Chapter 495: Gospels First!

Chapter 495: Gospel's First!

As the number of guard posts encountered continued to increase, Annan's heart sank deeper and deeper.

If the Princess truly was not in the tower, but instead hidden deep within the imperial palace currently in sight, then Ashe stood almost no chance of making it over. There were simply too many guards along the way, making it impossible to break through without triggering an alarm. Moreover, if her instinct served her right, they had already passed at least two Sacred Realm sorcerers.

Even with full awareness that Nabistin had Sacred Realm sorcerers as common as dogs and Legends everywhere, the actual concentration of high-ranking sorcerers proved far denser than expected.

The Purple Moth was beginning to regret letting Ashe proceed according to the original plan. Still, given the circumstances at the time, splitting into two groups had undoubtedly been the best choice. If the Princess was inside the tower, Ashe could complete the mission directly. If the Princess was with them, she could notify Ashe to come over and finish the job.

However, the tight security around this place carried both a good and a bad side. The good news was that whoever was inside was definitely someone important, most likely the new Empress. The bad news was that they would have to complete the mission themselves.

Annan turned her head slightly and exchanged glances with Pankey, Iger, and Harvey. With a tacit understanding, they adjusted their plan.

At some point, Harvey and Pankey had taken out a card each. Once combat became necessary, those cards would summon Harvey's coffin and Pankey's twin frost-infused pistols.

The imperial palace obviously would not allow Pankey to bring his suitcase inside. Putting Harvey's coffin aside, they still needed a means of transportation during their escape. Running out on foot was simply out of the question. In other words, whether they possessed spatial items would have a decisive impact on their chances of survival.

Therefore, Pankey had dismantled his suitcase and spent a large amount of Gospel Points to transform it into six cards with spatial storage capabilities. Any sorcerer could use them, but the price was a ninety percent reduction in internal space, alongside a limited lifespan.

After passing through the sixth guard post, they finally arrived at their destination, a small ivory-white palace surrounded by violets.

Inside the palace lay a passage leading underground. The servants followed the Secret Guards down in an orderly procession. But when they crossed a certain flight of stairs and passed through an invisible barrier, the expressions of the Funeral Agency changed drastically.

Their spirits trembled in fear, and their virtual wings instinctively tucked inward.

It was the exact same sense of overwhelming authority felt when the Empress appeared.

At that moment, certainty settled over them. The new Empress was below.

What they never expected was that the Empress had already transferred most of her power there. Did they truly have any chance of killing the next Saint set to rule the Gospel Kingdom for the next fifty years?

The Purple Moth swept her gaze across everyone with unwavering determination. Having come this far, there was no longer any room for retreat. No matter what happened, this would be the Funeral Agency's final mission.

Iger's expression was extremely grim. He clearly had no intention of dying together with Annan. Pankey remained calm, having long prepared himself for this possibility. Harvey was the only one smiling, his lips curling upward in quiet excitement.

"Tsk," a voice came from ahead as a secret guard looked back at them with disgust. "Ugh, hurry up and clean this up."

When Annan and the others entered the underground hall beneath the palace, the first thing to meet their eyes was a corpse in a horrifying state.

Its head had exploded like a crushed melon, with the remains splattered across the floor. Small wonder the secret guard had reacted so strongly.

Yet, if their mood before entering had been heavy and anxious, what they felt now was pure terror. Before them, the virtual wings of the headless body were slowly dispersing.

Among the fading light were the Silver Wing, Gold Wing, Rainbow Wing, and... Dark Wing.

The Dark Wing continuously released waves of darkness, rapidly corroding and assimilating everything caught within its reach.

This was the fallen body of a Legendary sorcerer who had condensed his fourth Colorless Wing in life.

Because his primary sorcery system belonged to the Shadow Class, he had managed to dye that fourth wing with his own unique color.

This corpse belonged to a Shadow Class Legendary sorcerer who had died only moments ago.

Even Harvey, usually the most interested in corpses, had no room left for curiosity.

Witnessing a great sorcerer with a realm far surpassing their own shatter on the ground like a crushed melon was an enormous shock to any sorcerer.

Yet when they raised their heads, an even more astonishing sight completely shattered their composure.

The underground hall contained only a single source of light. Around that light source sat countless sorcerers cross-legged, with their hands clasped together as if praying.

With just one glance, Annan recognized many of them. Mondrel, Ewan, Abali, Phaedra...

Every single one was a Legendary sorcerer who had successfully climbed Ruby Mountain within the past century. Yet they could only hold Annan's attention for a brief moment. All focus was instantly stolen by the existence sitting at the center of the light source.

A throne stood there with someone sitting upon it. Yet that description was not entirely accurate. A better way to put it was that the entity on the throne was made entirely of transparent streams of light.

It was the only source of illumination in the entire hall. Purple, golden, and silver radiance flowed across its body, forming its appearance.

More importantly, the figure was not a single person. It looked as though two people had been fused.

One half was a man wearing a dark red coat, while the other half was a beautiful woman dressed in imperial court attire.

Such a bizarre existence sat upon the throne, yet it somehow inspired an instinctive urge to kneel and worship.

Naturally, what shocked the Funeral Agency the most was recognizing the male half. It was none other than their comrade, Ashe Heath.

This figure formed from flowing light actually possessed half of Ashe's face.

