Witch’s Night: Chapter 13 The Sovereign of Terror
When did it begin?
Cecilia opened her eyes. After the medicine took effect, the burning pain in her body subsided slightly.
But when she moved her limbs, Cecilia could still feel a faint stinging pain in her blood vessels, as if boiling magma was flowing through them.
“Bishop… Grandpa?”
Cecilia struggled to sit up from the bed, her skin an unhealthy pale white, and her thin, petite body made her look frail.
There was no one in the room; Grandpa Bishop seemed to have left.
“Grandpa Bishop, has he gone to destroy civilization…”
Cecilia supported herself against the wall, slowly shuffling forward step by step, each step as if walking on the tip of a blade.
A piercing pain shot through her body, which was constantly crying out in protest. Cecilia’s small face was almost crumpled in pain, but she didn’t cry.
Because Grandpa Bishop had said that crying… would make it hurt more, and become more serious.
Actually, Cecilia knew Grandpa Bishop was lying to her, but she didn’t want to disappoint him, so she persisted and didn’t cry.
Cecilia walked to the window. Near the window was a high chair with a small ladder attached, specially prepared by the Bishop for Cecilia, so she could look out the window whenever she wanted.
The Bishop hadn’t deliberately confined Cecilia, but due to her constitution, not to mention going out, even the ten to twenty meters from the bed to the window was extremely difficult for her, especially when she was having an episode.
The crowds outside the window were still bustling. The three-story house the Bishop bought was located in one of the most inconspicuous districts of Lannister, and he had specifically chosen a location near the market.
Therefore, the surrounding environment looked no different from Yan City.
Cecilia skillfully climbed onto the high chair using the small ladder and looked out the window, resting her chin on her hand.
The hawkers’ cries, the chaotic noise, the aroma of food mixed with the stench of various livestock wafted in. Cecilia observed all this with a hint of yearning.
In reality, she didn’t understand the concept of destroying civilization and saving the world that Grandpa Bishop and the strange uncles and aunts talked about.
But Grandpa Bishop was a good person, and he was very good to her, so Cecilia thought it must be a good thing.
She hadn’t received any education and rarely saw the outside world, having spent more than half of her seven or eight years of life in pain.
Cecilia always felt like she was going to die, but Grandpa Bishop always said no, as long as Cecilia was obedient, everything would be alright.
Would it… really?
Cecilia tilted her small head back, looking into the distance, extending her small, childish hand towards the unknown.
She seemed to be trying to grasp something.
But she couldn’t grasp anything.
……
“Bishop, is it really alright to leave Cecilia alone at the base?”
Cronin, who was accompanying him, frowned. “Her body is like a lit bomb, ready to explode at any moment… But the place she’s in is the least important part of Lannister.”
Cronin wasn’t worried about whether Cecilia would lose control, but rather that the location of the loss of control wasn’t important enough to cause unbearable damage to Lannister.
“Cronin, please watch your words.”
The Bishop glanced at Cronin with his hands behind his back.
“Cecilia doesn’t belong to you or me, nor was she born for the Church of the End Gods. She is her own person.
“She is just a fellow traveler who seeks the will of the Gods with us. We cannot control her at will; her power should be used according to her own wishes.”
“Apologies… Bishop, I was reckless.” Cronin quickly lowered his head. “But, she…”
“Cecilia will take care of herself. Please put away your unnecessary worries,” the Bishop said in a deep voice, his expression serious. “And don’t forget the purpose of our trip… She may be the only person in this world besides me who has seen the Gods with her own eyes.”
The Bishop and Cronin were hurrying along the road, heading towards Restricted Zone Seven.
Clearly, they were going to find Luo Yan.
Through their inside contact within the Lannister Council of Elders, the Church of the End Gods was actually more aware of the inside story of this matter than most Lannister nobles, instead of mistaking Luo Yan for some illegitimate daughter. It had to be said that this was quite ironic.
