“No! You can’t kill me! You’re sent by the Church of Life to protect me! I’m the Archbishop’s future son-in-law!” George struggled to say, his face filled with panic.
Phil Gray shook his head. "We'd rather abandon this mission."
Glenn sneered and looked at the Elder of Life beside him, "I also believe that the Archbishop of the Church of Life would not marry his daughter to someone like you."
The Elder of Life nodded, his gaze sadly sweeping over the withered female chosen ones, who had lost their life force the moment the monster was born.
He waved his staff, and pure white bellflowers bloomed on their beds, easing their pained expressions and wishing them a journey to their respective divine kingdoms.
Vincent pulled out a small knife and pressed it against George's throat, looking to the two elders for instructions.
Glenn nodded, his gaze fixed intently on Phil Gray. Having resolved George's matter, he wanted to welcome back this unexpectedly acquired Holy Son as soon as possible.
Just as Vincent was about to make his move, George shouted again, "Don't kill me! You have no right to kill me! I am a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Puna, and only the laws of the kingdom can judge me! You don't want to cause a conflict between the authority of the church and the monarchy, do you?"
Phil Gray nodded at Glenn. "He is indeed the princess's son."
Gran scoffed, "Since when can illegitimate children be recognized by the royal family?"
The Elder of Life turned around, his gaze icy. "Fine, as you wish. We'll take you to the Puna Palace for trial. Letting you die here is far too lenient. You should die amidst the scorn and contempt of the world!"
The threatening words made George tremble with fear, yet he was also relieved that he had been spared for the time being.
Once I reach the palace, my mother will definitely protect me, she definitely will!
Patrick pointed to Jesse, who was feigning death, and the unconscious follower of the Dream Cult, "What should we do with them?"
"Dying a hundred times wouldn't be too much! I'll explain to the Church of the Dead."
The Elder of Life swung his staff, striking Jesse in the chest to Jesse's horrified gaze. Instantly, his heart meridian snapped, and the necromancer died in the small passageway.
Phil Gray looked at Eli, trying to figure something out.
Eli noticed his gaze, turned around, and chuckled, "What are you looking at me for?"
“I always felt you knew this elder, after all, you knew so many of his secrets,” Phil Gray said bluntly.
"I do know him, but we're not close. What could someone who believes in the God of life have to do with death?"
Phil Gray also sensed a hint of self-deprecation in Eli's words.
Following the same method, the follower of the Dream Cult was finally able to travel to the goddess's divine kingdom in his dreams.
As the group emerged from the passage, the members of the Dark Cult arrived late, aboard a small boat. Phil Gray recognized Bishop Eugene and his grandson aboard.
A green path appeared on the lake, and they stepped onto it one by one, greeting the members of the Dark Night Cult.
"It's resolved. We'll take the culprit to the palace for trial. As for those poor girls inside, give them a proper burial," Glenn said somberly.
Standing at the forefront was an old man dressed in black silk. His face was dignified, his hair and beard were all white, and he exuded the aura of a superior. His divine power was also extremely strong. Phil Gray speculated that he might be a divine revelation or a demotion of a god, and was the pope of the Dark Night Cult.
It seems even the pope of the weakest church is of a higher rank than him. He needs to work twice as hard, he thought to himself.
"Very well, thank you for your hard work, elders," the Dark Night Pope said politely.
After exchanging a few more brief pleasantries, they left.
Once on the grand train to the palace, Phil Gray felt he could finally get a good night's sleep. He was exhausted from being haunted by nightmares of the dead and from staying up all night.
The other companions were also snoring softly.
Vincent said he didn't want to see George's ugly face, so he knocked him unconscious and threw him on the floor of the cubicle.
Just as Phil Gray was about to drift off to sleep, a magnified face suddenly appeared before his blurry vision. He could clearly see the wrinkles and the radiant smile on it.
"Ah, Elder Gelan, is there something you need?"
"Your name is Kane, right? I think this face isn't your original appearance, is it?" Glenn said with a smile.
"Yes, for some reasons, it is indeed inconvenient for me to use my original appearance."
"I see." Glen sat down opposite him and poured a glass of water.
“Do you know that there aren’t many people with divine marks? It’s possible that only one appears every few hundred years. When Vincent was born, he had a small golden sun on his bottom. The Pope, all the elders and bishops were so excited that they went to his house to see the mark and took him back to the Papacy to be a holy son.”
The thought of a bunch of old men looking at Vincent's mark made Phil Gray want to laugh, thankfully his mark wasn't in an awkward position.
“Everyone who bears the mark of a god is the most beloved of the gods, achieving remarkable success and almost certainly reaching the divine level, and will go to the divine kingdom to serve the gods in the future,” Glen continued.
"Yes, I have heard about it."
“We were already overjoyed by the existence of this generation of Vincent, and now we have you too. This is a blessing from the Prophet of the Day.” Glenn looked at Phil Gray, his eyes filled with excitement and eagerness.
“But I can’t go back with you,” Phil Gray said hesitantly.
"Why?"
"Would you allow someone of unknown identity to become your Holy Son, or even the next Pope? In any case, I will never reveal my true face or tell you my real identity," Phil Gray retorted.
Glenn's gaze, however, was as sharp as a knife, and a smile still lingered on his lips. "How can you say that your identity is unknown? The Prophet of the Day has given me eyes that can see the truth. The moment I saw you, I saw through your mask and knew your true face."
Phil Gray was startled when he heard his words.
"At that moment, I felt that the face under your mask was very familiar, so familiar that it was as if I had seen an old friend from many years ago, but I couldn't remember who it was."
Glenn's gaze was distant, as if he were recalling something.
"On my way to the passage, I walked and thought, recalling those past events, until the little knight appeared and I suddenly remembered."
Phil Gray pursed his lips.
"That was over a decade ago. There was a man with ice-blue eyes, followed by this young knight. Back then, the young knight was still green and naive. I never imagined he would become your mature and reliable subordinate. Am I right, Your Majesty Phil Gray?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com