Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 644 Disappearance—

Inside the "Holy Court" Cathedral.

When Luo Xiu entered the outer courtyard from outside the barrier, there were two more sacred barriers on the main road leading to the inner courtyard.

Just as he entered the first sacred barrier, Luo Xiu activated the remaining spiritual authority within the [Seven Luminaries of Revelation] and passed through the last two barriers without hindrance, entering the interior of the "Holy Court".

His visit to the Holy Court this time was a secret one.

If possible, he did not want any clergy to know that he had been there before he revealed himself.

Since it is known that there are fallen saints within the "Holy Court," my purpose in coming to the Holy Court this time is not only to find Monine and Franya to explain the situation on the other side of the "Supreme," but also to investigate the traces of fallen saints for the first time.

Among the saints he suspected, the biggest suspect was "Dragonblood Knight Commander" Demosth, followed by "First Cardinal" Finlake.

The suspicion against Demosth stems from the fact that the Supreme Order has a fairly clear motive to dominate the Holy Court—and Demosth is actually the fourth son of Emperor Augustusville, and as a member of the imperial family, he has every reason to want to replace Pope Lorend.

However... if Demostre really intends to do that, he should have other people assisting him.

Because he doesn't possess any "curse" or similar power—but if it were assisted by a Saint who has entered the seventh level of destiny from the "Lost" or "Void" and is raised by the "Supreme," then it might indeed be possible...

But Demosth, the "Dragonblood Knight Commander" whose mind is filled with dragon hunting... would he really carry out such a meticulous plan just to take control of the Holy Court for his father?

In his previous life, things didn't unfold this way—Luo Xiu clearly remembered that the ending of this "Dragon Blood Knight Commander" was that he fought to the death for seven days on the battlefield of the Crimson Slaughter, facing the siege of six "Sevenfold Fate" war leaders under the command of the Crimson King Azagus. After killing three of them, he died from exhaustion.

Before heading to the Scarlet War, Demosth had numerous opportunities to usurp the Holy Authority of the "Holy Court" in various ways. But he didn't. For Demosth, there were always things more worth pursuing, even worth sacrificing, than power.

But now… to be honest, Luo Xiu wasn't sure if Demostre was still the same "Demostre" from his previous life. However, considering the Supreme's schemes… it was difficult for Luo Xiu not to suspect him.

Another suspect is Finlake Saint-Larren, the First Cardinal of the Holy See.

The suspicions about him actually stemmed from that brief meeting with "Second Cardinal" Yazler outside the dark capital city.

At that time, Luo Xiu had a brief meeting with "Second Cardinal" Azler and "Red Deacon" Hardy. He felt that Azler was highly suspected of being a fallen saint. But later, he thought that Azler's strength was not enough to make a "demigod" cast a curse to the point of spiritual severance.

...Yazler is still too weak.

But Yazler is a descendant of Saint Leronne—the same bloodline of Saint Leronne is that of Cardinal Finlake, the First Cardinal.

That was a major reason why Luo Xiu turned to suspect Finlake—in fact, when Pope Lorend and Saint Franja were not in the Holy Court, it was Finlake, the "First Cardinal," who acted on behalf of the Pope.

He... belongs to the same lineage of "bishops" as Pope Lorend. After the fall of Pope Lorend, Finlake has the potential to continue his ascension and become a new demigod of [Radiance].

This is a possible motive for Finlake—who, compared to the "Second Cardinal" Yazler, had a much closer relationship with Pope Laurent and had the ability and opportunity to... "cast a curse" on Pope Laurent.

However, it would be difficult for Finlake to accomplish this alone. In other words... if it really is Finlake, it means there is another enemy still lurking in the shadows that we need to be wary of.

"..."

As Luo Xiu walked along the path in his memory within the "Holy Court," his mind wandered, connecting these things.

However, these things... will become clearer once you actually see Demosth or Finlake in person.

As he pondered this, he arrived inside the Holy Court, before a massive and magnificent pure white wall.

The Holy Land's "Holy Place" is the true core building of the Holy Land, the sacred place where all the saints reside.

Its outer perimeter is a massive white wall, inside which are three "sanctuary" buildings and a holy tower.
The “Cathedral of Gods,” the “Radiant Temple,” and the “Church of Worship” were the sanctuaries respectively presided over by the cardinals, the Knights Templar, and the holy deacons.

The “Radiant Throne”—a towering, pure white spire—is the papal seat, the true “Tower of St. Lawrence,” with the three holy sites built around the Throne.

Luo Xiu was heading towards the "Holy Throne of Radiance"—Franya should be there.

