Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 537: The Saint's Confusion (6k4)

The [Demon Cocoon] that the dead dragon transformed from was indeed filled with the aura of the "Devouring Dragon"!

That was indeed the container that the "Devouring Dragon" had originally prepared for "resurrection" - and when the "Dragon of Justice" Quesanx verified that its spirit indeed belonged to the "Devouring Dragon", Luo Xiu also confirmed this.

There is another possibility - that is the "Devouring Dragon" Fafnir Ramshanks. The [Demon Cocoon] he left at the bottom of the "Scar" of the Val Fortress also serves as a lure or catalyst for the "Scar" to continue to break and for new abyssal beasts and demons to continue to emerge.

The power left by the "Original Demon" that can be used for his "resurrection" does have a fatal attraction to lower-level abyss beasts or demons.

This could actually be seen before Franya and Monine arrived at the Val Fortress. If it weren't for the intimidation of Quesanx's pressure, perhaps the [Demon Cocoon] transformed from the dead dragon would have been fought over and devoured by the abyss beasts and demons.

In fact, the connection at the bottom of the "Scar" was not complete. Quesanx's "Surge of Destruction" completely opened up the "Scar".

If the [Demon Cocoon] transformed from the dead dragon had not been discovered, the bottom of the "scar" would have been gradually opened up by the endless stream of abyss beasts and demons.

Then use this [Demon Cocoon] as food to feed them, and let the Abyss Beasts and Demons at the bottom of the "Scar" devour each other, and eventually be able to raise several Abyss Beasts that reach the "Destruction" level, and at least one new "True Ancestor Demon".

If the expeditionary force stationed in the Val Fortress had not made appropriate preparations, the long-raised abyss beasts and demons that would burst out from the second "scar" would inevitably cause a huge wave of casualties to the expeditionary force stationed there.

This may also be the back-up plan of the "Devourer Dragon"... the "Original Demon" that coexists with Fafnir.

"..."

Luo Xiu was thinking about this.

He nodded slightly, understanding.

So he turned around, faced the "Saintess" Franya, and faced the "Sword of the Most Holy" Monine, and said:
"Her Highness Franya, and Lord Monine."

"In this 'scar' of the Val Fortress, the blasphemous abyssal beasts and demons have been purged."

"I am grateful for the care and assistance from Your Highness and Monine. I can also feel that the depths within have been cut off and sealed, and there should be no risk of a rupture for the time being."

"Before the arrival of Her Highness the Saint and the Knights Templar of the Divine Hunter, we had already conducted an investigation into the Scar. Apart from the two True Ancestor Demons we encountered before the siege—Gabrio, the Wild Hunt Demon, and Alziaz, the Illusionary Spirit Lord—the Scar did not produce any new True Ancestor Demons."

"As for the remains of the dead dragon, the mysterious aura it exudes tells us that it must be the remains of the 'Original Demon'. Although the 'Original Demon' that I saw in the 'Divine Revelation' did not actually appear, the dead dragon is indeed a trace of its activities in the Val Fortress."

"..."

"……Um."

"Saint" Franya, her eyes burning with a faint golden light were staring at the "scar" that had been purified. A thoughtful expression flashed across her face for a moment, and her gaze finally fell on the dead dragon that Luo Xiu had shrouded in the "Golden Barrier".

"I really didn't sense the presence of the 'Original Demon' here."

Franya said in a calm and ethereal voice:

"Mr. Luo Xiu, in the scene you saw in the 'Divine Revelation', the 'Original Demon' should have appeared. The Great Sun will not give us unrighteous guidance for a moment. Does this mean something else?"

"Perhaps you missed something, or prevented something from happening, so that what should have happened did not actually happen."

"..."

"Have you received any secret information from the Holy Court regarding my report to His Holiness the Pope, Your Highness Franya?"

This time, it was the "Sky Ring Paladin" Davild. He stared at Saint Frya with his burning golden eyes and asked with concern.

"..."

"Not yet."

Franya shook her head. She didn't quite know why Davild suddenly asked this question, and then looked at Monine, the "Sword of the Holy" beside her, and Monine also shook her head lightly.

"What do you mean, Lord Davild?"

Monine looked at Davild and asked him.

Davild looked at Luo Xiu, then organized his words and said:
"It seems that several cardinals in the Holy See are still discussing its credibility."

"What I am going to tell you is that all the top demons above the 'True Ancestor Demon' who have obtained their true names cannot be killed by conventional means."

"They can be resurrected - as long as their 'true names' are not destroyed or taken away, they can be resurrected in a way that we do not yet understand."

"..."

"...?!"

When the "Sky Ring Paladin" Davild said this.

