Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 655 The Cardinals

The Holy Court, a place of pilgrimage.

After Rosh walked out of the Radiant Throne, he saw the two "archbishops" who had guided him, Zipper and Laird, still waiting outside the Throne and in front of the main gate.

When they saw Luo Xiu emerge from the Radiant Throne, they stepped forward to greet him, bowed respectfully and devoutly, and said:

"We have prepared a memorial service for you to mourn the sublime and holy Pope Laurent. Please come with us to the Sacred Sanctuary, where several saints await you."

The saints they spoke of—the “Cult of Holy Cardinals”—were currently in the Holy See, consisting of four cardinals.

The four cardinals, namely, the Second Cardinal Yazle Saint-Léron, the Third Cardinal Evra Flores, the Fourth Cardinal Edvina Saguin, and the Fifth Cardinal Lucius Ramirez, are gathered in the Sanctuary of the Divine Cardinals.

Among them, Luo Xiu had met the "Second Cardinal" Yazler and the "Third Cardinal" Evra. The former was Luo Xiu's biggest suspect since Cardinal Finlake; while the "Third Cardinal" Evra was the "Radiant Holy Cardinal," who seemed to have finally woken up from his serious injury and coma the day before.

As for Cardinal Edvina, the Fourth Cardinal, and Cardinal Lucius, Rosius had never met them. These two cardinals did not participate in the final battle of the "Judgment War," but remained in the Holy See throughout the entire war, maintaining the Holy See together with the then "Acting Pope" and "First Cardinal" Finlake.

However, although Luo Xiu didn't have direct contact with them, these two cardinals from his previous life did a lot of things that allowed Luo Xiu to gain some understanding of them through various channels.

For example, the "Fourth Cardinal" Edvina was promoted from "Sister of Hymn" to the seventh level of [Radiance] destiny, and her profession is "Mother of Mercy".

The "Sacred Hymn Nun" is a hidden class within the "Radiance" lineage of priesthoods. She possesses a far greater divine aptitude than ordinary "Radiance Bishops," "Radiance Archbishops," and "Radiance Holy Cardinals," enabling her to use auxiliary holy spells with effects far exceeding those of other saints, and she is particularly skilled in using healing holy spells.

Saints like Edvina, who possess extremely pure "healing" holy arts, are extremely rare even in the entire Holy Court.

However, she is different from Franya, who is also proficient in "support" holy arts. Franya is more skilled in battlefield support and holy domains, and Franya has combat abilities that are no less than those of saints at the same level. Edvina, on the other hand, has no combat abilities except for mastering a very few annihilation holy arts.

She doesn't even have a strong ability to protect herself—that "healing" power is purely healing, but if any unfriendly gaze is fixed on her, causing her a fatal injury in an instant, she will die just like an ordinary person, and she cannot heal herself.

Therefore, although Edwina possesses extremely powerful healing abilities, she cannot be sent to the battlefield of the Judgment War—a perilous and unpredictable battlefield where she would find it difficult to protect herself. If she becomes the target of the Black Army, even with all the cardinals by her side, it would be difficult to protect her.

Judging solely from sheer strength, Edvina, the "Mother of Mercy," only possesses the "Fourfold Fate" level of the Annihilation Spell, falling short of the Saintly level. However, this translates into an astonishingly high healing output for Edvina—or rather, her "spirituality" is exceptionally concentrated, nearly three times that of a normal Saint of the same level.

For example, Luo Xiu's current mana value is nearly four million, which is already higher than that of other saints, while the mana value of "Fourth Cardinal" Edvina has reached nearly eight million - the value converted into pure healing is indeed visibly high.

Edwina's authority is primarily focused on assistance and healing. It's said she can even bring the dead back to life—if death occurred within half an hour and the soul hasn't completely dissipated from the shattered body, there's still hope. However, no one has ever actually witnessed Edwina healing a dead person.

According to the saints of Edvina's "Sacred Hymn Group," their Holy Mother Edvina revered the laws of life... However, it is true that countless saints escaped danger through Edvina's healing, and those who received Edvina's treatment did not suffer any lingering ailments.

After Monigne, the "Sword of the Holy One," rescued Evra, the "Holy Pivot of the Radiant Flame," from the battlefield of the final battle, Evra was sent back to the Holy Court to receive treatment from Edvina, the "Mother of Mercy." Evra is now out of danger.

According to the two "archbishops" who were guiding them, the "Third Cardinal" Evra was struck by the sword wave blasted by the Black Grand Duke's "Divine Spine Black Sword," and all the spiritual meridians in his body were severed. If he had been treated with normal methods, even if Evra could have survived, he would have been unable to use any holy magic.

However, under Edwina's treatment, it is said that the current "Third Cardinal," Evra, is already able to use holy arts at the "Sixth Destiny" level. He will still need a considerable amount of rehabilitation before he can use holy arts at the Seventh Destiny level, but Edwina's treatment has already shown remarkable results.

