Chapter 717 The Dark Lord's Rebellion II
09:10AM.
Grey Harbor Town·Old City (North East)
The approximate distance between the Old City and the Port District (North) Seven kilometers away, in this ancient area eroded by time, the old town of Gray Harbor Town is immersed in fog.
Ruins and dilapidated buildings stand all around like decayed bones.
Many houses here have long been swallowed up by the fog, with mottled brick walls and incomplete tiles.
The air is filled with a damp, musty smell and a subtle smell of corruption.
Grey Harbor Cathedral, this lonely giant among the ruins, stands proudly in the center of the old city, witnessing hundreds of years of historical changes here.
The cathedral is the oldest building in this town. It covers an area of about one square kilometer and occupies the core of the entire old city.
The towering spiers pierce the fog, and the remaining carvings and reliefs tell the story of its glorious past.
Relics of ancient runes and sacred totems can still be seen on the stone walls of the church, but now they have long lost their past holiness.
Once upon a time, Gray Harbor Cathedral was an important relic of the secularization process of the Kingdom of Heaven and a symbol of the name of [Yahweh].
Although today's cathedral is no longer given glory by the Kingdom of Heaven, and only a few believers come here to pray, the priests here still pass on the teachings of Yahweh and guard this ancient and dilapidated land. boundary.
Ellis Gray, the only priest in the cathedral, is as old and tough as the church itself.
He is tall, and although the years have left heavy marks on his shoulders, he still stands in the center of the church. He is the only remaining defender in the ruins.
His gray and white hair is like an ancient flag, marking the long years he has experienced in this land.
Father Gray was once a member of the famous [Knights of St. Jacob Perret] in the Kingdom of Heaven, and belonged to the Thirteen Heroes of the Kingdom of Heaven.
His background is not ordinary. He was a "good family son" when he was young. He served in the famous [Rhode Island Medical Knights] for three years and was promoted to the Ninth Heroes for his outstanding performance. knight.
During his career as a knight, he not only underwent nineteen transformation surgeries to become a regular knight, but also experienced countless battles.
Until…
A fatal injury completely changed his fate.
That was the battle where the Kingdom of Heaven sent the Knights to the Antarctic Land of Terra to suppress the Chaos Rift. That war summoned a great demon projection with a Chaos Crown and countless Chaos armies.
Father Gray participated in this battle with the Ninth Hero. During the battle, he had a head-on confrontation with the Chaos Warriors of the third level of Chaos. He was stabbed through the abdomen with a sharp blade, and nineteen modified organs were damaged. To irreversible pollution.
Although his body was suffering unbearable pain, he still fought hard against the demons. He almost died among the demons. Fortunately, the ninth hero Saint James killed him among the demons and saved him from the demons. Rescued from the brink of death.
However, after that battle, Gray's body suffered irreversible trauma. The once tall and mighty knight, who was just over two meters tall, was now forced to undergo [angel degeneration] due to organ failure and removal. His entire body People have become much thinner and their former heroic appearance is no longer the same.
Although he is taller than ordinary people today, he can no longer dominate the battlefield like he did back then.
The atmosphere in Gray Harbor Cathedral today is particularly unusual.
Father Gray stood in front of the seating area composed of benches, with his hands clasped and deep guilt written on his face.
His eyes were lowered, not daring to look directly at the young man in front of him. That was the distinguished figure he had to face today - the fourth sword-bearer in the Kingdom of Heaven, Hugh Abraham, also a [Toronus/Angel].
At this time in the past, Father Gray would usually wipe the prayer altar - a device that was once connected to the church's think tank - or carry out daily cleaning in places such as the chapel, baptismal font and sacristy. Maintenance work.
However, today he did not carry out these ritualized daily tasks, and he seemed to have deeper worries and pressure in his heart.
At this moment, he stood respectfully in this ancient church, feeling ashamed in his heart.
In front of his sight, sat a young man who looked like someone from a myth.
The golden hair reflected dazzling light in the soft light of the church, and the brilliance of the sun condensed in his hair.
He was wearing a black dress, well-tailored, elegant and solemn.
He was holding a list without saying a word, and glanced at the information on it. Next to him was a blue virtual projection screen, displaying various data. Detailed information scrolled on the screen, as if conveying something. A sense of urgency.
There is a silver cane on the table, and next to the cane is a neatly placed black top hat.
The atmosphere in the church was heavy and depressing, with only the data scrolling on the virtual projection screen making a slight "buzzing" sound.
