmly said,

“Never forget, we are followers of our Lord, but we are also followers of the ‘Creator God’. The reason our Lord chose us is not because of our fervent faith, but because of our identity as holy followers.”

“The faith in our Lord must not be forgotten, but neither must the faith in the ‘Creator God’ be abandoned. Only then… can we help our Lord obtain everything that rightfully belongs to Him!”