章 373: Chapter 372: Infiltrating the Sanctum of Relics (Part 2)
At first, the Archbishop didn't quite grasp what he had heard.
Five seconds later, Archbishop Vicmar began to comprehend the magnitude of what had occurred in this most sacred place of the Empire, under the protection of battle priests, demon hunters, and penitents. In the very cathedral he had always considered absolutely secure, what could possibly have happened?
A mix of indescribable grief and rage enveloped Vicmar's heart. The Archbishop gripped his golden staff of command in one hand and his golden war hammer in the other.
A Holy Realm strength Archbishop, he was now fully enraged.
A being from the Holy Realm stands above all others, especially to humans. They are characterized by three features: longevity, with each capable of living over three hundred years, making them a vital asset to any power; resilience, as they are difficult to kill, capable of being defeated or injured but rarely killed; and unique powers, each possessing a unique ability unpredictable in nature—like Ryan's unusual psychic spellcasting abilities.
Archbishop Vicmar's unique power was the Force of the Twin-Tailed Comet!
The flames of the Twin-Tailed Comet blazed on the head of his war hammer, its dual red trails radiating intense heat.
Ryan had already vanished into the crowd, grabbing Targris's arm, "Quick! Now's our chance!"
"Go!" Targris whispered back, and they dashed towards the Sanctum of Relics.
"AAAAAAH!!!" Ten seconds later, Archbishop Vicmar's roar nearly pierced the golden dome: "Heretics!!!"
"Chaos filth has infiltrated our most holy place! Fight, my followers! For Charlemagne! For the Empire!" The Holy Realm strength Archbishop Vicmar unleashed terrifying energy. Raising his war hammer high, his roar sent a golden wave that swept over all the pilgrims in the cathedral.
The sudden turn of events stunned all the pilgrims.
Heretics had infiltrated the religious heart of the Empire, the headquarters of the Church of Justice!
"Does no one confess?" Archbishop Vicmar's fury seemed to pierce the heavens, creating a fearsome vortex of divine power. His holy magic swirled within the cathedral, the golden gusts dispersing the winter chill as battle priests and holy warriors surged into the cathedral from both ends.
"All kneel!" the Archbishop roared at all the pilgrims inside. "Kneel now for inspection! We must ensure every heretic faces trial at the stake!"
As swords were drawn and shields raised, the battle priests armed their hammers, and the penitents tightened their grip on their flails. All visitors and pilgrims inside the cathedral were forced to kneel, waiting to be inspected.
Ryan and Targris avoided inspection; they didn't need to prove their allegiance against Chaos. The battle priests and holy warriors urged them to leave quickly, allowing them to slip out of the cathedral and hide behind a tapestry in a corridor alcove.
The space behind the tapestry was cramped, with Ryan and Targris squeezed together. "There are still at least a hundred guards by the Sanctum!" Targris whispered.
"Is your magic useful now?" Ryan asked.
"In this situation, I can only cast confusion spells on up to thirty people at once!" Targris replied softly.
"Then we wait."
"Pat, pat, pat—" Footsteps echoed densely as the cathedral was now locked down, the majority of visitors and pilgrims kneeling, awaiting inspection.
Among the countless pilgrims, three cloaked figures with hoods, visibly shaken, exchanged glances filled with disbelief and fear.
Impossible! How could the Archbishop have discovered them?
They had planned their assassination attempt for over a decade, carefully infiltrating the Church of Justice each year, mapping out an assassination route.
After more than ten years of meticulous planning, hiding their tracks and considering every guard and mechanism, they had disguised themselves as the most devout followers of the God of Justice. Each year, they moved closer to the statue of the God of Justice and the golden statue of Charlemagne. Their plan was nearing fruition, so how were they discovered now?!
Indeed, Maxwell and his two companions were covert followers of the heretical Chaos cult, operating quietly in Brunswick's populous capital. In many dirty corners, small Chaos cults operated in the shadows, evading demon hunters and battle priests by settling in the slums of Brunswick.
Their plan was to assassinate Emperor Karl-Franz during the Winter Veil worship—a young emperor seen as a significant threat by the Chaos followers, especially as he had garnered substantial noble support recently.
Human history was never short of those who thought assassinating an emperor would benefit them. Emperor Karl-Franz's strong measures against many nobles, protecting yeomen and the middle class, had angered many nobles. Many cared little for the threats facing humanity, only seeing their interests compromised.