It was visibly apparent to the naked eye that the usually calm and cold face of the "Saint" Franya was moved for a moment.

The gaze of "Sword of the Most Holy" Monine swept towards Davild, making him feel the burning heat, as if he was wrapped in burning flames.

Luo Xiu on the side was looking at Davild. What he just said to Franya and Monine was actually the information he had told him before.

But there are some things that Davild can tell them——

"Please continue, Lord Davild."

Monine looked at Davild and signaled softly.

This is indeed quite crucial information, and its importance is even higher than killing an "Ancestral Demon"... No, it is even higher than killing an "Original Demon"!
But the Holy See had not yet informed them of this news. Perhaps, as David said, the cardinals and Pope Lorente were still discussing and investigating the matter.

"This was discovered by Lord Luo Xiu."

David nodded to Monine and continued:
"When I went to Fafnir City and met Lord Luo Xiu, I also asked Lord Luo Xiu on behalf of the Holy Court about the true ancestor demon Lord Luo Xiu killed - 'Greedy Tyrant' Brigantis."

"Lord Luo Xiu explained this to me at that time. He also discovered this during the bloody battle with the 'Greedy Tyrant' Brigantes."

"And during the siege of Val Fortress the day before yesterday, I witnessed it with my own eyes - when the 'Four-Winged Angel' contracted by Lord Luo Xiu uncovered the true names of the two True Ancestor Demons and then killed them, their 'death' was indeed different from the ordinary."

“That can be called ‘extinction’ – from the inside out, the deep aura on them was quickly purified and dissipated, and you could no longer feel the ‘extinction’ of their existence.”

"If their true names had not been revealed, killing them would not have been like this. In this regard, perhaps you and Her Highness Franya should have seen more."

……

"..."

Monigne was silent.

It was indeed as Davild had said - Monine did have a real feeling. The death of the several True Ancestor Demons she had killed was merely the draining of blood, and the decay and disintegration of their flesh, but there was no feeling of "destruction" from the inside out as Davild had said.

David said that he had reported these to the Holy See, but Monigne had not received any corresponding information from the Holy See. Perhaps the cardinals had indeed received the news and were discussing it, but Monigne did not think too much about it.

What she was more concerned about was that the "original demon" that she had killed in the ruins with the "Saint" Franya had recently appeared in Everett's territory. Monine had originally had a similar conjecture about his resurrection, and now this conjecture has been further confirmed.

……

"..."

"…But I did feel the so-called sense of extinction from those 'True Ancestor Demons' I killed."

While Monine was thinking about this, she also heard the "Saint" Franya beside her speaking thoughtfully:

"I have not 'destroyed' their true names. But... at least the feeling of 'extinction' of the True Ancestor Demons I killed was real."

As she said this, Luo Xiu, who had been listening to them talking and discussing these things, looked at Franya at the same time.

Luo Xiu knew that what Franya said could only be one possibility -

"… Her Highness Franya."

Luo Xiu said:
"The 'Four-winged Angel' you contracted. He may have completed the 'conquer' step for you."

"...?"

The saint looked at Luo Xiu in some surprise.

She had indeed never thought of a similar situation - that when she was carrying out the Holy Judgment on those True Ancestor Demons, it was actually the Archangel she had contracted who completed the step of 'True Name Suppression'!

The saint hadn't responded yet, but her brows were slightly furrowed beneath her veil.

Luo Xiu then said:

"Like the dead dragon corpse at the bottom of the 'Scar' - that is the cocoon that the 'Original Demon' used to revive. He has already achieved immortality, and as long as his true name remains, he can use it to complete his revival."

"What Lord Davild and I suspect is that the original demon that I saw in my 'Divine Revelation' has actually completed symbiosis with someone in the dark army that was previously stationed in the Val Fortress."

"The most likely person now is Fafnir, who has died under the 'Surge of Destruction' of the 'Ancient Dragon' Quesanx."

"We have extracted the spirit of Fafnir from the dead dragon's cocoon, and my 'Ancient Dragon' Quesanx has even extracted a deeper spirit belonging to another 'Ancient Dragon' - that should be the 'Devourer Dragon'."

"And the Devouring Dragon is one of the sources of the Fafnir power of the Red Lotus. So, Mr. Davild and I are currently speculating that Fafnir is the original demon I saw in the Divine Revelation. His death was probably an illusion, and he has now completed his resurrection as a demon."

"..."

"..." When Luo Xiu finished saying this.

Davild beside him, and the "Saint" Frya and the "Sword of the Most Holy" Monine in front of him all fell silent.

Davild believed in Luo Xiu's judgment because he had experienced it personally and witnessed it with his own eyes; Franya and Monine were in a state of disbelief and an incomprehensible complex mood.

