Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 628 God’s Death

Chapter 628 God’s Death
--boom!!!!!!!

Then, an unprecedentedly loud roar erupted in Luo Xiu's ears.

The surging light even stung Luo Xiu's eyes.

As his vision blurred and the colors dimmed, he finally saw the two figures swallowed up by Emperor Augustusville's terrifying slash—the "Black Grand Duke" and the "Depraved Mistress" Arivia. Their resistance and struggle were ultimately swallowed up by the irresistible torrent.

"—Ugh!!!!"

That was Arivia, the "Depraved Mistress," who let out a piercing wail—

"—Ughh ...

"..."

The mournful cries gradually subsided, and the profound spirituality also gradually vanished without a trace.

Agaram, the "archangel," whose divine cage still hangs high in the heavens.

However, the "Black Grand Duke" and the "Depraved Mistress" Arivia were already riddled with holes. They had completely withstood the bombardment of Emperor Augustusville, but were unable to escape in any direction!

This would be fatal for both the Dark Grand Duke and the wicked Mistress.

Even though their bodies were still intact, the next moment—

Wow!!!
A sound like a howling wind erupted, and the holy cage formed by the "ten-winged angel" Agalan burst into golden flames from its outline.

The cage finally "dissipated," turning into a wisp of light and vanishing into the sky. Along with it, the body of the "Depraved Mistress," Ailivia, also vanished—

She is "dead".

And then there was the Dark Duke, whose body, filled with chaotic darkness, fell heavily to the ground without any support the moment the cage dissipated.

This time, it was truly "Emperor Augustus" who achieved the final victory!

……

Luo Xiu watched this scene unfold.

At this moment, he had no mind to pay attention to the true state of the "Black Grand Duke" and the "Depraved Mistress" Ailivia—several [Supreme] Heavenly Pillar Knights had already rushed towards the location where the Black Grand Duke had fallen, while Luo Xiu was flying towards the location where Pope Lorend had fallen.

Pope Lawrence, falling from a great height, resembled a meteorite radiating a blend of pure white and brilliant gold light.

That burned within him, from beyond his physical form to the depths of his spirit.

--boom!!!!!!!

"..."

When Pope Lorend finally crashed to the ground, with a violent tremor and a heavy roar, he was embedded in the trenches of the battlefield, buried deep among the sand and gravel.

That location was originally the center of the "demigod" battlefield, but it was still too far away from the saints.

Even though they could see the Pope falling, no saint was able to catch him before he hit the ground.

While a demigod's body is actually strong enough to withstand the negligible damage from the fall, what's truly worrying isn't the injury from the fall itself, but rather Pope Lorend's current condition—

Frania was the first saint to arrive at Pope Laurent's side.

Next came Rosius, Hardy, Monigne, and finally the "Second Cardinal," Yazler.

When Luo Xiu finally arrived in front of Pope Laurent, the Pope was already on his deathbed.

His chest was completely pierced, yet not a drop of blood flowed out—Emperor Augustusville's bombardment directly evaporated the blood around the pierced crater, leaving only scorched scars. Luo Xiu could even see through the crater... the molten crystalline gravel on the other side of the crater.

That was a fatal injury.

Besides these, Pope Laurent also bears numerous golden cracks that continue to erode inward.

Luo Xiu could see that it was a sign that his spirituality was "dissipating" and his body was "collapsed"—

Earlier, Pope Laurent's final holy prayer was to have the Archangel Agaram burn himself, thereby binding the Dark Prince and the Matriarch of Delusion!
Pope Lawrence sacrificed his "self" to summon the "archangel" Agaram, a ten-winged angel, and Lawrence's "sacrifice" to Him was equivalent to Lawrence's own "sacrifice."

The price was the collapse of Pope Lawrence's "divinity"—and the collapse of a demigod's "divinity" meant the demigod's demise, which could not be saved by any means.

"..."

