Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 455 Internal Collapse
Holy blood stains the far west! The Bishop of Solaris martyrs on the border!

A vile dagger emerges from the shadows! Our beloved archbishop has been betrayed; may his soul rest in the courtyard of life!

It's time to settle scores with the blasphemers! The death of the Bishop of Solaris is the Empire's most blatant provocation against the far west!

"Impossible Evidence Found at the Scene! The Margaret Family Seal? Imperial Noble Mark Discovered Next to Bishop's Remains!"

Within a single day, reports of Bishop Solaris's murder sprang up like mushrooms after rain. The various newspapers had a clear division of labor: while mourning Bishop Solaris and praising his contributions over the years, they all pointed the finger directly at the Margaret family of the empire.

The presence of the Margaret family crest at the scene, along with the identities of the Assassins' Choir members and the highly inflammatory statements in the newspapers, immediately stirred up public sentiment.

This time, even ordinary people in the far west could sense the approaching war.

Ivy left home early in the morning, and as she sat in her car habitually flipping through the newspaper, her face turned green.

With a tremor of her hand, she twisted the coffee cup into a pretzel shape, splashing hot coffee all over her.

A bad day starts with spilled coffee.

This was clearly an organized and premeditated operation. These highly inflammatory interview transcripts were likely prepared long ago. For the Empire, the most damaging evidence was the Margaret family crest found at the scene. This was not an object that could be obtained by just anyone. Combined with the Far West’s accusation that the murderer was a former member of the chorus, Ivy was put on the defensive in the international arena.

She found it difficult to explain why Margaret's family crest had ended up in the far west; it was likely a historical legacy from Julius's political career.

After Julius's downfall, she disbanded the chorus and ended all the inhumane experiments associated with it.

Good heavens! How could this new Pope Carlo be so wicked!

This person should have been killed by the fireplace explosion long ago.

Next, she had to engage in a series of diplomatic activities to mitigate the negative impact of this incident on the empire.

The looming war has made the current international situation somewhat delicate. Ironically, in this area, the empire's image is extremely poor. After all, since humanity entered the Sixth Era, almost all major wars in modern times have been initiated by the empire, and its hegemonic image has long been deeply ingrained in people's minds outside the empire.

Combined with the previous propaganda war between the Empire and the Far West, as well as Pope Carlo's repeated public boycotts of the Empire at mystical conferences, everyone believed the news to be true, and that the Empire's knights would soon be able to flatten the entire Far West.

In just one afternoon, the new cabinet received many hints from neighboring countries.

They had already decided which side to take before the war even broke out.

Everyone knew that once this war broke out, it would become the largest and most widespread war the world had faced since the Sixth Age.

Throughout history, the assassination of a bishop of Solaris's caliber has been enough to ignite a war.

With the Papacy's influence deeply entrenched in the far west, a considerable number of theocratic states will inevitably join the war.

As night fell, Ivy, who had been busy in the office all day, finally had some free time and dialed Ethan's private number.

"I heard that you have now entered the far west."

Her voice was full of exhaustion, and her blond hair drooped listlessly. "Why wasn't it Carlo who died, but Solaris? He was one of the few neutral members of the church in the far west!"

Only in front of friends like Ethan could she shed her politician's facade, reveal her true feelings, and complain bitterly.

"Moriko, can you give me a heads-up? How many days until the fireplace at Carlo's house explodes? I'd like to make arrangements in advance."

Although Ethan couldn't see Ivy's expression over the phone, this was definitely the most menacing she had ever been since he met her.

“We have developed a new plan, and Solaris is the most key figure in it.”

Based on recent events, Ethan roughly guessed Ivy's original plan.

Pope Carlo was nothing less than the engine of this war. If he were to die unexpectedly, Ivy would secretly try to support the anti-war faction of the Papacy to come to power, thereby internally splitting the Papacy's influence in the far west.

This is enough to prove that Ivy has grown into an excellent politician.

But after meeting Solaris, Ethan changed his mind.

Even though Carlo died in an accident, it was clear to everyone that the Empire was involved. Ethan did not believe that the hatred of the far west towards the Empire would disappear. Through Carlo's efforts, he discovered that the people there were full of prejudice and hatred towards the Empire.

