My dear witch, please turn evil according to the script!

Chapter 422 When Ashes Cover the Papal City
The Dragon God's assessment of Kalia's current situation, along with the Demon King's sudden message, caused changes to Roland's upcoming plans.

The original plan was to prioritize stabilizing the front lines, preventing the war from starting, and helping the Demon King to unify the demon forces. That was the first task to be accomplished.

But now it seems...

No, it doesn't have to be in such a hurry.

As I said before, the Vatican has already held out for so many days, so what's a couple more days?

However, Roland still needed to confirm one thing before proceeding: "So, what is the current probability that the divine child has broken free of the seal?"

"I don't know." The Demon King's voice came quickly: "Well... after being by your side for so long, my own temper has started to get impatient."

"However, one thing is certain: if the seal could not be maintained and was completely broken, then the Papacy City would have been destroyed long ago."

"Even if it's just a container... it's not something ordinary people can handle."

"Those who haven't set foot in the realm of gods are nothing more than ants and insects to those beings, differing only in size."

"Since the Papal City has held out for so long, a little more time won't matter."

The Demon King expressed the same thoughts as Roland.

Just trust in the power of the Vatican.

Then, the Demon King said, "Roland, I have already had Dracula escort Neve to the Kingdom of Platia."

"You should resolve the situation at the front as soon as possible and head to the Papal City before things get completely out of control."

Roland hummed in agreement, then teased, "Looks like your work has been going well lately. How do you plan to deal with the Demon King's court and the main force of the royal army at the front? A full-scale attack, or appeasement?"

"That depends on the outcome of your actions." The Demon King smiled faintly. "If your actions go smoothly, then I will grant you amnesty."

"If you encounter any obstacles, such as demons coming to hinder your actions..."

"Then we'll have to force it."

"Time is running out in this world... a thousand years have already been wasted. We can't afford to waste any more time."

"Anyone who continues to waste time on internal strife... Hmph."

The Demon King snorted coldly, then his tone changed, and he said softly, "Goodbye Roland, let's end our conversation here. The Blood Demon Clan's Blood Escape Technique is still very fast, and there's a temporary teleportation array outside Enwa that directly connects to the front lines."

"Judging by the time, it should arrive tonight."

That's all. Take good care of yourself and get plenty of rest.

After saying that, the Demon King hung up the communication.

Roland put away the communicator, then looked at Sinos and asked with his eyes.

Sinos instantly understood: "The Demon King is right. If there really is a vessel for an evil god sealed beneath the city of the Holy See, a half-body that walks the world, then there is no better way than to maintain the existing seal and prevent it from escaping."

"On the other hand, since nothing unexpected has happened in the Papal City so far, it means that the situation is still under control. It may be urgent, but it is not yet time to rush to provide support."

Roland nodded: "Alright. Let's do as the Demon King says for now, and then..."

As Roland was speaking, he realized that his right arm was being held tightly by Kalia. He turned to look at her, and Kalia's big, round eyes conveyed a clear meaning.

Can you help me?
"Don't worry... I'll take you with me then. And barring any unforeseen circumstances, I'll need your cooperation soon."

"I'm more at ease leaving the infiltration behind enemy lines to you."

Kalia asked with great interest, "Then I'll go back and quickly find the old woman to perform the promotion ceremony!"

Sinos: "..."

Promotion ceremony?

Do you still need this?
The silent Sinos still chose not to reveal the truth.

No... I already explained things very clearly in my own introduction and the Demon King's explanation.

Whether it's the son of God who might be sealed beneath the Papal City, belonging to the Lord of Ashes, or Kalia.

In essence, there is no difference.

The only difference is that Kalia is more free. She might be slightly weaker in terms of strength, but she's still not someone an ordinary person can easily outmaneuver.

To put it bluntly, if Kalia were to unleash her full power, even I would have a hard time dealing with her.

However, it seems that she is still not very clear about her own strength, and is even deliberately suppressing her power.

To be precise, it is a deliberate suppression of the dangerous part of one's power.

But that very part is the most powerful part of the Whisperer of Eternal Silence's power.

Never mind, I'm in the same situation as Lord Roland... Self-awareness is very important.

It not only affects the nature of strength performance, but also a person's way of thinking.

Before ending the communication, the Dragon God told him part of the truth about Roland and warned him not to have any intention of revealing the truth to Roland.

Since Roland is like this, Kalia should also be subject to this rule.

"Sir, that's all I wanted to say. If you don't mind the trouble, I'll take you back with me."

Roland smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

……

Papal City.

This place, known as the land watched by the gods, is eerily quiet at this moment.

There were hardly any people walking on the streets.

The few people you occasionally see are usually clergy or judges in a hurry.

However, upon closer observation, it becomes clear that these pedestrians generally possess strengths equivalent to or exceeding the fifth ring.

