The First Pope - Chapter 77
Chapter 77
The black patterns on the floor tiles had long since vanished, and the Giant God's temple no longer resembled a gloomy, dark cavern. The smooth stone walls shimmered with golden light under the sun's rays, and even the armored statues lining the sides looked exceptionally majestic.
Perhaps this was the true temple.
Once Cynthia realized this was an illusion, she stopped trying to regain control of her body and instead carefully observed the temple in the vision, not missing a single corner.
Although the age of gods had long passed and the gods had already left the Sitatul Continent, Cynthia discovered that they had still hidden many secrets on this land.
And these secrets might just be the key to changing the situation on the Sitatul Continent.
Just as Cynthia was lost in thought, the sound of footsteps interrupted her. She turned her head toward the source of the sound. A giant several dozen meters tall strode in from outside the temple, the very ground trembling with his steps.
A gray-black throne appeared in the center of the temple. The giant walked to the throne and sat down, his muscular arms resting on the armrests. His bare upper body was covered in scars, and his rugged features were contorted with rage, making him look somewhat ferocious.
When the giant appeared, Cynthia's brow furrowed unconsciously. It was only when she saw him walk past her without any reaction that her expression relaxed slightly.
It seemed this was indeed an illusion. The reason she had fallen into it was likely because she had touched the statue and read its memories.
But the statue had existed for tens of thousands of years. Why would she read this particular memory? Was it triggered by something, or was it just a random memory?
Cynthia's mind was filled with doubt. Several thoughts flashed through her mind, but she dismissed them one by one. Suddenly, a loud bang brought her attention back. She looked up at the scar-covered, furious Giant God and decided to wait and see what would happen.
Under the god's wrath, the clear sky overhead instantly became overcast. The Giant God clenched his hand into a fist and slammed it fiercely against a nearby stone pillar, venting his frustration.
Suddenly, a clap of thunder echoed through the temple. A silver bolt of lightning descended from the sky, its light so blinding that Cynthia couldn't help but close her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, the light had dissipated, and a silver-haired woman in a long purple dress appeared in her field of vision.
The Giant God had stopped pounding the pillar when the lightning struck. He looked at the silver-haired woman with displeasure and said in a deep voice, "What are you doing here?"
"I heard you were injured by the demonic beasts. The Goddess of Light asked me to bring you this." The silver-haired woman glanced at the Giant God's scarred chest, raised her right hand slightly, and opened her palm. A ball of golden light appeared in it. She blew gently on the light, and it floated toward the Giant God, slowly merging into his body.
Under the effect of the golden light, his wounds began to heal faster, and even some of his depleted divine power was restored. The Giant God's complexion gradually improved.
"Do you still not believe it?" the silver-haired woman asked, looking at the Giant God with a blank expression, her tone so calm it was almost cold. "We can no longer control the demonic beasts."
"If we delay any longer, this plane will collapse, and we will all disappear."
She stared at the Giant God's grim face and slowly asked, "Have you... not made a decision yet?"
The Giant God was silent for a moment, then frowned and asked, "Has the Goddess of Light agreed?"
The silver-haired woman waved her hand, and a ball of lightning instantly appeared in the center of the temple. As it crackled, a holy and magnificent palace slowly materialized within it.
Inside the palace, a figure shrouded in white light, its face obscured, floated in the air. In front of it, a massive amount of the Power of Light surged in from all directions. The golden light consciously gathered as if it were shaping something.
Cynthia squinted, trying to see what was inside, but the golden light was too dazzling. She could only vaguely make out the figure of a person.
The Giant God glanced at the scene within the lightning, his expression complex. He said nothing.
The silver-haired woman withdrew her hand and said faintly, "The Earth Mother has already dispersed half of her divine power to create thousands of Dragon Knights. This is the perfect opportunity."
The perfect opportunity? What opportunity? Cynthia focused, quietly waiting for the Giant God's response. But before she could hear it, she caught a glimpse of the golden light in the vision suddenly scattering.
Cynthia instinctively looked up. After the golden light dissipated, a young girl in a crescent-white robe floated silently in the air. Her golden eyes were dull and lifeless, and her long silver hair cascaded smoothly down her back. Her flawless features made her look unreal.
Cynthia's eyes widened slightly. The conversation between the Giant God and the silver-haired woman no longer held her attention. All her focus was on the silver-haired girl. Wasn't this... her current body?
Avira and Hanni re-entered the temple only after the statues had returned to normal. Worried about Cynthia's safety, Hanni immediately started searching for her upon rushing in. When she saw a statue still squatting in front of Cynthia, she thought Cynthia was in danger and was about to charge forward without a second thought.
Avira glanced at Cynthia and the statue before her, sensed that something was amiss, and reached out to stop Hanni. "Don't be rash," she said in a low voice.
Hanni struggled to shake off Avira's hand, but after trying for a while without success, she finally gave up. "I need to get to Cynthia," she said, looking frustrated.
Avira glanced at her and said nonchalantly, "She's not one of your people. Why do you care so much about her?"
"She's my friend," Hanni said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I have to protect her."
The statue squatted on the ground, motionless. Seeing no immediate danger, Avira released Hanni. She watched as Hanni, now free, ran toward Cynthia, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly.
Hanni ran to Cynthia's side. Seeing her motionless with her eyes tightly shut, a flicker of worry crossed Hanni's face. She leaned in and called out cautiously, "Cynthia?"
