Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 688 Lukel (5k)

Wow - Wow -

The wind whistled past on both sides as Luo Xiu rode Pegasus and soon arrived at the hiding place of the Archangel, where Bishop Donovan was hiding.

It was in a desolate mountain outside the city of Agus, far from the battlefield. Luo Xiu could sense the archangel's clear spiritual aura. The guardian angel had brought Bishop Donovan here and had never left.

During the battle, neither Accipiles nor Finlake had time to attend to Donovan's side. The guardian angel had skillfully concealed Bishop Donovan's location, and now, following the archangel's spiritual aura, Luo Xiu had arrived here—

"Kranor...that's enough."

As he landed somewhere on the ground, Luo Xiu called out the name of the guardian angel.

The "Six-Winged Angel" Kranor gradually appeared in front of Luo Xiu, near a mountain wall.

The holy angel gazed upon Luo Xiu, and then gently shook the sacred bell in His hand, producing a light and melodious sound.

Beside the angel Kranor, a warm light emanated from the mountainside—a figure gradually emerged from that light, seemingly still asleep; it was Bishop Donovan.

now.

In Luo Xiu's eyes, the wounds inflicted on Bishop Donovan by his holy magic had been healed by his guardian angel, Kranor. Although his holy robes were still tattered, there were no longer any obvious injuries on his body.

He was soothed by the "holy bell" in the hands of Archangel Crannor and is now sleeping peacefully. He is unaware of what has been happening in the Church of Agnes during his "sleep," but he will soon find out.

"That's fine, Kranor."

Luo Xiu looked at the guardian angel beside Bishop Donovan, a smile appearing on his face, and greeted Him:
"Thank you, Kranor."

"..."

Archangel Kranor did not respond, but simply watched Luo Xiu in silence. After a long while, He nodded slightly, which was His way of acknowledging Luo Xiu.

Then, the six divine wings behind Him suddenly unfurled, lifting Him upwards—and above His head, a radiant holy gate opened suddenly, through which He passed and returned to the 'Eternal Kingdom'.

Leaving Bishop Donovan behind, Luo Xiu watched him, while simultaneously summoning Pegasus and hoisting Bishop Donovan onto Pegasus's back.

Then, behind Luo Xiu, just like the archangel Kranor before him, six divine wings suddenly unfurled.

Together with Pegasus, he soared into the sky aboard the Holy Wings and flew back towards the city of Argus.

Like two golden shooting stars, they suddenly streaked across the sky.

……

Argus City.

By this time, Franya had gathered hundreds of surviving clergy who were stranded in the Church of Agus. These clergy then dispersed to the surrounding areas to search for and treat other wounded comrades.

The post-disaster recovery work for the Church of Agnes is proceeding in an orderly manner.

Without Bishop Donovan, Franya is now the leader of the clergy of the Church of Agnes. During the time that Luo Xiu returned to the Church of Agnes, Franya led the clergy and discovered hundreds of injured clergy members.

Most of them were buried under the ruins of church buildings or among the remains of abyssal beasts, demons, and clergy that had piled up into small mountains.

Most of the clergymen who were discovered were seriously injured, and Franya and the other clergymen who could use "healing" magic treated the wounded without stopping.

By the time Luo Xiu and "Golden Pegasus" Pegasus returned with Bishop Donovan, Luo Xiu had already seen that the most chaotic ruins in the center of the church had been cleared out into an open space, which was specially arranged by Franya to house the seriously injured clergy.

Hundreds of clergymen lay scattered there, their bodies stained with blood, their robes mostly torn, revealing the mangled flesh and blood from their battle wounds. The sounds of pained groans mingled with the solemn prayers of the clergy who were tending to them, creating a rather...complex atmosphere.

In that open space—which had been used as a "temporary treatment center"—Franya, along with two other bishops of the "Fivefold Fate" path, was treating the wounded.

The current Church of Agnes, from Bishop Donovan down, has had all the saints of the "sixfold destiny" killed by Finlake.

Currently, the only saints Frania can find to assist her with all the cleanup work are two bishops. Fortunately, both bishops are "Radiant" bishops, capable of using healing magic.

Rosh and Pegasus then descended from the heavens with Bishop Donovan.

At the same time, Franya also raised her head and saw Luo Xiu. She gave Luo Xiu a faint smile, and Luo Xiu and Pegasus landed in front of her.

“Bishop Donovan, I’ve brought it back,” Rosh said to Franya.

Following Luo Xiu's words, Franya's gaze fell upon Pegasus's back—there, she saw the still dazed Bishop Donovan, who stared at him for a long time before letting out a long sigh.

"I overestimated myself a bit... Luo Xiu."

Franya's voice was somewhat low as she spoke:

"The Church of Agnes... is more severely damaged than I imagined. I need Bishop Donovan to stay here and guide the clergy in healing, while I... I need to search the surrounding area to see if there are any survivors."