Father Gray lowered his head deeply again and saluted this noble man from heaven, his tone full of guilt and awe:
“Dear Toronus (angel), Sir Abraham... I'm very sorry that I couldn't provide you with useful information.
I feel very sorry about the missing Administration officers. They are all good kids.
Some time ago, they replenished explosives and potions in the sacristy. Unexpectedly..."
Father Gray's voice gradually became lower. The disappearance of those operators was not only a threat to the church. A blow, but also a kind of personal guilt
As one of the products of the second secularization of the Kingdom of Heaven, the first thing the Honkai Administration should do is to take over the various churches left behind by the failure of the first secularization. Heritage, after all, some churches and sanctuaries are still used as armament replenishment sites, shelters, emergency facilities, and bases for angels in this world...
Some old forces and old people are actually still used to calling the Kingdom of Heaven " "Church", they all maintain a strange sense of insensitivity to the sacred separation between heaven and the church - separated, but not completely separated.
At this time, Xia Xiu slowly folded the list in his hand, his expression still gentle. There was a kind smile on his lips, which was refreshing, but his golden eyes shone with a cold light.
This smile is in sharp contrast with his eyes, making it difficult to understand his true inner emotions.
He picked up the black top hat, stood up, and returned the salute to Father Gray, his voice low and calm:
"You don't have to feel guilty."
Xia Xiu He continued, his golden eyes scanning the solemn ceiling of the church and the ancient murals on the surrounding walls.
"Each branch base of the Administration inherits the various legacies and functions of the church."
Father Gray still maintained a respectful posture, with his hands folded on his chest and his eyes lowered.
Xia Xiu’s eyes slowly swept across the church, recalling the glory of the church in the past with sighs:
“In the past, the kingdom of heaven was too ritualistic about the sacred functions bestowed upon the church—— Baptism, Holy Communion, Weddings, Funerals, Preaching, Utopian Exegesis, Human Supremacist Strengthening, Spiritual Counseling, Healing and Blessing, Holy War, Prophecy, Purification of Chaos..."
"All of the above, lead to the church functional redundancy,”
There was no emotion in the voice of the fourth sword holder in the Kingdom of Heaven, but it revealed a power that could not be ignored.
“The redundant ritual function ultimately creates the authority of the pope and shapes the worship of saints.”
“The entanglement between church authority and secular power, the sale of priesthood, and the relationship between indulgences Abuse...These phenomena have gradually corroded the foundation of the church."
"The secularization and politicization of the church, the arbitrary nature of church doctrine, the extravagant life of clergy, the abuse of doctrine, and the commerce of believers' faith. Transformation, as well as the corruption of the four monarchs, all led the church to the first failure of secularization."
His voice was like a slow and sharp knife, cutting every inch of the truth. texture.
"The Kingdom of Heaven should indeed bear a considerable part of the responsibility for the church's loss of control."
Xia Xiu placed the hat firmly on his head, his golden eyes stared at Father Gray again, his voice was still gentle, but with a certain An unquestionable authority:
"Secularization must ultimately be carried out under the leadership of the Kingdom of Heaven and the leadership of angels." His voice was gentle but firm, and his words revealed irrefutable power.
“We must adhere to the utopian program proposed by the Kingdom of Heaven and we must adhere to the leadership of angels.”
Xia Xiu paused for a moment, narrowed his golden eyes slightly, and scanned the dome of the church, as if he could see the coming wave of secularization in the future through this ruin-like building.
He looked at Father Gray again, his tone was still like the spring breeze blowing on his face, but it contained great coldness:
"I arrived here just to spread the second world of heaven. The great process of transformation.”
His voice was still gentle, but the content of his words struck the silent air of the church like a heavy hammer.
Xia Xiu's smile still hung on his face, and his tone was like a spring breeze, gentle without any ripples, but the coldness behind the smile was everywhere.
He lowered his eyes and smiled slightly. The gentleness in his tone made it almost impossible to feel any threat, but then, his words were like sharp blades, mercilessly cutting through the silent air.
“I just didn’t expect that as soon as I arrived, someone responded to my arrival—an entire team of management personnel who originally assisted the church disappeared.”
"Not long after I arrived, you collected the predictions about my arrival from people in the Hundred Worlds."
Xia Xiu smiled softly, his tone still indifferent, but there was a bit of sarcasm in it.
“But, I just don’t understand...”
"They predicted my arrival, why do they still want to touch my bottom line?"