As they got closer to Restricted Zone Seven, the number of pedestrians gradually decreased, and they occasionally saw Lannister city guards on alert, and fully armed ability user squads patrolling.
But no one noticed the Bishop and Cronin. It was as if they were shrouded in some strange force field, deflecting everyone’s gaze.
—”Sovereign of Defilement.” This was Cronin’s belief, also known as the “Saint of Fortitude” within the Church of the End Gods, the counterpart to the “God of Hope,” the “Witch of Envy.”
Similar to “Envy,” the power of “Defilement” was also mental, but it took a completely different path.
The essence of “Envy” was to rewrite the soul and will, while “Defilement” was another extreme, erasing the soul and will, leaving only an empty shell, a walking corpse.
To be precise, it was more like Grifres’ type of mental ability, more offensive.
However, even so, Cronin could still use some techniques common to mental abilities.
If Luo Yan were here, she would discover that the effect of Cronin using the power of “Defilement” was almost the same as her Life Hacks.
The difference was that Cronin used “Defilement” to erase his and the Bishop’s presence, rather than distorting others’ perceptions like Luo Yan.
In short, with Cronin’s ability, the two quickly arrived at Restricted Zone Seven.
Before they started their operation, the Bishop had already consulted their inside contact in the Council of Elders. Restricted Zone Seven was under Norian’s highest order, meaning even he himself couldn’t enter.
The only way to lift the restriction was when the Saint arrived in Lannister.
But this situation, on the contrary, created an opportunity for the Church of the End Gods.
Since there wouldn’t be anyone else in Restricted Zone Seven, they could more confidently contact this mysterious girl named “Luo Yan.”
The Bishop believed that Miss Luo Yan had already seen the Gods and should also be aware of the truth behind the Gods.
And everyone who had seen the truth had become a fellow traveler of the Church of the End Gods, acting to destroy civilization and save the world.
Even the senior Elder of the Council of Elders, after witnessing the terrifying and tragic truth of this world, had made the same correct choice and abandoned the current erroneous prosperity and continuation.
Because there was a mole in Lannister, the Church of the End Gods had long ago grasped Lannister’s most important city defense deployments.
This included the defensive forces of Restricted Zone Seven, which had been delivered to the Bishop immediately.
They avoided the patrolling guards as much as possible, and when they inevitably encountered them, they managed to evade them with the demonic power invoked through Cronin’s prayers.
Cronin’s use of demonic power was far inferior to Luo Yan’s; it was best not to use it continuously for too long, otherwise it would be easy to be detected.
If it were Luo Yan, she could dance in front of these guards, and no one would see her. Only mental ability users above “Peril” level or “Destruction” level ability users could break through her cognitive barrier.
Just like that, the Bishop and Cronin finally stepped into this restricted zone, barred to all. Not far ahead was an apartment building, not luxurious but quite refined.
“Bishop, something’s strange.” Cronin looked up at the apartment, a flicker of black flashing through his eyes almost imperceptibly. “I don’t sense the presence of the Gods here, only some faint residual power scattered around… Did she leave?”
“Could it be, as we thought, that the Lord has already descended upon this world through her? Is that why… she secretly left?”
The Bishop’s perception was exactly the same as Cronin’s, but he was equally puzzled.
“No, the Lord couldn’t have secretly left Lannister. As long as She descends, the tens of thousands of followers in Lannister are Her source of power, more than enough to destroy the entire city.”
With the Lord’s power, even a tiny fragment of it could cause at least a “Peril” level or higher Calamity, let alone the terrifying aura sensed in the forest outside the city before.
Coupled with the followers who had been rooted in Lannister for many years, annihilating a mere Lannister was nothing.
No matter what, even if the Bishop and Cronin had more questions, this trip was in vain.
“Let’s leave for now,” the Bishop had a bad premonition. “This place isn’t safe. If we can’t see her, leave quickly… Don’t be discovered by Lannister.”