It's not just Luo Xiu.

At this very moment, all the saints surrounding Pope Laurent knew this clearly in their hearts.

An atmosphere of sorrow and grief is spreading uncontrollably.

Because this happened so suddenly.

It happened suddenly... catching everyone off guard.

"..."

"Don't be sad... my... comrades..."

"..."

Pope Laurent weakly opened his eyes, and through his blurred vision came the sight of the saints who had gathered around him.

"Cough cough..."

"..."

He then coughed violently twice. Golden blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, which then burned brightly, turning into wisps of golden smoke in an instant, leaving only a faint trace on Pope Laurent's lips.

"Death... is a process that everyone will inevitably experience..."

The Pope's voice was quite weak.

At this moment, every word he uttered hastened the passing of his life. Yet his chapped lips trembled, uttering a faint sound—

"I just... want to go back to the place I've always longed for..."

“The sun, even for a moment… always watches over me and protects me. He can see my ‘dedication’.”

“I am simply being guided… to return to His side…”

So...don't...don't be sad for me...

"..."

Pope Laurent spoke these words weakly.

He seemed to be forcing a smile on his face, as if trying to make the atmosphere around him more relaxed.

But he could not do it—the saints remained solemn and silent, listening with sorrowful expressions to the Pope's final pronouncements.

The atmosphere was only heavier than before.

"..."

A look of helplessness... or perhaps a weak calmness appeared on Lorend's face.

The Pope slightly opened his eyes, his pupils dimming as he looked at Luo Xiu, calling his name weakly—

“Come here… Luo Xiu.”

……

"..."

The Pope... called me?
Luo Xiu, who was silently watching Pope Laurent with mixed feelings in his heart, finally heard the Pope's call.

He stepped forward, knelt down, and offered the Pope the most devout sacraments.

Pope Laurent then looked at Frania, Monigne, Hardy, and Yazler, and weakly said to them:

"I have something... to say to Luo Xiu alone."

"..."

"Yes."

"As Your Majesty has decreed, Your Holiness the Pope."

Monigne looked somber. He, along with Franja, Hadid, and the "Second Cardinal" Yazle, nodded to the Pope and stepped back.

The Pope weakly and tremblingly raised his right hand.

The last vestige of spiritual energy welled up from his fingertips. Pale golden light quickly spread out, forming a barrier that enveloped him and Luo Xiu.

That meant that the saints outside couldn't hear what he said to Luo Xiu afterwards.

"Alright...child."

Finish these.

Pope Lawrence looked at Luo Xiu, and a glimmer of light finally rose in his eyes, which had been gradually sinking in.

"You did a great job..."

He said to Luo Xiu:

“I thought you’d be promoted later… much later…” “You really are… like Alfonso…”

"..."

—Alfonso!

Pope Laurent finally uttered the name "Afonso"!

Perhaps because he knew his time was running out, and he had no more attachments or scruples, his gradually dimming eyes fixed on Luo Xiu as he slowly said:
"You don't seem surprised at all...child."

"..."

"Ah."

Luo Xiu nodded with a somber expression.

Now, he has no intention of hiding anything from Pope Laurent anymore.

There's no need for that. In fact, it would be normal for the Pope to know that he has stepped into the "abyss." Because the Great Sun is certainly aware of its own affairs, and if He deems it necessary, He will "tell" the Pope that.

"You know...you really are a very smart child, cough cough..."

Pope Laurent, his face devoid of color, his withered muscles trembling slightly, spoke weakly to Luo Xiu:

“I’m so… sorry to you… Alfonso… We had no choice back then…”

"..."

“I know.” Luo Xiu nodded sadly.

“I do not hold a grudge against you because of this.”

"..."

"That's... the best... the best."

As if the heavy, shackle-like past had finally been released, a relaxed smile appeared on Lorend's face.

He looked at Luo Xiu with only kindness in his eyes, as if he were looking at his own child.

