Chapter 419: He, Qin Chu, Couldn’t Possibly Kill All the Clerics, Right?
Ransack Cain’s home?
At these words, silence descended upon the sanctuary.
Apart from Wadsworth and Saint Monique, who were smiling, everyone else, including Veronica and Upton, stared in stunned silence.
Even the clerics outside, their gazes fixed on Qin Chu, their faces a mask of shock and disbelief.
He wasn’t even Pope yet, and he was already issuing orders? And without a trial, he was going to ransack an Archbishop’s home?
This was excessive. Even Augustus hadn’t been this brazen.
Cain’s face paled, his body trembling. Not only had Qin Chu, this bastard, dared to disrespect him, a high-ranking Archbishop, but Cain’s own home couldn’t withstand such scrutiny. He knew better than anyone the secrets hidden within.
He hadn’t expected Qin Chu to target him so directly, and so ruthlessly. He couldn’t control himself and shouted, “Stop! Qin Chu, you’re not qualified to do this!”
His voice, fueled by anger and panic, was sharper than usual.
Compared to Cain’s frantic reaction, Qin Chu remained calm, a faint smile on his face: “Augustus appointed me as his successor. Everyone in the city heard it.”
“Brother Wadsworth, Saint Monique, you both heard it, right?”
Cain didn’t notice the difference in his address.
“Haha, of course. Augustus’s voice reached even the Imperial Palace,” Wadsworth said, laughing heartily.
Saint Monique nodded: “I heard it as well.”
Cain and the others paled. Qin Chu, that shameless bastard, was using the Emperor and the Saintess to pressure them. They didn’t dare object. That would be disrespecting them, practically suicide.
And before they could even speak, Qin Chu produced the Scepter of Holy Light.
The moment the symbol of Papal authority appeared, it drew their gazes, their eyes gleaming with greed.
It was the symbol of the Pope. Only its wielder could claim the title.
Their breathing quickened, a powerful urge to snatch it from him surging within them.
“I have Augustus’s decree.”
“And the Scepter of Holy Light.”
Qin Chu’s gaze, now cold and dangerous, fixed on Cain: “I am the Pope. Do you have any objections?”
Cain felt as if he were being stared down by a venomous predator, a chill running down his spine, goosebumps erupting on his skin. He felt something cold and slimy wriggling on the back of his neck.
Despite Qin Chu’s apparent calmness, the inexplicable fear made his legs tremble.
His eyes darted nervously, his hand making a discreet gesture, unseen by Qin Chu.
Outside the sanctuary, a priest suddenly spoke up: “I object.”
Qin Chu, not angered, merely smiled at the priest, curious to hear his reasoning.
“I acknowledge Augustus’s decree and the Scepter, but… we cannot ignore the ancient laws.”
“For thousands of years, the Holy See has never had an outsider as Pope. You are not qualified.”
Then, a young woman near the sanctuary also spoke up.
She looked familiar… Ah, it was Shirley, the Saintess candidate, also a member of the Hero Squad.
He had almost forgotten about her.
She seemed to respect Augustus deeply, her face filled with sorrow, her slender figure looking even more fragile.
But her voice was firm and resolute: “Priest Sloan, there’s no such law in the Holy See.”
She turned, her eyes fixed on the priest: “Perhaps I haven’t studied the Church’s laws thoroughly enough. Could you enlighten me, Priest Sloan? Which page, which line, states that an outsider cannot be Pope?”
Her counterattack was effective.
Sloan was momentarily speechless. If such a law existed, they wouldn’t be having this argument.
But he quickly recovered, changing tactics: “Silence, Shirley! Augustus imprisoned the previous Saintess! He violated Church law! He wasn’t even qualified to be Pope!”
“And if he wasn’t qualified, then his decree is meaningless!”
“And Qin Chu, the Hero, consorting with Demon Beasts, those filthy creatures… such a degenerate is unfit to be Pope!”
He grew more and more agitated: “He’s not even fit to be the Hero! Can we truly entrust the Heavenly Continent’s fate to such a man?”
“He should kill those Demon Beast women to prove his loyalty to humanity!”
His words drew everyone’s attention, even Wadsworth and Saint Monique’s.
Sloan, never having been the center of attention before, felt a surge of power, his figure seeming to grow taller.
Qin Chu was stunned. Was this idiot serious?
Loyalty?
Prove his loyalty to humanity?
Did he not understand the situation? It was the Heavenly Continent that needed him, the Hero, not the other way around.
How could he say such a thing?
How did this fool even become a priest?
Sloan, basking in the attention, spread his arms, as if trying to rally the others. If Qin Chu wouldn’t kill Heloise and Iyeta to prove his loyalty, then he wasn’t fit to be Pope.
