The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 194 The Flames of Annihilation
Eric gave a wink to the knights below and told Elise to wait outside. He then walked into the office on the second floor alone and immediately saw Simago behind the desk.

Through the semi-transparent stained glass behind him, Eric could even vaguely see the figures of the knights and palace guards surrounding the cathedral.

"It's been a long time, Your Highness."

Simagu glanced up at him as he entered, then looked down and rummaged through several stacks of letters. “Your changes are far greater than Bialan’s.”

"I never expected to see you here again, High Priest Simagu."

Eric walked to his desk and glanced at the letters in front of him.

"Alan told me you were looking for Rusdy?"

“That’s right.” Simagu flipped through the letters. “Many years ago, he wrote me a letter, but I’ve forgotten where it came from.”

"Why are you looking for him?" Eric asked.

"You don't need to know that."

"To study the soul and help the Demon King prolong his life?"

"..."

Only then did Simagu raise his head and look at him seriously for a while.

"Your Highness Eric, tell me, how did you find out?"

Eric pointed to the ceiling. "Yera told me."

Xinmagu looked at him for a while, shook his head, and continued searching for letters.

"Then you should also know that my search for Rusdy is not just to seek eternal life for the Demon King."

Eric frowned.

Seeing his reaction, Xinmagu revealed a strange smile.

"It seems Yela has not been kind to you."

“I guessed,” Eric said. “It’s easy to make the connection by combining some ancient records found on the ancient battlefield with Rusdy’s expertise.”

“Rusdy is a friend of mine from my childhood. Although he is a master of soul research, he is not actually famous on the continent. How did Your Highness Eric come to know him?”

“Don’t forget, my sister has the same teacher as you, so that archmage knows a lot more people,” Eric said, not intending to reveal Molly’s existence.

Xinmagu was silent for a few seconds. "In that case, perhaps I can get results faster by going to Archmage Agnes."

Even so, he was still flipping through the letters in his hand.

Eric looked at him for a moment and then said, "The High Priest wants to see me, surely not just to say hello."

"I hope that Her Highness can persuade the Emperor to surrender and bring the entire continent to an end."

Xinmagu placed a stack of letters on the table. "The demon army outnumbers the empire's available forces by several times. I have seen this with my own eyes. Resistance is pointless and will only increase the bloodshed. The civilians will be the first to suffer, which is not what I want to see. I think Your Highness thinks so too. As long as the Demon King can successfully unify the continent, there will be no more bloodshed."

Eric opened his mouth slightly, then chuckled.

"You can believe that, but the question is, will the demons listen to you?"

“The Demon King will listen to me; he longs to obtain eternal life from me,” Simmagu said, raising his gaze to look at him. “And he will inevitably listen to me in the future.”

Eric felt his heart clench; for a fleeting moment, he seemed to have seen a black flame flash across Simago's eyes.

He suddenly understood what Elise meant by feeling suffocated in front of Simmagus.

"...What did you obtain in the Demon Realm?"

"The power left behind by the old demon king."

Xinmagu had no intention of hiding anything. "I took over and restarted the old Demon King's research. The massive amount of soul power left over from the Dark Ages is enough to extend the current Demon King's lifespan, eliminating the need for further killing. You can trust me on this point."

Eric frowned.

The source of Eileen's witch-like power was indeed Simago and the demon race.

“Her Highness seems to harbor a peculiar hatred towards me,” Simagu spoke again, looking into his eyes. “But I believe we are kindred spirits on certain paths.”

Eric shook his head. "Maybe you owed me something in a past life."

Simagu frowned. "Reincarnation is a heretical concept that was eradicated by the Church hundreds of years ago. I wonder where the Holy Maiden heard it from."

Eric shook his head again, finding it all absurd.

"However, this may not be wrong... For decades, I have focused on elemental magic and divine arts, and know very little about the soul. Therefore, after nearly a year of research in the Demon Realm, I have only solved some superficial problems, and even encountered more problems that I could not discover before."