They gradually began to believe that what Luo Xiu said was true. However, they also gradually realized that the blasphemy against the [Abyss] was far more complicated than they had thought before.

If Luo Xiu had not first learned about the resurrection of these 'True Ancestor Demons' from the 'Greedy Tyrant' Brigantis, it would be useless even if he cast a holy judgment on more 'True Name Demons'. In the long run, it would only make the [Abyss] and [Glory] more and more at odds with each other.

However, Franya had also thought of the fact that the 'Four-Winged Angel' she had contracted - the [Glorious] god whose personality was in the 'Chaos Spirit', also possessed the characteristic of not being able to truly perish.

If the Abyss is indeed the complete opposite of Glory, then it is reasonable for the gods of the Abyss - those demons - to have certain characteristics that they will not perish or can be resurrected.

It’s just that the number of those extreme demons, “True Ancestor Demons” and even “Original Demons” that I, my teacher… and Lord Monine, the “Sword of the Supreme Being”, encountered is still not enough.

By encountering and killing a few more of them, Mr. Monine and I will be able to discover the "true names" and "immortality" characteristics of these top-level demons.

"……call."

Franya thought so and then she breathed a long sigh of relief.

Her pale golden eyes, which had been trembling slightly before, regained clarity, and the momentary trance and complexity on her face had also calmed down. She just stared at the bottom of the "scar", at the dead dragon still sealed by the golden barrier of "Archbishop" Luo Xiu, and said lightly to the "Sword of the Most Holy" Monine beside her:
"We should go down, Mr. Monine."

"Regarding the discoveries made by Lord Luo Xiu and Lord Davild, we should confirm them with our own eyes and experience them in person."

"Also, I also want to ask my 'Four-Winged Angel'...Azphiel for confirmation and...for advice on some things."

"..."

"…Um."

Monigne nodded slightly.

Luo Xiu stood aside, watching them quietly.

"The Holy Sword" Monine, she obeys Franya's words unconditionally. In Luo Xiu's opinion, Monine has flawless loyalty to Franya and even a kind of... doting.

But Luo Xiu was still thinking about something else - he was actually a little confused, because the information he told Davild about the resurrection of the "True Name Devil" should have been sent to the "Holy Court" and received a reply long ago.

Now Davild obviously did not get any response from the "Holy Court" about this, and the "Saint" Franya and the "Sword of the Holy" Monine did not seem to know much about it. Perhaps there were some twists and turns that he did not know about.

But now Davild, Franya and Monine seemed unaware of this.

Luo Xiu also suppressed it in his heart. In the current situation, he didn't have any more clues to think about anything.

While thinking about this, Luo Xiu then saw——

The "Saint" Franya gently raised her right hand, and a pure white glow that made people feel peaceful and serene gradually emerged in her palm, and it soon condensed into a holy white scepter.

[The Silver Staff of Saint Lelann], also known as the [Holy Silver Grip], is a sacred scepter of "God-cast" quality. It is the scepter specially bestowed upon Franya by Pope Lorentz as a "Saint".

"Saint Leran" is the first Pope of the "Holy See" and the first apostle of "Forged Sun's Moment", and his holy name is now left in the world. [Saint Leran's Silver Staff] is his holy relic.

Its quality is "God-forged", which is higher than the highest "legendary" quality of the weapons used by Luo Xiu. It is also the highest quality of weapons and equipment that humans can forge, except for "demigods".

Those who can create weapons and equipment of “God-forged” quality must have at least the seventh level of destiny.

And the quality above that - "Creation" - is also the quality of equipment or props such as the "Holy Book of the Abyss" possessed by Luo Xiu, which affects the foundation of the world and even the root of destiny. It is not a level that the extraordinary people and saints below the "demigods" in the current extraordinary world can reach.

Luo Xiu was quietly watching the changes taking place on the body of the "Saint" Franya.

She condensed her [Holy Silver Grip], and then, a pure and flawless pale white glow began to emanate from her body; her long hair like a snowy waterfall began to sway slightly, and a pure white crown gradually emerged on top of her head.

[Crown of Laurel] is a holy relic of "God-forged" quality bestowed upon her by Pope Lorentz.

As far as Luo Xiu knew, Franya had at least three holy relics of "God-forged" quality.

Pope Lorentz attached great importance to Franya's safety. Luo Xiu knew that those "God-forged" holy relics, plus Franya's own extraordinary strength, were enough for Franya to face several "sixth-level destinies" or even "seventh-level destinies" enemies alone, and still be able to evacuate safely in the end.

Even in extraordinary times, there are peak seventh-level saints like "Sword of the Most Holy" Monine as personal holy guards.