As he pondered these thoughts, he had already passed through the towering, pure white palace walls, watching the saints move back and forth in the sacred hall, but no one noticed Luo Xiu's side.

At this moment, Luo Xiu had already revealed himself. He was wearing the robes of an ordinary bishop, just like other bishops commonly seen in the Holy See. Some clergy would stop and greet Luo Xiu with piety and respect when they passed by him.

Although Luo Xiu's achievements on the battlefield have made his name known to everyone in the "Holy Court," most of the clergy who have been in the Holy Court for a long time have never actually seen what Luo Xiu looks like.

Recently, the Imperial Expeditionary Force has returned victorious from the war, and many clergy from various dioceses have come to the Holy See. Therefore, it is not uncommon to see unfamiliar bishops in the holy sites.

Luo Xiu didn't see any familiar saints for the time being, which saved him some trouble, and he walked straight towards the direction of the Papal Throne.

……

The Radiant Throne.

In the very center of the sacred site, within the towering holy tower, the "Saintess" Frania and the "Sword of the Holy One" Monine have taken up residence in this tower that originally symbolized the holy authority of the "Pope".

Within this spacious, pure white hall, a sacred and warm spiritual atmosphere permeated the air.

But in the vast sanctuary, there were only Franya and Monine. Even though there was no one else in the sanctuary except Monine, the "Saintess" Franya sat solemnly and upright on the throne.

Half a month has passed since Pope Laurent's death. Although Franya is still saddened, she is now able to control her emotions and not let them control her.

Monigne, on behalf of the 'Saint' Frania, conveyed the first decree to the saints of the Holy Court—that Pope Laurend had fallen and that the Saint would assume the papacy in his stead.

However, this new decree did not receive any effective response—indeed, to most of the older saints in the "Holy Court," the saintess was still too young. After the death of Pope Lorend, although the saints would still respect Frania, it would be difficult for them to truly regard her as the new "Pope."

This is why the "Radiant Throne" appears deserted at this moment.

But that's not the whole reason... The fact that almost no saints come here is more due to an unusual situation that is happening in the Holy Court.

This is also the first predicament that Frania will face.

In fact, Franya's first feeling upon returning to the Holy Court was that the "holy authority" had fallen into other hands, and she, who should have been the successor to the Pope of Lorend, did not seem to have truly "inherited" anything.

During the time that Pope Lorend went to the Dark War, the true ruler of the Holy See was still the "First Cardinal" Finlake. Even now, the true authority is held by the cardinals of the "Catholic Bishops' Conference," not Franja.

Franya felt as if she had been used as some kind of "symbol"...

Like a mascot of the Holy See, she represents "Saint Laurent," but that's all she does.

"..."

Frania, already seated on the Pope's "seat," was thinking with some unease.

To be honest, she wasn't good at these things to begin with. She originally returned to the Holy Court with Monine because of the responsibilities she had... But now, Franya was also a little unclear about what her responsibilities were.

However, this is not the most serious thing.

In the two weeks since Franya returned to the Holy Court, her biggest worry has been...

"..."

Just as she was thinking about the strange things about the "Holy Court" that had kept her up all night, Franya suddenly heard footsteps.

Those are the footsteps that come from afar, from outside the Holy See to the Holy See.

Having sat regally on the "Holy Throne" for half a day, Franya gently raised her head, her golden, jewel-like eyes gazing towards the end of her vision—

This was the first saint to come and "pay homage" to her in half a day. When she saw who the saint was, Franya's pupils constricted slightly.

Then, her pupils trembled slightly; it was a figure she hadn't expected—

That's "Rossi Carlos"!
The young bishop with black hair had actually come to the Holy See. But he hadn't received any prior notice... and why was he wearing the robes of an ordinary bishop?

"..."

As Franya thought to herself, a gradually brightening light appeared in her eyes as she looked at Luo Xiu.

Luo Xiu's arrival warmed Franya's heart.

And, I don't know why.
The moment she saw Luo Xiu, all the troubles that had been bothering her seemed to gradually dissipate. Franya felt a long-lost sense of... peace of mind.

……

Luo Xiu has entered the "Radiant Throne" and arrived at the Holy Court where Franya and Monine are located.

Before arriving, he silently marveled at how large the interior of this "sacred tower" truly was—it only appeared tall and magnificent from the outside, but the interior space was far larger than it seemed.

In his previous life, Luo Xiu had only visited the "Holy Throne" once.

Therefore, Luo Xiu was not very familiar with the layout of the "Radiant Throne".

