Chapter 459 - 193: Desecrator

"’Desecrator’ Melbel, you have a lot of nerve, daring to accuse Lord Bishop Helieta!"

At that moment, several Knights in gold and red-trimmed armor appeared on either side of the great hall. The Knight closest to Helieta stared coldly at Melbel.

"My apologies, Lord Bishop!"

Melbel ignored the Knights, his gaze still fixed on Bishop Helieta.

"Stand down!"

Helieta gave him a long, deep look, then waved his hand, dismissing the Knights.

The Knights stepped back without hesitation, vanishing into the shadows of the great hall.

"His Holiness, the Pope, is very displeased about this matter," Helieta said, his tone no longer cold and harsh, but calm. "Candidacy Saintess Kali, if the Dawn Church is to pass judgment on the Plague Doctor Yuan Morris... I wonder, will you choose to stand in the light of the Dawn, or with your father?"

’Choose the Dawn, or choose my father?’

Kali, who had been silent all this time, wore a look of confusion on her innocent face. ’Is that even a choice?’

"I..."

"You don’t need to tell me the answer. The Dawn will know on its own!"

Helieta rose and slowly descended the steps, stopping beside Kali and Melbel. He said calmly, "Additionally, the Judgement Saintess, Celestia Edas, will depart for the Cordo Sea Region today to pass judgment on Wei’en Loft. You will go with her."

"I hope that by then, you will have made the right choice. At the same time, I also hope you can successfully master the authority of ’Desecration’!"

As his words fell, Helieta continued walking forward and out of the palace.

From beginning to end, his gaze never once fell upon either of them.

"Leave!"

After Helieta left, the Knights reappeared and barked coldly at the two of them, "Leave this place!"

Kali’s lips trembled as if to speak, but no words came out. Her eyes dimming with sadness, she turned and left.

’Choose the Dawn, or choose Yuan... A question like that...’

Beside her, Melbel gave the Knights a seemingly casual glance before following Kali, protecting her from behind.

After a long while, the palace returned to its tranquil state.

THUD, THUD, THUD—

Several Knights crashed heavily onto the floor, their heavy armor shattering the expensive, gilded white jade tiles. A black shadow seemed to cover their eyes, leaving them dull and lifeless.

"’Desecrator’ Melbel!?"

A cry of shock and anger rang out. A golden radiance erupted from every Knight in the great hall.

Faintly, one could see black threads coiling around the radiance, like vipers biting and tangling with their Power of Faith.

"I thank them for their self-sacrifice. Melbel Osiris, Guardian of Desecration, shall remember."

"’Desecrator’, this isn’t over!"

「 」

「 」

Meanwhile, Wei’en, oblivious to the Dawn Church’s specific arrangements, was staring at Zero with a splitting headache.

"Every single part is flawless, exquisite, perfect. But can you tell me why you got their parameters wrong? A thickness of 1.2, and you made it 3.4? If you assemble these parts, the body will be more than twice your size!"

The Mechanical Life lowered its head. Gears all over its body spun rapidly, causing its frame to vibrate as if it were trembling.

"Um... Baba told me that if I’m going to build a body, I should make it bigger for more power..."

BANG, BANG BANG BANG!

Wei’en couldn’t take it anymore. He balled his fists, gathered his Spiritual Power, and landed a punch on each of their heads. "It was you bastards again, wasn’t it? What have you been teaching him while I was resting?"

"Oof."

The ghost drivers, having been on the receiving end of such a punch, had tears streaming from their eyes. Armless, they couldn’t even rub the spots, forced to just watch as large bumps swelled on their heads.

"Hmph, do it again! I want to see a set of parts with standard parameters before dinner. If you mess up again, I’ll dismantle you completely!"

Zero’s gear-like eyes contracted. It hugged its head, as if feeling the ghost drivers’ pain. "I’ll start making them right away, Father. Please don’t be angry."

Wei’en glared at Zero. "You are a Mechanical Life, but that doesn’t mean the Mechanical Puppet you create can move as freely as you do. It has to be controlled by you! The larger the body, the greater the burden on you, and the worse the puppet’s agility will be!"

"Mhm, mhm."

"Get started."

Seeing it nod repeatedly, Wei’en’s expression relaxed, and he turned to leave the workshop.

The four heads exchanged a glance, silently mouthed two words of encouragement to Zero—"Keep going!"—and then followed Wei’en out.

Wei’en looked at the ghosts and sighed. Although the unease in his heart had eased somewhat, the matter of the Ghost Meditation Technique still weighed heavily on his mind.

’Twisting consciousness, or twisting perception...’

An image of Kali surfaced in his mind. He wondered if she had noticed such a change in herself.

’Ugh, I’m not going to think about it!’

The thought was fleeting. He pushed open the door to his workshop, ready to get to his own work.

Regardless of whether Kali felt the same way he did, he knew he had to find a solution for such an unusual change.

Besides temporarily halting his advancement of the Ghost Meditation Technique, the best method was to increase his own strength.

As long as he was strong enough—strong enough to surpass anyone, even the gods—then he would surely find a solution!

BZZZ BZZZ BZZZ...

Just then, the black trophy communicator buzzed again, a flicker of annoyance disrupting Wei’en’s just-calmed mood.

’Who is it this time?’

He pressed the activation button.

He looked at the illusory figure. ’A Werewolf?’

"Director Amidich?"