A hint of fanaticism flickered across Simagu's face. "Everyone's soul holds the secrets of the world's origin. But just like magical research, to truly understand the secrets of the soul requires a tremendous amount of effort. For the first time in decades, I've found Rusdy's insight to be so accurate... Unfortunately, I've lost contact with him."

Eric looked at him. "If he knew that the High Priest's plan was to help the demons rule the entire continent, do you think he would still help you?"

Xinmagu seemed stumped by the question and thought for a moment.

"Not everyone has the same level of awareness as us..."

“It is you, High Priest, not us.”

Eric looked at him. "Leaving aside how many people will listen to the Emperor now, I don't think humans will be as passive as you expect, nor do I think the demons will be able to control their bloodlust after they march south. Humans and demons cannot coexist."

Sinmag remained silent for a longer time, and when he raised his gaze again, Eric could clearly see the chilling black flames in his eyes.

"Even so, death is temporary. In the future, I will summon them back to a brand new world."

Eric sneered, "You think you're a god?"

Xinmagu looked at him, the black flames in his eyes flickering more and more intensely.

"As long as I can completely..."

boom!
An arrow suddenly shattered the glass and shot into the second-floor room.

A short, sharp curse rang out from outside, followed by an even more tense silence.

The arrow, seemingly released due to excessive tension, missed everyone but knocked over the candle holder.

The curtains were right next to it, and the overturned candle flame, which had not been extinguished, quickly ignited the curtains.

Flames ignited.

The two people in the room just watched.

Eric looked away from the burning curtains. "I heard the High Priest just went to the palace. It seems even the most incompetent emperor has no intention of surrendering to the demons."

Xinmagu closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

"Pointless."

Eric was too lazy to argue with him about the significance of the matter. "I want to know how the demon army will break through the Black Ice Wall."

“I have found a way to destroy the underwater magic array in the Iceless Bay,” Simmagu said. “The demon army will walk on the ice to bypass the Black Ice Great Wall, and the strongest wall will become the most ridiculous decoration.”

This was originally the office of the high priest and archbishop. Every part of the room was furnished to the best of its ability, including the curtains. As a result, the expensive curtains were quite flammable, and the fire quickly spread, igniting other things in the room.

The flames roared, and the temperature continued to rise, while Eric felt a chill creeping through his body and soul.

"what way?"

Simagu just looked at him.

"Is it too late to stop it now?" Eric asked again.

Xinmagu seemed to smile.

"The day I left the royal court was also the day the demon army set off."

Eric's face changed drastically. He walked to the burning window, smashed the glass with his fist, and stuck his head out, shouting:
"Archbishop Dorian! Immediately send a church messenger to the Black Ice Great Wall and the governors of all the major provinces: the demon army has marched south, please provide immediate support! Have the Princess and the Great Wall garrison prepare, the demons will destroy the magic array of the Ice-Freezing Bay!"

"..."

A commotion immediately broke out below.

“It’s too late.” Simmagu put down the stack of letters in his hand. “Perhaps Her Highness will receive the news of the fall of the Black Ice Wall first.”

“The emperor is incompetent, but don’t underestimate his sister.” Eric turned to look at him. “Natalia will hold that place.”

Xinmagu just shook his head.

"I have two more questions, or perhaps one: How did you manage to disappear suddenly while being closely followed by the Church Knights, and then enter and leave the Demon Realm without the Great Wall garrison noticing?"

Eric turned around and stared intently at him. "Could it be that Grand Mage Simago has already mastered the ability of teleportation?"

Xinmagu nodded, not to admit that he could teleport, but to acknowledge the guess implied in the question, "That is indeed a problem: there are people in both places helping me."

"We've been investigating for years, and they still find demon spies hidden among the defenders of the Black Ice Great Wall..."

Eric grinned. "As for the church, the demons shouldn't be able to interfere yet. Those who will help you are the people you've incited to side with you." Simago nodded again. "You guessed right, Eric..."

