The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

　Unexpectedly, times have changed, and now it's finally his turn to wait for someone.

　But after thinking about it, Lu Wei said, "It doesn't matter, it's good that Hailey is happy... I wonder how Edmund is doing."

　Edmund Lori, the Grand Elder of the Holy Relic Guardians. She was Sloan's teacher after Sloan became a Guardian of the Relic.

　My favorite author has released a book! I'm staying up all night reading it, can't sleep! This is a Cardcaptor Sakura + Type-Moon fanfic by the author "Not Ta-chan". You're not a true Hedgehog Catman if you don't read it!

Chapter 1572 Darkdemon Respects the Elderly and Loves the Young (4k)

　The top floor of the Union Hotel.

　As the elevator slowly came to a stop, Dak stepped out of the door and glanced around. He immediately noticed that the entire floor was heavily guarded and heavily fortified.

　These are turbulent times, and the Holy Church is at the very center of the maelstrom. With miracles occurring frequently and many powerful figures emerging, the once-unrivaled powers are no longer unassailable.

　The appearance of the "Lich" Sloan was a landmark turning point. If the Holy Church could not defeat him, his power would inevitably be greatly reduced, and all sorts of troubles would follow.

　Dak walked slowly down the corridor, taking two or three minutes to reach the designated room.

　The bishop knocked quietly on the door, and only entered after receiving a response. Paladins stood guard behind the door, and there were clear signs of a protective barrier inside. The meeting room was located within the room, and no sound could be heard emanating from it.

　The bishop whispered a few words to him, and Dak understood. He then stepped into the meeting room.

　After he entered, the meeting room door closed automatically. Only Pope Sith and Archbishop Caleb Norris were inside.

　"sit."

　His Holiness the Pope raised his hand, gesturing for Dac to sit opposite him at the round table. The table was no longer set with red wine and glasses; instead, it was set with teacups and a teapot.

　Caleb Norris stood sideways behind the Pope, looking at the bustling night view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

　As soon as Dak entered, he turned around, smiled, and greeted him warmly.

　Looking at two of the Holy Church's three leaders, both of whom had the appearance of kind old grandfathers, Dak couldn't help but feel suspicious.

　The archbishop has always had a good reputation and is generally approachable to outsiders. Given that he needed something from the archbishop, his current state is not surprising.

　But His Holiness the Pope is known for his seriousness, rigidity, and ruthlessness, which complements the Archbishop perfectly. What's wrong with him today?

　There's always a reason behind unusual behavior, and Dark began to doubt whether his judgment about what they were asking for today was wrong.

　The thought flashed through my mind: "Could it be that it's not about Pandora-senpai?"

　Dak sat down opposite His Holiness the Pope and immediately felt the lingering warmth of the chair.

　—The Archbishop was just sitting here, wasn't he?

　Dak muttered to himself: "Why didn't they bring an extra chair? They shouldn't have made the old man tired of standing."

　The Pope certainly couldn't fathom what Dac was thinking, nor did he have time to speculate. After Dac sat down and the two exchanged a few polite words, His Holiness the Pope got straight to the point.

　He didn't sense any respect for the "Pope" from Dak, but that didn't matter either.

　"I've invited you tonight to discuss something," the Pope said. Liaodak nodded slightly and said, "Speak."

　The Pope said, “The Age of Gods has arrived, miracles are happening frequently, and things are changing faster than anyone can imagine. Both our Holy Church and your Duke’s Mansion are in a precarious situation and have no choice but to take action. And as you can see, our Church is in a difficult situation.”

　As he spoke, he looked out the window, where a dark light obscured the moon, and a dragon soared through the air. "Sloan," Dark whispered.

　The Pope nodded slightly and said, "Edmund is negotiating with him." What kind of peace talks require summoning (Pluto)?

　Dak couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

　He had his first formal conversation with Pope Sith tonight, and his first impression of His Holiness the Pope was quite good.

　After all, the Pope did not act pretentiously; he treated everyone as equals from the beginning, and he did not try to be mysterious or a riddle-maker. He even maintained a certain sense of humor.