But today, the Holy See was unusually empty. Luo Xiu didn't even see any other saints besides the Templar Knights guarding the main entrance. This allowed him to clearly sense, at the deepest and highest point, the distinct spiritual energy surging within Franya and Monine.
So he followed that spiritual path and, without much difficulty, arrived at the sanctuary where Frania and Monine were. He finally saw Frania on the throne and Monine standing below it.
Stepping forward, Luo Xiu offered sacraments to Frania and Monine, greeting them with:

"Greetings to you, Princess Franya, and greetings to you, Lord Monine."

During the greeting, Luo Xiu noticed that Franya on the Holy Throne was slightly stunned, and Monine raised her eyebrows, not hiding her surprise.

Neither of them expected to come—they had deliberately not asked a priest to announce their arrival—but they seemed to accept it quickly, and Franya and Monine's expressions soon returned to their usual calm.

"As long as we are here, we don't need to be bound by these formalities anymore, Luo Xiu."

Beneath the throne, Monine looked at Luo Xiu with a calm smile on her face and spoke to him.

Then, she asked Luo Xiu:

"What brings you here, Luo Xiu?"

"Furthermore, I don't seem to have received any report... about your upcoming visit?"

“Yes,” Luo Xiu nodded slightly, “I came by myself, alone.”

"For some things, His Holiness the Pope entrusted to me on his deathbed... and some things concerning the [Supreme]."

"..."

When Luo Xiu mentioned Pope Lorend and the "Supreme," Franya and Monine's expressions immediately became solemn.

They all saw it then: as Pope Lawrence lay dying, he called Rothschild to his side and gave him some instructions.

Those were Pope Lorend's last words to the world—Franja and Monine both wanted to know what Pope Lorend had said to Luo Xiu in his last moments, but they hadn't had a suitable opportunity to ask before.

When Luo Xiu arrived and said these words to them—Franya also stood up from the Holy Throne, her eyes slightly moist, but her voice remained calm as she asked:

"What did the Pope say at the end?"

"His Holiness the Pope told me that above the 'Holy Court' there was a fallen saint—whose spirituality suddenly collapsed and became chaotic during his battle with the demigod of [nothingness], the 'Matriarch of Delusion' Arivia—that was the real reason for His Holiness the Pope's downfall."

"Such an anomaly stems from the final, unleashed curse, which could only be caused by someone close to His Holiness the Pope, who, through forbidden means, has been subtly and imperceptibly corrupting His Holiness's spirituality over a long period of time."

"That's all the Pope told me. He hopes I can find that fallen saint—do you have any leads on that, Princess Franja?"

"..."

"——!!!"

Upon hearing Luo Xiu's words, the expressions on Franya's and Monine's faces instantly froze.

They were speechless for a long time, their expressions gradually losing their composure due to intense shock, their pupils trembling uncontrollably.

"Is what you're saying true, Luo Xiu?"

Monigne's voice was somewhat hoarse, but his eyes were already blazing with anger as he pressed Luo Xiu for an answer—

She never imagined that the fall of Pope Lawrence would be due to such a reason—the betrayal of the "saints" within the Holy See!

"..."

Luo Xiu simply stared into Monine's eyes without answering her.

He simply raised his right hand, and a dazzling golden light appeared on the back of his hand—

A pure and high-level spiritual surge emanated from the shimmering patterns of light, which Monigne could feel with unparalleled clarity as the "true divinity" that shared the same origin as Pope Laurent!
Under what circumstances could the Pope of Lorend have passed on a divinely granted authority to Luo Xiu?

Even if it is just the true divinity remaining above the authority of the seven luminaries of revelation, it is enough to prove many things.

"This is the last 'legacy' that Pope Laurent passed down to me, a testament to his trust in me. This should prove that what I say is true, and that the situation is far more serious and critical than you imagine."

Luo Xiu stared at Monine, sensing her growing anger, then looked at Franya, noticing her disorientation from the immense shock.

"This is the first thing... about Pope Laurent's last words to me."

"Your Highness, and Lord Monigne... I would like to know if there have been any noteworthy events recently in the 'Holy Court'?"

"..."

Monigne snapped out of her daze.

She forcibly suppressed the anger rising within her, regaining her composure. After a moment's thought, she said to Luo Xiu:

"some."

"And it's... a rather significant anomaly. Not many saints know about this right now, and we've temporarily sealed it off."

"That might... be related to what you told me."

Monine spoke, lowering her voice so that only Frania and Luo Xiu could hear her—

“Our First Cardinal, Lord Finlake Saint-Léon,”

"He...is missing."

……

(End of this chapter)