Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 883 - 820: The Undying Darkness
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"You cannot do it, Algernon." Pope Atrax’s voice echoed in the dazzlingly bright chapel, his tone extremely soft, like falling snowflakes—light yet profound—freezing the air in an instant. This elderly man, always maintaining a kindly facade, used a decidedly firm voice to negate Algernon, the highest-ranking clergy member, stating the harshest of realities.
"Although the Sacrament of Sanctification is the collective power of priests, it is a miracle, it is the pen that outlines a bright future, but it also has its limitations. People are inspired to move forward by a grand objective, but not everyone can fulfill their desires. They will fall, they will lose their way, they will be stopped by the thorns of reality, they will alter their course due to exhaustion and despair. Those who accomplish their great deeds are, after all, the minority, and while there are reasons of their own, more so, it’s because they’ve already reached the end of the line—there is no rule stating that a path must certainly lead to the desired destination. Some roads are broken, and some people are destined to have no future."
"Quite laughable, isn’t it? As ’the one closest to the Holy Light,’ this is what I feel. The miracles of humankind have already had their price tags placed upon us, no matter how clever the rhetoric, no matter how intelligent the mind, it cannot sell a plain rock at the price of gold."
"Karen Pembai has been granted a future, thus she is gold."
"While you, Algernon Farrell, have not been granted, thus you are plain rock."
"Do what you should do, do what is allowed, do what you are capable of. Do not overreach, do not be reckless. For your own sake, Algernon."
The Legion Commander snorted coldly, took a step forward, and glared at the old man.
"What if I say ’no’? Your Excellency, at this moment of life and death, the commerce of peaceful times should be overturned. I am the current Legion Commander of the Crusaders, I believe the Holy Light should grant me some privileges." Algernon said fiercely, and his somewhat arrogant actions united the priestly circle around the Pope, glaring furiously at the heretical Paladin.
Pope Atrax gently pushed them aside, smiled at Karen not far away, then turned back to face Algernon.
"You won’t be able to bear it, Algernon," he said, his words somewhat feeble, but the old man repeated.
"The Angels have all fallen, what do you think an addition can do? Can a minor Angel post-Sanctification achieve the power of the Holy Light’s foremost?"
"Cannot."
"Then can she become another His Excellency George?"
"Also cannot."
"Or can she become the merciful leader by water’s nature?"
"Cannot."
"The Earth’s Angel, Raphael?"
"Perhaps, the lost Holy Sword could bolster her might."
Algernon, enraged, raised his sword as if to strike.
"Such an uncertain future, yet you let her try! Why not me?"
"Because you will die, that is certain."
The old man and Algernon locked eyes, heavy breathing making the Legion Commander’s chest sound like a bellows. He withdrew the sword from Pope Atrax’s neck and sheathed it.
"Perform the Sacrament of Sanctification on me, I can do it."
The redeployment of the ritual did not waste much time, although the priests executing it were resentful, at Pope Atrax’s request, they still prayed patiently. Hymns sounded in the chapel, and light converged towards Algernon at the center of the ritual. He knelt on one knee, eyes tightly shut, his expression serene.
"Holding the Sword of Judgment, hereby the Sanctification."
"As a devoted son, a pure and noble warrior."
"In the name of the Holy, he is the fifth, Uriel of the Wind."
Pope Atrax recited, his hands hovering over Algernon’s head in a supporting gesture. The hymns climbed, sanctity gathered in the hands of the Pope into a ring, the blinding holy light forcing everyone to close their eyes, as the intense luminance not only dispelled darkness but all sight.
Algernon could feel it, the blazing orb above his head—that was power, so grand that it was indistinguishable from destruction.
Pope Atrax’s fingertips began to drip blood, as long as he continued to hold the halo, this grace would persist, drops of blood fell into Algernon’s hair, at this moment, his thoughts connected with the old man.
"You still have a chance, give it up, Algernon."
