Vol 4. Chapter 51: The First Task

“E-Eat... the Holy Beast? Your Holiness, wh-what are you talking about?”

White Yama's face filled with horror and disbelief at the Pope's words.

In the eyes of this Heavenly Apostle,

the Holy Beast was the guardian beast of the Church. Alongside the Saintess and the Pope, she was one of the symbols of the Asumos Church! The Holy Beast likewise held an unparalleled position in the hearts of the Church's believers.

And now, His Holiness the Pope was actually saying that the Holy Beast should be eaten?

And that the young Holy Beast should be the one to eat her?

Making a child eat her own mother?

Th-That was far too cruel, wasn't it?

White Yama found Kaelrode's words somewhat impossible to accept.

But considering the Pope's overwhelming authority, White Yama didn't dare shout out what was in her heart. She could only speak quietly, asking in an extremely meek voice,

“Your Holiness... are... are you serious? Wh-Why do you want the young Holy Beast to eat the Holy Beast?!”

“Hmm?”

Faced with White Yama's question, Kaelrode instead revealed a puzzled expression and innocently asked her in return,

“Isn't that perfectly normal?”

Hearing this, White Yama's brows twitched, and her voice became somewhat agitated.

“Normal? Wh-What part of that is normal?!”

“Bai Xiaozou, let me ask you something. What is the Holy Beast's duty?”

“Duty?”

“Yes.”

“To protect the Church? Protect the believers? Help the Goddess eliminate the ominous beings that threaten this world?”

“Correct. Then is the current Holy Beast fulfilling her duty?”

“N-No...”

Recalling that pure-white figure lying within the Holy Land, always looking exceedingly weak, White Yama's momentum couldn't help weakening further.

But when she remembered the help the Holy Beast had given her when she broke through to the Eighth Tier, the white-haired girl once again summoned her courage and argued,

“B-But the reason the Holy Beast ended up like this was precisely because she protected the Church, wasn't it?! If the previous Saintess and the Holy Beast hadn't joined forces against the Red Spider Lily back then, wouldn't the Church headquarters have been reduced to ashes long ago?! Without the Holy Beast, the Church wouldn't have lasted until you returned, Your Holiness!”

“I know.”

Kaelrode continued speaking in an exceedingly calm tone.

“But that's all in the past.”

“Th-The past?”

“The current Holy Beast no longer possesses the ability to protect the Church. Since that's the case, she shouldn't continue occupying that position. We need a new Holy Beast. We need her child to inherit the tremendous power within her.”

“C-Can't we just wait until the Holy Beast reaches the natural end of her life... and let her power be inherited normally?”

“No. We don't have that much time.”

Kaelrode's tone gradually became forceful.

A crimson gleam suddenly flashed through his slightly narrowed dark-red eyes, and a terrifying spiritual pressure descended from above, brutally pressing down upon White Yama's shoulders.

The white-haired girl's entire body abruptly trembled, and she uncontrollably dropped to one knee.

“What happened in the northern territories is merely the beginning. If the Abyss Demons can crush the Snow Night Empire today, then tomorrow, they might very well reach Anvika. Our Church must increase its combat strength. If the tremendous power inside the Holy Beast cannot be used because of the Red Spider Lily's curse, then it must be passed down to a new Holy Beast. However, considering all the great contributions the Holy Beast has made in the past, I'll give her anesthesia during the inheritance ritual.”

“But... making a child eat her own mother... Th-That's too cruel...”

“There's no need to care so much, White Yama. At the end of the day, a Holy Beast is nothing more than an animal.”

“But...”

“That's enough.”

The smile on Kaelrode's face abruptly vanished.

His stern gaze shot from his eyes like a pair of sharp swords, seemingly piercing straight through White Yama's body and causing the Heavenly Apostle to tremble violently.

Although she was extremely unwilling to accept it, the fear of Kaelrode buried deep within her heart forced the white-haired girl to lower her head helplessly, not daring to utter another word.

“......”

Nick likewise remained completely silent as he took in this scene.

Seeing that everyone had no further ‘objections,’ Kaelrode nodded slightly in satisfaction.

Then His Holiness the Pope turned his attention toward the graceful silver-haired figure standing behind White Yama and Nick.

The moment he saw Mengxi, a brilliant smile appeared across his face.

“Wow! It hasn't even been that long since we last met, and you've already gotten so much stronger?! You're actually at the High Sixth Tier now?! Not bad!”

Kaelrode praised her without the slightest reservation.

The next moment,

under the somewhat strange gazes of White Yama and Nick, the golden-haired man vanished in a flash and appeared directly in front of Mengxi.