He paused involuntarily for a moment, because he saw a large number of golden marks suddenly appear on Eric's face.

This is……

Unforgivable rampant cultivation?

His surprise and confusion only lasted for a moment before Eric's swift slash was already upon him.

when!
The longsword slashed down heavily, but was blocked by a semi-transparent shield that gradually transformed from invisible to tangible.

The two stared at each other coldly, both somewhat surprised.

Eric was surprised that a mage like Sinmag could react so quickly—he was so close, almost at full power, that he had an 80% chance of ambushing even the strongest church knight outside, but Sinmag blocked it with a shield.

Simagu was astonished by his terrifying power. As the maintainer of the shield, the instantaneous depletion of its durability allowed him to directly feel the actual power of the sword strike even more than Eric. If he were still the person he used to be, he would definitely not have been able to block this fast and fierce sword strike in time.

When his first attack failed, Eric swung his sword again, but it exploded upon hitting the shield, sending a cloud of black energy rushing towards him.

Eric pushed off with his foot and quickly retreated, facing off against Simagu from a distance.

"It seems that Her Highness has chosen a path that no one expected."

Xinmagu looked at him coldly, raised his hand, and a staff appeared in his hand. A black aura, like smoke, surged from his body.

"Isn't the High Priest the same? Before this, who else besides me would have thought you might join the demons? It wasn't that they were afraid, but that they thought the High Priest was a truly devout believer and would never do anything against the doctrine."

While remaining vigilant and on guard, Eric continued to apply buffs that he couldn't immediately cast, right in front of Sinmag.

The impact of the shield exploding sent flames engulfing every corner of the room. Soon, the bookshelves, carpet, and even the desk in front of Simago were licked by the flames and burst into flames.

The two faced each other amidst the flames.

"If faith can only bring disappointment, then why should I continue to deceive myself?"

His gaze lingered for two seconds on the burning letter on the desk. Xinmagu's expression turned cold, and he waved his staff, causing a black fireball to condense beside him.

"If everyone could have their own way, the world would be in chaos long ago."

Eric gripped the sword in one hand and the pendant tightly in the other, continuously casting enhancement spells. His body and the sword grew brighter and brighter, radiating holy light.

"You should thank the gods for creating this orderly and stable world, instead of completely overturning the table and causing everyone to suffer a terrible death before it becomes the way you want it to be."

Xinma Gu sneered, waved his staff, and a black fireball hurtled towards him.

"You are a beneficiary of this order, so of course you would say that!"

Eric was completely focused, and just as the fireball was about to hit his face, he suddenly vanished.

"..."

Suddenly losing his trail, Xinmagu did not hesitate. He held his staff horizontally, and an even stronger shield quickly condensed, completely enveloping himself.

The next instant, a powerful impact struck the shield from behind, causing the newly generated shield to shake violently.

This impact wasn't just a single event, but rather a continuous barrage, like a sudden storm.

Xinmagu could feel the hastily generated shield's durability rapidly depleting. He immediately turned around, wielding his staff like a short sword, unleashing a black, cutting flame.

Eric leaped into the air, and then saw a wide-ranging magical shockwave erupt from Sinmag's body in a 360-degree arc.

Eric stomped heavily on Sinmag's shield, then leaped again, maintaining his airborne state.

The powerful surge of magic spread outwards, striking bookshelves and other clutter, causing them to collapse or shatter, and completely engulfing the already burning room into a sea of ​​fire.

Eric descended swiftly, using the momentum to deliver a powerful strike.

boom!
Spin and slash again!

Under the continuous impact, the shield's durability finally ran out, and it shattered and vanished without a trace.

Having broken through the shield, Eric's sword strike was already past its prime, striking Sinmag's shoulder but failing to penetrate deeply, only causing him to stagger.

