Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 586 End-of-War Conference
Daveld and Pamie also arrived.

Under Luo Xiu's watchful gaze, they entered the courtyard of Rochester Manor. Daveld and Pamela saw Luo Xiu and walked towards him.

“You’ve already arrived, Luo Xiu.”

Daveld smiled and greeted Rothschild:
“I thought you would arrive later. You will have to spare some time to deal with Quesanx, those ‘gravel’ dwarves, and the ‘dead dragon cocoon’ that Fafnir left here during your stay at Val Fortress.”

"It's alright," Luo Xiu replied with a smile.

“Lord Daveld, you are far more overworked than I am. Church affairs are too complicated, and you haven’t had a proper rest in a long time.”

At present, Daveld still holds the title of "Acting Bishop"—

Initially, it was because Luo Xiu was unable to handle church affairs due to his injuries, so Daveld helped share the burden.

However, Luo Xiu now needs to devote more energy to other more important matters such as the "Primordial Demon," so in terms of church affairs, Daveld is still acting as "archbishop" on Luo Xiu's behalf.

"..."

Daveld gave a wry smile.

He felt as if he had inexplicably started working overtime indefinitely. However, he also knew that in the eyes of the leader of the "God Hunter"—the "Holy Sword" Monigne—the current task that Luo Xiu was shouldering was indeed more important than handling church affairs.

"It's nothing."

Daveld said:

“We should go in now. Lord Monigne, Her Highness the Saintess, Prandel, and Lord Reus should all be here.”

"So,"

Luo Xiu looked to Daveld's side, towards Pamie's side, where the paladin in bright silver armor stood like a statue.

Hello, Pamie.

Luo Xiu also greeted her.

"...Greetings to you, Archbishop."

Pamie responded respectfully, perhaps because Daveld was there. Although they were all acquaintances, Pamie appeared more respectful and reserved.

"At noon, I received a message from Lord Monigne's servant instructing me to bring Pamela with me when I come to Rochester Manor."

Daveld said:

"She's now the captain of the Night Patrol Knights. Coincidentally, she's temporarily under my command. Lord Monigne might like to meet her, but I didn't ask any further questions."

Then, he looked at Pamela and said:

"After that, you will stay here. Pamié, Lord Monigne should come to see you personally after the meeting."

“Yes,” Pamie nodded in response.

She drew the broadsword from her back and slammed it heavily on the ground with a clang. Then, she stood there vigilantly, her eyes beneath her helmet watching the people coming and going in the courtyard.

Luo Xiu glanced at Pamie one last time.

He knew that after the meeting, Monigne, the "Sword of the Holy One," would come to Pamie and ask her about her willingness to join the real "Skadia" and follow her to receive instruction and training.

Daveld was unaware of these things, though Pamela might have thought of them, but she didn't say much.

Looking at Pamie, Luo Xiu pondered these thoughts, while Daveld had already turned and strode into the manor's auditorium.

Luo Xiu then followed, entered the building, and arrived at the auditorium.

……

It was a small, even somewhat rough-looking, auditorium.

Predominantly black, gray, and dark crimson, the room appeared rather gloomy and somber to Luo Xiu. Twenty seats were arranged on either side of a long table, with Monigne and Franja, who had arrived earlier, seated at the head of the table, while Prandell and Reus sat in the next seat on the left.

"You've arrived, Lord Roshchu and Lord Daveld."

Monigne's gaze fell upon Rosius and Daveld the moment they entered through the door.

Luo Xiu and Daveld nodded in response. He noticed that the two seats on the right side had been opened, so he and Daveld took their seats.

"What we will be discussing here is how to arrange our itinerary afterwards."

Once everyone was in place, Monigne began to speak:
"Back when we were still in Fafnir, we had already decided to support Pope Lawrence and go to the Dark City to participate in the divine punishment of the Dark Duke."

“We will be part of ending the ‘war of judgment,’ a sinful war that has lasted far too long and deserves to end.”

As Monigne spoke, she stood up and gently placed her left hand on her right chest.

"[Glory] is with us."

"Saintess" Franya, along with the two vice-captains of "God Hunt," Prandell and Royce, as well as Rosh and Daveld, also stood up and performed the same sacramental gesture as Monigne.

"[Glory] is with us."

"..."

This is a ritualistic step that the high-ranking saints of the "Holy Court" perform before making any important decisions at their meetings.

