Chapter 315: Corrupting Athena
Douglas’s face was filled with a zealous fervor, his voice strangely compelling.
He had kept this secret for years, and now, finally able to reveal it, his body trembled with excitement.
The others exchanged uneasy glances.
While they had been coerced into coming here, they all acknowledged Douglas’s strength. His level was 88, second only to Augustus within the Holy See.
And he was young, not yet forty. Reaching level 90 was practically guaranteed.
He usually led the Inquisition with an iron fist, a man of few words, his stern demeanor intimidating even the Holy See’s high-ranking officials.
Who knew this seemingly unyielding Cardinal could be so… fanatical? Even the Church’s most devout followers couldn’t match his fervor.
A single sentence had twisted his face, his chest heaving, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
But… daughter of a god?
Was he delusional?
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Even Loseweisse looked slightly bewildered. She hadn’t expected him to make such a claim. Was this a ploy to help her gain the Pope’s position?
Seeing their reactions, Douglas smirked: “I know you think I’m mad. I know what I’m saying. You can doubt me all you want, but Her Holiness possesses divine blood. There’s no doubt about it.”
He paused, then continued: “Saintess Rose Phyllis. That name should be familiar to all of you, shouldn’t it?”
Their expressions turned even stranger. Of course, they knew the name. She had been the Saintess of Augustus’s generation.
And the most talented member of the Holy See.
Beautiful and exceptionally gifted.
She had reached level 80 at the age of eighteen.
Aside from the legendary Valkyrie Anthea from a thousand years ago, no one in the Heavenly Continent, not even within the Holy See, could match her talent.
Even the current geniuses like Natia paled in comparison.
Even Augustus, the Saint Son of her time, was far less talented.
She had reached level 89 at the age of twenty-nine, a single step away from level 90.
And what was most infuriating was that she had achieved this with minimal effort, spending less than half the usual time on cultivation, dedicating most of her time to interacting with the believers.
During her time as Saintess, the Holy See’s reputation had been at its peak. She had been the most beloved and respected Saintess.
But in her final year, after her last prayer to the Goddess, she had vanished without a trace, becoming the Holy See’s greatest unsolved mystery.
They had heard rumors, but nothing concrete. Did Douglas know the truth?
Forgetting their resentment, they focused their attention on him, eager to hear more.
Douglas cleared his throat: “Don’t you think Her Holiness’s name is very similar to Rose Phyllis?”
Loseweisse’s face paled slightly.
“The truth of what happened all those years ago has been hidden by that scoundrel, Augustus.”
“That year, Augustus and Saintess Phyllis performed their last prayer to the Goddess. And during that prayer, the god descended upon the sanctuary.”
His words shocked the crowd.
A god descending?
That… was impossible.
Their god rarely even issued oracles, let alone descended upon the mortal realm.
“I know you find it hard to believe, but the former Pope, the previous Captain of the Holy Knights, the Cardinal of the Inquisition, and many other high-ranking officials were present outside the sanctuary. They all felt the divine presence, the immense pressure from another realm. They all knelt and prayed.”
“Am I right, Archbishops Cain and Manson, and Vice-Captain Gabriel? You were there. You know what it felt like,” he said, looking at the three senior members.
Their faces were grim, their minds seemingly transported back to that night.
Seeing their reactions, the others believed Douglas.
So, a god had truly descended over two decades ago?
But why had the Holy See suppressed this information? Shouldn’t this be their greatest honor?
“We don’t know which god descended, but it certainly wasn’t the Goddess of Holy Light. Because the next day, when the sanctuary doors opened, Saintess Phyllis was pregnant.”
“And then, she vanished.”
“Within three years, the former Pope died mysteriously, and Augustus, his power suddenly increased, seized the position of Pope through despicable means.”
“The high-ranking officials who had knelt outside the sanctuary, they either died or disappeared. The three of you are the only survivors, aren’t you?”
“Perhaps because you were relatively low-ranking and unknown at the time, standing at the back of the crowd outside the sanctuary, Augustus assumed you didn’t know much, so he spared you. But even so, you’ve been ostracized within the Church, haven’t you?”
“Cain, you’re an Archbishop, yet you hold no real power, relegated to overseeing the choir.”
Cain’s face darkened, his fists clenching.
“Gabriel, you’re the most senior Holy Knight, yet you’re only a Vice-Captain. The position of Captain should be yours.”
A flicker of anger crossed Gabriel’s face.