There was no time for a powerful, sweeping strike; with a flick of his wrist, he sent the sword swiftly slicing toward Xinmagu's vital neck.

The magical impact that had just swept out actually contracted back along its original path, and even became faster, striking him from behind.

Eric's body was thrown to the side by the impact, the blade grazing Sinmag's neck, lifting him off the jaw, blood splattering, but still leaving a sizable gash.

"..."

The excruciating pain from the cutting sensation in his jaw brought Xinmagu back to his senses from the near-death experience. The surging killing intent originating from an external force, along with the power he still couldn't fully control, instantly became uncontrollable.

Eric, who had been knocked off balance, was adjusting his body to launch another attack and finish off the misaligned strike when he suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis.

Without thinking, he jumped backward, and after landing, he leaped again, greatly increasing the distance between them.

The whole world seemed to fall silent for a moment.

The next instant, he saw that the space around Xinmagu seemed to tremble and become much cleaner visually.

Eric shifted his gaze slightly outward from Sinmagoo and realized that his surroundings hadn't become clean, but rather completely gone.

The ground beneath Xinmagu's feet also vanished amidst the spatial tremors, revealing a large circular hole centered on him. He hovered there, his two eyes shining black.

Below, on the church floor, several monks stared in astonishment at the large hole in the ceiling.

The next second, the invisible shockwave expanded again, and Eric saw the hole in the floor grow larger out of thin air, while the monk who was closest to it had disappeared from the waist up.

Without a second thought, Eric flicked his longsword, the Mist Sword, and vanished from his body before hurling it at Simago.

Pfft!

The invisible longsword that flew out pierced just above Sinmag's heart, but did not penetrate deeply. He only swayed slightly before raising his staff toward Eric.

"..."

Having thrown away his weapons, Eric's instincts compelled him to run. Once outside, he leaped from the second floor.

boom--

He felt something graz his back and fly out. After landing, he looked up and saw a large hole, four or five meters in diameter, in the church wall.

"What kind of power is this..."

He didn't even see any obvious spellcasting movements from Simagu, yet the destruction he caused was swift and astonishing.

A group of knights rushed to his side at that moment, "Your Highness!"

Both the knights of Lutia Cathedral and the knights he brought were already waiting downstairs. They had not received his orders and were hesitant to rush up because they were afraid of harming the innocent.

"Kill Simago!" The battle broke out suddenly, and Eric remembered that he had helpers. He immediately issued the order, "Don't let him escape from the cathedral!"

He quickly added, "Be careful to dodge, and try to attack from a distance!"

"Yes!"

The knights roared and charged forward, while Eric took a longsword from one of the knights who stayed behind to protect him and rushed down into the hole created by Simago, preparing to launch a pincer attack from below.

He suddenly felt a darkness above his head.

Eric instinctively looked up, and a black shockwave swept out above him, spreading out an eternal darkness that blocked out even the light outside.

Eric seemed to be caught up in the chaos, momentarily disoriented, then staggered and fell to the ground.

He was still looking up, but there was no sound from upstairs.

When he tried to get up again, he found that he barely had the strength to stand up, and the world began to spin.

"What happened..."

In order to kill Xinmagu quickly, he activated the "Unforgiving Mad Cultivation" status skill, which had extremely powerful positive and negative effects. However, he did not expect Xinmagu to unleash an unknown power far beyond his imagination, and he failed to succeed.

At this point, the positive effects ended one after another, and the negative effects, such as weakness, confusion, and even bleeding, all took effect on him.

He is currently in his weakest state.

The surroundings lit up again, and Eric looked up in a daze; the darkness above him had disappeared.

Suddenly, Elise appeared beside him and, with all her might, plunged her short sword into the neck of the knight behind him.

But she was still a step too slow.

"..."

Seeing the longsword protruding from his chest, Eric used his last bit of consciousness to stab himself backward before collapsing.

The world before him continued to spin, and after he closed his eyes, he was plunged into complete darkness.

(End of this chapter)