When the proposal to assassinate
the emperor was made, some nobles chose to secretly support it.
Yet, Maxwell still couldn't believe their meticulously arranged, seamless plan, prepared over more than a decade, would be exposed here. How did the Archbishop discover them?!
Now, in this situation, they dared not move, only praying silently in their hearts.
"Lord of Change, please bless our mission."
The cultists dared not breathe aloud; they bowed their heads deeply, powerless to do anything but wait.
"No one confesses?! Heretics, Emperor Charlemagne is watching you! The God of Justice is watching you. Since you won't come forward voluntarily..." The Archbishop scanned the crowd, and finding no volunteers, released a terrifying roar. Then, wielding his staff of command in one hand and the golden griffon war hammer in the other, he summoned the power of the Twin-Tailed Comet.
The Ultimate Divine Magic: Soulfire!
The blazing power of the Twin-Tailed Comet cascaded down from the golden dome of the cathedral, showering the congregation with divine light. Visible golden orbs drifted among the crowd.
The pilgrims wept with joy, shouting miracles as they bathed in the golden glow. True believers were not harmed by the Soulfire; instead, it served as a sacred ceremony of spiritual purification.
The Archbishop's fierce and furious gaze swept across everyone in the cathedral, the terrifying power of the Soulfire interrogating each soul.
"Heretics will find no shelter under our Lord's divine power! Accept your judgment! Aaaaah!" The Archbishop raised his arms high.
Amid the sacred light, a man in a thick cloak could no longer bear it, screaming out, followed by cries from his two companions.
"Hmm~!"
The strange behavior of these three immediately drew everyone's attention. Holy warriors and battle priests quickly converged on them, finding that these three could not hide within the Soulfire.
"Heretics revealed! Strip them of their cloaks, cleanse the unclean!" the Archbishop directed, his gaze electric as he pointed at Maxwell and the others.
The cultists tried to resist, but wave after wave of Soulfire nearly tore their tainted souls to shreds.
Their thick cloaks were torn open by the holy warriors, revealing their bodies underneath, mutated with feathers and transforming into raven-like talons.
"Damn!" Maxwell's arm, scorched by the Soulfire, revealed its true form: a mutated limb with feathers, its fingers turned into talons.
"Ah! Chaos cultists!"
"That's the mutation of Tzeentch!"
"Kill them! Kill them!"
"Help!"
The cathedral erupted into chaos. The faces of the holy warriors and battle priests were marked with terrible fervor. Some holy warriors protected unrelated bystanders while retreating, many demon hunters and penitents charging forward, weapons in hand.
"Destroy them! Leave one alive!" The Archbishop directed at the three exposed cultists. "For Emperor Charlemagne!"
"Let's fight!" Knowing their plan had failed, Maxwell pulled a wooden staff from his back, ready to summon Tzeentch demons with his Chaos black magic.
Someone was much faster.
"War, fight, hammer!" The golden griffon war hammer, spewing the power of the Twin-Tailed Comet, carried the Archbishop's wrath and struck the Tzeentch cultist on the head. The blessings and mutations brought by Chaos were powerless against Vicmar's might.
"Crack!" The cultist's head was smashed to pieces, brains splattering.
...
"There are cultists in the cathedral!"
"Quick, go support the Archbishop!"
"Lord, we have failed you."
Running footsteps filled the corridors, clearly more guards being drawn by the disturbance in the cathedral.
Behind the tapestry, Ryan and Targris were somewhat dazed.
"It seems there really were cultists among the pilgrims," Ryan muttered. "My God, I was only joking."
"You just wanted to create some chaos, but it turns out there really was chaos," Targris said calmly. "Humans are so easily corrupted... I can sense that a battle is underway in the cathedral. A Tzeentch cultist has summoned a few low-ranking Tzeentch demons, but they stand no chance against so many."
"Quick! There are fewer guards now!" Ryan and Targris sprinted away, the not-so-fit High Archmage panting, "Don't rush, I... I can't keep up, Ryan."
The Sanctum of Relics was a distance from the cathedral, with many stairs and corridors to navigate, requiring a five-minute run to avoid the crowds.
Targris swore he hadn't run this far in over a hundred years. The physical fitness of the High Archmage was not to be boasted of; he was out of breath after about three minutes.
"No worries, I'll carry you!" Ryan hoisted Targris onto his back.
Charge!
At this time, the clerical staff guarding the Sanctum had been reduced to less than fifty, with
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