The Church of Life urgently needs an internal purification.

"He's still alive?"

Ivy was stunned for a moment, but when she thought that Bazatos was also traveling with Ethan this time, she felt relieved.

For the omnipotent Father, even if Solaris were reduced to nothing but a few pieces of flesh, Bazartos could reshape his body and restore him to his former state. If Bazartos were willing to use His power for medical purposes, perhaps He could truly create an immortal kingdom.

Of course, this is on the premise that He cannot have personal agendas during the treatment process.

"give it to me."

"Ah."

Ivy breathed a sigh of relief. Whenever Ethan said, "I have a plan," things would go in a good direction, and she would finally be able to go home and have a proper meal after leaving the Cabinet Building.

But then, as if remembering something, she reminded him, "Although Carlo was an extreme war criminal, he wasn't stupid. He should know the gap between the far west and the current empire..."

That's why the reports of Solaris's assassination greatly surprised Ivy.

She had initially assumed that Carlo would remain focused on the propaganda war, limiting all attacks on the Empire to speeches. However, the assassination of the Archbishop of Solaris sent her a signal—Carlo genuinely wanted to provoke a war, and he believed he was ready to wage war against the Empire.

Where does Carlo's confidence come from?

The intelligence department only brought back news that Carlo had assembled the Devout Chapter. From a professional perspective, although this new force was large in number, it was an ordinary force composed of non-superhumans, and their training time was extremely short. In a real battlefield, they could only serve as cannon fodder.

As for deeper intelligence, they couldn't find any. Several spies sent by the department to the Church of Dawn's Crown had all disappeared without a trace. Most of the high-ranking priests of the Church of Life were proficient in the spells of Holy Word, which meant that the spies would have nowhere to hide from them.

“Carlo must have other things to rely on.”

Ivy said, "That's at least a secret weapon that can deal with several Saints at the same time. Although it sounds a bit redundant, you should still be careful."

..............................

Meanwhile, on the western border.

Darkness, coldness, and endless nothingness.

After losing consciousness, Solaris continued to move forward aimlessly. Gradually, a glimmer of light appeared on the road ahead. However, as he drew closer, he discovered that the ray of light shining into the darkness did not represent salvation, but destruction.

It vaguely reflects a vision of the future.

Fire raged through the city, and mutilated corpses littered the ground. This was the border city he knew well, now reduced to ashes by war.

This war, sparked by his death, brought destruction to the far west and the Papacy.

The redemption that Carlo proclaimed never came, and the gods he promised never returned to the people. So what did all this get him in return?
Is this war truly for justice?
Has the empire truly been corrupted by the evil god?

The moment the cold dagger pierced Solaris's heart, everything he had believed in shattered. Death allowed him to detach himself from his identity as a believer and, for the first time, to observe the turmoil unfolding in the far west from the perspective of an outsider.

There is no justice, no redemption, only ambition and hatred.

Everything left behind by believers, the people, and even the goddess of life became a tool for Carlo to realize his ambitions, but by the time he discovered it, it was too late.

As Solaris walked through the shattered streets, he knew that his long-standing silence had led to war and destruction.

Now, only a filthy soul remains here, a soul utterly unworthy of entering the Garden of Life. He moves forward like a walking corpse.

Lost in destruction until his soul was completely annihilated; or he fled to the place of exile described in the scriptures for punishing sinners, willing to accept punishment wherever the road ahead led.

At the end of the darkness, a door awaited him.

Solaris paused for a moment in front of the door, then grasped the doorknob.

For the first time in a long time, he felt the cold touch.

Then came heavy breathing, like a drowning person who, upon regaining consciousness, had only one thought left in their mind: to breathe.

He saw an unfamiliar ceiling and a hard bed supporting his body. The sounds outside the door gradually became clearer, and the voices of people discussing made him understand his current situation—he was in a hotel in a border city, and those people were discussing joining the Devout Warband together.

The bishop's death brought unimaginable changes to the city and gave a push to those who were wavering in their attitudes.

Some fight for their beliefs, some for achievements, and some simply to acquire weapons and training in war, or simply to survive.