　"Could it be that a dying person's words are always kind?"

　Dark quickly dismissed this thought, which he felt was disrespectful to the elderly. He followed the Pope's words, saying, "Edmund, the Archmage of the Artifacts..." The Pope replied, "Hmm."

　Dak asked, "Then... what are the chances of the peace talks succeeding?" The Pope suddenly laughed, his face crinkling into a smile: "There's a one or two percent chance."

　Dak laughed heartily. His Holiness the Pope certainly had a sense of humor, much better than those old folks who only knew how to use puns.

　Both sides knew perfectly well that Sloan's hatred for the Holy Church was irredeemable.

　Even if there are peace talks, they will only involve discussing interests and setting conditions.

　The Holy Church sent Edmund to appeal to emotions, but not to influence Sloan through them. Rather, they sought an opportunity for both sides to sit down and have a calm conversation.

　So far, this opportunity has indeed played its due role.

　Sloan must have indeed sat down and spoken with Edmund.

　After all, the fact that he sent McCarthy, the chief judge of the Inquisition, and a group of elite members of the Holy Church to the underworld instead of killing them directly suggests that he also had a need for negotiation.

　However, their negotiations may have fallen apart.

　Dak glanced at the Pope and the archbishop, noticing that they didn't seem surprised, so he guessed they had expected it.

　Negotiation, negotiation, even a negotiation that breaks down is still negotiation.

　Sloan estimated that he had big ambitions, and given the Holy Church's consistent dominance, the probability of the negotiations breaking down was already very high.

　The Pope made no attempt to hide this.

　But what is the reason for sitting down to talk even when it's highly likely that the talks will break down?

　He probably wanted to ascertain the current situation of McCarthy and other elite members of the Holy Church. "How is the Chief Justice doing?" Dark asked directly, without any hesitation.

　But his question actually stumped the Pope.

　The Pope had probably never seen someone so unconcerned about appearances before. He paused for a moment before continuing with a smile, "Sloan's influence on the Underworld is limited. We judge that he is bluffing."

　Dark said, "In other words, he only opened a door." The Pope said, "That's most likely the case."

　Dak nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

　With the resurgence of the gods, the connection between the underworld and the mortal world is gradually being restored, and opening the gates of the underworld is no longer as difficult as it used to be.

　Even in the past, the Holy Church has a history of opening the gates of the underworld.

　The only difference is that one is the combined power of the Holy Church, while the other is the work of a single individual.

　o

　Furthermore, the entrance to the underworld that Sloan opened in that instant was extremely large.

　However, attributing this to its unique "return from the underworld" is not unreasonable.

　In short, the Holy Church must have confirmed McCarthy and the others' situation through "peace talks," concluding that Sloan did not actually control the Underworld. McCarthy and the others were merely struggling to survive in the Underworld, not having fallen into Sloan's hands. Therefore, logically, the Holy Church's most important task now should be to open the gates to the Underworld and enter to rescue them, based on McCarthy's coordinates.

　And in these three steps.

　①The Holy Church has the "Three Corpse Vessels," which can vaguely pinpoint McCarthy's coordinates by opening the gates to the underworld.

　②The Holy Church does indeed have the ability to open the gates of the underworld.

　So the problem lies in the third point.

　How can we ensure that it is a "rescue" and not a "suicide"?

　—But that's not something Dark needs to worry about.

　It is impossible for him to cooperate with the Holy Church in this regard.

　"So, this is the reason the Pope invited me here tonight for these talks?"

　"If that's the case, then there's nothing to discuss."

　Dak picked up his teacup, took a sip, and turned his head to look out the floor-to-ceiling window.

　Even in the darkness of the night, the pitch-black form of the "Dragon of the Underworld" was exceptionally clear.

　But from here you can only see light and shadow, not sound.

　It is evident that the Holy Church also has corresponding protective measures in place to prevent the destruction from escalating.

　The Holy Church acted very quickly and decisively.

　He originally thought the Holy Church would launch its attack after the World Cup ended, but he didn't expect the action to begin right after the qualifiers.