This is Edvina, the "Fourth Cardinal" of the Holy See, the "Mother of Mercy," and all that Rosh knew about her.

There was another cardinal, who was currently in the Sanctuary of the Divine Pivot, but whom Luo Xiu had never met, the Fifth Cardinal, Lucius Ramirez.

This cardinal was also quite special—he was an ordained through the lineage of the Fire-worshipping Bishops, but during his sixfold ordination, he received a special "blessing" from the Great Sun Moment—Lucius possessed extraordinary control over divine creations that had undergone holy tempering!
His profession name in the Sevenfold Destiny of Glory is "Sacred Pivot of the Shrine"!
Although Lucius is a cardinal, his special abilities allow him to be naturally proficient in using all [Radiant] destiny weapons, equipment, and artifacts—for example, Lucius can wield the Holy Hammer with more power than the Holy Deacon; and he can unleash sword waves from the Holy Sword that are no less powerful than those of the Eternal Knight!

Therefore, although Lucius is a "cardinal" - he can be regarded as an all-around warrior.

These are just Lucius's most common uses. His greatest strength lies in the fact that as long as the scene is filled with [Radiance] creations beforehand, Lucius is invincible.

Whether it was the Guardian Knight Colossus, the Barrier Tower, or any other [Radiant] creation, Lucius could control them perfectly. Therefore, throughout the entire Judgment War, Lucius was also left within the Holy Court, because with him present, virtually no one could breach the impenetrable barrier known as the "Holy Court"—

Therefore, Lucius is also a true guardian of the "Holy Court".

On the way to the Divine Sanctuary, the two "archbishops" who were guiding him also spoke to Rosh about the cardinals.

Besides the "Fourth Cardinal" and the "Fifth Cardinal," the Holy Cardinal Bishops also have another cardinal whom Luo Xiu has never met before, the "Sixth Cardinal" Emerson, who is currently still in the Dark Duchy, investigating the whereabouts of the "Progenitor Demon" and the "Eying-Eyed Evil King" Tantagross.

And they are the Holy See's "Catholic College," all the cardinals.

……

A sacred place of worship, a divine sanctuary.

When Luo Xiu arrived, he saw that the courtyard in front of this magnificent sanctuary was already filled with saints who had come to pay their respects.

Frania has already performed the soul-sending ceremony for Pope Laurent. The various memorial ceremonies held for Pope Laurent now are actually follow-up to the soul-sending ceremony, and are more of a way for the saints of the "Holy Court" to remember Pope Laurent.

Many saints, having just returned from the war of judgment and unable to attend the funeral rites, bid their final farewell to Pope Laurent during the memorial service.

Guided by the two "archbishops" Zipper and Laird, Rosh and the other saints who had arrived entered the Divine Pivot Sanctuary.

Inside the sanctuary, he saw two cardinals he had not yet met: the Fourth Cardinal Edvina and the Fifth Cardinal Lucius. They were in the large courtyard inside the sanctuary. Rosh greeted them, and Edvina and Lucius took the initiative to talk to Rosh.

Roth's first impressions of the two cardinals—

Edwina, the "Mother of Mercy," should actually be fifty years old, but she looks around thirty. She always nods and closes her eyes, her expression revealing neither joy nor sorrow, only a faint pity. Being around her always gives one a warm feeling, like being gently touched, and a sense of inexplicable peace wells up from the bottom of one's heart.

Edvina was not one for many words. She had come to the Sanctuary of the Divine Pivot, amidst her busy schedule, to meet Rosh with Lucius, the Fifth Cardinal, because she had learned in advance of the impending arrival of a "prospective cardinal." After meeting Rosh, Edvina left to continue caring for the injured and ailing saints.

The other "Fifth Cardinal," Lucius—if he weren't wearing the robes symbolizing his status as a "cardinal" and standing before Luo Xiu, Luo Xiu would almost have thought he had encountered a warrior with a distinct Spartan style.

Lucius wore a short-sleeved cardinal's robe, revealing his strong arms adorned with holy symbols resembling battle crests. The bulging muscles were clearly the result of frequently wielding heavy objects. Luo Xiu could imagine that although Lucius was a "cardinal," he was probably more skilled at wielding a warhammer or a holy sword in battle.

Lucius always had a serious, unsmiling expression, appearing very rigid and solemn. However, in contrast, during his conversation with Rosh, he seemed somewhat reserved and not very open, like a shy young man. He seemed like a rather introverted cardinal. If it weren't for meeting a "prospective cardinal," Rosh felt that Lucius might have preferred to immerse himself in tinkering with those sacred creations; perhaps, in his view, "communicating" with those "creations" was more interesting than communicating with people.

This was Luo Xiu's first impression of the two cardinals.