The two points of light in the statue's eyes suddenly went out. Cynthia's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Seeing her open her eyes, Hanni breathed a sigh of relief. "What happened to you, Cynthia?"
Hanni's voice pulled Cynthia from the illusion back to reality. She looked around at the dim, gloomy temple, remained silent for a moment, and then shook her head slightly. "It's nothing."
Her gaze involuntarily shifted to the statue. The flames in its eyes had vanished, and it had returned to being an ordinary, cold stone figure.
Cynthia pulled her hand back from the statue and lowered her gaze slightly, hiding the complex emotions in her eyes.
As she suspected, the memory she had read from the statue wasn't random. It had been triggered by the appearance of "her."
However, to think that this body of hers was personally created by the Goddess of Light.
Then what about the original owner of this body? Why was she in an ice coffin when she transmigrated?
And what did the conversation between the Giant God and the silver-haired woman mean?
The illusion was short, but it contained a great deal of information. Receiving so much at once left Cynthia's thoughts in a bit of a jumble. She raised a hand to rub her brow. A glance from the corner of her eye revealed Hanni staring at her with concern, so she quickly composed herself and gave her a habitual smile.
"I'm really fine." Seeing that Hanni's face was a little pale, she raised a hand and cast a Healing Spell on her. Footsteps sounded from behind, and Cynthia turned to see Avira.
Avira had keenly sensed that something was off with Cynthia, and her gaze held a hint of inquiry as she sized her up.
Cynthia paid no mind to her scrutinizing gaze. She turned back around, looked down at her feet, and said softly, "Alright, the trouble is gone. It's time we get down to business."
Dealing with the Sethite wizards and escaping the temple's illusion had already wasted a lot of time. The real business was to quickly destroy the dark magic array and then rendezvous with Olivia.
Capri Plains.
Night enveloped the witch city, which had long been reduced to ruins. Witches in black robes sat on the ground around a bonfire. Sunny clutched her bone staff, looking nervously and anxiously at the brown-haired man beside her. The man's eyes were tightly closed, his face alternating between pale and ashen, and the dark aura around him was extremely unstable.
A witch next to Sunny asked with concern, "What's wrong with the Grand Elder?"
Sunny bit her lip, her tone grave. "He probably encountered a difficult opponent." Was it that werewolf or that member of the God Race?
But judging by their auras, they shouldn't have been a match for the Grand Elder.
Seeing the Grand Elder's expression worsen, Sunny was hesitating whether to forcibly wake him when he suddenly opened his eyes. He then lowered his head and spat out a large mouthful of blood, and the bone staff in his hand shattered into several pieces.
Sunny was shocked. She reached out to support him, her voice frantic. "Grand Elder, what's wrong?"
The Grand Elder was annoyed by her shrill voice and snapped, "Shut up."
He raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. Seeing everyone staring at him, he explained, "I was careless and was tricked by a member of the God Race."
Cynthia... He would remember that name.
The Grand Elder casually tossed aside the broken bone staff, then glanced at Sunny beside him and asked, "Have you contacted Edeli?"
What on earth had happened to the Vampires to let the God Race and the Wolf Race into the temple? And who was that Second Generation Vampire who appeared later?
"The Second Elder went to contact him," Sunny replied in a low voice, looking in a certain direction.
The Grand Elder pressed a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes, carefully replaying the entire battle with the silver-haired God Race member in the temple. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was not right with her. He thought of Maia, who had been sent to deal with the God Race, and said with a frown, "Go contact Maia. I have something to ask her."
The witch sitting next to him acknowledged in a low voice, then got up and left.
The Grand Elder rested for a while. Once the dull ache in his chest subsided, he stood up from the ground.
Sunny stood up with him and offered a hand to support him, but he shook his head and refused. The Grand Elder gestured for Sunny not to follow him, then walked alone toward the Second Elder.
Although cultivating the Power of Darkness could slow their aging to some extent, they were not Vampires, after all. Death was a fate they could not escape.
The older they were, the longer they had cultivated the Power of Darkness, and the more powerful their dark magic became. But it also brought them closer to death. Achieving immortality like the Vampires had become an obsession for the Sethite wizards.
Shadows covered half of the Grand Elder's face. His sagging skin and deep wrinkles were like marks left by death. He walked with somewhat heavy steps, his eyes deeper than the night itself.
"You're injured?" The Second Elder heard the footsteps, turned to look, and spoke with some surprise.
"I encountered a strange member of the God Race." The Grand Elder dismissed the topic with a single sentence and instead asked about the Vampires. "What's going on with Edeli?"
"He's leading the Vampires against the wolves and elves," the Second Elder reported, having only seen that much through his dark magic. "Olivia is there too. It seems they've run into trouble."
The plan to destroy the Giant God's temple was halfway complete, and having it ruined like this left the Grand Elder feeling resentful.
The Second Elder saw the Grand Elder's frustration and offered some comfort. "Forget it. If this temple didn't work out, there's always the next one. We'll follow the Vampires' lead."
"It just so happens that planning the destruction of a new temple will take some time. Let the Vampires handle the preparation of the sacrifices. We can use this time to focus on finding the Dark God's temple here."
The Second Elder's words slightly eased the Grand Elder's expression.
That was right. Destroying the temples was, in the end, the Vampires' business. Their alliance was one of mutual benefit.
Finding the Dark God's temple was their most important task at this stage.
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