The Church of Agnes was one of the largest churches in the Holy See. It had tens of thousands of clergy, and before the catastrophes caused by Finlaec and Accipiles, nearly two thousand clergy remained in the church.

According to Franya, the number of surviving clergy who have been summoned or discovered is 1,200. The number of clergy confirmed dead is around 400, and nearly 400 clergy are still missing.

This is only the current situation within the Church of Agus. The final number of victims may increase further. Franya and the surviving clergy are doing their best to save lives.

"Thank you for your hard work," Luo Xiu said to Franya.

At the same time, he lifted Bishop Donovan off Pegasus's back and gently placed him on the ground.

Then, Luo Xiu crouched down, gathering the spiritual energy of his own [Radiance] into his right hand. He then gently pressed his right hand against Bishop Donovan's chest, gathering the spiritual energy again at his fingertips, and channeling it into Donovan's body—

……

"Ugh!"

Donovan suddenly opened his eyes, opened his mouth, and let out a somewhat hoarse shout!

Then, he took a deep breath – inhaled – exhaled – inhaled. Donovan, who had just woken up, was in a state of extreme oxygen deprivation. After taking several deep breaths, he gradually recovered.

His consciousness gradually returned from that dazed state, and what he saw was "Cardinal" Rosh, who had attacked him before he lost consciousness, and beside Rosh...

"..."

When Bishop Donovan saw Franya, he immediately recognized her as the saintess of the "Holy Court." His expression turned frightened, and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but could not utter a word.

"Bishop Donovan."

In Donovan's view, the young "Cardinal" Rothschild spoke to him:

"The disaster caused by Finlake has been resolved. I hope you understand that I used some extraordinary measures on you before things got to their worst, but it was necessary."

“Now is the time for you to fulfill your duties, Bishop Donovan.”

"..."

"..."

As Luo Xiu was saying these things to Donovan, he also noticed that Bishop Donovan's eyes were fixed on him, filled with wariness, anger, and resentment, which was normal.

Anyone who is ambushed and seriously injured by someone who was a "comrade" just a moment ago will inevitably feel a great deal of dissatisfaction and resentment. Even Bishop Donovan, who is a saint, is no exception.

“Please get up and look at Bishop Donovan.” On the other side of Rosh, Franya was also looking at Bishop Donovan and spoke softly to him:
“Look at the Church of Agnes now, and your fellow believers under your rule. You will understand what sins your brother, the former ‘First Cardinal’ of the Holy See, Finlake Saint Leron, has committed.”

"..."

As Frania spoke these words, although her voice was soft and calm, it conveyed to Donovan a sense of solemnity that was neither desecrated nor resistable.

In Donovan's heart, he accepted what Franja had told him more. But he still didn't respond to Franja, remaining silent as he slowly sat up, supporting himself.

The somewhat obese old bishop, as he sat up straight and looked toward his church in Augustus, finally saw it—

Everywhere there were broken walls and ruins, and everywhere there were corpses.

The Church of Agus is now almost a ruin—even though the surviving clergy have roughly cleared away the corpses in the church, many traces remain: wall bricks stained crimson with splattered blood, floors filled with dark red blood through deep cracks, and limbs and pieces of flesh scattered everywhere…

The complex and emotional expression on Bishop Donovan's face gradually became stunned and frozen by the scenes before his eyes.

His gaze passed between Luo Xiu and Franya, looking behind them—there was another cleared area, where three hundred priests were neatly placed.

A white cloth had been placed over each of them, and the white cloth was stained with crimson blood from bottom to top.

The white cloth covered the heads of the clergy, and Donovan knew what it meant—it meant they were all dead, gloriously martyred in the fight against blasphemy and evil, and had returned to the Lord.

"..."

"This is all...this is all..."

Bishop Donovan's pupils trembled, and his voice quivered.

“Finlake did it all,” Rosh replied.

“Fenlake, along with Accipiles—the guardian angel of your 'Saint Leron' family, who fell into demonic ways, and Fenlake colluded with him, committing such a grave sin.”

“Now you understand, Bishop Donovan, you understand why we are here. If we hadn’t stopped Finlake, what you would have seen would have been far more than this, but the destruction of the entire city of Argus—the destruction of all living beings in it.”

"..."

Bishop Donovan looked at Rosh.

Luo Xiu saw tears welling up in his eyes, but ultimately he didn't let them fall.

The somewhat obese old bishop did not respond to Luo Xiu, but instead looked at the "Saintess" Franya and asked her in a somewhat aged and hoarse voice:
"What can I do if you need me?"

"..."

“You are the ‘Holy Cardinal of Enlightenment,’ please stay here and heal our wounded comrades. I believe in you, Bishop Donovan.”