These are all the people left in the city now.

Saints, cardinals, regional archbishops... these undisputed true high-ranking officials of the Vatican have almost all returned to the city of the Holy See in the past six months, with only a very few still active outside.

The others, however, disappeared without a trace after returning to the Papal City.

Galileo, the priest who joined the Society as a believer in the God of Truth and its liaison officer in Papal City, looked out through the window of the Society's branch. He was the last person remaining at this branch.

The rest of the members were evacuated from the Papal City along with the civilians and those of low status within the city.

He was allowed to remain in the Papacy City because of his dual status as a member of the Papacy and the Society, as well as his strength.

As the branch president, he is also an eighth-ring mage.

Moreover, as a follower of the God of Truth, he also possesses some divine magic originating from that great being.

Eye of Truth – a purely supportive divine spell.

The effect is very simple: it is to see through falsehood and pretense.

At this moment, his eyes shone with a deep blue light, which was the manifestation of the Eye of Truth in operation.

In his eyes, the Papal City presented a completely different picture.

Compared to the Vatican City, which most people perceive as quiet but lacking in danger... the Vatican City in his eyes was already covered with a thin layer of ashes.

The smoldering ashes, not yet completely extinguished, had spread throughout the city of the Papacy.

Streets, houses, churches, squares, statues...

Everything he could see was covered with a thin layer of ash.

Meanwhile, in the distance, the Holy Temple of the Azure Sky still shone with blinding holy light, keeping the ashes that seemed to come from nowhere at bay.

But a sense of unease crept into Galileo's mind.

This illusion, used for deception, has lasted for many days.

From the moment that imperial duke disappeared until now, when the duke who slew the bishop of the Chaos Brotherhood announced his return, this illusion has persisted.

This is a rather clever disguise technique, or rather, it can't really be called a disguise technique.

As an eighth-ringed mage, Galileo was still able to see everything clearly.

His research and observations over the past few days have further convinced him of one thing.

The Papacy began to experience a dimensional shift.

It seems that some force from another dimension is trying to invade reality.

The location of the Celestial Temple is the only entrance and the only security measure.

That Papal City buried in ashes... is very likely the anomalous dimension that attempted to invade reality.

The word "ashes" is familiar to everyone living in the Papal City.

The establishment of the Papal City was the process of the Ash Order's annihilation.

But now it seems that the city's role is already quite obvious.

Galileo sighed and looked toward the Temple of the Sky.

Three days ago, another omen summoned the last few regional archbishops of the ninth-ring legendary rank in the city into the Sky Temple, where they never came out again.

Up to this point, the twelve living saints, including the Pope, the four cardinals of the ninth rank, and the eight regional archbishops of the ninth rank have all entered the Temple of the Sky.

There were a total of twenty-four legendary figures with nine rings... among whom, the strength of five saints was no weaker than that of the Lord of the Demon Clan's Royal Court.

Even with such power, it seems that the decline is still difficult to conceal... It looks like they will need to gather people at the eighth ring level to enter in a few days.

Alternatively, they could recall all the remaining cardinals and powerful figures involved in external activities, and simultaneously request assistance.

As a priest ostracized by the Vatican itself, he was unaware of the specifics.

But he knew very well that the current situation was no longer a problem that the Vatican could solve on its own.

Soon, a deafening roar resounded, and the holy light above the Temple of the Azure Sky trembled violently under the sound, beginning to flicker like a broken light bulb.

After a long time, the holy light finally stabilized.

But this loud noise clearly made it impossible for the Vatican's leadership to remain silent any longer.

Of course, what prompted them to officially launch an external rescue was not only the roar, but also the words from Cardinal Clark, who was outside, which came from the Grim Reaper.

The gates to the underworld have been closed.

This statement acted as a signal, prompting the distress caller ID system to send out messages to every human force.

……

"Well……"

"Where is this?"

"who I am?"

A gray-haired girl wearing a tattered gray dress awoke from the swirling snow.

Strangely, when the wind and snow fell beside her, they all began to "burn," then turned into eerie gray-white remains, which then dissipated in the wind.

The girl didn't understand her current situation, nor did she understand who she was.

She stood silently in the wind and snow, looking up at the cold moonlight in the sky.

For the North, this was quite nice weather.

The sky was clear and cloudless, with countless stars illuminating the cold moon, creating a scene reminiscent of an oil painting.

A hint of curiosity and longing began to emerge in the gray eyes of the gray-haired girl. She stretched out her slender hand, as if she wanted to pluck the moon from the sky.

After making several empty clenching fists without success, she stopped moving somewhat dejectedly.

However, the feeling of frustration did not last long.

A strange feeling welled up from the bottom of her heart.

It seems that someone of its kind is approaching.

(End of this chapter)