Franya was indeed very safe - as long as she was not targeted by several "seventh-fold destinies" at the same time, or even by a "demigod" of the eighth-fold destinies, no one could kill her.

As for who was stronger between him and Franya, Luo Xiu actually had no idea. This was because the panel detection of Franya was even obscured by the effect of a piece of equipment on her that was at least of "legendary" quality.

Except for the fact that Franya's level is lv.80, the highest level of "Sixfold Destiny", all the others are invisible question marks.

But these are actually nothing. Luo Xiu, who has the memory of his previous life, has a rough estimate of the fighting power of the "Saint" Franya.

The pale white glow emanating from the outline of Franya's body gradually became thicker, and she gradually became as light as a feather.

Until Franya took the first step forward into the deep and unsupported pit.

She did not stumble and fall, but half of her body was suspended in the air - she continued to move downwards. Her light footsteps were like stepping on a staircase, and with each step, ripples of white light spread out in the air.

So she did, step by step, walking towards the blood-stained altar where the dead dragon was.

As for the "Sword of the Most Holy", Monine lifted up the holy sword which was also "forged by God" and jumped directly to the bottom of the huge "Scar" pit.

The "Paladin of the Sky Ring" Davild held the floating sky ring behind him with one hand and floated downwards; Luo Xiu sat on the lowered neck of the "Dragon of Justice" Quesanx and flew to the bottom of the "Scar" with him.

The four saints who had reached the sixth and seventh levels of the [Glory] destiny gradually and successively arrived at the bottom of the huge "Scar" pit.

All the other [Glorious] clergymen of the fourth and fifth Paths of Destiny stayed at the upper edge of the "Scar". When they looked down, they could only see the vague and tiny figures of the four saints.

……

And in front of the blood-stained altar where the dead dragon's cocoon was located.

When Luo Xiu, Davild, "Saint" Frya, and "Sword of the Holy" Monine all arrived here.

Franya and Monine passed through the golden barrier and stood at a very close distance to the dead dragon's cocoon. They stared at it and felt the rich and deep aura coming from it, and frowned.

"It does have the spiritual aura of Red Lotus..."

Monigne said:
"Moreover... it also exudes an aura of dark corrosion from the Abyss that is almost identical to the aura of Red Lotus..."

"..."

Monine murmured this, and she glanced at Rossouw and Davild at the same time.

After receiving their slight nods in response and gestures, he raised the "God-forged" holy sword in both hands and gently stabbed it into the exposed "heart" of the dead dragon.

puff!
A dull sound was heard, and almost completely black dark red blood gushed out from the rupture.

That was the dead dragon's heart blood that had not completely decayed. The moment the blood flowed out of its heart and came into contact with the air, a series of fine explosions occurred with a "bang", and then a scarlet flame burned.

"…It is indeed the Red Lotus. Moreover, it does have the spiritual aura of Fafnir, the Dragon of Destruction."

Franya nodded calmly.

She had encountered the "Dragon of Destruction" Fafnir in Songyuan City. It was also her first encounter with a "superior demon", so the impression was particularly deep.

After sensing the aura of spirituality surging from the dead dragon's corpse, and realizing that it indeed belonged to Fafnir, the "Dragon of Destruction", Frya had already made a judgment on what Davild and Ross had said before, and knew that it was probably true.

——It was indeed as "Archbishop" Luo Xiu said. The original demon he saw from the "Divine Revelation" might be the "Dragon of Destruction" Fafnir!

But for some reason, or perhaps due to some limitation, Fafnir, the "Dragon of Destruction", did not show the power of the "Original Devil".

For Franya, who had truly witnessed the terrifying power of the "Original Demon", she believed that this was a blessing for the entire expeditionary force currently stationed in the Val Fortress.

But this involves some other problems, and requires one to stay on edge at all times to face the dangers lurking in the dark, but Franya also believes that it is better than an irreversible death.

She thought about this in her mind, and then tightly grasped the holy white scepter with both hands.

"...Azphiel of the Four Wings, I pray that you will come."

Frya began to pray, asking for the arrival of Azphiel, the "four-winged angel" with whom she had contracted.

She wanted to ask Him something that bothered her.

It was He who first told Himself about the "devil".

But He was unwilling to tell me His "real name", and He solved it all by himself.

If the resurrection of the "True Name Demons" is real, then their "real names" are their most important weaknesses, and the key to truly killing them.

Such important information should be announced to all saints who have the ability to destroy the ultimate demons. There is no point in hiding it.

So... Azphiel hid these things from himself, or rather, all the angels hid these things from the saints they had contracted with, why?
……

(End of this chapter)