Then, Monigne sat back down, followed by Franya, Rosh, and Daveld. Monigne then continued speaking:
"Lord Gawain of Matsubara and Lord Stuart, the 'Knight of Heaven', have already led the Matsubara Expeditionary Force to Dadu."

"Lord Daveld maintains regular contact with them. Lord Gawain and Lord Stuart have already set up camp on the edge of the Black Capital, while the Pine Plains Expeditionary Force has joined up with the main forces of the expeditionary forces of the other two territories."

"According to the messages relayed to us by Lord Gawain and His Excellency Stuart."

"At this time, thirteen main armies have been stationed on the edge of the Dark Capital. Emperor Augustusville has also arrived. The Divine Seal Knights under the Emperor's command are the most important force to fight against the Dark Duke, and the Emperor is currently in a standoff with the Dark Duke."

"This is intelligence from the [Supreme] side."

"Beyond the Supreme, there are the movements of the 'Tower of Sages' and our 'Holy Court.' Four Great Sages and sixteen Sages have already departed from the Imperial Capital, the 'Tower of Sages,' and are about to arrive in the Dark Capital."

"It is understood that the chief sage of the 'Sage's Tower,' Chief Thorin, is also among those providing support. The Sage's Tower has also deployed three floating cities to inflict a fundamental and devastating blow on Dark City."

"..."

—"Floating City".

Luo Xiu listened to Monine talking about these things, and when she specifically mentioned the "floating city," it caught Luo Xiu's attention.

It is actually classified as a runic artifact, but it is the most advanced runic artifact. There are three "Sage's Towers", all of which were created and controlled by Thorin, the first of the three. It is the ultimate weapon of the Sage's Tower.

That is also the symbol of Thorin's first demigod of [Intelligence] - by analogy, each floating city is the size of a real fortress, and the firepower of each one is equivalent to the continuous spiritual attacks of two or three "Seventh Fate" Saints.

Luo Xiu thought to himself.

And Monigne continued:

"And our 'Holy Court,' Pope Lawrence, will also be heading to the battlefield. Accompanied by the Second and Third Cardinals, he will arrive at the borders of the Dark Capital in four days." "For this divine war, His Holiness the Pope has also awakened the 'Ten-Winged Archangels.' This is a war of divine punishment against the Dark Duke. Whether it's [Radiance], [Supreme], or [Wisdom], this time, we have only one, common purpose—"

“We must ensure that the ‘Black Grand Duke’—that supreme tyrant who slays the lawless—truly falls here.”

"..."

Monigne said this.

Her tone was firm and resolute, carrying an unquestionable conviction.

As for Monigne's statement that Pope Lorend would also participate in the war of gods, Luo Xiu already knew about it.

The Pope also awakened the 'Ten-Winged Archangel'—an angel whose fighting power rivals that of a true demigod, one of the archangels who commands all angels in the Eternal Kingdom. The fact that Lorend awakened such a being demonstrates the importance he attaches to this divine war.

Luo Xiu has never even seen an eight-winged angel... and if we don't count the "Holy Blood Angel" Metra, he has never seen a real six-winged angel either.

The scale of the God War was enormous, perhaps exceeding any of Luo Xiu's previous expectations... Even though he had participated once as a player in his previous life, he could only clear out the rubbish on the periphery then. It was a completely different experience from participating in the core God War as a true top saint of the "Sixfold Destiny".

As Monigne recounted these events, anticipation gradually rose in Luo Xiu's heart.

Both the "floating city" and the "ten-winged archangel" filled Luo Xiu with anticipation. However, he did not forget the dangers of the divine war because of this—

"We are fully prepared for this."

Monigne continued:

"With the alliance of [Supreme], [Radiance], and [Wisdom], and the participation of three demigods in the war of divine punishment, we have a clear advantage in both combat power and overall national strength."

"But we still cannot underestimate our enemy. The Dark Duchy—besides the Dark Grand Duke, the demigod of the [Supreme] Order Killer, there is another 'demigod'."

“‘The Matriarch of Delusion,’ Arivia, a demigod of the Void, is also the wife of the Dark Grand Duke.”

"Although she is a newly promoted demigod and her strength may be relatively weak, she should not be underestimated."

"The Dark Grand Duke rules the Dark Duchy with violence and chaos, and the 'Matriarch of Delusion' Ailivia is the source of the chaos. Her power can plunge people into the 'Void,' causing them to abandon anything they originally pursued or upheld, and instead sink into the 'Void,' drowning in nothingness."