Solaris immediately reached for his pierced chest. When he looked down, the wound had disappeared without a trace, as if the assassination attempt was just a nightmare and he had simply fallen asleep in this unfamiliar hotel.

He almost immediately wanted to walk out of the room and declare to everyone that he was still alive and that all the reports of his death were a plot by the Pope to incite war, but then he dismissed the naive idea.

He could do that, but then he would be stabbed in the heart again by an assassin, and the situation in the far west would not change.

To be resurrected from the dead is a miracle, and in Solaris's mind, only the goddess of life could give him a second chance.

and……

For him now, death is the best disguise.

As long as Carlo believes he is dead, he will no longer send assassins to keep an eye on him, which will create space for his next move.

The emotions surging in my heart are indescribable and cannot be discussed with anyone.

The goddess not only forgave his long silence and purified his filthy soul, but also gave him the opportunity to atone for his sins.

but……

What to do next?
Solaris sat up in bed and looked around blankly.

Now he can no longer even use his identity as a bishop. Not only that, he also has to hide his identity and avoid Carlo's eyes and ears as much as possible. Under such circumstances, how can he overthrow Carlo's deep-rooted rule over the far west by himself?

Even if he were to return to the Cathedral of the Dawn and miraculously gather all the important figures, how could he convince them of everything they had experienced?
He couldn't prove the existence of the potion, nor could he prove that he had been chosen by the goddess of life.

Suddenly, Solaris's blank gaze was drawn to the note on the table. He immediately leaned over and clutched the note tightly in his hand.

There was only one name on it, but it pointed him in the right direction.

Saint Mary.

This is the guidance of the goddess of life to him.

She was the closest being to the Goddess of Life in people's eyes, and many even believed that Mary was the reincarnation of the Goddess of Life, who once again led humanity out of the despairing Crimson Age.

Let's go to the ruins.

This became Solaris's only thought.

……

"In this way, the Church of Solaris will lead us to the ruins."

Ethan explained to the group at the hotel that they were unfamiliar with the area in the far west and desperately needed a guide like Solaris who was both steadfast and knowledgeable about the local conditions.

This tour guide was in a similar situation to them; he would certainly try his best to avoid the Vatican's spies along the way.

Bazarus's seven eyes were all fixed on Ethan. He increasingly felt that dealing with humans was an art, just like now, Ethan was doing some things that He could not understand.

If it were Him, once He considered Carlo an enemy, He wouldn't even need to see him to drown the archbishop in His own blood. In fact, He had already planned to do so when He learned that Carlo had ordered the excavation of the remains left by Bazarian.

Now it seems that Ethan has a better way.

Bazarus felt this was an opportunity for Him to learn.

"Old Ba".

"Ok?"

After explaining, Ethan looked at the seven-eyed woman in the seat, and... the three-headed snake perched on his shoulder, looking like a pet.

It seems their tour group has suddenly gained a new member, but given Old Ba's destructive power, he first needs to make sure this three-headed serpent isn't pieced together from the flesh and blood of some important Vatican figure.

"This three-headed snake looks quite cute."

"I'm trying to learn from you."

"Learn from me?"

"I learned from the believers that when you left Riverwood, you also received an 'initial companion'."

In reality, Miss Chloe, who was regarded as a divine bird by the Empire, was originally just a little hen in the chicken coop in Riverwood. It was Ethan who transformed her form with the werewolf collar. Theoretically speaking, the werewolf collar and His power can also be related.

"Good."

Ethan was very pleased.

Their old man is getting better and better.

Developing a fondness for small animals reveals the compassionate side of Bazartos's heart.

"Where did this little guy come from?"

Ethan approached the three-headed snake and stroked each of its heads. The three-headed snake squinted and eagerly rubbed against his palm.

Clearly, this was not its original form. He guessed that it was the form of some small animal from the far west after being transformed by the power of Bazartos.

"Let me guess, it was originally a corn snake."

Ethan chose the most harmless type of monster from the monster encyclopedia that could be kept as a pet.

"guessed wrong."

Bazatos smiled and shook his head. "It's a mine."

……

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became subtle.

"What do you mean by 'mine'?"

"The 'Saint's Remains' mine, that's what the locals call it."

(End of this chapter)