Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 583 Return
Demosth has already left with his "Holy Blood" Knights.

He didn't even go to Fafnir City to take a look. After sealing the "Devourer Dragon" again, he left with Him.

On a high ground not far away, Luo Xiu watched the entire scene unfold.

"……call."

He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling somewhat shocked.

Having witnessed this battle, which could hardly be called a "battle," his most immediate impression was that Demosth was indeed very strong.

It can be said that she was quite strong—the shock she felt when she first witnessed the battle of the "Holy Sword" Monine was no less than that of Demosthen.

At that time, it was only through the combined efforts of several saints at the sixth level of destiny, including Monine, Franya, and himself, that the Devouring Dragon was sealed away, almost with all their might.

Even though the Devouring Dragon was weakened, Demostre managed to suppress it once again almost entirely on his own.

His "Holy Blood" Knights of the Sun—Shull, Cantron, Metra, and Loya—were merely helping Demosth construct his "prison."

Demosth, however, did not seem to have used his full strength yet; he appeared calm and at ease.

Perhaps even if the Devouring Dragon at its peak appeared before him, he could suppress and subdue it—this is the strength of the "Dragonblood Knight Commander," a saint second only to the Pope of Lorend.

"But he really wasn't very honorable..."

"..."

Luo Xiu murmured.

His fighting style—a style that almost fully unleashes the power of [authoritarianism]... he's not even acting anymore.jpg
“Uncle Demostt, he certainly doesn’t seem like [Radiance].

I heard Luo Xiu murmuring about Demosth.

The saintess beside him turned her head slightly, gently running her fingers through her hair, and said casually to him:

"...For him, perhaps it would be the same no matter which path he takes."

"He may be the most suitable to embark on the path of the [Supreme], and his temperament is also suited to the [Supreme]. But he is not, and therefore, he cannot break through the bottleneck of [Radiance]."

"..."

"The bottleneck of [Radiance]..."

Luo Xiu pondered.

Demosth seems to have said earlier that he has no intention of continuing to advance and does not pursue becoming a demigod of [Glory].

The fact that the divine status of [Radiance] has been fully occupied is only a secondary reason—the main reason is that Demosth's personality and pursuits are indeed not suitable for [Radiance].

A demigod of a destiny, by the end, is almost synonymous with destiny itself. "Purity" is not just a simple concept, but a necessary condition to be fulfilled in order to become a demigod of a particular destiny.

It is clear that Demosth is not pure.

His current strength is actually very close to the limit of his [Radiance].

His level is already at the maximum level of the Seventh Destiny Path, lv.100, and it is also very difficult for his second profession, "Holy Winged Envoy", to advance further.

All the career paths that can be advanced to the next level require that "Holy Winged Divine Envoy" is the primary destiny path and the primary profession.

This can be considered a special restriction on a second destiny or a second career.

However, Demostt clearly didn't care. He actually had a clear understanding of himself—that the only thing that could make him stronger was the power of the ancient dragon of [Authority].

In fact, this is true for many "players" as well—reaching the maximum level is just the beginning... After that, there are various equipment, feats, attributes, and so on. Although Demostre is not a player, he is indeed looking for a way to become stronger besides advancing to "demigod".

...Luo Xiu actually had doubts.

After sealing the "Devourer Dragon" within the Holy Dragon Slayer, there is a high probability that Demosth will attempt to extract the dragon's blood and draw upon its power before handing the Devourer Dragon over to the Holy Court.

"The Knight Commander bathed in dragon's blood"—Luo Xiu couldn't have imagined the reason why Demoste didn't do that.

However, he didn't seem to care about it.

Even though the soul and remains of the Devouring Dragon could serve as high-grade materials, which he could use effectively for enhancement or forging, Luo Xiu had no interest in them whatsoever.

Since the Devouring Dragon is already a key target of the Holy Court, any deficiency in it could attract unnecessary attention.

The greatest gain was the "child of the dragon god" sealed within the cocoon of His dead dragon embryo. The Holy Court was unaware of this, and this was the limit of what it could control.

"..."

Luo Xiu was thinking about these things.