Bishop Donovan, as the "Holy Pivot of Enlightenment," does indeed possess a remarkably refined holy art of "healing." With him here, Franya can be freed to do more.

"……it is good."

Bishop Donovan nodded.

He didn't linger there. He walked to the side, knelt down, and began to treat a seriously injured priest.

Watching Bishop Donovan's retreating figure, Luo Xiu knew that even though he still harbored resentment towards him, he always cared about the Church of Agnes. Now, Bishop Donovan would not do anything else; he would follow Franya's arrangements.

Luo Xiu looked at Franya again, and Franya was also looking at him. In Luo Xiu's eyes, he saw Franya let out a long sigh of relief and say:

"...I will search to see if there are any other survivors."

“Luo Xiu, I hope you can help me… contact the [Supreme] of Agus City. Your status is more suitable than mine. The [Supreme]'s Heavenly Knight, Knight Commander Lukel, will listen to you.”

"Mm." Luo Xiu nodded.

He didn't linger any longer, and as Franya had instructed, he mounted the "Golden Pegasus" and left the Church of Argus once again.

……

Argus City.

After leaving the church, Luo Xiu rode Pegasus and flew over the city of Argus. He saw that there were still many panicked pedestrians on the streets. They were running frantically and aimlessly as if some terrifying thing was chasing them.

The unrest that originated from the Church of Agnes was indeed quite significant. The clergy who had arrived in the city earlier are still busy in every corner of the holy city, trying to calm the panicked people.

Before Franya gave any orders to the clergy, it was to have them leave the Church of Agus. Although not all the clergy left safely, it was still effective in preventing the calamity that had occurred in the Church of Agus from spreading. They deserve credit for this.

Luo Xiu thought to himself.

On the streets of Argus City, however, there were very few Supreme Knights to be seen—usually, after such a great calamity, the Supreme Royal Guard Knights should have already sealed off the districts, becoming the first line of defense to prevent the calamity from spreading.

But Luo Xiu only saw a few scattered Imperial Guards knights—and what they were doing was dispersing, suppressing, and even arresting the panicked civilians.

The common people were spreading rumors in panic: "Lord Lukel has caused this disaster!", "Knight Commander Lukel has absconded with the money!", "Lukel has betrayed the city of Agus!" and so on.
This "Supreme" Knight Commander and City Lord, the "Knight of Heavenly Proclamation," Lukel, seems to have a poor reputation among the common people of Argus City. Indeed, this is true; in fact, during his previous conversation with Jolis, the president of the Argus City-Golden Kingdom Bank, Luo Xiu had learned some things about him.

As a "holy city," the city of Agus levies a large portion of its taxes on the common people as the "tithing," or holy tax. However, the city lord's mansion is ultimately responsible for collecting taxes, and Lukel is both the architect and the executor of these taxes. Bank Manager Jolis tells Rosh that Lukel has added many other items to the taxes that should be collected, which is the root of his infamy.

In the "Holy City" where the Saint Leron family was based, Lukel also molded himself into a devout believer of the Church who worshipped "Radiance." The belief of the "Supreme" in "Radiance" was tacitly approved in the Empire, but the "Supreme" would not allow such a person to be promoted further. However, Lukel thus gained a sense of security.

It is said that Bishop Donovan and Knight Commander Lukel had a good relationship, and therefore, Lukel also received the "protection" of the Saint-Larren family in the city of Argus.

Or rather, Lukel, as the [Supreme] Heavenly Knight, and the saints of the Saint Leron family had a mutually protective relationship, which formed the upper echelon ecosystem of Argus City.

"..."

Luo Xiu was thinking about these things.

At this moment, he rode Pegasus and arrived in front of the city lord's mansion.

Then he saw that almost all the Supreme Knights of the city lord's mansion in Agus City were gathered here, ready for battle.

The entire city lord's mansion was guarded by imperial knights. Luo Xiu could see thousands of knights densely packed together.

They were all clad in heavy armor, wielding axes or heavy swords, standing there like statues.

Luo Xiu had never seen anything like it before—never throughout the entire Judgment War had he seen thousands of Imperial Guard Knights gathered here, just to protect a city lord's mansion!
Given the current situation, a force of Royal Guard knights of this size should at least be deployed to various districts of Argus City to maintain stability, even if they are not to assist the Church in suppressing the calamity.

When the Supreme Knights stationed there saw Luo Xiu—a saint dressed in a bishop's robes—appear before them, the two leading Supreme Knights and the two "King's Throne Knights" even raised their long axes to block Luo Xiu.

From beneath their helmets came a low, warning voice—

"Lord Lukel has decreed that no one is allowed to enter the mansion, especially not clergy."

"Lord Lukel refuses to see anyone until the calamity within the Church and caused by the Church itself is averted, so please return, Saint."

"..."

……

(End of this chapter)