He raised his brows slightly, with a hint of teasing and sarcasm in his tone.
“What, do they want to fulfill the prophecy?”
“Want to use the blood of Gray Harbor Town Administration officers to see if the Dark Lord is me?”
Father Gray stood there, feeling cold sweat slowly seeping out from his back, and the temperature in the church dropped suddenly.
Although Xia Xiu's tone was gentle, even with a relaxing smile, the chill and vague threat in it cut the air like a knife.
The power behind that smile made Father Gray feel an irresistible sense of oppression, as if a huge invisible hand was holding his throat, making it difficult to breathe.
Even though he knew that this pressure was not directed at him, he still felt that the hairs on his hair were standing on end and all the nerves in his body were tightly stretched, making it difficult to relax.
Xia Xiu seemed to notice Father Gray's reaction, and he restrained his breath slightly.
The invisible sense of oppression faded away like a tide, and the air in the church began to flow again.
Then, he slowly raised his golden eyes and glanced gently out of the church's floor-to-ceiling windows. His sight penetrated the fog in the port area and spanned a distance of several kilometers.
As the [Crowned One], Xia Xiu's spirituality and information perception are extremely keen. He instantly captured certain information fluctuations about himself seven kilometers away.
He slightly let go of the [Crown Computing Power] in his body, and with just a glance, he easily noticed Camille and the Emerald Watcher beside her.
At that moment, his spirituality penetrated the space like a sharp blade and enveloped several people in the distance.
Under his casual gaze, Camille and the Emerald Watchers felt an inexplicable chill for no reason, as if they were being stared at by some indescribable existence.
Although Xia Xiu only paid attention for a moment, the feeling of being watched was like a heavy shadow hanging over their hearts, making their bodies stiffen involuntarily, as if they were trapped in an inescapable net.
Fortunately, Xia Xiu quickly withdrew his gaze, as if nothing had happened.
His expression was still calm, but he raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Meeting someone you know is a surprise.
However, he is not too interested in reminiscing about old times now. After all, there are more important things to deal with now.
However, after a brief pause, his eyes became slightly concerned about the existence of the Emerald Watcher.
This organization belongs to one of the robe-colored factions in the Hundred-layer World, and may be one of the clues for him to obtain the key to enter the Hundred-layer World in the near future.
Xia Xiu chuckled and thought in his heart: "According to the current state of panic in the wizarding world, it is best to act in a 'low-key' manner."
Now, the wizarding world in the Hundred-layer World is full of turmoil and chaos. , any disturbance may trigger unpredictable chain reactions.
Enter the hundred-level world by yourself, and in the end no one is aware of it. Only in this way can the other party feel a greater surprise.
Moreover, if the disappearance of his operators is really related to the wizards of the Hundred-layer World, then he would not mind helping the Hundred-layer World fulfill their prophecy about the Dark Lord.
His thoughts flashed through like lightning, and then he returned his gaze to Father Gray, and then asked:
"What was the reason why my people finally went out?"
When Father Gray came back to his senses, he still felt the cold sweat on his back, and the nervousness in his heart prevented him from neglecting it at all.
He took a deep breath and responded in a low voice:
"It is a purification journey defined as expelling terrible demonic spirits. It is said to be a disaster caused by a purple-robed wizard.
The purple-robed wizard focuses on prophecy and destiny manipulation... This ability itself It's extremely dangerous."
There was a little hesitation in his tone, recalling the situation at that time.
Father Gray paused and continued:
“Once they master the power to predict the future or control destiny, wizards often fall because of their desire for absolute control of the future.
In trying to gain greater personal gain or control by modifying prophecies or manipulating fate, they often forget their own limitations. "
When he spoke, there was a deep vigilance and worry.
The behavior of these purple-robed wizards has long become a terrible lesson.
" For The twists and predictions of fate often lead them to believe that they are higher than other wizards, and even above the laws of nature. "
Father Gray's voice became deeper and deeper, with a hint of disgust and worry.
His eyes flashed with memories.
“In the past, the Inquisition was responsible for arresting these out-of-control robed wizards. Each of them hoped to transcend human existence and achieve a divine or eternal state by pursuing extraordinary power and mysterious knowledge... ..."
He sighed, with helplessness and sadness in his tone:
"But in most cases, they are all - crazy"
Harry Bo. Special re-screening... Gu! Find time to watch it in the cinema again. When I was a kid, I didn’t have the money or time. Now I have the opportunity to make up for the regret of not watching Harry Potter in the cinema during my childhood.