Instinctively—perhaps because he himself also derives some of his power from [authoritarianism] and the ancient dragon—Luo Xiu did not have a good impression of Demosth.

He was indeed no match for him now, but if Demostre focused more on the Devouring Dragon, it would actually be a good thing for him in a way.

This way, Demosthens won't target him, nor will he target the ancient dragon Quesanx, with whom he has a pact.

Quesanx had left half a day before Demostre and the Knights of the Holy Blood arrived, returning to the Abyss to avoid him.

Demosthen didn't inquire further; his attention was entirely focused on the Devouring Dragon, which prevented Demosthen from causing him trouble—something he needed.

Luo Xiu was thinking to himself, while the saintess beside him had already put away her scepter and walked forward.

"Let's go, Luo Xiu."

Franya said:
"Demosth has taken the 'Devourer Dragon' with him."

"We have nothing else to do here."

"It's time to leave. After returning to Fafnir, we'll prepare to set off again. We should head back to Val Fortress."

"……it is good."

Luo Xiu nodded.

He cleared his mind of those jumbled thoughts and followed the saint slowly into the city of Fafnir.

……

Fafnir.

Monigne, the "Sword of the Holy One," along with Franya, the "Saintess," Rosh, and Daveld, the other saints who had gone out of the city to carry out the handover, returned to Fafnir.

On the way back, Monigne seemed somewhat forlorn. Even with Frania right beside her, she didn't utter a single word; her face remained serious and tinged with melancholy throughout.

Perhaps she was provoked by Demosthenes… Luo Xiu thought to himself.

Although both are saints of the seven paths of the "Holy Court," there is a difference between Monigne and Demosth.

She probably hadn't seen Demosth for a long time, and this time she saw the gap between them again.

Franya didn't say anything to Moninedo. Just as they were about to enter the city, a Supreme Round Table General, accompanied by his Royal Guard, came to greet them.

As expected, it was Wood—the seventh seat of the Matsubara Round Table, the "Crimson General" Wood Gates.

He approached with a smile on his face. He seemed to sense Monigne's displeasure, so he first greeted Francia.
"Greetings, Your Highness, the Holy Maiden of the Holy Court."

"You and Lord Monigne have returned in triumph. On behalf of the Supreme, I offer you my congratulations. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"..."

His tone was obsequious, and even though he was speaking to someone who was not the "Supreme" "Radiance," Wood's fawning was still quite evident.

"..." Luo Xiu noticed that Franya seemed to frown slightly.

"Uh……"

She doesn't like this.

Faced with the Supreme Divine Knight before her, Franya instinctively wanted to refuse.

Because Wood's desire for support outside of the "Supreme" was far too obvious, and Franya instinctively disliked dealing with this type of person.

Wood's true nature—or rather, his apparent nature—is that of a politician, and one who is not dominant within a political faction, which is why he seeks the support of [Radiance].

However, he is a good person—at least in Franya's subjective perception, Wood is one of the few good people among the [Supreme].

"Thank you for providing the manor, Your Excellency Wood."

Although she wasn't good at dealing with these things, Franya still returned the greeting politely. She was a "saint," possessing the elegance and refinement taught to her by the Holy Court.

“That provided me and Teacher Monigne with a place to recuperate during our injuries. If you need anything, you can write to us and, if permitted, I will provide you with the necessary support.”

"This is a return gift for your generosity."

Franya responded to Wood in this way, and an undisguised look of surprise appeared on Wood's face—

In his view, he had received the promise of the "Holy Maiden" of the [Radiant] Holy Court.

That will surely be of great help in the future assessment of my ability to gain a higher position within the "roundtable"!

Wood was thinking about all this when he heard the archbishop beside Franya speak as well—

"Lord Wood."

Beside Franya, Luo Xiu smiled and said:
"We have completed the handover of the 'Devouring Dragon' with the Holy Court. We sincerely thank the Supreme Being for the support they have provided us recently, and we will soon be leaving Fafnir City."

"For the sake of the final victory that is already in sight, I entrust you, General Adun, and General Pampas with the task of continuing to hold Fafnir. If you, General Adun, or General Pampas need anything from us before this afternoon, please come to the church headquarters to find us."