　Just then, the night sky in the distance was suddenly opened by a white light. The white light gathered into a pillar, connecting heaven and earth, and an angel descended and hung in the pillar.

　"Angel-type Magical Elf"

　"No, they are real angels!"

　Dark was suddenly shocked to realize that the Holy Church had actually summoned real angels!

　Seeing the surprise finally appear on Dak's face, the Pope's eyes revealed a hint of smugness.

　The gods are revived, and the deities are awakened.

　Miracles on earth, divine kingdom in heaven.

　The connection between humans and angels is gradually being restored.

　The Holy Church possesses many divine artifacts, among which naturally there are those capable of summoning angels.

　Although summoning angels at this time will inevitably bring about some unknown changes.

　But the Holy Church is already in dire straits, and it can't afford to worry about such things. The reason he chose this meeting place today is to demonstrate the Holy Church's profound strength to Dak.

　No one wants to work with an organization that is declining, no matter how glorious its past may have been.

　Showing your fist is a standard procedure for collaborating with others.

　This has always been the way the Holy Church does it.

　Seeing that the "fist demonstration" had been effective, the Pope pressed his advantage, immediately saying, "Although Sloan possesses two 'God Cards,' these are merely shadows of gods, and gods that have only recently awakened and are not yet fully revived. Angels are demigods; even the weakest angel possesses demigod power, and annihilating the 'Dragon of the Underworld' is merely a matter of turning one's hand."

　Normal creatures, even those slightly weaker than angels, wouldn't be killed by a single strike. But magical spirits are different.

　The nature of magical spirits makes their lifespan far lower than that of real living beings.

　When facing a stronger opponent, it is difficult to last long.

　Even the "God Cards" are no exception in this regard.

　Because of the barrier separating them, Dark couldn't discern the angel's strength level. But since the Pope was so confident, it must be quite powerful.

　Sloan's "Dragon of the Underworld" should be considered top-tier among the "God Cards" currently available, at least no worse than "Thundercloud".

　Moreover, it has a second form, which can transform into the Grim Reaper.

　In mythology, the Grim Reaper typically originates from the realm of the dead, such as the "underworld" or "hell." However, upon entering the world of the living, he is weakened due to the restrictions imposed by the rules governing his existence.

　However, the "Grim Reaper" of the Magical Spirits is first and foremost a Magical Spirit, and only then a Grim Reaper; currently, it does not appear to be subject to any rules.

　If the angels summoned by the Holy Church using its divine artifacts can truly kill the "Dragon of the Underworld" with a single blow, then they are indeed quite powerful.

　far away.

　Holy light shone like a pillar, and white feathers fluttered in the air.

　The angel raised one hand, and divine light gathered in his palm, shining as brightly as the sun, turning the pitch-black night sky into daylight in an instant.

　Dak raised his hand and slightly covered his eyes.

　The moment the white light appeared, the people of the city who were still awake could no longer ignore the arrival of the angel.

　As countless eyes focused on it simultaneously.

　The white light emanating from the angel seemed to intensify.

　Its expression remained unchanged, and its hands moved without pause. Once the divine light had gathered, it slapped its hand down towards the "Dragon of the Underworld".

　In an instant, white light gathered into a hand, materialized from the air, like the hand of a god, and suddenly slammed down.

　The "Dragon of the Underworld" roared furiously, its roar seemingly about to break through the barrier and spread throughout the city.

　Although I couldn't hear it, I could faintly hear a ringing in my ears.

　Dark suddenly noticed that the "Dragon of the Underworld" suddenly shrank, transforming directly into the "Grim Reaper," and then swung its scythe upward with lightning speed. The Grim Reaper's scythe swung from the lower right corner of his vision to the upper left corner, in a straight line, and then split in two diagonally.

　That black line seemed to cleave the entire sky in two. From its center, an arc formed, suddenly expanding.

　The night sky, illuminated by the angelic light into daytime, instantly returned to darkness.

　Before those on the ground could react, the sky had already returned to darkness, and the "Hand of God" was swallowed by the darkness.

　Although the angels still shine brightly, "Death" has vanished.

　It seems they escaped.