At that moment, Harvey exchanged a glance with Iger.

Iger lightly shook his head.

They recognized not only the male half, but the female half as well. They could never forget her.

Back on the Continent of Time inside the Last Stand Arena, she and the female swordswoman had beaten them black and blue, costing them their only chance to kill the Hero Commander.

However, similar appearances were nothing unusual. Too much time had passed, and they could not be certain whether it was the same person. Hence, it wasn't really worth mentioning.

By now, the servants had already begun cleaning up the remains of the corpse. Naturally, Annan and the others did not dare slack off and immediately joined in. At this point, they no longer harbored any thoughts of causing trouble here.

"Everything was almost over... why did I suddenly lose control of my mind?" The Secret Guard muttered under her breath before suddenly opening her Book of Gospel. "Hmm?"

It seemed something had happened outside. The Secret Guard immediately left the underground hall, leaving the servants behind.

Once the sound of her footsteps faded, Iger's chest heaved violently. He had been so tense moments ago that he had forgotten to breathe.

A dozen Legendary sorcerers still surrounded them, yet Annan and the others shared a strong intuition. These Legendary figures were just like the servants, empty vessels controlled by the Gospel with no need for concern.

Harvey glanced at the headless corpse with longing. "This corpse..."

"Forget it," Annan warned in a low voice before turning her gaze toward the figure of flowing light seated upon the throne. "What exactly is going on?"

"You don't know either?" Iger could no longer suppress his resentment. "I don't think I've offended you that badly. If you wanted to kill yourself, couldn't you have just asked Harvey for help? Did you really have to drag us into this ridiculously dangerous mission filled with countless uncertainties?"

"That is a Divine Spirit," Pankey closed his Book of Gospel. "As for what kind of Divine Spirit it is, the Gospel did not say."

"Why does the Divine Spirit have Ashe's face?" Harvey asked curiously. "That's disgusting... Wait, look carefully. Isn't the part belonging to Ashe getting larger?"

Everyone focused their attention and realized he was right.

If the body formed by light and shadow had previously been sixty percent Ashe and forty percent female, it had now become seventy percent Ashe and thirty percent female. Moreover, the rate at which Ashe was taking over the entire body was accelerating.

At that moment, Annan revealed a strange expression. "No way..."

Iger spoke coldly, "Are you waiting for me to beg you before you're willing to share information?"

Annan said, "I'm not certain either... But I once saw an ancient summoning ritual in my family's records. It is called the Armored Sanctification Ritual. The principle is for a sorcerer to imitate a Divine Spirit's actions, demeanor, and appearance, allowing the Divine Spirit to descend onto their body. Eventually, they can completely merge with it, achieving the feat of wielding divine power through a mortal vessel."

She paused briefly. "However, this summoning ritual has long since declined, as there are no longer any Divine Spirits remaining in the real world."

"And what does that have to do with the Divine Spirit having Ashe's fa—"

Iger stopped halfway through his sentence, freezing completely as understanding hit him.

"A human imitates a Divine Spirit to merge with it," Annan murmured. "So what happens when a Divine Spirit imitates a human?"

As they spoke, the Ashe within the light and shadow completely consumed the female half, becoming fully Ashe.

At that exact moment, everyone's Book of Gospels swung open on their own.

***

Creak.

An aged, almost melodramatic creak echoed from the doorframe as Ashe and Lys stepped into the princess's room.

They found the lights inside still on. The soft bed was covered with pristine white sheets, and the cherry-pink bookshelf held beautifully packaged fairy-tale picture books. A clean, comfortable carpet spanned the floor, while a teacup decorated with a teddy bear pattern sat upside down on the tea table.

Every detail in the room told the same story. A young girl lived here. But one piece of furniture stood out painfully from the rest. Lys's sisters weren't the only ones who found it strange; Ashe felt the same way.

At the very center of the room, positioned directly opposite the entrance, stood an exquisite, luxurious full-length mirror. Upon entering, the first thing Ashe and Lys saw was their own reflections.

Just as they stood there in surprise, their Books of Gospel suddenly opened on their own.

It's over! Everything's too late! That was what they thought.

Lys did not feel discouraged, however. Instead, she felt a heavy burden lift from her heart. Her body became lighter, her mood improving significantly. Since time had run out, there was no point obsessing over Nina anymore. They had done everything they could. From now on, they would live for themselves and Ashe.

That hopeful anticipation for the future lasted only a moment before disappearing completely.

[Gospel Ranking No. 10: The Supreme Artist]

[Gospel Ranking No. 9: Shadow of the Family]

[Gospel Ranking No. 8: Origin of Schemes]

[Gospel Ranking No. 7: Beyond Happiness]

[Gospel Ranking No. 6: Bane of Heretical Arts]

[Gospel Ranking No. 5: Assassin's Nightmare]

[Gospel Ranking No. 4: Mad...]

The Gospel Ranking updated at an astonishing speed, and Ashe's heart sank just as quickly. By the time the rankings reached the final page, Ashe no longer had the strength to turn it over.

Snap!

At that very moment, fifty fireworks bloomed across the skies of Nabistin. The violent resonance tore through the distance between spaces, and a dazzling purple web of fireworks instantly spread across the entire night sky of the Gospel Kingdom.

The entire Gospel fell beneath the dominion of that web.

[Gospel Ranking No.1: Aine]