Luo Xiu told Wood these things.

His voice sounded calm, but unlike Franja, what Luo Xiu said to Wood was more like an official, document-like statement.

Wood seemed stunned for a moment, then a smile returned to his face as he responded to Luo Xiu:

"Ok."

"I will pass these on to His Excellency Adun and His Excellency Pampas."

"Hmm." Luo Xiu nodded slightly.

After that, he stopped talking to Wooddo.

He left with Franja and Daveld. Out of the corner of his eye, Luo Xiu saw Wood still standing there, gazing at their departing figures for a long time.

Until the saints had disappeared around the corner of the street.

Wood then left with his royal guards to return to his post.

……

Just as Luo Xiu and Wood had said, General Adun and General Pampas arrived at the church's headquarters before afternoon to meet with Luo Xiu, Daveld, and Franya.

This was the first time that General Adon, the second seat of the "Round Table," had come to meet the saints, including Monine, Franya, and Luo Xiu.

Adon had not appeared before, perhaps deliberately avoiding unnecessary contact with the Holy See.

General Adon, who appeared at the church's residence at noon, also had a dead fish expression on his face, as if he only wanted to finish the necessary work as soon as possible and leave.

Adon, Pampas, and Wood, the three generals of the "Round Table," along with Klein, the "Golden Sword Saint" who arrived at the last minute at the behest of Luo Xiu, exchanged information with the saints of the Holy Court.

After Monine, Frania, Rosh, and Daveld left,
The tasks of investigating the remaining traces at the bottom of the Blood Cave, eliminating the newly hidden heretics, and cleaning up the mess caused by the resealing of the "Devouring Dragon" outside the city will all be handed over to the generals of the "Round Table".

Elias—the Radiant Knight under Daveld's command—will stay.

He will assist the Roundtable in continuing its investigation, while Daveld has new tasks to assign him.

Elias will continue his search for the other "Radiant Knight," Pacio—whom he had accompanied on a mission to Fafnir, but who subsequently disappeared.

Even though it's now confirmed that Pacio must have perished at the hands of the Devouring Dragon, at least his body must be found.

……

It was almost evening.

The Templar Knights of the "Godhunter" led by Monigne have completed the handover with the garrison of Fafnir.

Afterwards, they embarked on their return journey—this time, the three generals of the Round Table, as well as "Golden Sword Saint" Klein, all came out of the city to see them off.

Luo Xiu had only met General Adun twice during the entire trip, and he seemed to see a look of relief on his face.

"Congratulations on your triumphant return, Lord Luo Xiu."

While Luo Xiu was keeping an eye on Adun, Klein had already come up to him and greeted him.

"May the golden winds shine upon you. Lord Rosh Carlos, friend of gold, I wish you great success in your military campaigns."

"Thank you." Luo Xiu's gaze returned to Klein, and he smiled in response.

The sound of a dragon's roar came from mid-air; it was the "Dragon of Justice," Quesanx. Only when he could no longer sense Demostre's presence did he leave the Sacred Abyss and return to the real world.

He raised his long dragon neck and let out a thunderous roar towards the sky. He also folded his dragon wings and landed on the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

Luo Xiu stepped onto His dragon wings, came to His dragon back, and sat down.

Monigne, Frania, and Daveld have also mounted their sacred beasts, relics, or mounts.

Goodbye, Klein.

Under Klein's gaze.

He saw Luo Xiu wave to him one last time, and then the giant dragon that the archbishop was riding roared to the sky. It spread its huge wings that blotted out the sky and soared into the sky.

Monine, Frania, and the others also embarked on their respective journeys home.

Soon, their figures disappeared from everyone's sight.

Ardon and Klein then returned to the city and went back to their original posts.

And they were all somewhat uneasy.

Because they knew that these most powerful saints of the "Holy Court" were heading to the final battlefield of this war of judgment.

—Journey to the dark capital to participate in the battlefield of the trial of the "Duke of Darkness," a true "demigod."

That determines the fate of the empire.

It also determines the fate of the entire continent of Fanor.

That was the true... final chapter of the trial war.

……

(End of this chapter)