“Archbishop Manson, you were once the head of a kingdom branch, wielding considerable power, yet you’ve been transferred to the Imperial City, given a meaningless position.”
Manson also frowned.
“Unfortunately for Augustus, my master, the previous Cardinal of the Inquisition, recorded these secrets, passing them down to me, revealing the truth.”
“Three years later, Augustus suddenly brought back a baby girl, becoming her godfather, raising her within the Holy See.”
“That baby girl is Loseweisse.”
“And the child of Saintess Phyllis.”
“She carries divine blood, and that damned Augustus dared to become her godfather!” Douglas’s voice was almost a shriek. “Does he think he’s worthy of being a god’s daughter’s godfather?”
“This is blasphemy!”
His last word was a roar.
Loseweisse’s face paled. She had never heard of this.
She had always believed she was an orphan. Now, she suddenly had a mother, the most talented Saintess in the Church’s history.
And her father… a god?
Was this why Douglas had chosen to support her?
Why else would the second most powerful figure in the Holy See obey her, a mere Saintess, a figurehead?
Divine blood?
Divine blood?
Divine blood?
She repeated the words inwardly, her lips trembling.
She carried the blood of a god?
A stunned silence filled the room. None of these powerful individuals, coerced into attending this meeting, had expected to hear such a revelation.
They didn’t entirely believe Douglas. After all, he had presented no evidence.
But they had heard rumors about Saintess Phyllis, about her connection to Loseweisse. And Cain, Manson, and Gabriel, the three most senior members, hadn’t objected. They were inclined to believe him.
And they were all shrewd individuals. They knew that whether it was true or not no longer mattered.
They were now bound to Loseweisse and Douglas. If it was true, Augustus would never let them live. And they didn’t have the courage to confront him and ask for confirmation.
And Douglas and Loseweisse held incriminating evidence against them. So, whether it was true or not, it had to be true.
Rumble!
A thunderclap shattered the silence.
Dark clouds gathered overhead, the sky turning ominous.
Lightning flashed, and a cold wind howled like a banshee.
An invisible pressure descended upon them.
All those present were powerful individuals, but they felt as if a mountain was pressing down on them.
The pressure made it difficult to breathe, their legs trembling.
A Bishop collapsed to his knees.
Then another, and another… they all fell to their knees, their hands supporting their weight, even Douglas.
It wasn’t mere physical pressure, but a pressure on their very souls, the awe-inspiring presence of a higher being.
Bishops, Archbishops, Vice-Captains, even Grand Mages, War Gods, and Titled Knights, all felt insignificant before this power.
Their hearts pounded, threatening to burst.
Their veins bulged.
Their souls felt as if they were being crushed.
Before such power, they had only one choice: submit.
They prostrated themselves on the ground, their eyes wide with fear, gazing at the figure in the center.
Loseweisse.
A crimson light enveloped her.
Bathed in the bloody glow, the pure and innocent Saintess seemed… alluring, seductive.
The crimson light coalesced above her head, forming a crown.
Douglas, trembling with excitement, spread his arms and cried out: “Behold!”
“Her Holiness is the true Pope!”
“The destined Empress!”
“Augustus is a usurper!”
“We’re not committing treason! We’re merely helping the daughter of a god reclaim her rightful place!”
“Once Augustus is judged, and the daughter of a god ascends to her throne, you… you will be rewarded for your loyalty! You will gain greater power, greater influence…”
“Offer your loyalty, most devout followers of the god!”
“You will gain eternal life through the god’s grace!”
They all prostrated themselves, their voices trembling as they pledged their loyalty.
But the figure bathed in the crimson light…
Was she a goddess, or a demon?
…
Meanwhile, at the Hero’s Residence.
Athena’s room was filled with books, a chaotic mess.
They were all about ancient languages.
Before destroying the chamber in the Snow Chain Mountains, she had captured a magical image of the scene, focusing on the stone slab covered in strange runes.
Back in the Imperial City, she had transcribed the runes and spent the past few days trying to decipher them.
It wasn’t an easy task. Even with her knowledge, she could only identify them as ancient Ghulam script, a language lost for over a thousand years.
She had consulted numerous books from the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess’s library.
But even now, she could only decipher less than a tenth of the runes, guessing at the meaning of some words.
Her slender fingers traced the newly deciphered runes, her voice a soft murmur:
“Benevolent… father?”
She frowned. Could this be an epitaph, written by a child for their father?
Suddenly, a faint voice, like a ghostly whisper, echoed in her ear:
“My beloved child…”