"Once you put on the Holy Halo, your life will enter a countdown."
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"I still have strength left, I can still hold on. Another divine descent to bestow power upon Karen, and I will use my life to protect her from the evil corruption. The spark of holy light needs a new Guardian, take them and leave, Algernon. You will survive."
He knelt on the ground, the weight on his head as if carrying the whole world. Algernon bowed his head, showing respect to the old man.
"Pope Atrax."
"My faith in the holy light is weak; I have never received revelation."
"His Excellency George pulled me out of the darkness, time and again casting us onto the battlefield, making me understand something."
"The Inquisitor Legion never fights a battle with preparation. We cannot foresee victory; victory is not the force we fight for."
"Irrelevant of faith, irrelevant of advantage, what we have is only the anger to decapitate our enemies."
"Even with evil in abundance, one must courageously confront it."
Atrax let go of his hand, the halo fell, possibly stained with holy blood; it sprouted thorns in an instant, its power engulfing Algernon. His screams echoed throughout the church as the dome shattered with the runaway holy light. The Pope and priests, guarding the central burning and charred blot, protected what they saw as the holy stigmata in their eyes. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
Under the massive cross-shaped halo, half of his left body shattered, with only one hand and one foot, he wielded the huge Light Sword. His features gone, the edges of his broken wings sprayed with light particles, his shattered armor melted into shadows intertwined around his body. Suspended in front of the Primordial Church, Angel Algernon swung his sword, the blade of light severing the tide of darkness in half, roaring as he scattered the black sludge surging toward the church.
In the lonely darkness, a gentle clapping sounded.
Triton’s incarnation appeared in front of the wing-broken angel, with a smile on his face.
"My child, you have exceeded my expectations, breaking through your mortal shackles to reach the level of an angel, Rank seven. Look at yourself, truly beautiful. Without borrowing the external force named Raymond, humans are indeed an interesting race."
The Angel spread his wings, and behind him, the darkness tore open space, countless black-winged humanoid figures crawled out from the rift, swords in hand, the lingering shadows of the Inquisitors lunged toward the God of All Evils.
"However, the game is over, Algernon."
Rotting tentacles instantly grabbed the angel, an even larger corrupted angel, one head crying, one head roaring, one head silent, easily suppressing the broken angel, pressing Algernon into the black mire. Light feathers broke under the assault, smacking the angel repeatedly.
"Such is life, my dear," Triton said helplessly smiling, gesturing for the corrupted angel to tear him apart.
"It’s a pity your Rank is too low; merging you with the angels would actually reduce the purity of the power. Otherwise, I would really like you to fuse with them. The Four Angels of the Curse have always lacked one."
"The final judgment has not yet come... but you won’t see it..."
"Again..." Triton stopped talking, He lifted his head, looking toward the top of the Primordial Church, on the shattered dome, the broken remnant body stood, holding the standard of holy light, Algernon’s shattered other half, the dark other half.
[Miracle of the Dark Ark]
The dark rift opened, the black angel shattered, and the Void Power burst from within, covering the entire great church. The building was devoured by the void, disappearing from the encircling tide of darkness.
"Transferred away. What’s the point? When the final judgment descends, the remaining sparks will be extinguished."
Triton looked at the fragments in the corrupted angel’s hand, his light drained, revealing a mutilated head.
"Meaningless tasks are also undertaken by some. And to me, it’s not without meaning." The last Inquisitor, Legion Commander of the Inquisitor Legion, dead.
But Triton did not get his soul, for something else had gotten there first.
That annoying black rift opened again, and within the Black Prison, a black flame swallowed the Inquisitor’s soul, quietly burning across the rift, speaking in mechanical language from the void.
[Detection: Black Bishop, Silent; Legion of the Darkslayer, Silent.]
[Awaken next level Avenger: Legion of the Guilty.]
[Concept: Vengeance, Rank three, commence execution.]
[Darkness Undying.]
