Chapter 296: A Grand Deception and Death
Outside Luo Xiu’s manor.
Squadrons of fully armed soldiers stood in neat formation at the entrance.
Their robust bodies were covered in a layer of silver-white armor, and they each tightly clutched a silver-white spear.
The spearheads gleamed with a chilling glint, engraved with the pattern of a cross—the unique symbol of the Holy See’s Judgement Army.
This silver-white armor was exceptionally valuable and rare, offering excellent insulation and immunity to most magical assaults.
In short, it was a treasure against demonic forces.
Combined with the Judgement Army’s formidable physique, they were often invincible when eradicating powerful heretics.
This was also a crucial guarantee for the Holy See’s consistently Supreme status.
The leader of the Judgement Army was no stranger.
It was the Cardinal Bishop Secopodon.
Beside him stood another priest and four Cardinal Bishops of the same rank.
They hovered in the air, hands clasped behind their backs, quietly gazing at the manor ahead.
The manor was tranquil, shrouded in darkness, with only a few scattered lights.
This encirclement operation had, in essence, mobilized the entire core strength of the Holy See.
The lineup was truly unprecedented and was sufficient to demonstrate the Holy See’s apprehension and respect for Luo Xiu.
No one knew how much mysterious power, or what extremely wicked means, this young priest hid behind him.
After all, anyone who dared to openly confront the Holy See, unless they were out of their mind, would likely have some contingency plans.
Presently, the highest-ranking individual present, Priest Mies, slowly spoke.
His tone held a hint of regret.
“It’s a pity. Luo Xiu was originally a great pride of our Holy See. I never expected him to be deceived by a witch now, committing such a grave mistake of betraying the Holy See.”
Secopodon responded coldly, “Lord Mies, there’s no need to pity this sort of heretic. The Holy See has already given him many chances.”
“Your Eminence the Pope is too merciful. If you ask me, we should have apprehended Luo Xiu long ago, and even those two little witches he’s hiding in the manor should have been sent to the stake together!”
Secopodon spoke righteously, his expression filled with indignation.
His words were quickly echoed by the agreement of the other four Cardinal Bishops.
When the Holy See had just decided to settle accounts with Luo Xiu, everyone had been hesitant to voice their opinions.
Now that the matter was decided and Luo Xiu had no chance of redemption, it was a case of everyone kicking someone when they’re down, with complete unanimity.
He would bear the stigma of a heretic for his entire life, never to reincarnate.
There was no need to worry about Luo Xiu’s future retaliation.
He would not have that opportunity.
Today, this manor shrouded in darkness would be both his residence and his burial place!
However…
Thinking of the rumors surrounding Luo Xiu, and the dominance he had displayed when they met.
Secopodon hesitated for a moment before asking, “Lord Mies, His Eminence the Pope…”
Priest Mies’s white robe rustled in the wind, and he glanced at Secopodon.
He said, “What is His Eminence the Pope’s status? If we were to alarm him into taking action, it would be underestimating Luo Xiu too much.”
Secopodon’s expression faltered, and he kindly reminded him, “That heretic is also sheltering two witches. Witches’ methods are always treacherous, we must be on guard…”
Priest Mies scoffed. As a priest of the same rank as Luo Xiu, he knew more secrets.
Witches who had not reached adulthood, no matter how treacherous their methods, were far from being formidable.
He waved his hand impatiently, “They are merely two ants, easily crushed.”
As if sensing Secopodon’s slight unease, Priest Mies snorted and continued, “You may arrange for the Judgement Army to begin their operation. His Eminence the Pope’s gaze will always be upon us.”
Upon hearing this, Secopodon’s expression brightened.
He dispelled his aerial magic and landed steadily on the ground.
Then, with a wave of his hand, his voice resounded throughout the ranks.
“Shields up, spears ready!”
“Prepare to charge!”
***
Night winds blew, carrying a biting chill.
“Between you and me… there’s no need for concealment.”
Eileen’s strange behavior over the past few days hadn’t gone unnoticed by Selena, who knew her well, and Luo Xiu had also sensed something was amiss.
The hearts of girls were indeed hard to fathom.
Besides, Luo Xiu had been preoccupied with other matters these past few days and hadn’t had the time to pay attention.
Now, sensing the oppressive malice emanating from outside the manor, it seemed that if he didn’t speak up, there might be no opportunity left.
Eileen had clearly realized this as well.
She raised her eyes slightly before quickly lowering them.
Then she softly asked, “That sentence.”
“What does that sentence mean?”
The girl’s question came out of nowhere.
Luo Xiu frowned slightly, somewhat bewildered.
Selena, standing beside him, was even more confused.
They were clearly not on the same wavelength.
‘Are you truly ignorant, or are you deliberately pretending?’
A thought flashed through Eileen’s mind as her lips parted, and she softly uttered a sentence.
“So becoming a god doesn’t require any earth-shattering sacrifices, nor any convoluted rituals.”
The girl’s black dress fluttered in the night breeze.
She looked at the man quietly, desperately wanting to know the answer.
The atmosphere became somewhat tense.
Luo Xiu was taken aback, scratching his head, appearing somewhat surprised.
He chuckled softly.
“…Ah, you’re talking about that.”
“I was wondering why you’ve been acting so strange lately. So you read that diary.”
“Though it’s not really a diary, just a few sentences I jotted down when I was sitting and thinking sometimes…”
The man showed no panic of his secret being exposed, his tone remained calm.
After all, he had never intended to hide it.
But to Eileen, it appeared entirely different.
She instinctively placed her hand on her chest.
Her heart was pounding, afraid the man might suddenly utter something heartbreaking.
Eileen stared at him intently, continuing to press, “So, what exactly does it mean?”
“Is it a joke, or are you truly planning to use us as sacrifices?”
Her expression, along with her tone, was tinged with a rare plea.
This was something almost impossible to see from her in the past.
She typically spoke words like “I hate it” and “disgusting,” and rarely showed him any pleasant facial expressions.
Eileen, like this, had never begged or tried to please Luo Xiu, except for the first day when she was defending Selena.
But today, her black dress, swaying in the wind, seemed like a rootless duckweed, wobbling, ready to topple at any moment.
Luo Xiu had spent the past two years searching for information on the ritual of apotheosis, and Eileen and Selena had witnessed it all.
However, this still felt too distant to them, so they hadn’t paid much attention.
Hearing it now, Selena also suddenly looked up.
A flicker of disbelief flashed in her eyes, and she instinctively clenched her palm.
Luo Xiu was still smiling.
His smile was gentle, and his tone remained unchanged.
“Yes, as you can see.”
“Becoming a god is actually very simple.”
“It doesn’t require those complicated and tedious steps, nor any grand rituals.”
“A grand deception and death are sufficient.”
I’m having a lot of writer’s block today. These two chapters were actually written earlier, but I’ve been dissatisfied and revising them constantly.
I will try to publish the other chapter before midnight!
(End of this chapter)