But as soon as the Bishop finished speaking, a cold, raspy voice sounded from beside them,
“Too late, Hamid Surian, it really was you causing trouble.”
“We’ve been discovered!”
Hearing this voice, Cronin didn’t hesitate to attack.
His eyes were like black smoke, and he chanted in a low voice,
“I pray to my Lord… for a miracle…”
As the prayer sounded, thick, almost solid black smoke formed in Cronin’s hands, and then, with lightning speed, dozens of black arrows shot out, directly at the source of the voice.
Somewhat similar to Grifres’ Soul Spear, this was an attack targeting the mind, impossible to defend against.
Cronin’s ingenious attack using the power of “Defilement,” even experts above “Peril” level could be instantly killed if they were careless.
Unfortunately… he was facing a “Destruction” level ability user, far stronger than a “Peril” level one.
A withered hand waved seemingly casually, and these deadly black smoke arrows instantly vanished into thin air.
“…Zoya Sivir, how many years has it been since we last met?”
The Bishop—Hamid Surian—looked at the equally aged figure in front of him and said in a deep voice.
“Two or three hundred years, I can’t remember clearly anymore.” Granny Zoya slowly walked out, her slightly cloudy gaze falling on the shocked Cronin. “Unorthodox methods, using the evil power of the ‘Demons’ in this way, I’m afraid your days are numbered.”
Even those born as God’s Chosen could hardly bear the innate demonic power, let alone Cronin, who forced demonic power into his body using special methods.
The last one to do this was called Frick.
“To realize the hopes of the ‘Gods,’ it’s just a mere life.” Cronin said in a low voice, not shaken by Granny Zoya’s words.
“The followers of the Church of the End Gods are still as crazy as ever… And you, Hamid,” Zoya looked at Hamid. “You were the most talented among us back then, and the one with the most hope of competing for the position of Saint.
“I thought you took this evil path because you were bewitched by demons, but even now, after hundreds of years… you seem very lucid, lucidly mad.”
“Zoya, if your eyes had witnessed the truth above the starry sky with me, you would have taken the same path as me.” Hamid sighed. “This season of civilization has been going against the proper course for too long. If it continues… we will only face a future of despair.”
Zoya sneered and said coldly,
“Hamid, you’re crazy, and you have your reasons, but that doesn’t mean I’ll go crazy with you… Since you’re here, don’t even think about escaping.”
Invisible mental waves spread, enveloping the entire Restricted Zone Seven.
She had been entrusted by Norian to investigate the situation in Restricted Zone Seven, but she encountered this old acquaintance whom she hadn’t seen for hundreds of years.
She had previously judged that the inexplicably appearing peeper was from the Church of the End Gods. Now that even Hamid had appeared here, it was most likely their doing.
“It seems you’ve been waiting for me… Is this a trap?”
Hamid sighed deeply, slowly raised his hand, and created a safe area within this zone filled with mental waves.
“Forget it, whether it’s a trap or a deception… Since I’ve already come this far, it wouldn’t hurt to bring a new wave of destruction according to the Gods’ hopes.”
As his voice fell, Hamid’s cloudy eyes lost all their luster, leaving only an indifferent coldness. Almost all his emotions and feelings disappeared at this moment.
“Sovereign of Terror… you really have devoted yourself entirely to the Primordial Demon, Hamid.” A sharp glint flashed in Granny Zoya’s eyes, and her pupils constricted violently. “And, you’ve actually become a Devil’s Apostle… Are you the only Devil’s Apostle left in the world today?”
But the current Hamid could no longer answer Granny Zoya’s question. The moment he released this state and merged with the avatar of the “Sovereign of Terror,” he had transcended humanity, becoming more of a conceptual existence.
Before this, Cronin, who had been accompanying Hamid, had been sent away in advance, to gather all the followers of the Church of the End Gods in Lannister, to welcome this destruction offered to the Gods.
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