“I…only call you, child.”

As he uttered these words, the Pope's smile slowly faded.

He said weakly:

“I… during my battle with the Mother of Nothingness… my spirit went astray for a moment, which meant I was cursed.”

--curse!
When Pope Lorend told him these words, Luo Xiu's pupils contracted sharply.

He understood in an instant why Pope Laurent had only called him closer.

The Pope then weakly said:
“That wasn’t a curse from the [Nothingness] Matriarch… but a slow, insidious curse that slowly seeped into my spirit.”

"It must have been a long time ago... that the seeds of a curse were planted in me. The one who could do this... must be someone who has followed me for a long time..."

“Only you… child. You have only just been promoted, and haven’t even truly… been to the Holy Court yet. Only you… I can tell you these things with complete peace of mind…”

“My Holy Court…some saints have fallen. I want you…to find them, and…to save them…”

"I don't want to...I don't want to...cough cough...cough cough!"

At this point, the Pope's face turned ashen, and he began to cough violently.

The golden blood he coughed up began to burn intensely upon contact with the air, just as before. The fiery golden etched patterns on his body also deepened, and the flesh at the edges began to disintegrate into fragments of light that rose upwards.

His life truly hung by a thread.

"you……"

Pope Laurent weakly raised his right hand, and Luo Xiu embraced it with both hands.

The Pope calls upon himself alone, because he is the only saint who has ascended to the "sevenfold path" but has never set foot in the Holy See.

I am absolutely innocent—even outside the Holy Court, I am clean. And having advanced to the seventh level of destiny, I also possess the necessary power to protect myself, enabling me to gradually investigate what the Pope said.

However, Luo Xiu had never thought deeply about what Pope Lorend had said—

In Luo Xiu's memories of his past life, even if some saints eventually fell into other destinies, this should not be the case now—especially among the most core "Seven Destinies" saints in the "Holy Court." Luo Xiu could not imagine who could do such a thing!

But now that I think about it, there were actually many signs that the Pope was referring to.

For example, earlier on, the paladins under the command of "Sky Ring Paladin" Daveld went to the Holy Court to report information about the "True Name Demon's" "true name," but there was no response for a long time.

It seemed as if they were completely indifferent to information about the "real name"—but now it appears there's much more to it than that. It's as if someone is deliberately preventing information from being passed up the chain of command, as if an invisible hand is manipulating everything from behind the scenes.

For example, the Pope's arrival at the start of the war was later than expected... At the time, no one suspected that the real reason was a "curse"!
"..."

In Luo Xiu's mind, he had begun to compare each person one by one, comparing who was most likely to have committed such a serious crime.

Looking at Pope Laurent, he could already sense that the Pope's breath was hanging by a thread.

"Why...didn't you tell Her Highness these things..."

"..."

"Franya..."

Lorend slightly opened his eyes, his gaze revealing a sense of helplessness and regret.

“I don’t doubt her…she’s also…a very good child.”

“But…she’s been in the Holy Court for too long…and she’s too young. I’m afraid she…will trust people she shouldn’t trust, and tell these things to people she shouldn’t tell…and thus face…danger…”

"..."

But I'm also very young...

Listening to Lorend say these things, Luo Xiu felt his mood become even heavier.

But he also learned that Franya had been being trained as a "saintess" in the "Holy Court" for a very long time.

All the saints of the "Sevenfold Destiny" were her elders. It was very difficult for her to... discover those blasphemous dark sides from a purely rational perspective.

"……I see."

Looking at Pope Laurent, Rothschild nodded solemnly.

“I will find him… I promise you. I will also protect His Highness.”

"I will... avenge you."

"..."

"No... I don't want you to fall into hatred... child."

Luo Xiu felt Pope Lorend's right hand gently grasp his own.

"But...I'm relieved..."

Lorend's face was now calm and serene.

"..."

"Good boy..."

"That way... I can..."