Chapter 939: Fragments of the Red-Handled Sword

When Bishop Mathers saw Aiwass, he knelt down without waiting for Aiwass to come closer.

His eyes were bright and full of joy. "Greetings to His Holiness the Pope—Greetings to the Son of the Candlelighter!"

"No, no... I am no longer the Pope."

Aiwass was startled and hurried over to help Bishop Mathers, who was bowing to him, up. "You don't have to do this."

He has always respected this elder.

Not only because the other party is the guide on his path of dedication...but also because he has helped him so much.

When Aiwass's parents were murdered, it was only because of Bishop Mathers's intimidation that Aiwass survived. He was sent to an orphanage, met Julia, and was adopted by Old James... It could be said that Aiwass's entire life was closely tied to Bishop Mathers.

Not to mention, Aiwass was able to obtain the Book of Law first and completely eliminate the Noble Red thanks to Madam Mina's prophecy. When Aiwass and Sherlock faked their deaths, it was thanks to Mathers' shelter and cover that the plan was able to succeed smoothly.

It's said that the previous Pope learned about Aiwass's affairs thanks to Mathers's reports! Because of this, he was able to travel to the Theocracy to study advanced divine arts, become a cardinal... and even briefly became the Eternal Pope.

"But you are still the son of the candlelight master."

Bishop Mathers' eyes gleamed, "I am a coward... I lack the courage to continue on the path of devotion. I simply want to be an ordinary person. I dare not continue to abandon other emotions.

"—But even so, I still revere Master Candle, who leads all living beings on the path of devotion."

That's true.

Aiwass clearly remembered that when Bishop Mathers first taught him the Fire Sacrifice, he had called upon the Candle Master's name with extraordinary piety. He had even reached out and touched his forehead, as if there were illusory antlers there—that was not a sacrament of priests of the Ennead, but a sacrament unique to priests of the Candle Master.

"Don't call me Lord Aiwass, Bishop Mathers."

Aiwass said seriously: "Just call me Aiwass..."

Seeing Mathers' obvious resistance, Aiwass took a step back. "How about this, let's just call each other by our first names and stop using honorifics, okay, Mathers? It's because of your teachings back then that I'm who I am today. I won't forget that kindness."

"I want you to enter the Theocracy to continue your studies, is that okay? If you're willing to go, I think you could try your hand at higher divine arts. If you truly don't want to advance further, I can give this opportunity to your sister... Even if she can't learn higher divine arts, she can still become an archbishop. In that case, she can take over your position."

"I also intend to entrust you with the requirements for my special class, 'Illuminator'—you are the bishop I trust most. I have already handed it over to the Theocracy, and now I intend to promote this new heritage beyond the Torchburner throughout Avalon... You will select the personnel, is that alright?"

Although Mathers has restored his appearance to a young man in his thirties through the fire ritual, he is ultimately a middle-aged man older than Aiwass's biological father.

When he heard the "mission" assigned by Aiwass, he was not disgusted, but was deeply moved. He held Aiwass's hand tightly with both hands, almost crying.

For Mathers, this is Sizhu's recognition!

For a dedicated person, "being helped" never means happiness. On the contrary, helping others brings a heartfelt happiness and a sacred sense of mission that "I have to do it."

Although Mathers didn't want to continue his advancement, it didn't mean he was repudiating the path he had taken so far. He was still one of the highest-ranking devotees in Avalon, and the highest mentor of the "Priest" profession in Avalon!

"Si Zhu, Your Excellency... I was able to accept both your father and you as my students. This must be Si Zhu's guidance..."

Mathers bowed his head and said reverently.

Although Aiwass had asked him to treat himself as calmly as possible...but the faith that came from the heart could not be changed in a short time.

Aiwass didn't say much, he just lit himself up and emitted light.

The Illuminator's enhanced illumination technique immediately calmed Mathers's turbulent emotions. Mathers then used his own illumination technique—and Aiwass sensed Mathers's pure spirit through it.

This is a unique way of communication for high-level priests.

Through the communication of light, they can understand each other's mood without words.

