Chapter 589: Your Hell Is My Heaven

In just one week, the entire Sorex Kingdom had become no different from hell.

Temples burned day and night, and before long, the flames spread beyond the holy grounds and reached the nearby homes and streets. Thick smoke covered the sky, while the sound of screaming and buildings falling apart could be heard throughout the kingdom.

The nobles were dragged from their homes, their wealth was taken, and they were executed one after another. They had been among the main reasons behind Rose’s suffering, and she had not forgotten a single one of them.

Back then, many of those nobles had treated her pain like entertainment.

None of them had ever imagined that one day, they would be the ones begging for mercy.

The wheel of fate had finally turned and this time, Rose was the one watching them suffer.

"The Cardinal is back!" one of the guards in the Holy Temple suddenly shouted. Like everyone else under Rose’s control, he had already lost the ability to think for himself. He was nothing more than her puppet now, waiting for her next command.

Rose slowly rose from her seat. She had ordered the chair to be placed directly in front of the ruined altar so she could sit there and watch everything fall apart with her own eyes.

She wanted to see the people who had once told her that suffering was simply part of being a Saintess. They had told her to endure the pain, accept it, and continue serving the Gods no matter how much it hurt.

Now, they were finally the ones suffering.

"He’s finally back?" Rose murmured, a faint smile appearing on her lips. "I thought he was too much of a coward to return to Sorex."

When Rose first arrived at the Holy Temple, the Cardinal happened to be outside the Kingdom of Sorex. He had been traveling to other kingdoms, trying to bring even more people into their faith.

Still, there was no way he could have remained unaware of what was happening in Sorex for long. After all, Rose had not limited her revenge to just one kingdom.

She had sent her puppets beyond Sorex as well, ordering them to destroy every temple belonging to the Gods wherever they could find one.

By now, news of the chaos should have already reached him.

Because of that, Rose was certain that the Cardinal must have secretly done something to save himself. However, for him to suddenly come to the Holy Temple was actually rather strange.

Still, Rose was more than happy to welcome him.

She stepped down from the altar and calmly walked toward the entrance of the Holy Temple. The guards immediately followed behind her without being told, their movements so quiet and obedient that they hardly seemed human anymore.

Outside, the once beautiful courtyard had become almost unrecognizable.

Broken statues were scattered across the ground, their faces smashed beyond recognition.

Pages torn from holy books drifted through the air, while smoke continued to rise from the remains of several smaller buildings nearby. Even the enormous bell that had once called thousands of believers to prayer was now lying cracked at the bottom of the temple stairs.

When Rose stopped not far from the gate of the Holy Temple, she finally saw the Cardinal standing at the entrance.

Several guards rushed forward to stop him, but before they could even get close, the Cardinal raised the sword in his hand and killed them without hesitation.

His usual neat and dignified appearance was nowhere to be seen. His clothes were covered in dust from his long journey, though Rose suspected there might be another reason for his messy state. Perhaps he had been doing something she did not know about before coming here.

After all, there was no way the Cardinal would simply sit around and do nothing after realizing that his own life was in danger.

"My daughter, what have you done?" the Cardinal asked.

This time, there was none of that false warmth he usually put into his voice. "I gave you a chance to atone for your sins, yet this is your answer?" His grip around his sword tightened. "You killed innocent people as easily as if you were stepping on ants."

"Innocent?" Rose lifted her chin slightly and looked at the Cardinal with clear disdain. "There isn’t a single innocent person in this kingdom."

Even the poorest people in Sorex would have gladly hurt Rose if they had been given the chance. Perhaps they had never personally laid a hand on her, but Rose knew exactly what they would have done if someone had told them that hurting the Saintess would please their precious Gods.

"Do you really think Heaven will forgive you after everything you’ve done, Rose?"

The Cardinal looked at her with fake pity, as though some small part of him still cared about her. However, Rose knew that expression far too well.

It was nothing more than an act.

"Heaven?" Rose stared at him with empty eyes. "Heaven can send me to eternal damnation, and I still won’t care." Her voice remained strangely calm. "Your heaven has always been hell to me."

She paused for a moment before adding, "And if what you call hell is a place without your Gods, then your hell is my heaven."

Rose did not even want to hear the Cardinal’s answer anymore. There was nothing left for them to talk about. The only thing she wanted now was to bring all of this to an end, and the Cardinal was the final piece she wanted to knock off the chessboard.

"Kill him," Rose ordered her puppets in a cold voice.

The moment those words left her lips, the people standing around the Holy Temple immediately moved.

Priests, guards, nobles, and ordinary citizens rushed toward the Cardinal at the same time. Their faces remained empty, but their bodies moved without hesitation as they picked up whatever weapons they could find among the ruins.

The Cardinal’s expression changed. He immediately raised his sword and swung it at the first man who reached him, cutting him down before turning toward another puppet.

"Rose!" he shouted as more people surrounded him. "You will regret it!"