Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 694 Crimson (Second update, 7k1 today)

"..."

"Bishop Donovan."

Frania looked at the unconscious Finlake, then raised her head to look at Bishop Donovan opposite her, whose face was filled with extreme grief and sorrow, and said to him:

"That's it."

"Afterwards, we will leave with Cardinal Finlake. As for you, Bishop Donovan, once the Church of Agnes is back on track, you will need to personally come to the Holy See."

"You will fill the vacancy above the 'Civilian College' and become a new cardinal, and the Church of Agus will send a new saint to take over the Church in your stead."

"..."

"I understand."

Bishop Donovan nodded somewhat hesitantly.

He understood that with such a major incident involving his elder brother, Finlake, the former "First Cardinal" of the Holy See, all the saints of the Saint Lelongen family would inevitably be investigated and monitored by the Holy See.

The saint's offer to send him to the Holy See to fill the vacancy in the "Collection of Cardinals" and become a new cardinal was, in reality, a euphemism for him to be investigated and monitored by the Holy See. Donovan knew this, and now he knew he couldn't refuse.

“I will go… I will set off once things are stable at the Church of Agus.”

“Very well, Bishop Donovan.” Franya nodded slightly and said:
"We'll be waiting for you in the Holy Court."

She looked at Luo Xiu and then at Monine.

"Let's go, teacher, and Luo Xiu too. Our business is done, now it's time to leave."

“Let Bishop Donovan have some peace and quiet. We’ll come back for the Church of Agnes’s ‘soul-sending ceremony’.”

The soul-sending ceremony is a ritual to comfort the souls of fallen saints, allowing them to ascend peacefully to the "eternal kingdom" amidst holy prayers and warm radiance. Given the many martyred clergy members of the Church of Agus, a large-scale and long-lasting soul-sending ceremony must have been held.

Franya will also be present to preside over some of the events. By the time the "Sending Off the Soul Ceremony" can be held, the situation at the Church of Agus will be relatively stable, which will be the time for Franya and Monine to prepare to return to the Holy Court.

Franja and Monigne, carrying the unconscious Finlake, left under the watchful eyes of Bishop Donovan.

Luo Xiu followed them, temporarily leaving the Church of Agus and heading outside the city.

……

"Did I do the right thing... teacher?"

On their journey to the seal of "Crimson Warhead" Haturag, south of the city of Agus, Franya asked Monine a question.

Both Luo Xiu and Monine could sense that Franya was currently under tremendous pressure.

What Frania asked Monine was actually referring to his agreement with Finlake and his desire to become a "living angel" as atonement.

Although the first Saint Leron did leave behind a holy ring for atonement to become a "living angel," as the current true leader of the "Holy Court," Frania actually has the right to refuse Finlake.

But she still agreed, even though it would be a heavier punishment for Finlake. Frania agreed to Finlake's request, not knowing whether she was right or wrong in doing so.

"In your current position, Franya."

Monigne continued walking forward without stopping, turning her head slightly to look at Franya and saying:
"From your current position, any decision you make is neither right nor wrong, Franya."

"All you need to know is what your stance and considerations led you to make that decision."

“Fenlake will become a ‘living angel.’ I know you think that’s too cruel. But since it’s Fenlake’s own will, and it would be good for the Holy See for him to become a ‘living angel,’ you agreed to it.”

"That's good, Franya. You'll encounter many more similar things in the future. The fact that you were able to make this decision already shows your growth. Next, you need to consider what Finlake told you about the 'Abyss' and the 'Crimson'—"

"..."

As Monigne spoke these words to Frania, she stopped in her tracks after saying the last sentence.

……

At this moment, right now.

Before Franya, Monine, and Luo Xiu appeared a colossal golden pillar, radiating dazzling light—

A ferocious figure could be vaguely seen from the pillar; it was none other than Hatula, the “Crimson Warhead”!

In Luo Xiu's eyes, he could already see Haturag, the warhead sealed within the "Pillar of Divine Retribution," frozen in the moment of his defeat—

His head was severed, and his left arm was also cleanly cut off. Crimson blood gushed from the horrifying wound, igniting a crimson flame, which was then frozen in place.

Despite having his head severed, his body riddled with holes, and cleaved with deep gashes, "Crimson Warhead" Haturag was still alive.

Flesh and blood writhed from those wounds, new flesh growing. Given time, Luo Xiu knew he could heal on his own, growing new arms, even a new head. —This was the "Crimson Warhead"!
Luo Xiu stared at Haturag, the leader of the Great War, sealed within the Pillar of Heavenly Punishment, his expression turning serious.

The reason he sent Monine to fight "Crimson Warchief" Haturag was to let her discover for herself just how terrifying the enemies about to surge from the "Crimson Continent" truly were.

Now, after dealing with the aftermath of the Church of Agus, Luo Xiu, along with Franya and Monine, arrived here as originally planned, allowing everyone to witness the ferocity of the War Head.