"I won't go to the Theocracy... I want to live a peaceful life with Mina. If it weren't for the fact that guarding the royal tomb is so necessary and there's no immediate option for a second guardian, I wouldn't even want to be the 'spokesperson for the Church.'"

Mathers sighed, "I'll continue guarding the tomb in Avalon. That precious opportunity... should be given to my sister. Although we once quarreled over Mina, we still love each other's relatives after all.

"But it's best to ask her about this first—maybe she doesn't want to leave Avalon either? I heard she also adopted a daughter, so maybe she doesn't want to try anymore. But if she wants to go... Mina and I don't have any children, so I can help her look after them."

"No problem," Aiwass nodded, "I'll be there in a minute."

Instead of sending someone, he went there in person - this was enough to show that Aiwass recognized and valued Bishop Mathers.

"By the way, Mathers," Aiwass finally asked, "you suddenly came to the Temple of Silver and Tin to see me today... Is there something wrong?"

"That's it, Aiwass."

Bishop Mathers handed over the key to Saint Guinevere's Chapel. "I remember you used to like using it for self-defense... I don't know if it's still useful to you now. But I heard you're equipping the Griffin Legion..."

The bishop hesitated for a moment, but finally said firmly, "Are we going to go to war with the devil? If so, I hope you will accept it—you need it more than I and the chapel.

"Even if it can only provide a little strength, it's better than nothing. Every bit of help I can provide increases our chances of winning. That's much better than being of no help at all."

“…it will definitely help me.”

Aiwass took the key without hesitation.

It's not that he still needs the key itself to protect himself... but because this "fragment of the red-handled sword" contains the soul of a light-attributed upper-level phantom demon.

Theoretically, the souls of all the Knights of the Round Table had followed Arthur's ascension to the Silver-Crowned Dragon, ultimately becoming his apostles. This included Mordred, Moriarty's "ancestor."

Therefore, the soul in the red-handled sword is not "a particular Knight of the Round Table", but "the embodiment of all the Knights of the Round Table". The red-handled sword was sealed and broken by Merlin, symbolizing the end of the theocratic war, and they no longer needed "risky power".

At this point, "Knight" has become a microcosm of the old era.

In the past, the Knights of the Round Table gained power through the vocation of "Knight" in the Path of Power. Now that the Path of Power has collapsed, the vocation of "Knight" no longer exists. Naturally, there is no legacy of the "Knights of the Round Table."

Therefore, the Paladin's soul within the red-handled sword can actually be considered an "unknown Knight of the Round Table." He has no name, and is unknown to the other Knights of the Round Table—for he is the epitome and symbol of the sacred experience of all the Knights who have completed the War of Heaven Punishment, the War of Heaven Slaughter, and the War of Heaven Burning!

The power to seal it comes from Merlin.

To lift this seal, we need to find another nightmare...

When Aiwas was still weak, he planned to use Tommy's sister, whom Lloyd killed in the "Sons of the Serpent" ceremony - Miss Roweta, who has not been found yet, to unlock the sword.

However, she only appeared in the Shadow of Avalon version. In other words, she appeared after the Fallen Angels were defeated.

Then, now, she should be right across from me—among those nightmares forcibly summoned to the lower world by the Fallen Angels, one of them is Roweta!

In this situation, it is naturally difficult to seek her help.

But Aiwass has another idea.

As the saying goes, the person who tied the bell must untie it.

Aiwass planned to summon Merlin directly to remove the seal he had set, and by the way, ask him... what materials were needed to repair the sword and fully awaken the phantom demon inside.

Anyway, just collect them first.

When Aiwass plays games, he likes to take on a bunch of quests first, then complete them all at once and claim the rewards together.

Even if we can't repair this sword before defeating the Fallen Angels, it's definitely a good idea to prepare in advance!

after all……

Only Aiwass knew that the battle against the Fallen Angels would not be the end, but only the beginning.

When the Fallen Angels were being defeated, they were able to gather so many people, pooling the strength of many nations, with armies of different races joining forces to defeat them. But when more Angels descended, everyone was unable to cope with their own affairs.

By then, the difficulty of defeating the Heavenly Official will only increase, not decrease.

——More power is needed!

Thinking of this, a purple glow ignited in the bottom of Aiwas's eyes.

(End of this chapter)