Chapter 458 - 193: Desecrator

The nearby Red Heart and Secret Master also nodded. "It was the driver. He’s the one who said the bigger the head, the stronger you are."

"I don’t care if it was the driver or someone else. If there’s a next time, I’ll make you all experience the true meaning of ’cruel’!"

"It won’t happen again, Baba."

"I was wrong..."

The driver floated over to Zero’s head and nodded vigorously. "Baba’s words are the absolute truth! Zero, do you hear me? Say something!"

"Zero understands!"

Wei’en watched the four origin sub-bodies and the one Mechanical Life acting like guilty children eager to prove themselves, and his mood lightened slightly.

"Let’s go. First, let’s go see the Mechanical Puppets you’ve made."

...

...

「Eastern Continent, Dawn Church Holy Sanctuary.」

On the cloud-piercing Dawn Holy Mountain, nestled among the peaks, stood a golden palace. Its two great doors, etched with red patterns, stood open, revealing a spotless floor paved with bright, gilded white-jade tiles.

CLACK, CLACK, CLACK. CLACK.

The crisp sound of armor tapping on the floor echoed throughout the grand hall.

Two figures walked slowly into the palace. One of them, a golden-haired lady, bowed respectfully. "Lord Bishop Helieta, Kali Morris has come in response to your summons."

"Guardian Knight Melbel Osiris, at her side."

The newcomers were indeed the Dawn’s new Candidacy Saintess, Kali Morris, and Melbel. One stood and one knelt, gazes lowered, awaiting the command of the figure seated high on the dais, upon a long bench of gold inlaid with red patterns.

"Kali, how long have you been in the Holy Sanctuary?"

Helieta wore a red robe and a mask of the same gold and red pattern, revealing only a pair of slightly clouded eyes as he looked down upon the two at the bottom of the steps.

"Five days."

"That long? I wonder, have you gained a deeper understanding of your Authority?"

Kali stiffened, a flicker of confusion in her golden eyes. ’How am I supposed to judge how much I understand my Authority?’

"Is it a difficult question to answer?"

"No. I can only be certain that compared to when I was in the Caster City State, I can use the power of my Authority more freely," Kali’s fingers twitched slightly as she spoke, her tone somewhat reserved.

"’Freely?’" Helieta unconsciously toyed with a gray ring, his voice raspy and dripping with contempt. "As a servant of the Dawn, as the Inheritor of the Desecration Authority... is that truly the extent of your understanding?"

Kali bowed her head even lower, nearly burying it in the valley of her chest, which was clad in a Golden Robe. "I apologize, Lord Bishop Helieta."

Beside her, the half-kneeling Melbel remained as motionless as a statue, his eyes fixed on her lovely reflection on the gilded white-jade tiles, as if he hadn’t heard their conversation at all.

"I hope you don’t think that simply coming here makes you the new Saintess. More importantly, you must not forget the Dawn Believers you sacrificed."

"I have no such thoughts, and I dare not forget them for a single moment."

Kali pursed her lips. The battle at Krimms Cathedral flashed through her mind, along with the figure in the clown mask.

"I only hope to take their place, to dedicate myself to the Dawn, even if it means my death."

"Dedicating yourself to the Dawn doesn’t mean you have to die. Living is the best offering you can make to the great Dawn."

Helieta chuckled. He had heard such words countless times since his days as an ordinary believer.

"Yes." Kali bit her lip and nodded silently.

Nearby, Melbel’s face, hidden beneath his mask, creased into a slight frown. ’Has something happened?’

’Why is the Lord Bishop’s attitude so different from the others? It feels like he’s targeting...’

"I presume you’ve heard about the sacrifice of Great Knight Huberto Watson?"

"Yes," Kali let out a soft breath, her expression solemn and sacred. "May the Dawn illuminate his Soul Spirit."

"The great Dawn will naturally allow him to enter its kingdom," Helieta said blandly. "But what I want to tell you is that before he returned to the Dawn’s embrace, the ones who killed him included not only the Mutated Mages of the Phantoms, but several other people as well."

’Other people?’

A sliver of doubt rose in Kali’s heart. "My lord, who were they?"

"The First Officer of the Black Pearl, Jack Kim Adros, and the Plague Doctor who just joined them... who is also your father—" Helieta’s tone turned cold as he stiffly spat out the name: "Yuan Morris!"

’Father?’

Kali snapped her head up, staring directly at the figure on the high dais, and asked in shock, "Yuan... a Plague Doctor?"

"You heard me correctly." A flicker of displeasure crossed Helieta’s eyes as he watched her reaction. "Regarding this, I wonder what your thoughts are, as a believer of the great Dawn?"

"I..."

Kali still couldn’t believe it. Her gentle father, the doctor from the Morris Clinic who had saved countless lives in the Caster City State, had killed a Judgment Knight of the Dawn Church.

At that moment, Melbel, who was beside her, also raised his head. He knew this was a difficult question for Kali to answer—one she *couldn’t* answer!

"Lord Bishop..."

"The ’Desecrator’ Melbel. I have heard of you."

But before he could continue, Cardinal Helieta on the high dais interrupted him coldly, "A Guardian Knight who only knows how to break the rules will not be accepted by the Dawn!"

"My apologies, Lord Bishop." Melbel’s gaze did not waver as he stared directly into Helieta’s eyes. "But the sacrifice of Knight Huberto has nothing to do with Lady Kali. And even if it did, it should be the great Dawn who judges and decides!"

"Oh? Are you accusing me?"

"Even you, a Cardinal, still have no right to hold Her Ladyship accountable!" Melbel continued, his tone calm.