Rothschild did not see Efra, who was likely undergoing rehabilitation and treatment elsewhere in the sanctuary; nor did he see Yazle, who was probably handling affairs in the main sanctuary.

Luo Xiu did not want to see Efra and Yazle for the time being. Then, under the guidance of the two "archbishops", he went to the ceremonial altar where the statue of Saint Lawrence was enshrined and held a memorial ceremony that lasted for more than two hours with the other saints who had arrived.

During the memorial service, Luo Xiu stopped thinking about anything else. To be honest, he was starting to miss Pope Lawrence a little... Luo Xiu still had a very good feeling about the Pope; he was indeed a good person, and someone who had been good to him.

However, as the Pope of Lorend, there are always many things he has to do. In fact, including this time, the Pope of Lorend's demise in the divine war against the "Matriarch of Delusion," Arivia, is also a "price" that he... can hardly escape.

In fact, Luo Xiu had considered this: if we look at it purely from a conspiracy theory perspective, could the fall of Pope Lorend have been a pre-arranged conspiracy between "Matriarch of Deceit" Arivia, Emperor Augustusville, and "First Cardinal" Finlake?

After all, Emperor Augustusville had always wanted to completely "dominate" the Holy Court, and Pope Lorend was undoubtedly the biggest obstacle to the Supreme Being's control over the Holy Court. At that time, Pope Lorend suddenly blocked Emperor Augustusville's attack path, and it's hard to say whether that was a conspiracy planned by the Supreme Being long ago.

To be honest, Luo Xiu didn't really believe that Emperor Augustusville couldn't stop his sword at the last moment, but that truth didn't really matter anymore.

Even without the betrayal of the "First Cardinal" Finlake, a position held by Pope Lawrence would have been subject to other challenges.

In his previous life, Pope Lawrence fell at the hands of the Crimson King Azagus, also because of betrayal. His former allies turned their spears, which were meant for Azagus, against Pope Lawrence, making him the one who bore the brunt of Azagus's attack.

The root of the Pope's tragedy... lies in his excessive trust in people he shouldn't have trusted and his entrusting his back to people who were not worthy of his trust.

He was too innocent.

[Glory] needs such a pure saint as His "demigod", but the "Holy Court" does not need such pure qualities, nor does it need such a pure pope.

It's fortunate to have someone like Pope Laurent as a friend, but to place him in such a high position as the "Pope" of the Holy See...

Perhaps the Pope never imagined that the one who betrayed him would be Finlake, the "First Cardinal" whom he had always trusted and entrusted with important responsibilities.

Little did they know that the bloodline of "Saint Lelangen" had already fallen into depravity from its very roots, becoming riddled with holes from the very foundation...

"..."

Finally, Rothius paid homage to the holy statue of Pope Lawrence, and then left the Sacred Sanctuary under the guidance of the two "archbishops".

He walked toward the gates of the Holy Court—the Gates of the Sanctuary—and after leaving the Holy Court this time, he would probably never return.

All the necessary arrangements have been made in advance.

After receiving the title from Emperor Augustusville, he will proceed to the city of Argus as agreed, to confront the "First Cardinal" Finlake and settle accounts with him for the last time.

Everything will change by then.

"..."

With these thoughts in mind, Luo Xiu crossed the high threshold of the sanctuary gate and arrived outside the Holy Court.

He saw a carriage that had come from Austin Manor and was parked outside the sanctuary gates, driven by a Supreme Guard Knight.

When I arrived at the Holy Court, I did not come in any carriage. It was arranged by the spies of the Supreme Being... They are omnipresent in the capital, and this carriage that will take me back to Austin Manor is a silent warning from the Supreme Being.

Behind Luo Xiu, the two "archbishops," Zipper and Laird, were somewhat stunned when they saw a royal guard knight driving a carriage to greet Luo Xiu. Their expressions as they looked at Luo Xiu were also somewhat complicated.

Luo Xiu knew what they were thinking.

But he didn't say anything more to them, only smiled and said:

"This is a very meaningful pilgrimage journey."

"Your Excellency Zipper, Your Excellency Laird, thank you for your guidance and for your thoughtful companionship."

"I have to go."

"..."

"May the sun shine upon you for a moment, Your Majesty, Holy Cardinal."

Archbishops Zipper and Laird worshipped the sacraments of Lothar.

They remained respectful and devout, but clearly, Luo Xiu could sense a subtle difference that already existed in a deeper realm.

Luo Xiu stopped looking at them, turned around, and, with the help of the royal guard knight, boarded the carriage.

The carriage continued creaking away, heading towards Austin Estate.

very quickly.

The carriage carrying Luo Xiu had disappeared beneath the massive and magnificent pure white walls of the "Holy Court," into a dim shadow at the corner.

They were no longer visible to Zipper and Laird.

……

(End of this chapter)