"The essence of the Dark Duchy is that all the executioners, fangs, and black-toothed men—the sinners from the outside world, or the despised exiles—gather in this evil cradle of the Dark Duchy and, under Arivia's influence, enjoy their 'value' in this dark kingdom."

"The reason why such a chaotic order as the Dark Duchy can be maintained is not solely due to the supreme 'rule' power held by the Dark Grand Duke. The root cause is 'Matriarch of Delusion' Ailivia, the one who binds the duchy and prevents it from collapsing despite its chaos, instead growing stronger like a malignant tumor."

“We have always believed that they are like people who have sunk into a dark dream. This is especially true of the executioners and the chief executioner. The ‘Matriarch of Delusion’ Ailivia manipulates them, making them loyal to her, to the Dark Grand Duke who is one with her, and even to the Dark Duchy.”

"Therefore, they are brutal and bloodthirsty, showing no mercy to anything, yet they remain highly loyal to the Dark Grand Duke and the Dark Duchy. So... Ailivia is an enemy we must consider and may face."

"..."

Monigne was saying these things.

Luo Xiu listened attentively. He knew that the Dark Kingdom did indeed have two "demigods," but the "Matriarch of Delusion," Ailivia, was not usually active and was more likely to play a behind-the-scenes role.

The "Depraved Mistress" from her previous life fled after the Dark Grand Duke's fall. The empire searched extensively but could not find her, eventually discovering that she had gone to the Elf Forest—to that "Kasyapa Pure Land"—and done the same thing to the Elf King as she had to the "Dark Grand Duke."

"Although the 'Black Grand Duke' and the 'Magical Mistress' Arivia will truly face Emperor Augustusville, Pope Lawrence, and Chief Sorin, the three true 'demigods' of the Empire, we must still be vigilant to avoid being influenced by them."

Monigne said:
"What we need to face are the ten 'Pillars of Darkness' and the twenty-six 'Chief Executioners' who still exist in the Dark Principality."

"The Empire will send the 'Sevenfold Destiny' Saints to the Dark Capital to participate in the God War. Including me, there are a total of eighteen of them, who will fight against ten 'Dark Pillars' who are also 'Sevenfold Destiny'."

"And you, Princess Franya, Prandell and Royce, as well as Luo Xiu and Daveld, are all Saints who have entered the Sixfold Destiny. The Empire has mobilized a total of sixty-three people."

"You will be facing twenty-six 'Chief Executioners.' Our mission is to annihilate them on that battlefield. Even if they put up a stubborn resistance, we must not allow them to approach the center of the divine war and affect the Emperor, Chief Thorin, and the Pope."

"Do you understand everything?"

"..."

"clear."

The two vice-commanders of "Godhunter," Prandell and Royce, were the first to nod in response.

Luo Xiu and Daveld nodded in agreement.

"That's good."

Monigne looked around and, seeing that none of the assembled saints had expressed any objection, continued:

"Now that everyone understands what our mission and our ultimate goal are."

"So, next, we will discuss the specific itinerary."

"..."

……

Then came the discussion about the details of the operation, which lasted for two hours.

Monigne's final decision was to depart the following evening, following the route already cleared by the Songyuan Expeditionary Force to join them in a blockade of the Dark Capital.

Among them, the Templar Knights of "Godhunter" will act freely and harass various towns and fortresses that are still under the control of the Executioners on their way to the Dark Capital, in order to cut off the supply and aid to the Dark Capital as much as possible.

Luo Xiu, who has formed a pact with the "Dragon of Justice" Quesanx, will also act alone. Thanks to Quesanx, Luo Xiu is the fastest moving of all the Saints. He can first ride Quesanx to the vicinity of the Dark Capital to conduct on-site reconnaissance and verify some of the intelligence.

That was exactly what Luo Xiu wanted.

There were some other details discussed, and Monigne and Frania made their decisions one by one. After that, Prandell, Reus and Frania left first, while Roshu, Monigne and Daveld stayed behind for the time being.

"……call."

Monigne breathed a sigh of relief.

As the person in charge of the meeting, Monigne felt somewhat tired every time he held such a meeting.

The exhaustion was even greater than the arduous battle; perhaps the latter was even easier.

"Lord Daveld."

She then looked towards Daveld and asked him:
"Pamié, did you bring her with you?"

“She is in the courtyard,” Daveld replied, “stationed there as a paladin.”

"it is good."

Monigne nodded slightly.

"I'll go see her."

……

(End of this chapter)