Chapter 663 The ceremony is fake?
Zoe and Gaia stood there in shock.
The water from the Sea of Unconsciousness flowing back into the present world should have been a disaster, but before they could flow far, they were absorbed by Beatrice.
Almost all the high-ranking members of the Candlelight Society present were wiped out, while the monks of the Mechanical Temple suffered few casualties. They were now gathered on both sides of the cannon, somewhat confused as to whether they should point their guns at the Pope.
Many people turned to look at Hela, the Minister of All Affairs, but Hela had kept her head down and remained silent since Beatrice appeared. Only at this moment did she slowly raise her head.
Hela glanced at the believers around her, took a deep breath, turned up the volume on the speaker, and stepped forward.
"Her Majesty Joan"
Suddenly, Hela's voice paused.
Her mechanical pupils rotated slightly, dilated a little, and then she slowly lowered her head.
A huge hole appeared in her chest.
The believers around were stunned. It took them a while to react, then they turned around and raised their guns.
Behind them, what should have been the church wall, suddenly twisted under everyone's gaze, then shattered like glass. The real wall was further back, and standing in front of them was...
There were densely packed investigators dressed in neat robes.
"Varied"
"Fire!"
The monks of the Mechanicus Church then discovered that these investigators also had muskets in their hands. They might not be as useful as the firearms of the Mechanical Temple, but at this distance, there was no difference.
The bullet streaked across the church, bringing up a crimson glow, making it look somewhat sacred.
The monks of the Mechanical Temple also roared and fought back. Their bodies were mostly made of steel, which was more reliable than flesh and blood and should be able to withstand more attacks.
But the bullets flying towards the opposite side all stopped in front of these people.
"All of them [Investigators]?!"
"How is that possible!"
"Didn't they go to the Dream City?"
"Hold on! Hold the front line!!"
The sound of explosions, the sound of bullets piercing flesh and blood, the collision of steel, accompanied by wailing, together formed a hymn.
The monks of the Mechanical Temple quickly fell in rows. They were indeed very strong and could fight against extraordinary people head-on as mortals, but there were simply too many [Investigators] on the opposite side.
The [investigators] were clearly well prepared, each carrying more than one musket, all loaded.
Soon, Beatrice was the only one left standing in the church.
The Candlelight Society's [Investigators] didn't intentionally let her go, and the Empire's muskets didn't have that kind of accuracy. Instead, the bullets flying towards her were all swallowed up by the waters of the Sea of Unconsciousness.
She looked down at the corpses around her, her expression gradually becoming dull, then she slowly raised her head and looked at the investigators.
"You didn't go to the Dream City?" she muttered to herself. "But I signed all your documents. The entire process, including the food, lodging, and carriages, was flawless. Did you lie to me?"
"You're too kind, Your Excellency." A young priest bowed with a hint of sarcasm on his face. "Of course, all of this is true. It's been adjudicated and approved by the Council of Secret Keepers. It's all according to the formal procedures. It's just that we returned early."
"So, you've been planning to attack the Mechanical Temple for a long time?"
"Candlelight protection, where did we attack? It was clearly the Mechanical Temple that suddenly attacked us. Look, we lost a lot of people."
He spoke without hesitation, his tone tinged with sorrow and grievance, but the smile on his face never changed.
"I see, I see. You actually noticed the unusual movements of the Mechanical Templar, but you suppressed them and didn't report them. You pretended to be ignorant and left the Rhine, waiting until they were almost dead before returning here. Did you think the keepers wouldn't notice?"
"So what? Your Majesty, you became Pope not because you are powerful enough, but because you are the only choice. The same is true for us."
The man's tone finally fluctuated slightly, and there was a hint of anger in his voice.
"These church leaders control the entire Candlelight Society. We ordinary [Investigators] can only be sent to our deaths. So many people have died in the North, but they have gained nothing. Yet they still don't care, simply because the lives they paid weren't their own!"
The man glanced at the bodies on the ground. "Now they die here too. It's only fair."
Beatrice's eyes rolled around, and she retreated inconspicuously. The place where Zoe and Gaia had just been was now empty, and there was a big hole in the pipe.
As long as she completes the ritual, then even if she can't defeat him, she can still...
"Your Majesty, you are not still trying to delay time?"
Beatrice paused.
"To be honest, we are a little surprised that you can control the Mechanical Temple, but you have sublimated into the "Named One"."
The man suddenly smiled.
"The Candlelight Society has never had a way to ascend to the [Named One]. I don't know where you found this method, but..."
"The existence of the Named One has always been innate. Are you aware of this?"
Beatrice was completely stunned.
"You're stalling for time, but so are we. These filthy entities within the Corridor of Truth are truly troublesome. It would be great if you could help us resolve them, but it seems like our situation is almost over."
Beatrice looked around in panic. The speed at which she absorbed sea water had gradually slowed down, but she remained the same as before.
"Impossible, impossible! According to the ritual, I should have completed the sublimation by now! Why am I still like this?!?"
"Your Majesty, let me give you a small reminder. Everything you've absorbed is tainted. Since you've absorbed so much, your ritual should be coming to an end soon, right?"
Beatrice was stunned for a moment, looking at the sea water still pouring in, despair in her eyes.
So much sea water, so much pollution, enough to completely erode her ten times.
The man opposite was right. Her ceremony was about to end, but it showed no sign of reaching its peak.
so.
She closed her eyes gently.
Beatrice's will had been completely shaken, and hallucinations began to appear before her eyes, but she made no effort to control it.
This time, she really planned to give up.
Everything in front of me began to distort, the bodies in the church gradually disappeared, and it started to rain without me noticing.
Beatrice knew this rain; she saw it every time she woke from a nightmare.
That was the night the queen was assassinated. She endured hallucinations and headaches and fled from the palace.
Her intuition told her to escape, so she did so. After escaping the palace, she saw a dense crowd of Vatican troops.
(End of this chapter)
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