But just as he raised his arms…
Swoosh!
A crimson streak, like a burning meteor, streaked across the sky, its speed incredible.
They only saw a flash of red, and Sloan froze.
A sharp crack appeared on the ground before him.
Then, his head fell to the ground, rolling away, his neck cauterized by the attack.
The crowd, which had been about to erupt, fell silent.
No one had expected him to be killed so suddenly.
Then, a wave of heat washed over them, and the Crimson Valkyrie, wreathed in flames, landed beside Sloan’s corpse, her greatsword still in her hand.
Ignoring their shocked and angry gazes, she walked towards Qin Chu.
She was his guard, always by his side.
The clerics, though furious, parted before her. No one dared stop her.
Without Douglas, Loseweisse, or Augustus, no one in the Holy See was a match for her.
Even Cain’s throat tightened.
Qin Chu had actually been here all along, waiting for the perfect moment to reveal himself. Cain’s attack on Upton had provided it.
And this was just the beginning.
Rumble…
The ground trembled, and the clerics looked around in panic, seeing massive earth walls rising around them, trapping them within the sanctuary.
It was Norma’s doing.
She was becoming increasingly proficient with Earth Magic.
And above the walls stood Anthea, Violet, Heloise, and Iyeta.
Aside from Natia and Anastasia, who were guarding the Residence, Ireta, who was still purifying souls, and Angelica, who was shopping, everyone was here.
The Holy See was completely surrounded!
Ekaterina was wreathed in flames, Heloise surrounded by a blizzard, Iyeta shrouded in a red mist, Violet controlling the wind, Anthea’s chains swirling like snakes.
And above them, two identical women with silver hair and crimson eyes.
Seeing this, Cain, Alger, Wright, and Galbrain felt a chill.
They suddenly remembered something they had been deliberately ignoring: Qin Chu was far more powerful than they had anticipated.
They couldn’t defeat him.
Fear made them tremble, their gazes sweeping over the equally terrified clerics.
Perhaps their only option was to incite the crowd, hoping their sheer numbers would deter him. Surely he wouldn’t kill them all?
Chapter 420: My Money!
Qin Chu’s methods sent chills down their spines. This was unlike any enemy they had faced before. Their previous opponents, at least, maintained a semblance of decorum. But Qin Chu disregarded all such pretense, his overwhelming strength controlling the situation completely.
Their plans, their schemes, were meaningless against his brute force.
Cain wanted to appeal to Wadsworth and Saint Monique, but seeing their smiles, their relaxed demeanor, his heart sank.
They were merely observers, here for the coronation, not to intervene in the Holy See’s internal affairs.
In fact, the more chaotic the situation, the more they seemed to enjoy it.
They were here for the show.
Without their support, they were hopelessly outmatched, yet they were unwilling to surrender, to give up their claim to the Papal throne.
“Qin Chu, don’t you think you’re going too far?” Alger asked, taking a deep breath.
The nine of them, usually at odds with each other, vying for power, were now united by a common enemy.
They knew their only option was to incite the believers. Surely, even Qin Chu wouldn’t dare massacre thousands of clerics?
“What’s your purpose, sealing us in here? To show us your power? To intimidate us?”
“If you think this will make us submit, you’re mistaken. We are proud clerics of the Holy See! Our honor won’t allow us to yield to a demon like you!”
“We’ll defend the Holy See’s honor, even if it costs us our lives! We won’t let you defile it!”
Alger’s impassioned speech, his righteous indignation, seemed to have some effect. Some of the kneeling clerics began to rise, their voices joining the chorus of dissent, though it was weaker than before.
However, many remained on their knees, their heads bowed.
Qin Chu smiled, instructing Veronica to note their names. Regardless of their previous positions, they would now be under her command.
Then, his gaze turned cold, fixing on those who still defied him.
His divinity and authority surged within him, his figure seeming to grow taller, more imposing, in the moonlight.
He was like an unyielding mountain.
The ground beneath his feet cracked, the earth trembling, an oppressive aura emanating from him, making them sway.
Then, his voice, like thunder, echoed through the sanctuary:
“Kneel.”
Thump!
Over half of them instantly collapsed to their knees.
The remaining… they must be the Archbishops’ and Vice-Captains’ most loyal followers.
Rule through fear? He didn’t care.
He simply wanted to eliminate those who opposed him, those who posed a threat, those who showed no faith in the Goddess.
They were useless.
He flicked his wrist.
Anthea, standing atop the wall, received the signal.
Her chains, like writhing pythons, lashed out.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…
A crimson mist filled the air.
The chains pierced through chests, blood spraying everywhere.
Bodies fell, their screams mingling in a chorus of agony.
How many were still standing? Perhaps a few thousand.