This is the battlefield where Monine fought fiercely before, and it is here that she will tell Luo Xiu and Franya about her discovery—

……

"Finlake is right."

Monine raised her head, her gaze piercing through the amber-like golden pillar of light, landing on the Great War Chief Hatula, who was suppressed and sealed within it. Her expression turned serious and somber, and she spoke in a low voice:
“We are facing not just one ‘Achilles’, but perhaps ten, or even a hundred ‘Achilles’.”

Monine looked at Franya, then at Luo Xiu. In the eyes of the two fellow saints, Monine saw an unprecedented level of vigilance and caution.

She paused for a moment before continuing in a low voice:

“I have never encountered an enemy like this scarlet warhead—everything about him is corrosive, and the longer I fight him, the more sluggish I feel in my movements.”

“My spirituality can indeed purify the filth he exudes, but it can also use it to corrupt me, which is quite obvious—my spirituality, and the spirituality of this crimson warhead, can both purify or corrupt each other. This is… the dark, corrosive spirituality of the Abyss, which is completely opposed to us [Radiance].

“It is a kind of highly corrosive…or rather, a power that can ‘distort’ and ‘turbid’ our [glorious] spirit.”

With that, Monigne slammed the holy sword heavily into the ground, then released his right hand from the hilt and raised his arm.

With her left hand, she removed the arm armor from her right forearm, revealing her somewhat rough skin, weathered by countless battles. Beneath that skin, which gleamed with a dull metallic sheen, Luo Xiu and Franya could see deep, corrosive lines emerging like veins, and the ends of those dark lines were slowly spreading deeper into the ground.

Just like the black marks that quickly travel up the blood vessels after being bitten by a venomous snake—that is indeed a manifestation of spiritual erosion called "dark erosion"!
"This place has long been the domain of this Crimson Warlord. His 'Dark Erosion' spirit has filled the boiling, scalding crimson blood."

As Franya and Luo Xiu looked at the deep, eroded lines with worry and surprise, Monine continued:

“The moment you step inside, the erosion begins. I have suffered a great deal of erosion as a result, but I did not purify it immediately, so that you could see how this erosion manifests.”

As she spoke, Monine raised her left hand again, and the light patterns of a holy seal appeared on the back of her hand. The light of the [Radiance] Level II authority [Divine Annunciation Seal] flickered, and the holy figure of an archangel appeared behind her, looking at her with a compassionate expression, while his right hand gently pressed against her body—

“You will be baptized.”

—Wow!
Like boiling water, scorching holy flames rose from Monine's body, burning and washing over her. From the bright, surging holy flames, streams of exotic crimson, pitch black, and dark purple mists were extracted and purified by the burning holy flames.

The corrosive mist—large swaths of black fog—then surged from Monine's body. In Luo Xiu and Franya's eyes, the black fog even made the light of the Holy Flame dim and fade. Luo Xiu also smelled a distinct fishy odor, which was the smell of the "Dark Erosion" spirituality being dissolved.

The "Holy Sword" Monine was indeed severely corroded in its previous fierce battle with the "Crimson Warhead" Haturag.

However, she is, after all, a Saint who has been promoted from the "Templar Knights" lineage. Her "physical constitution" and "resistance" attributes are among the best in Saints of the same level, so she has not shown any abnormalities so far.

But this terrifying, materialized, and emanating dark spirituality would have completely corrupted anyone else, turning them into mindless zombies.

"..."

Luo Xiu and Franya looked at Monine with serious and solemn expressions as she used the authority of the [Divine Proclamation Seal] to dispel and purify the last trace of corruption she had suffered.

That's how it is.

Monine put her arm armor back on, her hands gripping the sword hilt once more. She glanced at Franya, then at Luo Xiu, and said:
"This is... all the corruption I suffered in my battle against the 'Crimson Warhead' Haturag."

“If it were you, after fighting that crimson warhead for a while, you would soon find that our purification can only suppress their spirituality and power, but ordinary purification spells are difficult to completely remove the deep erosion of our spirituality by ‘Dark Erosion’. Therefore, the longer it drags on, the more difficult the battle will become.”

At this point, Monigne's expression froze, becoming more serious than ever before. She spoke solemnly and in a low voice:

"but--"

"They are extremely difficult to kill."

"They are like demons—although they are not true demons, they have demonic characteristics and must have demonic blood."

"They probably don't have any 'true names,' but like those extreme demons, they are difficult to truly kill."

"This doesn't mean they can be resurrected from the River Styx, but rather that any injury they suffer, no matter how fatal or severe, can heal itself at a speed I cannot comprehend, making them difficult to kill."

“Neither severing his head nor piercing his heart will be enough to kill him—I can only seal him away as a last resort, but that… is not a long-term solution.”

At this point, Monigne's eyes shone brightly, and his voice became impassioned:
"Before the 'scarlet' calamity that Finlake spoke of arrives, we must find, find the true way to kill them—"

"That method must exist, and there must be a weakness in their system that I haven't discovered yet!"

"..."

……

(End of this chapter)