As though greeting a close friend after a long separation, he familiarly raised both hands and gently patted Mengxi's shoulders.

“Not bad, not bad. Your body's become much sturdier too. Sure enough, the difference between the Fifth and Sixth Tiers is quite substantial.”

After sighing with admiration a few times, Kaelrode asked with great concern,

“So? How does your body feel? White Yama's previous report mentioned that you were injured while fighting the Abyss Demons, to the point that you couldn't even walk steadily. How are your injuries now? If you need treatment, don't be shy. Just tell me.”

Hearing this,

Miss Mengxi, who had remained silent for quite some time after entering the grand hall, couldn't help slightly furrowing her brows.

However, very quickly,

Mengxi concealed the unusual expression on her face and gave Kaelrode a charming yet exceedingly respectful smile.

“Thank you for your concern, Your Holiness. Thanks to the medicine Sister Bai provided, I'm already fine now.”

“You're fine? That's good. If something happened to you, I wouldn't even know how I was supposed to answer to the Goddess.”

Kaelrode's voice was filled with relief.

After sighing emotionally for a moment,

Kaelrode slowly raised his arm and wrapped it around Mengxi's shoulders, leading the silver-haired girl forward beside him toward the Goddess statue.

Seeing this, a trace of concern couldn't help appearing in Miss White Yama's eyes.

White Yama instinctively stepped forward, intending to follow Mengxi.

However, before she could take more than two steps, two white-robed Holy Decree Envoys directly blocked her path, forcing White Yama to remain where she was and anxiously watch Mengxi and Kaelrode's retreating backs.

......

After slowly leading Mengxi beneath the Goddess statue, Kaelrode removed his arm from her shoulders.

He brought his palms together and raised his head to look toward the Goddess statue.

“Mengxi, do you know something? Right now, I'm extremely gratified.”

“......”

“You've °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° finally realized your responsibilities and are willing to attempt the Saintess Trial. Can I ask why you, who never had any interest in trying it before, suddenly changed your mind?”

Of course,

‘To obtain greater power and authority so I can protect Sister Yumo, obviously. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't want anything to do with the affairs of the Asumos Church...’

Mengxi quietly muttered inside her heart.

Increasing her strength?

She had other methods. She didn't necessarily have to rely on the Saintess Trial.

But if she wanted to prevent the Asumos Church from targeting her Sister Yumo, then for the current Mengxi, there was only one method—

control this organization from within!

Naturally, Mengxi couldn't possibly say any of this to the Pope.

And so,

under everyone's somewhat incredulous gazes, Mengxi imitated Kaelrode's movements, bringing her palms together and assuming a devout posture of prayer.

Her pale-purple eyes overflowed with profound faith.

The girl slowly began speaking in a compassionate tone, as though grieving for all the suffering in the world.

“I'm sorry, Your Holiness. I was far too willful before. This time, after the Abyss Demon horde attacked Skyvault, I witnessed countless tragic scenes and heard countless heart-rending screams. The horror of the Abyss Demons exceeded anything I had imagined. I don't want these tragedies to repeat themselves anywhere else. I believe that, as the Child of Destiny, I must shoulder my responsibility and save this world from the threat of the Abyss Demons. If I want to unite everyone and gain their recognition, then becoming the Saintess is an indispensable step.”

As she spoke,

Mengxi looked firmly into Kaelrode's eyes.

“So, please allow me to participate in the trial, Your Holiness.”

Upon hearing these words filled with unwavering determination, Kaelrode ‘gratifiedly’ clapped his hands.

“It seems the catastrophe in the northern territories didn't bring nothing but misfortune. At the very least, our Child of Destiny has finally grown up. Not bad, not bad...”

After revealing a satisfied smile, Kaelrode once again focused his gaze upon the Goddess statue.

“As for the Saintess Trial, I've already sought instructions from the great Goddess. The Goddess has also agreed to allow you to participate in the trial and see whether you're qualified to become the true Saintess who will lead the believers in defeating the Abyss Demons. I'm sure you already know that during the Saintess Trial, you'll need to complete three tasks given to you by the Goddess. Only after completing those tasks and then obtaining recognition from the Holy Relic will you successfully pass the trial.”

“I understand. Please tell me my first task, Your Holiness,” Mengxi said ‘devoutly,’ yet with ‘eager anticipation.’

As the girl's words reached his ears, Kaelrode's narrowed eyes slowly opened slightly.

An almost imperceptible crimson gleam flashed through those dark-red eyes.

“Bring the Heart of the Holy Dragon from Yexinlian Royal Academy in the Crimson Leaf Empire back to the Church. That will be your first task.”

“The Heart of the Holy Dragon...”