He hadn’t bothered to count. He only knew… it was a lot.
Cain, Alger, and the others watched in horror as their followers were slaughtered, their screams echoing in their ears, their bodies turning cold.
They hadn’t expected him to be so ruthless.
Shouldn’t he be trying to win their support, not massacre them?
Why? Why was he doing this?
They wanted to stop him, but the crimson mist, swirling around them, held them captive, their bodies frozen, their fingers trembling, their teeth chattering, their eyes wide with fear.
They could only watch helplessly as their followers died.
They didn’t understand. With his power, he didn’t need their support.
Saint Monique and Wadsworth also watched, their faces, however, not pale with fear, but flushed with excitement.
The coronation ceremony had become a bloodbath.
No one had anticipated this.
The clerics, seeing their comrades dying around them, screamed and fled, but they couldn’t escape the chains.
Some tried to kneel, abandoning their pride and dignity, choosing survival.
But as they bent their knees, a whirlwind lifted them into the air, and a rain of blood fell upon the sanctuary.
They begged Cain, Alger, and the others for protection, not realizing they were also in danger.
The screams continued for several minutes, then gradually subsided.
The ground was covered in corpses and body parts, blood flowing like a river.
Those who had knelt remained on the ground, their heads bowed, trembling with fear.
“Veronica, carry out my orders,” Qin Chu said coldly. “And… check their residences as well…”
Veronica nodded, selecting those who had knelt and leading them away.
Cain and the others paled, wanting to object, but fear silenced them.
Cold sweat dripped from their foreheads.
The wait was agonizing. Qin Chu casually chatted with Wadsworth and Saint Monique, as if nothing had happened.
But for Cain, Alger, Galbrain, and the others, it was like waiting for their execution.
The pressure intensified with each passing second.
They felt as if their hearts would burst before Qin Chu even passed judgment.
After a long while, Veronica returned, not with carts laden with loot, but with a single bag, filled with storage rings.
“Your Holiness…” she said, her voice trembling with reverence, her eyes shining with a fanatical devotion.
She was becoming more and more like a zealot.
“The… results of the search.”
“And?” Qin Chu asked, turning his attention away from Saint Monique and Wadsworth.
“Nine residences. Mana, Saint Quartz, property deeds, magic stones, potions, gems… one hundred and seventy-four storage rings filled with valuables… Over three billion mana in cash alone.”
Even Qin Chu, who had anticipated their corruption, was stunned.
Nine people, their ill-gotten gains filling one hundred and seventy-four storage rings… what did that even mean?
Each ring contained a space equivalent to a small room. On average, each person’s loot filled twenty rooms… And this didn’t even include the rings they were wearing.
So much money… he would be rich.
Perhaps because he had been poor in his previous life, despite money now being relatively meaningless to him, he still felt a thrill of… acquisitiveness.
Three billion mana…
It would all be confiscated, of course, belonging to the Holy See, and as Pope… it was his money!
“And countless antiques and artifacts, also confiscated.”
“Report individually,” he said, suppressing his excitement.
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
“Cain’s residence: four hundred million mana, thirty-eight thousand Saint Quartz, thirty-four properties, and forty-eight… boys rescued…”
Cain’s face paled with each word.
After Veronica finished her lengthy report, Qin Chu turned to Cain.
“Archbishop Cain, where did you get all this? The money, the Saint Quartz, the properties… and what about those boys?” His voice was low and dangerous.
“You wanted Upton expelled for embezzling six million mana. What punishment do you think you deserve?”
Cain’s lips trembled, speechless.
“Take him out. Execute him,” Qin Chu said coldly, waving his hand dismissively.
Cain’s face contorted, about to resist, when a wave of heat washed over him, and Ekaterina appeared beside him, her hand resting on his shoulder.
Her Star Flame Battle Qi had recently improved. While not yet level 90, her level 89 strength far surpassed Cain’s.
Her grip, though seemingly gentle, made his knees buckle, and he collapsed, crying out in pain.
Seeing his impending doom, he screamed desperately, grasping at straws: “Qin Chu! Don’t you care about Angelica’s life? My men have already…”
Angelica?
Qin Chu’s eyes narrowed. These bastards dared to touch her?
They were dead.
He was about to explode when several corpses suddenly flew into the sanctuary, landing before Cain.
“Are these your men?” a cold voice asked.
Angelica, her face impassive, appeared, a gust of wind swirling around her.
Seeing the familiar corpses, Cain’s face turned ashen.
His last hope was gone.
Ekaterina, a cruel smile on her face, dragged him by his hair towards the kneeling clerics.
She positioned him, then swung her greatsword.
Swoosh!
His head flew through the air, his eyes still wide with disbelief and terror.
