"You have betrayed the gods!"
"How could this be? It's impossible! How could our Holy Son become a chosen one of life?"
"Traitor! He's a traitor!"
The flames of anger ignited the reason in everyone present, and they looked at the boy with heartbroken eyes.
The boy was no longer shrouded in a deathly aura, but instead brimming with vitality and energy, like a tender sprout emerging from the soil, like bamboo shoots after a rain in the mountains. Such a wonderful aura surrounded him, as if it could heal all chronic illnesses and pains.
But this is precisely what everyone present utterly loathed.
The boy took out a vibrant flower from his pocket; it was a gift he had brought back for his sister from the outside world.
Despite the protection of the life force, the flowers almost withered under the influence of the dense death energy around them.
"I didn't betray you! Why couldn't my sister wait for me a little longer? We were so close..."
The boy ignored the angry adults, his tears falling to the ground as he grieved for his sister's passing.
"Elder, what should we do about His Highness the Holy Son?"
"Shut up, he is no longer our holy son."
"Then this..."
"Elder, the traitor deserves the punishment he deserves..."
After a moment of silence, a heavy sigh was heard. "Tell His Majesty to proceed according to the rules."
"But what about the Second Elder?"
"Fine, for the sake of the Second Elder, let him go to the Abyss sooner after the burning at the stake."
"Alright, after all, he was once our holy son. We couldn't bear to see him trapped in eternal torment without any relief. Alas, by going to the abyss, he can see his sister sooner."
One sigh after another rang out. All that remained in Sid's memory were those emerald eyes, so fearless and stubborn. Forged in the raging fire, they became an indelible gem, embedded in their hearts, a regret deep within them.
The possessor of the divine mark could clearly become a new generation of legend in the Church of the Dead.
Now he has become a shameful traitor, a coward who flees from death.
...
His thoughts returned to the present, and Sid tentatively asked, "What is your name?"
"Eli".
The speculation had become a reality, and Sid's feelings were very complicated. He looked away, turned to the other elders and the archbishop, and asked, "What do you think?"
The archbishop was unaware of what happened back then, while the former archbishop, who knew everything, had been gone for over a decade. A smile appeared on his face: "What can we say? Those who bear the mark of the gods are born holy children. How dare we deny the people chosen by the god of death?"
The Second Elder frowned, his gaze meeting the First Elder's before quickly looking away without uttering a word.
The Third Elder nodded and said gently, "Since he is the chosen holy son of the God of Death, I believe he is qualified to be a candidate."
Like the bishop, the Third Elder was a leader of the peace faction. They were not very satisfied with the current Holy Sons, since under the guidance of the First Elder, they would definitely support joining the war against the Dawn after taking office.
But now, the newly emerged Holy Son may bring a turning point.
Although the elders below them didn't have much say, they all expressed that this was a great joy and that the other person should definitely be made a candidate.
Haven't you noticed that Dawn already has two holy sons bearing the mark of the gods? Now the Church of the Dead has one too, how wonderful!
If this holy son had appeared earlier, after their training, His Holiness the Pope would have definitely appointed him as the next Pope directly, so there would have been no need to select from so many holy sons.
"My God, is that the mark of the god of death?"
"Yes, and it's a black lotus, so beautiful! I remember that in the church's chronicles, not many holy children had the mark of a black lotus; most of the holy children chosen by Death only had a skull mark."
"No matter what, he is a born saint who may only appear once every hundred years. We are not qualified to comment."
"Speaking of which, his name sounds quite familiar. It seems to be the same as that of one of our holy sons who died young."
“This pronunciation is very common in our church. It’s a hymn to death. Isn’t the first two syllables of the name of the absent Son of God also pronounced this way?”
The other senior members of the church began to whisper among themselves, while some of the older members recalled the two twin sons who had died many years ago, their eyes filled with doubt and curiosity.
"Alright, since it is the will of the God of Death, we will naturally not disobey. After discussion by the elders, Eli, you are qualified to be a candidate."
Sid gestured for Eli to speak, without revealing Eli's true identity.
After all, that holy son is already "dead," and he was agreed to be a candidate because of the strength he has shown and the mark of the god of death.
He had no intention of investigating how Eli had become a favorite of the god of death again; since the facts were already laid out before him, all of that was meaningless.
Whatever the reason, the Church of the Dead cannot abandon a holy son who bears the mark of God.
Eli had already guessed their choice. He chuckled and walked slowly to the side of the other holy sons amidst the attention of the crowd.
The three holy sons managed a welcoming smile at this sudden and powerful competitor, but inwardly they were all furious.
They were originally overjoyed that one of their competitors was absent today, but now, how come two more have joined them?
When the other one was mentioned, they looked at Phil Gray, their hearts pounding. Was this man, who also claimed to be the forgotten Holy Son, also a bearer of the mark of the God of Death?
Others have the same question.
At this moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Phil Gray, with curiosity, anticipation and excitement. They had heard that Dawn had two holy sons carrying the mark of the gods, so would they also have two on their side?
That's wonderful!
They were eager to see the divine mark of this being.
Dawn, oh Dawn, you were so smug back then, now it's our Church of the Dead's turn.
Phil Gray smiled slightly under these gazes. He did want to reveal the divine mark, but the mark of the Prophet of the Day was on his wrist. He dared not show it, otherwise, he would not only fail to become a candidate, but would probably be imprisoned directly.
Under the gaze of everyone, he spoke:
“I don’t have a divine mark, but my strength has already reached the divine revelation level. Moreover, I also heard the divine prophecy that I should become the next pope, which means that I also have the opportunity to become a divine descendant. I am only 24 years old, younger than them, and I have received the divine will. Am I not qualified?”
Phil Gray's words disappointed everyone present. Indeed, chosen ones by the gods are not so common; having even one is already good enough.
However, reaching this stage at such a young age makes him a favorite of the gods, comparable to their Holy Son, Yilai Zhe.
Elder Sid looked at the other elders and, seeing that they had nothing to say, shook his head: "You are excellent and indeed qualified to become a Holy Son, but this selection ceremony cannot make an exception for you. You are young enough, and the ceremony for your investiture as Holy Son will be held after the new Pope ascends the throne. I think there is no time limit for God to appoint you as Pope, right? Then wait for the next selection. This will not be considered disobeying His will."
Phil Gray's eyes widened, utterly bewildered.
Seriously? How did I suddenly become a generation younger? If Eli becomes the Pope and I am named his holy son, where will my boss put his face?
Another selection, forty or fifty years from now? By then, either I'll have become a god, or this world of Vil will have long been destroyed by the gods of the Abyss. What would I be doing as the Pope of the Church of the Dead then?
But now even the proverb's reasoning couldn't convince these elders, so what else could he say? At least the God of Dawn gave him a Dawn Mark, so why didn't the God of Death show any appreciation? How was he supposed to complete his mission?
Before he could even utter a rebuttal, Elder Sid had the church bells rung, drawing the believers' attention back to the church.
"That's settled then. We've already wasted enough time. I hereby announce the start of the first round..."
"etc!"
Interrupted again, a shadow fell over Sid's eyes. He looked at Phil Gray, "Is there anything else?"
"Although I do not have the mark of a god, I have a token bestowed by the gods, and I will participate in today's selection ceremony no matter what."
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