As the darkness dissipated, Mayne found himself standing in a vast square.
Everything before him had a vaguely familiar impression... the low-rise houses, the monastery still under construction, and the brand-new stone church. The dirt was dry and firm, with no trace of snow. The sunlight above occasionally peeked through the clouds, and the breeze that brushed his cheeks was warm and gentle, completely unlike being in the Evil Moon.
Wait, he suddenly realized, could this be the Old Holy City from when he first became a believer? Back then, in the square, it was His Majesty Oberlain who presided over the baptism ceremony.
"So, the place that impressed you the most is here," Jerro's voice suddenly sounded from behind, "It is indeed a nice place."
A Pure One!
The briefly disconnected memories instantly reconnected, and he felt his anger erupt. He turned around, his eyes fixed on her, and said, word by word, "Jerro, are you insane!"
She actually dared to use her ability on him!
And why didn't the God's Stone of Retribution he was carrying work?
"I know very well what I'm doing," Jerro smiled, "But you... I'm afraid you're still in the dark. It doesn't matter, this is the world of consciousness, there's plenty of time, I can explain it to you slowly."
Soul Battlefield. Mayne was no stranger to this ability. Fighting with consciousness alone in the world of the Corrupted, the winner takes all, and the loser loses everything. This was also an extremely rare summoning ability, and almost unavoidable without wearing a God's Stone of Retribution. But... damn it, he was clearly wearing a God's Stone of Retribution!
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the sky-blue crystal. Under the sunlight, its polygonal outline reflected a bright azure luster, with nothing unusual about it.
"Why?" Mayne gritted his teeth.
"Are you referring to the God's Stone?" Jerro smiled, "It's simple, its domain tremor has been smoothed out. Of course, mortals can't feel the difference at all."
The tremor has been smoothed out? The Pope couldn't help but widen his eyes. There was only one person in the Holy City who could eliminate the magic-nullifying effect of the God's Stone of Retribution—the Pure One, Isabella.
This is... blatant betrayal!
These damned bitches! Mayne felt the veins on his forehead bulge, and his hands trembled slightly with manic anger. He knew from the start that these tools couldn't be relied on. He should have converted them all into God's Retribution soldiers when he was crowned! He struggled to suppress his anger and said bitterly, "When did this happen?"
"How would I know when she did it? Didn't you lock me in the dungeon and teach me a lesson?" Jerro shrugged, "I just entrusted her to do it, that's all."
"A fine 'entrustment'! How could she have easily committed such blasphemy if you hadn't been plotting this for a long time!" No, he suddenly thought, even the two of them couldn't have done this... After taking the position of Pope, he moved into the bedroom in the church that originally belonged to His Majesty Oberlain. It was not only filled with various mechanisms, but also guarded by several Judgment Warriors for a long time. Not to mention that there were several high-level God's Stones placed on the bedside table, which he took and used every day, and he was always accompanied by guards wherever he went. How could she have had a chance to do it?
Enraged to this point, Mayne calmed down instead. "What exactly do you want to do? Is it just to retaliate for my punishment? Even if you kill me, the entire cave below the hanging basket is an area affected by the God's Stone. Where can you escape to? Once you land, the Judgment Army that has been waiting for a long time will see through your trick and arrest you. Don't expect to be able to hide it from the Secretum. When they start the torture interrogation, you will find that the whipping a few days ago was just like a goose feather tickling."
"I don't plan to escape," Jerro shook her head, "I want to replace you and take over the position of Pope."
"..." Mayne was stunned. He had imagined all sorts of situations, but he never expected to hear such an answer, "A Pure One becoming Pope? You're simply daydreaming. I was the one who received the coronation in front of many believers in the cathedral! Do you think that if you kill me, they will recognize your authority?"
"I don't need to appear in front of many people, I just need to act as the Pope's 'messenger'," Jerro said nonchalantly, "You see, His Majesty Oberlain also stays in the Secretum Sanctum all year round, and even wears a mask when he occasionally goes out. In this case, who would notice that the Pope has been replaced?"
"You can't hide it until then! Didn't you hear what I just said? As soon as the cage lands, they will see that I'm not there and immediately take control of you!" Mayne roared, "It's not too late to let me out now, I can pretend that you didn't do such an arbitrary thing!"
"Once the Soul Battle begins, it cannot be ended," Jerro smiled, "Besides, they won't arrest me. You've been wrong from the beginning."
They won't arrest her... what does that mean? The Pope frowned at the Pure One, wanting to see something in her eyes, but apart from the sparkling moving light, there was no trace of timidity or panic in those eyes. She also did not look away, but quietly met his gaze, as if she was stating something that was perfectly normal.
Mayne suddenly felt a flash of lightning in his mind!
"Even giving up is a wise choice."
"Child, I'm sorry."
He opened his mouth wide, but felt a pair of big hands strangling his throat, making it almost impossible to make a sound. His heart kept sinking, as if he had fallen into an ice cave. After a long time, he finally said with difficulty, "Could all of this be Oberlain—"
"It seems you finally understand," Jerro raised her eyebrows, "His Majesty the Pope has instructed all the guards and Judgment Warriors in the Secretum Sanctum—they will never leave the underground, and they will only obey the Pope. You received the scepter in the church on the ground, but you are still not the master of the Secretum Sanctum." She chuckled, "Think about it, we are standing above the cave, and the core of the church is below us, and this is also the only place where we can avoid all the guards on the ground and not be affected by the God's Stone of Retribution. Don't you think it's a perfect stage?"
The Pure One put away her smile, and the light in her eyes bloomed like flames, "This is also the battlefield arranged for us by His Majesty. When the Soul Battle ends, the one who survives will become the true ruler of the church."
So that's what happened! Mayne felt his throat dry. Damn old man, because he felt that he had stolen the power that originally belonged to the witches, he planned to use this method to atone for himself? It's ridiculous!
The brilliance shining in her eyes was clearly a burning ambition, an emotion that was almost impossible to see in a Pure One—they were taught from birth to be tools, and should be absolutely loyal to the church's high command. If they hadn't devoured those daring people... no, damn it, Mayne suddenly remembered what His Majesty had said to him before attacking the Wolfheart Kingdom.
"I will send two Pure Ones to assist you in battle. No one can escape their hunt."
Could it be that he never thought about what kind of impact taking the memories of the Wolf King and the Turquoise Queen would have on Jerro herself?
Recalling Oberlain's relieved expression at the end, he finally realized the meaning of his words before his death. Mayne angrily gritted his teeth. How could the old man not have considered this! In order to let ambition return to the hearts of the Pure Ones, he had already begun to prepare.
Is this the result you wanted to see, His Majesty the Pope?!